“My first dream car was 350Z. I learned about Z cars in my college days and I recall a cool kid driving one while I was waiting at a bus stop in the cold rain. We had an opportunity to buy a new car and I was very fortunate that it could be a Z. After purchasing the 370Z, 6 months later went to ZCG and the journey began. No offense to stock Zs but these are meant to be modified 🙂 My wife and I both love our Z and I thank her for  supporting my hobby 🙂 “

Bolt-on Beginnings

With only a few months of owner-hip of his new 370s Sport Touring Henry visited us for upgrades. The latest Z34s had ECU changes and no software support at the time. Henry knew he wanted to go forced-induction so in the interim we started bolt-on upgrades. In April of 2019 the chassis was treated to full KWV3 coil-over suspension with SPC F/R control arms and Hotchkis sway bars:

A few installation pictures, followed by a full alignment:

A cat-back exhaust system from Armytrix with Valvetronic sound adjustment:

Henry requested a new steering wheel install:

Stock (with a cover) removed and new carbon fiber + alcantara-trimmed wheel installed:

Time For Boost

With 12k miles on the odometer Henry was ready for boost. We ordered the Stillen supercharger kit (black), CARB-legal for piece of mind. Supporting parts included a Concept Z 25-row oil cooler (thermostatically controlled), Stillen transmission cooler and fueling upgrades. Here a few pictures of the installation:

Fueling upgrades include a CJ Motorsports stage 1 fuel return system and billet fuel pump hat, 1300cc Injector Dynamics injectors, Hellcat Wallbro fuel pump, SpecialtyZ flex fuel kit:

 

The SpecialtyZ flex-fuel kit comes with a Zeitronix gauge that we mounted in pace of the OEM clock:

Cooling upgrades include Soho Motorsports air-to-air intercooler, Concept Z 25-row oil cooler (thermostatically controlled) and Stillen transmission cooler. Also shown is the Fast Intentions crash bar with tow-hook:

Oil and transmission coolers:

We installed a Fast Intentions billet flex-plate, much stronger than the OEM unit:

Finally, we changed the exhaust from Armytrix to an ARK Grip setup paired with ART Pipes from Motordyne:

Henry loves the current exhaust setup:

“I’ve gone through Nismo OEM, Armytrix, and eventually settled with Rob and a friend of mine’s suggestion for the forced induction route: Ark grip catback system + Motordyne art pipes = the deep growl without screaming. Sort of the centered idea of the goals of my Z project – subtle power without drawing attention.”

Dyno Tuning

We wanted the most efficent blower wheel to run ethanol so the V3 SI blower wheel was installed. Ecutek software  was used for tuning, MAP-based with omni sensor.

Shown below are dyno graphs from when Henry was NA to 91 octane and E75 tunes on the Vortech. NA, the Z made 316hp/252tq and a 91 octane tune supercharged yielded 501hp/370tq at the wheels:

Rob then tuned the Z on E75 for 573hp/426tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy the dyno tuning video!

We are very happy with the results and even more stoked to hear Henry’s feedback on the supercharger and tuning performance:

“The supercharger is very daily usable and power whenever I want!  The sc mods put together and tuned by Rob for a 7at Z is able to reach 570+ whp and 430 wtrq and still feel smooth and dramatic at the same time is absolutely beyond my expectation (I followed every ZCG 370Z blog posts and it’s a honor to be one of the highest power 370Z from ZCG, hats off to Rob) And did I mention daily-driveable? Good surprise for me. In addition, Rob has been really patient and knowledgeable for all my questions and requests and late night text regarding my Z. It really felt like we built the car together but it’s all his magic touches! I really appreciate the journey! More to come”

Wheels Make the Car

We have said it before: wheels make or break a car.  After long discussions with Henry we decided on the Ray’s TE37 Ultra Track Edition II. Finished in Blast Black and sized 19×9.5/10.5 these wheels look perfect on the Z34.

We love the little details Ray’s applied:

Enjoy The Boost!

“I love my Z and ZCG! Long live the Z! ZCG has been the place to go if you love Z cars, new or classic. Rob and the shop/crew exude passion for Z cars and you immediately know they will take care of your Z and your Z will be among its family. Rob has been great through the journey and worked with “our” Z. I am sure there is more to come for my Z with ZCG!”

 

You can follow Henry here on Instagram. What’s next for his Z? He’s playing with idea of a body kit but trying to maintain that subtle-aesthetic approach in his build. Stay tuned! Thank you Henry for letting us build your Z. It’s very cool for us as a shop trying to make 50-old cars keep with cars like this. We enjoy playing with the new stuff just as much as the classics. LONG LIVE THE Z! More pictures in the gallery below:

…[read more]

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).

Hazel would like to give a special shoutout of thanks to:

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]

This 1971 Datsun 240Z has a long history with Z Car Garage. We have known owner Rob J since the early 90s, having worked on his previous Z cars, and with a few ZCG touches this Series 1 continues to impress. Let’s take a look at how Rob J got into Z cars and what makes this one special.

Datsun Z Family

When Rob J was a kid, his dad bought a 1971 Z (photo below) and used to cruise the Santa Cruz mountain roads with Mom in the passenger seat and his two brothers and him sitting on the luggage deck with their feet tucked under the seats:

“His idea of fun was to chuck the car into turns on Hwy 9 or Skyline Blvd – causing the 3 of us to squish into each other with the G-forces. I fell in love with the look and sound of that car when I was 5 years old and was determined to have one of my own. When I was about to turn 16, my brother crashed that car and Dad sold off the wreck, so I never got to drive it. Nothing “sets the hook” like being deprived of something you really want and I bought my first 240Z as soon as I could save up the $3500 that decent cars were going for in the 80s. I’ve had Zs ever since”

His first car was a ’71 that was stolen and crashed beyond recovery by thieves. The second, an Iris Blue ’72 (above right), was his daily driver for more than a decade and gradually benefited from ZCG upgrades. When Rob J had the opportunity to buy Paul Hooks’ S30 he sold the Iris Blue Z car to Tony K.

“When Rob Fuller first came to California to work on Datsuns, we had a regular gang of Z drivers going to track days together. The illustrious Paul Hooks was a fellow track nut and this Z was his car. He had done his restoration and modifications the right way – as a closely spaced series of coordinated upgrades using the best gear available, and the car always impressed me with flat cornering, powerful breaks, and that throaty 3.1ltr engine. So when I eventually had an opportunity to buy it from him, I jumped. “

Rob J with the Z he’s longed for:

Performance to Stand the Test of Time

Paul Hook’s Z was built in the late 90s/early 2000s, so it has the very same 3.1L L-Series engine with triple-Mikuni induction backed by a 280zx 5-speed and R180 LSD. Period suspension upgrades included 5-way Tokicos w/Eibach springs, ST f/r sway bars and sticky Advan A032R tires (remember those?!). The interior has a roll bar with harnesses, Recaro seats and rear strut tower bar.

The ethos of this build was centered around open track day events that Paul enjoyed.  Increased braking performance was achieved through a 4-wheel Porsche 911 Turbo “Big Red” caliper brake kit. It works pretty well, but not as well as our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes with respect to pedal feel/un sprung weight…all benefits from our years of experience and collaboration with Stoptech engineers.

What makes this Z special? It was built in a period where Z cars were not deemed “collectible” or valuable yet. Despite this, we were building high-end Z cars that performed really well on the street and track. Perform on track indeed; for a car built nearly three decades ago Paul’s vision and execution is impressive. He was a track hound and this Z was his tool of choice, calling routine track days “high-speed mediation”.

This ’71 being a Series 1 offers the lightest S30 chassis and paired with 191whp (modest by today’s standards) from the 3.1L it’s tremendously rewarding. It makes all the right noises too, just listen to Paul blasting down the front straight at Thunderhill Raceway (video below) in both rain/dry conditions!

Mini Z

Paul’s Z was special to many, including myself. It was “the one” in my eyes seeing how it did everything well from track days to cruising around…the epitome of balance in the S30 chassis. I admired it so much that I made a 1/24 scale model replica with loads of details based on hundreds of photos I accumulated over the years. In 2008 while attending a ZCG Dyno Day I finally presented the model to Paul. More pictures in the gallery below!

Updates and Upgrades

So what does this already well-sorted Z need? We discussed a list of needs/wants with Rob J…including sticky tires, new exhaust system to ZCG-spec, and a transmission upgrade. The aged Hankook R-S3s were replaced with Bridgstone RE-71R in 225/50/16 over those classy Panasports:

The 280ZX close-ratio gearbox that Paul had was getting old and noisy. At the time we were doing Nissan KA24 (FS5W71C) transmission swaps (before the CD009a came to market) by modifying a 280Z L-series bell housing. You can see the custom ZCG transmission mount below.

A JWT heavy duty clutch and Z32 shift knob finish the swap in style.

The Z had a really old-school Crane HI ignition components. We updated to run the MSD box so Rob could tune the car and extract a little more power. The exhaust was replaced with our ZCG exhaust system and a Koyo race radiator installed.

 

Rob J was happy with the updates:

“Recently, I took my car into the shop for an exhaust system upgrade and electrical system maintenance. What I got back was a different car entirely! Rob and the crew replaced my old school exhaust, which was frankly an eyesore, with ZcarGarage’s current system, which is expertly tucked up into the undercarriage and finally really looks the part. The exhaust isn’t louder, but it’s more sonorous and less tinny sounding. I love it.”

Dyno Tuning

It has been many years since this Z had been on our dyno. We adjusted the valves, set timing, sync’d carbs and re-jetted them for the new exhaust. Baseline was 198hp/194tq and after Rob’s tuning the Z made 222hp/213tq at the wheels. More power even after all these years this Z does not disappoint!

“The improvements are awesome: approximately 25 more HPs and 19FtLbs and much smoother power delivery. The car leaps down the road when you mash the throttle and no longer stumbles when rolling into the throttle from cruising RPMs.  The car was fun before and now is just crazy fun.”

Enjoy the dyno video below as well as some historic footage of this Z in action. Volume up!

Enjoying The Ride

We love how Rob J is enjoying his Z, just as Paul Hooks did. Rob has attended many events and fun runs and I still can’t take my eyes off this Z! In case you are wondering, his plate reads “Kenjuru” to note the martial arts he practices 🙂

Below are just a few of the great times we’ve enjoyed with Rob J and his ’71 Z:

EVENTS: The ZONC Annual Car Show

Happy New Year!

Bayline Vintage Meet Pictures!

EVENTS: Driving While Awesome Cars n’ Coffee 11/10

EVENTS: Cars and Coffee at Canepa Motorsports

2014 Silicon Valley Auto Show Pictures!

Bayline Vintage Meet Pictures!

Long Live The Z!

Plans for the future…we will continue to keep this Z on the road and give Rob J updates like our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, and Z Car Garage CV Axles.

“This 240Z is a late Series 1 manufactured in December 1970, so it’s not a low VIN car (17,XXX) and I don’t feel any pressure to restore it to stock.  Instead, we’ll keep upgrading the go-fast options while keeping a vintage look.  I truly love driving this car on the street and the occasional track day and I love doing both with other Z Datsun enthusiasts.” 

Thank you Rob J for supporting us and being in our life. We are so happy you found the right Z and ZCG will always be your home! DO IT IN A DATSUN

Enjoy the photo gallery below
…[read more]

Gary’s 1971 Datsun 240Z is back on the road with twin-cam L-Series Power! Turn your speakers up and enjoy.

6- speed transmission

6- individual throttle bodies

4- valves/cylinder

2- camshafts

Stay tuned for more…

At Z Car Garage we are huge fans of the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, the underdog of 90’s Japanese supercars. Sure the RX7, Supra and NSX get all the attention – but the ’90-’96 Z32 (yes we are biased) represents the best balance of performance, reliability and comfort.  From the intimate feeling of the power leather seats and gauge cluster to the addictive power that evokes a familiar Nissan commercial…

…the Z32 is magical. It is hard to describe how rad these cars are after ZCG has gone through one. Let’s take a look at our customer Patrick’s 1994 Z32 and see of what our 20yrs+ of experience with this chassis can create.

Patrick’s Z has been with us for almost a decade, receiving maintenance and upgrades along the way. In 2017 he got into a fender bender and brought it in for repairs. We took this opportunity to replace the control arms, install some loaner Z33 wheels and have William install a full JDM front bumper with sided markers and Powertrix fog light ducts. He also repaired the right front fender and blended existing paint work:

Notice the J-spec tail lights, one of our favorite aesthetic mods and it looks so good on the black Z32s.

We installed them and the center panel replacing the factory units:

William really knocked it out of the park with the paint work.

Stoptech Big-Brakes

As every Z32 owner knows, the stock brakes just aren’t up to the task. More power exacerbates the issue and you know how we feel at ZCG:  It’s Stoptech Or Don’t Stop At All.  Patrick’s car had larger than factory wheels allowing us to install the 332mm Big-Brake Kit using red calipers and rotors.

Stock vs Stoptech

At the rear, stock Z32 calipers were paint-matched to the Stoptech red up front.  Sport kit slotted rotors with 309 pads and SS lines throughout:

 

In addition to their function, the Stoptechs look nice too! One of Patrick’s wheels was damaged in the accident we replaced them with a set of SSR GTx-01 18×8.5F and 18.×9.5F. Finished in flat black with center caps running Bridgestone 007a 245/275 tires and Volk Racing lugnuts:

Details

Patrick’s interior needed attention with a new passenger side window motor. We also installed new rack bushings and detailed the entire car.

Power Upgrades

With the front end off it was the perfect time for power upgrades: JWT clutch/flywheel, Ashspec Massive intercoolers,  Selin translator dual MAF and BDE Performance motor mounts to allow for Ashspec 2.5″ inlet piping.

Exhaust upgrades included a full SpecialtyZ 2.5″ exhaust with single outlet option:

On the dyno Rob tuned the Z making 349hp/375tq to the wheels on 91 octane:

Thanks for bringing your 300 to us Patrick and Long Live The (Twin Turbo) Z! More pictures in the gallery below: