Dave L comes from Carmel Valley and he visited Z Car Garage for suspension upgrades on his 1972 Datsun 240z. Prior to meeting us he added many parts to the car himself like a 5-speed transmission but needed our expertise for Z-specific parts. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with a dyno-tuned 2.8L L-series really transformed this pretty S30.
Suspension
The chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild with new parts and bushings from Techno Toy Tuning. 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.
Stock vs T3 T/C rods up front:
Stock rear lower control arms were replaced with T3 adjustable units:
Dave provided us with a set of Tokico/springs from back in the day. We installed new tie-rods, Nissan ball joints, rack bushings, bump stops and moustache bar bushings:
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Our readers are likely familiar with “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car with full suspension and our ZCG Big-Brakes. Following a test drive in Butters, clients are sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Read below for a brief description of these parts:
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 engineers at 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 some 14″ wheels) 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 Dave’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. Up front:
Our Big-Brakes utilize the OEM brake master cylinder and booster along with the factory hydraulic system. A few more shots of the front setup:
At the rear, the stock drums were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes:
Factory handbrake functionality IS retained! A few close-ups of the front and rear setup:
Following the suspension and brake installation was a full alignment:
The new ZCG Big-Brakes fit nicely behind the 15″ Ansen Sprint wheels:
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 100 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Dave received axle set #291. Stock half shafts and ZCG units shown below with more pictures in the gallery:
Engine
The tired, stock L24 dyno’d at 111hp/115tq. We pulled the engine and built a street-style 2.8L. Here is the old L24 coming out:
The new engine got a set of SUs from Z-Therapy, MSA 6-to-1 header, ZCG full exhaust system and updated Pertronix ignition:
Fresh 2.8L going back in.
The engine bay was cleaned up, fluids replaced and miscellaneous items fixed. All fuel and cooling hoses were replaced and a KOYO radiator installed with a Z32 rad cap and ZCG upper hose. Note 280zx starter and alternator:
Engine bay cleanup:
ZCG exhaust system with a stainless Magnaflow resonator and slash-cut tip:
The stock SU-carb’d L24 baselined at 111hp/115tq. With Rob’s dyno tuning the 2.8L is making 153hp/167tq at the wheels:
Enjoy this dyno video below with sweet L-series music:
Enjoy The Ride!
We finished it off with a full detail and Dave and his wife are enjoying the Z! More pictures in the gallery below:
