Happy New Year from Z Car Garage! We are excited for 2023 and have many projects to share with you. Enjoy these photos from the shop today, Friday 6 with full reports coming to zcarblog.
Rick’s BRE 240Z tribute track car
Rick’s BRE-inspired Datsun 240Z track car just received our first set of Z Car Garage KW coil-over suspension from our latest batch. Clients that have already placed an order: kits will ship soon pending an instruction manual first. We also finalized the CD009 6-speed transmission swap on Rick’s Z that also features our (Race) Z Car Garage Big-Brakes.
Cameron’s Z32
Cameron’s Z32 is here for maintenance work and downpipes, inlet piping, larger intercoolers all from Specialty Z. Cameron has been bringing his 300 to us for many years and we we are really glad to have him back.
Nissan/Infiniti
We continue to maintain and upgrade late-model Nissan/Infiniti sports cars. Sean’s 370Z is in for an engine replacement and Mark’s 350Z got an alignment and UPREV dyno tune today.
Outside in the parking lot we’ve got more S30 goodness. Mike’s yellow V8-powered Datsun 280Z sports a real G-nose and Tremec 5-speed. We just removed the transmission and replaced the clutch to prepare this Z for its new owner. Beau’s orange Datsun is 280Z coming together. Fresh from paint featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, T3 suspension and more. This 280 has many 240Z parts retrofitted and it will be cool hot rod.
Ken’s green Series 1 Datsun 240Z (#1762) is getting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, KA24 5-speed transmission and Fujitsubo exhaust. The L28 now has Jenvey ITB EFI managed by a Haltech 750. With a cam, dyno tuning and exhaust Rob gained 40hp! Shown on the lift next to Beau’s Z is Eric’s Infiniti FX35 sporting upgraded suspension and R35 GT-R wheels in today for routine maintenance.
One of the real joys this holiday season is the opportunity to say thank you and wish you the very best for the new year. From all of us at Z Car Garage we thank our friends, family and customers again for another exciting and productive year! Enjoy our 2022 recap and upcoming projects. Please note our holiday closure below:
ZCG will be closed from 12/26 through 12/30 for our Annual Holiday Break and we will re-open for business on 1/3/23
Client Updates for 2023
We had a busy year and though the shop will be closed, we won’t leave you hanging for the holidays. Many zcarblog features have yet to be published like our belated race report from the CSRG Charity Challenge and Finale in addition to client stories. Before we take a look back at highlights from 2022, here are several exciting projects coming along at the shop:
Jeff and Ryan B’s LS3-powered Z came to us for mechanical sorting. It’s now sporting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles. Ryan successfully ran the Targa California Rallye in blistering summer heat. He recently got a new set of VOLK TE37V wheels full report soon!
At Z Car Garage we enjoy both modifying Z cars and restoring them back to factory spec. Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z came to us from North Carolina and we delivered it in July. This ’69 production VIN#193 is a beautiful driving example of how wonderful these cars were from the factory.
James’s Turbocharged L-series powered S30 will be back after some cosmetic upgrades. We enjoyed making some great power and music:
Rick’s BRE-inspired Datsun 240Z track car is getting a CD009 6-speed transmission, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, coil-over suspension and track preparation.
Ken’s Series 1 Datsun 240Z (#1762) is getting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, ZCG CV Axles, KA24 5-speed transmission and Fujitsubo exhaust. The L28 is now receiving Jenvey ITB EFI managed by a Haltech 750:
Beau’s Datsun 280Z coming together. Fresh from paint featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, T3 suspension and more.
Taking care of clients!
Z Car Garage takes pride in our ability to handle client’s needs, with same-day service possible. Our parts room with over 1,000 parts on hand allows us to get you in and back on the road. Client Vince S had a clutch hydraulic failure and limped his way in to the shop. We sorted his hydraulics and he was off in 4hrs:
Stan K (VIN #511) and Tony H’s Series Datsun 240Z cars came in for mechanical sorting, interior work and Z Car Garage CV Axles
Datsunworks
Z Car Garage is excited to collaborate with Datsunworks and develop their brilliant KN20 dual-overhead cam (DOHC) cylinder head designed for the Nissan inline-6 L-Series engine. You can read all about it HERE. We continue to extract more power and run longevity testing with owner Gary’s Datsun 240Z, who has the pleasure of living daily with this beast affectionately named the “Behemoth”.
Khang’s 1973 Datsun 240Z was completed in October and he returned with 1,000 miles on the 3.2L L-Series. We adjusted the valves and double-checked power levels.
Happy to see both builds healthy and confirm power output. Enjoy the music from the both L-Series engines, sporting Jenvey ITB EFI managed by Haltech 750 Elite ECUs backed by the CD009a Six-Speed transmission.
Dyno Tuning your 350z/370z/Q/G
We have been dyno tuning your late model Nissan/Infiniti sports car daily. Bolt-ons, UPREV tuning. Our customers leave happy with more performance. Call us to schedule an appointment! Here are just a few cars:
Eric’s Q50:
R35 and R32 GT-R
R35s in for service and upgrades. Mike and Kurt’s R32 GT-Rs got power and chassis upgrades deserving their own blog features:
Z32
Mike’s 1991 Stillen GTZ. This rare, twin-turbo Z32 300ZX is #6 of 6 cars created by Steve Millen. It featured special 17” billet wheels, Brembo brakes, aero and performance upgrades. Excited to share its story and other client Z32 projects!
Race Cars
Several race cars to report on including the Transcendental Racing Datsun 240Z, Glenn Chiou’s Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510 (sporting ZCG CV Axles), the Corky Bell Trans-Am 510 and more!
Highlights from 2022
Even though 2022 was crazy year for all of us we still managed to have fun on and off the track. The shop made some really great progress as well. Enjoy these highlights from the year and Z you in 2023!
Click on each link or photo to see the full features!
The New Nissan Z
Huge thanks to Nissan for giving us the opportunity to experience the 2023 Nissan Z. We really can’t wait to get our new Z!
On Saturday, September 24 we attended the Tokyo Calling 2 event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. Z Car Garage participated with a group of client cars and enjoyed a wonderful day of driving through the foothills of Northern California. The event also featured 200 Japanese classics and 90’s-era wonders to appreciate during the morning social gathering and rest stops. Enjoy our report with mega-photo gallery and video!
Breakfast Club Rally
The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started just over 2 years ago. What started out as a small group enjoying weekend drives blossomed into a full-on Cars and Coffee (still unofficial) meet just before rally participants head out according to run group. The monthly BCR is always free/open to all makes and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. You can see my previous BCR reports HERE!
The initial BCR Tokyo Calling event held back in March was a success. We did not want to miss this all-Japanese, mostly-vintage rally so I assembled a group of Z Car Garage clients and friends to participate in TC2. We left the shop at 6:30am heading to San Rafael, here is a preview of our cars:
Gary’s 1971 Datsun 240Z
Rob Fuller drove our client Gary’s S30 with the Datsunworks KN20 twincam cylinder head. Supporting the 3.1L engine are our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, Jenvey ITB EFI with Haltech Elite management, Nissan 6-speed CD009s transmission and OS Giken 4.11 LSD.
While ZCG has performed many tests with the KN20 engine this was the first time we were able to do a 300-mile trip and really wring its neck. It just keeps getting better and better…watch the video below and turn those speakers up!
Linda Williams drove her 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate. Z Car Garage revived this historically-significant Z from its slumber to make it a nice driver for Linda while retaining its survivor status. She loves driving it everywhere.
Henry’s supercharged Nissan 370Z
Henry drove his Stillen-supercharged 370Z. This was his first time attending a vintage rally and he had a blast! Henry recently visited ZCG for a re-tune and upgrades, making even more power stay tuned for an update! Rolling photo by Gregory Veizades:
Mr. C, a 1970 Datsun 240Z
Our guest Herbert P piloted “Mr. C”, our stock, one-owner Series 1 Z. We put some 14″ Panasports on this time as the stock hubcaps have a habit of coming off during spirited driving!
Our morning caravan of cars enjoyed cruising up I-280 through the Golden Gate Bridge. Nothing beats driving with fellow Z car owners!
Tokyo is Calling before the Rally!
Our crew arrived at the rally start in San Rafael and it was already filled with fabulous J-Tin. BCR hosted a “social gathering” from 8-9am (usually 1 hr) so we could take in all the glorious cars. The vibe was tremendous, and as usual it went by too quickly. Let’s go through some of the highlights, with more photos in the gallery below!
Tom K’s Nissan Fairlady Z432 stunned the crowd. This rare, RHD gem is powered by the unicorn-status S20 engine:
I am always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns, and roadsters always get my attention. There were at least 8 in attendance including two genuine 1967 2000s. One of the most sought after Datsuns, these “half-year” models were introduced mid-1967 offering a 5-speed transmission and 150hp twin-Mikuni carb’d 2L engine…hot stuff for the era.
Ian’s SRL is #601 (out of ~1000 cars) and it was fully restored years ago by Les Cannaday in San Diego. Ian is meticulous about maintaining this car, but it is no garage queen. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites. Yes, it even sports a factory Nissan hardtop with all the stainless trim!
Our client Erik drove his hot-rod R16 stroker-powered ’70. We dyno tuned this little beast recently, check it out HERE:
There were handful of Datsun 510s in wagon and sedan form. Our client Jay installed a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles on his Green 510. Jay is a hardcore rally driver (just completing the Faultline 500) and also brought his mint wagon with family! Check out his sweet set of Devil Shadow wheels:
Our very own Nick F drove his 510 wagon and went full rally-style with intercoms:
Back to Z cars, and with many cool examples like this pair of S30s with classy Campagnolo and 432s-style wheels:
Our client Kevin’s Slicktop Z32 on WORK XD9 wheels and Stoptech brakes. A pair of clean Zenki Z31 300ZX, one LS-powered:
Leo’s Nissan Pulsar GTi-R
We were pleasantly surprised to see Leo and his Nissan Pulsar GTi-R at Tokyo Calling 2. This RHD, JDM hot-hatch is known as “Baby Godzilla”, sporting all-wheel drive and an SR20DET drivetrain. What’s wild is that this Pulsar used to be owned by our very own Gary at Z Car Garage! Leo purchased it back in 2017 and drove it all the way from Reno, NV.
Leo is an avid Pulsar fan having owned several and he really kept this one in pristine condition. He added a few upgrades including Stoptech Big-Brakes. He ven kept the Z Car Garage license plate frame!
A pair of S13 240SXs:
It was great to see our R32 Skyline clients Mike’s R32 (TE37 wheels), Miles (Rays wheels) and Kurt W. (in his GC8 Subaru) and . All will be getting zcarblog udpates:
So many cool cars please check the gallery for more photos! Next, let’s check out some non-Nissan/Datsun action…
Kei Classics
Autozam AZ-1 and Suzuki Cappuchino mesmerizing the crowd with their size and neat features:
Honda
Honda was well-represented including late model DC2 Integras and S2000s. A few NSXs, CRXs and EF/EG hatches rounded out the display:
Toyota
Supra (A60 and A80) and even first gen MR2s, turbocharged Beams-powered Celica and AE86s!
Enjoy this walk-around of the pre-rally social hour at Tokyo Calling 2:
Trucks and Vans
Let’s not forget the Japanese classic trucks and vans!
The wildest car I found was this Nissan Leaf with motorcycle engine:
Rally On!
Photo by Gregory Veizades
The rally started at 9am and I was tasked with leading our group. There was no cell phone reception but I was armed with a turn-by-turn rallye printout. I enjoyed hustling Mrs. Butters through the backroads:
One of the perks of BCR events is their team of professional photographers at various stages capturing epic rolling and detail shots so people can focus on enjoying the drive. I encourage you to visit each of these photographer’s photo albums to see shots of your rides:Alex Nibyt, Gregory Veizades, Everett Lederer, and Zack Hubbell.
Arriving at Point Reyes was another opportunity to see cars I missed at the starting point. Folks took a snack/coffee break here in the quaint town. I was just admiring each vintage ride cruise by…like this Nissan Figaro!
Henry’s 370Z and an FD RX-7
After chatting we resumed the rally. This final stage was my favorite with winding roads going through Petaluma. This is where the KW Suspension, ZCG Big-Brakes and 6-speed transmission in Mrs. Butters really shine. Every gear shift, squeeze of the throttle and confidence of the brakes makes for a sublime driving experience.
The rally concluded in Tomales. Total mileage for our San Jose crew thus far was 200 miles. BCR arranged for lunch at William Tell House as their clever motto is #DoneByNoon. The intersection here was yet another car show with J-Tin everywhere. It was a superb venue to enjoy cool cars and great company.
Many thanks to the organizers, we had a blast and I urge you to register for their next event, especially if you are in the South Bay area like me and want to see what driving bliss lies North. Here are a few thoughts from Rob re-capping the Tokyo Calling 2 event:
“Loved TC2 and my favorite part is connecting with people, seeing their passion and all the other cool cars…I’m a huge Miata fan and NA/NBs were out in full force. Subaru XT…I really wanted one as a kid. Little fun fact…that rear end bolts into a Datsun 510. The Leaf with motorcycle engine was wild. Great to see our clients also on the drive. Got to see Leo and get reunited with the GTi-R, chat with Mike Young…”
“…Such a proud feeling of driving up 280 through the city and looking over to see Linda Wiliams in the OMS Pace Car, Vince S and Jim and Herb driving Mr.C. and Alex in his Sunny. The amount of community we have is tremendous. Loved how organized BCR is, so well thought out. The last 20+ years of my life I’ve been doing car meets/car adventures…the BCR guys got it down….from the registration stickers to rally directions. Little things like making sure there is enough room for folks at the meetup points…or always having clean restrooms available…these are details between enjoying yourself in a vintage car or not. The roads were incredible and scenery unreal. Sounds of L-series everywhere! Cant wait for next Tokyo Calling.”
Photo by Gregory Veizades
The Drive Home
Our adventure was not over as we had to travel another 100 miles South to the shop. We caravanned back, traveling through the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco. I’m sure traffic had a field day with our group of Datsuns/Nissans:
At the shop, Rob gave everyone rides in the Datsunworks-powered Behemoth. It was fun to see the permanent smiles on passengers’ faces after returning:
After a full day of driving Mr. C, our stock Series 1 240Z, we gave Herbert the keys to take Butters out for spin:
Thank you to all of the Z Car Garage clients that made the journey with us. Huge thanks to BCR for extending their hospitality to our crew, everyone was thrilled. Here’s to the next rally and always, always #DoitInADatsun!
Z Car Garage has been supporting the Nissan/Infiniti Z and G-series sports cars since 2004. At just about any time during the day at our shop you can spot a 350Z, 370Z or G37 undergoing routine maintenance or performance upgrades. Many of our late-model Z car clients are referrals and we are happy to oblige when scheduling allows. We met Frank M in 2020 when he had us perform clutch work on his 370Z. The install went super smooth, and Frank and Rob began their relationship.
“I first heard about The Z car garage through another Z car enthusiast, he had nothing but great things to say about the service he had received working with the crew there. I reached out the Rob to have my 370Z’s clutch replaced with the Z-Speed CMAK clutch kit. That was the first job you all did for me.”
A common issue on the 370Z is the internal slave failing due to heat. Thankfully Z Speed Performance makes a kit to convert the internal slave to external (CMAK Upgrade). We installed their Stage 1 Clutch kit on Frank’s Z:
On his next visit to ZCG, Frank had us perform an alignment after suspension work including Eibach Pro-kit lowering springs (KW-V3 coil-overs next) and Hotchkis front and rear sway bars and SPC rear adjustable camber arms. We also replaced the rear diff bushings with new Whiteline parts.
Frank is a handy guy and he’s done much of the work on his Z himself. For something that is beyond the scope of a simple weekend project he brings it to ZCG. In summer 2022, with 77k miles Frank installed an oil pressure gauge (VLS) and didn’t like the levels it was reading. There is a very common issue on the VQ37HR where oil gallery gaskets fail, resulting in low-oil pressure to front of the engine.
CPZ makes updated gallery gasket with really nice hardware. At the same time to help with oil cooling we installed the CPZ 25-row oil cooler with a thermostatically-controlled Setrab unit:
Wheels Make the Car
Mark has great taste in wheels, choosing a set of Work Racing CR2Pwith Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires 265/35 and 305/30 rears:
We spent time with the 2023 Nissan Z back in June and Frank was kind enough to lend us his WORK wheels to test fit on the RZ34:
Frank purchased his 370Z bone stock, being the second owner and has added the following mods:
Drive train
Fast Intentions stainless steel CBE exhaust
Stop Tech front and rear vented drilled and slotted zinc coated rotors
Stop Tech carbon ceramic pads front and rear
Stillen CARB legal cold air intakes
VLS oil pressure gauge
Aesthetics
Custom retrofitted headlights by me honey comb projector lens. Blue demon eye. Black and gunmetal paint job plus new Morimoto clear lenses.
Evo-R carbon fang cover,carbon type three front lip, carbon upper bumper cover, pearl white base carbon top high wing and CF door handles
Fujimura rear lower diffuser
Enjoying The Ride
You can catch Frank carving up the Bay Area backroads like HWY 9 runs up to Skyline and Alice’s:
Frank is stoked with his Z car:
“The performance gains from the work Z Car Garage performed was great. The clutch feel is much improved and does not slip it also seems to shift smoother. The oil pressure is up 15 pounds at idle from the oil gallery gaskets and the car runs much cooler after the oil cooler install. I think the cooler temps help the car not heat soak on hot days while pushing it on back roads. The best thing about the Z car Garage is when I leave my car there for service, I never worry about it being there. I know the car is taken care of as if Rob owned it himself. I have nothing but good thing to say about you all. I do a lot of work on the car myself but Z Car Garage is the only shop I will use if I need the help.”
Thanks for your support Frank it was pleasure working with you and seeing enjoy your Z. See more photos in the gallery below, and contact us to schedule an appointment for dyno tuning, maintenance or upgrades on your 370Z or Infiniti sports car!
The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. We had a wonderful time attending their 50th Birthday Celebration at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca on June 5, 2022.
Despite some morning rain the turnout was impressive for a relaxed gathering. No judged car show or awards, just Z-Car fans catching up with old friends and meeting new enthusiasts. (above) Aerial photos by Bryan Delohery.
Highlights from the show
Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s. For their 50th Birthday Celebration, ZONC assembled a “generations” display in front of the museum with samples of S30, S130, Z31, Z32, Z33 and Z34. Sitting front and center was the 2023 Nissan Z!
Racing History
A selection of Datsun race cars also joined the “generations” display. Datsun 510 guru and racer Troy Ermish displayed his 1971 B-Sedan 510 “Penny”:
Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou displayed his FAR Performance 240Z. This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery.
Glenn has vintage raced this Z at several high-profile events. He turned a track-mishap into an opportunity to perform a total-restoration (again) and bring this Z back in “Bay Area Datsun Dealers” livery as raced by FAR Performance privateer Walt Maas.
Rob Fuller of Z Car Garage displayed his #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z. An interesting note, both Glenn and Rob’s race cars have ties to ZONC gatherings decades ago.
Linda Williams’ 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate was staged next to the #49 IMSA GTU race car (the original OMS Pace car). Z Car Garage revived this historically-significant Z from its slumber to make it a nice driver for Linda while retaining its survivor status. She loves driving it everywhere.
The New Nissan Z!
ZONC teamed up with Nissan to display the new 2023 Z as part of the “generations” display in front of the Blackhawk Museum. This is the Performance model sporting a 6-speed manual and Passion Red paint. And Z Car Garage got to drive it back to our shop at the end of the event!
Z’s, 510s, Roadsters and More!
Here are a few of my favorite S30 Z cars from the gathering, starting with this flared beauty on Watanabe wheels:
Flared Series 1 Z with G-nose and Works-style wheels:
We were pleasantly surprised to see many Z Car Garage clients so let’s take a look at what they drove. Ed B is the original owner of this 1971 Datsun 240Z ZCG has maintained for almost two decades:
Bob Russell is the original owner of this S30 we will have a full report on zcarblog soon!
Representing the G35s were our clients Larry and long-time client Jason:
Eugene and long-time client Craig showed their 350Zs:
Here is a video from the 50th Birthday Celebration with load-in of the #49 IMSA Datsun 240Z, walk-around of the displays and the new Z leaving, enjoy! More highlights below…
260z and 280z
S130
Who could forget the S130 280zx! We spotted 4:
Z31
Three Z31s, including David’s sweet 25th Anniversary edition. This was his first ZONC event, welcome and thanks for bringing your Z out David!
The Works Rally Z
In the middle of freshly painted/detailed Datsuns and Nissans was this rather dilapidated S30. Upon closer inspection viewers were treated to the tremendous revival of this real-deal Nissan WORKS rally car. Recently I had just posted a blog report on Randy’s East-African Rally Tribute, so seeing an actual, surviving rally car in person blew me away. We all geeked out pretty hard on the details, and they were impressive:
This is chassis #2 of 4 that were built by Nissan for the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally. It is the project of Tom K and noted Datsun expert Steve Pettersen and their restoration website is a must-visit for history and feature documentation (as shown above). The Z remains largely intact with original parts like the Nissan competition exhaust manifold and roll bar. Period-correct parts like the Ikeda Bussan rally seat and reclining navigator seat were sourced. Check out the heater-port to defrost the headlight covers, Nissan-branded acrylic windows and more:
Authentic Magnesium rally wheels and Kanto Seiki 8krpm tach! Thanks Tom and Steve for bringing it out to the ZONC event!
This Z deserves its own spotlight, but enjoy this walk-around video until we can visit Tom and take some proper coverage:
Z32
Z33 and Z34
Our client Steve’s Nismo Z33 and a brace of 350Zs in the generations display. Good to see a build from way back, Tom’s supercharged 370Z.
510s
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Jay’s 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles. We will have a full report soon as he just completed a DWA rallye in the Sierras!
Andrew’s 4-door Hakosuka Skyline and Josh’s 620 truck
Roadsters
The lone Datsun Roadster was Hotep’s ’69 2000 with L-series drivetrain and factory, OEM hardtop!
This rad little B13 Sentra b13 packed a full SR20VET engine from a Nissan X-Trail and 6-speed transmission!
S12, and S14 Nissans:
R35 Row
A very large showing of R35 GT-Rs parked together
Plenty of cool, modified cars but this one caught our eye, it is a GT-R “T-Spec”.
Only offered in two colors, Millemium Jade and this Midnight Purple finish made iconic by special-edition R34 Skylines. Inside, a Mori green interior and alcantara touches really set it apart from other models. Best part? The owner drives it everywhere despite being an ultra-rare and pricey variant.
Driving the New Z to Z Car Garage!
I had the opportunity to drive the 2023 Nissan Z from the ZONC show back to our shop in San Jose with a group of die-hard Nissan fans. Huge thanks to Nissan! We had the Z for a few days to enjoy so stay tuned for a full report!
Happy Birthday ZONC!
Spending the day at the ZONC 50th Birthday Celebration reminded us to (in the words of the late Mr.K), ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.” This is a club that keep the Z community together year-round and we are excited for their next events. Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below! Big thanks to the ZONC organizers and Nissan for bringing the new Z out. Stay tuned for a full report our time with the 2023 Z!
