In 2011, the engine inside the “Gimlet” was tired. The owner, Kevin, wanted to keep the 2.4L block that came with his 240z so we built a 2.7L using his existing block. This is a Rebello specialty for customers that want to keep their L24 block.

 

The engine/transmission were removed and prepped:

 

We installed a JWT aluminum flywheel and HD clutch:

 

Engine re-assembly time!

  

 

The triple Webers were re-jetted for the 2.7L:

   

A new tach tach adaptor so his tachometer would work with new ignition items like the MSD box:

   

We bring up this build from 2011 because we recently saw Kevin for the first time and in the 5 years that’s elapsed he put 3500 miles on the Z. C’mon Kev, you gotta Enjoy The Ride and put some real miles on her!  Here is the 2.7L all buttoned up and back in the Gimlet:

 

This time we refreshed the clutch hydraulics, fixed a couple of things in the suspension and performed an alignment.  Long Live The Z!

 

We always appreciate seeing our customer cars in the media. Recently Speedhunters had a “carbs only” theme for January and featured cars/engine bays with everyone’s favorite vintage mechanical car part. In their latest installment of the carb theme they featured our very own Lou S’ RHD S30 engine bay showing off its tantalizing triple-Weber carbs. Check out the Speedhunters article here.

 

Stay tuned for an update on Lou’s Fairlady as it now sports a late-model(240sx) 5-speed transmission and lower gears for brisk acceleration.

 

Here’s a short teaser video of the 300hp Rebello L-series stroker in action. Enjoy the carburetor sounds!

You might remember this stunning S30 we featured a few years ago on our For Sale page that later made its way to our friends at Bring A Trailer. The metallic green color, tan interior and Appliance mesh wheels really give the car an irresistible 70’s vibe.

Several years ago we worked on the Z with previous owner Zack L prior to its sale. You can imagine how happy we were when new owner David J brought “THE 73 Z”  back to ZCG recently. It was running rough and David also wanted to tidy up the engine bay as well as a few other items. While sorting the driveability issues we found the crank pulley dampener was slipping making it hard to set timing. A new factory piece was installed:

  

The carbs were gone through and dialed in. A full tune-up was performed including NOS OEM spark plug cables and intake/exhaust manifold gaskets. This Z is so gorgeous on the outside that we wanted to make it just as nice once the hood is opened. The engine bay was treated to full powdercoating and zinc plating services, new clutch hydraulics and a refreshed radiator.

 

Here is a look before and after…an engine bay worthy of its shiny exterior!

 

We replaced the factory exhaust manifold with an MSA ceramic-coated header followed by our ZCG custom 2.5″ exhaust system with stainless resonator and slash tip:

 

Old twice-pipe setup:

 

Our ZCG upgraded door seals were installed and door fitment sorted to eliminate that “tinny” sound S30 owners commonly experience:

 

The fuel recovery system needed attention so hoses were replaced and tidied up:

 

Wheels undoubtedly make or break a car’s aesthetics. The dealer-optioned Appliance wheels originally fitted definitely look just right and maintain that vintage feel. David chose a set of Rota RB wheels to add a little modern flair and more rubber to the road:

 

With a freshened engine bay and new shoes David showed the ’73 Z at the Brisbane car show:

We loved working on your Z so thank you David for coming back to ZCG!

Check the gallery for more pictures!
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This 1973 240z belongs to a friend of the shop, Lou S.  It is a rare sight to see this Japanese-spec, Right-Hand-Drive (RHD) model with appropriate “FairladyZ” badging/lighting. The Z recently got new 3-piece, custom offset 17″ Panasport wheels. You might remember these beauties from the multiple sets ordered for the RB-240z builds.

 
These wheels allow the use of massive 255/40/17(Bridgestone RE050a) tires without major fender mods/flares. To take advantage of the larger footwork a complete Arizona Zcar suspension upgrade was installed.

The rear controls arms offer multiple points of adjustment. Struts were shortened and a Ground Control coilover kit with custom spring rates can be dialed in for any condition. Sway bars and new bushings throughout. The result is a car that stays absolutely planted in corners. It is almost begging for more power now. Triple Mikuni’s Lou? 🙂

  The new stance makes this “RightLady” look awesome, and the black center spokes with polished lip complements the paint really well. Here is a short video clip of the car rolling on the freeway, enjoy!

Z Car Garage is currently building 3 RB powered Datsuns for some very lucky customers, two 240Zs and one RHD Fairlady Z.  Many of you know Rob Fuller’s “Go Green” RB25 240z from being at Z Car Garage, various car shows, and from the cover of Turbo magazine earlier this year; these customer cars are going to be all that and more!!

Here are a few pictures of Rob’s car to refresh your memory.

Parts have been coming in like crazy recently so I figured it was time to share the goodies with all of you.  First off, GReddy has sent us a few new intake manifolds to abuse in these cars (these pictures are of the stock pieces before our modifications.)

We also had CUSTOM intercoolers made just for this application.  Flow and efficiency were our main concerns in the design and they do not disappoint.   These are extremely trick and are made to the same high standards as all of our cars and will be right at home in the RB engine bay.

Tomei will be supplying the camshafts for all the engines, but they will all be a more aggressive grind than the Tomei pieces in Rob’s 240.  The turbo choice is going to be key with these builds and we will be testing a few different variations before we make a final choice.  This will be extremely critical for the car that will be getting the stroked RB28.  This engine is nearly assembled and should be a monster when completed.

The three current cars are in various stages of completion:

Kurtzee:

This beautiful car was just featured in the November issue of Sport Compact Car.  It was torn apart a few weeks ago just as the article was released.  The struts were shortened and modified to accept coilovers and then sent out to be powder coated.  It is also being prepped for the ZCG Big Brake Kit so that it will be able to stop once the car gets going with all that new found horsepower.

This car is the most complete but the engine is still in the early stages so it is expected to be finished around the same time as the black car.

The Behemoth:

This is the car that will be receiving the RB28.  The plan is for the car to be black on black with the engine bay paint matching the quality of the of all of the exterior paint.  This is a show car that will be built to take all the abuse one can throw at it.  There has been a custom roll cage installed to brace the chassis which will be painted to match the exterior.

The car is currently at paint where we are making sure that all of the body lines are perfect before the black is sprayed, it will be as smooth as glass.  The stroked 2.8L RB is assembled and waiting only on the camshafts before it is buttoned up for the final time.  As I stated earlier this engine will be getting a slightly larger turbo to take full advantage of the added displacement.  The ZCG Big Brake Kit is standard issue.

The Silver Fairlady:

This car is also set to be something really special.  It is a true JDM RHD Fairlady Z that is being restored from the ground up to be the highlight of the owners collection.  While the engine will be built to the same specs as the Kurtzee build, the rest of the car is going to be a true labor of love due to the difficulty of sourcing the rare Fairlady parts.

This car will also be receiving the ZCG brake kit as it will see regular track duty when it isn’t winning every show it enters.  The entire suspension of the car has already been modified to accept coilovers and has been powder coated in a metallic silver just like the Skyline GT-Rs of the past, truly a thing of beauty.

All of the cars will be receiving a custom designed stand-alone ECU, the Hydra Nemesis EMS 2.6.  It will be fully integrated into our custom designed harnesses with a factory fit and finish.  This system has already been installed on our green RB 240 with excellent results.

Another addition to the cars is the 3 piece, custom offset, Panasport wheel set.  These wheels are a beautiful addition to an already amazing package.  They were chosen because they have the strength to handle the power and track use that all of these cars will see.

Look for another installment in these builds with in the next week when the suspension and engine developments mature a bit further.  Long Live The RB Z!