We have known Alex for many years and enjoy seeing his Sunny truck on local drives and gatherings. He reached out to Z Car Garage for dyno tuning and we happily obliged. The Sunny was already close to being dialed-in so we just put the sprinkles on with a few adjustments. It is such a cool little RHD truck and drives really well.

 

Alex’s cars are built to high standard and have a great vibe. His LS-powered Datsun 510 wagon built by Marcus Fry Racing is well-known in the community:

 

“I met Rob through a mutual friend at the time (Dan from DGR), just about 15 years ago. I helped deliver the Bluebird he has around that time. Throughout the years I have heard great things about ZCG and it only made sense to go to Rob when it was time to get the carbs tuned on the Sunny. My experience was great. The acceleration is now smoother and I got to see numbers. The carbs are now synced and timing adjusted.”

 

Alex recalls how acquired the Sunny:

“I randomly found the Sunny for sale in Seattle a few years ago and pulled the trigger as I have always wanted one but never seen one in person. It was originally brought to the states by JapaneseClassicsLLC a year prior. A good friend, Marcus of MFR, volunteered to go with me and tow it back. Since then, I have had a blast driving and updating as we all do when we get a Datsun to play with. Rebuilt 5-speed, 0 offset Panasports, new rubber bushings and weatherstripping, and getting the seats reupholstered are just some of the things I have had done to date.”

Dyno Tuning

 

Alex brought truck to ZCG and we got it on the dyno. Under the hood is Nissan’s 1.2L A12 engine, also used in the B110 series sedans/coupes. This one sports dual Solex-Mikuni induction. It was already close to being dialed so we adjusted the full throttle, smoothed-out the fuel curve and timing. The truck made 54hp/59tq to the wheels:

  

Enjoy this video of the Sunny on the dyno at ZCG:

 

Enjoying the Ride

 

We love that Alex drives the ‘Ute everywhere. He’s a great guy to be around and also an an avid videographer, mounting a Ghostcam on the back of the truck capturing neat driving perspectives. You can see more of his adventures on his Instagram. We’ve had the pleasure of running with him on road rally events like Breakfast Club Rally. I even spotted Alex on HWY 101 S and at a local bar…you can tell how happy he is driving this truck. And yes, seeing a kei car in modern-day Bay Area traffic is quite the sight:

 

We asked Alex what’s next for the Sunny:

“In the future, I want to up grade the suspension and brakes (maybe I can get something ZCG to fit under 13s lol). Since I “somewhat” over modified my LS510, I decided to keep the sunny mostly stock. Soon, I am getting another A12 to use so I can rebuild the one under the hood to OEM.
I have always been a 510 guy, but I can’t help but like to drive the Sunny more.”

We appreciate your support Alex, keep Enjoying the Ride in your Datsuns! More photos in the gallery below

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Z Car Garage routinely services and modifies Nissan’s R35 supercar and today we have two that visited us for transmission work.

Anthony’s R35

Anthony came to ZCG after a dealership pulled a transmission failure code on his 2009 R35 GT-R. There is a common defect in the pressure sensors inside the transmission of specific model year R35s and ZCG can provide a client a little more than a dealership simply replacing a part. If we see something that is a known issue we like to offer an upgraded solution.

After getting a quote for a substantial amount at the dealership, Anthony reached out to us, brought the car in and we confirmed the failure. Jack’s Transmissions out of Colorado is a well-known R35 transmission builder and we had them build a “hot rod” unit with upgraded pressure sensors and clutches.

 

We removed the transmission and sent it to Jack’s. With the upgraded pressure sensors we needed to re-program the ECU and dyno tune to make sure it performed well. Anthony’s R35 made 511hp/478tq at the wheels, enjoy the dyno run video below:

 

 

Hector’s R35

 

Two weeks later, Hector visited us with is R35 having the exact same transmission code issue. We removed the transmission and re-installed the rebuilt unit from Jack’s. In the exhaust area we found downpipe issues… the passenger side turbo had a really terrible repair on the turbo charger housing in an attempt to get it to seal:

 

We removed all of that and repaired it correctly. With the exhaust off we were able to replace the outlet gaskets, all of the turbo studs and nuts plus a missing exhaust bracket. All exhaust system issues were corrected.

  We also dyno tuned Hector’s R35 after the fresh transmission was installed and it made 501hp/494tq to the wheels. Enjoy the dyno video below:

 

 

Both GT-Rs are making great power and driving at full power with beautifully shifting transmissions. This is another great example of why independent specialty shops exist…we take over when the dealership says just replace it with a stock part…Long Live Boost and Long Live the R35!

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We love working on late-model Nissans and Nathan visited Z Car Garage for tuning and bolt-ons for his 2014 Nissan R35 GT-R.

 

We installed our go-to Specialty-Z R35 intake kit, AMS 90mm downpipes and AMS 90mm midpipe with stock flange to the cat back exhaust:

 

The Specialty-Z intake kit replaces the restrictive factory airbox:

 

AMS downpipes and midpipe:

 

Dyno Tuning

Nathan signed on for ECUTEK tuning including his own ECUTEK Bluetooth dongle to check codes and monitor vitals. With Rob’s dyno tuning the GT-R made 553hp/545tq at the wheels, gains of +53hp/82tq:

 

Enjoy the dyno videos below:

 

Nathan was super excited with the results and fueling upgrades are up next. Long Live Boost and Long Live the GT-R!

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Kevin M visited Z Car Garage for Stillen intakes, test pipes and dyno tuning on his 2013 Nismo 370Z.

 

He found this V1 Nismo Z34 in September 2020 at a Nissan dealership that was not yet advertised. Being a rare Magma Red model he jumped on it quickly.

 

A common issue on the 370Z is the internal slave failing due to heat. Thankfully Z Speed Performance makes a kit to convert the internal slave to external (CMAK Upgrade). In January 2021 on his first to ZCG we performed the CMAK upgrade. Since the transmission was removed Kevin opted for a Z Speed Stage 1 Quiet clutch with steel flywheel:

“When I first got the Nismo I was worried about the infamous csc going out. So I looked up for any shops that dealt strictly with Nissan and I was lucky enough to come across Z Car Garage. Transmission work included the Zspeed Performance Stage one quiet clutch kit with C MAK. My Nismo felt almost brand new compared to when I drove it off the dealership.” 

 

   

We also installed Whiteline diff bushings on that first visit and discussed doing a tune and some hot rod stuff in the future.

 

In October 2021 Kevin returned to ZCG. We installed CWorks Test Pipes and Stillen GEN 3 intakes:

 

Dyno Tuning

 

We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades. Rob UPREV flashed Kevin’s Z with the additional ARC license. Baseline power was 296hp/256tq and after tuning it made 338hp/275tq at the wheels, gains of 42hp/19tq. Kevin was happy with the power improvements.

Enjoy this video with dyno runs and exhaust system sounds!

 

Thanks for your support Kevin, Long Live The Z!

Contact us for tuning!

Z Car Garage offers the ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details and to schedule your Z/G tuning appointment.

 

 

The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. We are proud to be a part of this group and support its members, like former ZONC president Ken C. Ken brought his 1970 S30 to Z Car Garage for a dyno tune and minor sorting. In true do-it-yourself fashion Ken performs most of the work himself, even installing a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles in his garage.

 

“When I was 19 and in the Air Force I saved up for a Pinto, saved more for a Maverick…then I saw a 240z. I always wanted a 1970 and got this one in 1985. I drove it everywhere including Maine. I do 99% of the work myself with lots of details/upgrades like a huge cooling system (custom shroud) to support the A/C, rebuilt steering rack and all lightning.”

We recall seeing Ken’s Series 1 240z at the ZONC Annual Car Show in Brisbane, CA where he picked up an award for his efforts:

 

You can imagine how honored we were to have Ken let us work on his Z that only he’s allowed to work on. He had built a Rebello 3L with 5-speed/stock clutch and wanted us to do final sorting:

“Rob has always supported ZONC, done good work for its members so I trusted him to help get my Z in shape.  It was running too rich, stumbling and it would die when A/C  was turned on.”

 

Rob dyno tuned the L-series with SUs gaining more hp/tq and eliminating the hesitation Ken reported. The dyno plot shows his old L24 from a ZONC dyno day at the shop vs the current Rebello 3L now making a stout 183hp/191tq at the wheels. Enjoy this dyno video with sweet L-series music:

 

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 100 sets of axles, 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. Full details can be found HERE

 

Ken had purchased a set of our ZCG CV Axles and installed them himself.We love to hear from customers that are using our products and he reports that the axles were easy to install and well-engineered. Thanks Ken, and nice work:

“The ZCG CV axles—much smoother happy with less vibrations, best CV axles I’ve ever seen. It took me about 90 minutes to install. Super simple and easy and Rob is of course always supporting his own products with great service.”

 

Please contact the shop or visit our website to order your CV Axles!

 

Time To Enjoy The Ride

 

Ken continues to enjoy driving his Z, to shows or cruises and around town:

 

More inspiration for the Do-it-yourself’er…Ken is also restoring this ’72 S30 back to its stock blue/white in his garage (and kitchen)!

 

Thank you Ken for entrusting your Z to us. Ken is an avid baker and makes his own jerky, we also thank him for the cookies (which he’s known for) and snacks he provided to the ZCG crew. LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

More pictures in the gallery below: …[read more]