Filed under: 350z,510,Events,g35
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on August 1, 2022
On Sunday 7/31 we attended the Morning Motors Cars & Coffee event hosted by DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) in Santa Cruz, CA. The event impressed us again with a fun vibe and superb variety of cars. One of the many perks of DWA Morning Motors is its location surrounded by the best driving roads.
This morning’s pre-event gathering met at Alice’s restaurant at 8am. Our group started with 4 cars including Rob (Porsche 993 Turbo), Josh (VW bug), Kurt (Subaru 2.5RS) and myself in the Z Car Garage 1967 Datsun 2000:Our brisk run up HWY 9 was amazingly traffic-free and plenty of room to enjoy the twisty bits. A brief pause at the 9/35 junction to meet Nick in his Datsun 510 Wagon:
We joined our friend Naveed (thanks for organizing!) and few other enthusiasts at Alice’s. Below, Mark’s 1971 Datsun 510 and Erich’s1974 Alfa GTV give off B-Sedan vibes in the am light:
After re-connecting with friends we headed to the Santa Cruz via 84 and HWY1. The lot in front of the Old Wrigley building was near full a few minutes after 9am.!
Mandatory Nissan/Datsun
I was happy to see so many Nissans and Datsuns at Morning Motors.
This R33 Skyline GT-R was recently acquired by DWA co-founder Art C our friends at Toprank International Vehicle Importers. Super stoked for Art and glad to see him enjoying it! Love the BBS LMs!
Datsun B210!
There were several S13/S14 240SX sports cars, G35s and a Z33 on WORK T7R 2P wheels:
Another ZCG client, Eric’s Infiniti FX35 sporting upgraded suspension and R35 GT-R wheels. Parking next a mint 2003 FX!
In Search of J-Tin
Morning Motors did not disappoint if you are Japanese Classic fans. Representing Mazda was our friend Tony’s 13B-powered RX-2 and his Rotary gang:
90’s icons…Third gen (A70) Supra and FD RX-7 (on ADVAN wheels)!
So much variety! Enjoy this short video:
Euro Classics
Yearning for Porsche’s? Or something a bit less “mainstream”? DWA CnC did not disappoint. Citroen 2CV:
Porsche, Alfa and Austin Healey
Lone E38 7-Series BMW…peak 7 in my mind!
My favorite car was this Porsche 914-6:
American Muscle
From 60’s to 80’s. Mike Garret’s familiar purple Mopar with late-model drivetrain and really wild Ford Coupe with diesel engine:
DWA CnC is definitely my kind of cars and coffee. It’s a great venue with amazing driving roads nearby and the cars were so diverse. We highly recommend checking it out! Thanks to the DWA crew for hosting. If you haven’t already, listen to their podcast and make sure you give them a follow on Instagram.
More pictures in the gallery below!
Filed under: 510,Parts
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on July 18, 2022
We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. This 1971 Datsun 510 is owned by Jay W and he replaced his old CV Axle kit with our ZCG CV Axles.
Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. We have sold over 200 sets of axles globally, with customers installing and enjoying them on everything from street cars to full-blown IMSA racers. These CV axles will help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts.
For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft. These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars. Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind and the kit comes with everything you need to install on your car.
Jay was looking for CV Axles to run on his 1971 Datsun 510 with Subaru R160 diff and stock 510 bolt-in stub axles:
“I’ve followed ZCG since you launched the Z Car blog years ago. When I first saw the axles on the blog I wanted to purchase them, but I already had the WCR CVs with adapters. I got tired of checking the adapters and safety wiring the bolts. The ZCG axles appealed to me due to their overall design and race proven duties. Talking to Rob about them earlier this year made the decision easy.”
Like many enthusiasts Jay wanted to install them himself as he enjoys working on his Datsun. He kindly sent us a few installation pictures of the ZCG CV Axles (set #0403) replacing the old CVs.
We were pleased to hear Jay’s installation went smoothly:
“I work in Mountain View, so I picked them up in person. Rob walked me through the process and pre-greased the CVs so installation was very simple. I had to adjust my exhaust a bit to clear the axles, but that was pretty easy. The build quality of these is top notch, I really like the details: The hole alignment marker and clearance for a box wrench. “
More install photos can be seen in the gallery below:
Datsun 510 Dreams
We actually know Jay from the days of the All-Datsun Meet at Mt. Shasta many years ago. Let’s hear how he got into his Dimes:
“I purchased my 510 wagon in Oakland in 2005. The seller had this green sedan in his garage he purchased new in 1971. He was performing an engine compartment refresh and swap. I offered to purchase the sedan too and a year later he called me back. The car was rolling, but all the parts were in various boxes or missing. Besides a clean body the car came with a DL Potter engine and Nissan competition transmission which had zero miles on them. I fell victim to project delays and scope creep due to work, family and moving.”
“I didn’t get the car on the road until May 2020. I also enjoy doing as much work as possible myself which definitely slows down progress. The goal with this car is to build a dependable well-handling driver which is period correct in appearance but can still be comfortable for my family. Much like the BTW 510 from Car and Driver. I plan to use the cars in some driving rally’s and the occasional autox- and track days.”
The car has changed a lot over the last two years and will continue to evolve as a driving project. As of today the car has this configuration:
Suspension and brakes: 280ZX front struts and brakes, 240Z rear drums, Koni struts and shocks, 225 lb/in F and 900 lb/in R Swift springs, DPR bushings, 25mm F and 20mm R sway bars
Body: Resprayed body in early 80s, but close to factory color.
Interior
FloFit front seats, full carpet with extra sound deadening. Jay added some footwell lights which turn on with the dome light. Makes night access a lot nicer.
Enjoying the Ride
Jay has been driving his 510 everywhere, most recently on last weekend’s Breakfast Club Rally in Petaluma, CA:
Jay is stoked with the ZCG CV Axle performance and had a blast running the 510 through the Sierras on the DWA Rally in June:
“Rally was amazing, so much fun with a great group of people and cars. The 510 drove perfect and the prep paid off. Car is definitely underpowered at >8000ft above sea level. Still very fun.”
We love Jay’s attention to detail and it shows in his rally prep! Check out the skid plate his CAD designed:
Enjoy this video of Jay’s 510 in action:
Jay even made it out to Laguna Seca with his family in the 510 to watch the SVRA B-Sedan races (full report soon)! See more of Jay’s 510 on his Instagram.
Thank you Jay for your support and keep Enjoying the Ride! More photos in the gallery below:
“Just following up regarding the CV axle kit. I installed the kit right after picking it up from you in the beginning of March. Thank you for pre-greasing the CVs, and making the install pretty quick. Thanks again for making these parts, now I’m just waiting for the 510 brakes you’ll make. Also, congratulations on 18 years, that’s very impressive!”
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!
Z Car Garage is proud to offer 13×7 Panasport racing wheels for your Datsun 510. These are +3 offset and perfect fitment for your B-Sedan/TransAm series Datsun 510 running vintage-class spec 205/60/13 Hoosier R7 (and other) tires. Price is $250 per wheel.
Shown above: Rob Fuller and Masayoshi Kobayashi, President of Panasport/Mag Formula Inc at Laguna Seca with the 13×7 Panasport wheels we run on our Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510. Here are the 13×7 Panasport wheels featured on a few client 510 race cars:
Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510
Gabe’s B-Sedan:
Todd’s Far Performance 510
Ed’s 510
More photos of the wheels can be seen in the gallery below
Contact us: rob@zcargarage.com or call 408-452-0350 to order your set!
Panasport wheels for your Spec Miata!
Yes, when Z Car Gargage is not supporting and racing Z’s or 510s we are avid Spec-Miata fans. ZCG now sells 15×7 +35 offset Panasport racing wheels for your Spec Miata. Price is $250.00 per wheel.
Panasport wheels for your Z car
Treat your Z to a brand new set of Panasport Wheels! We special order this offset to enable fitment of a 225/50/16 tire on the 1970 to 1978 S30s. Price is $325.00 per wheel
Contact us: rob@zcargarage.com or call 408-452-0350 Limited availability (pallet pictured)
Wondering how a set of Panasports would look on your Z car? Please enjoy pictures below of ZCG customer cars in just about every color imaginable with Panasport Wheels:
Filed under: 510,Events,Racing
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on May 10, 2022
Z Car Garage wishes you a Happy 5/10 Day! We love driving Datsun 510s on the street and at the race track. Here are a few 510s at the shop today, with more photos in the gallery below. Hope you get to Enjoy the Ride in your Dime today too!
