The 2021 Japanese Classic Car Show was held on October 30, in Anaheim, CA. This is the original vintage Japanese-car event in SoCal and in its 16th year, JCCS has grown incredibly. Thousands of spectators enjoyed 400+ cars in the parking lot of Angel Stadium. The vehicles themselves remained a fantastic blend of stock, modified and restored. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.

 

Z Car Garage Parts on Sung Kang’s Datsun 240Zs!

FuguZ

Actor and star of the Fast and the Furious movies, Sung Kang also happens to be a car enthusiast as well. At the SEMA 2015 show he debuted his vision of the perfect Datsun 240Z, named FuguZ. The build was chronicled the through social media, enlisting parts from around the world with final assembly by Kenji at Greddy. Sporting the latest Rocket Bunny body kit, Volk TE37s and NA RB26 drivetrain this was a crowd favorite and sparked the Z car love in many people.

 

FuguZ became one of the most prominent S30s in the world. Fast forward to 2021 and Sung Kang visited Z Car Garage, driving “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car. After driving Butters, Sung wanted the exact same Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension on his very own FuguZ!

 

Rob and Kenji came up with a plan and the Z was shipped up to us so we could install ZCG Big-brakes, CV axles and KW suspension before the JCCS. Kenji then revived the Z with twin-turbos that the RB26 is famous for. Now Sung can enjoy the boost, and reign it all in with our brakes and suspension. Full report soon!

 

Doc Z

Sung was so impressed with the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes that he also wanted a set on his latest 240Z build, the “DocZ”. We happily obliged, only this time we shipped the kit to the Erick of Erick’s Racing, the master builder behind DocZ.

  

Erick was very pleased with the kit and ease of installation:

 

DocZ was built as a tribute to the Datsun 240Z that dominated the 1971 East-African Safari. Sung even had  his own multi-piece wheels made as an homage to that history-making Z. The ZCG Big-Brakes can be seen through those iconic slots:

 

DocZ also features interior parts (look at that dash!) and exterior carbon fiber pieces by Carbon Signal:

 

We are thrilled to be a part of Sung’s builds and the collaborate with his team of talented craftsman! Thank you for your support Sung! Stay tuned for a deep dive on DocZ when we see it at SEMA this week and more details on the FuguZ when it returns to ZCG for tuning.

Showtime!

 

We arrived early to the new venue at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.  This location is larger and more vendor-friendly than The Queen Mary and Marina Green of past shows. It was a a huge parking lot, and those that braved the lines to get in were treated to a J-Tin overload. Once inside we made our way to see client James and his 1972 Datsun 240Z.

 

James’s 1972 S30 was displayed in the Love20bee booth. At the heart of this beast is a turbocharged L-series managed by Haltech. Chassis upgrades include custom full-length subframe connectors, CD009a 6-speed transmission, KW Suspension, ZCG CV Axles and Big-Brake Kit (328mm) behind RS-8 wheels restored by Love20bee. Larry Chen featured  James’s Z on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus. Inside, a stack instrument cluster was integrated into the gauge pod, viewed from leather Recaro Pole Position seats:

  

Recent upgrades to “Medusa” include a new tubular exhaust manifold, intake manifold and down-pipe from from ProtunerZ. We will have more installation photos and dyno results coming soon to zcarblog.com!

 

Highlights from JCCS

Enjoy this video I made highlighting the sights and sounds of JCCS 2021:

 

Why do we keep coming back to JCCS? Each year the bar is raised for the show cars, and this year was truly impressive. With over 400 cars and aisles of vendors it was almost impossible to see it all in the 9am-3pm show time. Here are our favorites, starting with Nissan/Datsun.

 

Skylines

Here are few of my favorite Nissans and Datsuns, starting with that not-so forbidden fruit commonly known as the hakosuka Skyline. Ralph Kenyon’s stunning build was the result of OCD-level attention to detail.

  

Ralph’s Hako received a true, rotisserie-style nut and bolt restoration but didn’t stop there. He strengthened the chassis, utilizing beefed-up suspension/driveline components to support the raging and exotic 3.5L Datsunworks twin-cam L-Series. This fuel-injected monster is backed by a Nissan CD009 6speed transmission. Take a look at that engine bay…you will find yourself discovering a treasure of details from the dry-sump tank to perfectly aligned wingnut bolts on the air filter housing. The S20-inspired valve cover, equal-length exhaust manifold, OEM hose clamps…”next level” is appropriately used here.

  

Roy’s ’72 Skyline now with an old-school Cartech turbo kit:

 

Rick’s GTX on RS8 wheels:

 

Mike C’s 4-door:

 

Jun’s unflared Hako:

  

It was great to see our ZCG CV Axles under this 3.2L, fuel-injected Hako in the Hagerty booth!

 

 

I didn’t expect to see a large gathering of R32/33 Skylines, even a 4-door! DR30 and 240k!

  

JDM Legends had their C110 Kenmeri Skyline on display. Now with a 3.5L Jenvey fuel-injected L-Series and 6-speed transmission. It was great to see Eric he expressed how fun it is to drive!

 

Our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers brought the heat to JCCS with an impressive showing of rare Skylines. It goes without saying, if you are in the market for a vintage Skyline (or any JDM car) IVI is the place to go. The iconic “BF Goodrich poster” R34 and R33 Nismo 400R were a treat to see in person:

Z Car Extravaganza

 

 

S30 Z cars were everywhere.  I’m a big fan of subtle modified Z’s but I can also appreciate pristine, bone-stock examples and the occasional shakotan build.

Stock is good. Nissan returned to JCCS with a cool display including this pristine example:

 

What a pleasure it was seeing the 2023 Z again since it was at our shop 10/23 for the public to view:

 

 

Jay from JDM Car Parts always has a fun display with RHD/JDM cars surrounded by a working model train (See video):

 

There were an impressive amount of Z’s with bodykits from Rocketbunny and Libertywalk:

 Lowered on Hayashi Racing wheels:

  

Loved this Z on Watanabe wheels with an L28ET:

 

Beautiful 260Z and 280Zs and a 2+2!

  

Andrew’s RHD Fairlady Z sitting on Watanabe “Gotti” wheels was near the Techno Toy Tuning booth. He drove it down with his Father from the Bay Area:

 

So. Many. Z’s!

 

 

The show-winning Z!  Mark and his daughter Samantha built this Z as a family project it is SEMA-bound!

  

Larry Chen’s 1970 SR20DET-powered Z was on display in the Leen Customs booth. It was featured on Hoonigan Autofocus and we will take a closer look at the work ZCG performed this past year including our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles on zcarblog.com:

    

You can find more S30s in our gallery!

S130!

 

Keeping Z31s on the map was the best display of the model I’ve ever seen at JCCS. Proudly shown right next to the Nissan display there were Kouki, Chuki and Zenki models to enjoy:

     300ZR and Shiro Special sitting on white Watanabe R-type wheels:

 

The lone Infiniti sitting on Autotradas:

 

The Nissan 300ZX (Z32) was also well-represented. My favorite was a white slicktop on Nismo wheels:

Sweet 240sx/Silvias and B13 Sentras!

 

People

At the JCCS  it is always great to see old friends and meet new enthusiasts! The best part was to meet younger folks that were passionate about their rides…we need the the next generation to carry the torch for us!

      

Datsun Fairlady Roadsters

The Datsun Roadsters came out in full force this year, running 12 cars strong!

 

Thanh Lam’s 1964 Datsun 1500 was the oldest car present, winning the JCCS Best of Show award!

  

Ed’s sharp 1970 SPL sporting Enkei Compe wheels:

  

Eric’s show-winning ’68 2000:

  

The Desirello’s also displayed their SR20-powered beauties:

  

More roadster pics in our gallery!

Datsun 510s

 

 

Datsun 510s dominated the field as the most represented model again this year.

 

Not one but 4 Bluebird Coupes!

 

Matt of Love20bee’s Rotary-powered, box-flared 510 sitting on Tomcat wheels. Hear it run in the video above…BRAP!

 

 

Erick’s S2000-powered 510!

 

TSR-built 510s:

  

All kinds of engine swaps abound including Toyota 18RG, SR20, Mazda Rotary and even an LSx V8!

  

This 500hp, SR20-powered 510 was tune by our friend Seb at SpecialtyZ. It’s running our ZCG CV Axles and the owner is super stoked with their performance!

 

Our friend Troy’s customer won Best 510! We saw the happy new owner of Troy’s former race car!

 

Stock RHD 4-door!

Wagons!

Jun Imai’s “Kaidohouse” 510 in the GReddy booth with Work Equip 40 wheels, IRS and KA24DE-T powerplant:

 

Alex’s V8-powered wagon. He also brought a Sunny truck!

     

Toyota

Toyota always has a huge showing with AE86, Cressida, Celica’s and Corolla’s!

   

Great showing of RA29 (Liftback) Celicas!

 

3nd and 4th gen Celicas and Supras!

 

Wheels For Fantasy

I personally love going to JCCS because I get to see very rare Japanese/tuner wheels and parts. Preservation of authentic wheels and appreciation of the time and effort spent to find certain specimens that most folks have never heard of in this generation is what I admire most.

 

Variations on the mesh wheel from BBS, Epsilon, SSR, Volk, Bahn and more. Riverside, Autostrada, Racing Hart, Hoshino, Work, Mugen and Tomcat and Watanabe. Heaven!

  

Honda

EF, EA, EG Civics, CRX, DA and DC Integras, NSX and even motorcycles!

 

 

Super Sexy NSXs

 

Mazda

FC, FD RX-7s were out as well as RX-2, RX-3, REPU pickups and Miatas:

 

Many more pictures from JCCS in the gallery!

 

Farewell

 

Towards the end of the show we staged a quick photoshoot with Sung Kang and the DocZ next to James’ Medusa. It was crazy to see everyone swarm around me once they realized what was going on 🙂

 

Later, at the Greddy booth Kenji and Larry Chen indulged us for another quick photoshoot with James’s Z, FuguZ and Ole Orange Bang. You can see Rob driving FuguZ in the vide0. We are beyond happy to have our Z Car Garage chassis parts on these high-profile Z cars.

 

 

 

Thank You JCCS!

How does a show go by so fast? Just like that, the JCCS ended and we still did not explore the entire show or meet everyone. I personally think there needs to be signage or at least a map so spectators can make sure they see everything! Despite missing out on some displays there was such a great, positive energy. Love seeing families and younger generations of car enthusiasts, for all marques.

It is difficult to run a car show and keep up the quality and interest levels but the folks at JCCS have managed to do exactly that for 16 years! No other show gives you the chance to see obscure, pristine, modified Japanese classics…and we look forward to next year’s entrants. Koji and Terry, thank you for your efforts. We hope you have enjoyed our coverage and please visit our mega-gallery for more pictures.

 
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Love for the Z is strong in Northern California as hundreds of enthusiasts visit Z Car Garage to see the 2023 Nissan Z.

 

Z Car Garage opened our shop to the public to see the new Nissan Z sports car on 10/23. This was the first public showing of the new Z in Northern California since its 9/17 Global Reveal in New York.

 

ZCG had several vintage Z cars on display to celebrate the lineage. A representative from Nissan was present to answer questions and it was the perfect opportunity for photography of the new Z. Enjoy our report from the event with plenty of photos and video below.

Two DayZ With The New Z

Although the event was officially on 10/23, we were given the opportunity to spend time with the Z beginning on Friday 10/22. The itinerary:

Friday 1-4pm: Nissan held a media slot with high-profile automotive journalists including Jason Cammisa:

 

Friday  4-6pm: ZCG shop team got to spend some alone-time with the new Z

 

Friday 6-9pm: Private viewing of new Z…

 

An Intimate Setting With the New Z

On Friday evening from 6pm to 9pm we hosted a private viewing of the new Z. Close friends, family and clients of Z Car Garage were able to sit inside the Z and enjoy it without security ropes. We had light refreshments, our famous popcorn machine running and plenty of time to hangout.

 

This was our way of showing gratitude to our clients—while alleviating foot traffic and crowding for the following day’s public viewing. We wanted everyone to have chance to see the Z without wading through a sea of people. Mission accomplished.

   

A Display For Enthusiasts to Enjoy

 

The New Z was the center of attention but make no mistake we wanted give everyone a chance to explore our shop and see some really cool Nissans and Datsuns. More than “just a viewing”…inside the shop we staged our client cars to show a range of old to new. Surrounding the 2023 Z were historically significant Datsun racing 240Z’s, Z32 300ZX’s (tail light inspiration for the new Z), R32 and R35 GT-Rs, S30 VIN# 193 and James’ turbocharged L-Series 240z:

 

IMSA GTU Corner!

 

These two Datsun 240Z race cars are historically significant. The #49 IMSA GTU Z was built and raced by our friend, the late Joel Anderson and the #47 Transcendental Racing IMSA GTU Z was raced by Brad Frisselle (currently owned by Randy Jaffe). Both cars will be racing at the Velocity Invitational Nov. 11-14 at Laguna Seca. Rob Fuller is eager to be in the driver seat again behind the wheel of the #49 IMSA GTU Z. (Below) The BRE Datsun 240Z, also owned by Randy Jaffe:

 

Venturing to the back of the shop, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, and more were on display:

 

The Big Day: Meet The New Z!

 

Saturday’s 10am to 4pm public showing of the Z was a huge success. We had a steady flow of people throughout the day with 400+ attendees enjoying the company of fellow enthusiasts inside and outside the shop.

 

Huge thanks to  Nissan for making Z Car Garage the premier venue for sharing the new Z. It really gave us some 2008 vibes when our shop was chosen to host the first stop on the “Follow The Z” Tour of the then-new 2009 Nissan 370Z:

  

It is hard to capture the energy and vibe of the two-day event so I made this video showing a few highlights: from loading the new Z into the shop, private event, preparing for the public event, parking lots gems and more. Enjoy!

Parking Lot Gems

 

While the spotlight was on the new Z inside the shop there was a constant rotation of cool Nissans and Datsuns outside. We had VIP parking for our clients and anyone with a Nissan or Datsun. A few notables:

Gary’s Datsunworks KN20-powered 240Z:

 

Alex’s Datsun 510 Wagon. This LSX V8-powered Dime will be dyno tuned this week at ZCG! CJ’s 240Z getting our Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles:

 

Jeremy’s ’73 G-Nose 240Z with long-time clients Lou (R32 GT-R) and Craig K (350Z):

 

Rob J’s Series 1 and Jeff B’s 240Z. Jeff recently got some TE37V wheels, full report on this LS-powered Z soon!

 

Kevin’s Z32 and Henry’s 370Z

 

With the shop lot full it made us happy to see attendees finding nearby street parking. Check out this Datsun Violet 710!

 

If parking was difficult to find we had an overflow lot provided by Bay 101 Casino just a short walk away. The lot turned out to be quite useful, though it was only at 30% capacity. We even spotted some Z’s and a B210 in the parking lot!

 

More pictures in the gallery!

 

New and Old Friends

It’s been so long since we could gather in public and mingle with fellow enthusiasts. We treasure our relationships built over the years through Z Car Garage. Many long-time clients visited us and we also met new Z-car fans, all with stories we love to hear.

 

Speaking of friends, fellow racer and client Glenn Chiou and I could not resist taking some photos of our Datsuns next to the new Z 🙂

 

 

Long Live The Passion

 

The 6hr long event came and went too soon! Just before 6pm we were loading up the shop and sending the new Z off when the most amazing thing happened to Rob. You may have seen the motto on our ZCG license plate frames “Performance with Passion”… It’s the passion of enthusiasts that drives us. Jose Magana had just got off work when he heard about our event. He knew he as going to miss it but he took a chance and stopped by the shop anyway. He was lucky as the new Z was still outside, staging to leave:

 

Jose greeted Rob and began telling us all how he got his Datsun 240Z…

“You may not remember me but YOU are the reason why I have this Z! In 2013 I visited your shop with my Dad. I didn’t even have a Z at the time but I remember you were so humble and kind to us. You even let me sit in your race car.”

 

Rob, listening to Jose tell him this story said let’s go inside, and showed him the very same race car that Jose sat it in, the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Z. It was a special moment for Rob, myself, Meghan and Jose. We had to take a picture with Jose. He continued:

“It because of you I saved up enough money to buy my own Datsun Z, and I had to tell you this and how you inspired me, even if I couldn’t make the event on time, so thank you!”

 

We were so overwhelmed with joy. Thank you Jose for your passion and giving us some wonderful inspiration on top of an already incredible weekend.

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you to everyone that made the trip down to Z Car Garage to spend some time with the 2023 Nissan Z.  The outpouring of love on social media about our event and your thoughts on the new Z mean so much to us. We appreciate it deeply.

 

Thanks to Nissan for letting ZCG host the new Z and hanging with us for event. Lastly, none of this would be possible without the help of our small, but invaluable ZCG team including Joshua Corwin, Nick Filip, Rob and Meghan Fuller. The event was an overwhelming success, thoughtfully planned and executed.

 

Please continue to share your thoughts and love for the new Z…it’s a homerun from Nissan and we are excited to see them in the hands of current and next generation Z-car enthusiasts. Don’t forget the photo gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!

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Khang D is from Modesto and we first met him in 2012 when he visited Z Car Garage with a green 1975 Datsun 280z. We serviced the car, fixed several items and he enjoyed it for a few years before selling. In 2017, Khang purchased this white 1973 240z from our client Brent B, and returned to ZCG for full suspension upgrades including Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, new OEM mirrors, Panasport wheels and a complete tuneup.

 

It wasn’t long before Khang came back to ZCG with a request for more power to match the excellent chassis improvements. Let’s take a closer look at this fantastic daily driver+canyon carver showcasing our  Z Car Garage CV Axles, Z Car Garage Heat Shield, Jenvey ITB fuel injection, CD009 Six-speed transmission and more.

Suspension

 

In September 2017 we overhauled the suspension. The Z received coil-overs from Techno Toy Tuning including T/C rods and rear control arms. The entire front suspension was re-done with new bushings, wheel bearings, rack bushings, steering coupler, etc.

Struts, OEM T/C rods replaced with coil-overs:

   

T3 Rear lower control arms replace OEM units:

 

ZCG Big-Brakes

“WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car” -Glenn

As fellow 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 master cylinder change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments, etc. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel (and some 14″ wheels) 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:

  

Khang’s S30 got the full 4-wheel brake kit with new OEM Master Cylinder:

 

We also installed the fully functioning parking brake that works with factory linkage/handle:

 

 

Dear Z-car enthusiasts we are excited to announce the new 2023 Nissan Z will be at Z Car Garage on Saturday, October 23 from 10am to 4pm. This will be the first public showing of the new Z in Northern California since its 9/17 Global Reveal in New York. Join fellow Z car fans at our shop and see the new Z in person! Bring your friends, family and please spread the word. 

 

ZCG will also have several vintage Z cars on display to celebrate the lineage. A representative from Nissan will be present to answer your questions and this is a perfect opportunity for photography of the new Z. Big thanks to Larry Chen for sharing these photos with us.

 

We know this is a busy time of the year so mark your calendars for 10/23 to spend some time with the new Z! More details to follow (like parking suggestions) with updates on our social media outlets including Instagram, Facebook and here on zcarblog.com.

 

Huge thanks to  Nissan for making Z Car Garage the premier venue for sharing the new Z. It really gives us some 2008 vibes when our shop was chosen to host the first stop on the “Follow The Z” Tour of the then-new 2009 Nissan 370Z:

 

Long Live The Z!

 

Z Car Garage is proud to bring this record-setting 1970 Datsun 240Z Bonneville Salt Flat car back to life for our client Randy Jaffe. In 1976, a team of Nissan employees set out to break the land speed record for the stock body F/GT class. They built this Z in their spare time, setting a new record at Bonneville of 166.037 mph which stood for almost a decade. A monumental achievement considering they had no factory parts support.

 

Join us as we revive this historically-significant Z from its slumber with chassis and engine work. We will also look at the story behind the Salt Flat program, with an exclusive account from Bonneville crew member and former Nissan Parts Manager Tom O’Connor.

History and Acquisition

 

This Datsun 240z set the F/GT class record of 166.037 mph at Bonneville with Nissan USA field engineer Bob Stockman behind the wheel. The old record of 153 mph was held by a Mercedes 300SL. Datsun actually set several records at Bonneville prior to ’76, starting in 1974 with a B-210 Hatchback (121.8mph, driver Mike Jones) and twice in 1975 with a 280Z 2+2 (164.3 mph, driver Milan Micka) and 164.6 mph with Nissan Competition Department head Tom O’Connor.

 

A team of six Nissan USA employees, working in the Nissan Technical Center, Competition Department and Service Departments built the F/GT 240Z. From left to right: Frank Honsowitz, Matt Bornyasz, Milan Micka, Tom O’Connor, Bob Whitehead and Bob Stockman. O’Connor was responsible for building the engine, Micka worked on the suspension and created the paint scheme and graphics. Bob Whitehead, National Service Manager, was the man who originated the Bonneville idea at Nissan USA in 1974. Check out the period, Nissan Employee Newsletter chronicling the Bonneville efforts (PDF) by clicking on this link.

 

Bonneville-As Remembered by Tom O’Connor

How did they do it? We reached out to Bonneville crew member and driver Tom O’Connor to gain insight. The team volunteered time after-hours to build the cars and successfully run them. Tom was a Nissan Parts Manager and also built all of the Bonneville racing engines…their success depended on his skills/knowledge and we thank Tom for this exclusive, first-hand account of the F/GT record-setting effort.

 

Bonneville 1974, 1975, 1976 – As remembered by Tom O’Connor

“The story of the record breaking 240Z in the F/GT class at Bonneville in 1976 really began in 1974. Bob Whitehead the VP of the Technical Engineering and Service Support, a hot rodder and Bonneville fan, approached the employees in his department with the idea of running a Datsun B210 at Bonneville. Several of the employees including myself were currently SCCA club racers and we were all ecstatic about building and racing cars without having to spend our own money. We would have to work on the project after hours but the Datsun Technical Center facility was at our disposal and somehow Bob hid our expenses in his budget. The B210 went 121.8 MPH capturing the I Production class record.”

 

“After this first trip to Bonneville the team realized that it was harder to go fast at Bonneville than we thought. It’s over four thousand feet elevation, the salt and skinny Bonneville tires makes it difficult to get traction, and you only have two miles to get up to speed before entering the timed third mile. If you can go over 200 MPH on the three mile “short course” you can then use the five mile course for your record run. After considering all of this and looking at what classes the Datsun cars could fit into, we came up with the ambitious plan to return the following year with a 280Z 2+2 that was allowed to run as a production car, not a GT car. The plan was to build two different engines, one that would fit into the G Production class and one that would fit into the F Production class. What made this plan so ambitious was that to make a record run you must qualify one day by running the course in one direction and break the existing record for the class. You then come back the next morning to make the official record breaking attempt. This time you run in both directions, the two runs are averaged thus eliminating any advantage or disadvantage a wind would give a one way run.”

 

“Our problem was the number of days available to make two record attempts. Luck was on our side and the weather was perfect, the car passed technical inspection and we went to work changing the engine so we could be back the following day to make our qualifying run for the second record attempt. I was fortunate enough to be the driver for the F Production record. The car was so stable and you are so far from any objects that the sensation of speed is not there, but I became a big believer in aerodynamics when I turned off the engine at 165 MPH and the car slows to 90 MPH in what seems like a second. I really realized how much power it takes to push the air. The 280Z 2+2 broke both the F and G Production records. 164.6 and 164.3 MPH”

 

As soon as they came home, the team started looking at what they would do in 1976. They realized the 240Z that Datsun had loaned to famous cam grinder Racer Brown in 1972 to break the F/GT class record was sitting in a warehouse. The red paint can still be seen under the current livery.

 

Tom recalls preparing the 1970 “Racer Brown” Z for the F/GT class:

“The engine we had built for the G Production class was also the correct displacement for the F/GT class. We installed a “G” nose, added a few tricks we had learned, put the distinctive stars paint job on the car and went back to Bonneville to claim our fourth record in three years. It was great fun and really showcased how much talent was in the Datsun Technical Center in the mid seventies. Some evenings we could have as many as ten guys working on different systems that required their particular talent. I think that it is telling that three of us on the team went on to careers in motorsports. Frank Honsowetz would became the Nissan Motorsports Manager, Max Jones would spend much of his career at Rousch Racing and then become the Competition Director at Ganassi Racing and yours truly would finish out his career as a Competition Manager at TRD. Bob Whitehead would move on to Subaru where he used the same model of using enthusiast employees to build cars that broke records. It was also great, back in the day, to have many old Bonneville racers be so open and generous with their encouragement and suggestions to a group of 20 year olds entering their world.”

Out of the numerous trophies that Tom and the Bonneville team of Nissan employees earned, this one stands out:

“Alvin, this is it!! The trophy from ’76 hung in my shop for years, I don’t even remember how I ended up with it. The plaque was given to each member of the team by Mr. Katayama. I have given these to Randy so they will stay with the car.”

 

“Of course my immediate plans were to get the car mechanically sound with a new race motor and aesthetically get the car as good as it can be! Not until I got the Z back to my shop did I realize after scrutinizing old photos with placed decals on the car that this was same Z raced at Bonneville by the famous cam grinder RACER BROWN out of Virginia where he set the record of 152+ MPH in an orange paint scheme that was still visible in certain places all of the car. I understand at one point the car was ordered to be crushed by Nissan but the Nissan Parts and Competition Team somehow skirted that issue, added the G-Nose, painted the car and put it back on the Flats in 1976 with the record that held up for 9 years.”

 

Z Car Garage Revival

 

Randy shipped the Z from Georgia to our shop in San Jose, CA where we were tasked with bringing it back from its 44-year slumber. We admired the many details throughout the car, all designed and implemented by that famed team of six Nissan employees. This is probably the lowest mileage (not sold to the public) S30 in existence with about 2300 miles on the chassis. Immediately we noticed how preserved and rust-free the chassis and bodywork was for being a Salt Flat racer.

 

As you may recall, the standard front nose was run in Racer Brown trim: The F/GT team added this prominent “Grande Nose” for improved high-speed aerodynamics:

 

The “G-nose” was a factory-made, 5-piece kit made for the JDM-only Fairlady ZG (HS30-H). Created for Group 4 racing, it became a dealer option so it was common to see the G-nose on JDM and export market S30s. Check out the stock ducting:

 

One might expect a full roll cage for a Z car destined to run 166mph…here the stripped interior houses a simple roll bar with integrated headrest. It gets better as the steering wheel and seats are straight from the uber-rare Fairlady Z432R (shown as reference below)!

 

Keen observers may note that the steering wheel is an “Ura Mach” unit. This leather/aluminum steering wheel was an available option to all S30s from Nissan sports/race, with the stock wheel being wood composite made by Izumi. Though available as optional parts, these seats and steering wheel were removed from a 432R and installed on the F/GT car as delivered from Japan by Nissan!

 

Chassis

With respect to the ultra-low mileage of this chassis and provenance we performed a “sympathetic” refresh to make it road-worthy. The entire suspension was removed and powdercoated, with all hardware re-plated. Before/after shots below with more in the gallery.

 

 

We rebuilt and replaced all factory brake components including new calipers, rear drums/shoes+wheel cylinders, new wheel bearings front and rear:

 

New drum brake components:

 

Freshly powdercoated suspension and undercoated chassis:

 

New tie-rods, rack bushings an engine mounts:

 

The tubes inside the original wheel/tire setup were replaced. We built another set of wheels with Vredstein Classic tires in stock size with Mooneyes covers for display.

 

Engine

 

Randy wanted to proudly display this historic vehicle in his collection, but more importantly (also why we love him), he wanted to drive it so people can see and hear the F/GT in action. The stock L24 wasn’t going to cut it, this Z was getting the Jaffe-treatment with a famous engine to give it some go…

 “John Caldwell had just built us a back up race motor for the 46 Z and it was on an engine stand in my shop so I decided that would go in the Salt Flats Z. The original record setting motor was prepared by Tom O’Connor and his team at Nissan but was long gone. The original 1976 raced motor and the Caldwell motor both L28’s were built almost identical with 44mm Mikunis and very high compression so it would be back similar to its 1976 build. A motor was in the car when I got it but it was a 1973 L24 with flat top carbs and it was not plumbed up – just sitting in the engine bay. There was no question that the car would go immediately to Z Car Garage to receive its heart transplant along with an overall inspection to get the Z road worthy and running strong! Rob went thru the brakes, hydraulics and made sure the car was prepared to drive as if it was going back to Bonneville.”

 

We installed the Caldwell-built backup engine that was prepared for the BRE 240Z from The Mitty. Randy purchased a set of ph44 Mikuni’s from ZCG complete with Harada intake, velocity stacks, linkages and Z Car Garage Heat Shield. We tried to replicate as much as we could in the engine bay from period photos and history told by previous team members:

 

More drivetrain goodies. The exhaust system includes a ceramic-coated header and side/rear exit all painted white. The engine is backed by a low mileage 280zx close-ratio 5-speed from Rob’s stash of parts with a JWT aluminum flywheel ad HD clutch.  Power is sent through an R180 with 4.11 gearset complete with new bearings and hardware:

 

New radiator hoses and cooling system refurbished. Notice the large hole in the driver’s side radiator support? This chassis was fitted with a Nissan race carb inlet ducting kit! The fuel system got some love as well with all new lines and refurbished fuel tank. More detailed photos in the gallery:

 

The fuel pump assembly was updated while remaining faithful to original system. Before/After:

 

We hid the hid the MSD box by building a bracket and running the wiring into the engine bay. Inside the cabin we cleaned up gauges and made everything functional:

 

A Museum Piece that Moves!

 

How does the reborn F/GT Salts Flat Z sound and feel to drive!? Randy loves it:

“With a 13.5+ compression L28 race motor and straight pipes – well it’s music to a motorsports guy. The car has such little mileage and had several tricks added by the Nissan team that it drives amazing and is a total visceral experience!”

Photographer and ZCG client Larry Chen visited us and did an in-depth look at the Z on Hoonigan Autofocus. We made this video below complete with a dyno run, driving on the street and a few clips to give you an idea of the Salt Flat Z experience, enjoy!

 

We asked F/GT team member Tom O’Connor what power the Z made to achieve 160mph+ at Bonneville:

“I don’t remember exactly but it was a little over 300. Frank Honsowetz and I have discussed it and he can’t remember either, but 300 was our goal and I remember we beat it. We also can’t remember what diff ratio we used but I remember spending a lot of time with the gear ratio/tire size speed calculators.”

Rob dyno-tuned the Caldwell-built BRE motor, making 254hp/212tq to the wheels, not far off from the 300hp mark of ’76 while making all the right noises! Don’t forget to watch the dyno run in the video above!

 

Salt Flat Z wins at Amelia Concours!

 

Z Car Garage finished reviving the F/GT Salt Flats car and shipped it back to Randy in Georgia, just in time for the Amelia Island Concours. This event, like many Concours gatherings are heavy on Euro/US entries with little Japanese classic representation. Randy mentioned the Z to the guys at Amelia and they accepted it!

“After that first call to Rob I tracked down Tom O’conner in the LA area and he was thrilled to know that the car may run again and was kind enough to take the winning plaques off of his garage wall that were there since 1976 and shipped them to me! I then was talking to guys at Amelia about the Z and they said immediately – we want the car on the grass in 2021. The event is usually in early March but was pushed out until early May because of the Covid restrictions. Tom O’conner and I spoke several times and he said he would like to attend the Concours with his wife Sharon. This was huge to me to reunite the team leader back in the day with this car!”

 

Indeed, it was great to see Tom reunited with the record-breaking Z he was part of.

 

Rob Fuller was also present, meeting several iconic racing legends like Trevor Harris and Peter Brock. Icing on the cake…Randy Jaffe won two awards!

 

What a sight to see (and hear) the Z on the grass of the Concours. Here is a video showing it in action and revving up to accept the award. Randy also talks a bit about the Z:

 

Thank You!

ZCG thanks Randy for his unwavering support. We love your passion Randy and how you wave the flag for Nissan/Datsun history. The Salt Flat Z is in great hands for the next generation to appreciate. Stay tuned readers as we feature another cool Z from Randy’s collection on zcarblog. LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

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