Tyler has been in Rob’s life since he started working as a head engineer at Stoptech. He is behind Research and Development of our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, and we couldn’t have done it without his drive and passion. Our collaboration with Tyler always results in excellence, so when he mentioned bringing his Porsche 914 up from SoCal we happily obliged to work on it.

 

TYLER: “Rob Fuller/ZCG and I have known each other for a while now through my Engineering work at StopTech. We developed the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes for small wheels together. During the development of the BBK, Rob Fuller the man himself would constantly call me and leave hilarious singing voicemails, mostly him belting out hair-metal versus then saying “CALL ME BACK!”. We really hit it off during this time and grew to have a deep respect for one another.”

 

“I think we were able to really nail the final product after lots of tweaking and testing. ZCG was stoked with the BBK and I was stoked to work with such an amazing shop and crew. This project has always been a highlight for me. So when Rob asked me about my 914 and heard about my troubles with it he instantly offered to help out. This was definitely an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I brought my 914 to the shop.”

 

History

 

Before we go into the work ZCG performed let’s hear from Tyler about his 914…

TYLER:  “My first car was a 1973 914 2.0 my Dad, brothers, and I bought for $1200 ~25 years ago. We fixed it up and started to race it together, we still have it and plan to get back to racing it one day soon. Ever since then I wanted another 914 for myself. I just like the fact that 914s are mid engined, air cooled, and has a horizontally opposed engine, all of the coolest Racing Porsches are in this configuration. Also the 914 is three more than a 911, so there you go. When I saw the 914 on a Tucson AZ Craigslist post in 2015 I knew I had to snag it. The car was an old PCA/POC race car that raced in the 70s and 80s in AZ. I knew the car was a diamond in the rough even though it wasn’t running and had many problems to address.”

 

“I ended up buying it from someone in Tucson AZ for $3000 and towed it back home. Ever since then I have been fixing it up and getting it running well enough to enjoy classic rallies and some track days. I have been sort of converting it back into more of a streetable car but still keeping it raw and sort of rough that still gives you a feeling of a race car. My favorite thing to do is go for a drive down PCH with my wife and my dog squeezed in between us and stop at the beach for a walk and swim or rip the snot out of it on the track.”

Chassis and engine details on the 914 below:

Brakes

 

Custom designed StopTech big brake system. Front 2pc 282 x 28 rotors with STR42 calipers and rear 2pc 290 x 22 rotors STR42. Pads are StopTech SR33 front and SR33 rear with custom SS lines. Brakes are lighter weight than stock and with more thermal capacity!

 

Suspension

Race Bushings, Koni shocks,,22mm front sway bar, 150lb springs, 911 hubs, 5 lug conversion, 7×15″ Fuchs front wheels, 8×15″ Fuchs rear wheels, Toyo Proxes Ra1 225×50

Chassis and Safety

Roll Bar, 5 point belts, Frame reinforcements, door jam and chassis stiffening bars, dront fenders are rolled rear are fully flared, battery relocated to the front.

Engine & Transmission

 

2.0 Liter european pistons and sleeves 8.6 to 1 compression, Engine balanced and heads machined, Dual IDF44 Webbers, Mild race cam, High capacity oil pump with deep pickup, Dual rear mounted oil coolers, 4 into 1 exhaust with Supertrap muffler. 5 speed with shortened 3rd,4th, and 5th gears, Short shifter, OS Giken LSD. “Only 914 in the US to have an OS Giken LSD installed that I know of!”

The Z Car Garage Touch

 

ROB: “Tyler had his car dyno-tuned previously but it wasn’t running well. We like to make cars better, so we performed suspension work, adjusted the valves, sorted out his carb linkage, ignition system and made it awesome. Upon arrival it had a really bad front windshield install, so we replaced it and the stainless trim. New valve cover gaskets, cap and rotor, re-did the throttle-linkage return springs, serviced the air filter. Basically went through the Porsche like we do with our Z-car clients so he could enjoy driving it again.”

 

Dyno Tuning

With carb work, timing and linkage adjustments the 914 made 110hp/115tq at the wheels, gains of 18hp/15tq from baseline. Tyler was really happy with the results:

 

TYLER: “Rob gave my car some serious balls…I don’t have the official numbers of the final dyno run but the car feels like it’s been hitting the gym HARD. Engine runs super smooth, sounds like a completely different beast, starts without issue, is really responsive, runs a lot cooler, and has an overall boost in power! It has increased the enjoyment factor 100%.”

Enjoy this video of the dyno run and Tyler driving home from the shop down to SoCal:

After checking the suspension we mounted fresh Toyo RA1 tires followed by a full alignment in-house. Tyler was ready for the road trip home.

 

If it ain’t the Z-car, please let it be the P-Car!

 

Tyler shared a few photos from his roadtrip down to SoCal, catch his adventures on Instagram. Thank you Tyler for letting us work on your 914 and continued support for our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. Stoptech or Don’t Stop At All!

TYLER: “ZCG is one of the top shops I ever had the pleasure of working with. As a customer, the experience was equally great. The team is really driven, they have expertise to really handle tricky stuff and strive for perfection with everything they do. I knew my 914 was in the best of hands even though ZCG specializes in Z-cars, their talent easily translated into P-cars.”

Shake and Brake! More photos in the gallery below

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This 1990 Diamond Black Pearl Z32TT has been maintained and modified by Z Car Garage since acquisition in 2008. With 50k miles, original paint and interior it is ready to be enjoyed.

 

Performance upgrades include JWT clutch/flywheel, 550cc Nismo injectors, JWT dual intakes, Specialty-Z 3″ down/mid pipes and dyno tuning. Clean interior.

 

See the full listing on our FOR SALE page. For pricing and more details please contact Rob at the shop: 408-452-0350 or e-mail robATzcargarage.com

 

We have known Alex for many years and enjoy seeing his Sunny truck on local drives and gatherings. He reached out to Z Car Garage for dyno tuning and we happily obliged. The Sunny was already close to being dialed-in so we just put the sprinkles on with a few adjustments. It is such a cool little RHD truck and drives really well.

 

Alex’s cars are built to high standard and have a great vibe. His LS-powered Datsun 510 wagon built by Marcus Fry Racing is well-known in the community:

 

“I met Rob through a mutual friend at the time (Dan from DGR), just about 15 years ago. I helped deliver the Bluebird he has around that time. Throughout the years I have heard great things about ZCG and it only made sense to go to Rob when it was time to get the carbs tuned on the Sunny. My experience was great. The acceleration is now smoother and I got to see numbers. The carbs are now synced and timing adjusted.”

 

Alex recalls how acquired the Sunny:

“I randomly found the Sunny for sale in Seattle a few years ago and pulled the trigger as I have always wanted one but never seen one in person. It was originally brought to the states by JapaneseClassicsLLC a year prior. A good friend, Marcus of MFR, volunteered to go with me and tow it back. Since then, I have had a blast driving and updating as we all do when we get a Datsun to play with. Rebuilt 5-speed, 0 offset Panasports, new rubber bushings and weatherstripping, and getting the seats reupholstered are just some of the things I have had done to date.”

Dyno Tuning

 

Alex brought truck to ZCG and we got it on the dyno. Under the hood is Nissan’s 1.2L A12 engine, also used in the B110 series sedans/coupes. This one sports dual Solex-Mikuni induction. It was already close to being dialed so we adjusted the full throttle, smoothed-out the fuel curve and timing. The truck made 54hp/59tq to the wheels:

  

Enjoy this video of the Sunny on the dyno at ZCG:

 

Enjoying the Ride

 

We love that Alex drives the ‘Ute everywhere. He’s a great guy to be around and also an an avid videographer, mounting a Ghostcam on the back of the truck capturing neat driving perspectives. You can see more of his adventures on his Instagram. We’ve had the pleasure of running with him on road rally events like Breakfast Club Rally. I even spotted Alex on HWY 101 S and at a local bar…you can tell how happy he is driving this truck. And yes, seeing a kei car in modern-day Bay Area traffic is quite the sight:

 

We asked Alex what’s next for the Sunny:

“In the future, I want to up grade the suspension and brakes (maybe I can get something ZCG to fit under 13s lol). Since I “somewhat” over modified my LS510, I decided to keep the sunny mostly stock. Soon, I am getting another A12 to use so I can rebuild the one under the hood to OEM.
I have always been a 510 guy, but I can’t help but like to drive the Sunny more.”

We appreciate your support Alex, keep Enjoying the Ride in your Datsuns! More photos in the gallery below

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At Z Car Garage, the Datsun 510 is very close to our heart. Our hero John Morton piloted a 510 in the Trans Am racing series to put Nissan on the map, fueling every Datsun enthusiast’s passion for hot-rodding the humble economy car. We also have our share of race, personal and project 510s. When Mark G contacted us to work on his 510, we happily obliged especially after learning that it was built by fellow racer and Datsun 510 specialist Troy Ermish. The 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles, dyno tuning and more.

 

UPDATE: This post is an update to our initial blog post on Mark’s rad 510. He had an emergency request and Z Car Garage got him back on the road. Here is Mark with the story:

“I drove up HWY 9 for a quick run. The car died about a mile from Skyline, I called Nick for advice, no Spark. I emailed Rob that afternoon, after getting the car towed home, he contacted me the next morning. He got me into the shop on that Thursday to replace a bad MSD, so I could do the run with ZCG and crew to Morning Motors on July 31st.”

 

When Mark called we did not hesitate to get him in to the shop to resolve the issue. We found no power to coil and traced it to a failed MSD box. This was a strange unit we were not familiar with so we had our in-house electrical expert Joshua Corwin wire in our favorite MSD 6AL box. After a few small adjustments we dyno-tuned the 510 and it made excellent power, 177hp/170tq to the wheels:

 

Enjoy this video showing Mark’s 510 on the dyno and driving on the road, volume up!

 

Enjoying The Ride

 

Mark’s 510 was back on the road again and we all had a great time attending the Driving While Awesome Morning Motors. (Above) The group convened at Alice’s Restaurant, Mark’s 510 next to Erich’s Alfa Romeo gave some serious B-Sedan vibes!

 

Since this last visit we have had the pleasure of seeing Mark at various race events and even Nick’s Birthday party. Thanks for your support Mark!

“Because of the installation of the new MSD, ZCG dyno’d the car which improved it’s HP. Yahoo! Rob was kind enough to lend me his G20 to get around that day, cool little fun car. With his permission, I washed the cars windows. Another successful Z Car Garage encounter.”

 

Read further to learn more about Mark’s history with his 510 and build details…

510 Beginnings

 

Mark is an avid car enthusiast, growing up here in the South Bay. His first car was a lowered Capri that he tracked in the 80’s at Laguna Seca. He attributes his 510 passion from its rich racing heritage:

 “I was introduced to Sports Car racing at Laguna Seca in the mid 70’s. I have been going to most all of the different events ever since. My favorite was Sports Cars racing, Camel GT’s, IMSA, ALMS. Thus the ‘Poor Man’s BMW 2002’, my recent 510 is my third and hopefully last. Number 2 was also brought back from the dead and used to commute and cruise over Highway 17 to Aptos to work for my Father’s business. The surf rack was installed to haul all kinds of stuff.”

 

In 2015, Mark decided to fulfill his dream of another 510 and bought a project car:

“I wanted something I could turn into a street racer and autocross car for my son. As in any extensive full blown renovation, everything on the car has been touched. I tore it completely apart, soda-blasted the car, personally sandblasted every bolt and part on the car, welded in new floor panels and rebuilt the trunk, back panel and rear valance.”

The project car:

 

Mark’s extensive bodywork:

 

“I met Troy Ermish early on in the process, so when the floors and trunk were repaired, the car was trailered to Troy for a full roll cage, front fender wells were cut back and jack points installed in the rocker panels at the “B” Pillars.”

 

After 18months of bodywork, which Mark was heavily involved with, it was back to Ermish for the final build out. The car was purchased with a 1600 and funky 4 speed, but Mark also scored a 2000cc with two side draft Mikuni’s and a ZX 5 speed transmission. The engine was sent to Rebello for a full rebuild and upgrade to 2360cc spec.

 

T- Square Brain

 

Mark studied art in school and his attention to detail throughout the 510 impressive. From the no-frills interior to uncluttered engine bay it’s no surprise that he earned the nickname “T-square brain”. Each time I see this car it reveals another level of fanaticism that reminds me how awesome Datsun-owners are. Enjoy a few detail shots with more pics in the gallery below:

Engine Bay

Devoid of unnecessary bits, the Rebello 2.3 with dual-Mikuni’s takes center stage:

 

Interior

 

A tribute to the B-Sedan racing 510s of the 70’s, the interior is spartan with a simple dash, roll cage and OMP seats:

 

Again, it’s super sanitary in here with subtle color choices and straightforward switchgear. That is Pete Brock’s signature on the dash!

  

Body

The 2017 Corvette Racing Yellow paint is loud, but in a good way. Mark’s touches here are an exercise in restraint, while harking back to the Trans Am racers he remembered. The white roundel was inspired by our friend Dave Scholz’ Datsun 240z as seen on Petrolicious . 13″ re-pop’d (VTO) AR Libras are the definitive wheel choice here, with contrasting black spokes and chunky Toyo R888 tires:

 

Sorting at ZCG

 

The 510 was constructed with both Mark’s skillset and Troy’s finishing touches. After he finished his project, Mark visited ZCG for adjustments and sorting.

 

ZCG CV Axles!

 

We upgraded Mark’s standard half shafts to our Z Car Garage CV Axles. These CV axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to standard half shafts, while eliminating the need for aluminum adapters.  Mark got ZCG VV Axle set #320 and he loves them:

 

Nick about to install the new CVs:

 

Standard half shafts (left) and ZCG CV Axles (right). Note all of the powdercoated suspension parts:

   

Getting Mark Back On The Road

 

Mark was experiencing a re-occurring high water temp issue. Finally the head gasket was compromised so we pulled the engine for a refresh.

 

We re-intalled the the engine and tidied up the engine bay. The electric fan was removed and a fan clutch installed utilizing a 620 water pump/S30 fan blade to make it all fit behind the Koyo radiator:

 

On the road

 

With a few more minor tweaks like door locks and windows, Mark was out and about with his 510. He joined us at the local Fuel Supply Cars and Coffee:

 

Enjoy this video of Mark’s 510 in action:

 

We even spotted Mark at Driving While Awesome Morning Motors:

 

 

Do It In A Datsun

 

I was fortunate to catch up with Mark and meet his son Dom who also has motorsports background. It was rad to see the Datsun being a family affair and Mark all smiles behind the wheel:

 

 “I feel very lucky to be part of the Z Car Garage family. The staff are  all great guys. I will continue to bring the car in for Anything it needs.”

 

Big thanks to Mark for letting us service his 510. We really enjoyed having the 510 in the shop!

 

Speaking of Love for The 510…this weekend 20+ B-Sedan racers will be running at Laguna Seca. I will have a full report for you, stay tuned!

 

More pictures in the gallery here: https://www.zcarblog.com/2020/08/05/performance/marks-1972-datsun-510.html

 

Yousef purchased a set of Panasport Wheels from Z Car Garage that we shipped to Saudi Arabia. We are an authorized Panasport dealer and have limited sets available for fitment on your S30 Z car. Before we show you how a set of these 16×7 wheels look on almost every Z color imaginable, enjoy these shots of Yousef’s Series 1 S30 featuring a 3.1L ITB EFI L-Series engine. Full story coming to zcarblog.com soon!

 

 

Panasport wheels for your Z car

    

Treat your Z to a brand new set of Panasport wheels! We special order this offset to enable fitment of a 225/50/16 tire on the 1970 to 1978 S30s.

Contact us: rob@zcargarage.com or call 408-452-0350 Limited availability (pallet pictured)

Wondering how a set of Panasports would look on your Z car? Please enjoy pictures below of ZCG customer cars in jus about every color imaginable with Panasport wheels: