David O. has been a Z Car Garage client since 2005. Together, we helped achieve his vision of a fully restored S30 with multi-dimensional performance: a daily driver that is equally adept at canyon runs and open track events. 17 years later David is still Enjoying the Ride and recently visited us for track day preparation.

 

Before we get into the build details dating back to 2005, let’s hear from David on his recent track day experience.

Take it to the Track!

 

David is an avid motorsports fan and driver. The Z has seen many track days since the restoration and came out of storage so he visited Z Car Garage for a pre-inspection.

 

We bled the brakes and made sure everything was ready for the event. He had a great time:

“It was my first time back on the track with the 240z in several years. I went out for half a day with Hagerty Insurance and their affiliation with SCCA’s Track Night in America. The people were great and it was a very “docile” track day with mandatory point-by’s even in the advanced group. It was a great way to knock the rust off after a few years off the track.”

“Rob Fuller prepped the car a few days before and she behaved beautifully. I managed a 1:59 lap but I was lifting a bit going up to turn six because I was afraid of breaking the 90dB sound limit. Of course, Z-Car got a lot of love from the other attendees. :-)”

Enjoy this video of David’s Z in action with in-car and chase footage from Laguna Seca and more:

 

History

 

We met David and his newly acquired Z in 2005. Long before the days of Facebook and Instagram, our mutual friend and Datsun fanatic Tom Dockery referred David to ZCG:

“I’ve been working with Rob since February of 2005 when I purchased my 240z from a guy in Redding. It was a true barn car. He drove it down and Rob inspected it before I bought it. I didn’t know anything about the car except that I wanted something fun to drive with a manual transmission. I’d always thought the 240z was cool because my 5th and 6th grade teacher had one – and she was very cool.”

“The first weekend I had the car it rained really hard and I found out all the seals were useless. There was about a quarter inch of water in the car and mold had already started growing. I took it to Rob, and once the seats were out, and the carpet was out, and the seals were in, Rob suggested the Recaro seats, the roll bar, and harness. It was just about that time I did my first track day in someone else’s car, and I decided I wanted to track the 240z. And that’s when I started what I call the “accidental restoration.”

Paint/Body

 

While we do not have in-progress photos of the restoration, there are many shots of David enjoying the finished restoration. Our man William worked his magic to apply the Nissan 112 Paint (Tennis Ball Green). David recalls his vision for the Z:

“My goal when restoring was to have a track-ready, fun to drive machine that did justice to the original car. My car was originally orange, was red when I purchased it, but I wanted something different. That’s when I went with the tennis ball green color, which was one of the original colors. It was manufactured in October of 1971, so she turned 50 just last fall.”

 

Engine

 

Full engine bay services included re-plating and powdercoating parts. The L24 was replaced with factory-spec L28 with triple-Mikuni induction. A custom cam was designed by Rob for better top-end performance. The Z put down 167hp/174tq at the wheels on the ZCG dyno:

 

Interior

 

There’s very little on the car that was left untouched – David took pride in the interior:

“I pretty much went with Rob’s suggestions (pros and cons) and learned while I went along. The gauges were all me. As much as I liked the originals, the were just too dim and difficult to read at night. I replaced them with white-backed Autometer gauges but kept the green backlighting. I also kept the original turn signals and embedded them in the new gauges. I didn’t keep the clock, and the fuel gauge is the carbon fiber reinforced glove box.”

 

More details like Recaro seats, Roll bar with 5-point harnesses, updated fuse box and high voltage bypass for the steering column, 260z lighted console panel and Sony bluetooth radio. Outside, Euro tail lights with LEDs:

 

Z Car Garage Big-Brakes

 

David’s Z was the first one to receive our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. This was our initial (2008) setup utilizing Stoptech ST-40 calipers and our own brackets. We had extensive track testing with pro-driver David Ray:

 

James’s also runs this 328mm kit on his turbocharged L-Series beast, Medusa. Not to be confused with our current Z Car Garage Big-Brakes!

  

Enjoying the Ride

 

We have Enjoyed the Ride with David at many events over the last 17 years. Most recently I got to catch up with him at our New Nissan Z event. His Z still looks amaZing!

 

Here are few events from years ago with David…some of you might remember attending these too!

2008 ZONC Blackhawk Museum Car Show

 

2010 and 2011 Palo Alto Concours d’ Elegance – the crowd loved his Z car!

 

2008 Motoring J Style…remember we had a superb turnout for the caravan starting at Z Car Garage!

 

2008 and 2011 Silicon Valley Auto Show at the San Jose Convention Center

 

Long Live The Z!

Thank you David for your support and friendship all these years. We love that you keep your Z on the road and it makes you smile behind the wheel whether its on the track or or street. Stay tuned as David will be returning to ZCG later this year for 3.1L engine upgrade! More pictures in the gallery below…