We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their Datsuns. Chris M recently performed the installation himself on his 1970 240Z. You may have seen this Safari Gold Series 1 beauty at events in the Atlanta area or online features. We are proud to be part of it!
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 130 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Chris has CV axle set #0353 and we are happy to report that he installed them himself with ease:
“Install was a breeze, old axles come out, these new ones go right in in their place. Couldn’t ask for an easier installation.”
He sent us a few pictures of the unboxing and before/after replacing his old half-shafts. Nice work Chris!
Simple and Satisfying
Chris’ Z is not a fully-restored example. Aside from the paint he’s gone through the entire car making it an ultra-clean driver that is still show-worthy. The stance is achieved through full air-suspension. It was one of the first S30s to be on airbags, gracefully tucking those gorgeous 15×9 Work Equip 01s:
The engine remains an L-series with triple-Weber 45DCOE’s and 10:25:1 CR ported E31 head on a stock 280Z bottom end. We do love his choice of Fujitsubo Legalis exhaust.
Listen to it sing:
Chris’ Z and the great story behind it has been told many times we encourage you to read his Petrolicious and Speedhunters features.
Datsun/Enthusiast
Chris loves his Nissan/Datsuns but also enjoys other marques as an enthusiast. Check out his R32 Skyline GT-R, 280Z (bought by his uncle brand new in 1978, and has been in the family since) and R30 Skyline 4-door!
We’ve been following Chris on Instagram for years and met him at SEMA and when he visited Rob at our shop. Stoked to see a fellow Georgian and be a part of his Z car journey. Thank you Chris for your support and we are happy to see you Enjoying The Ride (and CV axles)! Enjoy the photo gallery below
Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles continue to win over Z-car enthusiasts locally and globally. Hazel C recently purchased a set of both for her 1970 Datsun 240Z and had them installed at Trackspec in Fremont, CA. Before we go into the installation details let’s take a look at how Hazel got into Z cars…
“My grandfather had a 510, my dad had a B210, and my uncle had a 280Z, which he passed down to my cousin, who still has it today. So, maybe you can say my passion for Datsuns is in my genes. I met the original owner, Ray, at a cars and coffee at the Blackhawk Museum in 2017. He brought the Z and I was instantly drawn to it and started chatting with Ray about his car. Ray said he first learned about the Z car while overseas serving during the Vietnam war. When he came back to the states, one of the first things he did was go to the local Walt Martin Datsun dealership in Richmond, CA and bought one brand new in September of 1970. (Fun fact – that dealership is less than 5 miles from my childhood home, where I now also live.)”
About a year later, Ray was selling his car due to health issues, so Hazel reached out to him and was able to take ownership of the Z towards the end of 2018. The car was so hard to let go, he was being very patient and picky about finding the Z’s next owner. Jokingly, Ray mentioned hanging up on people who called him saying they would LS swap the unique motor on the car. Luckily, Hazel and Ray had a sort of shared vision on the future of the Z.
The car had a great foundation, with most of the modifications focusing on the engine, drivetrain, and body. It already had a 3.0L Rebello motor, 5-speed from a 280Z, and R200 differential. It was also repainted an eye-catching GMC teal color, with specially molded 3/4 inch steel plates welded into the fenders.
“The interior also has some unique parts. The glove box is signed by Mr. K. Ray met Mr. K in 1989 at an event that was hosted at Blackhawk Museum. There is also a Formuling France steering wheel from John Morton’s 240Z racecar. John was at Laguna Seca racing his 240Z, when Ray happened to catch him while he was on break, hanging out in the paddock. At that same event, Peter Brock had a booth set up and Ray was able to get him to sign that steering wheel as well. Since both signatures on the steering wheel have since started to fade, I was able to get Peter Brock to re-sign it, while I was at the Japanese Classic Car Show in 2019. Hopefully in the future, I’ll be able to meet John Morton and have him re-sign the steering wheel as well.”
JDM Inspiration
A few months after taking ownership of the car, Hazel traveled across Japan and pulled a lot ideas/inspiration from that trip. Visiting Shoji-Inoue at his shop in Tokyo, Star Road, gave her a better idea on how to modify a Z with both reliability and performance in mind.
“I traveled to Aichi prefecture and saw all of the radical builds dreamt up by Yoshiya Watanabe at Rocky Auto. I was also able to attend the All Japan Fairlady Z meet at Fuji Speedway. The annual event brings together all cars apart of the Z lineage from all across Japan – from the Fairlady Z S30z, all the way to the modern 370Z Z34. From what I read, there were 1,400+ Z cars in attendance that year.”
After coming back from the trip, Hazel knew she wanted to focus on modernizing suspension, brakes, and handling. She got the car with completely stock suspension and brakes; however, the motor/ drivetrain and body was upgraded prior to ownership. This was key in crafting the Z the way she wanted since all attention could be focused on the suspension and handling, instead of body/ paint. In 2019, the her Z was accepted to participate in the car show at JCCS in Long Beach. There, she saw the ZCG booth and was able to talk to Rob and check out the brake kit and CV axles.
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Hazel and Anthony visited us and we handed them the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car and she 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 🙂 Hazel made a very cool video of her visit/test drive, enjoy!
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. Kit details below:
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 engineers at 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 some 14″ wheels) 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:
As mentioned, our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake. Hazel made a video of the Big-Brake unboxing:
Installation of our ZCG Big-Brake kit as well as our ZCG CV Axles was performed by Trackspec Autosports. Hazel also had them install full suspension from Techno Toy Tuning including Evolved Coilovers (with Koni dampers and HyperCo springs), lower control arms, inner and outer tie rods, drop mounts, dogbone, steering coupler, urethane bushings, and front strut tower tri-bar. Wheels are 15×8.5 AME / Fatlace Fzero2:
Hazel documented the installation in a neat video, enjoy!
A few pictures of ZCG Big-Brakes replacing stock disc/drum units on Hazel’s Z:
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 100 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Hazel’s ZCG CV Axle set vs. stock half shaft:
Before and after the new CV Axles, Big-Brakes and T3 suspension:
In another brilliant video from Hazel, she mounted a GoPro camera to capture the suspension and new CV axles in action. Bravo, Hazel!
Hazel is Enjoying The Ride
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. Hazel was very happy as well with great feedback on our ZCG CV Axles too!
“Brakes: Finally – no more pumping the brakes and down shifting for every stop light! The stock drum brakes are one of my least favorite things about the Z car, especially with a modified engine. It feels great to know that my car can stop on a dime. Especially since I plan to do the occasional track days, a good brake kit was a must for me, and this delivered.
CV Axles: Power transfer to the wheels feels much smoother now. Previously, there would be huge dip in the rear end of the car on acceleration before you could feel the power go to the wheels and drive the car forward. Now – nothing but “buttery” smooth power transfer. No more delay once my foot is on the throttle.
I’ve only been to one track day at Thunderhill West so far with this set up, but really like it so far! It handled the course well this past weekend with no issues.”
What’s next for Hazel and her Series 1 S30? Future mods include the following components:
-CD009 transmission upgrade
-oil cooler/ catch can
-Mikuni Triple carbs
-Baffled oil pan
-Track day seat time! Driving at the local raceways (Laguna Seca and Thunderhill West).
We love your passion and thank you for supporting us Hazel. We are proud to have our parts on your Z. You said it best:
“Love Cars, Love People, Love Life”
Hazel would like to give a special shoutout of thanks to:
– Anthony Siasoco
– Trackspec Autosports: Herb, Jon, Grace
– AutoRnD: Rishie
– Zero Auto Factory: Son, Cody
– AR Mobile Tire: Rhyss, Ardeine
– Techno Toy Tuning: Kevin, Tony, Josh, Gabe
– Worx Kustomz: Jesse
– Vintage Spirit Garage: Ivan
Stay tuned for more customer installations of our ZCG Big-Brakes! Check out our ZCG CV axles HERE.
Long Live The Z!
Enjoy the photo gallery below …[read more]
Tony’s Z has a great history that begins with our friend and fellow enthusiast Rob Julien. Let’s take a closer look.
Keeping it in the Z Family
This Iris Blue Metallic (Porsche 911 color) Z was Rob Julien’s car when he first met Rob Fuller in the 90’s. A few years ago Rob J had the opportunity to buy Paul Hooks’ 1971 Series 1, another really nice S30 Fuller helped build in the 90’s (Full report soon). So the Iris Blue car changed hands going to a young Datsun 510 guy, customer Scott W, and finally Tony K, who at the time lived in Canada!
“I bought the car from Scott Wagner — a customer of ZCG — in 2014 as a replacement for my Ducati 748 that was totaled (along with me) a few years earlier in a near-fatal accident. I figured if I wasn’t going to ride bikes anymore, I wanted to get a car that offered a visceral and pure driving experience. Clearly I picked the right car and, unbeknownst to me at the time, the right man and garage to take care of my car.”
Very shortly after purchasing the car, Tony took it on the best road trip of his life:
“I drove with my wife from San Francisco to Vancouver where I lived and worked at the time, taking Rt 101 along the coast as far as I could up into Oregon before heading inland. The car was so great – planted and confidence inspiring on the twisty back roads, plenty of power, and a great soundtrack. While I lived in Vancouver, I met a group of Italians who loved cars, and we often took spectacular mountain drives during the spring and summer months and then garaged our cars in the winter.”
During its time in the Great White North we helped Tony out remotely:
“One of the best parts of my experience with the car has been the professional service, unparalleled expertise, and honest work from Rob and his great team at ZCG. I had spoken to Rob several times while I lived in Vancouver to ask him various questions, and he treated me like a valued customer; he spent quite a bit of time listening and explaining things to me even though I wasn’t a customer, and he didn’t know me from Adam. It was very clear to me how much he loved the Z and simply wanted to help me enjoy the car as much as possible. It was great to finally meet him and his team (and of course the shop dog) when I moved back to California and witness his infectious enthusiasm in person.”
Welcome Back to Cali
Tony serendipitously moved from Vancouver back to the Bay Area and immediately visited ZCG so we could handle everything on his wishlist. Let’s review the work we performed just before Tony left for Canada.
Engine Bay Services
The engine bay was painted black so we took this opportunity to paint it body color and perform general tidying. As usual William worked his magic to match the Iris Blue Metallic body color. Before/after:
New hydraulic lines/plumbing and wiring harness cleanup made this engine bay pop
We treated the engine to several upgrades including an MSA 6-into-1 exhaust header, new intake manifold with rebuilt Mikuni pH44 carbs, JWT HD clutch/flywheel, Koyo aluminum radiator:
From dirty and grimy to fresh and clean. You an also see the freshened front suspension with new T/C rods and lower front control arms from Techno Toy Tuning
Tony’s Z also got the ZCG HID kit. We performed this mod on Gary R’s 280z restoration with great results: stock appearance during the day with HID brilliance at night. These were adjusted at his recent visit.
The Z Car Garage Touch
After driving the Z all the way down from Vancouver, Tony reported the rear brake drums had failed so he had the Z towed to us from Sacramento. It was time to take care of the little things that he wanted sorted as well as some exciting upgrades, ZCG-style.
The interior got some love with repaired tachometer, fabricated fire extinguisher bracket, new shift boot, shifter/bushings, NRG quick-release to work with his MOMO steering wheel, new front/rear window seals, rear hatch seal and MSA glove box insert.
Recaro Specialist Seats
We installed on of our favorite seats for the S30: the Recaro LXF. These are Specialist seats in leather that have proper brackets to make them fit, feel and look fantastic.
Dyno Tuning
The 3.0L stroker L-Series received a full Mikuni carb tune, sync, idle speed set and velocity stacks with filters. We also cleaned up the engine bay/tranny areas.
The stroker motor produced good power with Rob’s dyno tuning. Baseline was 191hp/187tq with final results of 208hp/201tq to the wheels:
Enjoy that sweet Mikuni-carb’d L-Series music on the dyno:
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Our readers are likely familiar with “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car with full suspension and our ZCG Big-Brakes. Following a test drive in Butters, clients are sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Read below for a brief description of these parts:
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 engineers at 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 some 14″ wheels) 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 Tony’s brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. Early in its life the Z also received Ground Control coil-overs and suspension parts from Techno Toy Tuning. New parts included adjustable T/C rods, sway bar set, rear control arms, new bushings, rack bushings, steering coupler, factory Nissan ball joints, new wheel bearings and more. We really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
Tony’s Toyota 4-Runner brakes removed and we installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit up front.
Our Big-Brakes utilize the OEM brake master cylinder and booster along with the factory hydraulic system. We replaced the M/C with a new unit, here are a few more shots of the front setup:
At the rear, the OEM drums brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!
Following the suspension and brake installation we mounted fresh Bridgestone RE-71R tires and performed a full alignment. The new ZCG Big-Brakes fit nicely behind the full-polished 16″ Panasport wheels:
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 100 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Tony received axle set #263. Stock half shafts and ZCG units shown below with more pictures in the gallery:
Tony was pleased with the mechanical upgrades:
“I had the car towed to ZCG from Sacramento for Rob and his great team to install the ZCG Big Brakes, ZCG CV axles, new Recaros, new tires, and get a much-needed partial re-spray. The upgrades and modifications really transformed the car from really fun to drive to truly confidence inspiring, particularly because of the awesome brakes.”
Making it look good
After years of wear and tear the clearcoat was starting to peel on the roof (pictured below, left). As usual William worked his magic to match the Iris Blue Metallic body color, re-spraying/blending the top of the car.
We are happy to report that Tony is Enjoying The Ride. Here are a few summer pictures post fresh paint/upgrades, more in the gallery below!
“I have a few more upgrades I’d like to do on the car (a tad more power and perhaps upgrade the suspension), but one thing is for sure: there’s no one I’d rather have work on my car. But more importantly, I just need to drive the stink out of it.”
Thanks Tony for trusting us with your Z. This car has come full circle as Rob worked on it when he was 26 years old and now at 48. We are lucky to have a life filled with cool Z cars and more importantly great relationships with their owners. ZCG is a like home to them. LONG LIVE THE Z!
We love to see our products being installed and enjoyed on customer cars. Dustin is running our Z Car Garage CV Axles in his 1972 Datsun 510 4-door. This Dime is powered by a Nissan KA24DE/5-speed and wears a sweet set of NOS 15×7 Longchamp XR-4 wheels:
Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. We have sold over 100 sets of axles globally, with customers installing and enjoying them on everything from street cars to full-blown IMSA racers. These CV axles will help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts.
For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft.
Dustin is running a Cusco LSD (Subaru STi R180) with Toyo R888 tires and worried about excessive wear on the stock half shafts, having seen multiple sets of other CV shafts come apart. He heard about our CV Axles from fellow Datsun enthusiast/racer Glenn C and ordered a set from Rob. Dustin installed the CV Axles himself on his 1972 Datsun 510 and reports that it went smoothly:
“The installation was very simple and easy to understand. I really like that they came with Red Loctite.”
We were stoked to hear Dustin report the improvement over his standard half shafts:
“The Cusco LSD is very noisy but seems to have gotten smoother and a bit quieter with the new axles. I doubt I will ever run into any issues breaking one with a KA24. I would highly recommend them as the only CV option.”
Here is Dustin’s 510 in action, enjoying the new ZCG CV Axles:
We’ve known Dustin and Courtney for many years. Hagerty produced a video featuring the local Bay Area Datsun couple you can see it HERE.
The couple got married in 2018 and Z Car Garage prepared Courtney’s 240z in time for their special day. Learn more about ZCG’s work on Courtney’s 240z HERE. Keep Enjoying The Ride, you two!
They are also the founders of Fuel Supply Co in Fremont, CA. We had a great time at their inaugural gathering earlier this year. Thank you both Courtney and Dustin for your continued support and passion for Datsuns!
