We are excited to sponsor and be a part of the 2023 Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, Ca on October 7. In just under two weeks, the JCCS returns to Marina Green Park with hundreds of cool vintage Japanese cars to enjoy. Z Car Garage will have a vendor booth with all of our parts on display. Please stop by and say hello, we would love to answer your questions and talk about Z cars. Read below for a preview…
The Z Car Garage booth will have the following parts on display for you to see, touch and inquire: Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech), ZCG CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield and Z Car Garage KW Coil-over suspension. The ZCG Big-Brakes are now officially no longer on back order. We are ready to take orders!
Z Car Garage Displays Two Cars at JCCS!
On display in our booth for this first time is our #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z. This is a vintage race car that was built and raced in period by the late Joel Anderson. Z Car Garage restored this Z back to its original livery in 2014, and Rob Fuller now actively races it. Learn more about this special car HERE.
Also on display in our booth will be Sung Kang’s FuguZ. Sung visited Z Car Garage back in 2021, driving “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car. After driving Butters, Sung wanted the exact same Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension on his very own RB26DETT-powered FuguZ!
The show takes place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in Marina Green Park, and it is the epitome of all J-Tin shows! Catch a glimpse of what JCCS is all about in our previous Japanese Classic Car Show reports. We will also have and some ZCG swag for you to pick up. Come by, say hello and long live the Z!
Filed under: 240z,Events
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on September 15, 2022
The 2022 Japanese Classic Car Show was held on September 10, in Long Beach, CA. This is the original vintage Japanese-car event in SoCal and in its 17th year, JCCS has grown incredibly. Over 20k spectators enjoyed 300+ cars in displayed at Marina Green Park.
The vehicles themselves remained a fantastic blend of stock, modified and restored. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and Z Car Garage keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds. Here is Rob’s report from the show, enjoy!
Rob grabbed a last minute flight to SoCal and joined our good friend Jan Trondsen to check out JCCS. We have watched this show grow and change venues over the last 17 years and it never disappoints.
“It’s one of our favorite car shows. The people, the cars are always on point. I gotta give a huge shoutout to to Terry and Koji for the tremendous work they do throughout the year to make this event a success. I saw so many people from out of town and for good reason…it’s a must see.”
Rob was a guest of Nissan and enjoyed a “dawn patrol” viewing of the show before the general public . It was fun to see everyone setting up. We spotted two of Sung Kang’s Z car builds, FuguZ and DocZ. Last year Sung visited Z Car Garage, driving “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car. After driving Butters, Sung wanted the exact same Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension on his very own FuguZ!
Sung was so impressed with the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes that he also wanted a set on his latest 240Z build, the “DocZ”. We happily obliged, only this time we shipped the kit to the Erick of Erick’s Racing, the master builder behind DocZ. We love seeing our parts on client builds!
Rally Legend
We were happy to see Tom Knudsen’s 1970 Datsun 240Z WORKS Rally Z at JCCS. There was a crowd around it all day! We first saw this authentic time machine back in June at the ZONC 50th Anniversary Celebration.
This is chassis #2 of 4 that were built by Nissan for the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally. It is the project of Tom K and noted Datsun expert Steve Pettersen and their restoration website is a must-visit for history and feature documentation (as shown above). The Z remains largely intact with original parts like the Nissan competition exhaust manifold and roll bar. Period-correct parts like the Ikeda Bussan rally seat and reclining navigator seat were sourced. Check out the heater-port to defrost the headlight covers, Nissan-branded acrylic windows and more.
280ZX-R
This 1979 280ZX-R is rare, with only 1009 units produced. The owner, Victor wanted a Datsun and went down to the dealership, had his mom co-sign and purchased it brand new!
Z32
300ZX (Z32) models were present in stock and modified examples
JDM Gems
This R32 Skyline GT-R impressed us with a stunning wheels fitment sporting BBS E88s. We love non-Nissan cars and JCCS showcases such a great variety that we don’t get to see everyday. Mazda RX-2s, RX-3s, Honda s600, the list goes on! More photos in the gallery below
People
We love hearing vintage owner’s stories. See more of the Erin’s father/daughter project 280Z on Instagram.
Always good to catch up with friends, local and from out of town! Positive vibes all around.
Special shoutout to our clients Ben and Vince.They drove down from the Bay Area together in Ben’s 1974 Datsun 260Z for an epic roadtrip:
Ben was happy with the Z’s performance and he’s sending us photos from the roadtrip soon:
“Hello Rob,
I hope all is well. I am sending you this stellar pic of you with Tom’s Works Z!!! Vince and I had a great time at the JCCS and it was great seeing you. My Z drove so well with not one hiccup! In the heat too. Thanks for building an awesome car. I am really enjoying it. Have a great day, Ben.”
Thank JCCS!
As with past JCCS events the day went by too quickly. Thank you to Terry and Koji for hosting another great show. Enjoy our photo gallery below.If you missed last year’s JCCS check out our report from 2021 HERE .
“Performance With Passion”. These are words that describe our work at Z Car Garage and we are passionate about making your Z perform as good as it looks. Photographer Larry Chen commissioned ZCG to transform his beloved SR20DET-powered 1970 Datsun 240Z from an “ok driver” to a no-excuses, multi-dimensional sports car with power, handling, braking, comfort, reliability and performance to match its eye-catching beauty.
Join Rob and Larry as they share the story of Larry’s Z, affectionately called “Ole Orange Bang”, featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, chassis preparation, dyno tuning and more. Enjoy the videos with behind the scenes footage and photo gallery below!
Build History
Car enthusiasts and motorsport fans recognize the name Larry Chen as the greatest automotive photographer. Larry has made a career out of his passion for capturing the right moments in racing. We are huge fans of his work since the days of covering Formula Drift, time at Speedhunters, and recent work with Hoonigan Autofocus. Our favorite Larry Chen moment is his photography of Ken Block’s 1400hp Hoonicorn at Pike’s Peak for the filming of Climbkhana.
Larry Chen is regularly exposed to some of the coolest builds across the globe, so you can imagine our joy hearing that Larry’s personal car is a Datsun 240Z. Larry’s Z is a Series 1 (VIN# 2868) that he purchased on his 21st birthday for $3000. He started autocrossing immediately with his buddies circa 2006, and it became an integral part of his life:
“It’s been such a big part of my adult life, and it will continue to be a part of it for the rest. The name actually came from a Mexican drink that we love in SoCal. My car is Orange and it backfired a lot when I got it especially when I was low on gas. So it was only appropriate to call it Orange Bang. On my wedding night instead of being ferried away in a fancy limousine, I drove my beautiful wife home in the Z, after some wedding burnouts.”
Following years of autocross and track use, in 2013 the tired L28 was replaced with an SR20DET straight out of a former Formula Drift car.
Like many enthusiasts, Larry continued to modify and upgrade the Z to fit his needs…adding A/C, coil-over suspension and creature comforts along the way. We spotted a freshly painted Ole Orange Bang at the 2019 Japanese Classic Car Show:
“In 2019 my friends at Bells and Vaughn in Pasadena, California did a full ground up restoration. It has all new paint and it was taken all the way down to the metal. Just this month I picked it up from Z Car Garage in San Jose California. ZCG pretty much went through the entire car and they fixed everything that was mechanically wrong with it.”
When Larry Met Rob: A ZCG Story
We first met Larry when he visited us at the 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, CA. We talked about Z cars, and how he really wanted to get our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and ZCG treatment on his personal Z. In 2020 he trailered his Z up from LA to ZCG in February, literally a few weeks before the pandemic.
“I actually found out about ZCG on Instagram and met Rob for the first time in SoCal at JCCS. I inquired about getting brakes for my car since it couldn’t stop even with a Toyota 4×4 conversion and Nissan Maxima rear disk brakes. They were absolutely horrible. There is a reason why people ship their Z cars across the country to ZCG. The passion is there and you can see it on everything they touch.”
While visiting Z Car Garage Larry featured a few of our client cars and did a shop tour for his YouTube channel Hoonigan AutoFocus. You can click on the thumbnails below to watch the videos:
We couldn’t leave our readers hanging without our own ZCG-style feature complete with dyno videos and behind the scenes footage, so if you can’t wait any longer here it is below. Turn those speakers up and enjoy, read on for an in-depth look at our work.
The ZCG Touch
Larry and Rob developed a plan for Ole Orange Bang. The Z had past work performed by many folks including Larry’s buddies. We simply wanted his Z to be a multi-dimensional sports car with power, brakes, handling and comfort. Cosmetics were already handled, it just needed some mechanical love with ZCG-products that you will find on many of our ZCG builds. Let’s begin with the chassis upgrades, then go into dyno tuning/engine bay work and final details like the interior and weatherstripping.
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
We handed Larry the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our clients 🙂 Read below for a brief description of these parts:
As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with engineers at Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel (and some 14″ wheels) and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:
Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)
Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats
Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads
Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.
A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:
We removed Larry’s existing Toyota 4×4 front calipers and rear Maxima setup and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit front and rear:
He got a new, OEM brake master cylinder as well:
At the rear, the Maxima setup was replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!
Larry was impressed with the braking performance:
“The ZCG brakes and axles really give the 240z an update with modern top of the line performance where the Z badly needs it. These cars are lightweight and easy to make fast, but everything else that goes along with it is very lacking. While the 240z is a great car to drive in stock form, there is nothing like having a lightweight turbo rear wheel drive sports car.”
Z Car Garage CV Axles
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 140 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Larry has CV Axle set #328. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units bolted in to the Subaru STi LSD diff. The stock suspension parts had been long replaced with Techno Toy Tuning parts. Larry does not have to live with those loose CV axles anymore!
More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, we will discuss the KW coil-overs below:
Wheels By Love20bee
Complementing the new Big-Brakes and suspension on Larry’s Z are a fresh set of Southern Ways Epsilon mesh wheels from Love20bee. It was an absolute pleasure working with owner, Matt K. to adjust the offset on the wheels just before Larry picked his Z up from ZCG.
We wanted Larry to be able to use the KW Suspension and ZCG Big-Brakes to their full potential and put all the power down effectively without clearance issues. The offset was a bit too aggressive causing fender rubbing and excessive camber reducing the contact patch of the sticky Yokohama tires.
Larry’s Z already had a set of KW Coil-overs. Not to be confused with our ZCG-labeled KW Suspension with adjustable rebound and dampening that we’ve developed over several years (releasing soon). We adjusted Larry’s KW’s for best ride and corner-balanced the car using his weight. With the wheel barrels adjusted and suspension aligned Larry can now throw this Z into any corner with confidence. No rubbing, no excuses.
Engine
Larry had a long list of problems he needed resolved with the drivetrain. The SR was running an older AEM standalone setup for racing duty so it would drive roughly on the street: poor cold/hot starting, erratic idling, stalling on deceleration, overheating and the A/C wouldn’t blow cold under hot conditions. Before sorting these issues we cleaned up wiring and hoses in the engine bay. Here is what the cooling setup looked like before:
The oil cooler was mounted in front of the intercooler and there was a small deflector plate placed across all heat exchangers. We re-designed the ductwork with help from TCDesignFab to seal the intercooler/AC condenser/radiator to direct air flow and eliminate heat soak. Serious SPAL fans were added to a new Mishimoto rad:
The oil cooler was relocated below the FMIC:
With air now directed through the heat exchangers the SR operates well under heat soak conditions, even with the A/C on and blowing cold. Even though the SR20 isn’t Rob’s first choice of engine swap it works really well, looks awesome and makes great power. Speaking of looks, we couldn’t resist adding our body-color matching valve cover (like Rob’s 510 and Rb-powered Z cars):
Hardware was removed and re-plated throughout, more pics in the gallery!
Dyno Tuning
We are huge fans of Haltech engine management. We use their Elite line of ECUs exclusively on our EFI engine builds and Larry’s SR received an Elite 1000 unit, mounted on the passenger foot well. Rob dyno tuned the SR20DET using Haltech. Baseline was 245hp/223tq and with Rob’s tuning it made 295hp/277tq at the wheels:
Larry was absolutely blown away by the performance, response and night/day improvement in drivability. Beyond peak gains of 50hp/54tq at the wheels, much of the increased response can be seen in the huge area under the curve from proper wastegate operation. Haltech is so user friendly and the benefits are priceless. You can see the dyno runs and road testing with Larry and Rob in this this video.
Interior
After driving our client James Stephens’ turbocharged 1972 Datsun 240z for an episode of Hoonigan Autofocus, Larry knew right then he had to have a set of Recaro seats for Ole Orange Bang. We removed his old seats and installed a new set of Recaro Pole-Position seats. He loves them:
Any bodyshop can install weatherstripping but Larry really wanted ZCG do tackle it and we happily obliged. 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. We also refurbished his window tracks to ensure smooth operation:
We are really proud of the HVAC system in this Z. Larry mentioned the A/C wouldn’t blow cold..we tested Larry’s A/C after our ducting upgrades and it blows cold even after full throttle applications and heat soak.
Details
The little things are what we excel at. A common problem with Series 1 cars is exhaust fumes entering the car through the hatch vents and tail lights. We replaced the hatch and tail light seals and sealed the hatch vents. No exhaust smell in the cabin. (below) It made us happy when Larry called out these little details while filming…an OEM Nissan oil filter and re-plated hood latch hardware:
Please check the gallery below for more detail shots, there are too many to list in this blog post!
Enjoying The Ride
Larry picked his Z up from Z Car Garage in February of 2021. He immediately started enjoying Ole Orange Bang by driving to various events and gatherings in SoCal. We were so stoked to see him happy with his Z again.
Getting updates from Larry was rad:
“It finally performs as good as it looks! Rob and the team are so detail oriented. They know these cars inside and out and my car has never driven so well in its lifetime. I can’t wait to bring it back for some more goodies.”
We were reunited with Larry and his Z at this year’s Japanese Classic Car Show at the Anaheim Stadium. The Z was on display in the Leen Customs booth where fans could get his autograph:
Orange Bang with FuguZ and Medusa. We are beyond happy to have our Z Car Garage chassis parts on these high-profile Z cars.
As happy as we were to see Larry driving around SoCal what really made our day was seeing him drive Ole Orange Bang in anger at a local autocross event! He put our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, suspension and dyno tuning to work:
“I decided to take a personal day and do a bit of driving for fun. I haven’t auto crossed in almost 15 years. I went to the CornerExit auto-x at California Speedway and it was an absolute blast. Orange Bang held up amazing, and everything @zcargarage did to it paid off. I ended up getting 2nd place in mod class!”
We will have video of Larry ripping through the autocross on our Instagram story. For now, don’t miss the video we made of the Z in action here:
UPDATE 6.30.23
Larry just dropped an amazing video about his Z including its history and canyon driving, enjoy!
Thank You Larry!
Our journey with Larry is just beginning. Thanks for entrusting Z Car Garage with your Z and believing in us. We appreciate all that you do for automotive culture and your work is inspiring. Always Do It In A Datsun and LONG LIVE THE Z!
The 2021 Japanese Classic Car Show was held on October 30, in Anaheim, CA. This is the original vintage Japanese-car event in SoCal and in its 16th year, JCCS has grown incredibly. Thousands of spectators enjoyed 400+ cars in the parking lot of Angel Stadium. The vehicles themselves remained a fantastic blend of stock, modified and restored. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.
Z Car Garage Parts on Sung Kang’s Datsun 240Zs!
FuguZ
Actor and star of the Fast and the Furious movies, Sung Kang also happens to be a car enthusiast as well. At the SEMA 2015 show he debuted his vision of the perfect Datsun 240Z, named FuguZ. The build was chronicled the through social media, enlisting parts from around the world with final assembly by Kenji at Greddy. Sporting the latest Rocket Bunny body kit, Volk TE37s and NA RB26 drivetrain this was a crowd favorite and sparked the Z car love in many people.
FuguZ became one of the most prominent S30s in the world. Fast forward to 2021 and Sung Kang visited Z Car Garage, driving “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car. After driving Butters, Sung wanted the exact same Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension on his very own FuguZ!
Rob and Kenji came up with a plan and the Z was shipped up to us so we could install ZCG Big-brakes, CV axles and KW suspension before the JCCS. Kenji then revived the Z with twin-turbos that the RB26 is famous for. Now Sung can enjoy the boost, and reign it all in with our brakes and suspension. Full report soon!
Doc Z
Sung was so impressed with the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes that he also wanted a set on his latest 240Z build, the “DocZ”. We happily obliged, only this time we shipped the kit to the Erick of Erick’s Racing, the master builder behind DocZ.
Erick was very pleased with the kit and ease of installation:
DocZ was built as a tribute to the Datsun 240Z that dominated the 1971 East-African Safari. Sung even had his own multi-piece wheels made as an homage to that history-making Z. The ZCG Big-Brakes can be seen through those iconic slots:
DocZ also features interior parts (look at that dash!) and exterior carbon fiber pieces by Carbon Signal:
We are thrilled to be a part of Sung’s builds and the collaborate with his team of talented craftsman! Thank you for your support Sung! Stay tuned for a deep dive on DocZ when we see it at SEMA this week and more details on the FuguZ when it returns to ZCG for tuning.
Showtime!
We arrived early to the new venue at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. This location is larger and more vendor-friendly than The Queen Mary and Marina Green of past shows. It was a a huge parking lot, and those that braved the lines to get in were treated to a J-Tin overload. Once inside we made our way to see client James and his 1972 Datsun 240Z.
James’s 1972 S30 was displayed in the Love20bee booth. At the heart of this beast is a turbocharged L-series managed by Haltech. Chassis upgrades include custom full-length subframe connectors, CD009a 6-speed transmission, KW Suspension, ZCG CV Axles and Big-Brake Kit (328mm) behind RS-8 wheels restored by Love20bee. Larry Chen featured James’s Z on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus. Inside, a stack instrument cluster was integrated into the gauge pod, viewed from leather Recaro Pole Position seats:
Recent upgrades to “Medusa” include a new tubular exhaust manifold, intake manifold and down-pipe from from ProtunerZ. We will have more installation photos and dyno results coming soon to zcarblog.com!
Highlights from JCCS
Enjoy this video I made highlighting the sights and sounds of JCCS 2021:
Why do we keep coming back to JCCS? Each year the bar is raised for the show cars, and this year was truly impressive. With over 400 cars and aisles of vendors it was almost impossible to see it all in the 9am-3pm show time. Here are our favorites, starting with Nissan/Datsun.
Skylines
Here are few of my favorite Nissans and Datsuns, starting with that not-so forbidden fruit commonly known as the hakosuka Skyline. Ralph Kenyon’s stunning build was the result of OCD-level attention to detail.
Ralph’s Hako received a true, rotisserie-style nut and bolt restoration but didn’t stop there. He strengthened the chassis, utilizing beefed-up suspension/driveline components to support the raging and exotic 3.5L Datsunworks twin-cam L-Series. This fuel-injected monster is backed by a Nissan CD009 6speed transmission. Take a look at that engine bay…you will find yourself discovering a treasure of details from the dry-sump tank to perfectly aligned wingnut bolts on the air filter housing. The S20-inspired valve cover, equal-length exhaust manifold, OEM hose clamps…”next level” is appropriately used here.
Roy’s ’72 Skyline now with an old-school Cartech turbo kit:
Rick’s GTX on RS8 wheels:
Mike C’s 4-door:
Jun’s unflared Hako:
It was great to see our ZCG CV Axles under this 3.2L, fuel-injected Hako in the Hagerty booth!
I didn’t expect to see a large gathering of R32/33 Skylines, even a 4-door! DR30 and 240k!
JDM Legends had their C110 Kenmeri Skyline on display. Now with a 3.5L Jenvey fuel-injected L-Series and 6-speed transmission. It was great to see Eric he expressed how fun it is to drive!
Our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers brought the heat to JCCS with an impressive showing of rare Skylines. It goes without saying, if you are in the market for a vintage Skyline (or any JDM car) IVI is the place to go. The iconic “BF Goodrich poster” R34 and R33 Nismo 400R were a treat to see in person:
Z Car Extravaganza
S30 Z cars were everywhere. I’m a big fan of subtle modified Z’s but I can also appreciate pristine, bone-stock examples and the occasional shakotan build.
Stock is good. Nissan returned to JCCS with a cool display including this pristine example:
Jay from JDM Car Parts always has a fun display with RHD/JDM cars surrounded by a working model train (See video):
There were an impressive amount of Z’s with bodykits from Rocketbunny and Libertywalk:
Lowered on Hayashi Racing wheels:
Loved this Z on Watanabe wheels with an L28ET:
Beautiful 260Z and 280Zs and a 2+2!
Andrew’s RHD Fairlady Z sitting on Watanabe “Gotti” wheels was near the Techno Toy Tuning booth. He drove it down with his Father from the Bay Area:
So. Many. Z’s!
The show-winning Z! Mark and his daughter Samantha built this Z as a family project it is SEMA-bound!
Larry Chen’s 1970 SR20DET-powered Z was on display in the Leen Customs booth. It was featured on Hoonigan Autofocus and we will take a closer look at the work ZCG performed this past year including our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles on zcarblog.com:
You can find more S30s in our gallery!
S130!
Keeping Z31s on the map was the best display of the model I’ve ever seen at JCCS. Proudly shown right next to the Nissan display there were Kouki, Chuki and Zenki models to enjoy:
300ZR and Shiro Special sitting on white Watanabe R-type wheels:
The lone Infiniti sitting on Autotradas:
The Nissan 300ZX (Z32) was also well-represented. My favorite was a white slicktop on Nismo wheels:
Sweet 240sx/Silvias and B13 Sentras!
People
At the JCCS it is always great to see old friends and meet new enthusiasts! The best part was to meet younger folks that were passionate about their rides…we need the the next generation to carry the torch for us!
Datsun Fairlady Roadsters
The Datsun Roadsters came out in full force this year, running 12 cars strong!
Thanh Lam’s 1964 Datsun 1500 was the oldest car present, winning the JCCS Best of Show award!
Ed’s sharp 1970 SPL sporting Enkei Compe wheels:
Eric’s show-winning ’68 2000:
The Desirello’s also displayed their SR20-powered beauties:
More roadster pics in our gallery!
Datsun 510s
Datsun 510s dominated the field as the most represented model again this year.
Not one but 4 Bluebird Coupes!
Matt of Love20bee’s Rotary-powered, box-flared 510 sitting on Tomcat wheels. Hear it run in the video above…BRAP!
Erick’s S2000-powered 510!
TSR-built 510s:
All kinds of engine swaps abound including Toyota 18RG, SR20, Mazda Rotary and even an LSx V8!
This 500hp, SR20-powered 510 was tune by our friend Seb at SpecialtyZ. It’s running our ZCG CV Axles and the owner is super stoked with their performance!
Our friend Troy’s customer won Best 510! We saw the happy new owner of Troy’s former race car!
Stock RHD 4-door!
Wagons!
Jun Imai’s “Kaidohouse” 510 in the GReddy booth with Work Equip 40 wheels, IRS and KA24DE-T powerplant:
Alex’s V8-powered wagon. He also brought a Sunny truck!
Toyota
Toyota always has a huge showing with AE86, Cressida, Celica’s and Corolla’s!
Great showing of RA29 (Liftback) Celicas!
3nd and 4th gen Celicas and Supras!
Wheels For Fantasy
I personally love going to JCCS because I get to see very rare Japanese/tuner wheels and parts. Preservation of authentic wheels and appreciation of the time and effort spent to find certain specimens that most folks have never heard of in this generation is what I admire most.
Variations on the mesh wheel from BBS, Epsilon, SSR, Volk, Bahn and more. Riverside, Autostrada, Racing Hart, Hoshino, Work, Mugen and Tomcat and Watanabe. Heaven!
Honda
EF, EA, EG Civics, CRX, DA and DC Integras, NSX and even motorcycles!
Super Sexy NSXs
Mazda
FC, FD RX-7s were out as well as RX-2, RX-3, REPU pickups and Miatas:
Many more pictures from JCCS in the gallery!
Farewell
Towards the end of the show we staged a quick photoshoot with Sung Kang and the DocZ next to James’ Medusa. It was crazy to see everyone swarm around me once they realized what was going on 🙂
Later, at the Greddy booth Kenji and Larry Chen indulged us for another quick photoshoot with James’s Z, FuguZ and Ole Orange Bang. You can see Rob driving FuguZ in the vide0. We are beyond happy to have our Z Car Garage chassis parts on these high-profile Z cars.
Thank You JCCS!
How does a show go by so fast? Just like that, the JCCS ended and we still did not explore the entire show or meet everyone. I personally think there needs to be signage or at least a map so spectators can make sure they see everything! Despite missing out on some displays there was such a great, positive energy. Love seeing families and younger generations of car enthusiasts, for all marques.
It is difficult to run a car show and keep up the quality and interest levels but the folks at JCCS have managed to do exactly that for 16 years! No other show gives you the chance to see obscure, pristine, modified Japanese classics…and we look forward to next year’s entrants. Koji and Terry, thank you for your efforts. We hope you have enjoyed our coverage and please visit our mega-gallery for more pictures.
Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles continue to win over Z-car enthusiasts locally and globally. Hazel C recently purchased a set of both for her 1970 Datsun 240Z and had them installed at Trackspec in Fremont, CA. Before we go into the installation details let’s take a look at how Hazel got into Z cars…
“My grandfather had a 510, my dad had a B210, and my uncle had a 280Z, which he passed down to my cousin, who still has it today. So, maybe you can say my passion for Datsuns is in my genes. I met the original owner, Ray, at a cars and coffee at the Blackhawk Museum in 2017. He brought the Z and I was instantly drawn to it and started chatting with Ray about his car. Ray said he first learned about the Z car while overseas serving during the Vietnam war. When he came back to the states, one of the first things he did was go to the local Walt Martin Datsun dealership in Richmond, CA and bought one brand new in September of 1970. (Fun fact – that dealership is less than 5 miles from my childhood home, where I now also live.)”
About a year later, Ray was selling his car due to health issues, so Hazel reached out to him and was able to take ownership of the Z towards the end of 2018. The car was so hard to let go, he was being very patient and picky about finding the Z’s next owner. Jokingly, Ray mentioned hanging up on people who called him saying they would LS swap the unique motor on the car. Luckily, Hazel and Ray had a sort of shared vision on the future of the Z.
The car had a great foundation, with most of the modifications focusing on the engine, drivetrain, and body. It already had a 3.0L Rebello motor, 5-speed from a 280Z, and R200 differential. It was also repainted an eye-catching GMC teal color, with specially molded 3/4 inch steel plates welded into the fenders.
“The interior also has some unique parts. The glove box is signed by Mr. K. Ray met Mr. K in 1989 at an event that was hosted at Blackhawk Museum. There is also a Formuling France steering wheel from John Morton’s 240Z racecar. John was at Laguna Seca racing his 240Z, when Ray happened to catch him while he was on break, hanging out in the paddock. At that same event, Peter Brock had a booth set up and Ray was able to get him to sign that steering wheel as well. Since both signatures on the steering wheel have since started to fade, I was able to get Peter Brock to re-sign it, while I was at the Japanese Classic Car Show in 2019. Hopefully in the future, I’ll be able to meet John Morton and have him re-sign the steering wheel as well.”
JDM Inspiration
A few months after taking ownership of the car, Hazel traveled across Japan and pulled a lot ideas/inspiration from that trip. Visiting Shoji-Inoue at his shop in Tokyo, Star Road, gave her a better idea on how to modify a Z with both reliability and performance in mind.
“I traveled to Aichi prefecture and saw all of the radical builds dreamt up by Yoshiya Watanabe at Rocky Auto. I was also able to attend the All Japan Fairlady Z meet at Fuji Speedway. The annual event brings together all cars apart of the Z lineage from all across Japan – from the Fairlady Z S30z, all the way to the modern 370Z Z34. From what I read, there were 1,400+ Z cars in attendance that year.”
After coming back from the trip, Hazel knew she wanted to focus on modernizing suspension, brakes, and handling. She got the car with completely stock suspension and brakes; however, the motor/ drivetrain and body was upgraded prior to ownership. This was key in crafting the Z the way she wanted since all attention could be focused on the suspension and handling, instead of body/ paint. In 2019, the her Z was accepted to participate in the car show at JCCS in Long Beach. There, she saw the ZCG booth and was able to talk to Rob and check out the brake kit and CV axles.
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Hazel and Anthony visited us and we handed them the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car and she was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 Hazel made a very cool video of her visit/test drive, enjoy!
Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!
Z Car Garage is proud to offer our Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves. We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive (40-page) installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Kit details below:
As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with engineers at Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel (and some 14″ wheels) and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:
Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)
Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats
Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads
Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.
A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:
As mentioned, our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake. Hazel made a video of the Big-Brake unboxing:
Installation of our ZCG Big-Brake kit as well as our ZCG CV Axles was performed by Trackspec Autosports. Hazel also had them install full suspension from Techno Toy Tuning including Evolved Coilovers (with Koni dampers and HyperCo springs), lower control arms, inner and outer tie rods, drop mounts, dogbone, steering coupler, urethane bushings, and front strut tower tri-bar. Wheels are 15×8.5 AME / Fatlace Fzero2:
Hazel documented the installation in a neat video, enjoy!
A few pictures of ZCG Big-Brakes replacing stock disc/drum units on Hazel’s Z:
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 100 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Hazel’s ZCG CV Axle set vs. stock half shaft:
Before and after the new CV Axles, Big-Brakes and T3 suspension:
In another brilliant video from Hazel, she mounted a GoPro camera to capture the suspension and new CV axles in action. Bravo, Hazel!
Hazel is Enjoying The Ride
Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. Hazel was very happy as well with great feedback on our ZCG CV Axles too!
“Brakes: Finally – no more pumping the brakes and down shifting for every stop light! The stock drum brakes are one of my least favorite things about the Z car, especially with a modified engine. It feels great to know that my car can stop on a dime. Especially since I plan to do the occasional track days, a good brake kit was a must for me, and this delivered.
CV Axles: Power transfer to the wheels feels much smoother now. Previously, there would be huge dip in the rear end of the car on acceleration before you could feel the power go to the wheels and drive the car forward. Now – nothing but “buttery” smooth power transfer. No more delay once my foot is on the throttle.
I’ve only been to one track day at Thunderhill West so far with this set up, but really like it so far! It handled the course well this past weekend with no issues.”
What’s next for Hazel and her Series 1 S30? Future mods include the following components:
-CD009 transmission upgrade
-oil cooler/ catch can
-Mikuni Triple carbs
-Baffled oil pan
-Track day seat time! Driving at the local raceways (Laguna Seca and Thunderhill West).
We love your passion and thank you for supporting us Hazel. We are proud to have our parts on your Z. You said it best:
“Love Cars, Love People, Love Life”
Hazel would like to give a special shoutout of thanks to:
– Anthony Siasoco
– Trackspec Autosports: Herb, Jon, Grace
– AutoRnD: Rishie
– Zero Auto Factory: Son, Cody
– AR Mobile Tire: Rhyss, Ardeine
– Techno Toy Tuning: Kevin, Tony, Josh, Gabe
– Worx Kustomz: Jesse
– Vintage Spirit Garage: Ivan
Stay tuned for more customer installations of our ZCG Big-Brakes! Check out our ZCG CV axles HERE.
Long Live The Z!
Enjoy the photo gallery below …[read more]
