Tyler has been in Rob’s life since he started working as a head engineer at Stoptech. He is behind Research and Development of our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, and we couldn’t have done it without his drive and passion. Our collaboration with Tyler always results in excellence, so when he mentioned bringing his Porsche 914 up from SoCal we happily obliged to work on it.
TYLER: “Rob Fuller/ZCG and I have known each other for a while now through my Engineering work at StopTech. We developed the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes for small wheels together. During the development of the BBK, Rob Fuller the man himself would constantly call me and leave hilarious singing voicemails, mostly him belting out hair-metal versus then saying “CALL ME BACK!”. We really hit it off during this time and grew to have a deep respect for one another.”
“I think we were able to really nail the final product after lots of tweaking and testing. ZCG was stoked with the BBK and I was stoked to work with such an amazing shop and crew. This project has always been a highlight for me. So when Rob asked me about my 914 and heard about my troubles with it he instantly offered to help out. This was definitely an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I brought my 914 to the shop.”
History
Before we go into the work ZCG performed let’s hear from Tyler about his 914…
TYLER: “My first car was a 1973 914 2.0 my Dad, brothers, and I bought for $1200 ~25 years ago. We fixed it up and started to race it together, we still have it and plan to get back to racing it one day soon. Ever since then I wanted another 914 for myself. I just like the fact that 914s are mid engined, air cooled, and has a horizontally opposed engine, all of the coolest Racing Porsches are in this configuration. Also the 914 is three more than a 911, so there you go. When I saw the 914 on a Tucson AZ Craigslist post in 2015 I knew I had to snag it. The car was an old PCA/POC race car that raced in the 70s and 80s in AZ. I knew the car was a diamond in the rough even though it wasn’t running and had many problems to address.”
“I ended up buying it from someone in Tucson AZ for $3000 and towed it back home. Ever since then I have been fixing it up and getting it running well enough to enjoy classic rallies and some track days. I have been sort of converting it back into more of a streetable car but still keeping it raw and sort of rough that still gives you a feeling of a race car. My favorite thing to do is go for a drive down PCH with my wife and my dog squeezed in between us and stop at the beach for a walk and swim or rip the snot out of it on the track.”
Chassis and engine details on the 914 below:
Brakes
Custom designed StopTech big brake system. Front 2pc 282 x 28 rotors with STR42 calipers and rear 2pc 290 x 22 rotors STR42. Pads are StopTech SR33 front and SR33 rear with custom SS lines. Brakes are lighter weight than stock and with more thermal capacity!
Suspension
Race Bushings, Koni shocks,,22mm front sway bar, 150lb springs, 911 hubs, 5 lug conversion, 7×15″ Fuchs front wheels, 8×15″ Fuchs rear wheels, Toyo Proxes Ra1 225×50
Chassis and Safety
Roll Bar, 5 point belts, Frame reinforcements, door jam and chassis stiffening bars, dront fenders are rolled rear are fully flared, battery relocated to the front.
Engine & Transmission
2.0 Liter european pistons and sleeves 8.6 to 1 compression, Engine balanced and heads machined, Dual IDF44 Webbers, Mild race cam, High capacity oil pump with deep pickup, Dual rear mounted oil coolers, 4 into 1 exhaust with Supertrap muffler. 5 speed with shortened 3rd,4th, and 5th gears, Short shifter, OS Giken LSD. “Only 914 in the US to have an OS Giken LSD installed that I know of!”
The Z Car Garage Touch
ROB: “Tyler had his car dyno-tuned previously but it wasn’t running well. We like to make cars better, so we performed suspension work, adjusted the valves, sorted out his carb linkage, ignition system and made it awesome. Upon arrival it had a really bad front windshield install, so we replaced it and the stainless trim. New valve cover gaskets, cap and rotor, re-did the throttle-linkage return springs, serviced the air filter. Basically went through the Porsche like we do with our Z-car clients so he could enjoy driving it again.”
Dyno Tuning
With carb work, timing and linkage adjustments the 914 made 110hp/115tq at the wheels, gains of 18hp/15tq from baseline. Tyler was really happy with the results:
TYLER: “Rob gave my car some serious balls…I don’t have the official numbers of the final dyno run but the car feels like it’s been hitting the gym HARD. Engine runs super smooth, sounds like a completely different beast, starts without issue, is really responsive, runs a lot cooler, and has an overall boost in power! It has increased the enjoyment factor 100%.”
Enjoy this video of the dyno run and Tyler driving home from the shop down to SoCal:
After checking the suspension we mounted fresh Toyo RA1 tires followed by a full alignment in-house. Tyler was ready for the road trip home.
If it ain’t the Z-car, please let it be the P-Car!
Tyler shared a few photos from his roadtrip down to SoCal, catch his adventures on Instagram. Thank you Tyler for letting us work on your 914 and continued support for our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. Stoptech or Don’t Stop At All!
TYLER: “ZCG is one of the top shops I ever had the pleasure of working with. As a customer, the experience was equally great. The team is really driven, they have expertise to really handle tricky stuff and strive for perfection with everything they do. I knew my 914 was in the best of hands even though ZCG specializes in Z-cars, their talent easily translated into P-cars.”
Filed under: 350z,510,Events,g35
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on August 1, 2022
On Sunday 7/31 we attended the Morning Motors Cars & Coffee event hosted by DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) in Santa Cruz, CA. The event impressed us again with a fun vibe and superb variety of cars. One of the many perks of DWA Morning Motors is its location surrounded by the best driving roads.
This morning’s pre-event gathering met at Alice’s restaurant at 8am. Our group started with 4 cars including Rob (Porsche 993 Turbo), Josh (VW bug), Kurt (Subaru 2.5RS) and myself in the Z Car Garage 1967 Datsun 2000:Our brisk run up HWY 9 was amazingly traffic-free and plenty of room to enjoy the twisty bits. A brief pause at the 9/35 junction to meet Nick in his Datsun 510 Wagon:
We joined our friend Naveed (thanks for organizing!) and few other enthusiasts at Alice’s. Below, Mark’s 1971 Datsun 510 and Erich’s1974 Alfa GTV give off B-Sedan vibes in the am light:
After re-connecting with friends we headed to the Santa Cruz via 84 and HWY1. The lot in front of the Old Wrigley building was near full a few minutes after 9am.!
Mandatory Nissan/Datsun
I was happy to see so many Nissans and Datsuns at Morning Motors.
This R33 Skyline GT-R was recently acquired by DWA co-founder Art C our friends at Toprank International Vehicle Importers. Super stoked for Art and glad to see him enjoying it! Love the BBS LMs!
Datsun B210!
There were several S13/S14 240SX sports cars, G35s and a Z33 on WORK T7R 2P wheels:
Another ZCG client, Eric’s Infiniti FX35 sporting upgraded suspension and R35 GT-R wheels. Parking next a mint 2003 FX!
In Search of J-Tin
Morning Motors did not disappoint if you are Japanese Classic fans. Representing Mazda was our friend Tony’s 13B-powered RX-2 and his Rotary gang:
90’s icons…Third gen (A70) Supra and FD RX-7 (on ADVAN wheels)!
So much variety! Enjoy this short video:
Euro Classics
Yearning for Porsche’s? Or something a bit less “mainstream”? DWA CnC did not disappoint. Citroen 2CV:
Porsche, Alfa and Austin Healey
Lone E38 7-Series BMW…peak 7 in my mind!
My favorite car was this Porsche 914-6:
American Muscle
From 60’s to 80’s. Mike Garret’s familiar purple Mopar with late-model drivetrain and really wild Ford Coupe with diesel engine:
DWA CnC is definitely my kind of cars and coffee. It’s a great venue with amazing driving roads nearby and the cars were so diverse. We highly recommend checking it out! Thanks to the DWA crew for hosting. If you haven’t already, listen to their podcast and make sure you give them a follow on Instagram.
More pictures in the gallery below!
On Sunday 6/13 we attended the Morning Motors Cars & Coffee event hosted by DrivingWhileAwesome (DWA) in Santa Cruz, CA. The event impressed us again with a fun vibe and superb variety of cars. One of the many perks of DWA Morning Motors is its location surrounded by the best driving roads. This morning however, I ran solo in my Datsun Roadster straight to the venue in front of the Old Wrigley Building.
It’s smart to arrive before 8:30am to grab a shaded parking spot and coffee/donuts (thanks DWA!) before they run out. The event is so close to downtown Santa Cruz and HWY 1 I invited my family to enjoy the cars and visit our favorite beach afterwards.
Mandatory Nissan/Datsun
I was happy to see so many Nissans and Datsuns at Morning Motors.
There were a three Datsun 510 wagons and one 510 2-door! This is Mark G’s 510, a client we’ve been lucky to work with, you can see more details about his Dime HERE
Our very own Nick F. in his 1972 510 wagon on SSR wheels:
Ray’s Hakosuka Skyline, now sporting our Z Car Garage CV Axles! We look forward to seeing Ray for more upgrades on this already stunning Skyline that gets driven everywhere:
Pall’s R32 Skyline in (AH3) Pearl Red. Pall K acquired this Pearl Red (AH3) R32 from our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers. We love the gorgeous paint color and Volk TE37SLs. He is also a ZCG client!
Another ZCG client, Eric’s Infiniti FX35 sporting upgraded suspension and R35 GT-R wheels.
350Z and G37 sedan on Z34 wheels:
I counted five (!) Nissan 240SX in both S13 and S14 trim. This S13 was my favorite:
S14 with “Silvia” badging:
Lone Z32 (NA), Q45 and a bagged Q60:
In Search of J-Tin
Morning Motors did not disappoint if you are Japanese Classic fans. Honda S800:
NA Miatas!
EG Civic, EM1 Civic Si and S2000 CR:
90’s icons…Supra and NSX and FD RX-7 (on FIKSE wheels)!
So much variety! Enjoy this short video:
Euro Classics
Yearning for Porsche’s? Or something a bit less “mainstream”? DWA CnC did not disappoint. Rosso Dino 246:
308, 4C and Chris’ “Rat Alfa” GTV:
Spotted my first, local Porsche 911 by Singer. It was impressive with so many details to enjoy:
Sweet 993 C2S with sexy multi-piece Turbo Twists:
Naveed’s new 964 911 GT3 RS (991)
A trio of cool BMW 2002s, one powered by an M20 6-cylinder!:
American Muscle
From 60’s to 80’s. Mike Garret’s familiar purple Mopar with late-model drivetrain and really wild Plymouth Fury race car tribute:
Eclectic
DWA CnC is definitely my kind of cars and coffee. It’s a great venue with amazing driving roads nearby and the cars were so diverse. We highly recommend checking it out! Thanks to the DWA crew for hosting. If you haven’t already, listen to their podcast and make sure you give them a follow on Instagram.
More pictures in the gallery below!
On Saturday, June 12 I attended the Breakfast Club Rally. This was my second time at the monthly event and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. I took my Datsun Roadster and left San Jose Saturday morning, driving 80 miles North to the starting point in Mill Valley. I spotted this MGA buzzing along the freeway, and many more vintage cars were on their way. Enjoy this report from the event.
Cars & Coffee? Yes Please!
The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started almost 1 year ago, now running its 15th rally event. What started out as a small group enjoying weekend drives blossomed into a full-on Cars and Coffee (still unofficial) meet just before rally participants head out according to run group (rally map available to pre-registrants only).
I arrived at 8:30am to an already packed parking lot. BCR is mostly vintage, “brand agnostic & 100% anti-snob”…and the scene was just as advertised. Cool cars everywhere. Of course, yours truly is always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns:
First up, this 1967 Datsun 2000, owned by Ian S. One of the most sought after Datsuns, these “half-year” models were introduced mid-1967 offering a 5-speed transmission and 150hp twin-Mikuni carb’d 2L engine…hot stuff for the era. This is SRL #601 (out of ~1000 cars) and it was fully restored years ago by Les Cannaday in San Diego. Ian is meticulous about maintaining this car, but it is no garage queen. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites.
Met a fresh Datsun Roadster owner! This is Michael’s ’70 2000. He purchased and drove it from SoCal to San Francisco.
Two vintage Datsun Z cars. (top) is BCR founder Graham’s personal 280Z:
Two Datsun 510 wagons and Nissan 720 truck!
This was a total surprise…our client Mike’s R32 Skyline GT-R! Fresh from our shop with turbo, fueling and exhaust upgrades he is out Enjoying the Boost! Watch the video below for the sounds this beast makes…full report soon.
So many cool cars please check the gallery for more photos!
Rally On!
The rally started at 9am and somehow all of the cars gracefully exited the lot, heading towards the coast to Point Reyes Station. Weather and terrain changes abound and even a few route changes kept things interesting. Crazy machinery was always fun to see!
Arriving at Point Reyes Station was another opportunity to see cars I missed at the starting point. Folks took a snack/coffee break here in the quaint town. I sat down near the sidewalk, just admiring each vintage ride cruise by…like this Ferrari 250GT!
This is a grand, picaresque part of Northern California with rolling hills, pastures and Eucalyptus-lined blacktop. Coastal fog could be seen creeping into valleys and gentle rivers meandering through hillsides had me fighting to keep my eyes on the road!
One of BCR’s clever mottos is #DoneByNoon, and we eventually found our way to downtown Petaluma for lunch. I joined fellow roadster owner Ian (with his son) and Graham at Brewster’s Beer Garden in the historic district. Good food on the patio with great company.
Another perk of the BCR is the many talented photographers they have enlisted to capture rally goers in action. Your ride may have been immortalized so check out their work HERE! As we parted our ways, I snapped some rolling shots of Ian’s ’67 Datsun 2000 on the freeway. It’s hard not to take many photos of this roadster, it’s that pretty.
I headed back home to San Jose to complete the almost 270-mile trip. Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and through San Francisco is always a treat.
A short video capturing the day:
Thanks BCR!
Many thanks to the organizers, I had a blast with Breakfast Club Rally. I urge you to register for their next event, especially if you are in the South Bay area like me and want to see what driving bliss lies North. #DoItInADatsun
The fifth annual HSR Classic 24hr race at Daytona International Speedway was held November 13-17. Racing legend John Morton and co-driver Rob Fuller piloted the #46 BRE Datsun 240z owned by team manager Randy Jaffe.
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Enjoy our report from the event with pictures, video and commentary from Rob and Randy!
Hallowed Ground: #46 Debuts at Daytona Speedway
When the BRE 240z was not accepted into the 2019 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion team owner Randy Jaffe was anxious to find a Fall event. Thanks to Michael Eberhardt of Vintage Racing Co. we were able to run the Classic 24 and share a garage with him at Daytona. It was an amazing feeling sharing the same hallowed grounds where all the pros raced for years.
Rob:“This is a relatively new event and HSR’s efforts to make it larger were clear: the Classic 24 had people from all over the world (1/3 from Europe), and famous drivers and cars everywhere: Gunnar Jeannette, Derek/Justin bell, Jochen Maas, Daytona prototypes, LMP cars, vintage IMSA cars, 935s and big-boy hardware.”
Paddock pictures from top left to bottom right: AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson with Rob Fuller, Gunnar Racing Team, VM columnist Jochen Maas and a 1955 300SL, 1985 Porsche 962 HR1 piloted by team of Derek Bell, Justin Bell, Rodrigo Sales, and Gunnar Jeannette.
Enjoy this video of the sights and sounds at Daytona:
Racing at Daytona
The Classic 24 race features six race groups with 4 (1hr) sessions and cumulative time deciding the winner. Each session has a 3-minute pitstop with mandatory driver exit during fueling. There were many challenges facing the ZCG team as we prepped the BRE 240Z for big banking of Daytona:
Rob:“Josh Corwin prepped gear ratios for the diff and we went there armed for any scenario. At 3.56 miles, Daytona is much longer than our West Coast tracks so we built a 3.54 and 3.36. After one practice session we realized the 3.36 was needed.”
It was an incredible sight to see the #46Z out on the high banking with serious race cars like the Smith Motorworks 1980 Porsche 935 K3:
To aid driving during night sessions the Z was fitted with LED lamps:
Despite heavy rain the team carried on, making changes to the car and improving with each session.
Rob: “There were 12 cars in our group with a bunch of 911s and 914s. The Z worked flawlessly. We made a last minute carb change, sent pics of the spark plugs to Dave Rebello, and we were pumped for it. The sheer size of the stands and banking was overwhelming but we welcomed the challenge!”
Randy:“As you drive into the infield at Daytona and look at that 31% banking it’s super intimidating and as Rob stated you cannot look straight out of the car as it’s always bending left and he has never experienced that before. Rob did an amazing job of adapting to not only the car but to the track within 2 to 3 laps as he had cut down six seconds plus. John Morton has not run Daytona in over 20 years and he got right in the car and turned a great time which is what professional race drivers do! At 77 years old it’s just amazing how he is so calm and so smooth around these tracks!”
Remember those those mandatory pitstops? Thanks to the ZCG team (Josh/Keith) all stops were nailed and we actually had to wait because we were under time. We also had help from Randy’s friend Barney to help with fueling, and Chris Karl from SCCA. A rally of people excited to see the Z at Daytona all pitched in.
The bad weather and lack of track experience didn’t hold John or Rob back. We started 10th in class in the 1st session and by the end of the 1st leg we were in 3rd place.
From 10th to 3rd in one session is impressive with John and Rob turning near-identical lap times. Rob was ecstatic not only about the Z’s performance, but also being able to co-drive with his hero:
Rob: “Ben from Retrosport with Alan Terpins’ 1979 Porsche 935 MOMO car kicked ass and won their class. They were clocked on the front straight under braking at 188mph. The BRE Z did 156mph top speed and our lap times (Morton and Fuller) were within a .1 of each other. I can’t describe the feeling of going from total fanboy to being a co-driver with John Morton. All of this comes from Randy Jaffe’s generosity, drive/passion to celebrate this car and era. These heroes that were making history and didn’t even know it 50years later. All while a new crop of people that love and appreciate this car. Watching people from all over the world come over to find John Morton to have him sign something, shake his hand, tell him a Datsun story. It’s surreal.”
Unfortunately our hopes of a first or second place finish in class were cut short at the second session. John Morton got an epic start and as they all went into turn 1 on the first lap (at night) a Lola T 70 lost its grip, then a Chevron panicked and cut hard right in front of John. There was nothing he could do and the car was so low that it flipped us up in the air and onto the roof:
John Morton was able to exit the Z safely, without any injuries. The Z was towed in, covered and our race ended. We all had hashbrowns and coffee late night at Waffle House. The next morning Josh and Rob set the tow on the front of the car, took plugs out and turned it over. We actually got to drive it around paddock Sunday morning, knowing we would be back again to take a run at the high banks of Daytona.
Randy: “Most historic race cars have been wrecked so many times and put back together and we will do the same after this Daytona accident. Just a slight bump in the road but we will come back stronger as we have learned and we will continue to write more current history with John at the wheel. We can’t wait until Daytona next year where Rob and John can finish the 24 hour that we started this year.”
Here is a video with in-car footage of both John Morton and Rob Fuller. Enjoy the triple-Mikuni carb’d music and wild banking of Daytona! At the end is multiple-angle footage of the crash:
The BRE 240Z will be rebuilt at Z Car Garage
We welcomed back the #46Z to ZCG for a rebuild after damages from the Daytona crash. Stay tuned for progress updates:
Randy: “The car is being shipped to Z car garage on December 13th for repairs and to prep the car for the Walter Mitty races in Atlanta in April. The most amazing part of the fun we’ve had with this car over the past three years is the excitement that Peter Brock and John Morton have shared with all of us to turn back the Hands of time! I think because of social media John Morton may actually be more famous now than he was back in the day and he often thanks me for the efforts to make his accomplishments recognized over and over which he certainly deserves! What 77-year-old race car driver do you know still flies airplanes and rides dirt bikes, jeeps and works out!! Of course none of this would happen without Rob Fuller and Josh Corwin they have been the glue behind us entire program and I would’ve never done any of this without them. Rob takes control of many situations that could be stressful and makes things easier for me!”
At 77 years of age John Morton is still formidable behind the wheel!
Randy was and continues to be supremely enthusiastic about the Z, John Morton and BRE. His words from Daytona:
“Per usual our pit area always had fans coming up and wanted to know where John was to talk to him and get an autograph as he had raced with many of these legends for the past five decades! I really love the story about Peter Brock and the BRE team and what John accomplished in a short period of time and still lives in high racing lore! Every piece of history from this time s fun for me to gather and collect as all of it is a part of the story!”
Randy and the BRE 240Z Build
While many have seen the BRE 240z at racing events and shows, there is a great story behind this car as told by owner Randy Jaffe:
“I met John somewhere around 2012 and told him I was going to build a tribute to his championship 240 Z car and I’m sure he’s heard that hundreds of times and he was kind of bored with the conversation. Then I started sending him and Peter Brock emails to build it correctly then after I spent several years at an attempt to do a tribute I was with both of them one night and asked about the real story on the remains of the original car. Both of them looked at each other and back at me and I was like – what was that look for? They went on to tell me that the story I had heard for years about the car being totally destroyed and no longer around was not true. Dan Parkinson who lived about a hour and a half north of Los Angeles had the remains of the car that he had re-bodied after a 1977 ball joint failure at phoenix motor Speedway. Casey Mollett – another Datsun racer back in the day was a few hundred yards behind Dan Parkinson when he hit that wall and he was part of the teardown and reassembly to the 1977 to 80 Z that Nissan gave Dan to rebuild a car. They were going to repair the original 46Z which now wore the number five livery of Dan Parkinson but the painter said it would take a month and a half to two months and they had to race in a few weeks so they use the 1977 280 Z that Nissan gave Dan.”
“The long and short of it is that they raced the 1977 shell for a few years and retired the car and racing in 1979 and all of those parts just sat there until 2016. Dan and I have had conversations for over a year and many many people were trying to buy these parts because they knew what they were but for some reason he felt comfortable and asked me one day do I really want all the stuff and of course I said yes. John Morton actually said since he owned the original chassis plate which he had taken off the car when he installed the remote Traco oil filter back in 1970 he kept that Vin plate in his toolbox until he gave it to me at the Petersen Museum in 2016. I had already completed my car as a tribute to the BRE team and John Morton when Dan sold me all of the surviving pieces. I then ripped the entire car apart and installing every little piece I could that had integrity and that’s when Rob Fuller stepped in to finish the car build like it was back in the day.”
Pictures from the race prep of Randy’s Z at Z Car Garage:
A sampling of the original parts is shown below including the exhaust header with megaphones, SW gauges, and BRE remote oil filter/cooler. Original BRE heat shield and fuel block pictured above. All assembled by the crew at ZCG prior to testing:
Randy’s fanatic attention to detail and our team’s prep culminated in John Morton enjoying the Z at several race events:
“So many of the remaining pieces along with the 1971 championship motor is on display at my shop. After going to a few shows with John Morton in the car I told him I wanted to race it and he kind of smirked and said it’s a show car not a race car and my reply was we’re gonna race it will you drive it and he Sylvia was nonchalant and said yeah maybe… when we signed up and got into the first Rolex reunion in 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.”
“John wasn’t really excited about racing the car Rob and I could see that even when he got belted in the car. When he came back after 6 to 8 laps a different man had returned he immediately walked over to Sylvia and said what are my times – He knew he was turning really fast laps and was getting really fired up! He told Brock down at the Carmel car show that the show car was truly a fast racecar! That weekend he terrorized all kinds of Porsches including 935s and was running up front in the top 10 out of a group of 40 to 50 cars. This became really fun so we’ve done it now at Road Atlanta Laguna Seca and now Daytona!”
Big thanks to Randy Jaffe, Sylvia and John Morton, the ZCG team Josh and Keith Corwin, Meghan Fuller, Michael Eberhardt and Vintage Racing Company and HSR this was a memorable event we can’t wait to come back to next year. More pictures in the gallery below:
