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Our customer Trevor M’s 1978 Datsun 280Z is featured on the latest episode of Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. Rob Fuller and Larry discuss the 280Z platform, ZCG’s upgrades and take it for a spin. Enjoy!
Stay tuned for a full zcarblog.com feature on Trevor’s 280Z, where we will take a closer look at our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, CD009 Six-speed transmission and more.
LONG LIVE THE Z!
“My first dream car was 350Z. I learned about Z cars in my college days and I recall a cool kid driving one while I was waiting at a bus stop in the cold rain. We had an opportunity to buy a new car and I was very fortunate that it could be a Z. After purchasing the 370Z, 6 months later went to ZCG and the journey began. No offense to stock Zs but these are meant to be modified 🙂 My wife and I both love our Z and I thank her for supporting my hobby 🙂 “
With only a few months of owner-hip of his new 370s Sport Touring Henry visited us for upgrades. The latest Z34s had ECU changes and no software support at the time. Henry knew he wanted to go forced-induction so in the interim we started bolt-on upgrades. In April of 2019 the chassis was treated to full KWV3 coil-over suspension with SPC F/R control arms and Hotchkis sway bars:
A few installation pictures, followed by a full alignment:
A cat-back exhaust system from Armytrix with Valvetronic sound adjustment:
Henry requested a new steering wheel install:
Stock (with a cover) removed and new carbon fiber + alcantara-trimmed wheel installed:
With 12k miles on the odometer Henry was ready for boost. We ordered the Stillen supercharger kit (black), CARB-legal for piece of mind. Supporting parts included a Concept Z 25-row oil cooler (thermostatically controlled), Stillen transmission cooler and fueling upgrades. Here a few pictures of the installation:
Fueling upgrades include a CJ Motorsports stage 1 fuel return system and billet fuel pump hat, 1300cc Injector Dynamics injectors, Hellcat Wallbro fuel pump, SpecialtyZ flex fuel kit:
The SpecialtyZ flex-fuel kit comes with a Zeitronix gauge that we mounted in pace of the OEM clock:
Cooling upgrades include Soho Motorsports air-to-air intercooler, Concept Z 25-row oil cooler (thermostatically controlled) and Stillen transmission cooler. Also shown is the Fast Intentions crash bar with tow-hook:
Oil and transmission coolers:
We installed a Fast Intentions billet flex-plate, much stronger than the OEM unit:
Finally, we changed the exhaust from Armytrix to an ARK Grip setup paired with ART Pipes from Motordyne:
Henry loves the current exhaust setup:
“I’ve gone through Nismo OEM, Armytrix, and eventually settled with Rob and a friend of mine’s suggestion for the forced induction route: Ark grip catback system + Motordyne art pipes = the deep growl without screaming. Sort of the centered idea of the goals of my Z project – subtle power without drawing attention.”
We wanted the most efficent blower wheel to run ethanol so the V3 SI blower wheel was installed. Ecutek software was used for tuning, MAP-based with omni sensor.
Shown below are dyno graphs from when Henry was NA to 91 octane and E75 tunes on the Vortech. NA, the Z made 316hp/252tq and a 91 octane tune supercharged yielded 501hp/370tq at the wheels:
Rob then tuned the Z on E75 for 573hp/426tq at the wheels:
Enjoy the dyno tuning video!
We are very happy with the results and even more stoked to hear Henry’s feedback on the supercharger and tuning performance:
“The supercharger is very daily usable and power whenever I want! The sc mods put together and tuned by Rob for a 7at Z is able to reach 570+ whp and 430 wtrq and still feel smooth and dramatic at the same time is absolutely beyond my expectation (I followed every ZCG 370Z blog posts and it’s a honor to be one of the highest power 370Z from ZCG, hats off to Rob) And did I mention daily-driveable? Good surprise for me. In addition, Rob has been really patient and knowledgeable for all my questions and requests and late night text regarding my Z. It really felt like we built the car together but it’s all his magic touches! I really appreciate the journey! More to come”
We have said it before: wheels make or break a car. After long discussions with Henry we decided on the Ray’s TE37 Ultra Track Edition II. Finished in Blast Black and sized 19×9.5/10.5 these wheels look perfect on the Z34.
We love the little details Ray’s applied:
“I love my Z and ZCG! Long live the Z! ZCG has been the place to go if you love Z cars, new or classic. Rob and the shop/crew exude passion for Z cars and you immediately know they will take care of your Z and your Z will be among its family. Rob has been great through the journey and worked with “our” Z. I am sure there is more to come for my Z with ZCG!”
You can follow Henry here on Instagram. What’s next for his Z? He’s playing with idea of a body kit but trying to maintain that subtle-aesthetic approach in his build. Stay tuned! Thank you Henry for letting us build your Z. It’s very cool for us as a shop trying to make 50-old cars keep with cars like this. We enjoy playing with the new stuff just as much as the classics. LONG LIVE THE Z! More pictures in the gallery below:
Joel E. Anderson, beloved friend and race car driver, passed away 3/29. He was 79 years old. Joel was an immensely talented graphic artist and successful privateer Datsun racer with regional and national championships all over California. We miss him dearly and offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Let’s take a brief look at Joel’s automotive career and how he touched our lives, knowing fully that a single blog post offers only a glimpse into Joel’s achievements and larger-than-life personality.
Joel Anderson’s racing career began in the late 70’s while working with another Datsun legend Frank Leary at FAR Performance in Mountain View, Ca. He was racing his Z cars as a privateer against many high-dollar teams/cars. Here is Joel re-telling these events in a interview I conducted in 2014:
“In 1974 Walt Maas had just won the National Championship in C/Production in Atlanta, GA in the FAR Performance 260Z called “The Giant Killer”. At the time Frank Leary was Walt’s crew chief and the service manager at FAR. Frank was also building a Z of his own to road race in the carport of his condo in Santa Clara. I helped Frank build his car in exchange for his secrets to make a Datsun fast. While working as Leary’s crew chief I had converted my Z to a full on road racer and ran SCCA solo events and won the C/P class. In 1977 I went through SCCA’s driver’s school and started road racing, by the end of the year I had won most of the races and regional championship and was issued my National license. In 1978 I ran SCCA’s National events and qualified for the runoffs in Atlanta. At Atlanta I had my first DNF due to running too much timing which split and exhaust valve. In ‘79 I turned the SCCA car over to my wife so she could compete in regionals and I built my IMSA GTU car.”
(L) Joel’s C-production Z, in the iconic black-arrowed hood with orange and yellow accents. (R) Frank Leary with Joel.
Joel was Frank Leary’s crew chief and later became a fellow competitor. As he mentioned above, Joel raced at Atlanta when Frank won the American Road Race of Champions in 1978, as seen in this cool video. Enjoy this period article about Joel and Frank’s competitiveness and friendship HERE. The two shared a shop together in Santa Clara for years. Here is Joel in the office doing graphic art work, and also wrenching on L-series drivetrains!
It was his talents as a graphic artist that led to the white and black CP-Z race car being casted in the Walt Disney film Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. Note that it was filmed at Laguna Seca Raceway!
Joel’s favorite track was Laguna Seca, here are a few period photos of him in the white CP-Z and his black IMSA GTU at familiar courses like Sears Point and Road Atlanta. More pics in the gallery! We highly encourage you to check out our interview with Joel back in 2014, it’s a good read!
Joel came into our life in 2010 when he started selling all of his race cars. Rob made an offer that Joel couldn’t refuse:
“I would love to tell your story. I’ll buy the car if you help me assemble it with all of your knowledge. You will drive it at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Renuion at Laguna Seca.”
Rob had been building street cars for years, and attending Historic racing events for years, but he had little experience building one. Of many lessons Joel would teach Rob, he taught him that there is nothing street car about a race car. From 2010 to 2014 Joel, Rob and the ZCG crew worked slowly but surely to assemble his IMSU GTU Z car. Joel describes this car’s history:
“The car was originally presented by Mr. Katayama to Mr. John Cooper, President of Ontario Motor Speedway in 1972 to be used as the Official Pace Car for the Third Annual ” California 500″ held on Sept. 3, 1972. (it still has the built in flag holder) The car was later given to the Bob Bondurant Driving School at Sears Point. In 1977 I purchased the car from Datsun Comp. for one dollar and picked the car up at Sears Point. I ran the car at all the west coast IMSA races in GTU for three years. Starting in 1980 I ran the car in SCCA Super Production setting the track record at Sears Point and Laguna Seca and winning The Pacific Road Race Championship as well in S/P. When I got the car back it had been in a storage shed for 15 years or more.”
In 2014 we applied for admission to the Rolex event and got accepted, even though Joel’s Z was not completed. In the course of 8-10 weeks before the actual race, friends and family banded together. Joel taught us so much, discussed suspension setup, etc and guided us throughout the build. Josh, Alvin, Lou and others all worked nights/weekends to finish the car.
Watching a race car that you restored out on the track is amazing. Topping that off, the driver that originally built the car is at the helm, some 35 years later. Laguna Seca’s track layout has changed since Joel and #49 were here in ’79, but the car looks pretty similar if you ask us 🙂
Despite the competitiveness we finished the race without incident, actually placing midpack and on par with fellow 240z’s. Rob recalls the feelings of many at the race:
“The first time since 2001 when the BRE 510 510 ran at Monterey and after watching Against All Odds many times… that didn’t hold a candle to watching a man who built this car 30 years ago drive on the same track, same livery…it was awesome. We all got emotional as Joel drove away onto the starting grid.”
If finishing this race wasn’t enough, the supreme measure of satisfaction and validation for countless hours spent on #49 came when a teary-eyed Joel gathered everyone around to thank us:
Being a part of this team was the highlight of my year and the dedication from all members and friends that helped really showed. We had #49 t-shirts made for the crew/spectators and Meghan even sported an original 70’s shirt with nails to match. Mike Joy from FOX Sports even interviewed Joel:
In 2015 we applied again and got accepted to the RMMR. Unfortunately Joel wasn’t feeling well, and we were 3-weeks away from the event. Rob was focused on telling Joel’s story….how he raced against factory-backed teams and was competitive…the world needed to know! With race week fast approaching Rob enlisted the help of his hero and legendary race car driver John Morton. You can see our report from the 2015 RMMR HERE.
It had been Rob’s dream to drive the #49 IMSA GTU car and he had one rule: he would never sit in the driver’s seat until he was driving on the track at Laguna Seca. So, since 2010 he did not sit in the car and Joel told him it was time. Joel pushed Rob to make his dream a reality. Joel wanted the people around him to succeed. Rob would gain his SCCA license (special shoutout to Larry Oka) and competition license. In 2018, after running a full SCCA season Rob had the racing bug bad. We finally got accepted to 2018 RMMR.
It was Nissan’s first time being honored at RMMR, and the first time Rob Fuller would race a historically significant Z car.
Adding to the experience was the support from friends and family. Having Joel Anderson close by to see his old Z racing and Rob’s excitement was endearing. Rob was on cloud 9, the student and master both together having a great time.
“For his 75th birthday in 2017, we flew out to Texas to surprise him. We worked on his hot rod, reminisced, made good food, drank beers. He was just brimming with personality. Our friend Steve S would say ‘If half the s__ Joel did in his life is true, it would make for a movie’. The guy lived so many lives: he was in advertising (working for Atari), owned his own pool company, landscaping. He can fix anything. A fond memory: We were running behind on the IMSA build. He flew in to help for a weekend. Meghan asked me to put ceilings fans in our house, and Joel taught me how to install them! He was LeMons racing with us too. Such a larger-than-life personality. At the 2014 Rolex, people remembered that car.’Is this Joel Anderson’s car? Whatever happened to that guy? I would point he’s right over there!”
“My condolences to his family and friends. Brace yourselves… we are slowly losing our heroes but it’s up to us to keep their spirit alive. Everyone knows the BRE Datsun 240Z, and to me Joel Anderson is right there…we loved him. 79 years on Earth is not long enough. Wherever he’s at I hope there’s a race program and he’s kicking ass.”
Listen to Rob share his love for Joel and the Z in this Hoonigan Autofocus video:
Links to racing events and features on Joel’s IMSA GTU Z:
Speedhunters: Inside a Historic Z
Z Car Garage goes to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion!
Enjoy the photo gallery below
…[read more]
This 1971 Datsun 240Z has a long history with Z Car Garage. We have known owner Rob J since the early 90s, having worked on his previous Z cars, and with a few ZCG touches this Series 1 continues to impress. Let’s take a look at how Rob J got into Z cars and what makes this one special.
When Rob J was a kid, his dad bought a 1971 Z (photo below) and used to cruise the Santa Cruz mountain roads with Mom in the passenger seat and his two brothers and him sitting on the luggage deck with their feet tucked under the seats:
“His idea of fun was to chuck the car into turns on Hwy 9 or Skyline Blvd – causing the 3 of us to squish into each other with the G-forces. I fell in love with the look and sound of that car when I was 5 years old and was determined to have one of my own. When I was about to turn 16, my brother crashed that car and Dad sold off the wreck, so I never got to drive it. Nothing “sets the hook” like being deprived of something you really want and I bought my first 240Z as soon as I could save up the $3500 that decent cars were going for in the 80s. I’ve had Zs ever since”
His first car was a ’71 that was stolen and crashed beyond recovery by thieves. The second, an Iris Blue ’72 (above right), was his daily driver for more than a decade and gradually benefited from ZCG upgrades. When Rob J had the opportunity to buy Paul Hooks’ S30 he sold the Iris Blue Z car to Tony K.
“When Rob Fuller first came to California to work on Datsuns, we had a regular gang of Z drivers going to track days together. The illustrious Paul Hooks was a fellow track nut and this Z was his car. He had done his restoration and modifications the right way – as a closely spaced series of coordinated upgrades using the best gear available, and the car always impressed me with flat cornering, powerful breaks, and that throaty 3.1ltr engine. So when I eventually had an opportunity to buy it from him, I jumped. “
Rob J with the Z he’s longed for:
Paul Hook’s Z was built in the late 90s/early 2000s, so it has the very same 3.1L L-Series engine with triple-Mikuni induction backed by a 280zx 5-speed and R180 LSD. Period suspension upgrades included 5-way Tokicos w/Eibach springs, ST f/r sway bars and sticky Advan A032R tires (remember those?!). The interior has a roll bar with harnesses, Recaro seats and rear strut tower bar.
The ethos of this build was centered around open track day events that Paul enjoyed. Increased braking performance was achieved through a 4-wheel Porsche 911 Turbo “Big Red” caliper brake kit. It works pretty well, but not as well as our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes with respect to pedal feel/un sprung weight…all benefits from our years of experience and collaboration with Stoptech engineers.
What makes this Z special? It was built in a period where Z cars were not deemed “collectible” or valuable yet. Despite this, we were building high-end Z cars that performed really well on the street and track. Perform on track indeed; for a car built nearly three decades ago Paul’s vision and execution is impressive. He was a track hound and this Z was his tool of choice, calling routine track days “high-speed mediation”.
This ’71 being a Series 1 offers the lightest S30 chassis and paired with 191whp (modest by today’s standards) from the 3.1L it’s tremendously rewarding. It makes all the right noises too, just listen to Paul blasting down the front straight at Thunderhill Raceway (video below) in both rain/dry conditions!
Paul’s Z was special to many, including myself. It was “the one” in my eyes seeing how it did everything well from track days to cruising around…the epitome of balance in the S30 chassis. I admired it so much that I made a 1/24 scale model replica with loads of details based on hundreds of photos I accumulated over the years. In 2008 while attending a ZCG Dyno Day I finally presented the model to Paul. More pictures in the gallery below!
So what does this already well-sorted Z need? We discussed a list of needs/wants with Rob J…including sticky tires, new exhaust system to ZCG-spec, and a transmission upgrade. The aged Hankook R-S3s were replaced with Bridgstone RE-71R in 225/50/16 over those classy Panasports:
The 280ZX close-ratio gearbox that Paul had was getting old and noisy. At the time we were doing Nissan KA24 (FS5W71C) transmission swaps (before the CD009a came to market) by modifying a 280Z L-series bell housing. You can see the custom ZCG transmission mount below.
A JWT heavy duty clutch and Z32 shift knob finish the swap in style.
The Z had a really old-school Crane HI ignition components. We updated to run the MSD box so Rob could tune the car and extract a little more power. The exhaust was replaced with our ZCG exhaust system and a Koyo race radiator installed.
Rob J was happy with the updates:
“Recently, I took my car into the shop for an exhaust system upgrade and electrical system maintenance. What I got back was a different car entirely! Rob and the crew replaced my old school exhaust, which was frankly an eyesore, with ZcarGarage’s current system, which is expertly tucked up into the undercarriage and finally really looks the part. The exhaust isn’t louder, but it’s more sonorous and less tinny sounding. I love it.”
It has been many years since this Z had been on our dyno. We adjusted the valves, set timing, sync’d carbs and re-jetted them for the new exhaust. Baseline was 198hp/194tq and after Rob’s tuning the Z made 222hp/213tq at the wheels. More power even after all these years this Z does not disappoint!
“The improvements are awesome: approximately 25 more HPs and 19FtLbs and much smoother power delivery. The car leaps down the road when you mash the throttle and no longer stumbles when rolling into the throttle from cruising RPMs. The car was fun before and now is just crazy fun.”
Enjoy the dyno video below as well as some historic footage of this Z in action. Volume up!
We love how Rob J is enjoying his Z, just as Paul Hooks did. Rob has attended many events and fun runs and I still can’t take my eyes off this Z! In case you are wondering, his plate reads “Kenjuru” to note the martial arts he practices 🙂
Below are just a few of the great times we’ve enjoyed with Rob J and his ’71 Z:
Plans for the future…we will continue to keep this Z on the road and give Rob J updates like our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, and Z Car Garage CV Axles.
“This 240Z is a late Series 1 manufactured in December 1970, so it’s not a low VIN car (17,XXX) and I don’t feel any pressure to restore it to stock. Instead, we’ll keep upgrading the go-fast options while keeping a vintage look. I truly love driving this car on the street and the occasional track day and I love doing both with other Z Datsun enthusiasts.”
Thank you Rob J for supporting us and being in our life. We are so happy you found the right Z and ZCG will always be your home! DO IT IN A DATSUN
Enjoy the photo gallery below
…[read more]
The vintage race season begins this weekend with the HMSA Spring Club Event at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage is racing and providing support for three Datsun 510s; all having participated in previous events like the HMSA Driver Appreciation, John Morton Cup and David Love Memorial at Sonoma Raceway.
Full race preparation (dyno tuning/alignment+more) and trackside support are services we offer our clients. Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we prepared.
Kelvin had a really successful race weekend at the CSRG David Love Vintqge Races in Sonoma back in July. Unfortunately at ‘Seca his engine failed after a short time on track. We installed a fresh Rebello engine with dyno tuning so Kelvin is ready to rock this weekend. Stay tuned for a full report!
Tom Dockery is running the Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and Tom continues to improve his craft with each event. His 510 is running a refreshed Rebello L18 with dyno tuning:
Tom is also running our Z Car Garage CV Axles in his 510:
Rob Fuller will be in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car with a fresh Rebello L18 and dyno tuning:
Enjoy the sweet dual-Mikuni music on the dyno:
Z Car Garage is really excited to be racing this season and share the experience not only with clients but our audience as well. This weekend’s HMSA event is closed to spectators but you can count on ZCG to bring you sights and sounds through our social media outlets. We look forward to seeing you in the paddock when the restrictions are lifted. #DoItInADatsun
