Shop Talk for
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Happy Birthday to Joel Anderson who passed away last year. Joel would have been 80 years old today and we miss him dearly. See Joel’s racing career and learn how he helped us enter the world of vintage racing in our tribute HERE
Z cars may remain with their loving owners for years, change ownership or even get spotlighted in the media at some point. Our “where are they now” series features past Z Car Garage vehicles with updates on their status. Kicking it off with our very first foray into the world of online auctions is this 1972 Datsun 240Z known as “Melo Z”.
In 2012 our client and friend Gary S acquired this Z from its original owner, a very enthusiastic lady named Melody. She purchased it brand new from Berkeley Datsun in September ’72 and enjoyed driving, even using it to complete the Bob Bondurant driving school – check out the plaque on the dash. Melody unfortunately had back problems and underwent surgery in 1988 so the Z was put up on jackstands in her garage where it remained until 2012.
Originally Persimmon Red, Melody had it repainted metallic brown in 1975. Despite the color change this Z was remarkably original down factory-stamped chassis bolts, engine bay decals, interior and more. When we got it back to the shop it was clear how well-preserved the car was with 30k miles. Melody provided all records including the Datsun warranty card:
Z Car Garage got the Melo Z running in top form. Gary enjoyed it for a few years but felt it was too nice and unmolested to modify. Around 2015, Bring a Trailer’s online auctions were gaining popularity so we considered listing it. You can view the April 2015 BaT auction for Melo Z here.
We are also proud of our listing virtually starting the trend and setting the bar for future, high-dollar z listings. This comment said it all:
“Every auction listing should come with a video like that. Awesome.”
Indeed, I included multiple high-res pictures in all lighting conditions. Underbody/chassis/rust-prones areas. A driving video both in-car and from outside and cold-starting. I also went to great lengths to answer specific questions about the Z, like showing the lighter and clock functioing:
The 96 auction comments ranged from praise to laughable…look how far the Z audience has come 7 years later on BaT with skyrocketing auction results. Melo Z has come a long way too, now with a well-deserved (and pampered) lifestyle….
Though it dd not sell on BaT, there was a silver lining. A day later Rob got a phone call from founder of Griot’s Garage, Richard Griot. He reached out to Z Car Garage to express how impressed he was with the Z. Rob and Richard made a deal and it went to the right home as Richard sent it to his own Griot’s Motors restoration shop for the next chapter in Melo Z’s journey:
“The car was so original to begin with it was a perfect candidate to put back in its original state…. (Though we did change the interior from white to black, but saved everything in case someone want the white again…”
The team at Griot’s Motors performed a “sympathetic” restoration at their facility. Melo Z’s metallic Brown paint was restored to its original 110 Red Persimmon, and put aside the original white interior for black:
They even maintained Melody’s personalized plaques and stickers earned at Bob Bondurant’s School of High Performance Driving.
Melo Z is truly in good company now. Really glad that Richard Griot is the current owner:
Tune in for another “where are they now” client Z car we are happy to see again!
Z Car Garage is excited to collaborate with Datsunworks and develop their brilliant KN20 dual-overhead cam (DOHC) cylinder head designed for the Nissan inline-6 L-Series engine. This is a Honda K-series derived cylinder head with superior flow rates and modern valvetrain components effectively transforming your SOHC L-series into a high-revving DOHC engine.
We have installed the Datsunworks head into our client Gary’s Datsun 240Z (affectionately called the “Behemoth”) and it is currently in the tuning/testing stage. In conservative tune it made 350hp/248tq at the wheels. Recently we joined photographer Naveed Yousufzai at a photoshoot for full feature on Marqued.com. Check out the story and amazing photos by Naveed with amazing shots at Marqued HERE.
The photo shoot left us breathless and we really appreciate how the small details are captured like the Behmoth’s integrated roll cage, Recaro seats, 6-speed shift knob and 10krpm tach…check out the feature!
This video shows behind the scenes action of the photoshoot for Marqued.com. I tried to capture the incredible induction sound the KN20 creates. For the first time we cruised on the freeway together with the Behemoth…it was the “trifecta” with 240Z, 510 and Datsun Roadster. Turn up those speakers and enjoy!
For more information (and video) on the KN20 and visit our previous post HERE
Before we get into the build details dating back to 2005, let’s hear from David on his recent track day experience.
David is an avid motorsports fan and driver. The Z has seen many track days since the restoration and came out of storage so he visited Z Car Garage for a pre-inspection.
We bled the brakes and made sure everything was ready for the event. He had a great time:
“It was my first time back on the track with the 240z in several years. I went out for half a day with Hagerty Insurance and their affiliation with SCCA’s Track Night in America. The people were great and it was a very “docile” track day with mandatory point-by’s even in the advanced group. It was a great way to knock the rust off after a few years off the track.”
“Rob Fuller prepped the car a few days before and she behaved beautifully. I managed a 1:59 lap but I was lifting a bit going up to turn six because I was afraid of breaking the 90dB sound limit. Of course, Z-Car got a lot of love from the other attendees. :-)”
Enjoy this video of David’s Z in action with in-car and chase footage from Laguna Seca and more:
We met David and his newly acquired Z in 2005. Long before the days of Facebook and Instagram, our mutual friend and Datsun fanatic Tom Dockery referred David to ZCG:
“I’ve been working with Rob since February of 2005 when I purchased my 240z from a guy in Redding. It was a true barn car. He drove it down and Rob inspected it before I bought it. I didn’t know anything about the car except that I wanted something fun to drive with a manual transmission. I’d always thought the 240z was cool because my 5th and 6th grade teacher had one – and she was very cool.”
“The first weekend I had the car it rained really hard and I found out all the seals were useless. There was about a quarter inch of water in the car and mold had already started growing. I took it to Rob, and once the seats were out, and the carpet was out, and the seals were in, Rob suggested the Recaro seats, the roll bar, and harness. It was just about that time I did my first track day in someone else’s car, and I decided I wanted to track the 240z. And that’s when I started what I call the “accidental restoration.”
While we do not have in-progress photos of the restoration, there are many shots of David enjoying the finished restoration. Our man William worked his magic to apply the Nissan 112 Paint (Tennis Ball Green). David recalls his vision for the Z:
“My goal when restoring was to have a track-ready, fun to drive machine that did justice to the original car. My car was originally orange, was red when I purchased it, but I wanted something different. That’s when I went with the tennis ball green color, which was one of the original colors. It was manufactured in October of 1971, so she turned 50 just last fall.”
Full engine bay services included re-plating and powdercoating parts. The L24 was replaced with factory-spec L28 with triple-Mikuni induction. A custom cam was designed by Rob for better top-end performance. The Z put down 167hp/174tq at the wheels on the ZCG dyno:
There’s very little on the car that was left untouched – David took pride in the interior:
“I pretty much went with Rob’s suggestions (pros and cons) and learned while I went along. The gauges were all me. As much as I liked the originals, the were just too dim and difficult to read at night. I replaced them with white-backed Autometer gauges but kept the green backlighting. I also kept the original turn signals and embedded them in the new gauges. I didn’t keep the clock, and the fuel gauge is the carbon fiber reinforced glove box.”
More details like Recaro seats, Roll bar with 5-point harnesses, updated fuse box and high voltage bypass for the steering column, 260z lighted console panel and Sony bluetooth radio. Outside, Euro tail lights with LEDs:
David’s Z was the first one to receive our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. This was our initial (2008) setup utilizing Stoptech ST-40 calipers and our own brackets. We had extensive track testing with pro-driver David Ray:
James’s also runs this 328mm kit on his turbocharged L-Series beast, Medusa. Not to be confused with our current Z Car Garage Big-Brakes!
We have Enjoyed the Ride with David at many events over the last 17 years. Most recently I got to catch up with him at our New Nissan Z event. His Z still looks amaZing!
Here are few events from years ago with David…some of you might remember attending these too!
2008 ZONC Blackhawk Museum Car Show
2010 and 2011 Palo Alto Concours d’ Elegance – the crowd loved his Z car!
2008 Motoring J Style…remember we had a superb turnout for the caravan starting at Z Car Garage!
2008 and 2011 Silicon Valley Auto Show at the San Jose Convention Center
Last Friday we made some glorious L-Series music with two of our client’s Datsun 240Z cars. Gary’s Datsun 240Z, affectionately named the “Behemoth” has accumulated some mileage on the Datsunworks KN20 cylinder head and the dyno confirmed the same power level.
Khang’s 1973 Datsun 240Z was completed in October and he returned with 1,000 miles on the 3.2L L-Series. We adjusted the valves and double-checked power levels.
Happy to see both builds healthy and confirm power output. Enjoy the music from the both L-Series engines, sporting Jenvey ITB EFI managed by Haltech 750 Elite ECUs backed by the CD009a Six-Speed transmission. LONG LIVE THE Z!
