Being part of a client’s project from start to finish is just one of our favorite jobs at Z Car Garage. Jason P contacted us a few years ago to help find a 240z to call his own and what began as a visit for our ZCG Big-Brakes evolved into building his dream car. Let’s take a closer look at his “ProjectZ” that received a ZCG-style mechanical restoration including a new drivetrain, engine bay clean-up, total suspension rebuild and more.
Jason’s Z Story
We are lucky to work with long-time Z owners and first-time enthusiasts like Jason. It’s no surprise to hear how the Z struck a chord with him at a young age:
“My favorite toy growing up was an old beat-up Transformers Bluestreak I inherited from my cool older cousins. I found out years later this toy was based on a Silver Datsun 280zx and it’s been my dream to get one someday, for the past 20 years I’ve been patiently saving and loosely looking. As weird reminders I’ve done things like make a lego 240Z for my desk to stay passionate about the car.”
Jason recalls how he found us:
“I was looking for a shop from the Bay Area to San Diego that specialized in Zs and who could be a long-term partner in building and maintaining my dream car. I found ZCG on multiple forums and Yelp with stellar reviews and feedback from other Datsun owners. A couple clicks later I was reading the ZCG blogs and loving how thoroughly the builds were documented. I loved the first time talking to Rob and how he never mentioned any of the prestigious work they had done and was solely focused on what I wanted. Maybe the second time we talked I heard him sing and that sealed the deal.”
Through many discussions about budget and goals we started the search for a chassis to build on. Jason drove one of our older performance-built Z’s and instantly became hooked on triple-Mikuni’s and chassis upgrades…but he was adamant that the color must be silver. He found a local S30 that we inspected and belonged to ZONC member Robert C. It’s a small world and we actually worked on this car in the past. Jason purchased the Z and shared what he liked/disliked about it with a few revelations gained after driving a stock S30:
Jason was very specific in his vision for the build:
“My goal was for a resto-mod that would mainly be used to cruise but had the power to kick-ass if needed. It was important to me that some parts of the car like exterior and interior were factory and original and other parts like brakes, suspension, engine were upgraded for better comfort, performance, and safety. This was really clear to me after driving an unmodified RHD Fairlady Z and unmodified series 1 240Z. The 50 year old suspension creaked and bounced, I had to leave huge gaps driving in rush-hour traffic so I could stop on time, and I really love the L24 but it didn’t feel like I was driving a sports car by today’s standards.”
Taking the Z to the next level
Engine
Following Jason’s desire for more power, timing was perfect and a 3.1L that we had done for a customer a years ago became available. We took this entire driveline and installed it in Jason’s Z. Here is the tired, stock L24:
The freshened 3.1L was built by Techcraft many years ago with a P90 head, rare Clifford 6-3-2 header, triple-Mikuni ph44s on a Harada intake manifold, serial #245 ZCG Heat Shield, 280zx internally regulated alternator and gear-reduction starter, MSD6Al with tach adapter and black coil, and 2.5″ exhaust with a Borla XR-1 muffler:
With the engine/transmission removed we focused our efforts on restoring the engine bay. All hydraulic lines were removed and zinc’d with many other parts that were bagged/tagged. More pictures in the gallery below:
Before/after plating hydraulic lines:
New engine bay parts included: all new fuel system, coolant hoses, fuel filter, Koyo race radiator and all drive belts:
Before/after:
The fuel system was replaced and gas tank removed as it was in rough shape. We replaced it with a clean unit from the ZCG parts stash. All the fuel vapor/recovery lines in the gas tank area were replaced:
This was a 4-speed car, so we grabbed one of the 5-speeds from Rob’s stash. This early 280z 5-speed is like a 4-speed but adds a 0.86 overdrive. The factory 3.36 R180 factory rear end will be upgraded later.
With the drivetrain out we installed a JWT aluminum flywheel with HD clutch for the L-series. We use this setup exclusively and it has really good feel with an organic clutch that’s also a breeze in traffic. The key to success to having a powerful vintage car is that it can also be easy to drive.
More detail work was performed:
Engine bay before/after:
Dyno Tuning
Rob dyno tuned the 3.1L now producing 221hp/226tq to the wheels on 91 octane. Great torque and makes all the right sounds!
Jason was stoked on the new drivetrain:
“Lucky to have a “purist” 3.1 stroker that looks right at home in the engine bay thanks to the original Nissan and Datsun parts combined together expertly. The triple Mikuni’s sing all through all 5 gears and I’m super impressed by the clutch Rob chose for me and how responsive the throttle is. I can’t wait for Winter now to try cold starting, I’m not going to miss the choke lever at all.”
Enjoy the video below showing the dyno run and test drive with Rob, volume up!
Chassis and Brakes
Jason originally came in to ZCG for our Big-Brake kit and it was just the beginning of his wishlist. Now that we replaced the engine it was time to match the power level with braking and suspension upgrades.
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
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:
We removed Jason’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. The Z also received entire full coil-over (Koni) suspension from Techno Toy Tuning. New parts included adjustable T/C rods, rear control arms, new bushings, rack bushings, steering coupler, ball joints, new f/r wheel bearings and more. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
We went ahead and got Jason dialed in with the ZCG big-brake kit for small wheels with parking brake and a new brake booster/master cylinder. More pics in the gallery!
Front brake installation with coil-overs and T3 suspension parts visible:
At the rear, the OEM drums brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!
Great feedback from Jason on the Big-Brakes:
“ZCG front and rear BBK dramatically improved the stopping power over stock 240Z brakes, I don’t need to worry about constant drum-brake servicing and can feel all 4 tires stopping when I pump the brakes now. I’m more confident driving it freely knowing it can stop at shorter distances and not wreck a car that took so long to find and with so much work done to it.”
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 80 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Jason received ZCG CV Axle set #321:
The before/after with full chassis cleanup and new T3 suspension, bushings and ST sway bar:
Close-up of the T3 lower rear control arms and our ZCG CV Axles:
Panasport Wheels
Our ZCG Big-Brakes also look great behind Panasport wheels in our offset allowing us to run 225/50/16 tires. We replaced the generic wheels with 16×7 Panasports and Bridgestone S-04 tires. We think the wheels/tires are a huge improvement:
Jason was pleased with the chassis upgrades:
“Car feels amazingly tight now, it doesn’t creak anymore going over bumps and feels firm entering and doesn’t bounce as much when exiting corners. I’m glad we were able to upgrade so much of it at the same time, the overall suspension package Rob recommended handles so well and really changes the character from a stock 240z.“
Interior
The interior got attention as well. We pulled the entire dash and cleaned up the heater controls, pressure tested the heater core, refurbished the heater box, cleaned up the gauges and replaced all light bulbs. We ensured that we never have to go into the dash again.
This is our second Vintage Dashes installation and we thank Ivan Jaramillo for making a cost-effective product for Z cars. More pictures in the gallery below. Expect a full report on their products soon!
Details
The little things are what we excel at. Jason didn’t like the odd, 280zx vented hood so we gave him a NOS S30 hood from Rob’s stash and had our man William paint it. He also touched up the front end:
Jason was not fond of the PO’s aftermarket radio/speaker boxes in back. We removed it all and gave him a factory 240z radio. Also shown below: powdercoated rear sway bar hangers for ST parts, zinc’d pieces.
Enjoying The Ride
Jason was super stoked on his Z and immediately started driving it everywhere. Here is a message he sent Rob, it’s hard to beat enthusiastic clients:
“ZCG is an extremely popular shop and I consider myself super fortunate to be living about 25 minutes away. In my occasional visits I’ve seen everything from 510 wagons, supercharged 350zs, and 240z restorations and upgrades so I know they can do it all. The shop is very clean and organized and filled with all sorts of history and treasure for Datsun + Nissan enthusiasts to nerd out on.Despite how busy ZCG is, Rob and crew didn’t miss a beat with my car with awesome communication and recommendations, just picked it up yesterday and loving it! The care that went into this car would be appreciated by anyone into details and craftsmanship and it’s clear the years of expertise Rob and crew bring to their work.”
“As a novice car-guy I feel Rob and team really understood my needs for a clean restomod that was easy to drive and could haul if needed. The entire car is super impressive and I find myself daydreaming about driving it around now. “
More pictures in the gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!