Vince S called Z Car Garage after he scored this 1973 Datsun 240Z from our friends at Bring a Trailer. After we got the Z up here from SoCal we found that it needed some work for Vince to really Enjoy The Ride. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with a full suspension refresh and engine tuning make it just right.
Z Destiny
Before we explore the upgrades, let’s take a look at how Vince found his Z car…
“I’m incredibly lucky to own my Z. It was sold new in Decatur, IL on August 10, 1973. The car was supposedly purchased from the 2nd owner who reportedly had it for over 30 years in 2018 by a dealer in Oakland who then sold it to the collector I bought it from. I first saw the car in 2019 parked in my neighbor’s driveway. At the time, I was looking for a 240Z to buy. In high school I had a 1978 280Z that I took to college but it was prone to overheating and I blew a head gasket and didn’t have the money to fix it. I sold it in 1990 and regretted it ever since. So, when I saw a 1973 240Z sitting in that driveway, I knocked on my neighbor’s door and asked if he wanted to sell it.”
“Turns out the Z didn’t belong to him. He was transporting it from Oakland to Carmel and then on to L.A. for a friend who was a collector. The friend already owned two 240Zs (he has one of the 37 Zs that were part of Nissan’s Vintage Restoration Program) and he wanted my Z for it’s a/c components and other bits to complete one of his cars (he later decided it was too good of a car to use for parts). Although I couldn’t buy my Z that day, my neighbor let me go for a quick drive around the block. Fast forward to April 2020 and that very same Z is being auctioned on Bring a Trailer.”
Chassis and Suspension Upgrades
With Vince’s Z finally at the shop we proceeded with upgrades to make it a fantastic, reliable driver. For our clients that are cruising with occasional “spirited” driving we installed our “Stage 1/light street” suspension. New parts from Techno Toy Tuning included adjustable T/C rods and rear lower control arms. We really appreciate Gabriel and his staff at T3. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
A full front suspension rebuild included new rack bushings, front control arm bushings, ball-joints, tie-rods, new wheel bearings front and rear (OEM genuine Nissan seals/parts), KYB strut inserts, Eibach lowering springs trimmed Macpherson bumps stops for full travel and a ST sway bar set.
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Brakes: every vintage Z car that we build here gets the ultimate setup: our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes for small wheels. Everyone that drives our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car is sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 Read below for a brief description of these parts:
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 engineers at 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 some 14″ wheels) 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:
We removed Vince’s brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit with a new brake master cylinder from Nissan, rebuilt brake booster and parking brake assembly.
New brake master cylinder from Nissan and stock vs Big-Brakes:
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 90 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Vince has CV Axle set #341. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:
ZCG CV axles installed:
Panasport Wheels
Complementing the new springs and shocks on Vince’s Z are Panasport wheels! We replaced the stock steel wheels (kept for shows) with 16×7 Panasports and Continental Extreme Contact Sport tires in 225/50/16.
Drivetrain
We performed a full drivetrain inspection with compression/leakdown test to make sure the engine was healthy. A list of items that were addressed/replaced: sparks plugs, new plug wire set, fuel filter, valve cover gasket, valve adjustment, MSA 6 to 1 header to our ZCG exhaust system and Z therapy carbs. More pictures in the gallery!
A Koyo race aluminum radiator replaced the stock unit:
All coolant hoses were replaced, new water pump, fan clutch, fan blade, all new drive belts, new battery hold-down/cables and a e…we even lubed chokes cable everything to make this car a solid driver… everything to allow Vince to just hop in to his vintage Z and enjoy some back roads. The aging 4-speed transmission was replaced with a 5-speed from our parts stash.
This early 280z 5-speed. came in the 1977-78 S30s and has the same gearset with an 0.86 overdrive perfect for the factory rear end. Our go-t0 JWT alum flywheel/clutch back the engine:
Dyno Tuning
With fresh Z Therapy carbs and MSD Blaster 2 coil with Pertronix ignition Rob set the AFR/timing for best performance and drivability. Rob dyno tuned the L24, now making 138hp/139tq at the wheels:
Vince is throughly impressed and happy with all of the chassis and engine upgrades:
“My experience with Rob and ZCG has been exceptional. When I bought my Z, it was essentially stock with the exception of one or two paint resprays of the 113 green and an added electric fuel pump. It was clear the car had a fair amount of deferred maintenance, I knew I needed to improve both its drivability and reliability. So, I upgraded to the ZCG Big Brakes, ZCG CV axles, did a full suspension rebuild and drivetrain refresh. Well worth the wait…The Z I picked up was nothing like the Z I dropped off — it was better in every way.”
Enjoying the Ride
We loved to hear that Vince is out an about with his Z. He attended the Valt gathering in Albany where our friend Geoff snapped these pictures. He also just completed a rally with Breakfast Club Rally group:
“The 2nd best road trip was a recent 100 mile rally in the east bay foothills and my daughter rode with me for that as well. She shares my love of cars and passion for Zs. It reminds me of the times I shared with my dad who could fix anything on wheels and for years owned his own repair shop. That’s why this Z is so important. As much as I appreciate the beauty of its design and brilliance of its engineering, it’s the memories I have and will make that I cherish most”
Welcome Back to the Z car family!
“My Z performs far better than I expected. I just did my first 100-mile rally and had complete confidence that the car would go, turn and stop like I needed and expected it to. This isn’t my first Z but it’s my first 240 and first major mechanical refresh of a car. As they say, “you don’t know what you don’t know,” so I really valued (and needed) Rob’s experience and advice. My Z means a lot to me (my daughters joke that she’s the favorite in the family) and it was important to do things right. It’s not that money wasn’t an object but I was willing to invest in the things that mattered most, which is what Rob and the crew helped me do.”
More pics in the gallery
