Carlos S visited Z Car Garage to supercharge his 2014 Nismo 370z.  At his request, we installed a Stillen supercharger kit with the larger intercooler (frozenboost) and full PLX Devices gauge package. After driving the Z for some time Carlos came back yearning for more power and inquired about a new air-to-air intercooler setup that was all the rage on the forums at the time. Keeping forced-induction limits and CARB status in mind with the 370z we started discussing the prospect of GT-Rs.

 

Within days Carlos was actively searching for R35s. After our buddy Lou S came down to the shop and demo’d his black 2014 GT-R Track Edition…Carlos knew he had to have one and became the owner of a 2015 R35 in Vibrant Red. In addition to being a cool dude Carlos also has a very supportive girlfriend, Amy, and two French bulldogs. And we all know that frenchies are the bee’s knees 🙂

 

Carlos couldn’t wait to start modifying the car and to keep him happy we installed a Boost Logic cat-back exhaust system and 90mm Quadzilla mid-pipe:

 
Our plan for more power included a complete flex-fuel setup for E85 tuning. Shown below are 1300cc Injector Dynamics injectors, DW300 drop-in fuel pumps,  SpecialtyZ 3″ Intakes,  SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel Set up and AMS Downpipes

 

When increasing boost levels it is wise to upgrade the factory, non-adjustable by-pass or blow-off valve (BOV). Here we used new, adjustable BOVs from Turbosmart:

 

Before/after shots of the new intakes and BOVs:

  

 

Installing the SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel sensor kit. This key component monitors the ethanol content of fuel for running different octane gas/ethanol blends. Also shown are the ID 1300cc injectors and dual DW300 fuel pumps:

 

Using EcuTek software and help from our good friend Sebastian at SpecialtyZ we tuned the GT-R on 91 octane and ethanol/E85.  On 91 octane we saw gains of 50hp and 62tq above stock for a total of 542hp/507tq at the wheels:

On E85, the GT-R made 632hp/612tq to the wheels. This is a significant increase of 94hp/105tq over the 91 octane tune and a whopping 144hp/167tq at the wheels over stock output!

 

Carlos is extremely happy with his 600whp Nissan GT-R and he has already ordered a Stage 2 kit from Spray Racing with upgraded turbos…to be continued but for now Enjoy The Ride!

 

 

The Nissan R35 GT-R like any high performance vehicle, requires regular maintenance to ensure the car is performing its best and is well protected. Here at Z Car Garage we are not only interested in carrying out performance conversions, but can take care of all your Nissan R35 GT-R routine servicing. Enrique G came to us for 36k services on his Solid Red 2012 GT-R. He loves driving and you might recognize his car from our last fun run to Canepa Cars & Coffee:

 

While servicing the Nissan GT-R we only use genuine Nissan parts and oil that is recommended or exceeds the manufacturers standards. For example, the GT-R’s VR38 engine with its plasma-sprayed bores has been developed to run on Mobil 1 (0W-40) fully synthetic high performance engine oil.  As such ZCG carries this oil specifically for GT-R servicing.

  

For those doing track days, we can tailor your service to include any extras you may need such as additional transmission fluid changes, alignment and dyno tuning. Give us a call to discuss your next pre or post track day service.

Enjoy The Ride, Enrique!

 

 

 

 

On Sunday we attended Cars & Coffee at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, CA. Hosted every first Sunday of the month since the New Year, turnout continues to be phenomenal with impressive cars. Our dear friend Ken P. has been a regular at this gathering with his supercharged Datsun Roadster but Sunday’s event would be his last one before moving out of state. As one last hurrah to Ken we assembled a bunch of Datsuns to park together.

 

We left the shop at 6am with a brisk pace headed to Danville. Enjoying the Ride in our eight-car caravan was Rob’s ’67 2000, Kurt’s ’70 Datsun SPL, my ‘67.5 SPL,  Matt’s Datsun 510 wagon, Andy’s 1971 240z, Tom’s APS G35, Kurt I’s C5 Z06, and Lou’s R32 Skyline GT-R:

 

Arriving in Blackhawk just before 7am was indeed mandatory to secure parking as cars were already lining up at the entrance. Thankfully Ken and Dave P taped off a section just for Datsuns, and the showing was great with more roadsters, Z’s and 510s!

Francis ’67 SPL, Ken’s supercharged SRL, my ’67 SPL and Dave P’ ’67 2000:

 

Matt D’s 510 wagon and Matt G’s KA-T 510 two-door:

 

S30’s were in strong attendance, both in our corral and scattered through the lot. From mild to wild flavors it was great to see everything from Z32 TT’s to S130’s.

 

I spotted even more Z-cars lurking in adjacent lots, but this one really stood out with a freshly restored vibe and pretty white/red color combo:

 

Even more JDM gems hiding in the lots like this FD RX-7, first and third generation Toyota Celica’s:

 

Ultra-clean 2JZ powered Toyota SC300 and modded Genesis:

 

We were blown away at the variety of awesome machinery at Cars & Coffee. From exotics to muscle cars and literally everything in between we had a wonderful time perusing each aisle. Here were a few highlights for me, and don’t forget to cruise our extensive picture gallery below!

A Fiat 850 and 1200 Cabriolet, the latter shares some styling elements with a  Datsun Roadster!

 

Craziest engine swap: A 1936 Ford Pickup with an insane supercharged 5.4 modular drivetrain:

 

The Aston Martin club was the featured marque with stunning examples:

 

We love muscle cars! Simply mouth-watering cars from GM, Ford and Mopar:

Movie cars like this “Bandit” Trans AM and two(!) Deloreans:

 

Oh, and lots of modern/supercars too, if you’re into that kind of stuff 🙂

 

Big thanks to CNC Blackhawk and Dave P for arranging parking for our Datsuns.  We want to thank all of our friends who made the trip too, the ride back home was a blast!

 

Ken, we wish you luck and great Roadster weather in Seattle, “DATSTER” will be missed!

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Dan J is the owner of this gorgeous 2015 GT-R. The numbers are impressive: Zero to 60 mph in under three seconds; a top speed of 196 mph; 545 horsepower courtesy of a hand-built 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 assembled in a clean room so high-tech that those fleeing scientists on the silver screen would kill to have one. This beast has also been finished in premium Regal Red paint embedded with 24-karat gold flakes! We think it is mesmerizing under varying light conditions:

 

Combined with an Ivory interior this R35 exudes a level of refinement and luxury not typically seen on earlier models:

 

Sidenote: I met Dan in December ’14 while helping his neighbor with a Datsun Roadster. Dan kindly let me park the 510 next his GT-R and I might have mentioned how we love them at ZCG 🙂

 

So what does one do with such a beautiful sportscar? Add more power, of course! Dan came to us for a full AMS Alpha 7 package installation.

 

The package includes:

• ALPHA front mount intercooler
• COBB big SF intake pipe
• Alpha 90mm Mid-pipe
• Alpha 90mm Downpipes
• HKS Legamax Exhaust System
• Injector Dynamics 1000CC Injectors
• Cobb AccessPORT V3

Let’s start with the exhaust and a closer look at the new mid-pipes and down pipes:

 

OEM vs Alpha downpipes:

 

Mid-pipe:

 

Completing the system is the HKS Legamax exhaust. Fresh from the box, compared to the OEM system:

 

Great, OEM-like fit with factory underbody Aero:

 

Looks fantastic here and sounds even better!

 

Underhood, better breathing is achieved through larger intakes and K&N air filters. Stealth black tubing is nice touch:

 

Rounding out intake mods is a larger Alpha front mount intercooler. It boasts 75% more internal flow area over stock and direct bolt-in/no cutting fitment! It doesn’t hurt to have the “Alpha” logo peeking through the front bumper too:

 

Fueling demands are met by larger 1000cc injectors:

 

How do all these mods add up to increase power? To find out we strapped the red beauty to the dyno:

 

Utilizing the CobbAccessPORT V3 for tuning we saw peak gains of 80hp/86tq for a total of 577hp/562tq to the wheels. The dyno plot reveals tremendous gains from 2500rpm to redline. For example at 4000rpm the GT-R is now making 560tq vs 460tq stock!

 

Dan’s GT-R was already blindingly quick from the factory and now it has even more power to enjoy while maintaining its Regal composure. Thank you for bringing your R35 to Z Car Garage! More pictures to enjoy in the gallery below.

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We enjoyed driving our Datsuns to the 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show despite blistering 100+ degree weather. This year we flew down to Long Beach to visit the 2013 JCCS near the Queen Mary.

The show started in 2005 with a modest following and over the years spectators have flocked in crazy numbers; this year was no exception and the crowds were a bit overwhelming at times.  We did appreciate the JCCS crew’s new, efficient ticket/entry setup! Weather was beautiful with an incredible array of J-tin from time-capsule survivors to wildly modified restorations.   So let’s get to the stars of the show….

Datsuns were well represented though scattered throughout the main grass and parking lot areas. I love seeing fresh cars as well as familiar faces.  This VG30 510 caught my eye with it’s clean aesthetic and sanitary engine bay:

Who can miss the die-hard Datsun Roadster owners and their beloved open-top sports cars! The SoCal Roadster Owners club lined up their cars with bone stock and modified examples. These guys drive their cars. Mike A has accumulated almost 40k miles in the last year with his S14 SR20-swapped 1968 SPL:

This red late-model roadster had a molded front end, flared bodywork and an interesting dash setup:

If you are a fan of S30s and Z-cars in general JCCS had almost every classic generation displayed.

There were several RB-powered Zs but this triple-Weber carb’d L-series was pretty:

Vintage Skylines abound! JDM Legends built this Prince Motor Company Skyline in race livery:

 Beautiful red Hakosuka,  KenMeri, GC10 and DR30 Skylines:

Z31 300zx’s made a strong showing and my favorite was this Shiro edition on DSM wheels(left).  S12 chassis cars also caught my eye especially this clean RB26DETT-powered hatch:

Datsun trucks might have been the most numerous with tasteful resto-mods and zany creations. I thought this little F20c-powered pickup was over the top until I realized it was also boosted!

Two of my favorite wagons, both sporting SR20DET powerplants but totally different build themes:

Datsun 1200s, Sunny’s and even a few large bumper GXs:

Every year I look forward to seeing JDM wheels both old-school and reproduction. I dub this JCCS as Year of the Mesh! Deep-dish or multi-piece the mesh style was in full-effect from SSR, Epsilon, Bahn, Volk, Work and others:

I spotted these ultra-rare Impul Hoshinos and Riverside Riverge wheels….ps those are replicas on the right, gotcha!

Toyota has always been a huge corporate presence followed by Mazda, and this year Honda even displayed their own rare vehicles. So you’ve probably heard about Nissan celebrating 80 years…why not display the collection at largest gathering on the West Coast? NISSAN are you listening?

Not one but THREE Toyota 2000GT sports cars were displayed, even a LHD model!

One of the craziest Toyota was Scott Kanemura‘s Toyota Hilux. Huge Project Mu brakes, VOLK TE37vs, Stack instruments, and the mighty  2JZ-GTE make this one insane truck:

There were so many cool Toyota Celicas, Starlets and Corollas to list! This TRD widebody Starlet was a very impressive build with 275-width Hoosiers!

Wild engine swapped Corollas? Check! AE86 with turbo F20C and a late ‘rolla with an LS1!

Sinister Crown(with “Yakooza” plates) and one of several Land Cruiser pickups. Many more Toyotas in the gallery!

Rotary fans unite as the RX posse had the largest showing of old-school cars I’ve ever see in one place. This year there were FC Rx-7s and even more stunning examples of first gen FBs…

Honda proudly displayed their own collection of rare cars like a Mugen CRX. Almost ten N600s were lined up against the pretty blue water.

This year late model Hondas(read Accords) were displayed. I’m a huge fan of the 1st through 3rd gen Civics, even EF-era and I’m all for showing off neat, tidy builds with personal touches.  Some of these cars looked simply unkempt and boring. That aside here were my favorites:

Spoon 3rd gen, Bisimoto’s EF wagon, and one of many ultra-clean CRXs:

My favorite car at the show was Garm B’s Subaru 360 microvan. Besides its tiny stature the van is packed full of details!

JCCS wouldn’t be complete without those stickers and vanity plates:

Let’s not forget to give respect to those parking lot warriors who made it down to the show in style. There were some real gems to be found outside of the show like this Dodge Colt and Toyota Corona sedan with a perfect stance:

Thanks to the JCCS organizers for hosting another fun event. It will be interesting to see what next year’s show offers J-tin lovers young and old!
Lots of pictures in the gallery below so don’t forget to click after the jump!
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