Our client Ben’s LS1-powered 1993 Mazda RX-7 is up for auction on Bring a Trailer. This FD features a 6.2L LS1 V8 engine with T56 6-speed transmission, Stoptech big-brakes, 18″ ADVAN Racing wheels, dyno tuning and more. We have enjoyed being a part of this car since 2006 and watching it evolve. From track days to daily driving it does it all. More photos below and happy bidding! Auction listing is HERE
The 1/24 Scale Model
I built this 1/24th scale model to replicate Ben’s RX-7, including the LS1 drivetrain. Enjoy the feature HERE
Advan RS Wheels
In 2013 Ben got some gorgeous ADVAN Racing RS wheels. Enjoy the before/after HERE
Happy 3/11 day to all Datsun Roadster owners across the globe! Give your Fairlady a hug and get out and drive! Here are a few memorable roadsters that have been at Z Car Garage over the years. Of course, Eric Straw’s SR20VET-powered beauty is high on our list:
We have the pleasure of continually developing Dirk’s 1973 Datsun 240z to help achieve his vision of a Z car that is adept on the street and track. Improving the driving experience are Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, Silvia 6-speed transmission and a host of chassis and driveline upgrades. Dirk has been enjoying the Z at open-track days including Laguna Seca and most recently Sonoma Raceway.
Track Day Fun
Let’s hear from Dirk about his journey for optimal chassis settings enabling both spirited street and track driving…
DIRK: “Shortly after I first got my Z, I broke the factory open diff on a windy road, and started working on the suspension. It was on stock struts and lowering springs, and the car bottomed out badly under braking while going downhill. So, it went to its first track day with an R180 diff from a Subaru WRX (3.54 Torsen), the factory 4-speed, stock L24, rebuilt stock brakes with high-temp brake fluid, and a set of T3 coilovers with 200# front and 250# rear springs (see that roll)”
“After that, I went to 300# and 350# springs to reduce roll and improve overall handling, note much less body roll below”
Chassis and Driveline Upgrades
First, there was work to upgrade the steering geometry and suspension. With the car being lowered quite a bit, despite having 1″ RCAs installed, it had a ton of bump steer. Rob installed DP racing adjustable tie rods, removed the front springs, and completely eliminated the bump steer on the alignment rack while moving the suspension through its full range of motion.
New DP Racing tie-rods and in-house alignment:
We also refurbished Dirk’s steering rack with fresh parts from our stash:
With the Z back in the shop for bodywork we took the opportunity to make more suspension changes. New Koni Race shocks from T3 were installed, which were a much better match for the 300# and 350# spring rates than the Koni Sport shocks they replaced (as Dirk initially ordered the coil overs with lower spring rates, he never replaced the shocks after adjusting the spring rates, and the car always felt underdamped, particularly on the not-adjustable compression stroke):
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Dirk visited ZCG and drove “Mrs. Butters”, our 1970 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:
Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)
Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats
Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads
Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.
A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality retained!
DIRK: “While I liked the feel of the factory brakes (as long as the drums were perfectly adjusted), and they were quite adequate paired up with the original L24, I didn’t dare take the car on track on the tiny solid rotors once I started adding power, first with the Datsun Spirit STR-3 engine. Once ZCG installed the Rebello engine and 6-speed transmission, it was even more obvious that a brake upgrade would be wise…”
S15 6-speed transmission
After comparing the Z to his Subaru BRZ on the track, it was clear the Z was better at everything except for shifting gears. Since his engine made a healthy amount of torque, but not enough to warrant a CD009 (350z) transmission, Dirk kept looking for alternatives. He also wanted something with slightly closer gear ratios to better suit the engine’s power band. An S15 Silvia 6-speed seemed like the perfect fit and we installed it back in 2019.
The first S15 box had some weak synchros, so Dirk sourced another one that was installed with OE trans fluid, as well as a set of fresh OE motor and trans mounts to help with shifter feel and reduce vibrations in the car.
“The S15 transmission fit surprisingly well. ZCG built a custom crossmember to locate it, and the shifter lined up almost perfectly. No transmission tunnel mods were necessary. The modern shifter looked out of place, so ZCG built a custom unit that would look stock, and work with the Datsun competition shift knob. A small 6-speed shift pattern sticker modeled after the one used in the Silvia is the only clue there’s something different going on under this car. And of course the driving experience.”
Making the S15 shifter look factory, we are happy with the result and Dirk’s subtle shift pattern sticker:
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 70 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Also visible on Dirk’s Z are the excellent adjustable lower control arms from Techno Toy Tuning.
DIRK:“The Z has seen a few different tracks. Laguna Seca, Thunderhill in the dry, Sonoma in the dry and the wet. After quite a few street miles on the car with the ZCG big brakes, an 4.11 OS Giken diff, we sorted a few more things with the car. Most notably, we redid the front suspension, and installed a fresh set of Koni race shocks all around the car. These were a much better match for the 300/350 lb/in springs than the Koni sport shocks I originally bought with the coil overs.”
Finally, an opportunity to take the car to the track again came up, and Dirk with the S30, and his friend Joey with his E30 went to Sonoma Raceway:
DIRK: “The car was obviously a lot more capable than the last time it visited a track. The driver, however, was a little rusty, so with each session lap times started to come down but there is plenty more left on the table. The brakes were extremely consistent throughout the day, with not a sign of fade. And the whole car performed admirably. The temp gauge was steady right below the middle of the range all day long. I got fuel starvation in turn 11 once, which is somewhat expected with an unmodified set of Mikuni 44 PHHs, but other than that the Z didn’t skip a beat.”
We were stoked to see Dirk happy with our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes! Enjoy the video below showing in-car action from Sonoma Raceway, dyno run and more, volume up!
After many more tweaks, different induction setups, spring rate changes, rebuilt stock brakes, and 24K miles of driving including a few track days, Dirk’s Z was inching closer and closer to his vision. The next step in making the car faster would be to put in a more supportive driver’s seat.
3 Liter L-Series Power
Unfortunately, the Datsun Spirit engine developed rod knock which was the impetus for a big drivetrain upgrade. Several other parts of the car where refined as well.
The L28 engine was pulled, sent to Rebello, and built into a 3L powerhouse. Dave bored out the 44PHH venturis to a custom 38.5mm, to hit the perfect compromise between peak power and drivability. We also installed a fresh water pump, alternator, new fan blade, OEM fan clutch and fresh air filters. The beautiful DP Racing oil pan remained. More photos in the gallery below:
A custom stainless 2.5″ mandrel-bent exhaust mates with a new set of coated Pacesetter headers and Z Story Street muffler (in a search for a reduction in volume while keeping a nice note). Dirk discusses the clutch/flywheel combo below:
“The STR-3 already was able to slip the Exedy clutch and we were never fans of the Chromoly steel flywheel. A Jim Wolf Technologies clutch and flywheel combo was installed after first trying a newly developed Kameari single plate street clutch kit, which we both found too loud and racy for this street car. While the JWT pressure plate yielded a different pedal feel that took some getting used too, it was not too heavy and perfectly comfortable to drive in traffic. More importantly, it never slipped under any kind of abuse.”
The clutch hydraulics were replaced to work with new alumimum flywheel/JWT HD clutch combo:
We installed a ZCG-built 4.11 OS Giken limited-slip differential in the R180 along with a custom aluminum driveshaft:
Dyno Tuning
The previous L28 made 202hp/194tq at the wheels with Rob’s tuning. Now with the fresh 3L it baselined at 245hp/226tq with more area under the curve:
Rob tuned the car further on the chassis dyno, setting it up with a very lean idle at Dirk’s request (to minimize gasoline fumes at idle). With A/F optimized and Nismo Mikuni carbs massaged, Rob unlocked another 20hp yielding a stout 265hp/232tq to the wheels:
With gains of 62hp/37tq at the wheels over the L28, Dirk is very happy with the new 3L:
“While the Datsun Spirit engine had a very peppy mid-range and made more delicious induction noises, there’s no argument that the more powerful Rebello engine elevated the car to the next level of performance and fun. The entire setup worked incredibly well together, and we hit an impressive 265hp at the rear wheels, or 60hp more than the engine made in its previous iteration, putting it in the 100hp/liter ballpark at the crank. Not bad for a dinosaur engine on California pump gas!”
Datsun 510, 620 and Z car love
Dirk bought his first Datsun in 2014, a 1970 510, to learn how to work on cars himself. After learning more about the history of Datsun, and the significance of both the 510 and the 240Z in establishing Japanese cars in the American market, he knew he had to own a Z as well.
A year later, the right Z showed up on eBay in Texas, a 1973 in silver gray. After pouring over the photos and talking to the seller, Dirk bought the car sight unseen. The idea was to have a nice Z to enjoy and drive, while continuing to work on the (sometimes not) rolling restoration of his 510. The car was lovingly restored by a dad and his children and in mostly stock condition. Dirk also has Datsun 620 work truck complete with dual-Mikuni’s:
Dirk shares his experience working with us:
“Collaborating closely with Rob and ZCG has elevated the optimization process. Rob will frequently talk me out of a bad idea, or into a good one (like the OS Giken LSD). Sometimes I talk him into a bad idea and it turns out to work really well, like the S15 gearbox. The most fun is when we brainstorm stuff together like turning the catch can setup into an improvised simple PCV system, eliminating all hints of oil fumes from the car while running.”
Enjoying the Ride
Dirk’s been driving his Z-car pretty much every day since the latest upgrades, and it’s been working phenomenally well:
“The drivetrain + brakes make it as happy to accelerate as it is to stop, and with the quick, closely spaced shifts and eager engine, it’s fun to do a casual grocery run, and to drive quickly. With the electrical systems and all fumes well under control, it’s truly a car you can do anything with, and probably more reliable than my BMW.”
We loved to see Dirk driving his Z on rallies and fun runs this year. Most recently we joined fellow Japanese vintage car owners on the Tokyo Calling event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally:
Dirk also joined us for a New Year’s Day drive through our favorite Bay Area Backroads:
We enjoyed working with you Dirk and it was rewarding to help improve your Z.
“Some say good is the enemy of great, but that’s true if you think you’re done. I don’t see my Z car less as a “build” that’s done. I’m always developing it, just like continually developing a race car (e.g. my Lemons car, http://instagram.com/bittersc243) to stay competitive. In this case the competition is merely for making the Z into the most fun driving experience I can imagine, and the journey of continuous refinement and improvement is a big part of the fun for me.”
Farewell, Dirk!
We helped Dirk prepare both the 510 and Z for overseas shipment to the Netherlands. Stay tuned for a feature on Dirk’s Datsun 510, it’s a really neat little Dime with a screaming L-Series. Thanks for your support Dirk and LONG LIVE THE Z!
Mamiya 645E | Mamiya 45mm f/2.8 N | Lomography Color 100 100
Scanned with Epson V750 | Epson V850 120
Lab developed in | Dip and Dunk
Nikon F6 | Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G | Cinestill 50D 50
Scanned with Noritsu HS-1800
Lab developed in | Dip and Dunk
Looking for a Job? – How about a great career?
Z Car Garage is looking for an experienced technician to be part of our team. This is not an average 9 to 5 automotive job: the ideal candidate must be motivated, passionate and ready to put in the work so we can continue building classic Z cars and late model Nissans.
We work 4-10hr days and offer competitive pay/benefits with opportunities for growth
Requirements: Automotive experience, your own set of tools, willingness to learn
Nissan/Datsun experience is NOT a requirement, you just need to have passion
We are heavily involved in motorsports with up to 10 vintage race events a year. From race cars to street cars and performance tuning…to routine maintenance and keeping vintage cars on the road, we love what we do!
Interested or know someone who might be a good fit? PLEASE SHARE THIS and spread the word. Send your CV to rob@zcargarage.com and call us at (408)452-0350.
Check out our shop on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen:
Our Z Car Garage Big Brakes have been winning over Z-car enthusiasts locally and globally. Jason purchased a set for his 1974 Datsun 260Z and performed the installation himself. Before we go into his Big-Brake experience let’s hear his Z-story…
JASON: “I first heard about Z Car Garage by following Larry Chen’s 240z build on his YouTube Channel. I saw his various interviews with Rob Fuller and was really impressed with his knowledge and passion for the Datsun 510 and s30 chassis. Quickly, I started researching more about the pain points of the s30’s, and noted the lack of support from many other companies in the area of suspension and braking locally. The kits available were Wilwood, Endless, Star Road, among others. No complete kits that were torture tested and raced like what Z Car Garage was doing with their ZCG CV Axles , Brake Kits and other components they were selling. Research and development are key to me, and I was thrilled to see ZCG taking this on themselves. In addition, Rob is a real human being who’s on top of answering questions via email and in person at Z car events. That’s a HUGE deal to me, and it’s so rare to meet someone that of course is just as passionate about his cars as the enthusiasts building them.”
“My 1974 Datsun 260z is an Early model s30. When I purchased it, a few years ago I quickly removed the stock seats and reupholstered Recaro LX vintage seats in Black. I loved the netted headrest, and the clean recaro stitching at the center of the seat. I also removed the Greddy Oni wheel that was originally in the car and swapped it out with a new old stock Nardi Nismo Deep steering wheel with a Black and Gold finish. I went through the interior and purchased a NOS Datsun center console, and replaced the stock door cards with Skillard flat cards with leather pull straps.”
“In addition to the door cards, I added Skillard powder coated heel plates. The car came with BC adjustable coil-overs and Swift Springs which I will be updating in the near future. The BC Coilovers are perfectly fine for the street applications I’m using the car for currently. My suspension underneath the car is the full T3 catalog including the power cradle, control arms, bushings, and even their steering elements. It’s finally sorted, and I really enjoy driving the car the way it currently feels.”
“The car is equipped with a L28, ZX 5 Speed transmission, and 44pHH Mikuni triple carbs built by Taka at Kyusha House. The header and exhaust system are Fujitsubo Legalis R. The engine has since been updated in every way from the ignition system, oil pump, spark plug cables, and brake new seals and belt. The oil pan was replaced with a Moroso baffled racing pan with higher oil capacity.”
“I have two sets of wheels and tires for the car. One set is Volk Racing TE37v custom gold 15×9 at 0 offset on Toyo Proxes R888 205/50/15, and the other set is Work Racing Equip 03 15×8.5 at -3 offset custom bronzed lip, and Gold Center on Falken Azenis RT660 205/50/15. The front bumper is a carbon MSA, and the rear tail light bezels are carbon fiber made by Vintage Carbon. The wing is a Carbon Fiber BRE spoiler.”
You can see Jason’s Z in action in the video below:
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes
As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:
Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)
Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats
Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads
Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.
Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!
Z Car Garage is proud to offer our Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves. We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive (40-page) installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Enjoy these pictures of Jason’s beautiful S30 and his ZCG Big-Brake installation:
Our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake function. Jason successfully installed the BBK on his Z with PitstopMotorTuning, and they look great behind both the Work Equip 03 and Volk TE37 wheels:
Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. Jason shares his feedback after replacing his existing Wilwood brakes with the ZCG BBK:
JASON: “The Stoptech ZCG Big-Brakes are really a solid kit. The lead time was pretty rough, but again Rob reassured me every month over the course of a year of waiting that it would be worth it. He was right! These brakes do not disappoint. Once the kit was completely bedded and broken in, I quickly put the brakes to the test on Angeles Crest highway here in Los Angeles. I know this road well, and that’s where I usually push the car at a safe limit, and see where the pain points lie. The ZCG brakes are worth every penny. They are precise, they are confidence inspiring, and also feel great under late braking situations. I had a blast carving around the canyon knowing my brakes would safely hold up. My next test would be to get a couple of track days on them, and see how they hold up under extreme conditions and multiple sessions.”
What’s in store for Jason’s Z?
“The goal for the 260z is to refine my current setup. The paint is a bit rough since it was a garage paint job, and I would love to repaint the whole car including the interior. At the moment, I’m building a high compression 3.1L stroker motor with Jenvey 50mm ITB being managed by a Haltech Elite 750 stand alone ECU. My goals long term are for big power, but with street car reliability. I would love to confidently do a track day, but also be comfortable driving my wife to car shows, and even to grab a cup of coffee together. The engine has a custom designed valve cover designed by myself, and commissioned to be created by BSpeed in New Zealand. Big updates to come in the new year!”
Thanks for your support Jason we love that you are Enjoying The Ride and Long Live The Z! More photos in the gallery below
The Last Stop in Braking for your Z
Z Car Garage Big Brakes are one of the best systems available for your S30 Z Car with over 200 kits sold worldwide and unanimous positive feedback. See our ZCG Big-Brakes on client cars HERE and enjoy the photos below:
