When we acquired our new 2023 Nissan Z the very first modification was a Fast Intentions TDX 2.5″ Cat Back Exhaust System. FI makes the best exhaust for late model Nissans/Infiniti sports cars, If you have an RZ34 this is the one to get with high quality, great fitment and a wonderful exhaust note. Enjoy our review with photos and video below.
We watched Fast Intentions grow as a company and they have never compromised their quality. Z Car Garage has installed and tested many FI cat-back exhausts on the 370Z/Q60 sports cars, the fit/finish for their 2023+ Nissan Z system is equally impressive:
OEM and Fast Intentions exhaust installed before/after:
Detailed photos of the mufflers and piping, with even more shots in the gallery below:
Dyno Proven Results
The Fast Intentions Cat Back exhaust system also provides solid power gains. We performed before and after dyno runs on our 2023 Nissan Z Performance 6MT and saw 388hp/392tq with the OEM exhaust and 399hp/394tq with the Fast Intentions exhaust. Expect even more with tuning:
Enjoy this video demonstrating the Fast Intentions exhaust on our 2023 Nissan Z. You can see and hear it in action with hot/cold start, acceleration, drive-by and in-car footage:
Enjoying The Sound
We have put a few thousand miles on our Fast Intentions exhaust and it still looks and sounds fantastic. It has been through many dyno passes, track days and mountain runs.
For more details, visit Fast Intentions to see their Fast Intentions TDX 2.5″ Cat Back Exhaust System for the 2023+ Nissan Z. Thanks to FI for delivering consistenly high-quality parts and excellent customer service. Long Live The Z!
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.”
At Z Car Garage, the Datsun 510 is very close to our heart. Our hero John Morton piloted a 510 in the Trans Am racing series to put Nissan on the map, fueling every Datsun enthusiast’s passion for hot-rodding the humble economy car. We also have our share of race, personal and project 510s. When Mark G contacted us to work on his 510, we happily obliged especially after learning that it was built by fellow racer and Datsun 510 specialist Troy Ermish. The 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles, dyno tuning and more.
UPDATE: This post is an update to our initial blog post on Mark’s rad 510. He had an emergency request and Z Car Garage got him back on the road. Here is Mark with the story:
“I drove up HWY 9 for a quick run. The car died about a mile from Skyline, I called Nick for advice, no Spark. I emailed Rob that afternoon, after getting the car towed home, he contacted me the next morning. He got me into the shop on that Thursday to replace a bad MSD, so I could do the run with ZCG and crew to Morning Motors on July 31st.”
When Mark called we did not hesitate to get him in to the shop to resolve the issue. We found no power to coil and traced it to a failed MSD box. This was a strange unit we were not familiar with so we had our in-house electrical expert Joshua Corwin wire in our favorite MSD 6AL box. After a few small adjustments we dyno-tuned the 510 and it made excellent power, 177hp/170tq to the wheels:
Enjoy this video showing Mark’s 510 on the dyno and driving on the road, volume up!
Enjoying The Ride
Mark’s 510 was back on the road again and we all had a great time attending the Driving While Awesome Morning Motors. (Above) The group convened at Alice’s Restaurant, Mark’s 510 next to Erich’s Alfa Romeo gave some serious B-Sedan vibes!
Since this last visit we have had the pleasure of seeing Mark at various race events and even Nick’s Birthday party. Thanks for your support Mark!
“Because of the installation of the new MSD, ZCG dyno’d the car which improved it’s HP. Yahoo! Rob was kind enough to lend me his G20 to get around that day, cool little fun car. With his permission, I washed the cars windows. Another successful Z Car Garage encounter.”
Read further to learn more about Mark’s history with his 510 and build details…
510 Beginnings
Mark is an avid car enthusiast, growing up here in the South Bay. His first car was a lowered Capri that he tracked in the 80’s at Laguna Seca. He attributes his 510 passion from its rich racing heritage:
“I was introduced to Sports Car racing at Laguna Seca in the mid 70’s. I have been going to most all of the different events ever since. My favorite was Sports Cars racing, Camel GT’s, IMSA, ALMS. Thus the ‘Poor Man’s BMW 2002’, my recent 510 is my third and hopefully last. Number 2 was also brought back from the dead and used to commute and cruise over Highway 17 to Aptos to work for my Father’s business. The surf rack was installed to haul all kinds of stuff.”
In 2015, Mark decided to fulfill his dream of another 510 and bought a project car:
“I wanted something I could turn into a street racer and autocross car for my son. As in any extensive full blown renovation, everything on the car has been touched. I tore it completely apart, soda-blasted the car, personally sandblasted every bolt and part on the car, welded in new floor panels and rebuilt the trunk, back panel and rear valance.”
The project car:
Mark’s extensive bodywork:
“I met Troy Ermish early on in the process, so when the floors and trunk were repaired, the car was trailered to Troy for a full roll cage, front fender wells were cut back and jack points installed in the rocker panels at the “B” Pillars.”
After 18months of bodywork, which Mark was heavily involved with, it was back to Ermish for the final build out. The car was purchased with a 1600 and funky 4 speed, but Mark also scored a 2000cc with two side draft Mikuni’s and a ZX 5 speed transmission. The engine was sent to Rebello for a full rebuild and upgrade to 2360cc spec.
T- Square Brain
Mark studied art in school and his attention to detail throughout the 510 impressive. From the no-frills interior to uncluttered engine bay it’s no surprise that he earned the nickname “T-square brain”. Each time I see this car it reveals another level of fanaticism that reminds me how awesome Datsun-owners are. Enjoy a few detail shots with more pics in the gallery below:
Engine Bay
Devoid of unnecessary bits, the Rebello 2.3 with dual-Mikuni’s takes center stage:
Interior
A tribute to the B-Sedan racing 510s of the 70’s, the interior is spartan with a simple dash, roll cage and OMP seats:
Again, it’s super sanitary in here with subtle color choices and straightforward switchgear. That is Pete Brock’s signature on the dash!
Body
The 2017 Corvette Racing Yellow paint is loud, but in a good way. Mark’s touches here are an exercise in restraint, while harking back to the Trans Am racers he remembered. The white roundel was inspired by our friend Dave Scholz’ Datsun 240z as seen on Petrolicious . 13″ re-pop’d (VTO) AR Libras are the definitive wheel choice here, with contrasting black spokes and chunky Toyo R888 tires:
Sorting at ZCG
The 510 was constructed with both Mark’s skillset and Troy’s finishing touches. After he finished his project, Mark visited ZCG for adjustments and sorting.
ZCG CV Axles!
We upgraded Mark’s standard half shafts to our Z Car Garage CV Axles. These CV axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to standard half shafts, while eliminating the need for aluminum adapters. Mark got ZCG VV Axle set #320 and he loves them:
Nick about to install the new CVs:
Standard half shafts (left) and ZCG CV Axles (right). Note all of the powdercoated suspension parts:
Getting Mark Back On The Road
Mark was experiencing a re-occurring high water temp issue. Finally the head gasket was compromised so we pulled the engine for a refresh.
We re-intalled the the engine and tidied up the engine bay. The electric fan was removed and a fan clutch installed utilizing a 620 water pump/S30 fan blade to make it all fit behind the Koyo radiator:
On the road
With a few more minor tweaks like door locks and windows, Mark was out and about with his 510. He joined us at the local Fuel Supply Cars and Coffee:
I was fortunate to catch up with Mark and meet his son Dom who also has motorsports background. It was rad to see the Datsun being a family affair and Mark all smiles behind the wheel:
“I feel very lucky to be part of the Z Car Garage family. The staff are all great guys. I will continue to bring the car in for Anything it needs.”
Big thanks to Mark for letting us service his 510. We really enjoyed having the 510 in the shop!
Speaking of Love for The 510…this weekend 20+ B-Sedan racers will be running at Laguna Seca. I will have a full report for you, stay tuned!
More pictures in the gallery here: https://www.zcarblog.com/2020/08/05/performance/marks-1972-datsun-510.html
We met Bill in 2019 when he came to Z Car Garage on referral from our local Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) club. He’s owned this pretty 1973 Datsun 240Z in Brown Metallic (code 114) for many years and had a list of small things that he always wanted to address. Before we cover the cosmetic and mechanical work we performed let’s hear how Bill got into Z cars…
Bill’s Z Story
“When I was about 10, my sister and her husband bought a 1979 280ZX. (They still have it but it currently doesn’t run.) I loved it. I always wanted a Jaguar E type and the Z has a similar shape. As soon as I could afford one, I got a used 1977 280Z and drove it to almost 400,000 miles when I finally wrecked it. I went a couple of months without a Z when a friend told me about a 240 he saw for sale. The owner was a teacher and so am I so of the 3 bidders I got it.”
“Then a few years later I went into administration and with the raise I thought it would be fun to have a new Z to go with the 240 so I ended up buying a 2008 350Z. I have had two Zs ever since. The 350 is definitely more capable and is very fun to drive, but I still think the 240 looks better. A really fun part of owning the 240 is taking it to car shows. I get a lot of people saying things like, “I owned a car just like this.” It seems to bring back a lot of memories for many people. Everybody loves the Z!”
Keeping Bill On The Road
When Bill came to Z Car Garage in 2019 we re-chromed his rear bumper, zinc plated various hardware, removed smog equipment and cleaned up the engine bay. A failing oil spray bar was replaced and we added ZCG exhaust, header and Z Therapy carb set.
Re-chromed rear bumper:
Zinc’d hardware:
New exhaust header and SU carb set from Therapy:
In 2022 we did more work to Bill’s awesome ’73. We replaced the radiator with a Koyo race unit, installed a Rebello street cam, adjustable T/C rods from T3 followed by alignment services in-house. We also replaced the speedometer seal rings and oil pan gasket. More detailed photos in the gallery below!
New camshaft installation:
Adjustable T/C rod before/after:
Koyo Race radiator before/after:
Dyno Tuning
On the dyno the L24 made 137hp/138tq to the wheels:
Enjoy the dyno video!
Details
We took care of a few more items like weatherstripping and added a set of Holley retro headlights:
Enjoy The Ride
We have been taking care of Bill’s 240Z and enjoy working with him:
“ZCG does the highest quality work. They are very knowledgeable, honest and you can tell they really love Zs. It’s like they are working on their own car when they look at a customer’s car! It really feels like a new car. It needed a camshaft and some other parts and they did it perfectly. I love driving that car!”
We also take care of Bill’s 2008 Nissan 350Z convertible, to be featured on zcarblog.com soon!
What’s in store Bill’s 240Z? He’s always wanted a rally clock since seeing one at a car show 10+ years ago. Also in the near future he wants to do a drum brakes to disc brakes conversion. Keep Enjoying the Ride Bill, thanks for your support and Long Live The Z!
At Z Car Garage we specialize in performance modifications and tuning for the Nissan/Infiniti sports cars. Dyno tuning with UPREV or EcuTek software can maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake/exhaust upgrades. Josh M visited Z Car Garage for a dyno tuning session on his Nissan 350Z following an engine swap and we were happy to help him. Let’s hear about his Z-car story…
Josh’s 350Z V.2
“I bought my car back in 2007 after graduating high school. I first heard about the shop shortly after I joined my350z.com back in 2008. After a few years and acquiring a full set of Motordyne bolt ons I finally called up the shop and met with Rob in 2013 to get it tuned. He wisely advised against it with how much oil I was consuming back then and suggested I come back with a fresh motor or rebuild (I’m thankful for his honesty and integrity).”
“Last year when that motor finally gave up around 200k it was time to swap all my mods to a new engine and call Rob for a dyno tuning session. My car made great power and surpassed my own expectations when it made 288whp and 274wtq on this swap from an ’04 G35. It’s always felt like a strong DE with a solid powerband and the dyno tune proved it. My main goal for the car is overall balance between drivability on the streets and performance on the track, and using our beautiful Santa Cruz mountain roads as testing grounds has helped me kind of find that happy spot.”
“As far as the exterior, a mix of KH3 super black and seibon carbon keeps it stealthy but also distinguished in the right light. I’m serious about the overall balance thing and reducing this 2 seater cars weight is a top priority, currently sitting at ~3100lbs and ideally want to be under 3k lbs.”
Dyno Tuning at Z Car Garage
A typical dyno session begins with a road test and full inspection before hitting the roller. We found a failed inlet hose and loose plenum bolts so we tightened everything up to ensure a successful dyno pass.
We dyno tuned the Z with UPREV and ARC license. Z Car Garage offers this ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash, allowing adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting for $150. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details! Josh’s Z made 288hp/272tq to the wheels, a significant gain over baseline of 274hp/261tq:
Turn up the volume and enjoy this video of Josh’s 350Z on the dyno. Thanks for your support Josh and LONG LIVE THE Z!
Interested in dyno tuning your Nissan/Infiniti sports car? Contact Rob at the shop for more information and scheduling 408-452-0350 or e-mail Rob: robATzcargarage.com
