At Z Car Garage we love getting Z’s back on the road. Garett is a Bay Area local and visited us for mechanical sorting on his 1972 Datsun 240Z. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles combined with a suspension rebuild improved the chassis. Power comes from a Rebello 3L with our Z Car Garage Heat Shield and in-house dyno tuning to make it sing.
“I first learned about Z Car Garage just searching on the internet to see who works on Z cars exclusively in the Bay Area. Then I started watching videos of Larry Chen and all the amazing work that Z Car Garage provides and I knew I wanted to go with them for their expertise on my 1972 240z, which I couldn’t just trust any mechanic to work on this beautiful car.”
Before we describe the mechanical work, let’s hear how Garett got in to his Z car…
History
Garett’s love for the Z starts at a young age. His Dad purchased this S30 brand new in June of 1972:
“Ever since I laid eyes on that car I wanted it and eventually when I turned 20 years old I bought it off of him and after driving for a while it blew a head gasket. I learned about Rebello racing, located in Pacheco at the time and I put in a fully ported and polished 3 liter with triple-Mikuni carbs. The amazing Mike Yoes lived one town over from me in Crockett, and installed my engine right out of his garage.”
“After a while my Z sat in the side of my parents house for a while due to lack of money to fix other parts. After 6 years I’m slowly reviving her and now she’s back better than ever with a lot of love put in. My goal with the Z was to basically restore it back to original look and functionality with the mechanical upgrades to really enjoy the car to the fullest.”
Drivetrain
Garett’s Z sports a Rebello 3L engine with 280ZX 5-speed from many years ago. We installed what every triple-carbed L-series needs: a ZCG Heat Shield! Garett has #HS00257.
Dyno Tuning
Rob dyno tuned the Rebello 3L engine with jetting, A/F and performance in mind. Baseline was 215hp/202tq and it left with 229hp/209tq to the wheels:
Enjoy the L-series music in this video of Garett’s Z on the dyno…volume up!
Driveline Upgrades
Helping put the power down efficiently is an OS Giken LSD paired with our Z Car Garage CV Axles. The R180 houses a 4.11 R&P and the assembly is setup in-house (by Joshua Corwin). More photos in the gallery below:
Z Car Garage CV Axles
Garett initially contacted us to have Z Car Garage products installed on his 240Z. Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
We replaced his existing CV Axles (left) with ZCG units (Right). Garett received set #00426. Also visible are the T3 lower control arms:
ZCG Big-Brakes
We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on Garett’s 240z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) which have the been standard on numerous ZCG builds. 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.
We removed the stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit
At the rear, factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. OEM Nissan master cylinder and Factory handbrake functionality IS retained! Not only do they perform, they look great behind the 16×7 Panasport wheels!
Suspension
The front suspension was overhauled with new adj. T/C rods from Techno Toy Tuning, new control arm bushings in OEM control arms, rack bushings, ball joints, outer tie rods, steering rack boots and more.
Old, torn rack boots vs new units and new T/C rods:
The rear suspension received new T3 lower control arms and rear wheel bearings.
Details
Small items that make a difference: we corrected his brake booster issues, fixed the emergency-brake lever that popped out of its housing and corrected his speedometer:
While were in the engine bay we also upgraded to a 280ZX alternator with Motorsport bypass and corrected throttle linkage issues to make the gas pedal feel awesome:
Panasport Wheels
We installed 16×7 Panasport wheels in our offset allowing 225/50/16 tires (Bridgestone RE-71R). The Z was fully aligned afterwards.
Driving is Believing
Garett was happy with the mechanical upgrades and ZCG parts:
“I got the work done over last December. Z Car Garage works so fast and everything was done and ready in about 4 days. I know there were supply chain issues but after 2 plus years of waiting it was worth the wait. I could really feel the difference when driving in hard turns and how the other wheel grips and really pushes my car through the turns compared to the original open diff. The low drone sound went away as well. The Z Car Garage Big Brake kit works well. I put them to the rest and they do their job. I love the drive and acceleration.”
We enjoyed working with Garett and loved that he’s owned this Z for a long time. He’s also into music, playing in bands in the Bay Area. What’s next for his Z car?
“Future plans include new or aftermarket seats which are comfortable on long rides with no lower back pain, while keeping me planted in my seat and maintaining a time period classic look. New gauges and a dash restoration down the line would be nice as well, but all in due time.”
We’re here to help you when ready, Garett. Long Live The Z!
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