The Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo is one the best Japanese sports cars of the 90’s. Keeping them on the road is our passion and we love to see our clients like Peter H Enjoying the Ride after some Z Car Garage power, chassis and aesthetic upgades.

Let’s take a look at how we made the already-fantastic 300ZX a well-rounded sports car, starting with Peter’s Z-story.

It’Z Never Too Late to Z

Peter was not always a Z-car enthusiast, but as we all know it there is no time like the present to own one and he acquired his Z32 from a prior Z Car Garage client:

“My experience with ZCG started back in end of 2016 when I acquired the Z from one of their former customers. To be honest, I had a very limited knowledge on Nissan Z cars before 2016 as I had a heart on rotary engine (Mazda FD RX-7) until I connected to the Z and its timeless design. I first brought my Z in to ZCG for power steering leak as the car was exclusively maintenance by ZCG and I want to keep it that way and I was impressed with the quality work of ZCG and their knowledge. Istarted to chat with Rob about the car and learned a lot from Rob about Z cars.”

Over the last 5 years we helped Peter with regular maintenance along with performance upgrades. Peter really wanted to give this car the attention it deserves while enjoying the occasional open track day.

Power Upgrades

Prior to power upgrades a few items were addressed. The 1990-1994 Z32TT’s have fuel injector problems because Nissan used a wet coil design. This left the injector coil wire prone to oxidation over time and eventual shorting. The solution? Convert to later style injectors using the early fuel rail. For Peter’s Z we wanted to run 740cc injectors which is only available in the new style:

More engine work including full timing belt services along with valve cover removal/refinishing:

Driveline was upgraded with a JWT HD clutch and flywheel. Keen observers may note that the exhaust has changed too!

Larger downpipes greatly improve flow over the stock manifolds. The best downpipes for your Z32TT can be found at SpecialtyZ. These are 3″ units:

The Z was treated to a chassis steam clean, making a clean grime-free backdrop for the new exhaust system. Downpipes were mated to 3-2.5″ SPZ mid-pipes and Greddy SP1 Exhaust:

We installed more parts from our friends at SpecialtyZ  like their Selin dual MAF. To improve breathing we also installed larger Stillen intercoolers and charge plumbing from Ash-spec. Managing boost is a Greddy Profec E Boost Controller:

Finally, low-profile engine mounts from BDE offer more turbo inlet clearance and oil temps kept in check with a Concept Z Performance full Flow Oil Cooler Kit:

Recent work at Z Car Garage included a repaired turbo actuator, oil plan replacement, repaired heater core, new OEM wiring harness and minor electrical sorting from a 3rd party gauge installation.

Dyno Tuning

We dyno tuned Peter’s Z picking up 25hp/32tq for a total of 36hp/341tq at the wheels:

Enjoy this video below showing the dyno run, a walk-around, take-off and brief track footage:

Big-Brakes and Chassis

As every Z32 owner knows, the stock brakes just aren’t up to the task for track duty or even spirited driving. More power exacerbates the issue and you know how we feel at ZCG:  It’s Stoptech Or Don’t Stop At All. Peter eventually experienced the difference:

“The Z was cranking out 355wHP but with stock brakes and heavy wheels. The acceleration was great but it had a big problem on stopping. I first upgraded with bigger rotors but it did not feel enough stopping power when going downhill. I brought my concern to Rob and Rob made it clearly to me Stoptech BBK is the only solution on Z32s.”

 

We installed the 332mm Big-Brake Kit using red calipers and rotors. Stock vs Stoptech:

 

At the rear, stock Z32 calipers were paint-matched to the Stoptech red up front.  Sport kit slotted rotors with 309 pads and SS lines throughout:

 

 

In addition to their function, the Stoptech’s look nice too!

A few chassis upgrades included Powertrix Front Strut Tower, Stillen Front Rear Sway Bars, SPL Titanium Tension Rods, full Tein Flex Z Coilovers and new steering rack boots/bushings:

Interior

Peter wanted us to sort out his aftermarket gauges (Prosport Boost Gauge, Oil Temperature, Water Temperature Gauge), install a new steering wheel and upgrade lighting:

  

The dim stock displays benefitted from new LED sources. Check out the difference:

Even the climate control display is improved:

More LED upgrades throughout the cabin:

Peter’s interior touches include a Custom Alcantara on factory steering wheel with thumb rest:

Recaro Speed Racing Seats with Bride Seat rail/bracket, Nismo Clutch and Brake Pedal, Cusco accelerator pedal, and custom carbon fiber interior door sill with a logo “Fairlady” :

Aesthetics

We did Peter’s choice of exterior design items including a Stillen Type III lower bumper lip, TwinZ Design side skirts, TwinZ Design Rear diffuser, TwinZ Design Rear Spoiler Lip, and rare Veilside Polyurethane Exterior Mirrors:

 

Unfortunately while we were on group drive we saw Peter roadside as the Z stepped out a bit on him. This gave us an opportunity to get some loving from William on the front end with his famous “extractor mod” as Rob describes:

“For almost two decades William has taken the factory aluminum hood and created a functional vent. All of th h igh hp cars have this hood mod and it looks OEM. Peter got lucky, we want our clients to enjoy their cars but please be safe out there. They are not making these epic sports cars anymore like the 90-96 Z32.”

 

Wheels Make the car

 

Peter obsessed on a set of proper wheels and tires for the Z, choosing the 18″ Advan Racing TC4:

“I had 3 brands in mind, SSR GT V01, Advan Racing TC4, Volk Racings TE37 Time Attack Saga. As Z32 is an older car, finding modern wheels with the right offset is challenging. After 3 months of back and forth communication/verification with Rob, we finally came to a conclusion with Advan Racking TC4 with 18×8.5” (offset 31) and 18×10” (offset 35) as I want to reserve some room to go with wider tires in case the car runs more HP in the future. There was a 10 months wait time on these wheels.”

 

We mounted the wheels with Bridgestone RE71R tires and they do look fantastic, framing the Stoptech calipers well, more photos in the gallery below!

 

Enjoying The Ride

 

Peter has been driving his Z on the street and on the track:

“Rob was trying to talk me out of the track, saying the Z32 is not a good track car but to me, I have made the car this far, I am not out there to compete with anyone, just to have fun and proved a well maintained Z32 can be enjoyed on the race track.”

Indeed, Peter took the Z to an open track day at Thunderhill Raceway and had a blast:

 

Thanks for your support and passion for the Z32, Peter. Keep Enjoy The Ride!

 

 

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James Glenn Babb, beloved friend and colleague left this world suddenly on 4/17/22. He was 21 years old. We miss him dearly and offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

James enjoyed life to the fullest, pursuing his passions and bringing people together along the way. He was also a Nissan 350Z owner and we were fortunate to have him working with us at Z Car Garage. Here are a few thoughts from the team at ZCG remembering James:

From Nick Filip,

“Young James was a character cut from a very special cloth. I’ll never forget when his first day at the shop started when Rob didn’t call him back quickly enough and he showed up to find out why. He brought passion and dedication with him in every endeavor that I was lucky enough to see. From developing and drifting his Z, to helping at the shop, to music, to paintball, James was entirely stoked, and that stoke was infectious. He will be sorely missed by everyone who was lucky enough to spend time with him and see the light he brought to any situation”

From Joshua Corwin,

“Young James personifies the idiom, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The first time I met James, I didn’t pay him much attention. But during his short time working at Z car Garage, through his hard work, commitment, eagerness to learn, and critical thinking, this purple haired, pierced and tattooed young adult impressed me everyday. Not only was his work ethic top notch, but his attitude, charisma, and passion was remarkable. He is missed not only as an amazing shop helper, but as a unique and exceptional human being.”

From Rob Fuller,

“James was only with us for a short time and left a lasting impression with Z Car Garage. He was bright, ambitious, funny, rad and had an incredible work ethic. I could not believe how hard he worked, taking pride in everything he did. He loved loading cars on/off the dyno and sometimes driving them on the dyno. He helped Gary organize our stockroom and got along really well with everyone. We understood when he had to leave so he could focus on school…we missed him everyday and wished we could give him another shot at working with us. “Young James” as we called him at the shop: a brilliant soul that left this world too soon. We told his Mom and brother that we are here if they need anything on the Z.”

 

As Rob recalled, one of our fondest memories of James was how excited he was to have his 350Z dyno tuned at the shop. He was ecstatic about loading his own Z on to the dyno and running it through the gears.

I will never forget meeting James by chance on Skyline, Christmas Eve of 2020. He was so kind, introducing me to his friends and crew. He even gave me a demo of drifting in his beloved 350Z that we helped him set up at ZCG. He was so jazzed! My Datsun alongside James’ Z:

In the video below you can see James piloting his Z on the Z Car Garage dyno, and that unforgettable drift session we had:

On May 17, Z Car Garage attended a celebration of James’ life in Los Gatos, Ca. There was an incredible outpouring of love from friends and family at the event. James’ Z was driven and displayed by his brother, Mason. Guests laid flowers over the Z, in remembrance of James:

Our hearts go out to his mother Jane and brother Mason, his family and all friends lucky to have been blessed by James’ presence. James truly embodied the words Mr. K said best, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.”

Thank you for being a part of our lives James, we know you are somewhere Enjoying the Ride! More photos in the gallery courtesy of Stella and friends. Stay tuned for a Memorial Drive in honor of James with a date announced soon.

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Very cool history of the S30 Z (and Fairlady Z432) on the latest episode of Revelations with Jason Cammisa:

Pretty cool to see my Datsun Roadster and our friend Glenn Chiou’s 1972 Fairlady 240Z-L make cameo appearances too!

Today we received a surprise package from Sung Kang at Z Car Garage. Inside was the limited-edition FUGUZ Steering Wheel along with some very cool gear:

The steering wheel is 1 of 73 pieces, comes with its own briefcase and engraved quick-release adapters. How amaZing is it that Sung gave us steering wheel #49!!! Naturally we had to take a photo with a very happy Rob Fuller next to the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:

Thank you Sung for this incredible gesture. We admire your Z car passion and efforts to help the car community thrive. Long Live The Z!

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We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their Datsuns, especially from overseas! Peter installed a set himself on this 1977 Datsun 280Z at his home in Halmstad, Sweden.

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.

 

Peter has CV axle set #0323 and we are happy to report that he installed them himself with ease:

“The installation was very easy, the axles even came pre-greased ready to bolt in. There was even some red Loctite in the box, great! The axles look very sturdy and I’m sure they are going to last me a life time. An axle failure is the last thing I want, especially since spares are so scarce here in Sweden. Money well spent in my eyes.”

 

He sent us a few pictures before/after replacing his old half-shafts. Nice work!

 

Peter is really happy with the CV Axle performance, under all driving conditions:

“Hi Rob,

I got my car running yesterday. Must tell you that I love your axles! After installing them I’ve got zero vibrations in the drive line. Used to have some at 70mph+, especially during acceleration which I suspected coming from either the prop shaft or drive axles. I’m very happy! 

Have a great weekend”
Peter

Dreaming of Zs

There are around 130 registered S30 Z cars in Sweden, they sold so few that importing is basically the only option, and most registered today are. Peter shared his Z story with us:

“I had dreamt about a S30 for a long time. Driving modern cars on track for the last few years had me longing for something more analogue. S30s are few and far between in Sweden so importing one seemed like the best option. I bought it early 2019 from a car dealer in the UK, they had imported it from Jacksonville, Florida. Here it is after picking it up at the harbour” 

Driven Hard with L-Series Magic!

The car was a real survivor with almost no rust, but a very worn engine. Peter’s initial plan was to tune the stock engine, but in the end it was easier to buy a complete unit. He had Datsun Spirit build a Stage 4 engine:

“I like their philosophy with low rotating mass and how they build their engines. I had many emails back and forth with DSI discussing how to support the engine, and everything they said turned out to work great. I really believe that the engine is the heart of the car, so any other engine than a L-series was not an option to me.  Jenvey DSI ITB 50mm throttle bodies and fuel injection are controlled by an EMU Classic from ECU Master.”

Peter did the engine swap, but the final installation, wiring and tuning was done by a local reputable shop called JMB Optimering in Halmstad, Sweden. With a Kamaeri 6-3-2 header and custom 3″ exhaust they managed to extract 298hp @ 7500rpm at the rear wheels from the DSI Stage 4 3.0l.

Backing the ~300whp L-series is a 280ZX 5-speed transmission and upgraded suspension from Techno Toy Tuning. At the rear, an R200 diff with Quaife LSD an our ZCG CV Axles helps put the power down. Sparco Sprint seats keep him in place on the track.

Peter has been Enjoying The Ride on the street and track:

“All the work with the car has led to a lot of time spent in the garage, but I took one thing at the time so I have still put around 4000 miles on it since I got it. The idea is to have a summer car that can be used on the track regularly and on the back roads. This season the car will be used in a local sprint cup, consisting of five events, plus a few trackdays. I love driving on the Nurburgring, a place I frequently go to, and the plan is to take the car there as soon as the COVID situation is under control.”

DreamZ Come True at the ‘Ring

Peter recently drove his Z on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife and shared his amazing experience with us. Yet again he put our Z Car Garage CV Axles to work at the magical track. Listen to the Z sing in this video from the Nurburgring and past autocross events, VOLUME UP!

Peter’s report from the ‘Ring, enjoy:

“This year I realized a dream. Ever since I bought my 280Z I have wanted to drive it on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. But as usual during the rainy and snowy winter months in Sweden, you try to do all the maintenance and all fixes during that time. And as usual everything always takes longer which means there wasn’t any time for any testing before sending the car to Germany. The trip to the Eifel mountains and Nurburg is around 900 miles for, and this time I put the car on a transporter.“

“So after meeting up we spent some time bleeding the brakes, fixing new harnesses and off I went to the gas station. One of the things changed on the car this year was a new fuel tank from s30 world, and when I started filling up, a lot of fuel was dumped on the ground. Ok, time to get the tools out again, thankfully it was a quick fix with a ventilation hose. All this time I was in a little bit of a hurry because I also wanted to tweak my alignment, and time was running fast to make that appointment.”

“On the Nordschleife you want a very stable car due to the high speeds and high loads. You can say that in general a setup with more understeer is preferred, and that’s what most people run. The last thing you want is a car with a nervous rear end going over a crest turning at 150mph. I arrived at the race shop just in time, and the tech doing the alignment notice play in my inner tie rod ends. He says: ‘Don’t drive like this’. Great, I have shipped the car all the way here and it was just a waste of money…After some consulting with some other people I trust I decided to drive, ‘just stay off the curbs!’ Like that’s not going to be in the back of my mind…”

“Apart from the play in the steering creating variable toe (which is very interesting to drive with) the car worked great. The power and response is great from the DSI engine, no troubles what so ever. Just check the oil and fuel up! The Z Car Garage CV Axles have been working so well, absolutely no vibrations in the rear end!”

As expected, the Z garnered plenty of attention and Peter was shocked at the positive comments. The ‘Ring is also known for an incredible variety of sports cars to admire….

“I’m so happy to have driven the Datsun on the Nurburgring, and it’s a thing I’ve been thinking about constantly since starting this project. I have never gotten so much attention with a car, it just makes everybody happy. In Europe it’s a pretty rare sight, and to drive it on my absolute favorite racetrack is a thing that will be repeated again. I’ve been going to the ‘Ring since 2010 and have a few laps under my belt , and I’ve never had this much fun in a car ever. The Nurburgring is a magical place, there just isn’t any place like it anywhere.”

Thank you for sharing your epic Nurburgring experience with us Peter. Truly a bucket-list item for us and you are living the dream, Z-style. You can see more of his 280Z in action on his YouTube channel, and in the photo gallery below.

“I’m very satisfied with your products and service. I live in Sweden and any after market support is very scarce. They around 25 240Z here in 1973, that’s about it. A project is never finished and I have some more things to do, but now I plan to enjoy and track the car for the foreseeable future.”

Thanks for your support Peter! We love that you are driving your Z and enjoying our parts over in Sweden. Long Live The Z!

 

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