Jim H has a great story behind this Series 1 S30. We know the previous owner through Datsun Roadsters from over a decade ago. Jim’s kids actually found this Z for him! Full story soon. The Z received an upgraded cooling system, ZCG Big-Brakes an CV axles and 16″ Panasport wheels with Bridgestone S007a tires. He will return in the fall for a new engine and much more restoration work. Tomorrow (Saturday) Jim will take this Z to visit friends and his kids!
Greg M brought his 240z from Reno, NV. He and his wife drove the Z here for carb work, Big-Brakes and CV axle install. We handled a few other items before he takes it back home for Hot August Nights. He will return in the fall for another big project.
Triple Mikuni carbs and 16″ Panasports!
Watch the video below to hear this Z run!
Greg H’s 280z came in for engine bay restoration and it turned into a full-blown build with ZCG Big-Brakes/CV Axles, full suspension, Panasports and tuning:
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles:
Robert C’s G35 Coupe. He purchased all of Erik M’s parts when he sold his G. It’s getting the entire E85 setup, KW V3s and upgraded LSD. This G will be mainly for tracking with a gutted interior and race seats.
Eric K has an Ethanol-powered Z32TT with a stock engine on stock turbos. Now he is getting a built engine identical to Rob and Gary’s, now using BB700 turbos making 650-700whp:
Race Car Tuning!
We are stoked to be preparing and supporting this DeKon Monza for the upcoming Monterey Rolex Motorsports Reunion. This is chassis #2 and it is an amazing car. You can hear it in the video below. More to come watch for updates on our Instagram and Facebook pages!
Panasports For Your Z!
We only have a few sets left before our next shipment. Contact the shop to order yours!
On this #ThrowbackThursday we were happy to see this discovery from our friends at Classic Motorsports Magazine. They found these archived photos from the NOPI Nationals in 1997 and pictured is Rob Fuller auto-crossing his 1971 Datsun 510!
Almost a decade later and to this day Rob has not changed much. He still races Datsuns and here he is in the very same 510 auto-crossing at the Mt. Shasta All-Datsun Meet.
Nickhil’s beautiful 1973 240z needed some love. He acquired it a few years ago and took it to another shop since ZCG was backlogged. They tried to fix the ignition system and the car came to us barely running. We performed a full inspection, compression/leakdown test, cleaned up the engine bay and handled some interior items at his request. He would return for full suspension and chassis upgrades!
The main culprit for poor running was the timing being set incorrectly and very retarded. We removed the existing ignition setup and installed the factory distributor with correct advance curve. The coil was replaced and we got it running really well:
New door window glass replaced scratched units. We also installed his newer center console:
Outside, the body was treated to our favorite side mirrors, the Nissan OEM #E4600:
Those groovy louvers were removed:
Nickhil visited us to drive his Z and he was so impressed that he signed on to do more work with us. We handed him the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1970 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he 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 🙂
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
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:
We removed Nickhil’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. The Z also received entire full coil-over (Koni) suspension from Techno Toy Tuning. New parts included adjustable T/C rods, rear control arms, new bushings, rack bushings, steering coupler, ball joints and more. 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.
ZCG Big-brakes and T3 coil-overs replacing stock setup up front:
T3 T/C rods:
Suspension Techniques sway bars. Front installed:
At the rear, the factor drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality retained! T3 coil-covers also installed:
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. Nickhil’s Z received set #285. We have over 60 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Stock half shafts and control arms (L):
S/T rear sway bar and T3 control arms installed. Also visible is the ZCG exhaust system using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip:
Panasport Wheels
What is the perfect companion for Nichkil’s Z, now that it has full suspension and wicked brakes? Panasport wheels! We replaced the old-school Western wheels with 16×7 Panasports and Bridgestone’s killer new S-007a tire in 225/50/16:
We kept in touch with Nickhil and he has been out Enjoying The Ride. We even spotted him attending the successful Golden Week Kyusha Festival in May:
Thank you for entrusting us with your S30 Nickhil. We are so fortunate to work with owners that appreciate the Z and believe in our ability to make them better! LONG LIVE THE Z!
We might be biased but we feel the Z32 is the best Japanese sports car of the 90’s. Keeping them on the road is our passion and even in 2019 there are still some real gems out there. Felix C brought his 1996 300zx Twin Turbo in to ZCG under dire circumstances and here is how we met him.
While we were at the Spring Classic event at Laguna Seca a customer was trying to buy a ’96 Z32TT from SoCal. Rob informed this customer to hold off buying the car until inspected by our friends at SpecialtyZ. When we got back to the shop at night to unload our cars from the race weekend…that ’96 Z32TT was sitting in front of Z Car Garage!
The following morning a gentlemen named Felix called to say he had purchased this car in SoCal and on the way home it broke down. With 96k miles the odometer, this Z32 from came to ZCG with a busted fan clutch. When the fan clutch failed it made a mess of the radiator and front end. The first visit for Felix was a full inspection with a plan to remedy all problems to get him back on the road. We installed a new Koyo race radiator, our one-step colder plugs and performed full timing belt services:
Power Upgrades
Felix returned after feeling the need for more power and we also knocked out a few more items from the initial inspection. Power upgrades included a SpecialtyZ 2.5″ exhaust with resonated x-pipe and dual tips, 740cc injectors, Ashspec massive intercoolers and Greddy boost controller:
On this visit we also got the A/C working with a new condenser and drier. A new fuel pump and all fuel hoses on top of the plenum were replaced:
The engine bay was cleaned up, including oil cooler lines:
More power upgrades: Selin translator dual MAF and BDE Performance motor mounts to allow for ASH-SPEC inlet piping. Massive IC from Ash shown below:
Dyno Tuning
We dyno tuned Felix’s Z with each power modification. It came in with a failed knock sensor, causing the low baseline power levels of 220hp/223tq. The knock sensor was fixed:
Great gains with the SZ exhaust system for 313hp/334tq to the wheels:
Ash-SPEC intercoolers:
Rob’s final tuning really woke the Z up, yielding 357hp/351tq to the wheels on 91 octane, dyno video below:
Interior
Felix wanted us to sort out the interior. During this visit we installed some weatherstrip, fixed an ABS sensor code and eliminated a few door panel rattles.
Felix added LED lighting:
The highlight of the cabin: we had the seats re-finished to OEM spec!
Big-Brakes and Chassis
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. Felix’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!
Stillen sway bars front and rear and we replaced all of the power steering hoses:
The Z had outgrown its suspension and it was 40th Felix’s birthday. We delivered icing on the cake with KW V3 coil-over suspension:
Installed front and rear:
More birthday goodness: super sexy SSR GTX-01 wheels in 18×9.5 with Bridgestone S-04 tires:
Wheels/tires being mounted:
Notice the J-spec tail lights, one of our favorite aesthetic mods and it looks so good on the black Z32s. Of note is the license plate “AUDREYH”…Felix wanted to pay tribute to his Mom’s favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn:
“aka Fairlady Z since the designer named it after the classic movie My Fairlady. The actress in the movie is the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Hence I chose AUDREYH. I figured a classic lady should have a classic name with relevance.”
The 300 is now well-sorted and Felix is loving it. He did his first track day at Sears Point (Sonoma Raceway) and had a blast hustling the Z:
“Rob and the team is a high energy team that takes their work seriously while having fun. I’m happy what they have done to the car and also ecstatic that they share equal appreciation of the Z32”
UPDATE:
Felix is Enjoying The Ride as I write this blog post! He sent me these awesome pictures minutes ago with another Japanese sports car we admire…the FD RX-7:
Thanks for bringing your 300 to us Felix and Long Live The (Twin Turbo) Z! More pictures in the gallery below:
Gavin J had been searching for a 240z for about a year and finally acquired this 1972 S30 from our friends at Bring a Trailer. We are big fans of this auction site and like many BaT enthusiasts, Gavin’s experience was an exciting one:
“Curse BaT. It has made hard-to-find, solid cars that much more available and I definitely have a problem (or a passion as I prefer to call it). My “virtual-garage” of must have cars, got one car smaller back in October 17 when I handed my phone to a friend in a London bar and showed them that I’d just been outbid on a 1972 Datsun 240z. 90 seconds later my phone was handed back to me and thanks to some ‘team’ orientated bidding, I was the proud winner of the auction. Lesson learned about bars and auction sites…”
Fast forward to March of 2019. Gavin is based in New York and the Z he had just won sight-unseen is stuck at a shop in Southern California. He reached out to us and Rob eased his pain. ZCG had the Z shipped to us for a full inspection:
“Rob rescued me from a nightmare. I really hadn’t done enough research when I shipped my purchased car to it’s initial location. I reached out to Rob having done a more thorough search and could not have been happier with the whole process. From receipt of the car at Rob’s garage, to the initial inspection, estimates, work and final result, it all exceeded expectations.”
The Z right after arriving at the shop:
The car was really nice with great bones but many items needed sorting if Gavin was to enjoy it on the open roads here or East Coast. We performed a full inspection and ran a compression test on the engine (it passed) followed by a steam clean to expose any leaks. All of the cooling hoses in the engine bay had to be replaced. The radiator was refreshed/boiled out and pressure tested:
All fuel hoses were replaced in engine bay and we performed a full tune-up using the existing SUs and exhaust system to ensure it ran as best as it could. Little things like a new battery hold-down were addressed.
The oil pan was seeping so we replaced the gasket:
The fuel tank was removed for refurbishment. It was boiled out and new tank straps installed. New vapor hoses were installed as well:
The chassis was addressed next. We sorted the clutch hydraulics to ensure smooth operation. The braking system was overhauled with a new brake master cylinder and booster:
New OEM front calipers were installed with Stoptech slotted rotors and pads. The rear drums had been serviced but none of the shoes/pieces that move during the braking process were lubed, so we sorted that as well.
Old vs New:
We asked Gavin what he liked about the S30:
“I think the car looks good from so many angles. It’s a car that looks great regardless of whether you walk up to it from the front or the rear, the design has aged so well and even though I like perusing some of the tuner results, I am a huge fan of a stock body but maybe with some nicer wheels and a touch lower. Mostly stock then…”
With that ethos in mind we suggested our favorite visual and functional upgrade…16×7 Panasports! These are wrapped in 225/50/16 Bridgestone s007a tires. Panasport wheels are available for purchase through Z Car Garage.
A few more upgrades included halogen headlights, a 280zx alternator (60amp) with MSA adapter:
The ignition was changed from standard points to Pertronix using a Blaster2 coil that we paint to look stock:
Enjoying the Ride
What better way to experience a Z car than the California coastline? Gavin flew from NY to SFO to take his ZCG-prepped 240z on a coastal trip:
We were happy to hear that he truly loved driving his Z!
“It’s a testament to the work Rob and his team did, that I drove the car 450 miles over 3 days having picked it up from Rob’s shop and it didn’t skip a beat. The car is now on it’s way to New York State where I will be it’s custodian for a few years and if I ever decide to go to the next level of restoration or modification, it’s heading back to ZCG where I know I can rely on the advice, the experience and the quality of the work.”
It was a pleasure working with Gavin and also great to see a new enthusiast in the Z family. His stable includes a ’75 Ferrari 308 GT4, ’67 Porsche 912, ’70 Porsche 911T Targa and 2017 Porsche 911 Targa4. So my fellow Datsun fans, if it’s not the P-car…it’s the Z-car!
