Come out July 12 for the ZONC Annual Car Show! This is a great venue held at the Brisbane Marina near San Francisco. Check out pictures from last year’s show HERE.

You can fill out a Pre-registration form HERE and check the flyer below for more details. Stay tuned for caravan time/date from the shop!

Here is Ann from ZONC with a report from last weekend’s Grand Prix at Laguna Seca:

Saturday’s SportsCar Challenge race was really interesting – cars that we can all relate to. BMW M3 placed first, a Camaro Z28R placed second, and an Aston Martin Vantage finished third. The unsung heros placing 4th, 5th and 6th were all 370Z’s. And this is amazing because there was zero visible corporate support. No Nissan tent, and not even a Nissan ad in the program. At one point the #14 370Z was in second, but because of mandatory driver changes/pit stops, it finished 5th.

And also in this race in the ST class were two Altimas, placing 16th and 19th in the class and ahead of the two Hyundais, but sadly behind three Honda Civics! Mazda’s MX-5 Miatas ran away with this division, placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and ahead of the following BMW 128i and two 328i’s. Of course, we’re talking rear wheel drive cars competing against front wheel drive cars so things got a little funny with this division.

 

Sunday’s race was very exciting with OAK Racing in the #42 Morgan Nissan Nismo jumping to a close second with its nose on the leading #90 Corvette’s tail. There was contact between the two early on when they went side by side at the Corkscrew with the Corvette leaving a small body piece behind. Then 45 minutes into the race, #42 was hit and needed repairs to its suspension. Once back on the track, there was speculation it would be penalized for causing a serious dust-up. In Paul’s photo, you can see the blue #90 Corvette in the foreground, with the #42 Morgan Nissan next to it on the bump strips, and a Mazda and a Corvette in the swirling dirt. Looks like they just got pushed off the road at the turn. Can you imagine that? But even without a penalty, #42 was 14 laps behind at the end of the race, even though it posted a new race lap record of 1:19.747 in lap 40.

Muscle Milk was nowhere to be seen. It’s not really clear what Nissan is doing but when has it ever been?
-Ann

 

Yesterday I joined my fellow Datsun Roadster owners for quick blast up Skyline to Alice’s Restaurant. The weather was perfect and the roads were surprisingly traffic-free for a Sunday afternoon. We took a few stops for pictures at the vista point overlooking Palo Alto and Fogerty Winery. All cars ran flawlessly!

 

Check out our last fun run HERE. Stay tuned to see where The Three Roadsterteers venture next!”

More pics in the gallery!
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We are seeking a top-notch, talented, experienced, skilled, auto mechanic to join our team.

If you LOVE classic cars and enjoy restoring them start to finish, and want to produce the highest quality work, then this IS the job for you. We are a high-end restoration shop, completing everything from stock restorations to full-on custom street machines and race cars. We do everything from routine maintenance to ground-up, frame-off, rotisserie, fully customized, one-off projects.

The candidate must be able to complete their work with the highest quality and attention to detail, and with reasonable speed. A balance between quality and efficiency is absolutely required! The candidate must also be able to take direction and perform tasks as instructed. We encourage collaboration and problem solving, so input from all employees is always welcome, but at the end of the day the job must be done correctly, in the agreed-upon manner. A willingness to continue to develop skills and learn new processes is non-negotiable.

 

We are a small shop; therefore the candidate must be capable of working in a small group/team and willing to take direction. Candidates should be willing to complete whatever task is at hand, regardless of difficulty or level of interest. Our company offers its employees a clean and healthy work environment. We want the best equipment and tools to make our job the best it can be.
Our pay is competitive with any specialized performance shops in the country. We have benefits for full time employees after their probation period. We take the approach of team work to make our shop a place where someone who loves cars can be successful in their career.

You must be PASSIONATE about your work and DEDICATED to delivering the best service possible to our discerning customers.

– Must have minimum of 5 years of multiple related experiences
– Must know how to work on carbureted and fuel injected vehicles
– Must have general mechanics and electrical/wiring knowledge
– Must be able to diagnose drivability and electrical issues in vintage cars
– Must own your own tools
– Must have your own transportation
– Must have a true passion for cars and the challenge of expert servicing and repair
– Are you seriously detail-oriented with pride in quality workmanship?
– Do you have superior diagnostic and problem solving skills?
– Do you have special skills regarding vintage cars that set you apart from average technicians?

Do you know a qualified mechanic? Encourage them to send their resume and call today – we are currently hiring.

Please contact rob@zcargarage.com or call us at (408)452-0350.

On April 26 we attended the 27th Annual Datsun Roadster Show in Solvang, CA. Traditionally we drive our Datsuns under their own power for the 300-mile trek down south but this year I wanted to bring my family too. With a little help from Z Car Garage, the roadster was loaded on a trailer behind Joe E’s 342whp Titan. The modified Nissan truck towed the roadster effortlessly while keeping the family comfortable–Thanks guys! Another tradition for us is camping in nearby Buellton, where several fellow roadster owners also set up their tents:

 

Just across the street from our campsite was the Friday night meet & greet at Mendenhall’s Museum of gas station pumps. This venue is quite amazing and a surprising number of roadsters made a showing despite the rain showers.

 

The Saturday morning car show of course is the main attraction. This is the largest gathering of Datsun Roadsters in the US with this year’s unofficial count of 102 cars on display in beautiful downtown Solvang. The show itself is open to the public so tourists, shoppers, adventurers etc. can all enjoy the weather and good times.

 

On to the cars! Here are some highlights from the day…there were only a handful of 1967 2000 roadsters this year. Some of these cars are considered the “cream of the crop” with full restorations or OEM levels of detail like Mike Young’s SRL #266. Ted H fullfilled his dream of owning a restored 1967 2000 and recently acquired #585 from Socal. His purchase included a road trip that looped through Arizona and Solvang before heading home in Seattle… this is one 2000 that will be driven!

 

Speaking of attention to detail, Bob C’s SRL #218 was exactly how we would build my dream 2000. Bob came all the way from Arkansas to show off his restoration, proudly completed by himself! We love the “little” touches like chrome-ringed gauges and rear surround,  authentic ARE LeMans wheels, and EMPi steering wheel. Black on red is a sweet combo:

 

A variety of wheels could be found including the ubiquitous Rota Rb and Panasport designs. Several cars sported Watanabes and WORKs. Jeff T’s 1600 had some bright red z32 calipers nicely framed by VTO LeMans tributes.

 

Solvang showcases everything from highly modified  to pristine stock examples of roadsters.  Alvin R’s 1965 SPL and a similar red interior’d ’66 SPL were great examples of stock roadsters, right down to their stock steel wheels:

Several engine swaps caught my eye this year. Mike A’s ’68 SPL won 1st place in modified 1600s. Mike did an S14 SR20DE swap last year and put over 50k miles of hard driving including drift/grip sessions and long road trips. He even came up from Socal several times for shows and a Fun Run! Pics from last Solvang:

 

Looking for more power but wanting to stay NA he created an SR20VE by using a FWD head from a Nissan Primera. Using Nissan’s version of VTEC, this VVL combination is good for 200hp NA. Here she is now!

 

He even took it up a notch by adding ITBs, a gorgeous S20-style exhaust header and that super exotic 20V valve cover. The sound once VVL hits is sweet!

 

I keep coming back to Marshal S’ GM 3.4L V6 powered roadster. It sports custom headers and Megasquirt EFI. The WORK Equip wheels complement the self-sprayed paint and the interior has nice touches like CF trim. Look for dyno numbers soon as we tune his roadster!

 

This bezerk low-windsheild and super-flared roadster had an insane 370whp turbocharged single cam KA24 drivetrain. The entire car was modified for road racing with a custom front splitter and massive flares housing 17×9.5 wide Rota RB-Rs in back:

 

Best paint would be hard to decide but I really liked Ken P’s BMW Technoviolet, Shannon D’s Estoril Blue, and Kyle’s Audi silver:

 

Our friend Ron Carter won 1st place in the Race Car class with his red ’67 2000 (#305). Ron reports that he continues to compete actively this year with an appearance at the Coronado Speed Festival. Chuck G from Las Vegas scored the ultimate “barn” find:  a historically significant race roadster with extensive spares. He plans to restore it to its former glory:

 

The Solvang show also welcomes Japanese classics that are not roadsters. Lots of cool trucks, Z-cars and 510s joined in on the fun:

 

Roadster Ambassador Scott Fisher showed his ’67 SPL. Scott’s 30k mile road trip started just before Solvang 2013 and captivated audiences with his photo-documentary of the adventure. He also has a great sense of humor:

 

Pete Brock even made an appearance and presented his choice for the Best of Show award! Just hearing him say that “Mr. K would love to see these cars” definitely stirred some emotions for all of us.

 

Big thanks to the SOCAL roadster owners club for hosting the 27th Annual show, we had a blast!
Lots of pictures in the gallery after the jump!

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