Shop Talk for
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Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Z Car Garage! We hope you can find time to Enjoy The Ride over the holidays. Please note our hours of operation below:
We will be closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, re-opening Tuesday December 3.
ZCG will close on the 20th of December 2019, reopening on the 2nd of January 2020
Thank you!
What sparked your interest in Z Cars? For Scott W it began when he was about 15 years old, and eventually led him to Z Car Garage:
“My best friend’s brother’s friend had a silver 240z. He would take us to lunch and we had to lay down in the back. From that time on I wanted a Z! I started reviewing zcarblog.com and found a very nice 260z for sale that was owned by an older retired couple. Based on all the work performed by ZCG I met with Rob and I purchased it. The 260z was originally gold with the 5mph bumpers.”
Indeed the gold 1974 260z was our very own customer Geri R’s. When she retired and moved to San Diego she told Rob, “If you are not in SD my Z car can’t come with me…please find it a new home.” Scott W visited ZCG in 2013 and purchased the Z, well before the S30’s garnered high prices! He had a very clear vision of building the ultimate Z Car:
“I told Rob my plan was a car that was great to look at but I’m going to drive it! And drive it hard. My goal was to keep it looking 1974-ish on the outside but modern under the skin.”
So we began the process of upgrading an already solid, clean chassis that Geri lovingly maintained.
Induction is handled by Jenvey individual throttle-body fuel injection, managed by a Haltech Elite 750 standalone system.
A NISMO Competition oil pan was installed to cope with high cornering loads from road course driving. Also shown is the Nissan 240sx 5-speed transmission. This “KA24” unit is significantly stronger than early S30 transmissions. It handles the 3.2L’s extra power, and we offer this conversion to customers.
When we upgrade the transmission we also install a JWT HD clutch with aluminum flywheel. Helping put the power down efficiently is an OS Giken LSD. The R180 houses a 4.11 R&P and the assembly is setup in-house (by Joshua Corwin). Rounding out the drivetrain upgrades are a set of ZCG CV Axles(shown below)
The ZCG Exhaust system using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip. Listen to the sound in the video below!
The completed engine bay. All hoses, hydraulic lines, fittings etc were removed and restored/replaced with new parts. Zinc plating hardware throughout:
On the dyno, Rob tuned the Z with the Haltech making 257hp/229tq to the wheels. An improvement from the stock 121hp/130tq:
Suspension upgrades were next, focusing on the ideal setup for open track days while remaining comfortable on the street. Scott outgrew the Tokico 5-ways and now has Koni Yellows with our Ground Control coil-over setup from back in the day. Techno Toy Tuning control arms, T/C rods and more complement the total suspension restoration. All parts were powdercoated and hardware plated. We really appreciate Gabriel at T3 and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
Custom sized 17×9 Panasport C8 wheels allow us to run a wide 255/40/17 tire at all four corners, without flaring the fenders:
Bridgestone RE-71R tires are shown below. The 17″ diameter wheels also give clearance for our ZCG Big Brakes!
After driving our customer Lou’s Fairlady, Scott was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes.
Not to be confused with our familiar Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) that we currently offer, this Big-Brake kit was our initial setup from many years ago. Our first collaboration with Stoptech, this 328mm sized kit requires 17″ diameter wheels and the massive ST-42 calipers are finished in bright red. This kit was installed on our OS Giken TC24-powered 240z and a few other customer cars.
The ZCG Big-Brakes framed nicely behind the black-spoked C8s. We are currently re-vamping this kit using Stoptech’s latest ST-43 caliper.
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.
Scott’s 260z received ZCG CV Axles set #250
More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms and ZCG exhaust system:
Scott’s 260z had an interior in fair shape. We gave it the full ZCG treatment with a refurbished dash, new carpet and creature comforts like Bluetooth, radar detection and functioning HVAC. In-progress shots below with more in the gallery:
New carpet throughout, integrated speaker box in hatch:
The stock seats were in bad shape Scott was sliding around on them so we upgraded to leather Recaros. Perfect for keeping him locked in place during track days.
The heater system from core to blower was completely restored:
Full A/C setup using a smaller Toyota compressor with existing A/C parts:
Balance. This Z has power and the chassis upgrades to transform it into a well-rounded sports car. Remember Scott’s goal of building the Z to drive really hard? He has been taking his S30 to Buttonwillow Raceway every month, putting our ZCG products to the test on the track.
“I added the big brake kit with wider tires that do not require over fenders. I really push this car and the engine feels rock solid. A professional instructor drove it around the track with me to teach me the lines and he was very impressed. In the photo of me at the track you see a 400hp BMW and a 500hp Alfa Romeo. They could not keep up with me in the corners but were able to pass me on the straight away. The car is tight to the ground and doesn’t lose traction. Very fun to drive.”
Enjoy the sounds of Scott’s Z in this short video below:
You didn’t think we would forget to mention the total paint color change, did you? About six months into his build Scott called to request a color change from gold to a Mercedes-Benz shade of Gun Metal. Our man William painted the body, retaining all side-markers to maintain a stock look:
Scott however was adamant about changing the stock impact bumpers. Rob located Euro-style 240z bumpers and had them sectioned/re-chromed:
Thank you Scott for letting us build your Ultimate Z Car! We are proud to see you enjoy it on the track and street.
LONG LIVE THE Z!
Brian P hails from Canada and lives in the Bay Area with his family. We met him in 2014 when he visited ZCG for minor sorting and upgrades on his pretty 1973 S30.
Attention to the engine bay included changing all fluids, new motor mounts, upgraded alternator and a fresh Koyo racing radiator:
Rob dyno tuned the stock, SU-carb’d L24 before and after the addition of our ZCG exhaust using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip. We saw gains of 13hp/5tq and improved power throughout the mid-range:
Brian returned in 2016 for suspension upgrades. We installed 5-way Tokicos, Suspension Techniques sway bars, Techno Toy Tuning adjustable rear lower control arms, TC rods, and rack bushings.
Everything was powdercoated black and we zinc’d all hardware. With fresh bearings and a few more new suspension parts he was out and enjoying the Z.
Complementing the new springs and shocks on Brian’s Z are Panasport wheels! We replaced the old-school Western Turbine wheels with 16×7 Panasports and Hankook R-S3 tires in 225/50/16.
Bottom left picture from Brian:
“This was taken on the day I picked up the car from the PO, a retired writer in Oakland, who only sold me the car after a 3 hour interview/visit 2 weekends prior, before the car was officially ‘for sale’ (I felt like I was being vetted as the car’s next custodian).”
Here is Brian Enjoying The Ride in his Z at last year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca:
After a few years of driving, Brian came back early this summer for more upgrades. We handed him the keys to “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:
We removed Brian’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. We also took his Tokico 5-ways in trade for a full coil-over (Koni) suspension 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 T3 coil-overs replacing stock setup:
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained! T3 coil-covers also installed:
Brian really wanted the look and feel of Mrs. Butters Z so we obsessed over ride height until we got it exactly where he wanted it. The Z looks fabulous from any angle:
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.
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:
Brian was impressed with the ZCG Big-Brakes and how well they work: like having late model brakes on a vintage car!
“The brakes are amazing. I push the car hard on weekend drives on the Peninsula, normally taking different routes out to Alice’s, now without any fade or fear (except from passengers).”
With suspension and drivetrain sorted, Brian had a few remaining things on his mind. He reported a heavy fuel smell in the cabin so we replaced all of the vapor hoses to the fuel tank and installed a new hatch seal:
Finally, his hood had little specks on it so we had our man William repaint and blend it. Icing on the cake: Rob installed a NOS “Datsun” emblem on it after adjusting the hood.
Enjoy this short video of Brian’s Z:
We enjoyed working with Brian:
“Rob and team are the best, and the only shop that will ever touch my car. I have supreme confidence that my expectations will be always be exceeded, and Rob’s enthusiasm is infectious. On a lighter note and as a Canadian transplant down here in the Bay Area, it’s a pleasant surprise to find someone who doesn’t feel the need to insert ‘ice’ before saying ‘hockey’.”
Thank you for entrusting us with your S30, Brian. We are so fortunate to work with owners that appreciate the Z and believe in our ability to make them better! LONG LIVE THE Z!
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.
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:
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.”
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:
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:
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.”
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 Dirk’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit.
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality retained!
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:
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!
Our ZCG Big Brakes have been winning Z-car enthusiasts locally and across the US. In April we were stoked to hear from our friends at JDM Legends installing the brake kit on their customer’s 280z project:
Z Car Garage is proud to offer the Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves. We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Our first customer to receive and install the BBK was Duffy M, owner of this 1971 Series 1 S30 in Safari Gold.
Duffy expressed interest in our BBK and helped us validate its installation for future customers. He was impressed with the kit from the beginning:
“I am blown away by the quality and engineering that went into this Z Car Garage BBK (big brake kit). The kit was designed by Stoptech engineers and ZCG from the ground up for the Z. I am sort of a guinea pig to see if consumers can install this kit. They have an amazing detailed 40 page instructions, which in the car world is rare. I’m stoked to get them installed. Kit comes with everything needed to install and retains stock parking brake and MC. Fits 15×8 wheels as well! So light!”
If you follow Duffy on his Instagram page or epic build-thread on Classic Z Car Forum its clear that his attention to detail is impressive. He got the BBK installed on his Z, complete with functioning parking brake:
Front and rear:
Easy fitment behind his 15×8 Watanabe wheels:
Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! Duffy was very happy as well with great feedback:
“They work amazing. Hands down the best mod I have done in a while. Modern/race feel. So the BBK kit by Z Car Garage is literally amazing. Honestly it’s the best stopping power of any car I have ever driven. Pedal feel is great. Clears everything nicely. Wants to throw me through the window. I’m not an expert, but I think the bias feels amazing.”
Remember how we said Duffy has an impressive attention to detail? Check out his Z, from engine bay…
…to chassis/suspension:
Duffy is also running a V2 Fujitsubo exhaust system, OS Giken LSD and many other goodies!
We also hooked Duffy up with an OS Giken clutch that he installed with a breeze, backed by a KA24 transmission:
We enjoyed working with you Duffy and we are very proud to have our Big-Brakes on your Z!
Stay tuned for more customer installations of our ZCG Big-Brakes! Check out our ZCG CV axles HERE
Long Live The Z!
