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Z CAR RACING: Patrick’s 350z in the UTSCC!

Filed under: Events,Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 5:39 pm on August 25, 2016

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Our friend Patrick Chio continues to race in the US Touring Car Championship (USTCC) with his Nissan 350z that we’ve helped prepare. The events are televised on Final Drive TV with some great commentary and white-knuckle action! Check out Patrick’s report from the last three events here:

2016 UTSCC Report

You can see more of Patrick’s racing history and ZCG car prep HERE. Good luck Patrick you make us proud!

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EVENTS: Skyline Track Day at Laguna Seca 11/26!

Filed under: Events,Performance
by Alvin G @ 5:03 pm on August 23, 2016

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Attention Skyline and GT-R owners! The Skyline Syndicate in conjunction with NCRC are hosting R’s Day: a unique opportunity to drive your Skyline with 30 other Skylines on the world famous Laguna Seca Raceway!

Registration info can be found HERE

 

If you have never been to Laguna Seca, here are a few track day reports from us, hope to see you there!
Walt’s GT-R

ZCG at Seca

 




The Gimlet: Kevin’s 1973 Datsun 240z

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Maintenance,Performance
by Alvin G @ 4:03 pm on August 12, 2016

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In 2011, the engine inside the “Gimlet” was tired. The owner, Kevin, wanted to keep the 2.4L block that came with his 240z so we built a 2.7L using his existing block. This is a Rebello specialty for customers that want to keep their L24 block.

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The engine/transmission were removed and prepped:

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We installed a JWT aluminum flywheel and HD clutch:

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Engine re-assembly time!

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The triple Webers were re-jetted for the 2.7L:

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A new tach tach adaptor so his tachometer would work with new ignition items like the MSD box:

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We bring up this build from 2011 because we recently saw Kevin for the first time and in the 5 years that’s elapsed he put 3500 miles on the Z. C’mon Kev, you gotta Enjoy The Ride and put some real miles on her!  Here is the 2.7L all buttoned up and back in the Gimlet:

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This time we refreshed the clutch hydraulics, fixed a couple of things in the suspension and performed an alignment.  Long Live The Z!

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EVENTS: Wednesday Night Drags report

Filed under: Events,Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 5:58 pm on August 8, 2016

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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:

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Phan ran his sweet NSX pulling a quick 14.2:

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This RD Engineering R35 ran a 9.90 @ 149mph!

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

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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!

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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!

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

 





Z at Last: Tim’s 1973 Datsun 240z

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Maintenance,Performance
by Alvin G @ 1:19 pm on August 3, 2016

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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.

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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:

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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:

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

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

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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!

 

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