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!

Nissan’s (Z32) 300ZX is a model that we specialize in at Z Car Garage and our shop is always filled Twin-Turbo, NA or convertible variants. Chris G visited us for suspension and engine work on his “slicktop” NA 300ZX:

Chris’ Z has always been a handful in the suspension department he just wanted to make it more “adult” so we happily obliged. Full suspension upgrades included  SPL Upper control arms, SPL rear traction arms, SPL front T/C rods, Suspension Techniques front/rear sway bars, Stillen rear strut bar and KW V3 coil-overs. We also replaced the steering rack boots and rack bushings:

The NA VG30DE engine was pulled to service the valve covers, perform timing belt services and total re-seal with Nissan valve cover gaskets / BDE billet half moon seals / Gates bypass hose / fuel lines. A JWT aluminum clutch/flywheel was installed:

Dyno Tuning

We dyno tuned the Z following the engine refresh, making a healthy 201hp/180tq at the wheels:

Watch the dyno runs in the video below:

Enjoying The Ride

Chris immediately felt a difference after the upgrades and services:

“The Z is a completely different car now. The KW V3 suspension and some real tires make the car feel brand new. All the new goodies they added just took this car to the next level for me. The engine rebuild made a world of difference, pulls hard in every gear, sounds 5x better than before, no more leaks/smells. Just overall an amazing transformation I could feel as soon as I rolled out of the shop.”

The Z32 is super fresh with gold BBS LM wheels and timeless good looks. We loved working with Chris, knowing him since he was young and now he’s got a kid of his own…

“I was first introduced to Z’s when my friend bought an 85’ Z31. From there I found the Z32 and fell in love. I really wanted a slicktop, after about a year of looking I found one in the Bay Area and drove out the next day to see it and ended up buying it. I first brought my car to ZCG in 2015. I did research on shops in the bay area, and everything kept pointing back to ZCG as the best of the best. So, I scheduled time with Rob and after meeting him and seeing his true passion for the Z I knew I had found the right people to bring my car to! From beginning to end Rob helped plan everything, I had a list of wants and to-do’s and they made it happen. Along with other recommendations which really helped bring everything together. I could not have done it without them and their abundance of Z knowledge. Some roadblocks occurred during the build, but Rob kept me updated the entire time and followed through to the end to make sure everything was spot on before the next step. Their mindfulness is top tier.”

Thanks for your support Chris. We live for this. Long Live the Z!

…[read more]

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-Brakes, Z 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.

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!