We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. Ray H added a set to his 1971 Skyline that he acquired from our friends at JDM Legends. Ray also visited Z Car Garage for dyno tuning and alignment services which transformed this Hakosuka.

  

Ray has been a ZCG client for many years. We first saw his Skyline at the 2019 Golden Week Kyusha Festival where I spoke to him about visiting ZCG for some upgrades and tuning.

 

Fast forward to 2021 and I spotted Ray at the Driving While Awesome gathering. He pleasantly informed me that he was running our ZCG CV Axles (serial # 00356) and we are happy to report that he installed them himself!

“I have been wanting to go with CV’s for a while on my SR 510. I have been following a few suppliers since they first started showing up about 10 years ago. I did notice that people were having problems with them wearing out and also that there were a few redesigns. On my Hako, I desperately needed to a wheel bearing and half shaft u-joint replacement as it was making some awful clunking noises back there. So, when I started seeing your blogs about the CV’s I was immediately interested. Knowing Rob, I knew these had to be good!”

 

Ray sent us a few installation pictures of the ZCG CV Axles replacing the old CVs and the R180 STI LSD:

“It was just an optimum time to get these when I had my entire rear suspension out for a rebuild and upgrade. The installation was pretty straightforward.” So far all good, I don’t think my modest power has put these to the test but its nice to know something has been well engineered and its one thing I wont have to worry about, not mention they look bitchin!”

 

For more information on our Z Car Garage CV Axles please read below. Before we share the dyno tuning results, let’s take a look at how Ray found his Skyline…

Datsuns From the Beginning

 

It is worth noting that Ray is a die-hard Datsun (510) enthusiast with ties to the old Nor-cal 510 club from decades ago. In the groovy group photo above, Ray is in the back row, last 510 on the right! Here it is, his first Datsun 510 circa 1981 (below, left) and same car with flares and a Cartech turbo kit in the FAR Performance parking lot!

 

Ray shares the story of his Skyline:

“I have always loved the 510, my first car in high school and still own 3 currently. When the internet started to become a regular thing I noticed these awesome looking boxy cars by Nissan sold only over there and I think Europe. I eventually stumbled upon JDM Legends website about 10 years ago and started inquiring about how much they cost and how to get one. Erik at a couple different times offered me a chance to buy one, however timing was just not right for me at the time. Fast forward a few years and Velocity channel (now Motortrend) starts promoting a show with Hakos running around! I instantly got the bug again and thought “these things are going to explode in value, If I don’t get one now I never will”.

Much to my amazement, I got a call within a month. He said “I got a line on a couple in Japan, one sounds exactly what you looking for”. He sent me pictures and I think I agreed to buy it the next day, still remember July 4th, 2018! Took about 3-4 months to get to Long Beach, then immediately to Utah. Once it was in Utah, Erik and Josh went through the whole car so it was a ready to go.”

“I flew out to Utah after he had it for a month to go over additional upgrades. First off, he said this was one of the cleanest, most solid chassis he’d ever brought over! It really goes to show, you get what you pay for. I cant stress enough, pay the money up front, it is so worth it to get a solid car with everything on it! The additional work they performed included, flaring the front and ordering wider Watanabes, modern fuse block conversion, new spoiler upfront, Mauricio did the paint match! I picked up in November of that year and trailered it all the way home.”

 

Since picking it up from JDM-L, Ray has been driving the Hako frequently. Quick specs:

1971 Nissan 2000 GTX , finished in white as GTR tribute

Engine:
2.8 L series straight six, Late 5 spd transmission, N42 head, Triple Italian Weber 40’s, Headers with Fujitsubo exhast, All original mechanical linkage.

Suspension:
Watanabe 15×9.5 -26 rear 15×8.5 -6 front, Toyo RA1 225/50/15 rear 205/50/15 front, Modified rear crossmember with FotoFab camber/toe brackets (510), QA1 double adj.rear shocks, ZCG CV’s, Subie R180 3.9 LSD, Finned aluminum rear drums, New Nissan bushings, bearings, driveshaft U-joints, brake cylinders, T3 280ZX front strut with coilover and aluminum hubs and Koni yellow adj. struts.

 

Exterior:
Protec over flares and front spoiler
GTR front grill and badging
Complete chrome trim and new weather strip

Interior:
Power windows, GTR shift knob and emblem, Stock Seats, Nardi steering wheel, Coco mats, Stock radio. All functioning and complete switches and dash.

 

Ray also has several 510s including a ’72 510 2dr (S15 SR20DET) “SaRafina”, ‘72 510 4dr “Mossy” and ‘69 510 2dr “project Scotty”. Follow Ray and his Datsun adventures on Instagram.

Dyno Tuning

 

Ray was experiencing some driveability issues and considered changing his triple-Weber induction to triple-Mikuni to resolve it. We suggested bringing it in for Rob to diagnose, tune and also provide alignment services. Before hitting the dyno, Rob and Josh identified the major culprit-the throttle linkage was not allowing wide-open operation.

 

The throttle-linkage was fixed and Rob was able to dyno tune the L28 with the triple-Webers for best AFR/timing. The results were astounding: baseline was 53hp/83tq and after tuning 162hp/169tq to the wheels!

 

It’s not unusual to pick up 10-15whp with Rob’s dyno tuning of your vintage car, but Ray gained a whopping 109hp/86tq. After driving the Hako after ZCG tuning/alignment he was ecstatic:

“My experience at ZCG and the dyno – Freakin awesome! Way exceeded my expectations! I’ve already had many people ask me “can he get me in there, I need that”. It’s actually kind of a bummer, that he is so booked up, I’m sure there are many people that would love to get there car in there and unlock some potential! My Hako is so much more driveable now, tracks straight with the alignment and the power gain, amazing! Like I told you, my Solex 44’s are ready, but I just want to enjoy this now for a while.”

 

Enjoy this video we made of the Skyline in action: dyno passes, in-car testing with Rob and Ray’s first drive/reactions. Volume up!

 

Evening shots with Ray in amazement after his test drive…

 

 

Alignment Services

 

Z Car Garage offers full alignment services for your late model and vintage car. Ray’s Hako was fully-aligned by our lead technician Josh who has many hours of street and race car setup experience. Caster was optimized here for better steering/stability.

 

 

 

Enjoying The Ride

 

We were super stoked to see Ray so happy with the Hako and he continues to drive and enjoy it.

“As I get up here in age, it is very important that my collector cars run! I’m no longer interested in endless project cars. Now I just want to get out there and drive! This leads into my praise for JDM Legends, like ZCG they just get it. Erik Bizek, like Rob, has a crazy passion for these vintage cars which I love.”

Thank you for your support Ray, and for letting us be a part of your Hakosuka. We look forward to working with you again and seeing you on the road!

 

 

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.

  …[read more]

 

Peter Brock will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame tonight at 7:45pm Eastern time. You can watch the live event on the MSHF YouTube Channel or on their Facebook page. Highlights from yesterday’s preview were the unveiling of the Peter Brock display case, which will be on display for one year and the Peter Brock bronze portrait which will be permanently displayed in the MSHF. Our client and friend Randy Jaffe is attending the event and displayed the BRE Datsun 510 and 240Z race cars at the museum:

 

The cars were unveiled for Pete Brock to see:

 

We will have more coverage from the event soon. Please join us in congratulating Pete for this achievement!

 

Pete is best known for designing the 1965 World Champion Cobra Daytona Coupes and for his multi-time national champion Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) Datsun 240Zs and 510s. At GM in the 1950s, Brock helped conceive the shape of the groundbreaking 1959 Corvette Stingray race car and 1963 production model. As Shelby American’s first employee, he ran the Carroll Shelby driving school, penned the Daytona and worked on the Mustang GT-350 street and race cars. After the Datsun years, Brock became a photojournalist and wrote award-winning books on his Daytonas and the Corvette Sting Ray.

 

 

Z cars may remain with their loving owners for years, change ownership or even get spotlighted in the media at some point. Our “where are they now” series features past Z Car Garage vehicles with updates on their status. In this second installment we catch up with Greg’s 1977 Datsun 280Z, now residing in Seattle, WA.

 

Z Car Garage Restoration

We met the previous owner, Greg H a few years ago at a Blackhawk Museum gathering where famed Peter Brock (BRE) was speaking. Greg told us that he found a clean, low-mileage 280z and he was really interested in ZCG going through it. After he visited the shop we discussed our previous 280z builds (Cece, Gary and the Roth’s) and got to work building a Z for Greg that would reflect his tastes while keeping the vintage vibe. This 1977 280z was treated to a ZCG-style mechanical restoration including a new drivetrain, engine bay restoration, total suspension rebuild and more.

 

You can read all about our work on this Z here HERE. A few highlights include our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes developed with Stoptech:

 

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.

 

Greg received ZCG CV Axle set #264, standard half-shafts shown on left:

   

The Z received a new L31 engine with fresh 280Z 5-speed transmission. The entire engine bay was detailed with new hoses/clamps, plating and wiring:

 

Full front and rear suspension rebuild:

 

Panasport wheels:

   

Where is it now?

 

In August 2020, Greg H listed the Z on Bring a Trailer, you can see the auction HERE. The auction winner and new owner Greg J reached out to us and we’ve been in touch ever since. He even sent us this nice write-up below of his journey picking up the Z in Fresno, CA and driving back up to his home in Seattle, WA. Enjoy!

 

You can’t go back, or can you?

By Greg James

There’s an old saying about never being able to go back. In a sense, it’s true. Anyone approaching-or at- senior citizen status knows what I mean. However, with our cars, we can re-live some of our youth even If it means doing so with a bit more weight, less hair, and a more measured approach to what and how we drive. In other words a car can be a great way to go back in time. In the early 1980’s, while in college, I earned my degree from the school of auto hard knocks before getting things more or less sorted out. Impulsive car buying decisions  and – admittedly – my poor maintenance of those same cars resulted in a series of duds that ended up junked or unloaded quickly. That list included a Datsun 610, Sunbeam Alpine, Saab 99, and a Datsun 1600 Roadster. Eventually after trial and error and a couple of seized motors, I found my “road mate”: A lightly used Orange/Black 1973 Datsun 240Z. Unlike my previous cars, the Datsun was quick, reliable (By then I’d learned to change the oil), and sleek.  Did I mention reliable? I drove it for over 50K miles, and it never let me down. After 3 years of ownership I sold the 240Z and moved on to a 1976 Porsche 911S. I quickly embraced the Porsche marque and over the next several decades, bought, sold, and “drove the wheels off” a dozen 911 cars starting with the original S and up to my current pair of Neunelfers, a 1996 993 Twin Turbo, and a 1985 3.2 Carrera. During Porsche ownership I rarely looked back at – or thought about – any of my former cars, with one big exception, the Datsun 240Z. When I occasionally saw one on the road, I remembered the ‘73 and the numerous road trips I took with my girlfriend to places like Sun Valley Idaho or San Francisco. By today’s standards, the originals Z’s are primitive and underpowered. 40 years ago they were a sexy Japanese import with curb appeal, and performance to match.

 

At the height of the 2020 summer Covid shutdown, my attention turned to the Internet and many of the popular on-line auctions sites. Datsun 240Z’s had become a staple on Bring A Trailer, and auctions often featured nut and bolt restorations or original low mile “time capsules”. Six figure sales of a Japanese car that originally sold for around $3500 occurred weekly. Eventually boredom, fond memories, and my own curiosity got the better of me and I decided to add a “Z” to my small car collection. That decision then prompted me to soul search as I contemplated buying a 1970’s era Datsun: Would it be a rotisserie restored early series low mile 240Z that could $100k or more? Perhaps a DIY restored high quality “driver” for $30-50k? Or a 280Z with fuel injection, a more robust build and the optional 5-speed transmission?

 

In the end, after a fair amount of research, chats with local Z owners, and several test drives I settled on the 280Z. I concluded I wanted a car I’d drive, and fuel injection made sense because of lower maintenance costs, and less finicky old school technology. Eventually the ideal candidate came up on BaT. Located in Fresno California, It was a professionally restored 1977 280Z in light metallic blue, with a 5-speed, fuel injection, upgraded suspension brakes and wheels, a new interior, and an impressive stack of receipts from Z Car Garage of San Jose CA. As a bonus, the car had a stroked 3.1 motor built by Hasselgren Engineering of Berkley CA. Dyno’d at 170 RWHP, the straight 6 was producing close to 50 horsepower more than stock and promised performance that would enable it to at least keep up with a modern SUV. I bought the car.

 

Originally intending to have the car shipped 1000 miles from Fresno to Seattle, I thought back to some of the early road trips I made in my 20’s and convinced my 12 yr. old son Andrew that in the middle of the Covid “summer of boredom” we’d have a great time touring Northern California, and the coasts of Oregon and Washington in the new acquisition. The route we decided on would be nearly 1200 miles, and after explaining what a “Datsun” was to Andrew, and some negotiation, we agreed on two things: We’d drive scenic coastal Hwy 101 from Eureka north, and lunches would be at In-N-Out Burger.

 

We flew to Fresno on a Saturday and met the owner at the airport. After a short test drive in which the Datsun performed well, and some chit chat about cars, the weather, traffic, money, and why a beat up Porsche 914 is cooler than a modern Mazda Miata, we were off. We left at 3 in the afternoon on a typical 105 degree Fresno summer day. The owner promised everything in the car worked, and true to his word, the A/C blew cold, which was a big relief. On the freeway, the 3.1 straight six performed well. With noticeably more grunt than a stock 2.8 the car accelerated in a predictable linear manner. No hesitation, no carb flat spot, just smooth running. In fact, I judged its acceleration to be similar to my 207 HP US spec 1985 3.2 Carrera. The 5 speed was tight, the steering crisp, and the overall feel told me we’d have some spirited driving ahead of us.

 

Day 1 took us from Fresno, 300 miles north to Redding CA on I-5, which was uneventful freeway driving. Day 2 was more exciting as we departed Redding early and made our way to CA Hwy 299, a well maintained mostly 2 lane mountain road that snakes 150 miles west through the Coastal range while following the Trinity River to the Pacific Ocean. I’m lucky enough to have driven some spectacular western US “driver” roads in my 60 years, and 299 would rank near the very top for curves, hairpins, fast straights, scenery, and a respectable number of passing lanes. We made it to Eureka and the coast in under 3 hours, and just in time for lunch at In-N-Out Burger, California’s famously good fast food chain. From there we drove north on 101 with a stop at Redwoods National Park and a stroll through The Lady Bird Johnson Grove of Giants. While I’ve always appreciated the amazing machines we humans have managed to build with our big brains and ingenuity, nothing human-made can match the awe you feel standing next to a 2000 year old, 300 foot tall truly enormous tree. From the Redwoods, we proceeded north on 101 along the Southern Oregon coast. Traffic was light, and Oregon State Troopers were few and far between. Andrew and I reveled in the scenery: rugged beaches, breaking waves, jagged near-shore islands, steep cliffs. 101 is a drivers dream! We stopped for the night in the beach town of Florence Oregon, famous for its miles of sand dunes and Honeyman State Park. The next day, after a fisherman’s breakfast and some strong coffee, the plan was to continue north on 101. However, fires closed the road ten miles north of Florence and we were forced to sidetrack east to Eugene Oregon and I-5 for the rest of the trip to Seattle. The last days 300 miles went smoothly, and the Datsun 280Z handled high freeway speeds with minimal effort. At 3000 RPM in 5th, the big 3.1 had us cruising along effortlessly at 80MPH. All in all, a great trip with a great kid in a wonderful car.  Ah, the memories…

 

Enjoying The Ride

 

In March of 2021, Greg contacted us with a nice update on the Z…he had early bumpers installed and it looks great:

 

Thanks for sharing your story and passion with us Greg. We are stoked that you got to Enjoy The Ride in the Z with family on an epic roadtrip. Here’s to many more memorieZ.  Stay tuned for our next “Where are they now” feature, and if you missed our first installment find it HERE. Long Live The Z!

 

We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. Julio added this 1972 Skyline to his collection and had the team at KaiserKars replace the old CVs with our ZCG CV Axles. You may have seen the Hakosuka at at events in the SoCal area and we are proud to be part of it!

 

We met Julio last year at the Japanese Classic Car Show where his Skyline was on display in the Hagerty booth. He pleasantly informed us that he was running ZCG CV Axles and we are happy to report that the team at KaiserKars installed them with ease at their facility in Los Alamitos, Ca:

“Our in-house technician said the installation process was very straightforward and simple, basically just a bolt on/bolt off slid right in and bolted each axle to the differential and it was finished. It went as smooth as it could go.”

 

The team at KaiserKars sent us a few installation pictures of the ZCG CV Axles replacing the old CVs. They shared their experience:

“We were recommended the upgraded CV Axles by a friend of ours that pointed us to Rob. The Skyline came with some rear differential knocking/popping issues, the upgrade fixed the problem. We eventually got in contact with Rob himself and he asked us a few things in regards to what was currently on the car. We think they were a kit by the previous owner but they were completely shot and beyond rebuilding.”

  

Skyline Dreams

 

The Hakosuka Skyline is undeniably a JDM icon. We asked Julio about his history with Japanese classics:

“I have been a car geek all my life, but as all guys my age, Fast and Furious, Gone in 60 Seconds, Motorweek and the Saturday/Sunday cable shows were the culprits for my love of all cars. But once I watched Hot Version/Option, and Initial D anime I was smitten by JDM cars and culture, I longed to ride in a GTR, drift an AE86 and own all the unicorn cars I grew to idolize. So far the hunt is on and I seem to be collecting them like others collect Hotwheels. The Hakosuka has been a love affair for me as I regret selling my last one in a bad deal but this one makes up for that bad memory and I could not be happier with its stance, power and aura.”

The Hako features some of our favorite parts like the Rebello 3.2L with Jenvey ITB induction:

 

In addition to the upgraded ZCG CV Axles the Hako also has an R200 LSD diff, 5-speed transmission, 16″ Watanabe R-Type wheels (8.5/9.5), Rubber Soul stainless exhaust system and T3 suspension. Outside, the body is VW Limestone Grey Metallic with carbon fiber flares, GT-Kai badging and re-finished bumpers in eggshell black. More pictures in the gallery below!

 

Thank you for your support Julio, it was great meeting you at JCCS! Also, thank you to KaiserKars we look forward to working with you! 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 150+ 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.

  …[read more]

 

The annual Nostalgic 2 Days show is possibly the coolest indoor retro gathering in Japan. We are really happy to see this Supermachine Series 1 Datsun 240Z on display, featuring our  Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles.

 

Held inside the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Center 2/19-20, Nostalgic 2 Days is a trade show/classic car display/swap meet with the latest tuning houses and even manufacturers taking part in celebrating the vintage J-Tin we love. Supermachine’s Series 1 looking fantastic:

 

Supermachine purchased and installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), complete with parking brake. They added a custom touch to the Stoptech calipers too:

  

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

  

Supermachine installed a set of our ZCG CV Axles, including a photo of the factory half shafts for comparison:

  

More photos from the Supermachine display at Nostalgic 2 Days:

 

 

Thanks for your support Supermachine, and congratulations on the Nostalgic 2 Days display!