***HAPPY HOLIDAYS From Z Car Garage***

 

One of the real joys this holiday season is the opportunity to say thank you and wish you the very best for the new year. From all of us at Z Car Garage we thank our friends, family and customers again for another exciting and productive year! Enjoy our 2022 recap and upcoming projects. Please note our holiday closure below:

ZCG will be closed from 12/26 through 12/30 for our Annual Holiday Break and we will re-open for business on 1/3/23

 

Client Updates for 2023

We had a busy year and though the shop will be closed, we won’t leave you hanging for the holidays. Many zcarblog features have yet to be published like our belated race report from the CSRG Charity Challenge and Finale in addition to client stories. Before we take a look back at highlights from 2022, here are several exciting projects coming along at the shop:

 

CJ’s 1971 Datsun 240Z features our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, and ZCG Heat Shield! We also installed triple-Mikuni induction and dyno tuned the Rebello 3L engine backed by a 240SX 5-speed transmission.

 

Jim’s 1971 Datsun 240z is now sporting a Rebello 3.2L with triple-Mikuni carbs on a Harada intake, Recaro Specialist seats, CD009a 6-speed transmission, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

   

Jeff and Ryan B’s LS3-powered Z came to us for mechanical sorting. It’s now sporting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles. Ryan successfully ran the Targa California Rallye in blistering summer heat. He recently got a new set of VOLK TE37V wheels full report soon!

 

At Z Car Garage we enjoy both modifying Z cars and restoring them back to factory spec. Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z came to us from North Carolina and we delivered it in July. This ’69 production VIN#193 is a beautiful driving example of how wonderful these cars were from the factory.

 

James’s Turbocharged L-series powered S30 will be back after some cosmetic upgrades. We enjoyed making some great power and music:

 

Rick’s BRE-inspired Datsun 240Z track car is getting a CD009 6-speed transmission, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, coil-over suspension and track preparation.

 

Ken’s Series 1 Datsun 240Z (#1762) is getting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, ZCG CV Axles, KA24 5-speed transmission and Fujitsubo exhaust. The L28 is now receiving Jenvey ITB EFI managed by a Haltech 750:

 

Beau’s Datsun 280Z coming together. Fresh from paint featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, T3 suspension and more.

 

Taking care of clients!

 

Z Car Garage takes pride in our ability to handle client’s needs, with same-day service possible. Our parts room with over 1,000 parts on hand allows us to get you in and back on the road. Client Vince S had a clutch hydraulic failure and limped his way in to the shop. We sorted his hydraulics and he was off in 4hrs:

 

Garret and Ken’s Series 1 Datsun 240Z cars both received our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

 

Stan K (VIN #511) and Tony H’s Series Datsun 240Z cars came in for mechanical sorting, interior work and Z Car Garage CV Axles

 

Datsunworks

 

Z Car Garage is excited to collaborate with Datsunworks and develop their brilliant KN20 dual-overhead cam (DOHC) cylinder head designed for the Nissan inline-6 L-Series engine. You can read all about it HERE. We continue to extract more power and run longevity testing with owner Gary’s Datsun 240Z, who has the pleasure of living daily with this beast affectionately named the “Behemoth”.

  

Khang’s 1973 Datsun 240Z was completed in October and he returned with 1,000 miles on the 3.2L L-Series. We adjusted the valves and double-checked power levels.

  

Happy to see both builds healthy and confirm power output. Enjoy the music from the both L-Series engines, sporting Jenvey ITB EFI managed by Haltech 750 Elite ECUs backed by the CD009a Six-Speed transmission.

 

Dyno Tuning your 350z/370z/Q/G

We have been dyno tuning your late model Nissan/Infiniti sports car daily. Bolt-ons, UPREV tuning. Our customers leave happy with more performance. Call us to schedule an appointment! Here are just a few cars:

Eric’s Q50:

   

R35 and R32 GT-R

R35s in for service and upgrades. Mike and Kurt’s R32 GT-Rs got power and chassis upgrades deserving their own blog features:

  

Z32

Mike’s 1991 Stillen GTZ. This rare, twin-turbo Z32 300ZX is #6 of 6 cars created by Steve Millen. It featured special 17” billet wheels, Brembo brakes, aero and performance upgrades. Excited to share its story and other client Z32 projects!

 

Race Cars

Several race cars to report on including the Transcendental Racing Datsun 240Z, Glenn Chiou’s Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510 (sporting ZCG CV Axles), the Corky Bell Trans-Am 510 and more!

 

Highlights from 2022

 

Even though 2022 was crazy year for all of us we still managed to have fun on and off the track. The shop made some really great progress as well. Enjoy these highlights from the year and Z you in 2023!

Click on each link or photo to see the full features!

The New Nissan Z

Huge thanks to Nissan for giving us the opportunity to experience the 2023 Nissan Z. We really can’t wait to get our new Z!

 

EVENTS: The 2023 Nissan Z Kicks Off Monterey Car Week at Motorlux!

Dyno Testing the 2023 Nissan Z (9-speed Auto)!

The 2023 Nissan Z on the Z Car Garage Dyno!

Return of the 1970 BRE Datsun 240Z

 

Vincent’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Khang’s 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Richard’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

David’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Glenn’s 1972 Fairlady 240Z-L

 

David’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Supermachine’s Datsun 240Z

 

Dirk’s 1972 Datsun 240z

 

Matt’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Linda’s OMS Pace Car

 

Vince M’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Jay’s 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Mark’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Vince S’ 1973 Datsun 240Z

 

Griot’s Garage 1972 Datsun 240Z

 

280Z

 

Where Are They Now: Greg’s 1977 Datsun 280Z

Skyline

Ray’s 1971 Skyline 2000GT-X

 

Julio’s 1971 Skyline

  

Z31

300zx

 

 510 and Fairlady Roadster

 

350Z

 

370z

 

Q60

R32

Updates on Mike and Kurt’s R32 Skylines!

R35

Racing

  

RACE REPORT: David Love Memorial with CSRG 4/1

RACE REPORT: Back to Back vintage racing events with SVRA

RACE REPORT: Laps For Laguna

RACE REPORT: Datsuns and Racing Legends at the 2022 Velocity Invitational

Z Car Garage Trackside Support Services: Todd’s Datsun 510 B-Sedan

 

Rallyes/Events

 

EVENTS: Tokyo Calling with Breakfast Club Rally

EVENTS: DWA Morning Motors Cars & Coffee 7/31

Happy Anniversary: Z Car Garage Celebrates 18 Years!

IN MEMORY: James Glenn Babb 2001-2022

IN MEMORY: RIP Jack Atkinson 1954-2022

The Sung Kang FUGUZ Steering Wheel

EVENTS: ZONC’s 50th Birthday Celebration!

EVENTS: The 2022 Japanese Classic Car Show

EVENTS: Z Car Garage at the Rolex Monterey Reunion and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

EVENT REPORT: Tokyo Calling 2

EVENTS: New Year’s Day Drive 2022

Media

Gary’s Datsunworks-powered Datsun 240Z featured on Marqued!

 

LONG LIVE THE Z! Check out our Instagram story for more updates!

 

 

We love motorsport and it is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Z Car Garage offers full trackside support and race car-preparation so you can focus on driving. Our client Todd R is a great example of ZCG trackside support in action. He’s been racing his Datsun 510 privateer-style for the last few years and hired us for the first time at the Laps For Laguna event back in May.

Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 9 (John Morton Cup). We were super proud of Todd: he was able to concentrate on his driving, achieving his highest placing (p6) and personal best lap (1:48.3) time. You can see our full report from this HERE, and let’s take closer look at Todd’s experience with Z Car Garage trackside services.

 

Race Prep for Todd

 

Todd had us prepare his B-Sedan 510 prior to the Laps for Laguna event with standard track-event services including dyno tuning and alignment. He also purchased a set of 13×7 Panasport Wheels from ZCG. We are proud to offer 13×7 Panasport racing wheels in perfect fitment for your B-Sedan/TransAm series Datsun 510 running vintage-class spec 205/60/13 Hoosier R7 (and other) tires:

 

The welded diff was replaced with OS Giken limited-slip (4.38) unit. Diff services are performed in-house at ZCG:

   

We changed the ignition, spark plugs and dyno tuned the L-Series engine for 110 race fuel.

 

Enjoy this video the dyno tuning sessions at Z Car Garage and in-car race footage from Todd, volume up!

 

510 Beginnings

Let’s take a look at how Todd got into 510s…

“My history with the 510 begins in my childhood. We had a 4 Door 510 as a family vehicle and went everywhere in it. I have many memories of tinkering on cars with my dad in the garage. My first car at 15 yo was a Datsun 1200 I bought with my twin brother for $200. Engine was dismantled and all parts in a box under the hood sitting on the engine block. We put it back together w/Dad at night after he got home from work using the Haynes manual. My first car I bought myself in 1988 out of the classifieds was a 1972 Datsun 510, Lowered, L18 and a webber carb, 5 speed painted white. Great car, went everywhere especially to the Santa Cruz Beach. I lived in Livermore at the time. Sadly it got smashed into in front of my parents house and that was the death of it.”

 

“I received my racing license in 2015 in a rented 510 from Larry Oka (The One and Only)( nicknamed the THRASHER) I subsequently bought that car to continue racing for 2015 and 2016 in SCCA ITC SFR region racing at Laguna, Sonoma and Thunderhill. I became the 2015 San Francisco Region Champion in ITC for SCCA that year. At the end on 2016 I was handed an opportunity to purchase a Vintage racing ready 1971 Datsun 510 again thanks to Larry Oka. I made the deal and started racing with CSRG in Vintage sedan racing. This was where my heart was. I had been attending Monterey historics for 30 years and finally was going to be a Vintage racer. I raced and learned with that car but it needed to be better prepped for vintage, its livery was a bit contemporary and the car was Street/ITC built.”

 

“I had the car painted to its current day Black over White #88. I wanted to make it my own. I modeled it after the F.A.R Performance Datsun 1200 Livery of the early 70s to pay homage to the bay area Datsun performance shop in the 70s and 80s. The ZCG of its day. They had a successful racing history with Roadsters, 1200s, 510s and Z cars. I then brought the car to Troy Ermish who performed all the proper B Sedan Upgrades at his shop over the course of a few months. As more 510s started showing up in Vintage racing…Like Troy, I was left in the back. I knuckled down and raced as hard as I could. I reminded my self of a saying by the great Paul Newman..”Its more fun to make a slow car go fast than a fast car go slow”. The prize at the end of the day in Vintage racing is returning home ALL in one piece. I sourced a Rebello L1800 and installed it, and was able to race two races in 2021 after install  at Sonoma and Thunderhill.”

 

“As for Rob…We met at racing school in 2016 when he attended and I was working for Larry Oka racing for the weekend. He had that contagious energy of course and that’s where I learned of Z Car garage. As a Datsun owner racer I knew I I would need his services in the future, and of course we ended up racing together on a regular basis with CSRG. We would always be staged together in the Paddocks since all the 510s typically parked together.”

 

“I have always been a Do it yourself’er and was able to take care of all my needs up to this point, but at that Sonoma race in 2021 I had issues. I sorted out some problems but had a persistent misfire. Thankfully Magic Hands Joshua Corwin of ZCG was providing Track Support to Rob and others that day and my problems caught his interest because he’s a fixer.  Rob had allowed him to step away for a moment and he was able to determine my ignition plate in the distributor was loose and causing a misfire. They also supplied me with a Coil and plugs as part of the fix. Without Z Car my weekend would have been over if not for them. THIS WAS MY AH HA moment. With Rob’s thorough knowledge Datsuns and racing and the skills of his guys, Thats a win.”

 

Success at Laguna Seca with ZCG Race Support

 

Todd’s experience with us at the Laps for Laguna race event was so good we had to share it with our readers and anyone looking to join the fun…

“My first race this year was in May at Laguna Seca. I hadn’t had my car out of storage all winter and because of a crazy busy work schedule I couldn’t do my own prep and services prior to racing. I got my car into Z Car Garage and they more than dialed it in in just a few days. Nut and Bolt check, Dyno tune, alignment, scales. My car had never been better. I also enjoyed track side support that day at Laguna. I had to worry about NOTHING when parked under that ZCG EZ up. It was a difficult adjustment and I didn’t know what to do with myself. Rob told me to worry only about me, the car is covered. That security knowing Z Car was on the job simply made me faster, finally everything was dialed.”

 

“First session I finished 14th, second timed session I finished 10th and For the First Time ever, Sunday afternoon race I finished 6th overall in group 9 B Sedan group. This was possible because ZCG had me covered, the car ran and preformed better than it ever had. I was more relaxed going onto each race, AND iIdiscussed every session with Rob to preform better for the next race to come. Simply the best. I would recommend Z Car Garage Track Support to everyone.”

 

Thanks for trusting us with your race preparation Todd. We are very proud of you and happy to have you part of our group!

Join The Vintage Racing Fun

 

Interested in joining the vintage racing fun? Z Car Garage can help you prepare and support your race car at the track. We can also help you find a vintage race car! Contact Rob at the shop at 408-452-0350 or e-mail rob@Zcargarage.com for more details. Catch all of our race reports on zcarblog HERE and stay tuned for our final 2022 race report from the CSRG race events in November!

 

…[read more]

 

In November 2019, racing legend John Morton and co-driver Rob Fuller piloted the #46 BRE Datsun 240z in the HSR Classic 24hr race at Daytona International Speedway. The team was heading for a class win until the second session when a Chevron panicked and cut hard right in front of John Morton, causing the Z to flip up in the air landing on its roof.

 

Team manager and owner Randy Jaffe sent the Z back to Z Car Garage for repairs and improvements and it is now back on the road in fighting form. Enjoy our report with photos and video chronicling the rebuild from dyno tuning to applying the famous livery on the BRE Datsun 240Z.

Racing at Daytona

  The Classic 24 race featured six race groups with 4 (1hr) sessions and cumulative time deciding the winner. Each session had a 3-minute pitstop with mandatory driver exit during fueling. It was an incredible sight to see the #46Z out on the high banking with serious race cars like the Smith Motorworks 1980 Porsche 935 K3:

  

Despite heavy rain the team carried on, making changes to the car and improving with each session:

Randy:  “As you drive into the infield at Daytona and look at that 31% banking it’s super intimidating and as Rob stated you cannot look straight out of the car as it’s always bending left and he has never experienced that before. Rob did an amazing job of adapting to not only the car but to the track within a few laps as he cut down six seconds. John Morton has not run Daytona in over 20 years and he got right in the car and turned a great time which is what professional race drivers do! At 77 years old it’s just amazing how he is so calm and so smooth around these tracks!”

  

The bad weather and lack of track experience didn’t hold the team back. Rob was ecstatic not only about the Z’s performance, but also being able to co-drive with his hero:

Rob: “Ben from Retrosport with Alan Terpins’ 1979 Porsche 935 MOMO car kicked ass and won their class. They were clocked on the front straight under braking at 188mph. The BRE Z did 156mph top speed and our lap times (Morton and Fuller) were within a .1 of each other. I can’t describe the feeling of going from total fanboy to being a co-driver with John Morton. All of this comes from Randy Jaffe’s generosity, drive/passion to celebrate this car and era. These heroes that were making history and didn’t even know it 50 years later. Watching people from all over the world  find John Morton to have him sign something, shake his hand, tell him a Datsun story. It’s surreal.”

 Unfortunately our hopes of a first or second place finish in class were cut short at the second session. John Morton got an epic start and as they all went into turn 1 on the first lap (at night) a Lola T 70 lost its grip, then a Chevron panicked and cut hard right in front of John. There was nothing he could do and the car was so low that it flipped us up in the air and onto the roof:

   

John Morton was able to exit the Z safely, without any injuries. The Z was towed in, covered and our race ended. We all had hashbrowns and coffee late night at Waffle House:

Randy: “Of course all of us were freaked out wondering if JM is OK and Sylvia was a cool as a cucumber. When he returned to the paddock from the care center we were all gasping as we were not aware of his status! Racing icons such as Jochen Maas, Ray Everham, Bob Leitzsinger came over to check on JM as we covered the car. The roof was caved in like a V and almost down on the dash. Body panels were a mess, a broken control arm, sail panels were wrinkled, front rad support bent and various other pieces destroyed on the front end… all of us went to lunch the next day on Daytona Beach and I ordered upside down dessert for Morton and we all had a lot of laughs knowing he was OK. He relived his racing career at the table and it was either #6 or 7 for flipping cars and 1 airplane event!!”

You can see video with in-car footage of both John Morton and Rob Fuller and the crash in our 2019 report HERE. Enjoy the triple-Mikuni carb’d music and wild banking of Daytona!

The BRE 240Z Rebuilt at Z Car Garage

 The #46Z  was shipped from Georgia back to ZCG for a rebuild after damages from the Daytona crash. We know that owner Randy Jaffe goes to 11, and this was his chance to correct every little detail on BRE car as it was raced in 1970. Our goal: make this Z absolutely perfect. Let’s dive into the restoration.

Bodywork

 

Bodywork and paint was handled by our man William from William’s Auto Body. We provided OEM parts from our stash like the hood, fenders and new Euro front bumper. Everyone wanted to see this the Z revived and even Nissan donated parts including original headlight covers, BRE spoiler and fiberglass headlight buckets for a Series 1 car.

We obsessed over the paint and livery: the shade of red is not the same between the BRE Datsun 510 and Z cars!  There was a heavy focus on the “Datsun” script, its location and kerning on John Morton’s name on the doors. The BRE livery was applied by The Real Ralph Newman. You can see his hand-painting details in the time-lapse video below. Ralph nailed it.

 

Suspension

 

Suspension parts original to the 1970 BRE 240Z chassis that John Morton raced were re-installed.

Drivetrain

 

The engine was refreshed while it was out along with the supporting drivetrain components. The Z was going to be aesthetically and mechanically ready to race again. The original, multi-piece heat shield was re-plated:

 

Like many race cars, the Z got a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles (set #00240):

 

The BRE Datsun 240Z in Back!

Enjoy this video showing a walk-around, dyno tuning, warm-up and more!

 

Jack Atkinson, friend, extraordinary designer, fabricator and creator of the Primadonna Z, left this world on July 15, 2022. He was 68. Jack and his wife Yolanda have been a part of our lives since the beginning of Z Car Garage. We send our deepest condolences to Yolanda and their family.

 

Being lifetime members of The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) and supporting our shop along the way, we are forever grateful to them. This is our tribute to you, Jack. We miss you and know you are out there Enjoying The Ride!

Design and Fabrication

 

In the automotive space, Jack was a visionary designer and self-taught fabricator. Many enthusiasts in the Nissan/Datsun community to this day are still impressed with his iconic “Primadonna Z” based on the 1970’s Datsun 240Z sportscars. This is a very special Z car with a history that will be shared in a (deservedly) separate blog post. Briefly, Jack Atkinson built three totally custom 240z cars in the early 80’s. In 2021, Z Car Garage helped reunite Jack and Yolanda with his first Primadonna Z build:

 

Heavily influenced by the wild IMSA Z ‘s and Porsche 935 bodywork, Jack hand-fabricated the body pieces and affectionately named the cars “Primadonna Z’s”. Only three Primadonna Zs were made. This red car is the first one Jack built, here is a period photo of it:

 

Jack would go on to build and eventually sell the Primadonna kit, spawning black and white versions:

 

The whereabouts of the black and white cars have been fairly well-documented over the years, eventually landing (and thankfully) in the hands of caring owners. The white car (known as Jettlag) and red car (known as Z Bait) are currently with Eric and Allison Knutsen of Southern Florida Z. We have so much to tell you about this car’s history, from its current whereabouts back to inception in the skillful hands of Jack. For now, a nice primer can be seen HERE.

 

Datsun Destiny

 

Thirty-six years later Jack was reunited with his first creation, Primadonna Z #1. The Z arrived at Z Car Garage and we were able to get it started and take both Jack and Yolanda for a spin. It was incredible to see this Z in person and even sweeter to witness the reunion. This would be Jack’s last ride in the car he built by hand before he passed.

 

Here is short video of Rob and crew getting the Z started and rolling on the street:

 

Back in Z Game

After a 20 year hiatus, Jack’s creative mind and passion urged him to get back into modifying Z cars. This time he chose the Nissan 300ZX (Z32) as his canvas, building two “Primadonna Z32” sportscars.

 

The first Z32 was a 1993 convertible (above) that was transformed into a widebody with several iterations of livery, wheels and color schemes. That was Jack: always seeking to improve his designs:

“I wanted to take an already nice looking Z and make it look like a super car. Even though this car is a one off, my insurance is the complete set of molds, from which the components you see were made. I made the fiberglass molds from the hand-sculpted prototype body of wood, aluminum, styrofoam, fiberglass and bondo. Body components were constructed using hand laid S-Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber and Kevlar and rolled out with a high temperature resin.”

The build started in July of 2005 under a canopy in his backyard and took 6-months to complete-including paint. Below, build documentation and the Primadonna Z32 in all-black:

 

The second Z32 was a 1996 Twin-Turbo with only 13,400 miles on it. This stunning ZX was one of the last Z32s to roll off the line (#247 of the last 300) and Jack’s hand-made body-work highlighted the car’s lines, while leaving the ‘looks-new’ interior in full view through the windows and t-top. Jack garnered many awards for both Primadonna Z’s including Best of Show and First Place at ZDay in Pismo Beach:

 

Jack’s LS3-Powered Z32

 

Jack developed a love for Corvettes and we helped him bridge his passion for the Z by performing an LS3 engine swap into his Primadonna Z32 Convertible. This was a dream come true for Jack, earning him a prize in the Z32 Ultra Modified category at ZCON 2021. Here are a few photos of us wrapping up the LS3 swap with road-testing and dyno tuning. Full report soon!

 

It even sports full A/C and OEM shifter for the automatic transmission. The Z was loaded up with the OMS pace car and heading to ZCON 2021! You can hear Rob discuss Jack’s LS-powered Z on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen from the 34th Annual Z Car Convention (ZCON) hosted by ZCCA in Colorado Springs.

  

Fellow Z car enthusiast and ZONC board member Ann Devor on Jack’s creative work. Jack inspired many Z-car enthusiasts, including younger folks:

“Jack, with Yolanda’s assistance with fiberglass molding, designed and fabricated all manner of auto body parts – fenders, noses, tails, splitters, wings, all to accommodate the bigger wheels that were necessary for his aerodynamic designs. And the wheels were big! Wheels for Jack’s cars were custom made and it was always one of his favorite jobs to put his new wheels on for the first time. And to his last days, he wanted a set of new wheels for one of his cars. Jack was always thinking about the next big thing he wanted to do, whether it was a road trip or a new design for a car.”

“When Jack started working with vinyl applications and graphics, a whole new world opened up and added to Jack’s already respectable number of design innovations. Jack’s cars visually popped with their huge wheels covered by muscular fenders, big wings, splitters just barely clearing the asphalt, and car paint clothed in colorful spears, stripes, arrows, and emblems. There is nothing else like Jack’s cars.”

Roadtrip Leader

 

Some of our greatest memories of Jack are the numerous roadtrips he led (with Yolanda’s help, of course) with ZONC. These memorable drives would kick-off at Z Car Garage, with Jack briefing a large group of enthusiasts. You could also count on seeing Jack’s car equipped with a CB radio antenna, whether it was a Z car or NSX. This desire to share the road and its adventures carried with him later in life to the Santa Clara Corvette club where he would lead them on epic cross-country drives.

 

Datsun Family

 

Jack and Yolanda have supported Z Car Garage since we opened our doors in 2004. They helped us design and produce special t-shirts and swag (more on the way!) that you may have seen at various race events and gatherings. We are forever grateful for their friendship.

 

Love. Jack and Yolanda were in love for 43 years. Their partnership was inspirational, doing everything together including working side by side as business partners and enjoying automotive hobbies. Indeed, it was tough to get a picture of them apart, so most of my photos are of them together 🙂 Here are Jack and Yolanda in 2008 at a Z Car Garage dyno day, in their NSX:

 

We Miss You Jack

 

On October 22, Z Car Garage attended a Celebration of Jack’s Life in Bakersfield, Ca. There was an incredible outpouring of love from friends and family at the event. Jack’s passion and love for sharing spanned across different marques, eventually reaching NSX and Corvette clubs.

 

The celebration of life also brought people together. We met Eric and Allison Knutsen, current caretakers of the Primadonna Z cars all the way from Florida. The parking lot was a mini car show with Jack and Yolanda’s cars as well as friend’s rides. We think Jack would be right at home seeing the gathering of cars and people. Enjoy the photo gallery below:

 

Jack is at peace, and his story will continue to be told. We were fortunate to be in his presence and cherish the time we spent Enjoying The Ride. He truly embodied the words Mr. K said best, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.” Our sincerest condolences go out to Yolanda and Jack’s family. We will miss you Jack!

 

…[read more]

 

At Z Car Garage we are fortunate to be a part of our client’s sports car journeys. We first met Derek Y in 2014 when we worked on his 2005 Infiniti G35 back. A few years passed by and he visited us with his latest Nissan, this 2015 GT-R:

 

The R35 had only 11k miles and ZCG installed a host of power upgrades from AMS, EcuTek, SpecialtyZ, Turbosmart and more. You can read about this work from 2019, including the E85 flex-fuel and exhaust upgrades all in this previous blog post.

 

More Power and a New Look

 

Derek latest visit was earlier this year for dyno tuning, interior items and AirLift installation. When it arrived at the shop this R35 sported a complete Varis Kamikaze-R Ver. 2 widebody “Super Sonic” kit and Varis Kamikaze-R Ver. 2 Vented Carbon hood. The Air Lift 3H air suspension strut kit was installed with polished 5 gallon tank.

 

We ran all of the air lines, checked ride height and clearances for the slick Advan R6 Candy Red wheels (20×11 +15 front – 20×12+20 rear) with Toyo R888R tires (305/35/20 Front – 325/30/20 Rear), more installation photos in the gallery below:

 

We also installed a new, Overtake 100-V Saikou Exhaust:

 

A few minor items like a new battery, TPMS sensors in the new wheels and a final health check for Derek’s VR30DETT…but first we performed a re-tune with Ecutek for even more power.  Our last dyno session yielded 612hp/604tq to the wheels and it left with 640hp/622tq. What’s impressive is that this remains a supercar that’s easy to to drive:

 

Enjoy these dyno runs:

 

Interior

 

Derek had several interior items for us to install including: Mines Steering Wheel, Nismo Cluster, Nismo cluster shroud and shiftter paddles:

 

Derek is happy with the latest upgrades to the R35:

“I have been going to Rob for a while now, he worked on my car october 2019 (bolt on and e85 work done) and again recently with a new tune and air suspension and some interior mods. The work is always great its making more power now and more responsive linear power.”

 

 

Here are the SpecialtyZ 3″ intakes and AMS front-mount intercooler being installed:

 

More engine bay work including the AMS crankcase breather setup, ID 1300cc injectors (plus DW fuel pump upgrade), Turbosmart BOVs and a SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel kit:

 

AMS crankcase breather being plumbed:

 

Stock vs Turbosmart BOV:

 

On the lift, AMS cat-less downpipes are installed:

 

At first glance it is difficult to catch all of the power upgrades in the engine bay, Stock (L) vs Modified (R)

 

Derek also needed new tires so we mounted fresh Michelin Pilot Sport4S sized 245/40/20 and 285/35/ 20.

Dyno Tuning

Back in 2019 , Rob dyno tuned the GT-R using an EcuTek flash and Derek also received a USB dongle for datalogging. Baseline power was 495hp/446tq with final numbers of 612hp/604tq to the wheels on E85:

 

A few plots showing the tuning session: Baseline to 91 octane tune with gains of 65hp/93tq (Left), and the final E85 tune for even more gains of 52hp/51tq (Right):

 

Video of the R35 on the ZCG dyno:

 

Thanks for letting us work on your GT-R Derek and enjoy the boost!

…[read more]