We had a very impressive turnout of ZCG customers and friends at the Wednesday Night Fun drags 8/3! Rob was running his 300zx Twin-Turbo and despite very warm temps pulled a 11.5 @ 125mph with a 1.8 60-ft.

Josh and Andy drove their  VW Bug and Mazda RX-4 Wagon, respectively:

 

Phan ran his sweet NSX pulling a quick 14.2:

 

This RD Engineering R35 ran a 9.90 @ 149mph!

 

 

Rasheed B’s recently twin-turbo’d 2015 Nismo 370z ran a 12.8:

 

John T and his 300zx Twin-Turbo made it all the way to finals and won a trophy for Runner-Up! Way to go John!

 

 

This was Carlos S’ first time at the drags with his 2015 R35 GT-R. He made a fantastic pass of 10.74 @ 129mph run! Unfortunately this resulted in Carlos being kicked off the track:( Next time!

 

 

Come out with us next time for the Wednesday Night Fun drags as it is certainly an experience that all enthusiasts can appreciate!

 

 

Hello Z-Car fans! We have another great story from a customer that finally found their dream Z with a little help from Rob at ZCG. Read on as Tim joins the ranks of Z-ownership…the journey begins.

When I was 8 years old, I used to count how many 240Zs I saw on the road each day. The most was 38. My mom loves to tell the story how I cried for days when I read in Road & Track magazine that the 240Z would be going out of production some 7 years before I would even be old enough to drive. The year was 1973. Fast forward 43 years later. I called Rob 5 months ago to enlist his help finding a Series 2 240Z, and someone to build me a “sleeper.” I visited the shop and met all the guys. Not only did I love Rob’s obvious passion for the cars and encyclopedic knowledge of everything about modifying, maintaining, and driving them, but Rob never tried to “sell” me on ZCG. After my visit and tour of the shop, I went home and saw a Youtube video of the sole legendary OS Giken TC24-B1Z in the U.S. , featuring ZCG. In fact, the black “Behemoth” was in the shop during my visit.

   

When I asked Rob why he didn’t mention any of those accolades, he said “I wanted your visit to be about you, and your journey, not about ZCG.” I had clearly found my partner in crime. Now I needed a car.

It had to be rust-free, and a candidate for a period cockpit and interior restoration, and period updates to the suspension and engine. For 5 months I scoured Craigslist and eBay, and Rob not only inspected (and rejected) countless local candidates, but helped evaluate cars in New York, Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, and Irvine. I was freaking, but Rob insisted that I remain patient… that the right car, at the right price was out there. Finally, one of ZCGs own customers called Rob about selling his Orange ’73 240Z. Not only did it fit the bill, but it was one of ZCG’s own, and over 50% of my planned mods had already been done by ZCG.

Delivery day for Tim at the shop:

 

Tim was happy as the car did already have some great performance and handling upgrades including a 2.8L block with a hotter cam and head work, triple Mikuni carbs, 5-speed transmission, limited slip differential and aluminum radiator:

 

Improved handling and looks through Tokico struts w/Eibach springs and Panasport wheels:

A sharp interior with refurbished dash and new door cards with ZCG’s sound insulation:

  

The car still has original paint, and is a perfect launching point for Tim’s vision of a “sleeper” Z. Stay tuned for more installments as we proceed with a classic restoration to the interior (with a few of ZCG’s modifications) and a meticulous re-spray of Nissan Orange #918.  A ZCG Big-Brake Kit kit will precede an engine rebuild to a 3.2 liter stroker.

Many thanks to Rob Fuller at Z Car Garage for helping me realize a boyhood dream. My Z-journey begins… 44 years in the making.

We are happy to report that Tim got no less than 10 honks and thumbs up on his drive home to San Francisco from the shop! Enjoy The Ride and Long Live The Z!

 

 

 

 

Are you ready for another exciting evening at the Wednesday Night Drags? Join us this Wednesday 8/3/16! We have had a great turnout of Z cars at past gatherings, check it out HERE.

Join our caravan up to the racetrack by meeting us at the shop at 12:30pm Wednesday!

 

At Z Car Garage we are fortunate to be a part of many Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts lives. Here is a great story of how we helped re-kindle one couple’s love for their Z. Ruth and Larry bought their 1978 280z brand new and immediately enjoyed it with Ruth daily driving for several years. Unfortunately, life gets in the way and Ruth put the car in storage for a long period.

  

We met the couple in 2008 when Ruth came in to ZCG to get the Z up and running which resulted in a full mechanical refresh.  All hydraulics (brakes/clutch) were restored. The suspension was treated to urethane bushings and Tokico 5-way struts with Eibach springs and a set of beautiful set of Panasports. Finally, we cut and buffed the paint and Ruth’s Z took on a new look…it was almost like 1978 again!

 

  

The next step for them to drive and enjoy the car happened a few years later when we restored the entire interior of the car: a full dashboard restoration, Recaro LXF seats (Leather!), custom carpet kit, sound deadening, all weatherstripping, seals, etc.  These are all the details that ZCG performs to take a 280z from an awesome car from the 70’s to a timeless classic that can be driven anywhere.

The Little Things:  sill lock trim!

 

Dashboard: gauges and knobs:

    

The result of the interior restoration:

 

It had been years since we had seen the Roth’s other than routine maintenance. It was time to dive back into the project with a full external restoration.  The cut/buff from a few years back wasn’t sufficient and it showed in areas like the hood. Those amazing pinstripes and lower rocker trim were looking a bit tired as well:

 

We called upon our man William from William’s Auto Body and both Ruth and Larry had two requests: 1) The Z car must be as awesome inside as outside and 2) we absolutely must keep the pinstriping that had been on the car since new. William was more than up to to the task. This time we went ahead and installed electric power steering for ease/use, our upgraded rearview mirror (as featured on Gary Roser’s car, report later) which includes a backup camera, GPS, temp:

 

 

Re-chromed bumpers and restored guards:

    

Full glass/chrome trim/weatherstrip R&R. All NOS Nissan!

 

Inner fender liners:

 

NOS emblems replace pitted/fading orignal pieces:

 

Rear tail light panel:

 

Restored side moulding:

  

William applied the factory paint color and the Z looks fantastic. We cleaned up the louvers too.

 

The best part, of course, is that Ruth and Larry are still in love with their 280z! Enjoy The Ride and thank you for letting us be a part of your journey. Your dedication and passion for the Z is contagious and we love it!

More pictures in our gallery below: …[read more]

 Ron B. Jr met Rob Fuller in the early 2000s. At the time Ron had a 300zx Twin-Turbo that ZCG serviced. Sadly, one day Ron decided he was done with the Z32 and sold it. One of our customers actually bought it and we think it is still out there being enjoyed. Ron wasn’t entirely done with Z’s as he picked up a 350z Track model (shown at Thunderhill in 2006):

 

Some 15 years later after meeting Rob, Ron had got another Z. Why? Once you have a Z it is in your blood and hard to get it out of your life! This latest Z obsession came in the form of a 2012 Nismo 370:

 

Ron loved this car but he was missing something. We all long for it: BOOST! So he gave ZCG call, reconnected with Rob and reminisced about the old days with the 300. It was decided, we would make Ron’s car one of the first jobs of 2016 using a Stillen supercharger kit.

    

The Stillen kit comes with a polished V-3 blower, 25-row oil cooler and we add GT-R plugs. Due to higher inlet temperatures observed on these builds we are starting to upgrade the stock water-to-air cooler. Frozen Boost makes a larger cooler shown below:

 

A few shots of the kit installation:

 

Before and after:

 

We love the PLX Devices DM100 gauge that neatly replaces the clock with…

 

… a multi-function display for vitals like boost, air intake temp and wideband:

  

Another addition to the interior was a new NISMO shift knob:

 

Got the Z on the dyno and out of the box the Stillen supercharger added 82hp/42tq to the wheels:

 

 

With UPREV tuning we saw significant gains of 120hp/85tq above stock for a grand total of 410hp/326tq to the wheels:

 

With 410hp to the wheels one would think Ron’s Z car obsession is satisfied…he is really feeling the need for another 300zx Twin Turbo in his life so we are on the hunt for a pearl white 90-92 Z32TT with black/tan interior. From Z32 to Z33 to Z34, if the Z is in your blood we can help you live with it!

 

Keep Boosting Ron and Long Live The Z!