The shop is busy dyno tuning, servicing and upgrading Z cars. Enjoy this brief update from Friday, December 15th.
S30 Z Cars
Rashid lives in Dubai and his Datsun 240Z is getting 3.2L L-Series with pH44 Mikuni induction and exhaust header, ZX 5-speed transmission, OS Giken 4.11 LSD, Z Car Garage KW coil-over suspension, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech) and 16″ Panasport wheels:
David’s 1972 Datsun 240Z is getting a Rebello 3.0L, 240SX 5-speed transmission and 4.11 OS Giken LS. It is also getting our Z Car Garage KW coil-over suspension and already has our V1 (328m) Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. Both cars will feature the T3 steering rack that we are big fans of:
Both Ryan and Beau’s Datsun 240Z cars left the shop recently. Ryan’s Z has LS3 V8 power while Beau’s 1976 280Z has an L28 with stock EFI. Both cars feature our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech), Z Car Garage CV Axles, Recaro Specialist seats, A/C and dyno tuning. Full features on both coming to zcarblog.com!
Lou’s Datsun 240Z came in for mechanical sorting. Excited to share his story on zcarblog as Larry also races with us:
Nissan 300ZX (Z32)
We have several Z32 NA and TT cars currently at the shop. Gary’s Twin Turbo (above) just got a new set of BBS LM wheels. Full update on this car soon! Paul Ferrari returned to ZCG since we completed his Epic Z32 Build in 2017. He’s ready for ethanol, after running this car on race fuel for many years. We will be installing dual fuel pumps, BDE top fuel rail and all the fixings:
Kevin’s Slicktop Z32 is in for a driver’s side window replacement and some touch-up. Love this Z with WORK wheels and Stoptech Big-Brakes:
Hakosuka Skyline
Sebastian’s Skyline is at the shop and we are doing a suspension refresh, engine work adapting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech) to this Hako. We hope to offer this in the future for C10 clients. We hope you enjoyed this shop update, stay tuned for more on zcarblog.com and LONG LIVE THE Z!
We met Bill in 2019 when he came to Z Car Garage on referral from our local Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) club. He’s owned this pretty 1973 Datsun 240Z in Brown Metallic (code 114) for many years and had a list of small things that he always wanted to address. Before we cover the cosmetic and mechanical work we performed let’s hear how Bill got into Z cars…
Bill’s Z Story
“When I was about 10, my sister and her husband bought a 1979 280ZX. (They still have it but it currently doesn’t run.) I loved it. I always wanted a Jaguar E type and the Z has a similar shape. As soon as I could afford one, I got a used 1977 280Z and drove it to almost 400,000 miles when I finally wrecked it. I went a couple of months without a Z when a friend told me about a 240 he saw for sale. The owner was a teacher and so am I so of the 3 bidders I got it.”
“Then a few years later I went into administration and with the raise I thought it would be fun to have a new Z to go with the 240 so I ended up buying a 2008 350Z. I have had two Zs ever since. The 350 is definitely more capable and is very fun to drive, but I still think the 240 looks better. A really fun part of owning the 240 is taking it to car shows. I get a lot of people saying things like, “I owned a car just like this.” It seems to bring back a lot of memories for many people. Everybody loves the Z!”
Keeping Bill On The Road
When Bill came to Z Car Garage in 2019 we re-chromed his rear bumper, zinc plated various hardware, removed smog equipment and cleaned up the engine bay. A failing oil spray bar was replaced and we added ZCG exhaust, header and Z Therapy carb set.
Re-chromed rear bumper:
Zinc’d hardware:
New exhaust header and SU carb set from Therapy:
In 2022 we did more work to Bill’s awesome ’73. We replaced the radiator with a Koyo race unit, installed a Rebello street cam, adjustable T/C rods from T3 followed by alignment services in-house. We also replaced the speedometer seal rings and oil pan gasket. More detailed photos in the gallery below!
New camshaft installation:
Adjustable T/C rod before/after:
Koyo Race radiator before/after:
Dyno Tuning
On the dyno the L24 made 137hp/138tq to the wheels:
Enjoy the dyno video!
Details
We took care of a few more items like weatherstripping and added a set of Holley retro headlights:
Enjoy The Ride
We have been taking care of Bill’s 240Z and enjoy working with him:
“ZCG does the highest quality work. They are very knowledgeable, honest and you can tell they really love Zs. It’s like they are working on their own car when they look at a customer’s car! It really feels like a new car. It needed a camshaft and some other parts and they did it perfectly. I love driving that car!”
We also take care of Bill’s 2008 Nissan 350Z convertible, to be featured on zcarblog.com soon!
What’s in store Bill’s 240Z? He’s always wanted a rally clock since seeing one at a car show 10+ years ago. Also in the near future he wants to do a drum brakes to disc brakes conversion. Keep Enjoying the Ride Bill, thanks for your support and Long Live The Z!
At Z Car Garage we specialize in performance modifications and tuning for the Nissan/Infiniti sports cars. Dyno tuning with UPREV or EcuTek software can maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake/exhaust upgrades. Josh M visited Z Car Garage for a dyno tuning session on his Nissan 350Z following an engine swap and we were happy to help him. Let’s hear about his Z-car story…
Josh’s 350Z V.2
“I bought my car back in 2007 after graduating high school. I first heard about the shop shortly after I joined my350z.com back in 2008. After a few years and acquiring a full set of Motordyne bolt ons I finally called up the shop and met with Rob in 2013 to get it tuned. He wisely advised against it with how much oil I was consuming back then and suggested I come back with a fresh motor or rebuild (I’m thankful for his honesty and integrity).”
“Last year when that motor finally gave up around 200k it was time to swap all my mods to a new engine and call Rob for a dyno tuning session. My car made great power and surpassed my own expectations when it made 288whp and 274wtq on this swap from an ’04 G35. It’s always felt like a strong DE with a solid powerband and the dyno tune proved it. My main goal for the car is overall balance between drivability on the streets and performance on the track, and using our beautiful Santa Cruz mountain roads as testing grounds has helped me kind of find that happy spot.”
“As far as the exterior, a mix of KH3 super black and seibon carbon keeps it stealthy but also distinguished in the right light. I’m serious about the overall balance thing and reducing this 2 seater cars weight is a top priority, currently sitting at ~3100lbs and ideally want to be under 3k lbs.”
Dyno Tuning at Z Car Garage
A typical dyno session begins with a road test and full inspection before hitting the roller. We found a failed inlet hose and loose plenum bolts so we tightened everything up to ensure a successful dyno pass.
We dyno tuned the Z with UPREV and ARC license. Z Car Garage offers this ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash, allowing adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting for $150. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details! Josh’s Z made 288hp/272tq to the wheels, a significant gain over baseline of 274hp/261tq:
Turn up the volume and enjoy this video of Josh’s 350Z on the dyno. Thanks for your support Josh and LONG LIVE THE Z!
Interested in dyno tuning your Nissan/Infiniti sports car? Contact Rob at the shop for more information and scheduling 408-452-0350 or e-mail Rob: robATzcargarage.com
On September 22, Nissan invited Z Car Garage to drive the new Z from San Francisco to Los Angeles along the famed Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The event, dubbed #NissanAdventuresPCH, was an an all-expenses-paid trip with overnight stays in SF and San Luis Obispo.
Geared towards social media content creators, Nissan hosted a cocktail hour with tips and tricks from a professional photographer/videographer and even provided personalized drone footage during the drive. It was, as promised, an unforgettable roadtrip experience with amazing company. Enjoy our report with photos and video…
My Z Car Story
Dear Zcarblog readers, while most of you know me as a die-hard Datsun Roadster owner/enthusiast, I also have a strong connection to the Z car. Most, if not all of my Z-car experiences have been possible through Rob and Z Car Garage. When I was dating my girlfriend back in 2005, Rob lent me his 1991 Nissan 30ZX Twin Turbo to enjoy. In 2007 I purchased my very own Nissan 350Z 6MT Enthusiast (above) with Stoptech big-brakes, VOLK CE28N wheels and a Nismo exhaust. My wife and I did everything in this Z from epic roadtrips to track days. In 2011 we were expecting our first child and we roadtripped down to the Solvang Datsun Roadster Show in the ZCG Nissan 370Z…
…And of course I’ve been lucky to drive the first generation 1970 Datsun 240Z on many rallies and weekend fun runs. This bring us back to the current generation Nissan Z (RZ34), and all of my Z-car memories started to come full circle in 2021 when Nissan invited us to their headquarters in Tennessee to view the pre-production “Z-Proto”:
Our journey with the current Nissan Z has been tremendous. When Nissan sent us the invitation for the PCH drive I was beyond excited for the opportunity to enjoy another roadtrip with my wife, in a Z. Like old times. So, from seeing that Ikazuchi Yellow Pearl prototype Z at Nissan HQ in 2021 to having one delivered to our driveway in 2023, Z-car karma really did come full circle:
The Drive
Day 1: San Jose to San Francisco
Nissan flew all attendees up from LA to SF to begin the drive, ending back in LA with the Z in each person’s driveway. Since I am based in San Jose, Nissan had a 6MT yellow Z delivered to our home, from LA! The adventure began with my wife and I driving up to SF to meet at our first venue, the 1 Hotel. On a rather serendipitous note, this is the same hotel we stayed in back in 2011, just prior to our first child when it was called Hotel Vitale:
After check-in we enjoyed a nice stroll by the Ferry Building and returned to the hotel for cocktails with the event group. Led by Nissan’s PR-rep Stephen O’Neil, the unifying theme for the PCH event was accessibility: The Nissan Z is an attainable sports car and social media can also be accessible. To drive this point home they enlisted the help of director/cinematographer Steven Moreno to offer tips and tricks on smartphone photography.
He even showed us his professional gimbal for shooting smooth video and each attendee was gifted a DJI OSMO 6 for smartphones. Dinner followed and this would be the start of some fascinating discussions with a wonderful group of people from all walks of life.
Day 2: SF to San Luis Obispo
Saturday’s drive would take us to San Luis Obispo via HWY 1/PCH with photo stops along the way – about 240miles. The morning started off with drivers getting a tour of the Nissan Z. The sight of 6 Z cars outside the hotel garnered attention from passerbys. As I was taking photos I noticed the yellow 6MT Z we drove up was no longer present…
…we were pleasantly surprised to find it was replaced with a Boulder Gray 9AT Performance. You may recall that we took delivery of our very own 2023 Nissan Z earlier this year. Despite having driven our 6MT Performance model extensively, I could not pass up the opportunity to drive a 9-speed automatic trim (more on this below) down the PCH. Like the 9AT, the Blue interior really grew on me with the Gray exterior:
Each Z came with the route print out and pre-programmed GPS, but all drivers were free to explore en route to the first stop ~45 miles south along PCH. We jumped in our Z and headed straight to Fort Baker for a few beauty shots with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge:
The Z drew plenty of attention in the parking lot. A gentleman named Tony chatted with us and took photos while expressing his memory and admiration of the Z car. Check out his walk-around video with narration below…it was like he was a professional content creator!
After navigating out of SF city we finally hit HWY 1 to enjoy some beautiful coastline driving. Arriving at our first photo stop/drone opportunity was one of our favorite destinations, Pescadero Beach. We’ve done many group drives out to this spot with fellow Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts:
Each driver got their own drone/video session with cinematographer Steven Moreno. For “chase” video he mounted his Gimbal to the back of a Nissan Armada (support vehicle) and our task was to follow it as close as possible. This was really fun and we had 2-way walkies to communicate with Steve while driving. The results from the drone footage were super impressive, you can see the footage in the video below. Huge thanks to Steve for sharing his passion with us!
People love the new Z and the beach lot was no different. A family visiting from NY had to check it out and we happily obliged. After a good 45min of video/photos we hopped back on to the PCH. Yeah, this Boulder Gray paint on the new Z has really got me…I took many photos 🙂
Enjoy this video we put together of the PCH drive:
The weather was fantastic along HWY1 so we stopped by Monterey to visit my favorite race track, Laguna Seca! Yes, this was just before the Rennsport Reunion and we will have a full race report on zcarblog.com soon!
While the PCH does continue past Monterey down to SLO we took a more direct route to avoid road work on HWY1. Driving the long stretch on 101S really made me appreciate the Z’s 9-speed automatic…the gearing allows for ultra-low engine revs for relaxed cruising…2000rpm at 85mph is nice. Thumbs up and lots of love from this G35 owner on HW 101:
We arrived at our 2nd overnight hotel, the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo just before 7pm. Another fantastic evening of drinks, food and conversation ensued.
Day 3: SLO to Los Angeles
After a casual breakfast we left SLO and headed south towards our final destination of Los Angeles. Taking 101S allowed us to stop in the small town of Solvang, the sight of our favorite Annual Solvang Datsun Roadster Show. Lots of memories with our family here. A welcome excursion from 101 was Painted Cave Vista Point. This twisty road took us high above for great views and looped back to 154-E.
Driving Impressions
This was the most time I’ve spent driving the 9-speed automatic Z. Having driven the ZCG manual transmission Z previously up my favorite winding roads…the 6-speed manual is the perfect-and only transmission of choice for me..but the 9AT has its merits. Cruising along the freeway at a paltry 2000rpm while offering blistering acceleration in full automatic mode is a nice compromise. It’s enough to simply haze the rear tires…even from a roll!
If I could find one criticism it’s the paddle shifters. They do not seem to offer quick upshifts or downshifts any faster then being in full automatic mode…I see them as ‘fun-to-have’ feature. Have no fear as it sounds like Nissan improved the shifting performance in the 2024 Nismo Z-kudos to the team! Also, as we mentioned before the sound alone of the 9AT -equipped Z is better than the 6MT…a by-product of current sound restrictions. Either gearbox will serve you well behind the new Z.
We made one final stop at The Getty Museum in Los Angeles before dropping off the Z near LAX. What a cool car. Nissan flew us back to San Jose Sunday Night so we could get back to work on Monday. A quick shoutout to Page One Automotive…Benjie and Austin provided excellent service during the trip. Each car was detailed and filled up with gas for the drivers and we really appreciated it. Also, thanks to Nissan for the $500 gift card to cover roadtrip odds and ends!
The People
Mr. K said, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.” The NissanAdventuresPCH connected us with an amaZing group of people. Content creators, all talented at their craft. Artists, maybe not in the literal sense, but each one continuously strives to perfect the craft in their respective fields. It was humbling and fascinating to learn from them. I also appreciated their candid feedback on the new Z. Please, give each one a moment of your time by checking out their social media channels below:
Huge thanks to Nissan for the invitation and gathering an immensely engaging group of people to enjoy the drive with. We love that you are still keeping the spirit alive for our beloved sports car. Long Live The Z! More photos in the gallery below.
Our client Randy Jaffe is selling this 2008 NISMO 350Z. It is car #0793 with only 3,709 miles on the odometer, Nogaro Red (2008 only color) paint and original tires. Always stored in a climate-controlled building as part of an extensive Nissan/Datsun collection. See more photos and details on FOR SALE page.
