The first time I saw this pretty Datsun 510 was at the BlackHawk Nissan show last year, but I never met the owner. Fast forward to the TurnZ event in June. Finally spoke to owner, Matt G about his car very briefly. And only 2 weeks ago we hung out at the JCCS show and drove back up to Norcal together for almost 400 miles…I had to share his 510 and the story behind it with you.

This 510 was purchased on eBay in 2005, and during the 4 years following has undergone a complete restoration. Virtually every nut, bolt, bushing or seal has been replaced with new or like new used parts. The normal body rust that existed was
replaced with like metal, welded in place and rust proofed. The body was then seam sealed and rust proofed from the inside out and professionally prepared and painted by William’s Auto Body. All work done by Matt except for a few things!

 

The drive train and brakes were improved over stock equipment and a 1995 240SX 2.4L(KA24DE) engine and transmission where swapped in and a Greddy turbo kit added. Matt prepped the engine with oversize 9.0:1 forged WiseCo Pistons,  Forged Connecting Rods, and the head received a mild port and polish and early 1992 Intake and Exhaust Cams (longer duration).  ARP Head and Main studs, and a Cosmetic Metal head gasket keeps things tight.

 

The Greddy Turbo Kit(12psi) is made for the 240SX.   Custom piping, a proper recirc’d BOV, custom BMIC(that’s right bottom mount!) Bell intercooler with super trick air scoop (spring loaded for driveways, speed bumps, etc). The exhaust system is 2.5”  done in stainless by none other than Dan Gallmeister of DGR Fabrication and is finished by a dual-tipped Magnaflow muffler. Fuel duties are handled by custom bent 3/8 “ aluminum supply and return Lines, 300zx in-tank pump, Aeromotive regulator, and Nissan 370cc injectors.

 

Matt’s hard work paid off when he dyno’d the 510 at ZCarGarage on one of it’s Dyno Days. It made good power, spinning the rollers to the tune of 262hp/264tq to the wheels!

~300hp in a 2000lb car must be fun:)

 

To put all the power to the ground Matt modified the suspension both front and rear. Up front there are Energy Suspension bushings, 280ZX Struts with Tokico adjustable coilovers and adjustable camber plates.
In rear,  a penultimate rear crossmember with Proshock adjustable coilovers.
Braking is accomplished with 4-wheel discs, 280ZX fronts with vented rotors and 280zx rears with solid rotors. A 280ZX 15/16” master cylinder and custom e-brake handle complete the setup.

When we drove down from JCCS show I noticed the awesome stance on Matt’s 510. Great job restoring it and driving it because DATSUNS are driven!

ZCarGarage is building this ’67 Camaro Pro-Touring style with a modern powertrain and running gear but nearly stock appearance. Think “old soul” with modern “go”! Power will come from a GM LS1 V8 with a T56 six-speed manual transmission. Full suspension upgrades, modern wheel/tires and a BAER braking system will help control the added power. The first phase in the resto is to literally breakdown the car in preparation for paint, which will be black with white rally stripes after Williams performs his magic

Like all ZCG restorations, each item that is removed from the car is individually bagged an labeled, then placed on a separate rack for the owner.  Here are a few photos from the interior removal:

Say goodbye to the straight-6! Old suspension will be replaced with new pieces throughout:

Stripped and ready for paint…check back for updates!

 

That is what the license plate reads on this 240z that belongs to Mark and Michelle G. Although the Z may have ate money it has been loved and fully supported by the family for about 10years. The Z is at ZCarGarage getting a full mechanical restoration before going to Williams Auto Body for body/paint. It is being built for the street with occasional track use, so brakes and suspension had to be upgraded. ZCG installed a full Arizona Z Car suspension from front to rear including robust control arms, sway bars, and bushings.  The entire underbody was also prepped and undercoated:

The 200rwhp L31 engine features triple Mikuni 44 carbs, a rare Clifford 6-2 exhaust header, and a ZCG triple-carb heat shield. The stock transmission was replaced with a 240sx gearbox with a JWT flywheel and heavy duty clutch. In back an R200 LSD diff along with a Porsche 930 CV conversion round out the drivetrain modifications:

 

The rear portion of the exhaust was made to be removeable making adjustments/work easier:

 

The Z featured Porsche 993 Twin-Turbo calipers at all four-corners and though it is an incredible braking system it needed some work/proportioning so ZCG did some fine tuning.

 

Soon these gorgeous brakes will be encased by shiny new custom made 17″ Panasport C8 wheels!

Finally, a nice touch that is both functional and good-looking are some new pedals. Let the Heel/Toe boogie begin!

 

Stay tuned for more updates after the Z comes back from Williams with fresh body and paint!

Lots of detailed pictures of the suspension below:
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If you were wondering where the 350z you have seen dominating the Autox, lapping Thunderhill, Laguna Seca (twice), and which received a MotorDyne single exhaust has gone….. it has a new paint job! The ZCarGarage 350z is now GO GREEN with a few strategically-placed black accents and ZCG logos. And yes, it is still tearing up road courses and auto-crosses with driver Scott Smith behind the wheel. Big THANKS to William Wei of Williams Auto Body  for painting the Z a familiar shade of green to complement Rob Fuller’s Go Green Datsun and 510 and 240z cars 🙂

 

Here are some pictures of the Z in action where he claimed TTIG, go Scott! (pics courtesy of LMSCC)

 

 

A few words on Scott’s setup. He runs the Z in the OSP class (versus CSP) because the most of the interior panels of the car are gutted to make-up for the added weight of the current Kirk 4-pt roll bar, though the Z is getting a full cage later. It runs on 285/30 Kumho V710 tires at all four corners that are mounted on lightweight, 18″ SSR Competition wheels( or Enkei RPF1). Z Car Garage recently tuned the Z with the Osiris/Uprev software to an amazing and lively 271rwhp / 252rwtq with its current bolt-ons. The autocross transitions are dampened by a set of Koni-based TrueChoice dual-adjustable coilovers and the alignment specs are dialed-in by SPL suspension components.