We promised our readers a full, zcarblog.com report on Trevor’s 280Z after it was featured on Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. Let’s take a closer look at this fantastic daily driver+canyon carver showcasing our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, CD009 Six-speed transmission and more.

The Next Big Thing

It’s no secret that S30 chassis values have skyrocketed in the past few years. While the 240Z commands top dollar it has become out of reach for many enthusiasts. Not to worry, Datsun offered the 260Z/280Z models and both are great, attainable chassis in the S30 world. Trevor shares how he found his 280Z:

“I met my Z in almost completely stock form with 94k original miles. I travel for work, ending up in a new town every 6 months or so. As soon as I had an inkling of where I was going to be sent next, I would start hitting the internet classifieds for a 280z. While the 240z had seductive weight savings over the later versions, my attention turned to the 280z for its fuel injection (with constant travel I didn’t want to have to tune carbs), it’s price/ availability, and they are easier to find with air conditioning.” Below, left is the night Trevor bought his Z:

“I found my silver Z in Phoenix, Arizona. The only things it had on it that weren’t original from the Hiratsuka factory were the wheels, springs, and Toyota 4×4 front brake calipers. The rest of it was stock, and most importantly, complete. I did a little work to get it running smoother, basically replaced all maintenance items and swapped out a few sensors that weren’t working, and then drove it as much as I possibly could.”

Trevor was looking for a shop to take care of his 1978 Datsun 240z and heard about ZCG from a shop tour with Larry Chen on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus (Thanks Larry!). Trevor brought the Z in last summer and we performed a full inspection before upgrades.

“I chose to send my Z to Z Car Garage after watching Larry Chen’s Autofocus episode on the shop. I could really tell that Rob had a ton of passion for what he does and I knew I could have confidence with him at the helm. Before I had showed up at the shop, Rob and I had talked on the phone about doing the brakes, control arms all the way around, and a couple of other smaller things. I wanted it to handle as best as it possibly could and that meant stopping when it should and having the adjustability in the control arms to set up a proper alignment. ” 

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

We handed Trevor the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he 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 Trevor’s existing brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. The stock suspension (with Tokico struts/Eibach springs) was replaced by Apex Engineered parts, as supplied by Trevor. Shown below are front/rear control arms and T/C rods being installed, more pictures in the gallery:

   

Front control arms and TC rods:

  

ZCG Big-brakes replacing the Toyota 4×4 caliper setup:

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

    

Trevor is impressed with the braking performance:

“I quickly found out that even after just a short spirited mountain drive, the Toyota brakes would get hot and fade. It didn’t help that after getting a taste for driving her quickly, I wanted to do a few track days in the future. I knew I wanted a brake upgrade, one that I would only have to do once. After getting back to Southern California I was really able to put the car through its paces on the canyon roads. The ZCG Big-Brakes proved their worth and were consistent and didn’t fade even after a few good rips up and down the mountains. This car sticks to the road insanely well. With the alignment and new tires it just carves.”

Z Car Garage CV Axles

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

 

Trevor has CV Axle set #335. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

 

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible is the ZCG Exhaust system:

Panasport Wheels

Complementing the new Big-Brakes on Trevor’s Z are Panasport wheels! We replaced the aftermarket wheels with 16×7 Panasports and sticky Bridgestone RE-71R tires in 225/50/16. The Z was fully aligned:

Engine

We knew the car would be stopping and handling better than before, so we installed a Moroso oil pan and Koyo aluminum radiator to keep temperatures in check. Other than cooling and fuel system work, the engine was largely untouched to maintain factory reliability.

 

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 a Pacesetter header ( to clear six-speed) leading to our ZCG exhaust system with stainless resonator and slash-cut tip.

 

Dyno Tuning

Rob dyno tuned the L28 with OEM EFI. Baseline was 133hp/149tq and with Rob’s tuning it made 143hp/159tq at the wheels:

Enjoy the dyno run video below:

Driveline Upgrades

We built Trevor an OS Giken LSD, a perfect upgrade for anyone doing spirited driving.

“As with the brakes, I figured the best way to do the driveline was once so I also went with an OS Giken LSD and Z Car Garage CV axles.”

  

We changed the final drive, installing a R180 4.11 OSG LSD built in in-house:

     

The clutch hydraulics were replaced to work with new aluminum flywheel/JWT HD clutch combo:

Six Speed Transmission

Next on the update list, we were really excited to install a Nissan 350z 6-speed manual transmission behind the L-series in Trevor’s Z. You read that right! S30 owners can now bolt-in this robust, 6-speed manual behind their L-series engine!  You might remember our first application of Austin Hoke’s custom 6-speed adapter kit on the OS Giken TC24B1Z-powered 240z:

  

Using the 6-speed conversion kit from Hoke Performance we installed a new CD009a transmission from the 2003 -2008 Z33 in Trevor’s 280Z:

  

Here is the brand-new transmission from Nissan being unboxed:

 

The kit necessitated exhaust header changes and after testing a variety of headers we found the Pacesetter 6-2-1 unit provided enough clearance. Serial 9 provided the shifter relocation assembly and we are really happy with its performance. Also shown is the aluminum driveshaft.

 

 

It fits! More installation pictures in the gallery. It’s a very discreet look from the cockpit…until you feel the amazingly direct and precise feel of the CD009a!

 

Trevor is in love with the six-speed, we are as well:

“I had done my absolute best to convince myself that I didn’t need a transmission swap and my wallet and I were on the same page as I went to drop the Z off at Z Car Garage. Where my wallet and I started to have a disagreement was after Rob let me take Butters for a spin. After feeling the CD009 perform there was zero chance I was going to get my car back without one on the back of my L28. However, the more I was driving the car in the twisties, the more I started to become unhappy with the uneven gear ratio gaps between shifts.” 

Details

We sorted out little things for Trevor like making his Speedhut tach and speedo functional. The car was fully detailed:

  

The Z was cut/buffed with a detail from JB mobile detail.  We’ve worked with Veto at JB for years and he’s a big Z car enthusiast:

 

Driving is Believing

When Trevor picked up car, he was blown away:

“The car I got back is a totally different machine from the one I had dropped off. The result of the perfect combination of driveline parts is a sore face caused by either smiling the entire time or from your face almost leaving your head as Rob shows you just how well the brake kit works. Rob also threw her on the dyno and finally got the stock system performing perfectly. I’m sure it’s making more power than it did even new back in ’78.”

  

The Z was recently featured on Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. Larry and Rob discuss the work ZCG performed and take it for a spin. Watch the video to get an idea of the six-speed and power from Trevor’s280Z:

We enjoyed working with Trevor and he’s been Enjoying The Ride in his Z:

“I had flown up from the LA area where I was working to the shop in San Jose. My plan was to drive the car back down the PCH to get a feel for my new machine. I couldn’t believe how much fun the car was to drive on curvy roads. The CD009 feels great behind my L28. The shift pattern is short and precise, it’s fantastic. The rear end has no play and pairs nicely to the race feel of the CD009. One of the best parts of the combo is how easy it is to drive. It feels like you have a race car transmission but with the ease of use of a street car.”

 

 

“She’s back at Z Car Garage right now as my job has me in Omaha for the rest of the year. I have been talking to my wallet about coil overs and maybe an engine build while the car is in San Jose. My Z and I are apart right now but I cannot wait until I’m able to eat up more miles with her. She is a wicked joy.”

 

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

Our customer Randy Jaffe’s incredible Nissan/Datsun collection is featured on the latest episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. Join Randy and Larry as they walk through his collection and discuss street and racing cars from the past. This is a diverse collection you won’t want to miss, enjoy!

Our customer Randy Jaffe’s 1972 Datsun 240Z is featured on the latest episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. This is a special, “Vintage Z” that is 1 of 37 examples that Nissan had restored and sold as new back in 1997. Watch Larry and Randy discuss the history of the Vintage Z program and what makes them highly collectible cars. Enjoy!

 

LONG LIVE THE Z!

Many of our clients perform work on their Z cars by themselves, and we love to help when they are ready. Kai N installed a bunch of parts on his 1972 Datsun 240Z and got to the point where he didn’t feel comfortable taking it further. He took his Z to several local shops and was not getting it sorted so he visited Z Car Garage. We got him dialed in by sorting out his Weber carbs, brakes and fuel system. Our ZCG Heat Shield also graces his induction setup.

“A while back I installed triple DCOEs, headers and exhaust. I got some professional help to get the car running, but it was not quite right, so I knew my next call would be to ZCG. But before I made the call the pandemic hit, I found myself with a bit more free time and started working on other bits of the car. I ended up working on the cooling system (new radiator, electric fans), fuel system (electric fuel pump), new brakes and suspension.”

Z in the Family

Kai shares his Z history:

“The Z belonged to my Uncle Donnie until the late 90’s. He sold the car to our local mechanic. I’ve always wanted a Z and my Dad always reminded me where I could find Uncle Donnie’s old Z if I was ever ready to own one. When I was finally able to acquire my dream car in 2017, I asked the mechanic a few times if he would sell me the car while I was shopping for a Z, but he was on the fence about it. BTW I think he had 2 or 3 Zs at the time. After a few months of me bugging him, a generous offer and my uncle (along with his friends) putting in a few good words on my behalf, he was finally convinced to sell me the car.”

“I will never forget that after I purchased the Z, my Dad told me a story. Before my uncle sold the car to the mechanic; Uncle Donnie had asked my Dad if he wanted the Z. I was a few years from being old enough to drive and the Z could have been my first car. Of course, my Dad declined the offer. I got my Z, it just happened 20ish years (and a lot of $) late.”

Mechanical Sorting

 

Kai wanted us to address a list of items and we knocked each one out. Littles things like installing a temperature sensor, replacing motor and transmission mounts, re-wiring his fuel pump and new rack bushings were taken care of. We also sorted out his braking system and nut/bolted the entire suspension followed by a full alignment.

The engine bay was cleaned up, drive belt replaced and we sorted the Weber carbs. Kai purchased one of our Z Car Garage Heat Shields and we modified it to work with his throttle cable linkage:

More info on our ZCG Heat Shield below:

ZCG Heat Shield

We are excited to offer the Z Car Garage Heat Shield for your triple-carb’d L-series Z car. This is a one-piece 304 stainless unit with laser-etched serial number. Proven on all of our L-series engine builds and dyno testing.

 

This heat shield will fit Mikuni, Weber, Dellorto and Jenvey induction with several intake manifolds like the Harada:

 

Dyno Tuning

The triple Webers were dialed in on the dyno. With Rob’s tuning the Z went from running poorly to running well, making 141hp/141tq to the wheels:

Listen to that L-Series music on the dyno:

Kai is really happy with the work we performed:

“It’s a completely different car. It still needs work, but I can finally enjoy the car. I didn’t want a track car or a pristine show car, I simply wanted my Z to be something that I could enjoy. ZCG brought the joy. My Z’s journey isn’t done, it will continue to evolve and I’ll be counting on ZCGs help. I approached ZCG without much of a plan. I think Rob and crew formulated and executed the perfect plan for me (and my budget). The car is fun and safe, while having potential for more growth.  I had not driven the car in 2 years, So I’m sure you can imagine how happy I was.”

What’s next for Kai’s Z? He’s driven Mrs. Butters, our 1971 shop 240Z and he is returning to ZCG for our ZCG Big Brakes!

“My experience at ZCG has been amazing, I’m pumped for the next step in my car’s journey. ZCG BBK is next for me! Also being at the shop is cool too, there is always something there that blows my mind (like the BRE Z or the IMSA).”

Thanks for your support Kai, we are honored to be a part of your Z car journey!

Larry Chen from Hoonigan Autofocus is back in Alpharetta, Georgia visiting Randy Jaffe’s Nissan/Datsun collection. In this episode they discuss several historically significant Datsun 510 race cars. Enjoy!