We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. This 1971 Datsun 510 is owned by Jay W and he replaced his old CV Axle kit with our ZCG CV Axles.

 

Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. We have sold over 200 sets of axles globally, with customers installing and enjoying them on everything from street cars to full-blown IMSA racers. These CV axles will help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts.

   

For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft. These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars. Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind and the kit comes with everything you need to install on your car.

 

Jay was looking for CV Axles to run on his 1971 Datsun 510 with Subaru R160 diff and stock 510 bolt-in stub axles:

“I’ve followed ZCG since you launched the Z Car blog years ago. When I first saw the axles on the blog I wanted to purchase them, but I already had the WCR CVs with adapters. I got tired of checking the adapters and safety wiring the bolts. The ZCG axles appealed to me due to their overall design and race proven duties. Talking to Rob about them earlier this year made the decision easy.”

 

Like many enthusiasts Jay wanted to install them himself as he enjoys working on his Datsun. He kindly sent us a few installation pictures of the ZCG CV Axles (set #0403) replacing the old CVs.

 

We were pleased to hear Jay’s installation went smoothly:

“I work in Mountain View, so I picked them up in person. Rob walked me through the process and pre-greased the CVs so installation was very simple. I had to adjust my exhaust a bit to clear the axles, but that was pretty easy. The build quality of these is top notch, I really like the details: The hole alignment marker and clearance for a box wrench. “

More install photos can be seen in the gallery below:

 

 

Datsun 510 Dreams

 

We actually know Jay from the days of the All-Datsun Meet at Mt. Shasta many years ago. Let’s hear how he got into his Dimes:

“I purchased my 510 wagon in Oakland in 2005. The seller had this green sedan in his garage he purchased new in 1971. He was performing an engine compartment refresh and swap. I offered to purchase the sedan too and a year later he called me back. The car was rolling, but all the parts were in various boxes or missing. Besides a clean body the car came with a DL Potter engine and Nissan competition transmission which had zero miles on them. I fell victim to project delays and scope creep due to work, family and moving.”

“I didn’t get the car on the road until May 2020. I also enjoy doing as much work as possible myself which definitely slows down progress. The goal with this car is to build a dependable well-handling driver which is period correct in appearance but can still be comfortable for my family. Much like the BTW 510 from Car and Driver. I plan to use the cars in some driving rally’s and the occasional autox- and track days.”

  

The car has changed a lot over the last two years and will continue to evolve as a driving project. As of today the car has this configuration:

Engine: L18, dual 40mm Mikuni carbs, custom roadster air filter, Fujitsubo exhaust

Drivetrain: Nissan comp transmission, Kameari flywheel, 4.11 R160 LSD

Suspension and brakes: 280ZX front struts and brakes, 240Z rear drums, Koni struts and shocks, 225 lb/in F and 900 lb/in R Swift springs, DPR bushings, 25mm F and 20mm R sway bars

Body: Resprayed body in early 80s, but close to factory color.

 

Interior

   

FloFit front seats, full carpet with extra sound deadening. Jay added some footwell lights which turn on with the dome light. Makes night access a lot nicer.

 

 

Z Car Garage is proud to offer 13×7 Panasport racing wheels for your Datsun 510. These are +3 offset and perfect fitment for your B-Sedan/TransAm series Datsun 510 running vintage-class spec 205/60/13 Hoosier R7 (and other) tires. Price is $250 per wheel.

 

Shown above: Rob Fuller and Masayoshi Kobayashi, President of Panasport/Mag Formula Inc at Laguna Seca with the 13×7 Panasport wheels we run on our Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510. Here are the 13×7 Panasport wheels featured on a few client 510 race cars:

Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510

 

Gabe’s B-Sedan:

 

Todd’s Far Performance 510

 

Ed’s 510

 

More photos of the wheels can be seen in the gallery below

 

Contact us: rob@zcargarage.com or call 408-452-0350 to order your set!

 

Panasport wheels for your Spec Miata!

 

Yes, when Z Car Gargage is not supporting and racing Z’s or 510s we are avid Spec-Miata fans. ZCG now sells 15×7 +35 offset Panasport racing wheels for your Spec Miata. Price is $250.00 per wheel.

 

Panasport wheels for your Z car

     Treat your Z to a brand new set of  Panasport Wheels! We special order this offset to enable fitment of a 225/50/16 tire on the 1970 to 1978 S30s. Price is  $325.00 per wheel

Contact us: rob@zcargarage.com or call 408-452-0350 Limited availability (pallet pictured)

Wondering how a set of Panasports would look on your Z car? Please enjoy pictures below of ZCG customer cars in just about every color imaginable with Panasport Wheels:

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Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou has been a friend and client of Z Car Garage for many years. His canyon-carving companion is this 1972 Nissan Fairlady 240Z-L featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and dyno tuning. Before we get into the details behind this rare, right-hand drive survivor let’s take a look at Glenn’s Datsun story.

 

Racing Is Life

 

Glenn is passionate about vintage racing and loves re-telling the stories of legendary privateer Z car racers. Like privateers of the period, Glenn builds his Z cars, maintains and manages his racing efforts himself. You may have seen Glenn’s FAR Performance 240Z in VIPS Restaurant livery as raced in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence or his Ex-Greg Sorrentino IMSA 260Z at events like the Velocity Invitational and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Glenn restored these cars himself and the VIPS Z is now going back to Bay Area Datsun Dealers livery as raced by FAR Performance privateer Walt Maas.

 

Glenn also races a Datsun 510, championing a vintage race group dedicated to the Historic B&C Sedan class. He is currently restoring the 1968 Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am 510. You can follow his racing adventures on Instagram.

  

Finding a Fairlady

 

When he’s not working on race cars, Glenn is enjoying his 1972 Nissan 240Z-L. It’s “the dream list” car that started his Datsun passion. Glenn has owned it for several years, enjoying it as a back-road burner on the street and rallye events.

 

The Z has a great story behind its acquisition. Purchased from Chiyoda Nissan as a used car by US Air Force lieutenant David Zabel in ’73, it was brought back with him to the States in 1974 and driven until 1992. Glenn found the Z in 2010 sitting in a Datsun collection in Ben Lomond, Ca. Below are period photos from Japan in the 70’s at Yokota air base near Tokyo and ski-trips at Lake Tahoe:

 

Find out more about the story behind this right-hand-drive survivor over on Petrolicious with photography by Courtney Cutchen with a great video. To this day it still wears its original paint, interior and neat Japanese-market features like the 8-track Nissan/Hitachi radio and passenger side foot rest. Glenn also sourced the rare rallye clock that is functional, running off an oscillator box in the passenger footwell.

 

Drivetrain

 

We actually tuned Glenn’s Fairlady back in 2012. The 3.0L stroker is fed by triple-Mikuni induction backed by a Nissan 240SX 5-speed transmission and OS Giken limited-slip diff. With Rob’s tuning it produced one of the highest dyno numbers we had seen back then putting down 249hp/227tq to the wheels:

 

Z Car Garage Big Brakes for Glenn’s S30

 

The Z clearly had more than enough power, but braking was always something Glenn wanted to improve and once he heard about our  Z Car Garage Big-Brakes  for small wheels he became a believer after test driving them. Rather than tell you how we feel about this product, let’s hear Glenn’s experience.

“Throughout my years of Z car ownership, I have run a variety of brake setups. My Z cars have seen everything from restored OEM Sumitomos, Toyota 4×4’s, trick Wilwood setups, even frankenstein’d Baer calipers. There is no doubt that it has been one area that I have never been completely satisfied with. Over time, after many years and attempts to find the ‘perfect’ setup, I had given up and just settled for what I had.

The most important aspect to me when it comes to braking on a street driven car is feel. Yes, stopping power is extremely important, but also is not that difficult to achieve on an early Z car that is naturally light to begin with. Feel, however, is something that has always managed to escape me. On my vintage 240z race car, we use multiple master cylinders, swap them in and out, fiddle with our brake proportioning valves, fine tuning them to fit our driving style and preference. We are trying to find that ‘racer’s edge.’ In all honesty, when it comes to a street car, I want nothing to do with all that.”

“Wheel sizing and style was also extremely important to me. I love old school wheels and the sizes they came in. I needed a brake caliper that would fit under my 15” Watanabe RS wheels without having to shave or drastically modify my setup. If it was not for being in love with these wheels, I would have opted for Z Car Garage’s larger big brake kit.”

Our clients asked us to make a BBK for smaller wheels so even a guy running 14″ vintage 5-slots slots could brake like a modern sports car. Typical big-brake kits use a 4-piston setup up front and a ZX in back; Proportioning is hard to get right, varying from car to car. We wanted a brake system that suited the car and totally bolted in, no M/C change, no proportioning valve, no booster change.

 

Working with Stoptech again, we developed this smaller BBK as a direct bolt-in solution for the 1970 to 1978 S30 Z cars. We’ve been with Stoptech since the beginning and love their products. With over 150 brake kits sold, we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.  Let’s get back to Glenn and hear his initial impressions of the big-brake kit:

“Rob informed me he was working up a solution and he wanted me to be test the brake kit. Rob promised three things – they would brake amazing, they would fit under my 15” Watanabes, and they would feel as if they belonged on the car. Did I doubt it at first? Sure, a little. However, I also knew that the fit and finish of all products that came out of ZCG were top notch, and that Rob thoroughly tested all his products against his own standards. Which I’m sure everyone knows, are extremely high.

In preparation for the Monterey Historics last year, I had brought the Z race car to the shop for dyno time. Rob gave me the keys to his Butters Z and said “Go drive it.” Under 14″ wheels sat his brand new ZCG brake kit. I gladly accepted and took the car for a ride.”

 

“WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car, and these were on a car with stock suspension, tires and probably cruddy tires! I told Rob, “sign me up!”

Glenn wanted to run the brake kit on his Fairlady and we happily obliged. He had also been gearing up for a road rallye so the braking system would be throughly used. You can see his Z (top left) along with his buddy Erich C’s S30 (top right, also getting a ZCG BBK!):

 

“Then came the day Rob called me up and said they were ready to rock and roll. Lucky for me, I was just about to head out on the 1000-mile Coastal Range Rally! The kit came with beautifully anodized front and rear calipers, hats, rotors, brakes lines, reversible brackets (for early and later Z offsets), and a factory ⅞” master cylinder. Read that again… Yes, a proportioning valve was left out from that list! The brakes were a straight bolt on and ZCG did all the math to get both the master cylinder size and piston sizes correct. We brought the car in for install and within a day the car was ready to rock.”

 

 

Glenn’s 240z now had 4-wheel disc brakes ready to tackle the street and rallye:

  

And of course, the brakes fit beautifully under the 15″ Watts. Kane approved, and Glenn was stoked:

 

“I could hardly wait to jump in the seat of the car and take it for a spin. The brakes were now on a car with suspension, tire, power, and a proper alignment. It was everything I had remembered from driving the Butters Z and MORE. The brakes performed flawlessly on the Coastal Range Rally, taking abuse from California’s most challenging roads”

 

“Attention to detail goes a long way. This is exactly what these brakes delivered, and what continues to be delivered by ZCG.

LONG LIVE THE Z!”

Still Enjoying the Ride

 

Last weekend we caught up with Glenn and took the FairladyZ out for a spin to stretch its legs. Glenn was one of the first clients to run our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes back in 2018 and we are happy to report that he is still braking late and deep all while Enjoy The Ride!

 

Over the years we’ve been fortunate to drive our Datsuns together through the local Bay Area backroads. Glenn’s Z always looks sharp while sounding sensational. Here is a video from our recent drive, volume up and enjoy!

 

You can find him carving through the Santa Cruz Mountains or taking a break at Alice’s Restaurant off Skyline…

 

While we were catching up with Glenn he reminded me that the ZCG Big-Brakes are better than any of the other setups he’s driven, the only one that feels and behaves like a modern car. He loves them.

 

What’s next for the Z? Glenn says its due for a refresh..NOS door panels, some engine bay fuel plumbing updates and maybe a change from the Ground Control/Tokico coil-overs. Aside from the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes , it remains very much the same as he set it up over 10 years ago. Big thanks to Glenn for the support and feedback. We look forward to many more race events and drives with you. Enjoy the photo gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

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Mark your calendars for June 5th to celebrate Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) 50th birthday at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville!

 

The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. Of the many events and fun runs they host throughout the year, the famous Blackhawk Museum will be the venue for the June 6 birthday party.

 

Local Datsun specialists/racers Troy Ermish and Rob Fuller will be displaying their race cars. Datsun and Nissan cars will be on the plaza and lower lots for everyone to see. Z you there!

 

 

 

 

 

We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. This 1971 Datsun 510 is owned by Dirk D. and he replaced his failing CV Axle kit with our ZCG CV Axles. You may have seen this Specialty Z-built Dime at events in the SoCal area and we are proud to be part of it!

 

We saw Dirk’s 510 last year at the Japanese Classic Car Show and noticed he was running ZCG CV Axles with an R200 diff and Quaife (ATB) limited slip differential. Great to hear that these parts earn Sebastian’s approval and he installed them with ease at the Specialty-Z facility in Simi Valley, CA. Dirk is stoked:

“After receiving them I was even more impressed. Sebastian said the installation went very smooth. I’ve been running them now for over 2000 miles and haven’t had any issues. Even after putting the wood to it a few times. And the fact that we put 498 horse power to the rear wheels proves to me that they are high quality”

 

Datsun 510 Dreams

 

Dirk has bee working for 10 years perfecting this 510 mechanically and visually. Here is a brief overview…

MOTOR: SR20DET Red top, Mazworx intake, 1320 Injector dynamics, dual scroll exhaust manifold with Garrett 30 GTX twin Scroll, Forged Pistons (CP), Rods (Eagle), ARP Studs, O-Rings, BC Stage 3 Cams (Adjustable cam sprockets), R35 GTR PRP Coil Kit, S15 Oil pick up, High Capacity Oil Pan, Setrab oil cooler, modified Mishmoto radiator, OEM Nissan Fan Clutch, High Capacity Fan, Canton remote oil filter

 

DRIVE TRAIN: 5 speed, RPS Carbon Fiber Clutch, Pressure Plate & Fly Wheel (billet aluminum), Custom Built Drive Shaft 300ZX Yolk & U Joints, ZCG CV Axles and Power steering.

 

Sebastian at Specialty Z dyno-tuned the 510 using a Haltech ECU with maps for E85 and 91 octane fuel. It made 369whp at 16psi and 498whp at 20psi. Enjoy this video of the dyno pass:

 

Interior

 

Inside, a finished custom interior features carbon fiber and alcantara touches:

 

Dirk’s 510 was featured in the February 2019 issue of D Sport Magazine:

 

 

“I wanted a car that wasn’t only for drags or track but could also be driven as a daily driver and still haul ass. With no cooling or tuning issues whatsoever. With major help from Sebastian at Specialty Z and Jamie @ Fab Tech I’ve got everything I asked for and more out of the car couldn’t be happier.”

 

We asked Sebastian what his thoughts were on building Dirk’s 510:

“The thing I enjoyed most about Dirk’s 510 project was that it was something that we normally don’t do as far as the platform goes. So it was new and refreshing. We never worked in depth with the SR20 in the past or the 510 chassis. We stuck to high quality (as we usually do anyway) parts for the build so it was hard to leave others out, overall we were happy with the fit and finish of the Mazworx intake and exhaust manifolds. We used a Garrett GTX 3076 for the turbo and Garrett never disappoints. As far as the drivetrain goes, the ZCG axles were a pleasure to install and the quality was second to none. We had issues with the previous axles and immediately noticed the difference in noise (lack of) and even a nicer feel while driving the car.”

 

We have known Sebastian for many years and Specialty Z is a legendary Z32/late-model Nissan tuning house. Seb is a trusted friend and is always willing to help ZCG. It goes without saying that his shop is top notch with many high-profile projects like tuning pro-racer Chris Forsberg’s TT 370Z. Time flies: (L). Ginash and Eric from JDM Legends at SEMA. (Below) Rob and Seb at Z Car Garage:

 

You won’t see too much from Specialty Z in regards to Datsun related work, but we frequently refer local clients to Seb that have late-model powerplants. Indeed, we sent Bay Area local Jose P to SPZ for tuning on his SR20-powered Datsun 510! We are also super excited to see Seb restoring our Box-flared Datsun 510 that he purchased it from Rob a few years ago:

 

Seb plans to run a Rebello 2.2L with dual-Mikuni induction, here are a few photos from fresh paint and assembly:

 

 

Thank you Dirk and Sebastian for your support! Happy to see you enjoying the Z Car Garage CV Axles in the Dime. Enjoy The Ride!

 

We have many more photos in the gallery and please read below for more information on our ZCG CV Axles:

ZCG CV Axles

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. These are 100% bolt-in replacing your half-shafts and does not use aluminum adapters commonly found in aftermarket units. We have over 200+ CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

   

For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft.

  

Designed and manufactured locally with KAD Models, the ZCG CV axle kit works in both R180 and R200 configurations.

  

These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars (powershifting, clutch dumps, etc.). Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind:

 

The CV axle kit is available now from ZCG for 1595.00 + freight and they come with everything you need to install on your car. Contact us at 408-452-0350 or send Rob an e-mail rob@zcargarage.com to purchase. Installation is just like doing a half-shaft: there is even a marking that shows you where to line up bolts and special hardware:

 

The ZCG CV Axles in action

The video below demonstrates the “looseness” associated with aftermarket CV axles that use adapters compared to the ZCG axles without adapters. Several customer race/street cars running our CV axles are also shown. Enjoy!

 

Enjoy this video made by our client Hazel. She installed our ZCG CV Axles on her Hazel’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Over 150 sets of our ZCG CV Axles are installed in client’s cars all over the world:

Supermachine in Tokyo, Japan is running our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles in their Series Datsun 240Z:

  

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou is running our ZCG CV Axles in this IMSA GTU 260z race car!

  

Racer Brad H is running ZCG CV Axles in his IMSA GTU race car:

  

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.

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