Brian P hails from Canada and lives in the Bay Area with his family. We met him in 2014 when he visited ZCG for minor sorting and upgrades on his pretty 1973 S30.
Attention to the engine bay included changing all fluids, new motor mounts, upgraded alternator and a fresh Koyo racing radiator:
Rob dyno tuned the stock, SU-carb’d L24 before and after the addition of our ZCG exhaust using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip. We saw gains of 13hp/5tq and improved power throughout the mid-range:
Brian returned in 2016 for suspension upgrades. We installed 5-way Tokicos, Suspension Techniques sway bars, Techno Toy Tuning adjustable rear lower control arms, TC rods, and rack bushings.
Everything was powdercoated black and we zinc’d all hardware. With fresh bearings and a few more new suspension parts he was out and enjoying the Z.
Panasport Wheels
Complementing the new springs and shocks on Brian’s Z are Panasport wheels! We replaced the old-school Western Turbine wheels with 16×7 Panasports and Hankook R-S3 tires in 225/50/16.
Bottom left picture from Brian:
“This was taken on the day I picked up the car from the PO, a retired writer in Oakland, who only sold me the car after a 3 hour interview/visit 2 weekends prior, before the car was officially ‘for sale’ (I felt like I was being vetted as the car’s next custodian).”
Here is Brian Enjoying The Ride in his Z at last year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca:
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
After a few years of driving, Brian came back early this summer for more upgrades. We handed him the keys to “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:
We removed Brian’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. We also took his Tokico 5-ways in trade for a full coil-over (Koni) suspension from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
ZCG Big-brakes and T3 coil-overs replacing stock setup:
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained! T3 coil-covers also installed:
Brian really wanted the look and feel of Mrs. Butters Z so we obsessed over ride height until we got it exactly where he wanted it. The Z looks fabulous from any angle:
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.
Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:
More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms and ZCG exhaust system:
Driving is Believing
Brian was impressed with the ZCG Big-Brakes and how well they work: like having late model brakes on a vintage car!
“The brakes are amazing. I push the car hard on weekend drives on the Peninsula, normally taking different routes out to Alice’s, now without any fade or fear (except from passengers).”
With suspension and drivetrain sorted, Brian had a few remaining things on his mind. He reported a heavy fuel smell in the cabin so we replaced all of the vapor hoses to the fuel tank and installed a new hatch seal:
Finally, his hood had little specks on it so we had our man William repaint and blend it. Icing on the cake: Rob installed a NOS “Datsun” emblem on it after adjusting the hood.
Enjoy this short video of Brian’s Z:
We enjoyed working with Brian:
“Rob and team are the best, and the only shop that will ever touch my car. I have supreme confidence that my expectations will be always be exceeded, and Rob’s enthusiasm is infectious. On a lighter note and as a Canadian transplant down here in the Bay Area, it’s a pleasant surprise to find someone who doesn’t feel the need to insert ‘ice’ before saying ‘hockey’.”
Thank you for entrusting us with your S30, Brian. We are so fortunate to work with owners that appreciate the Z and believe in our ability to make them better! LONG LIVE THE Z!
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