This is Christopher’s 1975 Datsun 280Z featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and ZCG KW coil-over suspension! He performed a meticulous restoration himself with highlights including an ITB EFI-fed L-Series, CD009 6-speed transmission and Watanabe wheels. Let’s take a look at how Christopher got into Z cars…
CHRISTOPHER: The previous owner of the Z lived less than a mile from our house. I noticed it in his garage one day on the way in to work and immediately went by that afternoon to ask him about it. It was bought new in his family and given to him by his Uncle. It hadn’t ran in over five years and he was hoping to get it back running. I asked him almost every other week for about a year to keep me in mi d if he ever decided to sell it. He eventually moved for work and was forced to sell the car…
…My wife was the first to tell me and I was pushing the car to our house that afternoon! I got the car running after a few months and drove it stock for a year or two. After moving down south and the car being exposed to high humidity, I decided to restore the car and take care of the body before things got out of hand. What began as a tear down to have the car repainted, turned into a full nut and bolt restoration that overall took just under six years to complete.
Drivetrain
Christopher’s fanatic attention to detail really shines in the super-sanitary engine bay. The stock L28 uses Jenvey individual throttle-body fuel injection (MegaSquirt ecu) with parts from Datsunspirit and ProTunerZ. He made a mount for the IAT sensor, installed @fuelinjectorclinic injectors, @robsperformancemotorsport fuel rail, and @radiumengineering bits (fuel pressure regulator, gauge, and two petcock drain valves for the catch cans). More photos in the gallery below!
CHRISTOPHER: The goal of the build was to highlight and improve what was already great about the car. I wanted the appearance, weight and simplicity of a 240 with the drivability, performance, and rigidity of the 280. I was inspired by GT3s and similarly was seeking to build a light weight, naturally aspirated car with ITBs and and a quality exhaust. The car now weighs 2400 pounds and I wanted to ensure only quality items were installed (OEM or better).
Below: At Moore Performance dialing in the ITBs. Chris plans to re-visit the dyno to squeeze more power with a different CAS sensor.
The exhaust includes a Z-story header and custom piping fabricated by Tyler Dorsey. Below, also visible are T3 coil-overs, LCAs, and Z Car Garage CV Axles:
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes
CHRISTOPHER: I heard about ZCG from various Datsun Forums before I purchased the car. Rob and ZCG were known for their passion with the S30 and the research and development that went into every product offered. I chose ZCG for the lower control arms, brakes, suspension, and coil overs because I wanted a cohesive setup that was developed in a way that ensured every component worked in harmony with each other and improved the S30’s driving characteristics, not change it.
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 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 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
CHRISTOPHER: Early on I considered more outrageous options that were popular within the community. But after researching those companies, and the reviews of their products further, it became clear that was not the direction I preferred to take. A lot were over engineered and under tested, over complicated, or unnecessary. Ultimately, I chose ZCG after numerous conversations with Rob where he spent time breaking down his own personal opinion and the shop’s research to highlight where other options may over engineer products to the detriment of the car or may not unlock the full potential of the chassis. I liked that he was honest with what he thought was worth upgrading and what wasn’t necessary. It was obvious he cared and wasn’t out for just a profit. He lives these cars.
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 installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Christopher’s beautiful S30 and his ZCG Big-Brake installation:
CHRISTOPHER: The installation was a breeze. Uniquely for this project, Rob and I talked early on (almost five years ago) about testing ZCG’s ability to develop and deliver products beyond the west coast. We began this venture as a means to begin testing the various elements of that process logistically. For this, Rob also wanted to demonstrate how ZCG was capable at recommending, assembling, and shipping complete components to the point that it removed much of the work and guessing from the consumer. Rob’s hope was to prove that if someone wanted the complete setup (engineered and proven by ZCG over years of experience), a customer could essentially order the catalogue and receive a complete solution delivered to their front step. That’s exactly what happened with this.
Our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake function. Chris successfully installed the BBK on his Z and they look great behind the 16×8 (zero offset) Watanabe wheels with 225/45/16 Toyo tires. 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.
CHRISTOPHER: The car feels planted like never before. Our family also has a fully restored 73 240 that is an excellent OEM example. Where that car feels stable and drives well, there’s no denying the age of its component and it drives like a seventies sports car. The 280 feels like a modern sports car and inspires confidence. The brake pedal communicates exceptionally well and the balance of the calipers bring the z down from speed a rate well beyond most cars today. The light weight of the S30 and the size of the ZCG big brakes is an unreal combo!
Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW Suspension
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 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback. Christopher’s ZCG CV Axle set, #0457 installed by himself:
Detailed shots, note how clean his work is!
CHRISTOPHER: Not only does ZCG already provide extensive installation guidance (70 plus pages of instructions for the brakes alone that cover everything from torque specs to bleeding procedures), but, for this, he assembled and shipped each corner fully assembled (spindle, wheel bearings, coil over, and camber plates). I was able to install the whole assembly into the strut tower, the lower control arms, and attach the brake lines and the corner was complete! Having this work done by Rob not only saved me time, but also gave me the piece of mind that these critical pieces of the chassis were done right and by someone with decades of experience. From there it was installing the ZCG CV Axles and I was then off to the remainder of the build.
KW x Z Car Garage Coil-over Suspension
Christopher installed our KW V3 suspension, complementing the ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles nicely. Details on our ZCG KW V3 coil-overs will be covered in a dedicated blogpost coming soon.
CHRISTOPHER: The KW V3s offered by ZCG are the most valuable investment I’ve made in the car (and I’ve replaced nearly every bolt on the car at this point lol). Nothing has affected the performance and drive of the car as drastically as the coil overs. The Z is smooth on the highway and is able to carry momentum through corners like never before. I can’t wait to get it out on the track this spring. Couldn’t recommend them enough. Wether it’s the brakes or the suspension, ZCG has formed relationships with the partners that matter and have a proven track record in the auto industry. There’s nothing else like it period.
Interior
Chris’ phenomenal work extends to the interior where original surfaces were refurbished or replaced with OEM parts.
CHRISTOPHER: I chose to put the original luggage riser vinyl back in as I really like the original small diamond pattern better than the newer options. Also installed the rear quarter panels I bought off @sportzwerks and refurbished which never came with the car. Feels good to be bringing it back better than it was. Pretty cool to see the refinished dash frame from @vintagedashes in the car as well as the dash cowl with @speedhut gps puck installed. The 6-speed shift knob is from @thedavemason:
Enjoying The Ride
After a long journey Christopher is driving his Z! Follow his build on Instagram and see it in action in the video below, volume up!
CHRISTOPHER: Moving forward I plan on getting the z out to meets and on the road! It’s going to be driven! I found a lot of the suppliers that helped with Nissan’s heritage program when the 350Z was released, and took the time to create what I hoped to be a quality build that maintained the character of the S30s with components that not only perform but will last another 50 years. The result isn’t blistering speed but a visceral driving experience in a truly timeless car.
Thanks for your support Christopher we love that you are Enjoying The Ride and Long Live The Z! More photos in the gallery below.
The Last Stop in Braking for your Z
Z Car Garage Big Brakes are one of the best systems available for your S30 Z Car with over 200 kits sold worldwide and unanimous positive feedback. See our ZCG Big-Brakes on client cars HERE and enjoy the photos below:
