ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

We handed Daisy the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car and she 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 🙂 Read below for a brief description of these parts:

     

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 engineers at 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 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:

 

We removed Daisy’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. The chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild with new parts, bushings and a full coil-over (Koni) suspension 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.

 

ZCG Big-brakes and T3 coil-overs replacing stock setup up front:

     

More pictures of the front suspension refresh with T3 T/C rods and lower control arms, ST sway bars, rack bushings and f/r wheel bearings. We also replaced the steering coupler:

 

At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!

 

Rear T3 lower control arms, and more refreshed suspension parts and rear Big-Brakes also shown:

  

We replaced the brake booster and master cylinder with NOS parts: our Big-Brakes require nothing more than the factory hydraulics!

 

Daisy really wanted the look and feel of Mrs. Butters Z without being too low or riding rough. Mission accomplished: the Z looks fabulous from any angle:

 

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 90 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

 

Daisy has CV Axle set #329. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

 

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms and re-sealed diff:

 

Engine

With suspension sorted, Daisy signed on for a major service tune since we had trouble getting it to run correctly. We replaced the plugs, plug wire set, cap/rotor, fuel filter, replaced VC gasket, installed a MSD blaster2 (black) coil and performed a valve adjustment and oil/filter change.

  

We replaced intake and exhaust manifold gaskets with factory Nissan parts and few ZCG tricks including a certain exhaust nut and exhaust stud.The exhaust manifold was replaced with an MSA 6-1 coated header and our ZCG exhaust system with stainless resonator and slash-cut tip

 

Details

A few more items were sorted:  the differential was resealed with new front/side seals:

 

The Z was cut/buffed with a detail. Finally, the tension springs for hood were replaced and the Z now ready for Daisy to pick up.

 

Driving is Believing

“I’ve only had the Z back for a few days, but it’s incredible! I knew Rob’s tuning was great from the first “check-up” he did on the car, but getting the car back with the Big Brakes, the new suspension, and axle kit–it’s honestly like a new car. My fiance and I were finding ourselves bracing for the bottoming-out-scrape we’ve become used to from the old suspension, and the Z now just sails over them! The exhaust note is beautiful, I can stand behind the car without choking on fumes, and it’s what I really hoped it would be–both practical, and a joy.”

 

The Z was a big part of their engagement photographs in the hills above Bolinas (photographer, Helena Martin)

 

We enjoyed working with Daisy and she’ll be back for either triple-Mikuni’s or rebuilt SU’s and some dyno tuning:

Thank you for entrusting us with your S30, Daisy. 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!

More pictures in the gallery below:
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Through many discussions about budget and goals we started the search for a chassis to build on. Jason drove one of our older performance-built Z’s and instantly became hooked on triple-Mikuni’s and chassis upgrades…but he was adamant that the color must be silver. He found a local S30 that we inspected and belonged to ZONC member Robert C. It’s a small world and we actually worked on this car in the past. Jason purchased the Z and shared what he liked/disliked about it with a few revelations gained after driving a stock S30:

 

Jason was very specific in his vision for the build:

“My goal was for a resto-mod that would mainly be used to cruise but had the power to kick-ass if needed. It was important to me that some parts of the car like exterior and interior were factory and original and other parts like brakes, suspension, engine were upgraded for better comfort, performance, and safety. This was really clear to me after driving an unmodified RHD Fairlady Z and unmodified series 1 240Z. The 50 year old suspension creaked and bounced, I had to leave huge gaps driving in rush-hour traffic so I could stop on time, and I really love the L24 but it didn’t feel like I was driving a sports car by today’s standards.”

 

 

Taking the Z to the next level

 

Engine

Following Jason’s desire for more power, timing was perfect and a 3.1L that we had done for a customer a years ago became available. We took this entire driveline and installed it in Jason’s Z. Here is the tired, stock L24:

The freshened 3.1L was built by Techcraft many years ago with a P90 head,  rare Clifford 6-3-2 header, triple-Mikuni ph44s on a Harada intake manifold, serial #245 ZCG Heat Shield,  280zx internally regulated alternator and gear-reduction starter, MSD6Al with tach adapter and black coil, and 2.5″ exhaust with a Borla XR-1 muffler:

  

With the engine/transmission removed we focused our efforts on restoring the engine bay.  All hydraulic lines were removed and zinc’d with many other parts that were bagged/tagged. More pictures in the gallery below:

 

Before/after plating hydraulic lines:

 

New engine bay parts included: all new fuel system, coolant hoses, fuel filter, Koyo race radiator and all drive belts:

 We cleaned up the entire underside and undercoated the chassis. Freshly plated hardware and lines are shown.

Before/after:

   

The fuel system was replaced and gas tank removed as it was in rough shape. We replaced it with a clean unit from the ZCG parts stash. All the fuel vapor/recovery lines in the gas tank area were replaced:

    

This was a 4-speed car, so we grabbed one of the 5-speeds from Rob’s stash. This early 280z 5-speed is like a 4-speed but adds a 0.86 overdrive. The factory 3.36 R180 factory rear end will be upgraded later.

 

Chassis and Brakes

 

Jason originally came in to ZCG for our Big-Brake kit and it was just the beginning of his wishlist.  Now that we replaced the engine it was time to match the power level with braking and suspension upgrades.

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 Jason’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, new f/r wheel bearings 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.

 

We went ahead and got Jason dialed in with the ZCG big-brake kit for small wheels with parking brake and a new brake booster/master cylinder. More pics in the gallery!

  

Front brake installation with coil-overs and T3 suspension parts visible:

At the rear, the OEM drums brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!

Great feedback from Jason on the Big-Brakes:

“ZCG front and rear BBK dramatically improved the stopping power over stock 240Z brakes, I don’t need to worry about constant drum-brake servicing and can feel all 4 tires stopping when I pump the brakes now. I’m more confident driving it freely knowing it can stop at shorter distances and not wreck a car that took so long to find and with so much work done to it.”

 

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 80 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

 

Jason received ZCG CV Axle set #321:

 

The before/after with full chassis cleanup and new T3 suspension, bushings and ST sway bar:

    
Close-up of the T3 lower rear control arms and our ZCG CV Axles:

  

Panasport Wheels

 

Our ZCG Big-Brakes also look great behind Panasport wheels in our offset allowing us to run 225/50/16 tires.  We replaced the generic wheels with 16×7 Panasports and Bridgestone S-04 tires. We think the wheels/tires are a huge improvement:

  

Jason was pleased with the chassis upgrades:

“Car feels amazingly tight now, it doesn’t creak anymore going over bumps and feels firm entering and doesn’t bounce as much when exiting corners. I’m glad we were able to upgrade so much of it at the same time, the overall suspension package Rob recommended handles so well and really changes the character from a stock 240z.“

Interior

 

The interior got attention as well. We pulled the entire dash and cleaned up the heater controls, pressure tested the heater core, refurbished the heater box, cleaned up the gauges and replaced all light bulbs. We ensured that we never have to go into the dash again.

 

This is our second Vintage Dashes installation and we thank Ivan Jaramillo for making a cost-effective product for Z cars. More pictures in the gallery below. Expect a full report on their products soon!

 

Details

 

The little things are what we excel at. Jason didn’t like the odd, 280zx vented hood so we gave him a NOS S30 hood from Rob’s stash and had our man William paint it. He also touched up the front end:

 

Jason was not fond of the PO’s aftermarket radio/speaker boxes in back.  We removed it all and gave him a factory 240z radio. Also shown below: powdercoated rear sway bar hangers for ST parts, zinc’d pieces.

Enjoying The Ride

Jason was super stoked on his Z and immediately started driving it everywhere. Here is a message he sent Rob, it’s hard to beat enthusiastic clients:

“ZCG is an extremely popular shop and I consider myself super fortunate to be living about 25 minutes away. In my occasional visits I’ve seen everything from 510 wagons, supercharged 350zs, and 240z restorations and upgrades so I know they can do it all. The shop is very clean and organized and filled with all sorts of history and treasure for Datsun + Nissan enthusiasts to nerd out on.

Despite how busy ZCG is, Rob and crew didn’t miss a beat with my car with awesome communication and recommendations, just picked it up yesterday and loving it! The care that went into this car would be appreciated by anyone into details and craftsmanship and it’s clear the years of expertise Rob and crew bring to their work.” 

 

We really had a great experience working with Jason and we thank him for letting us build his ProjectZ.