Shop friend and Nissan enthusiast Walt P is still attacking road courses in his
2012 GT-R. Walt recently completed his first race with Checkered Flag Racing Association(
CFRA) at Laguna Seca running in their GT-1 class. Walt had a blast mixing it up with full-race Porsches and Corvettes, placing 4th overall with a best lap time of 1:39.3…pretty amazing for a street-driven car with all the creature comforts 🙂
Great driving Walt! Video to come but for now enjoy these pictures from the race:
More pics in the gallery:
…[read more]
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ZcarBlog fans gather around! We have major developments in Gary R’s 280z restoration! Our first installment in this build chronicled the
extensive body rehab, followed by
chassis developments and now we can report that the drivetrain is ready along with many body trim pieces.
The engine is a Rebello built 3.1L using the factory fuel injection system. Below you can see how the unsightly stock intake manifold was transformed into a thing of beauty…
Another ZCarGarage modification is the modern 5-speed transmission conversion. The old 280z’s 4-speed is replaced by a late-model Nissan 240SX 5-spd transmission. To top it all off the whole thing was powdercoated and a JWT aluminum flywheel and JWT HD clutch were installed. Note the beautiful ceramic coated exhaust header:
As we move past the engine and transmission it keeps getting better! The stock rear differential is replaced by a beefy R200 with 4.11 gears and a Quaife LSD unit, that’s one pretty pumpkin!
Sending power to those massive 255-width tires are Wolf Creek Racing CV axles. Why convert to CVs? CV joints articulate better, reduce unpsrung mass, and transmit power better than stock u-joints:
The power window and door lock conversion is complete! Remember all of those zinc plated nuts/bolts/hardware? These pieces are finding their way back to the Z. The rear quarter windows with trim powdercoated black have been installed too:
The front/rear bumpers needed some love and now they are back on the car looking pretty:
The fuel system is also complete and the Z is at the interior shop. There are many more pictures in the gallery, stay tuned for more updates as Gary’s Z gets closer to completion!
…[read more]
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Ken S came to ZCarGarage several years ago when he just purchased this pretty 300zx Twin Turbo. It had just passed the 60k mark and ZCG performed routine maintenance including full timing belt services. It wasn’t long before Ken got the performance bug and started upgrading the suspension. ZCG installed Tockiko 5-way shocks, sway bars, and StopTech 13″ big brakes. After tackling the suspension naturally Ken wanted more power so a Stage 3 upgrade with supporting mods was installed. Unfortunately the stock turbos had issues so they were upgraded to JWT Sport 500s.
The original front bumper had seen better days with nicks and peeling. Williams worked his magic with new paint and installed new side skirts, JDM front bumper and that trademark vented hood that we have seen on other Z32s.
Recently Ken visited ZCG for more power upgrades. Basic performance upgrades included new 2.5″ IC plumbing and SMICs from ConceptZ. Here you can see the install and how much cleaner the new plumbing is:
Dual JWT POP chargers replace the single merged setup:
With increased cooling capacity and the HKS boost controller total output is now 383hp/378tq at the wheels!
Here is the engine bay before/after the install and detailing. Please check the gallery for more detailed images: it’s easy to overlook all of the work that is performed!
It is impressive to see an iconic 90’s sports car perform and make power that rivals most current sports cars. It is even better when there is still plenty of aftermarket support and enthusiasts willing to continue developing parts!
Long Live the 300ZX TT!
Click below for more photos
…[read more]
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It is always great to hear stories from original Z-car owners. Joe A came to ZCarGarage to restore his 1974 260z after 36 years of ownership! He had become familiar with ZCG through our local club,
ZONC. After carefully inspecting the car, Rob and Joe sat down and discussed several procedures that would update and improve the car. They decided on a complete engine rebuild with tuned exhaust, and removing all smog devices since the car was over 35 years old.
Here are a few pictures of the engine bay after removing the drivetrain:
The engine was rebuilt with a mild cam and dyno results showed nice gains of 23 rwhp and 13tq!
The engine bay and underhood had to look just as beautiful as the body so
William painted everything back to the original exterior color. ZCG provided zinc plating and powdercoating services under the hood and all wiring harnesses were redone:
Here is Joe with a few words on how the Z became part of his life:
“It was January of 1969 and I had just been discharged from the Air Force. …[read more]
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Yes Zcarblog readers, even those larger Nissans get ZCG love! Here is Rob with the story on this FX45:
Thad N and his wife Dana are big Nissan fans. Thad found a really clean FX with all the right stuff for making his commute a pleasureable experience. Living in the Santa Cruz mountains with all of those curvy roads this FX certainly gets put through its paces.
Thad has added GTspec bracing to stiffen up the chassis and intake to let that amazing V8 sing its song going in and out of the twistys.
His FX still had too much body roll in and out of the turns, and was also lacking in the brake department.
Solution 1: Eibach Pro-kit. A slight drop with some added spring rate allowing the FX to feel more solid during cornering.
Solution 2: STOPTECH Big-Brake kt( BBK) kit with matching rotors and 309 pads in the rear. The stock rear calipers were also color matched to the fronts in red.
The new stance and big-brakes peeking out of the stock wheels turn this FX into a sleeper:
This FX is born again. Thad’s impression after the upgrades: “the FX was amazing!!!” After Dana drove she called to tell me that her G35 sedan needed to be upgraded ASAP.
So stay tuned this Nissan family has more upgrades on the way 🙂
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