ZCarGarage will have another display at the 2011 Silicon Valley Auto Show in San Jose, CA. The show runs from Thursday, January 6 to Sunday 9. ZCG will have 20 cars on display in aftermarket alley. Make sure to stop by and check out all of the rides from early Z cars to 370z’s, GTRs and everything in between!

Ticket info and details can be found HERE

Z you at the show!

ZCG would like to thank you for your support and business in 2010. We will be closed on the following days:

12/24 and 12/25

12/31 and 1/01/11

Happy Holidays and Z you in the new year!

The 24 Hours of LeMons race last weekend was an unforgettable experience. This was my first event and first time being part of a pit crew for Team Rice Rocket Racing. As a newbie I would like to share my thoughts/photos on the various race cars and our team’s performance and later we will hear comments from the drivers.
We arrived at Buttonwillow early Friday morning to choose/setup our pit area. They don’t call this the “Arse Freeze-a-Palooza LeMons” race for nothing. It was seriously cold. Friday was test/tune day. The goal was pretty simple: run through everything beforehand so the actual race can run smoothly with no(or minimal) surprises, but it rarely works that way!

Our team consisted of 4 drivers(Josh C, Wade W(captain), Scott S, David O) and 3 pit crew members(Rob F, Scott A, myself) and even Josh’s folks were kind enough to lend a hand. Pit stops for driver changes and fuel are critical. They can cost several laps and positions so we practiced this several times. Wheel lugs were torqued, oil checked, tire pressures recorded/adjusted. It might seem trivial but getting a driver in/out with multiple seatbelts and communication wiring is tough to accomplish quickly! Scott A was an expert at this.  Communication was very important, not only with the driver but with everyone else on the team. When the Z was out on the course we had several spotters at different turns to radio in hazards and flag situations. Fueling was also a controlled event. Only 2 people(wearing approved safety gear) are allowed near the car while filling.

All drivers familiarized themselves with the course and the car, and each one was amazed with how well the Z accelerated and handled. We knew that we could make a top 10 or better finish. Friday was also the only day to get a Tech/BS inspection to officially run in the race. Each car goes through a normal technical inspection for safety, then a “BS” inspection to ensure that entrants truly have a $500 car. If not, the judges give BS penalties for anything over that magic number. It was fun to hear all of the stories and bribes! Can’t convince them by word? Try alcohol, sweets, more alcohol, or show some skin 🙂 Here’s the bribery table, and a judge spray painting the seal of bribery. Oh, and our Z passed both just fine:

This was also my opportunity to capture some of the craziest cars you have ever seen. Here are my highlights, there are about 100 more in the gallery. The Cowboy car was my favorite, seeing it on the track made me laugh with every lap as the horse and rider became more raked backwards from speed. The Most Interesting Car in the World was also one of the fastest BMWs. The Geo Metro done up as a ladybug actually had a mid-mounted motorcycle engine…it was nasty. Not one of my favorites but entertaining nonetheless was a pink limousine with a mannequin coming out of the sunroof…very slow on the track. Bob Klemme’s BMW 2002 came equipped with a functioning beer tap on the trunk. Our friend Ron Carter piloted the Killer MG Bee(Hey Ron I thought Lucas was the enemy!). The Maximum Overdrive pickup, the Nissan Sentra Mario Bros. car, the 240sx/’vette, and the total mish-mash car(can you figure it out?), and the Team America Miata. There were about six Z31s and another BRE-themed 240z!

 

Back to the racing! This will be an abbreviated report, I want the drivers to give you their view.

Saturday: Race Day.  We woke up to rain. I was worried but Rob was optimistic, even happy. His thought was that we could capitalize on the weather and turns out he was right! Scott S was the first driver of the day and we planned on doing 2hr stints.  We got him out on the track and there he was with 160 other cars waiting for the green flag to drop…it looked like chaos and the race had not started yet! Scott was brilliant out there.  The weather cleared by 11am and Josh and Wade did awesome but put a few wheels down and had to come in to the penalty box(pic top right).  We escaped trouble-free, but penalties for contact or putting 2-4 wheels off track range from “finding the key to life” to building a jigsaw puzzle. These cost precious time. Wade ran a team best lap of 2:16.459 on lap #52 which was only several seconds off the top5 cars!   Here is short video clip just after the green flag showing the number of cars out on the track:

David O was our last driver and was driving the Z’s heart out running very consistent laps.  Towards the end of his session he radio’d in some crunching sounds from the transmission especially on the 4-5 shift, but he finished.  The team did spectacular for first day and we were in 13th place!  We brought a spare ZX transmission, and Rob and Josh proceeded to do what ZCG does best: Fix Z’s!  It was almost bed time but the dynamic duo removed and replaced the transmission in just over 1hr. The culprit in the crunchy tranny? A common failure is 5th gear backing off the countershaft.  Note metal shavings on drain plug. It will be rebuilt.

Sunday: Final race day. With the new transmission in and 4 talented and excited drivers were ready to run. While Josh was warming the Z up/checking oil he heard a pinging/knocking sound. It sounded like it was coming from the valvetrain so he pulled the cover. A plug fell onto the ground, it was the oil gallery plug on the back of the cam! We were minutes away from the driver’s meeting and quickly tightened the plug back in place.  Josh went out first they announced that the race would be run counter-clockwise instead! Josh got into the groove and holding our position. He made minor contact with another car and had to come in but again we got lucky with no penalties.

Here is Josh coming through off the front straight into the esses…you rock!

Scott S was next and he made a heroic effort to move us up through that coveted top 10 finish. I watched as he battled a Mazda RX-7 and eventually passed him, then gained minutes on other cars around laps 200-205. It was epic. Our next target was car #84, a E30 BMW that was ahead by 1 lap. Scott was in pursuit but tried to go 4 cars wide into turn 16, hitting 2 cars and damaging the front suspension. Thankfully he was unharmed. It was very scary to hear it over the radio. The Z was towed back to our pit area. The T/C rod was bent and the strut separated from the spindle. We did have those spare parts on hand but there were other issues so we called it a day. We finished 72nd overall, not bad for a car that didn’t run the last half of the day.

 

With roughly 3 hrs of race time left we packed everything up, visited the results booth and took one last tour around the paddock. It was an incredible effort that we all learned from and look forward to applying our experience to the next race. If you have chance to help out at a motorsports event don’t pass it up it is truly fantastic.  Remember, it’s not always about winning, it’s about being consistent: just watch the little Fiat 500 below. See you at the next 24 hrs of Lemons!

Click for photo gallery below!
…[read more]

Team Rice Rocket Racing is running their Datsun 240z in the 24 Hours of LeMons this weekend (Dec. 4-5) at Buttonwillow Raceway in Socal. Officially called the “Lemons Arse-Freeze-Apalooza 2010”, this final race for the year is bound to be entertaining! Team captain Wade W along with drivers Scott S, Josh C and Mike O piloted the Z to 11th place at Thunderhill earlier this August and you can read the full report HERE.

Details on the 1973 Datsun 240z “BRE tribute” build can be found HERE
The crew at ZCG is lending a hand again with track prep and logistics. Returning drivers are Wade W, Scott S, and Josh C. We have a new driver David O who is no stranger to the 240z. Rob, Scott A and myself will be running pit duties. I am really excited to be part of the team and our goal is to finish in the single digits 🙂

DATSUN DOMINATION!

Everyone had a great time Saturday evening helping raise funds to support the Datsun Heritage Museum(DHM). The event was held at the penthouse atop the Petersen Automotive museum in Los Angeles, CA.  The night was filled with food, friends, celebrities, and some cool Datsun memorabilia. When we arrived at the museum Mr. K’s 240z was on display and we took a brief tour inside. Check out the movie cars including the Batmobile, General Lee, and Green Hornet:

Then we headed up to the Penthouse for the party!  I was very impressed with the venue. Everything from the table decorations, dinner, lighting and sound was fantastic. Weather was perfect too. And who doesn’t love an open bar?  Check out the Datsun cupcakes 🙂

Just before dinner a silent auction was held with plenty of Datsun(and sports) memorabilia. I bid on a some very cool Datsun Roadster and R35 GTR models. I was outbid on both 🙁 It’s okay though as the winner(also at our table) helped the DHM! It was great to see familiar faces too. Here is Datsun racer Ron Carter showing us a race helmet signed by all of the BRE team members and guest drivers, up for auction!

The evening peaked with some celebrity entertainment. Adam Carolla could not be there in person but he did say a few recorded words.  His buddy comedian Rob Schneider made us laugh and also helped auction off a few impressive items including a 1 year lease on the USA’s first Nissan Leaf.

Some of the biggest names in Datsun racing were present including Tony Adamowicz, John Knepp, Don Devendorf, Frank Honsoweitz, Kirk Allegro, and our hero John Morton! I think the highlight of the night was seeing and listening to Mr. K live via Skype. 101 years old he is still articulate and passionate about Datsuns and preserving the history of the marque. It was absolutely amazing to witness it in person.  Racer Tommy Kendall presented John Morton with the Datsun Legend award.

To top it all off I got to speak to John Knepp in person since we exchanged e-mails from this year’s Road Atlanta event in July. He remembered my name!

This was a fantastic effort to raise funds and keep the Datsun spirit alive. We want to thank everyone at our table for helping support the Datsun Heritage Museum: Rod of Rod’s Datsun Parts, Matt and Maryann, Tom and Matt, and of course Rob and Meghan. It was a memorable night and weekend all for a good cause.

Enjoy the Ride!