Filed under: 350z,Performance
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on October 29, 2021
Brad L is the original owner of this 2008 Nismo 350z #1188. He generally uses this Z for fun road trips and wanted a little more power so he visited Z Car Garage for a Stillen supercharger kit.
We have known Brad for a very long time, working with several of his family members and their Z cars. You might remember his brother Terry’s (from Arizona) Slicktop Z32. Brad also has a son with a Z that we gave some attention to.
Time For Boost
With 52k miles on the odometer we installed a CARB-legal Stillen supercharger in Satin. All of our standard-issue supporting upgrades were installed including Aeromotive fuel pump, GT-R plugs and a 34-row Concept Z Performance thermostatically-cooled oil cooler:
>We moved away from the Stillen-supplied CAN tune and Rob dyno-tuned via UPREV, making 397hp/298tq at the wheels. Solid gains of 102hp/39tq:
Brad is super happy with the power and he’s been Enjoying The Ride! Thanks for your support Brad and Terry!
Filed under: 350z,370z
by Alvin G @ 5:38 pm on June 25, 2021
We met Gordon in 2013 when he came to Z Car Garage for Stillen Gen 3 intakes on his 2010 V1 Nismo Z34. He had 13k miles on the clock and that same summer we also installed a Fast Intentions exhaust system.
Here is the Fast Intentions TDX cat-back exhaust system and Stillen intakes:
The exhaust looks great from the rear:
Stock single muffler vs the TDX dual muffler setup:
Stillen Gen3 Intakes are always a nice addition to the HR engines:
The Z is Gordon’s fun car so very little daily driving…in 2015 he came in for minor paint work and an inspection with only 27k miles.
“When I first got my 2010 370Z NISMO I did a little bit of research on local shops where I might consider having some minor modifications done. The research I did pointed me to only one place that consistently had nothing but rave reviews – you had to go to Rob and his team at Z-Car Garage. Rob lives and breaths Zs. It was apparent from my first visit – Zs of all models and years everywhere. It was clear I was in the right place.”
In 2021 Gordon contacted us because his clutch was beginning to fail. A common issue is the internal slave failing due to heat. Thankfully Z Speed Performance makes a kit to convert the internal slave to external (CMAK Upgrade). Since we had to remove the transmission Gordon opted for a Z Speed Quiet clutch with steel flywheel.
With 33k miles no won the odometer we performed a full 30k service. The diff bushings were replaced with Whiteline units and CV axles lubed.
Dyno Tuning
We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades. It had been 6-7 years since Gordon’s last UPREV tune. On the dyno, Rob re-tuned the Z with gains throughout the rev range. Peak gains of 22hp/15tq for a total of 309hp/254tq at the wheels:
Gordon is thrilled with the power gains:
“The final piece was an Up-Rev tune. So Rob worked his magic with the tune and the results were amazing on the dyno. The car was just awesome. Rob and the team have done some regular maintenance work on the car over the years, including a recent replacement of the factory clutch with a higher performance clutch w/ a lighter flywheel. We also added a new set of Continental Xtreme Sports. It feels like a new car. I can’t say enough about Rob and his team. They truly are Z best…”
Thanks for your support Gordon, 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.
Gentry Stein visited Z Car Garage from Chico, CA for dyno tuning on his V1 Nismo 370Z. We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades. Gentry contacted us before searching for the right Nismo Z34 and eventually found this super clean V1, #528:
On the dyno, Rob Uprev tuned the Z making great mid-range to redline gains. Peak gains of 9hp/7tq for a total of 322hp/267tq at the wheels:
Gentry is thrilled with the power gains:
“My experience at ZCG was absolutely awesome! Rob’s passion for Z’s can truly be felt while at ZCG. I felt confident knowing my car was in the best possible place it could be to get dyno tuned. Rob even took videos of the car for me while it was on the dyno. The car made great power throughout the whole powerband, and it’s even more of a blast to drive now! The throttle feels alive, and the torque gain is really felt from 4K-6.5k RPM. I’m excited every time I sit in the drivers seat of my Z.”
Yo-Yo World Champion
Fun fact: Gentry is the World Champion of Yo-yo. He provides some insight into his desire for a 370Z and career in Yo-yo playing:
“In early 2020 I was specifically looking for a V1 Nismo Z34 in white. I wanted a car that I could daily drive and also take through canyons and coastal roads. I don’t care about a fancy interior with luxurious amenities. I wanted something that looks sexy and is fun to drive, and to me that’s an exact description of this car. Ive driven some other popular cars, but this car feels rewarding on a different level. I love what they did with the body kit of the Nismo too. You know you have the right car when you can’t help but look back at it every time you get out of it.
My Z story really starts with my love for Japan. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Japan 5 times over the last 6 years for work and play, and have developed some incredible friendships that have allowed me to experience Japanese culture and values. I started playing with yoyos when I was 8 years old, which is when I met one of my mentors who is from Japan. From then to now as I’ve turned that passion into a career, much of my success is due to what I learned from that mentor as well as my other connections and experiences in Japan. The month preceding winning my first World Yo-yo Championship was spent training in Nagoya and Tokyo. I experienced the special level of care that goes into everything in Japan, whether it’s design, food, human interaction, work ethic, etc… This has played a major role in inspiring me and helping me develop into the person I am today. This level of care is also felt in their Z cars when looking at and driving them. I have such a respect and appreciation for Japan and their culture, and I feel proud to drive a car that was born from the same place as many of the building blocks to my own life success.
As for my goals with the Z, I plan to continue to drive the hell out of it. I’ve put 15,000 miles on the car in my first 10 months of ownership. It’s literally been 15 thousand miles of fun and I’m looking forward to more of that. I’m pretty content with the way the car is setup. The car is riding on KW V3 suspension, has a Wavetrac limited slip differential, polyurethane differential bushings, K&N drop in air filters, Motordyne Shockwave exhaust, and special sauce from the fresh Z Car Garage tune. I also just did a full paint correction and ceramic coat myself to keep the car looking as good as it drives.
Thanks Z car garage for being part of my car’s story!”
Follow Gentry on Instagram and check out his instructional videos over on YouTube. When you are ready, you can even purchase a yo-yo at his shop.
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.
This 1971 Nissan Skyline has been in the Z Car Garage family for several years and currently resides in Georgia with owner Randy Jaffe. Randy has built a few notable cars with ZCG including the Rocketbunny Series1 240Z and #46 BRE Datsun 240Z driven by John Morton:
How did he end up with this JDM beauty? Randy has always loved the stance and looks of these early, “Hakosuka” Skylines and wanted to experience right-hand drive (RHD). Timing was perfect as our customer Alex McDowell was willing to part with his 2000 GT-X:
Under Alex’s ownership ZCG maintained the car for many years. It did not need much to prepare for delivery to Randy. We performed a full tune-up, sync’d the triple carbs, changed the fluids, handled minor cosmetics (like straightening the bumper) and it was shipped off to Georgia:
Randy’s Way
If there is one thing about Randy we admire, it’s his attention to detail. Ok, we like his sense of style too 🙂 Upon arrival he mounted fresh set of chunky Toyo tires on those iconic Watanabe wheels. Inside, he removed the carpet and replaced it with original style GT-R vinyl covering. The tan seats were reupholstered to red.
The car was originally a white GT-X and when I asked Randy of any future mods he replied:
“I am thinking about dropping one of the Parkinson race motors in it to give the car more power – the original 2.0 is sluggish compared to what I enjoy driving. If I do that I will pull all of the A/C parts off of it and clean up the engine bay. To be continued!”
Randy applied the Hakosuka racecar-inspired livery:
Here is a walk-around of the Hako, with more pictures in the gallery below.
We are happy to report that Randy is Enjoying The Ride and even won an award at the local Caffeine and Octane show:
More to Come
You may have noticed some really cool cars in the background. Randy has several Nissans/Datsuns in his collection that we are excited to share with you in upcoming blog posts! For now, LONG LIVE THE HAKOSUKA!
Mike R acquired this gunmetal (KH2) 1991 Skyline GTR last August from our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers. It goes without saying, if you are in the market for a vintage Skyline (or any JDM car) IVI is the place to go.
Z Car Garage is familiar with the Norcal Skylines group and fellow Skyline R32 owner Kurt W. referred Mike to us in addition to an endorsement from Top Rank:
“One of my main concerns in purchasing a 25+ year old vehicle that was never manufactured in the US, was support. Who can work on this thing to perform maintenance and upgrades? I spoke with Top rank about it quite a bit prior to purchase and they had recommended Z Car garage. The car was in great condition and mostly stock when I got it. With the goal of being an all around fast street car, I started acquiring parts and placed a call to ZCG to start the first round of upgrades.”
Chassis
We discussed installing a big-brake kit, suspension, Haltech and a few others issues we handled for Mike. Here is the Project Mu 4-wheel big-brake kit:
We also installed the Ohlins DFV coil-overs, shown below are the stock R32 calipers:
With a few modifications the Project Mu kit was installed:
Some close-ups of the Project Mu setup:
We adjusted his coil-over setup and set the ride height followed by corner-weighting the car according to his weight. Further suspension mods included Whiteline Sway bars, Cusco strut bracing and SPL titanium HICAS eliminator kit. All interior panels were trimmed for a clean finish with full alignment services.
Performance
Mike was also interested in replacing the factory ECU so we upgraded to a Haltech Elite 2000 with the R32-plugin adapter. The full installation also included a wideband controller and smoke-testing the car in preparation for dyno tuning:
Greddy FMIC:
The Haltech combined with Apexi intakes, Nismo downpipe, Tomei Titanium exhaust, Greddy FMIC and PRP R35 Coil kit, netted 340hp/284tq at the wheels with Rob’s tuning on 91 octane:
Enjoy the dyno video below:
Since his last visit, Mike has added R34 GT-R Seats, and a sweet set of Volk Racing TE37 SL custom gloss black wheels (18×10.5 +15), wrapped in Michelin PS4S tires measuring 265/35/18.
Mike also relocated the battery to the trunk to make space for a Leaskspec radiator overflow tank and Radium dual catch can setup:
In addition, a Haltech IC7 digital dash was added to monitor vital engine parameters. The IC7 dash ties into the CAN box of Elite system:
More Power
Mike has been happy with the upgrades we made but like many of us the desire for more power inevitably hits:
“The car has been running flawlessly and the goal with these mods is to support the addition of a single turbo kit that Zcar will be installing this August. The turbo kit consists of a Full Race Twin scroll T4 manifold that will be mated to an EFR 8474 turbocharger. Twin Tial 44mm external wastegates will bleed off the excess exhaust gasses.”
Along with the turbo kit, we will be adding: PWR radiator, Samco radiator hoses, Tomei Type B Poncams, fuel pump, Radium fuel rail, fpr, ID 1050X fuel injectors, along with a custom intake and custom intercooler piping with a Tial q50 BOV. The goal for this round of upgrades is 500whp on low boost and 91 octane fuel.
“All of the work performed at Zcar had exceeded my expectations so far (and I’m very picky). Looking forward to the start the build and make some power of the next few months.”
We really enjoy taking care of many Norcal Skyline owners. Welcome to ZCG family Mike and thanks for trusting us with your R32! Enjoy The Boost until you return!
More pictures in the gallery below:
