Dan F is long time customer of Z Car Garage and we started working with him shortly after he acquired his Nissan 350z. Dan comes from a family of motorsports enthusiasts with his Dad (C6 Corvette) and brothers all enjoying track time together:

 

In 2012 we installed a Vortech Supercharger and for the next five years Dan regularly tracked this Z33. We fought with oil/water temperature and anything you can think of battling while at the track. Where there was an issue, a solution was devised so he could beat on this Z for 20-30minute sessions easily.

Better, Stronger and Faster

In 2017 with 53k miles on the odometer the factory engine failed in Turn 1 at Laguna Seca. We were at a crossroads: with all the developments we made so Dan’s Z could handle routine track duty should we push the envelope by adding even more power?

 

The answer, invariably was YES. At the heart of the new build was a Rebello VQ with HR top end and internals including forged pistons and rods, HR head gaskets and headbolts, race bearings, factory compression ratio, JWT C8 cams and JWT HD valve springs:

 

The major power added was a new Vortech Si wheel offering more hp per pound of boost. Supporting mods included DC sports carb legal headers, EV14 1000c injectors, GT MAF and upgraded fuel pump. Keeping things cool are new oil coolers and a revised ZCG cold-air intake:

   

The front-mount intercooler was upgraded to an ATP Garrett 900hp unit:

 

To monitor intercooler efficiency a gauge was installed in the factory cubicle displaying temperature before and after the IC:

 

A few more pics of Dan’s interior:

  

Dyno Tuning

 

With the engine bay all buttoned up Rob dyno tuned the Z using UPREV. The Z is now making 480hp/390tq at the wheels on a conservative track tune to keep heat low. The dyno plots show the previous 91 octane tune (368hp/333tq) and newest 91 octane tune (455hp/365tq):

 

More Track Mods

 

An off at Thunderhill gave Dan an opportunity re-engineered his aero pieces. He rebuilt the front splitter, added side blades, rear diffuser and front fender slats:

 “For the brake ducts I repurposed old Roush Nascar ducts in dry carbon with standard ducting. The front splitter with spats I made to attach to the Stillen piece. The spats are tied in up the fender to prevent turbulence with the tire as it’s running a 295 front with -3.6 degrees camber.”

 

“Rob has been part of the heart and soul of this car as he has helped me build it over the last 10 years. It has been a guinea pig at times to try new methods but he has been a great partner and sponsor through all of it. It’s very fast and very fun being quite easy to handle at the limit. It is maintained for track duty at ZCG.”

 

Here is a video of Dan autocrossing and running the Z at Laguna Seca, there is even a snip from Larry Chen’s Hoonigan Autofocus :):

 

Our shared excitement is seeing Dan making personal bests at the track.  Dan is fast and here are a few notable times and achivements at his favorite tracks, we are proud of him!

“I’m still looking for time to break 1:40 at Laguna Seca, currently at….140.7 and 123.7 at Thunder Hill West. I’ve consistently run in the top 10 of 100 with Santa Clara Corvette Club AX’s”

 

  

We have even seen Dan on the street at the local 2018 ZONC Annual Car Show and cruising twisty Bay Area roads near Alice’s restaurant:

 

Thanks for supporting Z Car Garage and letting us build your track car Dan. We look forward to seeing you enjoy track events. Long Live The Z!

More pictures in the gallery below!

 

 

 

 

We love to see our products being installed and used on customer cars. Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running our latest ZCG Heat Shield in this vintage 260z race car!

 

A few close-ups of the ZCG Heat Shield, this piece is serial #0025:

 

A short background on this 1973 Datsun 260Z from Jim:

“This car was built in the winter of ’77-’78 and its first event was the Portland Rose Cup in June 1978. The Portland Rose Festival’s queen, Tina Klassy, was photographed with the car and featured in local advertising for the event. The car competed in SCCA CP class mainly in events on the west coast and ran in the SCCA National Runoffs twice with sponsorship help from Carlos Vercelli, owner of well known Datsun specialty service shop “Carlos Garage” in Fullerton, CA . It was campaigned successfully at a national level, including a 3rd place finish at the SCCA runoff’s. Survived in its original production class specification and bodywork throughout the entire time. It received a cosmetic restoration in 2015 and was put back into its original Carlos’s Garage livery and currently runs vintage events across the country today.”

 

At the 2018 RMMR we were happy to see Carlos Vercelli (red hat) supporting the Z with driver/owner John Murray:

 

Anytime Jim and the crew from Racecraft are in the area we love to help tune their cars. They had just installed a new engine in John’s 260z and Rob dyno tuned it. It was great to see our heat shield on the Z and the guys from Racecraft build some really fast, beautiful cars. Turn those speakers up!

 

The ZCG Heat Shield is available for purchase at $169.00 with product information below.  View this product and other ZCG parts on the new “products” page of our website HERE

ZCG Heat Shield

  

We are excited to offer the Z Car Garage Heat Shield for your triple-carb’d L-series Z car. This is a one-piece 304 stainless unit with laser-etched serial number. Proven on all of our L-series engine builds and dyno testing.

 

This heat shield will fit Mikuni, Weber, Dellorto and Jenvey induction with several intake manifolds like the Harada:

 

Jim Froula also runs our Z Car Garage CV axles on several of his vintage race cars, check it out!

 

Z Car Garage CV Axles

Over 100 sets of ZCG CV Axles sold!

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running ZCG axles in several of his cars:

Set #246 – installed May 2018 on the “Harry Stewart #52” Datsun 510:

  

Set #247 – installed April 2018 on the 260z

  

Set #248 – installed on Adam Carolla’s “Greg Sorrentino #90” Datsun 510.

 

We are pleased to report that Jim will also be installing a set on his “George Alderman #32” 300ZX! The ZCG CV axles are also perfect for high hp street cars which can be seen in the link above.

  

Z Car Garage Big-Brake Kit

Our ZCG Big-Brake kit is the last stop in braking performance for your S30.

 

ZCG Big-brakes and T3 coil-overs replacing stock setup on Brian’s 1973 240z:

    

View these products on the new “products” page of our website HERE, stay tuned for more innovative parts from Z Car Garage!

 
Do you remember your first car? For Kevin M, his first car was a 1967 Bluebird RL411 that he purchased as a teenager. For his 50th birthday he bought a Bluebird just like the one he had in high school and came to us for mechanical help.

 

Kevin is a long time Z Car Garage customer with his pretty Cherry Red Pearl Slicktop Z32 300ZX, so we happily obliged to take on the 411 project. We knew that it would be a challenge as his 411 was the very rare, “SSS” model. Not familiar with the 411? It is a hybrid of sorts with a body designed by the Italians and mechanics built in Japan by Datsun.

 

The Bluebird had a 1300 cc engine and its body was designed by Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina. The SSS was a high performance sedan version of the Bluebird that used a slightly modified version of the engine from our beloved Datsun Fairlady 1600 sports car. Let’s take a look at Kevin’s history with the 411…

Bluebird Beginnings

 

In 1978 at the age of 16, Kevin’s first car purchase was this 1967 Datsun Bluebird 411 sedan. He had many fond memories in it as a teen:

“I drove the car all through my time as a student at Cupertino High School and at De Anza College. The 1980s! It was kind of a funny looking car, but I just adored it. I drove it to my high school Junior Prom, as you can see from the photos. My brother and I once even drove all the way from Bay Area up to Sweet Home, Oregon to visit our mom. A bit gutless going over the big grades, but we made it there and back without many issues. 

I drove this car all over the Silicon Valley, to school, to work, Santa Clara Vanguard rehearsal, ‘Tino football games, to midnight movies, to KOME where I volunteered, to KFJC, my college radio home, to the beach in Santa Cruz via the Old Santa Cruz Highway, and especially up and down Highway 9.

 

Birthday Bluebird

 

At some point while going to college, the head gasket blew and Kevin decided to sell the car. He regretted selling it, considering all the memories the 411 gave him. On his 50th birthday Kevin remembered the soft spot he had for his Bluebird and purchased one in 2013 from noted 411 expert Tom Neely:

“I was so excited to have this car in my hands. It was very nostalgic driving the car once again. The sounds, the smell, the look and feel were all too familiar. The difference is that this was the RL411 SSS, a more powerful version of the Bluebird I once new. I drove it all around the San Francisco neighborhood where I live, picking up loads of smiles and thumbs up.”

 

Getting The SSS Back On The Road

 

Kevin was able to enjoy his “new” Bluebird until the engine made a horrible noise. He visited Z Car Garage in 2014 and we diagnosed the R16 with a rod knock. Kevin and Rob discussed a restoration with premium replacement and NOS parts at the heart of the build. We knew that finding parts for a car like this would be very difficult and accepted the challenge. Early stages of the build included a hot-rod R16 engine from Rebello, refurbished brakes/hydraulics, upgraded ignition and gaskets.

  

Unicorn Parts

The original exhaust manifold crumbled to dust once removed so another one was sourced and replaced.  The custom exhaust system built by Neely gets great reviews from other RL411 owners. Note the downpipe is routed through the fender:

 

“Rob Fuller and Z Car Garage’s vast network had somehow found one last RL411 water pump! The unicorn! I could not believe the news. The part was installed, and I received the car shortly thereafter.”

The engine was treated to new upper/lower radiator hoses and a new Nissan gasket set:

 

Chassis

With the hot-rod parts being installed into a chassis from the 60’s, everything needed to be gone through to make it road worthy. The braking system was overhauled with new calipers, F/R wheel bearings and new rear wheel cylinders. We also rebuilt the suspension:

   

What vintage Datsun would be complete without a set of Panasports?! We couldn’t resist fitting some 14×6 Panasports with Star Spec tires. Lowering blocks in rear make it look sharp! More pictures in the gallery below:

 

Interior

 

We really dig the interior on the 411s as they have a very classy look and feel. The dash was worked on with attention to the gauge cluster and trim. The heater core was removed/rebuilt and the control valve pressure tested to ensure the heater/defrost was functional:

 

New seats sourced from another 411 with a matching rear bench and new carpeting were installed:

 

 

Details

We convinced Kevin to breathe some life into the old paint with a cut and buff…the results were impressive.  The car was undercoated and detail painted, here is a before/after:

 

 

While buying some parts for Meghan’s 312 Bluebird we got a set of NOS 411 bumpers and hooked Kevin up.

 

Tuning

We replaced all the fluids, installed an upgraded East Coast Datsun distributor (Thanks Tom!), upgraded alternator and brand new set of factory plug wires. Rob dyno tuned the R16 with Z Therapy SU carbs making 79hp/95tq at the wheels:

 

Kevin took delivery of his refreshed 411 and he was stoked:

“I headed down to Z Car Garage. Rob handed me the keys and said, ‘take it around the block. Tell me what you think.’ I did so. The car was like another beast. The engine roared to life. It seemed was fresher and angrier. That extended out to the test drive. What performance! The Bluebird was was back! More performance than before and zero backfiring. I could really wind out the R16! “Well?’ asked Rob. ‘Amazing!’ I exclaimed.” 

 

 

Enjoying The Ride

Kevin was so excited that his Bluebird was fresh and ready he made the long journey to attend the 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show. There, he was recognized for his long drive in the Bluebird from San Francisco to Long Beach:

“I received an “Iron Butt” award for distance traveled to the show. Even more importantly, the Bluebird made the trip home, as well. Since JCCS, I’ve shown the car locally at the ZONC show and got a lot of interest in the car. Again, it’s so odd that even Datsun enthusiasts had never seen one before. It can’t really win car shows, as there is no category for these oddball 411s!”

Indeed, we were stoked to see Kevin and Bluebird at the ZONC Annual Classic Car Show:

 

He joined us on a local Holiday Fun Run through the Santa Cruz Mtns:

 

He even attended the Route 66 Classic Car Show in Williams, AZ where he joined a few other 411 owners, again driving all the way there and back!

The Bluebird is being daily driven in San Francisco:

 

We enjoyed the journey to bring Kevin’s RL411 back to life and it makes us happy to see him Enjoying The Ride:

“I thank the Datsun gods for putting this project into Z Car Garage’s hands because they came through for me in the end. I don’t believe I would be driving the car if it weren’t for their knowledge and persistence. Here’s how the car looked after I picked it up from Z Car Garage.”

 

Big thanks to Kevin for sticking with us through the build and everyone in the Datsun community that lent a hand like Mike Young. Datsuns Are Driven!

More pictures in the gallery below:

 

Mike R acquired this gunmetal (KH2) 1991 Skyline GTR last August from our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers. It goes without saying, if you are in the market for a vintage Skyline (or any JDM car) IVI is the place to go.

 

Z Car Garage is familiar with the Norcal Skylines group and fellow Skyline R32 owner Kurt W. referred Mike to us in addition to an endorsement from Top Rank:

“One of my main concerns in purchasing a 25+ year old vehicle that was never manufactured in the US, was support. Who can work on this thing to perform maintenance and upgrades? I spoke with Top rank about it quite a bit prior to purchase and they had recommended Z Car garage. The car was in great condition and mostly stock when I got it. With the goal of being an all around fast street car, I started acquiring parts and placed a call to ZCG to start the first round of upgrades.”

 

Chassis

We discussed installing a big-brake kit, suspension, Haltech and a few others issues we handled for Mike. Here is the Project Mu 4-wheel big-brake kit:

 

We also installed the Ohlins DFV coil-overs, shown below are the stock R32 calipers:

 

 

With a few modifications the Project Mu kit was installed:

 

Some close-ups of the Project Mu setup:

 

We adjusted his coil-over setup and set the ride height followed by corner-weighting the car according to his weight. Further suspension mods included Whiteline Sway bars, Cusco strut bracing and SPL titanium HICAS eliminator kit. All interior panels were trimmed for a clean finish with full alignment services.

Performance

Mike was also interested in replacing the factory ECU so we upgraded to a Haltech Elite 2000 with the R32-plugin adapter. The full installation also included a wideband controller and smoke-testing the car in preparation for dyno tuning:

 

Greddy FMIC:

 

The Haltech combined with Apexi intakes, Nismo downpipe, Tomei Titanium exhaust, Greddy FMIC and PRP R35 Coil kit, netted 340hp/284tq at the wheels with Rob’s tuning on 91 octane:

 

Enjoy the dyno video below:

 

 

Since his last visit, Mike has added R34 GT-R Seats, and a sweet set of Volk Racing TE37 SL custom gloss black wheels (18×10.5 +15), wrapped in Michelin PS4S tires measuring 265/35/18.

 

Mike also relocated the battery to the trunk to make space for a Leaskspec radiator overflow tank and Radium dual catch can setup:

 

In addition, a Haltech IC7 digital dash was added to monitor vital engine parameters. The IC7 dash ties into the CAN box of Elite system:

More Power

 

Mike has been happy with the upgrades we made but like many of us the desire for more power inevitably hits:

“The car has been running flawlessly and the goal with these mods is to support the addition of a single turbo kit that Zcar will be installing this August. The turbo kit consists of a Full Race Twin scroll T4 manifold that will be mated to an EFR 8474 turbocharger.  Twin Tial 44mm external wastegates will bleed off the excess exhaust gasses.”

 

“All of the work performed at Zcar had exceeded my expectations so far (and I’m very picky). Looking forward to the start the build and make some power of the next few months.”

We really enjoy taking care of many Norcal Skyline owners.  Welcome to ZCG family Mike and thanks for trusting us with your R32! Enjoy The Boost until you return!
More pictures in the gallery below:

Working with owners that have a long history with their Z gets us excited. This early Series 1 240z (vin# 2144, March 1970) was Bill R’s very first sports car, owned since 1976. The car had been sitting in storage for over 20 years and Bill contacted us for mechanical sorting.

Beginning in 2019 we had the pleasure of working with Bill to help get his Z back on the road. Our Z Car Garage CV Axles along with refurbished brakes, suspension, interior and engine tuning all transform this Z back into the sports car Bill remembered enjoying. Before we dive in to the restoration let’s take a look at his Z car story.

Love at First Sight

“On December 30th 1976 I purchased my Datsun 204z from Niello Volkswagen in Sacramento, I happened to drive by this dealership and noticed a small two door blue sports car. After driving into the lot to check it out I kinda fell in love with it. The asking price was $3,676 and it had 072260 miles on it. At this time I was only 21 years old and wanted a 2-door sports car…

…The next day I returned to the dealership to put a downpayment on this car. I signed the purchase agreement and I was on my way home. Finally my first sports car! From this date in 1976 I always took great pride and joy in this car. Always kept in a garage. At one time I had purchased another 1971 Z for my wife and we had matching 240z’s”

Over the past 44 years of owning his 240z, Bill began to drive it less as his family grew and mechanical issues arose. After being in and out of different repair shops he was not satisfied with the work completed to get the Z running properly. It sat for many years. After finding ZCG, Bill decided to drive from Elk Grove to San Jose to check out the shop and meet Rob.

Bill towed his “AWWSUM Z” to our shop in January 2019 and we performed a full inspection. The plan to get Bill’s Z back on the road included a full suspension/brake refresh, engine tuning, interior refurbishment with weatherstripping and restoration of those groovy True Spoke wire wheels.

Chassis

 

With the Z happily in our shop the chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild. We installed all new ball joints, bushings, tie rods, wheel bearings and had all parts powder coated. Before removal:

 

Below: New KYB front/rear struts with Eibach springs and ST f/r sway bars. We also installed new adjustable T/C rods and lower control arms (see below) from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

  

New suspension parts installed up front:

 

Rear suspension, before and after:

 

The underside was steam-cleaned and undercoated:

Brakes

We restored the OEM brakes with all new lines, new brake master cylinder and remanufactured calipers with Stoptech slotted rotors and 309 pads:

       At the rear, brand new factory rear wheel cylinders, rear shoes and turned aluminum drums:

    

 

Z Car Garage CV Axles

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.

 

Bill has CV Axle set #281. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

 

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms:

        

The differential was resealed with new front/side seals:

 

We gave Bill regular updates on his Z:

“Throughout the 2019 year I was in contact with Rob,  he sent me pictures of the work in progress  performed on my 240z.  In October of 2019 I took a drive to the shop to take a look at what was completed. I was able to take my 240z out for a drive around the neighborhood, I was surprised and shocked to drive my z for the first time in years, just the look at all of the work performed on my Z was unbelievable!

 

Engine

 

The engine bay was next. We steam cleaned the entire underside of the car to reveal any drivetrain leaks. The radiator was removed and boiled out. All cooling system hoses were replaced.  A new 280zx starter, new fan clutch, upgraded alternator and new battery with cables were installed:

 

With 148,876 miles on the odometer we performed a compression/leakdown test and the stock L24 passed. A full service tune was performed including new plugs, plug wire set, cap/rotor, fuel filter, valve cover gasket, MSD Blaster2 (black) coil, new drive belts, water pump, oil change and a valve adjustment. Before/after:

 

New Z-therapy carbs and cleanup of the intake manifold/air injection. The valve cover was also powder coated. More pictures in the gallery below:

 

We replaced intake and exhaust manifold gaskets with factory Nissan parts and the exhaust manifold was replaced with an MSA 6-1 coated header:

 

The old twice-pipe exhaust was replaced with our full ZCG exhaust system with a stainless Magnaflow resonator and slash-cut tip:

 

With the new SU carbs, exhaust/header and engine service Rob dyno tuned the Z making 133hp/133tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy the L24 music in this dyno video:

 

The seats were re-done in blue vinyl:

 

We removed the steering wheel cover revealing a nicely patina’d Series 1 unit in need of light restoration:

 

What a difference!

 

A new shift knob complements the refreshed steering wheel:

 

New pedal covers, many more pictures of the interior refresh in the gallery below:

 

Extensive weatherstripping replacement was performed. Our ZCG door seals to eliminate the “tinniness” when you shut the door. We removed the door panels to restore inner parts, made sure that windows roll up/down smoothly and installed new window felt and runners for the channels:

 

New weatherstripping including hatch seals, doors and window frames:

 

No more leaks or fumes!

 

The vintage True Spoke wheels were re-finished and new 185/70/14 tires with tubes sourced. These wheels were added by Bill in the 70’s and he loves them!

 

The Z was fully detailed inside and out:

Driving is Believing

“On May 15th 2020 I returned to the Z Car Garage to bring my 240z home! Before we put my Z on the trailer Rob took me for a test ride in my Z around the neighborhood and on the freeway to check out the performance and the handling of my newly restored 240z. I didn’t know my car had that much power and cornering capability with stopping power! I thought I was on a race track riding with Rob. After we returned to the shop Rob asked me to take my z out for a test drive by myself, man it never felt so good after many years of not being able to drive my Z without any problems.”

  

Bill owned a Barbecue and Deli business several years ago (Reedsribs and More) and still caters. He thought it was a nice way to thank the shop with a BBQ lunch, an amazing gesture we are thankful for.

“I would like to personally thank each employee that worked on the restoration of my 240z. Rob I would like to thank you personally for the professional way you communicated with me every step of the way with the restoration of my 240z. Since my z has been back home home I showed several friends and previous Z owners the work that was performed in your garage. Everyone was speechless!

Thanks for the restoration and putting me back on the road in my AAWSUM Z”

Bill Reed

 

  

We are so fortunate to work with owners that appreciate the Z and believe in our ability to make them better! Bill we thank you for supporting Z Car Gar Garage, and LONG LIVE THE Z!

More pictures in the gallery below: