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VIDEO: Larry Chen’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

Filed under: 240z,Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on June 30, 2023

 

Photographer and car culture ambassador Larry Chen commissioned Z Car Garage 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.

 
 

Larry just released a video chronicling his journey with his Z, affectionately known as “Ole Orange Bang”, featuring our Z Car Garage Big-BrakesZ Car Garage CV Axles, chassis preparation, dyno tuning and more. It’s a wonderful video with some killer action of Larry enjoying the Z in the canyons. Check it out below or on his YouTube Channel. Volume up and enjoy!

Thanks for the love Larry! You can see our report of the work ZCG performed on this Z on zcarblog.com HERE and LONG LIVE THE Z!





 

Our client Sung Kang’s RB26-powered Datsun 240Z is featured in the popular Japanese magazine, “Option”.

 

In 2020 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, Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension on his very own “FuguZ”!

 
 

You can view the OTION magazine article HERE.




SHOP UPDATE 1/6/23

Filed under: 240z,280Z,350z,370z,Events,Maintenance,Parts,Performance
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on January 6, 2023

 

Happy New Year from Z Car Garage! We are excited for 2023 and have many projects to share with you. Enjoy these photos from the shop today, Friday 6 with full reports coming to zcarblog.

Rick’s BRE 240Z tribute track car

 

Rick’s BRE-inspired Datsun 240Z track car just received our first set of Z Car Garage KW coil-over suspension from our latest batch. Clients that have already placed an order: kits will ship soon pending an instruction manual first. We also finalized the CD009 6-speed transmission swap on Rick’s Z that also features our (Race) Z Car Garage Big-Brakes.

Cameron’s Z32

 

Cameron’s Z32 is here for maintenance work and downpipes, inlet piping, larger intercoolers all from Specialty Z. Cameron has been bringing his 300 to us for many years and we we are really glad to have him back.

Nissan/Infiniti

 

We continue to maintain and upgrade late-model Nissan/Infiniti sports cars. Sean’s 370Z is in for an engine replacement and Mark’s 350Z got an alignment and UPREV dyno tune today.

 

Transcendental Racing IMSA Datsun 240Z

 

The Transcendental Racing Datsun 240Z is getting ready for The Real Ralph Newman to hand-apply its livery on Monday with owner Randy Jaffe here from Atlanta. Our man William is here today to do some buffing on the fresh paint.

S30 Z Cars

 

Outside in the parking lot we’ve got more S30 goodness. Mike’s yellow V8-powered Datsun 280Z sports a real G-nose and Tremec 5-speed. We just removed the transmission  and replaced the clutch to prepare this Z for its new owner. Beau’s orange Datsun is 280Z coming together. Fresh from paint featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, T3 suspension and more. This 280 has many 240Z parts retrofitted and it will be cool hot rod.

 

Ken’s green Series 1 Datsun 240Z (#1762) is getting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, KA24 5-speed transmission and Fujitsubo exhaust. The L28 now has Jenvey ITB EFI managed by a Haltech 750. With a cam, dyno tuning and exhaust Rob gained 40hp! Shown on the lift next to Beau’s Z is Eric’s Infiniti FX35 sporting upgraded suspension and R35 GT-R wheels in today for routine maintenance.

 

More to come watch for updates on our Instagram and Facebook pages!

 

LONG LIVE THE Z!




TUNING: Sean’s 2010 Nismo 370Z

Filed under: 370z,Performance
by Alvin G @ 3:42 pm on April 13, 2022

 

Sean M visited Z Car Garage for dyno tuning on his 2010 Nismo 370Z. We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades. Let’s hear how Sean found his Pearl White V1 Nismo Z34:

“I obtained this car through my father’s best friend. A couple of years ago, I found this car on craigslist and I wanted to jump on it very badly. I had just gotten a car six months before, so I couldn’t get it and knew it was going to be gone within the next couple of days. Sure enough, that’s what happened. I showed up at the Thunder Hill 3-Mile course that weekend, and spotted the car parked next to our trailer when we arrived. It turns out my father’s best friend bought the car, and from that moment I told him that if he ever wants to sell it, I want to buy it from him. About a year and a half later, thats what happened!”

 

Once he got the car Sean started modifying it immediately with Stillen G3 intakes, Z1 headers, Magnaflow cat-back, Z1 motorsports 34 row oil cooler, Z1 clutch, KW V3 Coilovers, Hawk DTC60 pads, and AEM Oil pressure and wideband AFR gauges.

“After installing those parts, I knew it was going to need a tune. Thats when I found the man the myth the legend Rob at Z Car Garage! I found them online looking for Z tuners in the bay, and after coming into Z Car Garage I knew I brought it to the right place. Rob got the car squared away with the UPREV ARC license, and with his knowledge about how hard the car gets driven he dialed it in.”

Dyno Tuning

 

We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades on Sean’s Z. On the dyno, Rob UPREV tuned with gains throughout the rev range. Peak gains of 20hp/20tq for a total of 335hp/272tq at the wheels was achieved:

 

Enjoy this dyno video that Sean filmed:

Sean was stoked on the dyno results:

“Being a huge racer himself, he knows what it takes to keep a car maintained and up to date, and the motor running safely and efficiently. Z Car Garage is always my recommendation to fellow Z enthusiasts, as I know Rob is a wealth of useful information as well as a brilliant mechanic. After the tune, the car has fantastic throttle response on partial throttle and tons of top end!”

 

We also added the ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details and to schedule your Z/G tuning appointment.

Here is a video of the exhaust and launch control (courtesy of the UPREV ARC License):

 

Enjoying The Ride

 

Sean is an avid driving enthusiast and this Z sees the track 2+ weekends per month, running strong each and every time. It is a car that gets driven close to its limit, and is often featured on Sean’s YouTube Channel, Milburn Motorsports. You can also catch Sean and his racing adventures on Instagram.

 

Rob had a great time with Sean:

“We met Sean through tuning his car. He’s an awesome young man and even brought some of his friends (some we’ve also worked with) with him to the shop. It’s good to see passionate, enthusiastic young people in motorsports.  Whenever Sean is here we talk about his Z car and how much he enjoys it and how we both enjoy driving. He’s got a really cool YouTube channel that we subscribe to and he’s an excellent racetrack driver.”

Thanks for your support Sean, Long Live The Z!

 

Contact us for tuning!

Z Car Garage offers the ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details and to schedule your Z/G tuning appointment.





 

Our client Jas D listed his 1991 Aztec Red 300ZX Twin Turbo for auction on Bring a Trailer. You can view the auction HERE. Below is our blog feature of the Z, enjoy and happy bidding on this stunning Z32.

 

To appreciate the 1991 Aztec Red 300ZX Twin Turbo pictured above we must tell you a story of love, heartbreak, persistance and ultimately satisfaction. Z Car Garage client Jas D has been with us since 2014 when we helped build his 1990 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo. This Super White, 44k original-mile example was treated with all the ZCG touches that make a Z32TT go from wonderful to extraordinary. We dubbed it the “Z Masterpiece” (see more here) as it embodied the total package: Power. Handling. Braking. Aesthetics:

ZCG 82514 CAM 4 087
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Jas totally Enjoyed The Ride in this Z, adding 28k thrilling miles with ZCG maintaining it over the years:

“My brother and I have been ZCG customers for almost a decade. I met Rob when I called about getting a PPI on what became Z Masterpiece. At the time, a Super White manual came up on AutoTrader (I LOVE Super White-OMG). It was a low-mile, one-owner, meticulously-maintained time-capsule. Rob actually said WOW after the PPI, and we worked with ZCG over a couple years on a few iterations until we got Z Masterpiece. That car was perfect!  My dream Z; I loved driving that car EVERYWHERE! It is probably my favorite car of all time!”

ZCG CAM4 71314 033 IMG_1615 
 

Unfortunately, in 2016 the Z was stolen.

“On October 29, 2016, Z Masterpiece was stolen. We cried, we laughed, we got angry, we sulked for a couple months, forgot about it, and then my dad found the car driving into SF on January 25, 2017. The car had clearly been driven like it was stolen. But, believe it or not, all the expensive components were still on there. We sent it to Rob right away, and he helped us turn Z Masterpiece into the Red Devil Z (which I purchased on April 20, 2017 with 66,XXX miles).”

From Z Masterpiece to Red Devil

 

Persistance paid off, and Jas found a really clean Aztec Red ’91 Z32TT with only 66k miles. All of the upgrades from the Super White, Z Masterpiece were transferred over:

“Rob pulled the motor from the Super White, re-did all the seals/gaskets, and then put the driveline back together into the red Z32TT.  Coincidentally, both cars and engines had 66,XXX miles when this was done in summer 2017.”

 

 

Let’s take a look at the modifications that turn the already stellar Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo into a superb, balanced sports car.

Engine

 

Though bone-stock with an amazing 44k miles on the clock it needed some attention. We went through the hydraulics and performed full 60k-mile services.

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Jas wanted to improve power and handling and we happily obliged with a comprehensive list of upgrades this year.  Starting with the drivetrain, the original transmission was replaced with a brand new(!) unit from Nissan:

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The clutch had seen better days so we replaced it with a JWT unit including their heavy duty aluminum flywheel:

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A JWT ecu w/boost jets manages uprated NISMO 740cc injectors and the Selin dual MAF. Improved breathing comes from Ash-SPEC inlet piping and dual JWT pop chargers:

Cam 3 103114 007  
ZCG 82514 CAM 4 037 ZCG 82514 CAM 4 047 ZCG 82514 CAM 4 051
 

On the exhaust side, restrictive original downpipes were replaced with these beautiful Specialty Z 3″ downpipes. Note the divorced wastegate piping:

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ZCG CAM4 71314 064 ZCG CAM4 71314 094
 

Following the new downpipes are more parts from SPZ including 3″ mid-pipes and a cat-back exhaust system to replace the OEM setup:

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OEM vs SPZ:

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ZCG 82514 CAM 4 007 - Copy ZCG 82514 CAM 4 014
 

More upgrades. We installed 4.08 Leader gears, Ash-SPEC Massive SMICs, 2.5 IC tubing, and  SPZ Hi-5 upgraded clutch. The BDE low-profile Z32 motor mounts are a smart alternative to OEM that allows more clearance larger for intakes:

CAM 2 103114 141 CAM 2 103114 142 
Cam 3 103114 006 ZCG CAM4 71314 079 ZCG CAM4 71314 087
 

Rob recently dyno-tuned the red Z, making 353hp/353tq to the wheels on 91 octane:

 

Stoptech Big-Brakes

 

With all of the speed parts installed next we tackled chassis improvements. Let’s begin with brakes followed by suspension:

ZCG 82514 CAM 4 061

We love Stoptech’s products and use them on our own vehicles.  Z32s are relatively heavy and with higher hp the stock caliper/rotors can be taxed quite easily. Jas took it up a notch and ordered a Stoptech 4-wheel Big-Brake Kit for his beloved Z.  Shown above is the ST40 caliper (front) squeezing 332 mm rotors and at the rear are ST22s on 328mm rotors.

The installation:

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Yes, they are pretty but also very functional. Speaking of aesthetics (that are functional, too), the new calipers are nicely framed between the spokes of these sweet VOLK TE37SL wheels, finished in bronze and sized 18×9.5/10.5 in high-pad offset with center caps.  We like your taste, Jas.  The lightweight TE’s were wrapped in Yokohama tires:

 

Suspension

The suspension was gone through completely with all new parts. KW V3s are our favorite coil-over setup, replacing the Stance coil-overs that the Super White Z had. Stillen sway bars are also shown:

 

Stock vs KW V3s installed front:

 
 

Rear:

 
 

Every little nook and cranny of the suspension was handled. New SPL tension rods, upper front control arms, new rear wheel bearings and HICAS removal/eliminator:

 
 

T/C rods, Stillen sway bar, we also replaced the rack bushings:

 

The Z looks great!

 
 

The interior is in great condition as well:

 
 

Jas and his brother love the Z. Thanks for letting us be a part of your journey!

“The Red Devil Z is vicious and so fun to drive. It is the quintessential 1990s Japanese sports car  – red – gold wheels – TTs – exhaust.  It goes fast. It stops fast. It turns fast. Z32TTs are the BEST! We love and respect Rob and the team at ZCG. Rob is a total big brother. He and the team have been with us through the passion and pain.”

**This Red Z32TT will be for sale on Bring a Trailer!**

 

The quest for the perfect Z is almost complete as Jas just found one of the cleanest Super White z32s on Earth. That means the red car is for sale! Jas is listing it on Bring a Trailer. We will update this post and social media when the auction goes live so you don’t miss out! For now, enjoy the extensive photo gallery below, and LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

Lots of pictures in the gallery, enjoy!
…[read more]




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