We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. This 1971 Datsun 510 is owned by Jay W and he replaced his old CV Axle kit with our ZCG CV Axles.

 

Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. We have sold over 200 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. These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars. Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind and the kit comes with everything you need to install on your car.

 

Jay was looking for CV Axles to run on his 1971 Datsun 510 with Subaru R160 diff and stock 510 bolt-in stub axles:

“I’ve followed ZCG since you launched the Z Car blog years ago. When I first saw the axles on the blog I wanted to purchase them, but I already had the WCR CVs with adapters. I got tired of checking the adapters and safety wiring the bolts. The ZCG axles appealed to me due to their overall design and race proven duties. Talking to Rob about them earlier this year made the decision easy.”

 

Like many enthusiasts Jay wanted to install them himself as he enjoys working on his Datsun. He kindly sent us a few installation pictures of the ZCG CV Axles (set #0403) replacing the old CVs.

 

We were pleased to hear Jay’s installation went smoothly:

“I work in Mountain View, so I picked them up in person. Rob walked me through the process and pre-greased the CVs so installation was very simple. I had to adjust my exhaust a bit to clear the axles, but that was pretty easy. The build quality of these is top notch, I really like the details: The hole alignment marker and clearance for a box wrench. “

More install photos can be seen in the gallery below:

 

 

Datsun 510 Dreams

 

We actually know Jay from the days of the All-Datsun Meet at Mt. Shasta many years ago. Let’s hear how he got into his Dimes:

“I purchased my 510 wagon in Oakland in 2005. The seller had this green sedan in his garage he purchased new in 1971. He was performing an engine compartment refresh and swap. I offered to purchase the sedan too and a year later he called me back. The car was rolling, but all the parts were in various boxes or missing. Besides a clean body the car came with a DL Potter engine and Nissan competition transmission which had zero miles on them. I fell victim to project delays and scope creep due to work, family and moving.”

“I didn’t get the car on the road until May 2020. I also enjoy doing as much work as possible myself which definitely slows down progress. The goal with this car is to build a dependable well-handling driver which is period correct in appearance but can still be comfortable for my family. Much like the BTW 510 from Car and Driver. I plan to use the cars in some driving rally’s and the occasional autox- and track days.”

  

The car has changed a lot over the last two years and will continue to evolve as a driving project. As of today the car has this configuration:

Engine: L18, dual 40mm Mikuni carbs, custom roadster air filter, Fujitsubo exhaust

Drivetrain: Nissan comp transmission, Kameari flywheel, 4.11 R160 LSD

Suspension and brakes: 280ZX front struts and brakes, 240Z rear drums, Koni struts and shocks, 225 lb/in F and 900 lb/in R Swift springs, DPR bushings, 25mm F and 20mm R sway bars

Body: Resprayed body in early 80s, but close to factory color.

 

Interior

   

FloFit front seats, full carpet with extra sound deadening. Jay added some footwell lights which turn on with the dome light. Makes night access a lot nicer.

 

 

From all of us at Z Car Garage we hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
Long Live The Z

Shown above are our clients:

Lou

Khang

Glenn

 

Z Car Garage spent a few days with the new 2023 Nissan Z at our shop in San Jose, CA. We enjoyed driving the Z on our favorite Bay Area backroads and sharing the experience with our clients. First impressions were unanimous: the new Z is fantastic right out of the box.

 

Our journey with the new Z began last year in May when Nissan invited us to their Headquarters in Tennessee to get up close and personal with the Z Proto:

 

Later in August we were guests at the 2023 Nissan Global Reveal event in New York:

 

In October we hosted a 2023 Nissan Viewing Event at Z Car Garage for the public to enjoy:

 

Just a few weeks ago Nissan kindly offered to lend us a 2023 Nissan Z for five days. We happily obliged and once again thank Jonathan Buhler (Sr. Specialist Corporate Communications at Nissan) and industry veteran Dan Passe (Director, Nissan Corporate Communications) for including Z Car Garage as the new Z makes its glorious return. Enjoy our recap of the week with photos and video of the Z in action.

The New Z at Z Car Garage

 

Our time with the Z began at the ZONC 50th Birthday Celebration in Danville, Ca. I had the opportunity to drive it from the show back to our shop with a group of die-hard Nissan fans.

 

Once at ZCG we admired the new Z’s styling and Passion Red paint. We couldn’t resist parking next to a 300ZX Twin-Turbo to see how Nissan drew inspiration from the Z32 generation’s rear tail light section. The new Z also has a blacked-out strip stretching the width with quad-horizontal (now 3-D LED) tail lights. See that “Z” badge? It reminds us of the S130 era:

  

Up front the large rectangular grille opening and headlights are evocative of the 240Z. That large front grille opening is also there for function, providing air to several heat exchangers including an intercooler, oil and transmission coolers. This makes sense visually in person and when you catch a glimpse from your rearview mirror-it’s undeniably a “Z” view:

 

We put the Z on a lift and examined the chassis. The Z was also placed on scales for weight distribution and results will be shared soon. We are really excited to see the aftermarket’s offerings for this platform.

 

Interior

 

This was our first time seeing the red interior and we spent a few hundred miles behind the wheel. The dash features a large TFT gauge display, designed with input from Nissan Super GT500 driver Tsugio Matsuda. Familiar analog gauge pods are mounted atop a central touchscreen reminiscent of the S30 Z car’s center stack. The steering wheel (tilt/telescope) feels great and actually draws its dimensions from an R32 Skyline.

 

The interior is a comfortable place to be, devoid of gimmicks or over-styling. Nissan really spent time in this area and it shows. We liked the little details like leather stitching on the dash and real rotary knobs for radio volume and tuning. Lighted “Z” logo on door sills- something absent from the Ikazuchi-Yellow Proto-Spec Z we saw at Nissan HQ. The two-tone red theme is not as “loud” as the all-blue seats in the Seiran Blue Z that spent a few days with us last year.

 

Interior room is similar to the 370Z but seating position and outward view is greatly improved with a lower dash height. You can even see the Z’s broad hips in the rear through side mirrors, again another nice thought from the designers. Below, Rob (5’10”) and Tyler (6’5″) demonstrate headroom in the Z. Rob still has headroom with a helmet on and Tyler has a few inches of headroom as well:

 

 

On the road

 

We were impressed with the Z’s driving experience straight from the factory. Our 400-mile test drive included a mix of city/highway and canyon driving. Starting in San Jose we headed North to San Francisco via our favorite Bay Area backroad, Skyline (HWY 35).

   

Sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of our time with the new Z. In this video: in-car acceleration, drive-bys, walk-arounds and road testing action from our shop and road trip to San Francisco:

 

Enjoy The Ride

 

One of our favorite parts of spending time with the new Z was sharing it with our clients. They were all ecstatic after riding along with Rob:

“Hey this is Rick, just giving my feedback on the experience of riding in the new Z car. I have to say it exceeded my expectations in every way. From the interior to the feeling of the power, to the way it commands attention. Absolutely flawless. But probably the most shocking thing was the braking and the grip it seemed to have in the corners. Just astonishing performance! Home run Nissan! Long live the Z!”

“Nissan did an outstanding job and really hit a home run. The design pays homage to the original Z while elegantly embodying modern styling cues. The interior is upscale and I really like the digital display, retro gauge cluster, and bucket seats. The performance was absolutely incredible and the way it handled made me the suspension was aftermarket. Overall Nissan did a great job with the car. I am very impressed and I cannot wait to get mine. The hardest decision for me is if I want a red one with two tone interior or white with all blue interior. Manny”

“Hello, my name is Lou Strickland and I recently had the pleasure of visiting Z Car Garage and riding in the new Nissan Z with Rob Fuller. I have owned or currently own a 1971 240Z, 1973 Fairlady Z, 1990 300ZX TT, 1993 300ZX TT and a 2003 350Z. Without hesitation I can say the 2023 Nissan Z is the best stock Z car I have experienced. The 2023 Nissan Z checks all of the sports car boxes.  It looks great, it accelerates, turns and brakes very well.  It is also comfortable, feels solid and does a great job minimizing road noise.  Nissan did a great job reimagining the Z for the next generation of driving enthusiasts.”

“Thank you for giving me a ride in the new Z! It does look better than in the photos and videos. Once inside, the quality of the interior, clever digital displays and, important for me, headroom impressed me. Then there was the drive! The power comes on so smooth and linear that it really doesn’t feel like a turbo car. I felt no turbo lag at all. I agree with you that in many ways it feels like my 300ZX Twin Turbo—it can be both a GT car and a sports car depending on how you want to drive it. I would definitely consider purchasing one of these. So glad the Z is back! Mark”

 

IconZ

 

The drive to San Francisco was thrilling. We had to snap some photos of this iconic Z car with another icon, the Golden Gate Bridge:

 

The Passion Red paint is stunning and hard to capture on camera. Direct light brings out a retina-searing metallic red while in shade it looks almost burgundy. Check out the photo gallery below:

 

Leaving San Francisco we drove the Z down the famous Lombard St. People stopped us to check it out:

 

Thank You Nissan!

We thank Nissan, Dan Passe and Jonathan Buhler for the opportunity to enjoy the new Z.  As our clients and friends mentioned after going for a test drive…the Z is a winner. Great job Nissan we are so excited to see it on the road and in the hands of Z-car enthusiasts. Z Car Garage can’t wait to get our Z and share it with the community. LONG LIVE THE Z!

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Our Z Car Garage Big Brakes have been winning over Z-car enthusiasts locally and globally. Jay recently purchased a set for his 1972 Datsun 240Z and performed the installation himself at home in South Carolina. Last year Jay also purchased a set of Panasport wheels from ZCG and he’s been enjoying the ride. Before we go into his Big-Brake experience let’s hear his Z-story…

“The car was from California and made its way to Gainesville FL and was put in storage. I had been looking for a good 240 and this one was taken by the owner to a shop owned by a friend of a friend. The guy wanted to get it running and sell it. That triggered a phone call to me while on a anniversary trip with my wife to Italy, we were living in St Augustine Florida at the time. My buddy sent me some pics and a quick video and he grabbed the car for me. It was all there and very little rust. I had not really considered a Blue one, much less one with white interior.”

 

Z Car Garage Big-Brakes

     

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 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 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:

  

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. Enjoy these pictures of Jay’s beautiful S30 and his ZCG Big-Brake installation:

 

As mentioned, our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake. Jay successfully installed the BBK on his Z along with a full suspension rebuild:

 

“The kit was packed and labeled extremely well, everything was included except for brake fluid.  The manual Rob sent me was very good. If you are looking for a great bolt on brake solution for your S30 with no need to cut n paste parts to make it all work, look no further than Z Car Garage. Great quality and Great folks to deal with. I had a small hiccup and Rob jumped on the phone and had me fixed up. Very happy with my purchase!”

   

Jay used OEM bushings and parts for his suspension refresh and full exhaust system from Zstory:

 

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. Jay was very happy as well with great feedback:

“The performance of the brakes is awesome. My car is essentially a stock L24 but I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and we have a lot of great driving roads and frankly the stock brakes sort of didn’t inspire confidence. This allows me to drive the car a lot harder with no worries. Super happy with the fit, finish & performance of the brakes. Thanks to you guys for making parts that take these old cars to the next level.”

 

Enjoying the Ride

 

Jay has been braking deeper and with more confidence on those Blue Ridge mountain roads, we love that this Z gets driven! Enjoy the short video Jay sent us the Z in action:

 

Love for the Z is strong in Northern California

The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. We had a wonderful time attending their 50th Birthday Celebration at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca on June 5, 2022.

 

Despite some morning rain the turnout was impressive for a relaxed gathering. No judged car show or awards, just Z-Car fans catching up with old friends and meeting new enthusiasts. (above) Aerial photos by Bryan Delohery.

Highlights from the show

Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s.  For their 50th Birthday Celebration, ZONC assembled a “generations” display in front of the museum with samples of S30, S130, Z31, Z32, Z33 and Z34. Sitting front and center was the 2023 Nissan Z!

 

Racing History

 

A selection of Datsun race cars also joined the “generations” display. Datsun 510 guru and racer Troy Ermish displayed his 1971 B-Sedan 510 “Penny”:

 

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou displayed his FAR Performance 240Z. This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery.

 

Glenn has vintage raced this Z at several high-profile events. He turned a track-mishap into an opportunity to perform a total-restoration (again) and bring this Z back in “Bay Area Datsun Dealers” livery as raced by FAR Performance privateer Walt Maas.

 

Rob Fuller of Z Car Garage displayed his #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z. An interesting note, both Glenn and Rob’s race cars have ties to ZONC gatherings decades ago.

 

Linda Williams’ 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate was staged next to the #49 IMSA GTU race car (the original OMS Pace car). Z Car Garage revived this historically-significant Z from its slumber to make it a nice driver for Linda while retaining its survivor status. She loves driving it everywhere.

 

The New Nissan Z!

 

ZONC teamed up with Nissan to display the new 2023 Z as part of the “generations” display in front of the Blackhawk Museum. This is the Performance model sporting a 6-speed manual and Passion Red paint. And Z Car Garage got to drive it back to our shop at the end of the event!

 

Z’s, 510s, Roadsters and More!

 

Here are a few of my favorite S30 Z cars from the gathering, starting with this flared beauty on Watanabe wheels:

 

Flared Series 1 Z with G-nose and Works-style wheels:

 

We were pleasantly surprised to see many Z Car Garage clients so let’s take a look at what they drove. Ed B is the original owner of this 1971 Datsun 240Z ZCG has maintained for almost two decades:

 

Bob Russell is the original owner of this S30 we will have a full report on zcarblog soon!

 

Representing the G35s were our clients Larry and long-time client Jason:

 

Eugene and long-time client Craig showed their 350Zs:

 

 

Richard M’s ZCG-modified 370z was representing Z34s

 

Here is a video from the 50th Birthday Celebration with load-in of the #49 IMSA Datsun 240Z, walk-around of the displays and the new Z leaving, enjoy! More highlights below…

 

260z and 280z

 

S130

Who could forget the S130 280zx! We spotted 4:

 

Z31

Three Z31s, including David’s sweet 25th Anniversary edition. This was his first ZONC event, welcome and thanks for bringing your Z out David!

 

The Works Rally Z

 

In the middle of freshly painted/detailed Datsuns and Nissans was this rather dilapidated S30. Upon closer inspection viewers were treated to the tremendous revival of this real-deal Nissan WORKS rally car. Recently I had just posted a blog report on Randy’s East-African Rally Tribute, so seeing an actual, surviving rally car in person blew me away. We all geeked out pretty hard on the details, and they were impressive:

 

This is chassis #2 of 4 that were built by Nissan for the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally.  It is the project of Tom K and noted Datsun expert Steve Pettersen and their restoration website is a must-visit for history and feature documentation (as shown above). The Z remains largely intact with original parts like the Nissan competition exhaust manifold and roll bar. Period-correct parts like the Ikeda Bussan rally seat and reclining navigator seat were sourced. Check out the heater-port to defrost the headlight covers, Nissan-branded acrylic windows and more:

 

 

Authentic Magnesium rally wheels and Kanto Seiki 8krpm tach! Thanks Tom and Steve for bringing it out to the ZONC event!

 

 

This Z deserves its own spotlight, but enjoy this walk-around video until we can visit Tom and take some proper coverage:

 

Z32

 

Z33 and Z34

Our client Steve’s Nismo Z33 and a brace of 350Zs in the generations display. Good to see a build from way back, Tom’s supercharged 370Z.

 

510s

n

Jay’s 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles. We will have a full report soon as he just completed a DWA rallye in the Sierras!

 

Matt’s 510 with turbocharged KA24DE:

 

Andrew’s 4-door Hakosuka Skyline and Josh’s 620 truck

Roadsters

The lone Datsun Roadster was Hotep’s ’69 2000 with L-series drivetrain and factory, OEM hardtop!

  

This rad little B13 Sentra b13 packed a full SR20VET engine from a Nissan X-Trail and 6-speed transmission!

 

 

S12, and S14 Nissans:

 

 

R35 Row

A very large showing of R35 GT-Rs parked together

Plenty of cool, modified cars but this one caught our eye, it is a GT-R “T-Spec”.

 

Only offered in two colors, Millemium Jade and this Midnight Purple finish made iconic by special-edition R34 Skylines. Inside, a Mori green interior and alcantara touches really set it apart from other models. Best part? The owner drives it everywhere despite being an ultra-rare and pricey variant.

   

Driving the New Z to Z Car Garage!

 

I had the opportunity to drive the 2023 Nissan Z from the ZONC show back to our shop in San Jose with a group of die-hard Nissan fans. Huge thanks to Nissan! We had the Z for a few days to enjoy so stay tuned for a full report!

Happy Birthday ZONC!

Spending the day at the ZONC 50th Birthday Celebration reminded us to (in the words of the late Mr.K), ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.”  This is a club that keep the Z community together year-round and we are excited for their next events. Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below! Big thanks to the ZONC organizers and Nissan for bringing the new Z out. Stay tuned for a full report our time with the 2023 Z!

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