We are happy to report a Best In Class win for this 1967 Datsun 2000 at the 2020 Boca Raton Concours D’Elegance in Florida. Typically reserved for European and American marques, Concours events rarely accept Japanese classics to enter and compete on the same field, let alone a Datsun.

 

Acquired by noted marque expert Mike Young several years ago, owner Steve Tetreault took it upon himself to bring the rare Datsun 2000 roadster to concours-level status. Steve recalls how his Datsun was even considered for the event:

“After hearing about the Boca Concours in April of 2019- I decided to submit an application for the Datsun. I soon realized the category that I would be in was named “European Class Sports car” ’65-’75. I completed the application and submitted photos as required in June 2019 and asked the question, “Where does a Japanese car fit here?” In October of that year I received an email requesting more information about the significance of the car, and a few other questions, including more detailed photos”

Steve soon received an email from the nominating committee that he was in fact in the Concours! The class name had been revised to: “Foreign Sports Late” 1965-1975. He was in good company as well:  *1966 Lamborghini superleggero *1965 Porsche 356 cabriolet *1967 Jaguar XKE *1974 Alfa Romeo Montreal *1971 Mercedes 280SL pagoda *1970 Ford Capri Perana *1967 Datsun 2000 Sports

 

Steve describes his Concours experience:

“The 3 very astute judges asked to be left alone while they surveyed the exterior- top up windows up. They asked to see the engine room , open the doors and to explain the significance of the car and why I am showing it. I explained the rarity of a half year car, and that this car is #455 out 750 produced with factory options of 5 speed trans, Mikuni/Solex carbs, B cam, 7 quart finned oil pan, 4 bolt windscreen, and then referenced John Baker’s race credentials for Nissan. I completed the conversation with my true mission: To elevate the Datsun Marque and its ability to compete equally in any Concours D Elegance class such as the one I’m in.” 

 

 

To be considered for a Concours and then go on to WIN best in class amongst impressive peers is an incredible achievement for Steve. All Datsun owners can share and benefit from this breakthrough as well: it’s a sign that our cars are being taken seriously and command respect.  So kudos to your efforts Steve. We remember seeing your roadster at the Solvang Shows and now it is a superb ambassador! Here is SRL-0455 after a 6-month restoration by Steve, sporting vintage Enkei Comp 8 wheels, #665 Paint and fresh chrome:

 

Old photos I snapped from Solvang:

 

Speaking of Datsun Roadsters, this a good time to remind you about the big Solvang show coming up April 25th. I’ll post a flyer shortly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had the pleasure of working with Jeff to help get his Z back on the road after sitting for many years. Our  Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles grace this Z along with upgraded suspension and drivetrain parts.

 

Long Term Project

Jeff visited Z Car Garage early this year with his 1971 S30 for revival from a stalled restoration. Before we delve into our efforts to bring it back to life here is Jeff’s brief history:

“I purchased the car in 2006 and it was white and worn out with a blown engine. I purchased it with the intention of tearing it down to bare metal and restoring it. This is my third 1971 240z and by far the best finished product of the three. It took thirteen years from the time I purchased the car in Clovis until I picked it up from the Z Car Garage in March of 2019. I have had six different cars that were restored over the years and this Z was one of the harder restorations which seemed to fight me at every turn along the way.”

 

As with any restoration project Jeff experienced his share of setbacks. A new dashboard had fitment issues and the rebuilt engine failed requiring more machine shop time. Unfortunately with all of time/effort invested, Jeff’s friend passed away and the project halted:

“I had a friend that owned a body shop that I had paint it. Well my buddy decided that the color chip I picked out was not dark enough so he took it upon himself to change it to a darker color blue. The end result is what I call blurple or blue and purple. My buddy was diagnosed with cancer right after he did the blurple paint job and passed away shortly thereafter. It’s not my favorite color but I am living with it.”

 

Fast forward to 2019, Jeff made an appointment to bring his Z in to us:

“I did my research and Rob and the Z Car Garage had the best reviews.  I called Rob and made an appointment for the blurple Z which was three months out due to their big customer base and quality of their work.  Like the old saying goes ” good things come to those who wait” and I loaded the blurple Z onto my car hauler and drove to San Jose.

Engine Bay and Sorting

After sitting for over a decade, we began the process of making Jeff’s Z roadworthy. We went through the car top to bottom, starting with the drivetrain. It came to us with a previously rebuilt (though never operated) engine requiring a freshened fuel system, re-worked carb linkage and general sorting.

 

With new clutch hydraulics and a repaired speedometer we got the rebuilt engine up and running quite well, until carb issues:

“I had purchased triple 40 mm Webers but the car sat for so long the gas went bad and there was build-up in the fuel system which kept fouling the Webers so I had Rob purchase and install 45 mm Webers and dial them in on his dyno.”

 

We replaced the 40s with new Weber 45 DCOE carbs and velocity stacks, an MSD box and ZCG heat shield. Pictures of the old 40’s and more in the gallery below:

 

MSD ignition and wiring:

New induction setup compete:

 

Dyno Tuning

Rob dyno tuned the rebuilt engine with triple Weber 40s and after the addition of triple Weber 45s.  We saw gains of 19hp/17tq and improved power throughout the rev range:

 

Listen to the L-series sing on this video showing the dyno runs, in-car driving and comments from Rob. You can also see a very happy Jeff enjoying his Z:

 

Backing the L-series was a tired 4-speed transmission:

“I originally took it so Rob could get the triple Webers dialed in on his dyno and a couple other little items.  I was so impressed by the operation that I had them swap out a four speed that had been gone through with a five speed transmission.”  

 

This is an early 5-speed from a ’77-78 280z (0.86 overdrive) rebuilt by expert Steve Pettersen of Pettersen Motorworks in Chico, CA. We also installed a new clutch/flywheel and slave. The trans tunnel was slightly trimmed along with the console to accept the shifter.

 

Chassis

   

The chassis was treated to a full suspension refresh with new parts, bushings and Koni Reds with Eibach springs. We installed lower adjustable control arms and T/C rods from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

 

 

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

Since Jeff’s Z had been sitting for a long time, he had seen some of the cool stuff we’ve been doing and stopped by to sample “Mrs. Butters”, our 1970 Series 1 240z shop demo car. After handing him the keys 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:

 

We went ahead got him dialed in with the ZCG big-brake kit for small wheels, parking brake, and ZCG full exhaust system. We removed Jeff’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit:

     At the rear, the existing old-school disc setup was replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS 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. Jeff has set #00271

   

Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

    

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms and ZCG exhaust system using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip.

    

The interior receive attention as well with our ZCG upgraded door seal and door treatment. A nice touch that makes solid “thud” sound that we are known for. We dialed Jef in with new tires and he was off Enjoying The Ride:

 

“The car was done when he said it would be and it runs great. I had my first 71 Z when my wife and I started dating and she has loved Zs ever since. The wife loves to drive it too.  I would recommend Rob and the Z Car Garage crew for any repair or a full restoration.  Had I known about the Z Car Garage prior to starting the restoration I would have had them do it. If Rob tells you something he does everything in his power to make it happen.”

Jeff was really stoked. He’s still excited, with plans for a more powerful engine. Thanks for letting us revive your Z, Jeff! More pictures in the gallery below and Long Live The Z!

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Frank B is no stranger to Z Car Garage having been a customer for more than a decade. Since 2006, we helped build his Fuelie Z, a modified 1972 S30 with ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles, 231whp fuel-injected L-series and 6-speed Nissan 350z transmission:

 

To accompany his hot rod Z, Frank searched for an early S30 project for a stock-style restoration. Before the Z car craze caught on with S30’s fetching big money (ie Bring a Trailer), Frank found an unmolested early Series 1 240z (11/69 production: HLS30 00486, Original Engine: L24-2189):

“For SN 486, a friend found it on Craigslist and sent me an email. I actually got it for a good price. What I found when I went to inspect the car was a well worn early z with all but one of the original badges, no real rust other than under battery tray, and some spare parts including a perfect dash, stroker crank, spare transmission, set of period 2-piece wheels… A nice project kit somebody had lost interest in and left behind. I arranged to store with the seller for a month while I got myself ready to start the project.”

 

Restoring the “Original Z”

Frank is a very capable man, and jumped right into the disassembly with a plan to perform a total ground-up restoration himself.

“I immediately pressure washed off gunk and started taking things apart. I also ordered a rotisserie, fabricated mounts to attach at the bumpers, and removed everything that wasn’t welded to the unibody. I was pretty careful to bag up assemblies and keep fasteners with the parts they belonged to… lots of detailed work and hundreds of baggies later, I was ready to start restoring stuff!”

 

Frank connected with several folks in the Z Car community he had met through the years to source parts for the restoration:

“Les Cannaday was able to get reportedly the last of the butterscotch interiors (vinyl bits) made for the Z restoration program Nissan had done.  I had Patrick Shank (Patrick Restorations) completely go through all gauges, main and other wiring harnesses, and acquired the correct radio for that car (some other electrical bits too). Norm Murphy got all of the plating business and had or helped me find some hard to find items like a NOS cover for the wiper motor, a new double lever choke/throttle assembly, a pair of the early taillights, etc.” 

 

The stripped body and all associated body parts went to Andy Schenk for painting while on the rotisserie…Frank was also able to get a complete set of stainless brake and fuel lines made to the original pattern, greatly simplifying restoration of these systems.

“Once the bottom was done, I took the car off the rotisserie and put it back on it newly restored suspension and the restoration of the inside began (other than the headliner which I also installed while on rotisserie while car was upside-down). The detailed assembly of the car took a couple of years total since I prioritized getting the car right over getting it done…”

 

The end result of Frank’s efforts was an outstanding restoration. You can see more in-progress pictures in the gallery.

Finishing Touches With Z Car Garage

At the very end of his restoration, Frank realized for that last 10% it was time to call up his friends at Z Car Garage. He brought his freshly restored, low-vin S30 in for us to sort out all the little things.

 

He had an early transmission that was making noise so we replaced it with another unit fro our supply. We replaced his lower control arm and moustache bar bushings. The entire underside of the car was nut and bolted, and his work was double-checked. A ZCG exhaust was also installed.

 

Key items in the restoration process were reviewed: verifying brake lines, clutch lines, bleeding the hydraulics, and adjusting the rear brakes.

Dyno Tuning

Frank identified what was needed to make a “Canada” car without the emissions controls of US models.  He restored all of the “smog” stuff so it can stay with the car and be put back on one day if desired… but fully original wasn’t what he had in mind for the drivetrain…

 

The engine went to Dave Rebello for the 2.7l “purist” build: this is the original L24 block stroked (E31 head) so numbers still match while gaining more power. Otherwise stock when you open the hood:

 

We installed a Pertronix ignition, changed the plugs to hotter range, adjusted the valves, set the timing, installed a new alternator and starter and made the wiring at the distributor look OEM. Rob performed a street tune on the dyno yielding 179hp/172tq to the wheels:

 

We also installed an LSD to help get the newfound power to the ground effectively. Next items on the list were electrical issues and interior bits. We got the turn signals operational and replaced the flasher. We went through his interior and got all the missing rivets and cowl clips. Kick panels were installed. The clevis pin in the clutch-pedal assembly was removed, sanded and lubed to eliminate any noise.

 

Time to Enjoy The Ride!

With minor sorting complete we focused on a few aesthetic items like final adjustments of the hood and doors. Frank’s stock wheels  were mounted/balanced, ensuring the “D” hubcaps were secure.  He had lowered the car from stock height with Eibach springs, so we did our trim to the fronts for a nice stance.

 

16×7 Panasports were installed for daily driving:

 

Frank did a fantastic job on this Z:

  

It was great to see Frank driving, here he is on the freeway en route to the ZONC Annual Car Show.

“Three years from when I started the project, I took the car to Rob Fuller to help me bring it back to life… after a couple weeks of dealing with somewhat funky carbs and an improperly rebuild transmission, SN 486 was on the road again and, maybe not surprisingly, drove like a new car from the beginning… everything worked as it should and 80mph freeway travel was delightful. We do drive the car… for now it is being kept as perfect as possible for shows. Here’s where it resides in one of my shops in Oregon.”

 

Here is a short video of Frank in his Z and his wife in the Fuelie Z, enjoy!

 

 

The “Original Z”

 

If you are wondering about that license plate… “Ur” is a slang German term for “Original”.

“The first Audi Quattros are referred to as the UrQuattro.  Since the legend of the z includes some design work by Goetz, a German designer reportedly hired by Katayama-san to develop initial concepts, I took the liberty of naming my z the “Original 240z” or UR 240Z for short…  got the same plate in Oregon.”

Frank and his wife retired to Oregon and we miss the enthusiastic couple. It was our pleasure working with Frank and we appreciate  him being a customer and friend of Z Car Garage.

LONG LIVE THE Z!
More pictures in the gallery below
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At Z Car Garage we love keeping Z’s on the road. From concours-level restorations to light refurbishments, making a customer’s goals reality is our passion. Richard Y’s 1970 Datsun 240z is a great example of an S30 that has been maintained and restored by us for over a decade. We met him years ago when Rob was working at Scott Performance. In 2004, when we bumped into Richard at Tan’s car wash in Santa Clara he didn’t realize that Rob stayed local, opening ZCG. He brought his Z to us thereafter and we maintained it for the last 15 years.

 

In addition to being a great person and a working professional, Richard daily-drives this Series 1 240z. He is also a purist of sorts, not wanting large wheels and tires, a high-power engine or fancy brakes. His desire is to explore, drive, love and touch the Series 1 car as it was back in the day. In 2011 Richard decided it was time to give his Z some love, and the refurbishment was performed with his “vintage” preferences in mind. A few ZCG touches were added along the way.

Interior

 

Part of enjoying the daily-driving experience comes from a functional, pleasant interior. The dash was previously covered with a cap, having multiple issues underneath. We removed the dash and had it re-conditioned by Dash Restoration:

   

While the dash was out we refurbished the entire heater assembly. The heater core was cleaned and pressure tested.

  

All duct-work was resealed to allow full HVAC function including defrost at max settings. A Honda fan upgrade allows faster air flow and all cable/actuator linkages were re-done:

   Heater /motor back in place:

 

We finished restoring the HVAC by getting the vintage A/C unit functioning again. New condenser and lines:

  

Once the new dash returned we started re-assembly. All hardware was replaced and gauges were tested for proper operation:

   

A host of rare, NOS factory parts from Rob’s stash helped complete the dash. Series 1-specific parts like the map light trim and coin-tray were broken:

 

The NOS coin tray and map light trim installed:

  

We updated the sound system with a modern head unit and hatch speakers:

 

One of our favorite upgrades to the interior of an S30 is our ZCG sound deadening package. Usually found in our full-blown ZCG restorations, the result is a less tinny sound and almost Germanic-like “clunk” when you shut the doors.

   

Full weatherstrip replacement on the doors, hatch and windows. We also ensured that windows travel up/down smoothly:

  

The finished interior. Ready for Richard to ready enjoy daily driving:

The Z Must Go On

Our man William did some light paint work on car, as this was a “light” restoration and we didn’t want Richard missing his Z for an extended period.  Unfortunately in 2017 the Z suffered from a front end impact.

The car was hit bad enough that the appraisal house, Richard and all of us thought the car was totaled. Rob luckily had just acquired a Series 1 car as a donor. The front end was grafted on and William fabricated a new radiator support and front fenders to make car whole again.

Engine Bay

 

Fresh from paint and with the engine out we focused on making the bay look sharp. All hydraulic lines were plated with new NOS brake and clutch master cylinders, distribution block and booster:

  

New heater hoses, plated fasteners and new rubber isolators:

  

The radiator was upgraded to a Koyo Race unit:

 

The drivetrain itself received minor refreshing including new drive belts, overhauled and tuned SUs, and a new clutch/flywheel backing the factory 4-speed transmission:

 

A few more details and the engine bay is complete.

 

Chassis/Suspension

Although we looked at every nook and cranny nook on this Z we always kept in mind that Richard did not want everything upgraded. He lives and breathes Vintage Z. The suspension was replaced front and rear with NOS parts like new factory ball joints, steering rack bushings, etc. More pictures in the gallery!

   

Eibach springs with Tokico Illumina struts:

 

The rear diff was cleaned up:

 

The brakes were restored to factory spec with upgraded Stoptech slotted rotors and our favorite 309 pads:

  

The rear drums received new wheel cylinders:

  

Since the harness was damaged in the accident we used one from the Series 1 parts car.  All connections were degreased and cleaned, resistance checked and finally 3M wrapped.

  

The entire fuel system was gone through. Here we drop the fuel tank, boil it out and replace all rubber lines. Also visible is the ZCG exhaust system:

  

Exterior

 

The exterior had to look as good as the engine bay and restored interior. All chrome pieces like front/rear bumpers and door handles for straightened and re-chromed.

   

All of the stainless trim was straightened and polished. Shown are drip rails, all window frames, turn signal frames

  

Window and door hardware plated including latches. Re-chromed handles:

  

Little details like factory Nissan wiper blades and a NOS mirror finish the vintage “look” we all cherish:

   

 

NOS wipers:

  

Tail panel assembly:

  

A variety of NOS parts like Euro front turn signals and a full set of emblems adorn the Z:

  

Series 1 pillar emblem:

  

The final touch: 15″ 5-slot wheels offer more tire choices while resembling the classic 14″ size slots:

 

 

Ready to Enjoy The Ride

 

With a nice interior, paint and chassis work Richard’s Z is ready to be enjoyed on a daily basis. As long as you have the parts and the passion Z Car Garage will do all we can to keep Z cars on the road. Enjoy The Ride, Richard!

 

  

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“Love cars. Love people. Love life”
-Mr. K

Here is a memorable throwback that inspires us at ZCG, enjoy!

 

To Rob and team of Z Car Garage,

Thank you for being a big part of reuniting me with my 1971 240Z on my 50th birthday.

I’m not sure whether you know, but this was my very first car, purchased for me by my father when I was 16 years old. Did I have a cool dad or what? He paid $4700 for the car in 1978. Although it was about 7 years old when I got it, it was in great shape and probably the most awesome car I could have had during high school. After a year, the seller experienced seller’s remorse and actually contacted my Dad to buy the car back. Of course, there was no way I was giving that car up, and over the next 20 years, my 240Z was my pride and joy.

Besides being a reliable means of transportation, I have numerous fond memories of this car, most notably proposing to my wife in this car 19 years ago. On that night, we had dinner in SF and afterward, I drove to the Marin headlands. With a romantic view of the City, Golden Gate Bridge and some champagne and strawberries, I proposed to my then girlfriend, who might very well have said yes because the car made me so cool.

 
But, after 20 years, I unfortunately started to notice exhaust fumes seeping into the car, and by this time, it was no longer my primary mode of transportation (more of a weekend car). With the exhaust issue and the fact that I didn’t have room at my new home for three cars, I decided to store the Z at my father’s place. My plan to temporarily store the car until I had time to address the exhaust issue turned into a 12 year separation between me and my 240Z.

  
For my 50th Birthday, my cousin, Trent coordinated with my wife to get my car running again and secretly moved the car from my dad’s place to your garage. Along with many assorted relatives, they planned to surprise me with the restored car during a party we held at my house. Of course, it was a HUGE surprise to walk out my front door and see the Z sitting on my driveway after 12 years in storage! It’s amazing how good it looks, and I especially appreciate how the restoration is not “over-the-top”- as close to stock as I maintained it.

 
Everywhere I drive now, someone comments on how good it looks. Besides looking great, it also runs great. The carburetors are perfectly tuned, the clutch is tight, and the suspension has greatly improved the handling. And it’s not bad for my ego either.

It’s great to have my 240Z back and I can’t help but smile whenever I get in it.

Thank you again to you and your team,
Ken M.

As you can imagine we were very eager to help Ken’s family bring the Datsun back to life and back on the road. ZCG focused on making this car sharp looking with an emphasis on driver enjoyment. Cosmetic upgrades included re-chroming and straightening both f/r bumpers with fresh OEM rubber trim:

   

Requisite 16×7 Panasport wheels shod with Bridgestone Pole-Position Re760(225/50/16) tires are at all four corners:

  

Underhood the engine bay received some serious attention with a full clean/detail, all new coolant bypass hoses and upper/lower radiator hoses:

  

The intake manifold was removed, cleaned and de-smogged. New intake/exhaust manifold gaskets installed along with a new header and full exhaust system. Driveability being a priority Rob and the crew tuned the carbs to perfection: steady idle, crisp throttle response, and smooth power delivery in all gears. I drove the car briefly to take photos and even I fell in love with it 🙂

   

The chassis also got some serious love with a complete front/rear suspension rebuild that included new bushings throughout, 5-way Tockicos, Eibach springs, sway bars, and new steering rack bushings. The interior on this 240 is incredibly clean. We added a Kenwood head unit and an MSA rear speaker box: Nothing flashy in this handsome cabin!

  
Thanks to Ken and his family for letting ZCG be a part of their Z Car passion. This is what we live for!

Please view more pictures of the restoration in the original gallery HERE