We had a great time enjoying the 2023 Nissan Z during Monterey Car Week. Thanks to Nissan, we got to enjoy driving the Z to several special events and dyno test it at our shop. Let’s get straight to the numbers!
This is the Performance model in Two-Tone Ikazuchi Yellow TriCoat / Super Black and 9-speed automatic. In stock form and 91 octane it put down 345hp/362tq to the wheels. The dyno plot below shows dyno results from the Yellow automatic Z and the Passion Red 6-speed manual Z we dyno tested in June. Super excited to tune the new Z and unlock more power!
Enjoy this video of the dyno runs, road testing and exhaust sounds.Volume up!
Note, this automatic model has a different exhaust system than the manual model.
Huge thanks to Nissan for lending us the Z to enjoy during Monterey Car Week. Here is our coverage if you missed it
Z Car Garage specializes in dyno tuning vintage cars. Our in-house dyno and expertise in carb tuning can help your engine reach its potential whether it is a street car or full race car. We love Datsun roadsters and recently dyno tuned Erik’s 1970 1600 with great results. Let’s take a look at how he got into Datsuns…
Roadster Beginnings
Affectionately named “Audrey”, Erik bought this 1970 Datsun Sports 1600 in 1995 and drove her every day while living in San Jose and Santa Monica, CA. He had lots of adventures in those days, including driving on Highway 1, Route 66, and even blowing a head gasket in the desert outside Needles, CA.
“In 1998 he got a job in Thailand and Audrey was put in storage. Stored outside for years, she suffered the indignity of being broken into and vandalized. (I’m still apologizing to her for that.)In 2000, I moved back to the USA, but had no garage for Audrey, so she remained outside, staying with friends and family. By 2003 she had finally moved inside, but a busy life and no shop space meant that she sat in the corner, patiently awaiting resurrection.”
“Fast forward to 2019: now having a great garage space and some free time, it was time to get Audrey back on the road. On the outside, she still wears most of what’s left of her original 52 year old paint, but inside and underneath it’s a different story: Her factory 96 horsepower has been doubled using the original engine, and her 4 speed transmission has been swapped for a 5 speed. The body was removed from the frame, all suspension, steering, and brakes were redone/upgraded, all electrical wiring replaced, every nut and bolt was either re-plated or replaced, and the interior restoration has begun, slowly changing from black to red.”
Erik and Z Car Garage
Erik heard about Z Car Garage through 311s.org, the definitive resource for all things Datsun Roadster. He purchased a G35 coupe and called Rob to talk about performance upgrades and the Infiniti was turned into a supercharged beast making 560whp.
“Since then, Rob has been super helpful while I’ve been restoring my 1970 Datsun 1600 from connecting me with the engine and transmission rebuilders, to helping with parts restoration, zinc plating, advice, and moral support. Once I had the car assembled and the new engine broken in, I knew I wanted to get it tuned on the ZCG dyno.”
Dyno Tuning
Erik’s roadster is a “1600” model, originally sporting 1.6L (R16) with dual-SU induction and 4-speed drivetrain. His restoration included stroking the original motor to a larger 2150cc displacement with twin-Mikuni induction and 5-speed (u20) transmission. You can learn more about Erik’s restoration efforts and the Rebello stroker R16 drivetrain all on 311s.org HERE.
Our initial dyno tuning session was with Phh40 Mikuni carbs. While it made great power Rob had always suggested running a larger Phh44 carbs to take advantage of the stout Rebello cam. Erik returned for another dyno session. With the carb switch, A/F ratio and timing optimized the roadster put down an impressive 157hp/151tq to the wheels with improved driveability throughout the entire rev range:
Erik was stoked with the tuning results:
“After finding some compatibility issues with my carburetors, Rob helped me build and install bigger carbs (the ones Rob had told me to use all along!). Came back for another tuning session and wow – what a difference. More power everywhere, better idle and driveability, and top end power is phenomenal. Many thanks to Rob and the whole Z Car Garage crew for taking my car from good to amazing!”
Enjoy this video of the roadster being dyno tuned and road tested, volume up!
Interested in what our other Datsun Roadster dyno sessions look like? Visit zcarblog.com
Enjoying The Ride
Datsuns Are Driven! In true roadster fashion, Erik has been Enjoying the Ride in his revived “Audrey”. We got the roadster prepped for a 600+ mile road trip to the Annual Datsun Roadster Meet at Mt. Shasta back in June. The car ran flawlessly:
Erik has been attending local car shows and rallys including VALT Car show in Berkeley, CA and Breakfast Club Rally.
We had fun tuning Erik’s roadster and getting it dialed in with the new drivetrain. Eventually it will be time for bodywork and paint, but he’s too busy having fun on the road! Thanks for letting us be a part of your Datsun journey Erik, you’ve done the roadster justice! If you have a vintage car (it doesn’t have to be a Datsun) feel free to contact the shop to schedule a dyno tuning session. More photos in the gallery below.
As Monterey Car Week approaches we are reminded of our time spent with the 2023 Nissan Z in June. Thanks to Nissan, we got to enjoy driving the Z on our favorite back roads and dyno test it at our shop. Part of the fun also included test fitting some aftermarket wheels and checking out the weight distribution. Let’s get straight to the numbers!
Power and chassis
In stock form with 91 octane the new Z made 379hp/375tq at the wheels. With a splash of 100 octane we saw gains of almost 10hp at the wheels. Super excited to tune the new Z and unlock more power!
Enjoy this video of the Z on our dyno:
We placed the Z on scales to get curb weight. It was 3455lbs:
Wheels Make the Car
Like previous generations, the new Z is blessed with some of the coolest OEM wheel designs. The aftermarket however makes it exciting to personalize our Z cars with the coolest wheels. We had to test fit some timeless VOLK TE37 Ultra Track Edition 2 and Work Emotion CR2P wheels, both sized in 19″ fitment:
WORK Emotion CR2P:
Big thanks to our generous clients the Henry and Frank(feature soon) for donating these for the cause! More photos in the gallery below.
The New Z at Monterey Car Week!
Z Car Garage is excited and honored to attend the famous Monterey Car Week with the new 2023 Nissan Z! Huge thanks to Nissan for giving us yet another opportunity to share this sports car with the world at a very prestigious event. On 8/17 we will be driving the Z to the official kick-off party at the Motorlux (formerly McCall’s Motorworks Revival) event. The Z will join vintage and classic cars to be displayed at the famed Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Later in the week, we will be showing the new Z at Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on Friday and Saturday. If you are catching the race action be sure to stop by the paddock where Racecraft is to say hello to us and the new Z!
Richard W brought his 1971 Datsun 240Z from Eureka, Ca to Z Car Garage for a full mechanical restoration back in 2020. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles and Z Car Garage Heat Shield along with a new drivetrain and full suspension transformed this Series 1 S30.
With a few thousand miles on the build Richard visited ZCG earlier this year for routine maintenance. We changed the fluids, resolved a charging issue, checked the driveline and overall health of the Z.
While the Z was with us we performed extensive road testing with acceleration, freeway cruising, dyno runs and more all shown in the video below. Turn those speakers up and enjoy!
I could not resist taking more photos of the engine, interior and chassis on this gorgeous Sunshine Yellow Series 1. Enjoy some photos from his recent visit and of course zcarblog has the full report on our restoration of Richard’s Z.
Drivetrain
We got the original L24 with SUs running after sitting for years, but Richard wanted more power and Rob suggested a Rebello 3.1L engine. Supporting parts included an MSA 6-into-1 header, ZCG exhaust system, internally regulated 280ZX alternator, 280ZX gear reduction starter, KOYO race radiator (custom upper hose) and Z Car Garage Heat Shield. Here are a few pictures of the engine build/installation with many more in the gallery:
To handle the power from the 3.1L engine we replaced the stock transmission 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).
Engine Bay Services
Richard’s Z received a total engine bay restoration. Please visit the gallery below for more pictures documenting the engine bay restoration work, it’s where our efforts shine! Final Before/After in the engine bay:
Suspension
Richard’s chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild with new parts, bushings and a full coil-over (Koni struts with our spring rates) suspension from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
Front Suspension refresh with T/C rod, crossmember and steering rack detail: Rear end with T3 lower control arms and ST Sway bar:
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on Richard’s 240z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and also upgraded to Z Car Garage CV Axles! These products have been standard on numerous ZCG builds.
We went ahead and got Richard dialed in with the ZCG big-brake kit for small wheels with parking brake and a new OEM Nissan master cylinder. More pics in the gallery!
Front brake installation:
At the rear, the OEM drums brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!
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.
Richard’s standard half-shafts shown on left:
Interior
One of our favorite upgrades to the interior of an S30 is our ZCG sound deadening package. Usually found in our full-blown ZCG restorations, the result is a less tinny sound and almost Germanic-like “clunk” when you shut the doors.
The stock seats were replaced with Recaro Specialist in black leather, we love these seats for the S30:
Please check the gallery below for more detail shots, there are too many to list in this blog post!
Enjoying The Ride
It was great to see Richard again and meet his wife this time, recalling how he purchased the Z new in December of 1970! We love that this restoration is out on the road and being enjoyed. It’s also a great example of how no matter how far away you live from Z Car Garage we will help our clients any way we can. Long Live The Z!
“Richard got out of the Z and told me he had bought this Z 50 years ago that week, it’s been with him through alot of stuff and now his kids and grandkids will get to enjoy it. I looked him in the eye and said I’ll be here for their chapters, any time they need me. I’m attached to this Z now too.”
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 third installment we catch up with Craig’s 2004 Nissan 350Z.
Craig’s 350Z was supercharged almost 12 years ago using a Vortech Tuner Kit with supporting fuel and cooling upgrades.
Fast forward to 2022, Craig visited ZCG for routine maintenance including a new air filter and rear differential bushing replacement:
The diff bushings were replaced with new units from Whiteline. The diff bushings are the most common failure as see in previous blog posts:
We put the Z on the dyno and it put down almost identical power output some 12 years later! This is a testament to the mighty VQ35 engine and Craig’s maintenance. Dyno plots:
(L) 2022, the Z made 420hp/349tq at the wheels
(R) ~2012, the Z made 415hp/344tq at the wheels:
Enjoy the latest dyno passes of Craig’s 350Z in the video below:
Craig is still happy:
“Even after 12 years or so, every time I drive my Le Mans Sunset 2004 Touring model, I feel like it’s the first day. Aligning with the team at Z Car Garage was the best move. I didn’t need to shop around once I visited a few times. I knew I was at the right shop. Buying the Z in 2008 was exciting as this was the first sports car I’d ever had. Having the performance upgrades a couple years later from Z Car made a world of difference. So glad Rob helped me “pull the trigger”. Without a great deal of knowledge of what I wanted in components, I let Rob custom-craft what he felt (and had solid experience with) was the best mix for me and the car. I’m pretty tall, so I don’t track the car, which is a bummer at times, but I have as much spirited driving as I can. Also, I live about an hour from the shop, so Rob and team make a point to take care of me when I do visit, reviewing maintenance items needed.”
Thanks for your support Craig! We love that your Z is still running strong and you continue to Enjoy The Ride. Stay tuned for our next “Where are they now” feature, and if you missed our first and second features find them HERE. Long Live The Z!
