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Follow The Nissan Z Is HERE!!

Filed under: Events,Featured Cars and Projects
by Forbes @ 9:28 am on November 21, 2008

Today is the day that many of us have been waiting for and working towards for a long time now.  Both 370Zs showed up last night with a small army of support.  As I opened the shop this morning I was greeted with the beautiful blue car so I snapped a few photos to start the day.  I also have some more information on parking and today’s other events.

The event is going to start between 2 and 3pm today with free food and drinks for the first couple hundred people so get here and bring your friends!!!!  See you all soon.  ENJOY!!

There will be some street parking available but we also rented a lot about a quarter of a mile from the shop with parking for a few hundred cars.  There is a map of the location below.

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I will have more updates and photos as the day goes on so come on by and check the blog frequently!!!

Z Car Garage
140 Archer St.
San Jose, CA 95112




ZCG Follow The Z Directions

Filed under: Events,Featured Cars and Projects
by Forbes @ 9:38 pm on November 18, 2008

Sorry for the lack of updates on the upcoming 370z events.  We have been crazy busy getting the shop and all the best Z Car Garage cars ready for the festivities.  Those who are attending should be ready to see some amazing vehicles as well as the two 370Zs.

We hope that as many of you will be able to join us as possible to celebrate the release of the newest Z car and also on our trip to the next tour stop in Elk Grove on Saturday the 22nd.  Below is a image of the route that we will be taking on our way to the Elk Grove dealership.

We would prefer that you come down to Z Car Garage on Friday for all the Nissan Corporate displays and the EA Games Need For Speed: Undercover setup that will be at the shop but if you can’t then we hope to see you on Saturday.  Don’t forget that there will be free food and refreshments on Friday at Z Car Garage.  Long Live the Z!!

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RB 240z Project Updates

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Forbes @ 10:14 pm on November 13, 2008

Z Car Garage is currently building 3 RB powered Datsuns for some very lucky customers, two 240Zs and one RHD Fairlady Z.  Many of you know Rob Fuller’s “Go Green” RB25 240z from being at Z Car Garage, various car shows, and from the cover of Turbo magazine earlier this year; these customer cars are going to be all that and more!!

Here are a few pictures of Rob’s car to refresh your memory.

Parts have been coming in like crazy recently so I figured it was time to share the goodies with all of you.  First off, GReddy has sent us a few new intake manifolds to abuse in these cars (these pictures are of the stock pieces before our modifications.)

We also had CUSTOM intercoolers made just for this application.  Flow and efficiency were our main concerns in the design and they do not disappoint.   These are extremely trick and are made to the same high standards as all of our cars and will be right at home in the RB engine bay.

Tomei will be supplying the camshafts for all the engines, but they will all be a more aggressive grind than the Tomei pieces in Rob’s 240.  The turbo choice is going to be key with these builds and we will be testing a few different variations before we make a final choice.  This will be extremely critical for the car that will be getting the stroked RB28.  This engine is nearly assembled and should be a monster when completed.

The three current cars are in various stages of completion:

Kurtzee:

This beautiful car was just featured in the November issue of Sport Compact Car.  It was torn apart a few weeks ago just as the article was released.  The struts were shortened and modified to accept coilovers and then sent out to be powder coated.  It is also being prepped for the ZCG Big Brake Kit so that it will be able to stop once the car gets going with all that new found horsepower.

This car is the most complete but the engine is still in the early stages so it is expected to be finished around the same time as the black car.

The Behemoth:

This is the car that will be receiving the RB28.  The plan is for the car to be black on black with the engine bay paint matching the quality of the of all of the exterior paint.  This is a show car that will be built to take all the abuse one can throw at it.  There has been a custom roll cage installed to brace the chassis which will be painted to match the exterior.

The car is currently at paint where we are making sure that all of the body lines are perfect before the black is sprayed, it will be as smooth as glass.  The stroked 2.8L RB is assembled and waiting only on the camshafts before it is buttoned up for the final time.  As I stated earlier this engine will be getting a slightly larger turbo to take full advantage of the added displacement.  The ZCG Big Brake Kit is standard issue.

The Silver Fairlady:

This car is also set to be something really special.  It is a true JDM RHD Fairlady Z that is being restored from the ground up to be the highlight of the owners collection.  While the engine will be built to the same specs as the Kurtzee build, the rest of the car is going to be a true labor of love due to the difficulty of sourcing the rare Fairlady parts.

This car will also be receiving the ZCG brake kit as it will see regular track duty when it isn’t winning every show it enters.  The entire suspension of the car has already been modified to accept coilovers and has been powder coated in a metallic silver just like the Skyline GT-Rs of the past, truly a thing of beauty.

All of the cars will be receiving a custom designed stand-alone ECU, the Hydra Nemesis EMS 2.6.  It will be fully integrated into our custom designed harnesses with a factory fit and finish.  This system has already been installed on our green RB 240 with excellent results.

Another addition to the cars is the 3 piece, custom offset, Panasport wheel set.  These wheels are a beautiful addition to an already amazing package.  They were chosen because they have the strength to handle the power and track use that all of these cars will see.

Look for another installment in these builds with in the next week when the suspension and engine developments mature a bit further.  Long Live The RB Z!




UPDATE on “Follow the Z” Tour!

Filed under: Events
by Forbes @ 4:55 pm on November 7, 2008

This just in!!  Z Car Garage is arranging a cruise to the next two stops on Nissan’s “Follow the Z” tour.  All are welcome to join in the fun as we celebrate the release of the newest Z!

Everyone will be meeting at Z Car Garage between 8-8:30 on Saturday the 22nd of November.  With the 370z leading the way, we will head out on the road.  The first stop is a two hour get together at Elk Grove Nissan in the Sacramento area for another preview of the 370z at the dealership.  The event is scheduled to last until around 1pm and will include a few activities that are to be determined at this point.  Once things wrap up we will be back on the road.

The next leg of the trip lands us in Lady Luck’s own city of Las Vegas, NV to deliver the cars to Henderson Nissan.  I haven’t received any info on the events at this stop yet so you may want to check the “Follow the Z” website or here at zcarblog.com for updates.

Our group of cars will consist of Z cars new and old, the ZCG R35 GT-R, G35s, and other makes and models too.  All that is required to join this group is a love for driving.  Please come out and have a blast with us on this once in a lifetime road trip.

Z Car Garage
140 Archer St.
San Jose, CA 95112

Official Nissan site:  www.FollowTheNissanZ.com




Infiniti Still Considering 4 Door GT-R for 2011!

Filed under: Spy Shots
by Forbes @ 10:29 am on

Rumors and spy photos of a four-door, Infiniti-badged, GT-R sedan have been around even before the R35 was released to the public.  It seems that the rabid enthusiasm for the GT-R has breathed life back into the program which had been reportedly scrapped a few months back.  Good news for us!

The new model will be more than just a lengthened GT-R.  While the final design is still under lock and key, this artist’s renderings hint towards a slightly softer lined four door coupe.  The biggest difference from the current GT-R is going to be the engine change from the VR38DETT.  The engine of choice for the new 4 door coupe will most likely be the 5.0 liter V8 (VK50VE) out of the FX50.  The engine is supposed to put out somewhere north of 420bhp.

While that isn’t enough power to let it compete evenly with other super 4-doors (AMG S63, Bentley Continental Flying Spur) no one thought that the 4,000lb R35 GT-R would be able to stand up and fight either.  I wouldn’t under-estimate the performance potential of this vehicle just yet….

The rest of the drivetrain will remain the same as the R35 with the manu-automatic dual clutch trans axle.  Hopefully there will be a few internal changes made to handle the power this time around.

Whatever happens with this concept, I’m just happy that Nissan is still willing to create concepts of this caliber.   We’ll have to wait and see….

Some pictures and information was sourced from LEFTLANENEWS.com




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