Z Love Affair: Matt’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

Filed under: 240z,Featured Cars and Projects,Parts,Performance
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on February 18, 2022

Matt M called Z Car Garage for an inspection after he purchased this 1972 Datsun 240Z from Denver, Colorado. Once at the shop, we found that it needed some work for Matt to really Enjoy The Ride. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with a full suspension refresh and engine tuning make it just right.

Z Destiny

Before we explore the upgrades, let’s take a look at how Matt found his Z car…

“My love affair with the 240Z began in 1972. A school friend of mine said, “Do you want to come with me to Laguna Seca to watch the CanAm and Formula 5000 races this weekend?”. I was all in and early that Saturday I pedaled my bike over to “Roger’s” house (a friend of his older brother) who offered to give us a ride. Unbeknownst to me, Roger had a gorgeous dark blue 240Z. Since there were three of us and I was the tag-along, that meant I rode in the back. Luckily, at that point in life my 6’2” frame was struggling to get over the five foot mark.”

“I can’t claim that it was the most comfortable ride, but it was definitely the funnest ride I’d had in a car. On a lonely stretch of highway 68 out of Salinas we pushed Roger to go 100 mph. He obliged his two early teenage passengers only briefly before slowing down for fear of a ticket. I was hooked though for life. What set the hook even deeper was getting to watch John Morton and the BRE race team tear up the field in their Datsuns that day.”

“Fast forward four decades that spanned a long career in the Marine Corps, some government work, getting three kids through college…I found myself regularly searching the classic car sites for a 240Z. I saw a ‘72 for sale in Denver. It had two previous owners besides the car shop that was selling it and looked to be in good shape. It was July of 2020 so we were in full pandemic mode. It didn’t matter, I was in Denver the next night to see the car. The next morning I drove the car and bought it. The brakes were horrible, the clutch was worse, it needed tires, but the engine ran well.“

Matt driving home West from Denver. Winnemucca, NV

“When I got home I sent a note to a guy I worked with that was building out a 510. He told me about Z-Car Garage so I did a little research before calling Rob at the shop. After reviewing detailed pictures of the car, Rob said he’d work on it. That was a critical turning point for this 240Z. Rob doesn’t typically sugar coat his words, which I love. After going through the whole car he said, “It’s a nice paint job, but the car needs a lot of work before I would consider it even safe to drive.”

After a few conversations we settled on a plan to make Matt’s Z amaZing. Let’s start with the engine bay…

Drivetrain

In February 2021 Matt came in for an inspection and we found a few items that needed attention immediately. We performed a compression/leakdown test to make sure the engine was healthy. A list of items that were addressed/replaced: all new cooling hoses, sparks plugs, new plug wire set, fuel filter, valve cover gasket, valve adjustment, 280ZX alternator/starter, clutch hydraulic service, ceramic-coated MSA 6 to 1 header to our ZCG exhaust system and Z therapy carbs.

More pictures in the gallery! Pertronix igntion with Blaster2 coil and our favorite JWT aluminum flywheel with HD clutch:

Dyno Tuning

With fresh Z Therapy carbs and MSD Blaster 2 coil with Pertronix ignition Rob set the AFR/timing for best performance and drivability. Rob dyno tuned the L24 making 101hp/119tq baseline and now 132hp/139tq at the wheels:

Enjoy the dyno video below:

S30 World Fuel Tank

We found sediment in the fuel tank and decided to start fresh with a new S30 World reproduction unit. This a great product we are really happy with coming from owners Gustav Oplasnik and Chris Visscher, Z enthusiasts/restorers:

Chassis and Suspension Upgrades

With Matt’s Z at the shop we proceeded with upgrades to make it a fantastic, reliable driver. For our clients that are cruising with occasional “spirited” driving we installed our “Stage 1/light street” suspension. New parts from Techno Toy Tuning included adjustable T/C rods and rear lower control arms. We really appreciate Gabriel and his staff at T3. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

A full front suspension rebuild included new rack bushings, front control arm bushings, ball-joints, tie-rods, new wheel bearings front and rear (OEM genuine Nissan seals/parts), KYB strut inserts, Eibach lowering springs trimmed Macpherson bumps stops for full travel and a ST sway bar set. Powder-coated suspension pieces and plated hardware throughout:

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

Brakes: every vintage Z car that we build here gets the ultimate setup: our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes for small wheels. Everyone that drives our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car is sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 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 Matt’s brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit with a new brake master cylinder from Nissan, brake booster and parking brake assembly.

New brake master cylinder from Nissan and stock vs Big-Brakes. New brake booster and vacuum hose set from MSA:

At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!

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 90 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

Matt’s stock half shafts (L) and ZCG CV axles installed:

Matt is throughly impressed and happy with all of the chassis and engine upgrades:

“The Z-Car components, especially the big brakes and CV axles, perform flawlessly. Most importantly to me, every ride I take brings me back to my youth and the fun I had dreaming about owning one!”

Panasport Wheels

Complementing the new springs and shocks on Matt’s Z are Panasport Wheels with 225/50/16 Toyo R1R tires. The Z was fully aligned afterwards:

Recaro Seats

We replaced the stock seats with our favorite vintage style seat, the Recaro Specialist in leather:

Matt recalls his love for Recaro:

“I love the seats. I remember seeing Recaro ads when I was a kid. I used to subscribe to Motor Trend and Sports Illustrated. I’d see cars in Motor Trend with Recaros. There was a running competition between the Motor Trend that spotlighted the Brock Buster 510, and the swimsuit issue with Cheryl Tiegs.”

One of our favorite upgrades to the interior of an S30 is our ZCG sound deadening package. Usually found in our full-blown ZCG restorations, the result is a less tinny sound and almost Germanic-like “clunk” when you shut the doors.

Enjoying the Ride

We loved seeing Matt at the car corral during the Velocity Invitational at Laguna Seca. He’s super pumped about his Z and we are too:

” I see people pulling out their phones to take a picture when I am stopped at traffic lights. When I parked it recently in the car corral at the Laguna Seca’s vintage races, it got more visits than any of the Mclarens, Vettes, Porches or Lamborghinis.”

Welcome to the Z car family!

“The pandemic and supply chain mess definitely extended the timeline, but it was well worth the wait! I smile every time I drive it now. The Z-car brakes are fantastic, Rob installed a tuned exhaust, built out the suspension system, drivetrain and put in a new clutch. He cleaned or fixed more things than I can list. I got an early reveal (which Rob wanted to avoid) because they needed to make sure I fit into the new Recaro seats. The early reveal just made me more anxious to drive it. When I drove it for the first time about a week later, it was everything I had hoped for.”