On Saturday I joined six other cars for a morning cruise through the Santa Cruz Mountains. The two S30 Z cars with us were running our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles!
Glenn’s 1972 Nissan Fairlady 240z-L
Glenn Chiou drove his RHD Fairlady Z sporting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels). He is an avid vintage race car driver/restorer and found our brake kit offers incredible brake feel and performance all fitting behind his favorite 15×8 zero offset Watanabe wheel:
“The most important aspect to me when it comes to braking on a street driven car is feel. Yes, stopping power is extremely important, but also is not that difficult to achieve on an early Z car that is naturally light to begin with. Feel, however, is something that has always managed to escape me and the ZCG brakes deliver. WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car”
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 pictures of the Big-Brakes being installed on Glenn’s Z:
Glenn was having fun on the twistys on our cruise (see video below). Learn more about his Z in this Petrolicious video.
James’ 1972 Datsun 240z
James is running our ZCG BBK (1st gen, 328mm) and Z Car Garage CV Axles in his turbocharged L-Series beast:
You can learn more about this 560whp Z on Speedhunters and see it in action on Hoonigan Autofocus. James also had a blast on our Saturday cruise:
Saturday Cruising
We started our drive in Downtown Saratoga and made it to the coast via Bear Creek and Bonny Doon Rd. Here is a short video:
We were happy to enjoy the company of cool cars and cool folks, also joining us:
Dustin’s 510
We’ve known Dustin and Courtney for many years. Dustin’s 510 4-door runs a KA24DE and sweet Longchamp XR-4 wheels. The side exit exhaust is loud!
Tony’s Mazda RX-2
Tony has had this RX-2 for many years. In addition to the full restoration it now has a full (S5) 13B drivetrain with a Ford 9″ rear end! It is mint. I haven’t seen Tony in many years so it was a joy to have him along:
Lloyd’s AE86
Lloyd has a very cool collection of cars and this AE86 is the latest. Although it sports an F20C drivetrain (Lloyd promised me it’s not the same car as this one), it has numerous upgrades for a better drive. Gotta love TE37s:
Geoff’s BMW 2002
Geoff’s no stranger to our Bay Area cruises and also owns a Lotus 7. He was the only German this time with his BMW 2002 on rare Campagnolo wheels:
I drove my SR-powered ‘67.5 Datsun Roadster and it was a great way to spend the morning.
Yes, that’s a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso flying by on HWY 1!
This 1972 Nissan 240Z-L however is “the list” car for Glenn that started his Datsun passion. Glenn has owned it for several years, enjoying it as a back-road burner on the street and rallye events.
Find out more about the story behind this right-hand-drive survivor over on Petrolicious and also watch this great video:
We’ve known Glenn for many years and we actually tuned his Fairlady back in 2012. The 3L stroker produced one of the highest dyno numbers we had seen!
Big Brakes for Glenn’s S30
The Z clearly had more than enough power, but braking was always something Glenn wanted to improve and once he heard about our latest Big-Brake Kit for small wheels he became a believer after test driving them. Rather than tell you how we feel about this product, let’s hear Glenn’s experience.
Throughout my years of Z car ownership, I have run a variety of brake setups. My Z cars have seen everything from restored OEM Sumitomos, Toyota 4×4’s, trick Wilwood setups, even frankenstein’d Baer calipers. There is no doubt that it has been one area that I have never been completely satisfied with. Over time, after many years and attempts to find the ‘perfect’ setup, I had given up and just settled for what I had.
The most important aspect to me when it comes to braking on a street driven car is feel. Yes, stopping power is extremely important, but also is not that difficult to achieve on an early Z car that is naturally light to begin with. Feel, however, is something that has always managed to escape me. On my vintage 240z race car, we use multiple master cylinders, swap them in and out, fiddle with our brake proportioning valves, fine tuning them to fit our driving style and preference. We are trying to find that “racer’s edge.” In all honesty, when it comes to a street car, I want nothing to do with all that.
Wheel sizing and style was also extremely important to me. I love old school wheels and the sizes they came in. I needed a brake caliper that would fit under my 15” Watanabe RS wheels without having to shave or drastically modify my setup. If it was not for being in love with these wheels, I would have opted for Z Car Garage’s larger big brake kit.
A few words about our latest big-brake kit solution. Our successful, larger ZCG BBK utilizes 328mm rotors and 4-piston calipers requiring a 16″ or 17″ wheel. This kit was made with our friends Tyler and Eric from Stoptech over ten years ago. Recently our customers asked us to make a BBK for smaller wheels so even a guy running 14″ vintage 5-slots slots could brake like a modern sports car. Typical big-brake kits use a 4-piston setup up front and a ZX in back; Proportioning is hard to get right, varying from car to car. We wanted a brake system that suited the car and totally bolted in, no M/C change, no proportioning valve, no booster change.
Working with Stoptech again, we developed this smaller BBK as a direct bolt-in solution for the 1970 to 1978 S30 Z cars. We’ve been with Stoptech since the beginning and love their products. We aim to release this product to the masses once our local installs are completed. Let’s get back to Glenn and hear his initial impressions of the big-brake kit:
Rob informed me he was working up a solution and he wanted me to be test the brake kit. Rob promised three things – they would brake amazing, they would fit under my 15” Watanabes, and they would feel as if they belonged on the car. Did I doubt it at first? Sure, a little. However, I also knew that the fit and finish of all products that came out of ZCG were top notch, and that Rob thoroughly tested all his products against his own standards. Which I’m sure everyone knows, are extremely high.
In preparation for the Monterey Historics last year, I had brought the Z race car to the shop for dyno time. Rob gave me the keys to his Butters Z and said “Go drive it.” Under 14″ wheels sat his brand new ZCG brake kit. I gladly accepted and took the car for a ride.
WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car, and these were on a car with stock suspension, tires and probably cruddy tires! I told Rob, “sign me up!”
Glenn wanted to run the brake kit on his Fairlady and we happily obliged. He had also been gearing up for a road rallye so the braking system would be throughly used. You can see his Z (top left) along with his buddy Erich C’s S30 (top right, also getting a ZCG BBK!):
Then came the day Rob called me up and said they were ready to rock and roll. Lucky for me, I was just about to head out on the 1000-mile Coastal Range Rally! The kit came with beautifully anodized front and rear calipers, hats, rotors, brakes lines, reversible brackets (for early and later Z offsets), and a factory ⅞” master cylinder. Read that again… Yes, a proportioning valve was left out from that list! The brakes were a straight bolt on and ZCG did all the math to get both the master cylinder size and piston sizes correct. We brought the car in for install and within a day the car was ready to rock.
Glenn’s 240z now had 4-wheel disc brakes ready to tackle the street and rallye:
And of course, the brakes fit beautifully under the 15″ Watts. Kane approved, and Glenn was stoked:
I could hardly wait to jump in the seat of the car and take it for a spin. The brakes were now on a car with suspension, tire, power, and a proper alignment. It was everything I had remembered from driving the Butters Z and MORE. The brakes performed flawlessly on the Coastal Range Rally, taking abuse from California’s most challenging roads:
Attention to detail goes a long way. This is exactly what these brakes delivered, and what continues to be delivered by ZCG.
LONG LIVE THE Z!
We are happy to report that Glenn is still braking late and still braking deep all while Enjoy The Ride! You can find him carving through the Santa Cruz Mountains:
Big thanks to Glenn for letting us work on your Fairlady! We also thank Eric and Tyler from Stoptech for supporting us and our precious Z cars!
Rob and the crew realized that all six of these S30s were being worked on and a brilliant photo ensued. Great shot Josh! Expect full stories on these Z’s coming soon to the blog. From left to right we have Glenn’s 1972 RHD 240Z-L, and Art’s 1972 240z:
Ben’s 1974 260z:
Rob’s 1971 240z (aka Butterz)
Erich’s 1973 240z
And Steve’s 1972 240z (white)
Rob couldn’t help but add some Van Halen moves. He’s got it bad for Z cars!
The popular classic car insurance provider Hagerty features Z Car Garage this week on their site. Take a glimpse of the shop through the lens of photographer Courtney Cutchen and read about Rob’s history with Z cars in the article HERE.
Big thanks to Hagerty and Courtney and… Long Live The Z!
