Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Panasports for Jay’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

Filed under: 240z,Parts,Performance
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on June 17, 2022

Our Z Car Garage Big Brakes have been winning over Z-car enthusiasts locally and globally. Jay recently purchased a set for his 1972 Datsun 240Z and performed the installation himself at home in South Carolina. Last year Jay also purchased a set of Panasport wheels from ZCG and he’s been enjoying the ride. Before we go into his Big-Brake experience let’s hear his Z-story…

“The car was from California and made its way to Gainesville FL and was put in storage. I had been looking for a good 240 and this one was taken by the owner to a shop owned by a friend of a friend. The guy wanted to get it running and sell it. That triggered a phone call to me while on a anniversary trip with my wife to Italy, we were living in St Augustine Florida at the time. My buddy sent me some pics and a quick video and he grabbed the car for me. It was all there and very little rust. I had not really considered a Blue one, much less one with white interior.”

Jay and 3 friends restored the car (minus paint and the head work) in his 2 car garage over 3 years. Jay has met so many people in the Z community and learned much about Z cars:

Beautiful engine bay with new engine:

Check out the before/after on the interior…great work Jay and friends!

Jay recalls how he found ZCG and eventually purchased a set of Panasports from us:

“I found the Z Car Garage videos on YouTube very early on which led me to your website. I went to Daytona to see Randy Jaffe’s #46 BRE 240z car run and left just before John rolled it. I met Rob at the Amelia Concours earlier this year and bought a set of Panasports from the shop. I also have become friends and an Insurance client of Jim Frederick in Lutz Florida who I believe has the finest collection of low VIN original Z’s in the World! Jim has also helped me with parts and advice on this build. I am hoping Larry Chen will make it down to film Jim’s collection.”

Z Car Garage Big-Brakes

As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:

Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)

Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats

Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads

Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.

A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:

Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!

Z Car Garage is proud to offer our Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves. We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive (40-page) installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Enjoy these pictures of Jay’s beautiful S30 and his ZCG Big-Brake installation:

As mentioned, our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake. Jay successfully installed the BBK on his Z along with a full suspension rebuild:

“The kit was packed and labeled extremely well, everything was included except for brake fluid. The manual Rob sent me was very good. If you are looking for a great bolt on brake solution for your S30 with no need to cut n paste parts to make it all work, look no further than Z Car Garage. Great quality and Great folks to deal with. I had a small hiccup and Rob jumped on the phone and had me fixed up. Very happy with my purchase!”

Jay used OEM bushings and parts for his suspension refresh and full exhaust system from Zstory:

Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. Jay was very happy as well with great feedback:

“The performance of the brakes is awesome. My car is essentially a stock L24 but I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and we have a lot of great driving roads and frankly the stock brakes sort of didn’t inspire confidence. This allows me to drive the car a lot harder with no worries. Super happy with the fit, finish & performance of the brakes. Thanks to you guys for making parts that take these old cars to the next level.”

Enjoying the Ride

Jay has been braking deeper and with more confidence on those Blue Ridge mountain roads, we love that this Z gets driven! Enjoy the short video Jay sent us the Z in action:

You can see more pictures in the gallery and thanks for your support Jay! Stay tuned for more customer installations of our ZCG Big-Brakes! Check out our ZCG CV axles HERE. Long Live The Z!

Panasport wheels for your Z car

Treat your Z to a brand new set of Panasport wheels! Z Car Garage is an authorized Panasport dealer and have limited sets available for fitment on your S30 Z car. We special order this offset to enable fitment of a 225/50/16 tire on the 1970 to 1978 S30s.

Wondering how a set of Panasports would look on your Z car? Please enjoy pictures below of ZCG customer cars in jus about every color imaginable with Panasport wheels: