Congratulations to our client Randy Jaffe on his win at the Amelia Island Concours D’ Elegance! Z Car Garage is proud to prepare the iconic, the 1976 IMSA GTU Championship-winning Transcendental Racing Z for Randy and we will have a full report coming to zcarblog.com shortly. A few words from Randy at Amelia:
“Brad & Terrye FRISSELLE made the trip from Colorado to see their former 1976 IMSA GTU Championship early VIN 01543 Datsun 240Z race car co-driven by John Morton.Thanks to so many of our friends that made the trip to support us! Of course the guys at Z Car Garage made it all happen!! Thanks Rob!!!”
To celebrate their 100,000 listing, Bring a Trailer is auctioning their 1973 Datsun 240Z, prepared by Z Car Garage. Finished in Lime Yellow (#112) paint over black vinyl upholstery, it is powered by a numbers-matching Rebello Racing-built 2.7-liter straight-six with triple Weber 40 DCOE carbs. Additional modifications include a 280ZX five-speed manual transmission, an R200 limited-slip differential, ZCG Big-Brakes, ZCG exhaust system and 16″ Panasport wheels with new Michelin tires. The total sale amount for the auction will be donated to the Piston Foundation, a nonprofit that will use 100% of the funds to help young technicians build rewarding careers in the collector car industry by funding programs in the skilled trades. View the auction HERE.
Z Car Garage built and maintained this Z for the previous owner since 2009 and updated it to BaT-preferred spec in 2018. It has since been used as an event car by BaT staff, with whom it has participated in many rallies, cross-country road trips, displays, and other events in the ensuing five years. Enjoy this video showing the Z in action and see below for more details:
The straight-six was bored and stroked from 2.4 to 2.7 liters by Rebello Racing and was installed at ZCG in 2011. Triple Weber 40 DCOE side-draft carburetors with K&N filters are mounted to its E88 cylinder head. Additional engine bay modifications include a polished valve cover, an MSD ignition system, and an inline fuel pressure gauge. Engine number L24-131094 is stamped on the block and matches the chassis plate. Rob dyno tuned the Z, making 203 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels:
A replacement 280ZX five-speed manual transmission was also installed by ZCG in preparation for the sale. An aluminum flywheel and a heavy-duty clutch were fitted in 2011, while both clutch hydraulic cylinders were changed in 2018. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a custom-built driveshaft and an R200 limited-slip differential with a finned rear cover.
Factory black vinyl bucket seats were reinstalled, as was a stock steering wheel. The air conditioning system was converted to use R134a refrigerant in 2009, and was recharged as part of the February 2023 service at ZCG.An Alpine CD/MP3 player feeds aftermarket three-way 6×9 speakers mounted in a ported box in the rear of the trunk. Diamond-patterned vinyl trim is retained on the center tunnel and in the cargo area, while embroidered mats protect the carpets on the floors.
The Z has been stored indoors at BaT Headquarters in San Francisco when not in use. Details concerning the initial purchase and an ensuing cross-country drive from the Bay Area to Road Atlanta are chronicled in this seven-part feature from early 2018. The car has also been used in events such as:
2018 Copperstate Rally (as a photo and chase car, part of the cross-country trip described above)
2018 Tour to the Mitty (part of the cross-country trip described above)
2018 Faultline 500 in Central California
2018 BaT Alumni BBQ at Monterey Car Week
2018 Targa Baja California (from Palm Springs to mountainous central Baja and back)
2019 BaT Alumni Gathering at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway
2021 Faultline 500 in Central California
2021 Drive Toward a Cure
2021 Golden Week Kyusha Festival in Northern California
2021 BaT Alumni Gathering at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway
2022 BaT Alumni Gathering at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway
2022 Overcrest Rally (nearly 1,800 miles in eastern Washington and central Idaho over three days)
2022 Breakfast Club Rally: Tokyo Calling
Additional details can be seen in our blog reports from April 2018,December 2018, and February 2023. Congrats Bring a Trailer on your 100,000 auction. We are really happy to be a part of the journey and Long Live The Z!
An amaZingly talented driver, Morton brought Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) four National SCCA Championships from 1970-1972: two C-production championships in the Datsun 240Z and two Trans-Am championships in the Datsun 510. Enjoy our photos with John Morton over the years and let’s all wish him the best birthday!
Rob and John at the Velocity Invitational 2022
Morton, Pete Brock and Steve Millen at Laguna Seca 2018
Road Atlanta 2010, with the John Morton Army (JMA)
BRE Reunions in 2008 and 2010:
The Mitty, 2018:
Honored to spend time with John Morton on the racetrack. Happy Birthday!
Happy Friday from Z Car Garage! We are excited for 2023 and have many projects to share with you. Enjoy these photos from the shop today, Friday 10th with full reports coming to zcarblog.
The Bring a Trailer Datsun 240Z
The Bring a Trailer Datsun 240z is in for a checkup. This Z has seen a ton of driving events, rallyes and gatherings and featuers our ZCG Big-Brake kit.
Rick’s BRE 240Z tribute track car
Rick’s BRE-inspired Datsun 240Z track car just received our first set of Z Car Garage KW coil-over suspension from our latest batch. Clients that have already placed an order: kits will ship soon pending an instruction manual first. We also finalized the CD009 6-speed transmission swap on Rick’s Z that also features our (Race) Z Car Garage Big-Brakes.
Cameron’s Z32
Cameron’s Z32 is here for maintenance work and downpipes, inlet piping, larger intercoolers all from Specialty Z. Cameron has been bringing his 300 to us for many years and we we are really glad to have him back.
William’s Z32TT is getting 740cc injectors, downpipes and more:
Beau’s orange Datsun is 280Z coming together. Fresh from paint featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, T3 suspension and more. This 280 has many 240Z parts retrofitted and it will be cool hot rod.
At Z Car Garage we love keeping Z’s on the road. From concours-level restorations to light refurbishments, helping a client realize their vision is our passion. CJ shipped his 1971 Datsun 240Z from Durango, Colorado for final mechanical sorting, ZCG-style. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles and Z Car Garage Heat Shield along with a new drivetrain make this the Z of CJ’s dreams.
CJ’s Z Story
Before we dive in to the project let’s hear how CJ got his Z car…
CJ: “When I was in my teens I was a huge WRC fan, and rally led to my passion for Japanese cars. Video games like Sega GT and Gran Turismo also helped. I think my first exposure to classic Z cars was when I was about 17 and it was probably in a bootleg Wangan Midnight VHS that my buddies and I found at a Japanese video rental place. I’ve loved the aesthetic of the S30 since that time. It’s not an exaggeration to say I’ve dreamed of an S30 with factory fender flares, an air dam, and a 432 style wing for over half my life, but I never had an opportunity to own one.”
In 2017 CJ acquired his best friend Travis’ 1971 project car that hadn’t run since the 1990s. Over the next four years, and with significant help from his wife, the duo restored or refurbished just about every part of the car.
CJ: “We fully refurbished the dash, redid the entire interior, and mechanically refreshed the brakes and drivetrain. The exterior received new factory matching paint, new gaskets, tail lights and corner lights I refurbished, RS Watanabe wheels, and flares from Marugen Shoukai. The car also got BC coilovers, Techno Toy Tuning arms and subframe components. The L24 was replaced with an L28 and triple Mikunis, assembled in my garage. There are so many good memories wrapped up in the restoration of this car and it was a blast to learn new skills throughout the process.”
In October 2020, with the engine he built with his Dad the car drove under its own power. CJ was proud, and the moment was satisfying and exhilarating, right up until it wasn’t. He had been building drift cars since the early 2000s but the first drive of this car made it clear that if he wanted a car that was sturdy, reliable, and confident to take on road trips, he’d need to get some help from a specialist…
CJ: “And that’s where Z Car Garage came in. I’d been an avid reader of the Z Car Blog throughout the restoration and had even spoken to Rob occasionally about various issues. There was never any question as to where I wanted to send the car for finishing school. So in Spring of 2021 I shipped the car from my small Colorado mountain town to San Jose. The initial plan was to have Rob and the crew bring it that extra 10% to completion. Thankfully Rob understood my vision and suggested additional work to ensure I actually wound up with the car I’d been dreaming of for so long.”
After sorting the engine and installing brakes/suspension we were stoked to get CJ’s car running. Before hitting the dyno we always do a test drive on the street and we noticed low oil pressure on the dash gauge, despite lack of obvious noises or behavior. Low oil pressure unfortunately was confirmed with our own gauge, and so we were at a crossroads with this 2.8 engine that CJ assembled together with his Dad. A decision was made to send it to Rebello Racing for a 3.0L build and it really came alive. CJ already provided the ph44 Mikuni carbs and we installed what every triple-carbed L-series needs: a ZCG Heat Shield!
A Moroso competition baffled oil pan prevents oil starvation with high cornering loads:
Cj was having header fitment issues. We ensured clearance was no longer an issue with a Fujitsubo exhaust system from manifold to muffler. These newer units have better fitment, but every car is different. More photos of the exhaust system in the gallery below:
The engine bay turned out great with general clean-up and sorting:
Driveline Upgrades
With the 3L engine in we focused on the transmission and rear axle. To handle the power from the 3L engine we replaced the stock 4-speed with a Nissan KA24 (FS5W71C) transmission. This was a common swap (before the CD009a came to market) performed by modifying a 280Z L-series bell housing. When we upgraded the transmission we also installed a JWT HD clutch with aluminum flywheel:
Helping put the power down efficiently is an OS Giken LSD. The R180 houses a 4.11 R&P and the assembly is setup in-house (by Joshua Corwin):
As CJ mentioned, he is avid reader of our zcarblog and no stranger to the “Butters” phenomenon: clients desire a similar setup for their own S30s. Our 1971 shop demo Z Mrs. Butters proudly features our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield, 6-speed transmission, full KW suspension (releasing soon) and 3.2L engine with triple-Mikuni induction. 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 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
We replaced the existing CV Axles (left) with ZCG units (Right). CJ received set #00395. Also visible are the T3 control arms:
Dyno Tuning
Rob dyno tuned the Rebello 3L engine with jetting, A/F and performance in mind as CJ would be driving this Z at 6,500ft above elevation. It put down a stout 261hp/220tq to the wheels:
Enjoy the L-series music in this extended video of CJ’s Z including dyno runs, test drive with Rob and engine/exhaust sounds…volume up!
ZCG Big-Brakes
We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on CJ’s 240z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) which have the been standard on numerous ZCG builds. 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.
We removed the stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. Not only do they perform, they look great behind the 15×8 Watanabe wheels!
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. New OEM Nissan master cylinder and Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!
Details
Cj’s project involved more than installation of our ZCG performance upgrades and dyno tuning. We nut and bolted the entire car, installed T3 RCAs to fix suspension geometry up front, set the ride height, scaled and aligned it. The gas tank was removed and all fuel recovery hoses replaced along with a new fuel pump. The clutch pedal was removed to allow welding-up of the pivot hole that had wallowed-out. This ensures proper clutch travel to work with his new KA24 transmission/clutch combo. The master cylinder, slave and hose were replaced with all new Nissan OEM components.
Driving is Believing
CJ’s Z was shipped back to Colorado in November and we are happy to report he is Enjoying the Ride in his dream Z…
CJ: “Like so many project cars, the goals of the build evolved and the car grew into something significantly more impressive than the onset of the build. Throughout the car’s time at ZCG Rob was great to work with and he always understood my vision and explained how to make it real. By the time the car came back to me in November of 2022 it may have still looked like the car I sent away, but the similarities were skin deep. From the brakes to the drivetrain the guts of the car were totally new and upgraded.”
CJ was impressed with the upgrades from Z Car Garage:
CJ:“The car is incredible now. It is an absolute animal when you give it full beans and the sounds and sensations it creates for me as a driver are like nothing I’ve ever experienced in a car. It is well mannered and drivable at low speeds and can cruise comfortably and quietly in 5th on the highway, but the instant you open up the right pedal it will shove you back in your seat with a massive grin on your face. The best thing about the car to me is the way each piece is set up to work together. The new ZCG brakes and axles work with the new transmission, OS Giken diff, suspension set up, and stout Rebello 3L to deliver a driving experience that is both exciting and confidence inspiring.”
CJ: “One of the coolest things about these old Z cars is the variety of people who love them. When I am out for drives I am just as likely to encounter a 19 year old kid who loves the car as I am to encounter a 79 year old with the same enthusiasm.”
We enjoyed working with you CJ, thank you for your support! Enjoy the photo gallery below.
Rob: “We enjoyed working with CJ, not only does he have a bitchin’ Z car, he’s fun to work with, very responsive and we had great conversations. He did not hold back in communicating his needs and we were happy to deliver the goods like we always try to. Honored to have folks locally and globally that want to work with ZCG. Thank you so much CJ, Long Live The Z.”
