We are excited to sponsor and be a part of the 2019 Japanese Classic Car Show Saturday 9/21 in Long Beach. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.
See Mr. K’s Datsun 240z in the Z Car Garage Booth!
Our latest project car is Mr. K’s 1972 Datsun 240z and it will be displayed in our booth! Yutaka Katayama (affectionately known as “Mr. K”) put Datsun on the map while serving as President of Nissan Motors USA.
This Z was Mr. K’s personal car, with touches like the “G-Nose”, custom mix Yellow Pearl Paint, wire wheels and automatic transmission. It was most prominently featured in Nissan’s multi-million dollar Datsun Heritage advertising campaign in the late 90’s. Check it out in this Super Bowl Ad – “The Dream Garage” lead a series of T.V. commercials featuring Mr. K (played by an actor):
In 1977 Mr. K retired and before returning to Japan he gave the Z to his long time Administrative Assistant, Johnnie Gable and her son Kenny Ueda, both will be attending JCCS.
We were honored to have this national treasure at the shop and get it back on the road. Full report soon. If you listen closely, you can almost hear it whisper the words of Mr. K’s simple philosophy, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.”
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles on Display!
Please visit our booth to see and feel our Big-Brake kit for small wheels, and CV Axles. We will be available to answer any questions and if you are interested in purchasing a set of CVs please contact Rob at the shop. Keen eyes will notice that our latest Big-Brake offering will be displayed fitted behind a 14″ Panasport wheel! As usual we will have free ZCG swag and merchandise on hand.
ZCG Customers
We are also very proud of ZCG customer James S’ 1972 240z. He will be driving his Turbocharged L-series S30 down to JCCS and displaying it with fellow owners.
JCCS is an amazing show that gets better with each year. We are thankful to organizers for having us again in 2019. The show takes place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in Marina Green Park. Catch a glimpse of what JCCS is all about in our report Last year’s show. Z you there!
A dealership is great to support your new Nissan but here is an example of how independent shops like ZCG that specialize in the brand are critical to maintenance, longevity and performance of your vehicle.
Why Independent Shops are Important!
James bought his 2015 Nissan GT-R secondhand from a dealership and started to have some issues where the car would go into limp-mode. He took it to a Nissan dealership and they found some kind of issue underneath the timing cover that was resulting in a limp-mode approaching 3000rpm. A temporary “fix” resolved the behavior but again it was going into limp mode. Back it went to Nissan where they couldn’t get data off the OB-II connector.
Nissan tells James that the car might have an ECU tune so he should find someone in the Bay Area to diagnose/asses if it has an aftermarket ECU (ie Cobb Accessport, EcuTek flash, etc). James visited ZCG and Rob flashed the GT-R with EcuTek software, enabling data logging. Rob noticed that the cylinder bank 1 intake cam was not advancing. Further investigation revealed that when the dealership installed the front cover and intake cam solenoids and o-ring failure was spotted. This o-ring eventually failed, not allowing sufficient oil pressure to advance the intake cam on bank 1, thus putting car into limp mode.
We installed a new o-ring and James was on his way. This is a great example of how independent/specialty shops have the expertise and attention to detail to keep your Nissan on the road!
Filed under: 370z,Performance,Q50
by Alvin G @ 11:09 pm on September 8, 2019
At Z Car Garage we have been maintaining and modifying late model Nissan/Infiniti sports cars since 2004. From Z cars (Z32, 350z, 370z) and R35 GT-Rs to G35, G37, Q50/Q60 cars we look forward to working on your vehicle. Rikio’s 2017 Infiniti Q50S Red Sport came in for basic performance upgrades from AMS Performance including their AMS Heat Exchanger, AMS Coolant expansion tank and AMS Air intakes:
The new heat exchanger compared to the stock unit and installation:
AMS air intakes:
AMS expansion tank installed replacing two plastic OEM units:
A Fast Intentions cat-back exhaust (non-resonated) replaces the restrictive OEM system:
OEM (Left) vs FI (Right):
Standard exhaust tips on the FI exhaust system:
Dyno Tuning
Straight from the factory, the VR30DDTT is an impressive motor. The Hi-Output version is rated at 400 hp and 350 ft-lbs tq, underrated as we have seen with dyno testing. With a few bolt-ons and tuning, even more power can be unlocked from the VR30. Rob dyno tuned the Q using EcuTek. Baseline power was 348hp/331tq at the wheels. With the AMS parts, FI exhaust and tuning final numbers were 388hp/424tq, gains of +40hp/93tq:
In addition to the EcuTek flash Rikio also received the EcuTek Bluetooth adapter for map access for remote data logging, valet map switching etc. Here is the Q on the dyno:
Enjoy The Boost Rikio!
Are you ready for upgrades on your late model Nissan/Infiniti? Give us a call or e-mail!
We had the pleasure of working with Dirk to help achieve his vision of a Z car that can perform and be daily driven. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles grace this Z with a host of chassis and driveline upgrades. Here is a background on how his Datsun passion started before visiting ZCG.
Datsun 510 and Z car love
Dirk bought his first Datsun in 2014, a 1970 510, to learn how to work on cars himself. After learning more about the history of Datsun, and the significance of both the 510 and the 240Z in establishing Japanese cars in the American market, he knew he had to own a Z as well.
A year later, the right Z showed up on eBay in Texas, a 1973 silver gray one. Nice to look at, mostly stock, but not so nice that it’d feel bad to drive and streetpark. And after pouring over the photos and talking to the seller, Dirk bought the car sight unseen. The idea was to have a nice Z to enjoy and drive, while continuing to work on the (sometimes not) rolling restoration of his 510. The car was lovingly restored by a dad and his children and in mostly stock condition.
The tires were a bit old, so some sticky Bridgestone tires were acquired, which revealed the suspension as the next weak spot. T3 coilovers were installed, and the next weak spot was the open differential which Dirk broke driving the car around a hairpin on Page Mill Rd. He bought a limited slip diff from a late-model Subaru, modified it to fit and kept driving the car. The original plan had gone awry, and the Z was both driven and worked on a lot more than the poor little 510.
After many more tweaks, different induction setups, spring rate changes, rebuilt stock brakes, and 24K miles of driving including a few track days, Dirk’s Z was inching closer and closer to his vision.
“After installing a Datsun Spirit STR-3 engine with a set of Nismo Mikuni PHH44 carburetors, the biggest weak spots left were the rest of the drivetrain (especially the stock 4-speed transmission, but the Subaru diff had also developed some bearing issues), the stock brakes, and of course the loose nut behind the wheel – but sadly that last component typically takes too much money and time to modify thoroughly.”
After comparing the Z to his Subaru BRZ on the track, it was clear the Z was better at everything except for shifting gears. Since his engine made a healthy amount of torque, but not enough to warrant a CD009 (350z) transmission, Dirk kept looking for alternatives. He also wanted something with slightly closer gear ratios to better suit the engine’s power band. An S15 Silvia 6-speed seemed like the perfect fit. It had almost exactly the same weight and dimensions as the original box, nice close gears (in fact identical to those of his Subaru), and Dirk found a HybridZ member who would modify the bell housing for him to make the box fit an L-series engine.
S15 6-speed transmission
Through mutual friend Brian K, Dirk got connected with Rob at Z Car Garage and they immediately hit it off:
“After I bought and installed a set of their amazingly well-built CV axles, it was clear to me that ZCG’s reputation for high-quality work was very well-deserved. If I didn’t get the chance to work through the project myself, this is who he wanted to do it for me. I was excited to work with ZCG to take a few ideas over the finish line.”
We fabbed a transmission mount installed the 6-speed unit:
When we got to the clutch of the Datsun Spirit 3L we noticed that the rear wick seals were leaking from at the back of the last main cap. The wick seals were removed and replaced properly:
“The S15 transmission fit surprisingly well. ZCG built a custom crossmember to locate it, and the shifter lined up almost perfectly. No transmission tunnel mods were necessary. The modern shifter did stick out like a sore thumb in the otherwise period interior, so ZCG went to town on it and built Dirk a custom shifter that would look stock, and that works with the Datsun competition shift knob. A small 6-speed shift pattern sticker modeled after the one used in the Silvia is the only clue there’s something different going on under this car. And of course the driving experience.”
Making the S15 shifter look factory, we are happy with the result and Dirk’s subtle shift pattern sticker:
The Datsun Comp shift knob complements the steering wheel:
Engine Bay and Sorting
After a good long chat, a baseline dyno run, a drive, and going over the various odds and ends in the car that were on Dirk’s wishlist besides the 6-speed project, Rob become a great collaborator in further refining Dirk’s vision for the car.
“We actively talked about my goals, and Rob shared his opinion on how to best achieve it, and really talked through the pros and cons of various options. Along the way, Rob was able to source some really choice parts to take the car to the next level.”
Before
A beautiful competition oil pan was installed to maximize ground clearance, and a new custom-built PCV system helped mitigate oil fumes. ZCG also deleted Dirk’s aftermarket A/C system that never worked correctly, renewed all fuel lines, tested the fuel tank, and recreated the expansion tank setup that was deleted by a previous owner.
Rob and Dirk were not crazy about the Arizona Z Car oil pan. It was removed and replaced with DP Nismo comp pan from Rob’s parts stash:
Chassis and Driveline Upgrades
Together we found a balance between taking the car a major leap forward, while also leaving a few major areas untouched for a future revision, to keep the budget under control and get the car ready to enjoy for the summer.
“We landed on a ZCG-built 4.11 OS Giken limited slip differential, a custom aluminum driveshaft, a Fidanza Aluminum flywheel and a Jim Wolf Technologies clutch to round out the drivetrain project, and the entire drivetrain works together beautifully as a perfect package. The car is quick out of the corners, there’s no longer a need to go down to first gear on Page Mill Road, and it still has long enough legs to be quiet and comfortable on the freeway.”
We changed the final drive, installing a R180 4.11 OSG LSD built in in-house:
The clutch hydraulics were replaced to work with new alumimum flywheel/JWT HD clutch combo:
Dirk had a GPS speedometer setup from SpeedHut that we helped setup and read accurately:
Dyno Tuning
Rob massaged the Nismo Mikuni carbs, and after a dyno tuning session, unlocked an additional 30 whp from the car over the baseline run and the car is now putting down a healthy 200hp/200tq at the wheels.
Enjoy the dyno video and L-series music!
“To make sure the car was ready for the track with almost twice the power at the wheels over a stock 240Z, ZCG also installed their big brake kit, which has improved front to rear braking balance significantly over the stock setup, where the rear drums feel great for a week after adjusting, and then become mostly ornamental. The brakes feel a lot more reassuring, while remaining easy to modulate, and thankfully without being overly grabby, the car is still incredibly easy to heel and toe. As an added bonus, it’s really nice to have a handbrake that will hold hills with ease.”
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Dirk visited ZCG and drove “Mrs. Butters”, our 1970 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 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
Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.
A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality retained!
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 70 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Also visible on Dirk’s Z are the excellent adjustable lower control arms from Techno Toy Tuning.
The Z got a full alignment, though tackling the suspension setup is on future list of projects:
Enjoying the Ride
Dirk continues to enjoy his Z which is now equally at home on the street and track. We enjoyed working you Dirk and it was rewarding to help you improve your Z.
Enjoy these pictures of Dirk Enjoying The Ride and of course more photo documentation of our work in the gallery below. LONG LIVE THE Z!
Kurt W is a Nissan enthusiast having owned a 350z that we worked on back in 2008. Last year he acquired this (KH2) R32 Skyline GT-R from our friend Sean Morris 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.
Kurt visited Z Car Garage for minor sorting and a series of upgrades we will document in a future blog post. Recently he came in for installation of 17″ VOLK TE37V wheels with Bridgestone RE-71R tires:
The wheels frame the Stoptech Big-Brake kit( 332mm front and 328mm rear) nicely. Love the dish on these!
Electric Avenue
Kurt also called us about lowering his Tesla Model 3 and for the first time an electric vehicle came to ZCG for modifications. A full KW coil-over suspension setup from MountainPass Performance was installed:
The Model 3 received a full alignment. Note the weight/distribution!
Kurt’s R32 will be back at the shop for some exciting power upgrades stay tuned for a full report!
