Frank B is no stranger to Z Car Garage having been a customer for more than a decade. Since 2006, we helped build his Fuelie Z, a modified 1972 S30 with ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles, 231whp fuel-injected L-series and 6-speed Nissan 350z transmission:

 

To accompany his hot rod Z, Frank searched for an early S30 project for a stock-style restoration. Before the Z car craze caught on with S30’s fetching big money (ie Bring a Trailer), Frank found an unmolested early Series 1 240z (11/69 production: HLS30 00486, Original Engine: L24-2189):

“For SN 486, a friend found it on Craigslist and sent me an email. I actually got it for a good price. What I found when I went to inspect the car was a well worn early z with all but one of the original badges, no real rust other than under battery tray, and some spare parts including a perfect dash, stroker crank, spare transmission, set of period 2-piece wheels… A nice project kit somebody had lost interest in and left behind. I arranged to store with the seller for a month while I got myself ready to start the project.”

 

Restoring the “Original Z”

Frank is a very capable man, and jumped right into the disassembly with a plan to perform a total ground-up restoration himself.

“I immediately pressure washed off gunk and started taking things apart. I also ordered a rotisserie, fabricated mounts to attach at the bumpers, and removed everything that wasn’t welded to the unibody. I was pretty careful to bag up assemblies and keep fasteners with the parts they belonged to… lots of detailed work and hundreds of baggies later, I was ready to start restoring stuff!”

 

Frank connected with several folks in the Z Car community he had met through the years to source parts for the restoration:

“Les Cannaday was able to get reportedly the last of the butterscotch interiors (vinyl bits) made for the Z restoration program Nissan had done.  I had Patrick Shank (Patrick Restorations) completely go through all gauges, main and other wiring harnesses, and acquired the correct radio for that car (some other electrical bits too). Norm Murphy got all of the plating business and had or helped me find some hard to find items like a NOS cover for the wiper motor, a new double lever choke/throttle assembly, a pair of the early taillights, etc.” 

 

The stripped body and all associated body parts went to Andy Schenk for painting while on the rotisserie…Frank was also able to get a complete set of stainless brake and fuel lines made to the original pattern, greatly simplifying restoration of these systems.

“Once the bottom was done, I took the car off the rotisserie and put it back on it newly restored suspension and the restoration of the inside began (other than the headliner which I also installed while on rotisserie while car was upside-down). The detailed assembly of the car took a couple of years total since I prioritized getting the car right over getting it done…”

 

The end result of Frank’s efforts was an outstanding restoration. You can see more in-progress pictures in the gallery.

Finishing Touches With Z Car Garage

At the very end of his restoration, Frank realized for that last 10% it was time to call up his friends at Z Car Garage. He brought his freshly restored, low-vin S30 in for us to sort out all the little things.

 

He had an early transmission that was making noise so we replaced it with another unit fro our supply. We replaced his lower control arm and moustache bar bushings. The entire underside of the car was nut and bolted, and his work was double-checked. A ZCG exhaust was also installed.

 

Key items in the restoration process were reviewed: verifying brake lines, clutch lines, bleeding the hydraulics, and adjusting the rear brakes.

Dyno Tuning

Frank identified what was needed to make a “Canada” car without the emissions controls of US models.  He restored all of the “smog” stuff so it can stay with the car and be put back on one day if desired… but fully original wasn’t what he had in mind for the drivetrain…

 

The engine went to Dave Rebello for the 2.7l “purist” build: this is the original L24 block stroked (E31 head) so numbers still match while gaining more power. Otherwise stock when you open the hood:

 

We installed a Pertronix ignition, changed the plugs to hotter range, adjusted the valves, set the timing, installed a new alternator and starter and made the wiring at the distributor look OEM. Rob performed a street tune on the dyno yielding 179hp/172tq to the wheels:

 

We also installed an LSD to help get the newfound power to the ground effectively. Next items on the list were electrical issues and interior bits. We got the turn signals operational and replaced the flasher. We went through his interior and got all the missing rivets and cowl clips. Kick panels were installed. The clevis pin in the clutch-pedal assembly was removed, sanded and lubed to eliminate any noise.

 

Time to Enjoy The Ride!

With minor sorting complete we focused on a few aesthetic items like final adjustments of the hood and doors. Frank’s stock wheels  were mounted/balanced, ensuring the “D” hubcaps were secure.  He had lowered the car from stock height with Eibach springs, so we did our trim to the fronts for a nice stance.

 

16×7 Panasports were installed for daily driving:

 

Frank did a fantastic job on this Z:

  

It was great to see Frank driving, here he is on the freeway en route to the ZONC Annual Car Show.

“Three years from when I started the project, I took the car to Rob Fuller to help me bring it back to life… after a couple weeks of dealing with somewhat funky carbs and an improperly rebuild transmission, SN 486 was on the road again and, maybe not surprisingly, drove like a new car from the beginning… everything worked as it should and 80mph freeway travel was delightful. We do drive the car… for now it is being kept as perfect as possible for shows. Here’s where it resides in one of my shops in Oregon.”

 

Here is a short video of Frank in his Z and his wife in the Fuelie Z, enjoy!

 

 

The “Original Z”

 

If you are wondering about that license plate… “Ur” is a slang German term for “Original”.

“The first Audi Quattros are referred to as the UrQuattro.  Since the legend of the z includes some design work by Goetz, a German designer reportedly hired by Katayama-san to develop initial concepts, I took the liberty of naming my z the “Original 240z” or UR 240Z for short…  got the same plate in Oregon.”

Frank and his wife retired to Oregon and we miss the enthusiastic couple. It was our pleasure working with Frank and we appreciate  him being a customer and friend of Z Car Garage.

LONG LIVE THE Z!
More pictures in the gallery below
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Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Z Car Garage! We hope you can find time to Enjoy The Ride over the holidays. Please note our hours of operation below:

We will be closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, re-opening Tuesday December 3.

ZCG will close on the 20^th of December 2019,  reopening on the 2^nd of January 2020

Thank you!

    

 

This 2003 Nissan 350z Enthusiast has been maintained by Z Car Garage since 2014. Sporting a Vortech Supercharger, Volk SF Challenge wheels, 6-spd manual transmission and Brickyard paint it is ready to be enjoyed. Interested? See more details on our FOR SALE page.

 

 

On Sunday I joined 6 other roadsters for a drive in the North Bay. I left San Jose ~7:45am and it was very foggy. On the freeway it was actually quite wet like rain, not a good sign as I thought the weather would be worse heading North.

 

As I approached San Francisco the fog disappeared, revealing the city Skyline and iconic Golden Gate Bridge. I was excited to see everyone and do some driving.

Meeting point: Fort Baker 9am

I arrived to see 6 roadsters already lined up against the GG Bridge and clear sky. It was really fortunate that weather was amazing….usually this time of year the GG bridge is shrouded in fog!

 

We chatted for a bit and I consulted with Jerry about staging the cars for quick photoshoot. He’s a talented photographer and you can see his positioning and composition created some spectacular shots.

The cars:

Dan’s 1970 1600. Dan owns three roadsters and this one is completely stock:

 

Mike’s 1967 2000. This is considered one of the most sought-after models (#0072 out reportedly 1000) sporting a 5-speed transmission, 150hp twin-Mikuni carb 2L engine, 160mph speedo/8krpm tach…all stuff other cars dreamed of in 1967:

 

Andy’s 1969 1600, looking great on stock wheels and whitewall tires:

 

Pat’s 1969 1600. Pat has swapped in a 2L/5-speed drivetrain from the 2000 model. Note the factory roll-bar:

 

Jerry’s 1969 2000. This SRL caught my attention as soon as Jerry started the fire-breathing Solex-carb’d U20. Make sure you watch the video below to hear it rev. Note the pretty Longchamp XR-4 wheels:

 

Scott’s 1967 1600. I met Scott back in Aprril at the 2019 Solvang Datsun Roadster Show and admired this full frame-off restoration. Stunning paint and a nice interior with carbon fiber touches. Power is from a modified 1600 engine now displacing 2L…powerful! Note the full stainless exhaust (and hear it in the video below!)

 

We got each owner next to their roadster and a nice group photo. Big thanks to Jerry for the camera work.

 

Our leader Dano was anxious to get moving to avoid tourist traffic so we rolled out. We were also joined by fellow roadster owners Eric (in his NA Miata) and Will (in his E30 M3). The next 4 hours was a mix of ever-changing scenery that was new to me. From Downtown Sausalito to twisty HWY1, ribbons of road winding through forest and coastline it was fun!

 

Stop #1: Limatour Beach

Quick stop close to the coastline and back through the forest…

 

Stop #2: Lunch at Tony’s Seafood Restaurant in Marshall:

 

After lunch, some parted ways while Dano, Pat, Will and myself headed to Nicasio Reservoir back to 101. Pat and I rode together for a stretch of freeway heading home.

 

I had a blast driving with everyone, here is a video of the sights and sounds, enjoy!

 

Stay tuned for our next Fun Run!

 

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What sparked your interest in Z Cars? For Scott W it began when he was about 15 years old, and eventually led him to Z Car Garage:

“My best friend’s brother’s friend had a silver 240z. He would take us to lunch and we had to lay down in the back. From that time on I wanted a Z! I started reviewing zcarblog.com and found a very nice 260z for sale that was owned by an older retired couple. Based on all the work performed by ZCG I met with Rob and I purchased it. The 260z was originally gold with the 5mph bumpers.”

 

Indeed the gold 1974 260z was our very own customer Geri R’s. When she retired and moved to San Diego she told Rob, “If you are not in SD my Z car can’t come with me…please find it a new home.” Scott W visited ZCG in 2013 and purchased the Z, well before the S30’s garnered high prices! He had a very clear vision of building the ultimate Z Car:

“I told Rob my plan was a car that was great to look at but I’m going to drive it! And drive it hard. My goal was to keep it looking 1974-ish on the outside but modern under the skin.”

So we began the process of upgrading an already solid, clean chassis that Geri lovingly maintained.

Drivetrain

The first item we discussed was the engine. Scott wanted more power and Rob suggested a Rebello 3.2L Stroker engine. Supporting parts included an MSA 6-into-1 header,  ZCG exhaust system, KOYO race radiator (custom upper hose) and ZCG heat shield. A few pictures of the engine build/installation with many more in the gallery:

 

Induction is handled by Jenvey individual throttle-body fuel injection, managed by a Haltech Elite 750 standalone system.

 

A NISMO Competition oil pan was installed to cope with high cornering loads from road course driving. Also shown is the Nissan 240sx 5-speed transmission. This “KA24” unit is significantly stronger than early S30 transmissions. It handles the 3.2L’s extra power, and we offer this conversion to customers.

 

When we upgrade the transmission we also install a JWT HD clutch with aluminum flywheel. Helping put the power down efficiently is an OS Giken LSD. The R180 houses a 4.11 R&P and the assembly is setup in-house (by Joshua Corwin). Rounding out the drivetrain upgrades are a set of ZCG CV Axles(shown below)

 

The ZCG Exhaust system using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip. Listen to the sound in the video below!

   

The completed engine bay. All hoses, hydraulic lines, fittings etc were removed and restored/replaced with new parts. Zinc plating hardware throughout:

 

On the dyno, Rob tuned the Z with the Haltech making 257hp/229tq to the wheels. An improvement from the stock 121hp/130tq:

Chassis

 

Suspension upgrades were next, focusing on the ideal setup for open track days while remaining comfortable on the street. Scott outgrew the Tokico 5-ways and now has Koni Yellows with our Ground Control coil-over setup from back in the day. Techno Toy Tuning control arms, T/C rods and more complement the total suspension restoration. All parts were powdercoated and hardware plated.  We really appreciate Gabriel at T3 and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

 

Panasport Wheels

 

Custom sized 17×9 Panasport C8 wheels allow us to run a wide 255/40/17 tire at all four corners, without flaring the fenders:

 

Bridgestone RE-71R tires are shown below. The 17″ diameter wheels also give clearance for our ZCG Big Brakes!

  

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

After driving our customer Lou’s Fairlady, Scott was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes.

  

Not to be confused with our familiar Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) that we currently offer, this Big-Brake kit was our initial setup from many years ago. Our first collaboration with Stoptech, this 328mm sized kit requires 17″ diameter wheels and the massive ST-42 calipers are finished in bright red. This kit was installed on our OS Giken TC24-powered 240z and a few other customer cars.

 

 

The ZCG Big-Brakes framed nicely behind the black-spoked C8s. We are currently re-vamping this kit using Stoptech’s latest ST-43 caliper.

    

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.

   

Scott’s 260z received ZCG CV Axles set #250

  

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms and ZCG exhaust system:

  

Comfort

 

Scott’s 260z had an interior in fair shape. We gave it the full ZCG treatment with a refurbished dash, new carpet and creature comforts like Bluetooth, radar detection and functioning HVAC. In-progress shots below with more in the gallery:

 

New carpet throughout, integrated speaker box in hatch:

 

The stock seats were in bad shape Scott was sliding around on them so we upgraded to leather Recaros. Perfect for keeping him locked in place during track days.

 

The heater system from core to blower was completely restored:

 

Full A/C setup using a smaller Toyota compressor with existing A/C parts:

 

Performance

 

Balance. This Z has power and the chassis upgrades to transform it into a well-rounded sports car. Remember Scott’s goal of building the Z to drive really hard? He has been taking his S30 to Buttonwillow Raceway every month, putting our ZCG products to the test on the track.

 

Enjoy the sounds of Scott’s Z in this short video below:

 

 

Exterior

 

You didn’t think we would forget to mention the total paint color change, did you?  About six months into his build Scott called to request a color change from gold to a Mercedes-Benz shade of Gun Metal. Our man William painted the body, retaining all side-markers to maintain a stock look:

 

Scott however was adamant about changing the stock impact bumpers. Rob located Euro-style 240z bumpers and had them sectioned/re-chromed:

 

Thank you Scott for letting us build your Ultimate Z Car! We are proud to see you enjoy it on the track and street.

LONG LIVE THE Z!

More pictures in the gallery below!
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