This is Ed B’s 1971 Datsun 240Z in Sunshine Yellow. No, it does not have many performance parts such as our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles or a triple-carb’d high-power engine. In fact, this Z is mostly original, just the way Ed has kept it since ordering it new 51 years ago!
We have known Ed for a long time, actually preceding the opening of Z Car Garage. A young 26 year-old Rob Fuller was helping maintain this “no frills” Z and that continued to present day. Simply put, Ed is a passionate owner who takes care of his Z so he can drive it regularly. When it was time, we handled his SU carbs. If a fuel pump failed we replaced it. Suspension issue? We took care of it to ensure he was always Enjoying The Ride. Let’s take a look at how Ed became a Z car enthusiast.
Time Machine
In 1970 just one year out of College, Ed was looking for new car. As a designer, a photographer and a race car fan he wanted a 2-seat sports car. There wasn’t much to choose from. The Triumph and the MG were too cramped. The Porsche and the Jaguar were too expensive. Then Road and Track ran a cover story on the New Datsun 240Z. It had everything, style, performance and it was affordable:
“I ordered one in late 1970 from Camino Datsun in Sunnyvale for $3500. There was a waiting list due to a dock strike in San Francisco and most of the cars were going to LA. When a truckload arrived, you could choose from 4 or 5 available. The only options were the color and I passed on several until I saw the Sunshine Yellow… the first one in San Jose. It was a one-year color and matched the cover photo on Road and Track. I took delivery in June of ’71 after just loosing my job at Ampex in the ’71 tech recession. I had little money but plenty of time to enjoy my summer in a new Z.”
Since purchasing new in 1970, Ed got to know his S30 and take it on many adventures.
“Learning to drive the Z in ‘71 and I found out I’m more of a cruiser than a racer. Early on I couldn’t afford expensive modifications. I added cast aluminum wheels, lowered the car with shorter springs, much stiffer anti sway bars rather than air dams, Talbot racing mirrors and custom exhaust headers. I stopped there and kept the original body profile unchanged thereafter. I kept it close to original for 50 years”
Below (L) Three Z’s in his family at one time and (R) SAE car show at the University of Santa Clara:
The Z has been in several car shows over the years and was even photographed by the famed Ron Kimball for Car Calendars and print material. The Ron Kimball Studio photo shoot was on the 17-mile drive in Carmel and one of these images appeared in the Newsweek article on the introduction of the new Nissan 350Z.
Keeping Ed On The Road
“In 50 years nearly everything has had maintenance issues from interior seat covers and carpet kits to a replaced cracked dash. Rob Fuller has been my go-to Z car expert since even before he opened the Z Car Garage.”
We happily obliged to maintain the Z with Ed’s blessing. Here are a few things we’ve done over the years:
2009- replaced leaking hoses in engine bay, new battery, clutch hydraulics repaired, replaced broken broken bolts in lower timing cover, maintenance work
2012- standard ignition failed and replaced with Pertronix, upgraded coil, new T/C rod bushings, front control arm bushings, rack bushings, new tie-rods, ball joints, rebuilt suspension, major service tune, adjusted his carbs and valves for best performance and lubed his choke cables
2014- differential rebuilt, gas tank re-lined/sealed and all recovery lines replaced, new Tokico shocks
The engine was rebuilt at 130K miles (Techcraft) including 5 angle cut on hardened valves and 280z piston rods. It now has 250K miles. The SU carbs were recently rebuilt. On the dyno the L24 made 137hp/142tq to the wheels:
Enjoy the dyno video!
Ed’s 240Z has been hit three times in the rear end at stop lights with only minor body damage that never took out the tail lights but resulted in three full body paint jobs. For the latest incident we had our man William re-paint the car in #919 Sunshine Yellow. He also repaired the right front fender and blended existing paint work and it turned out great.
On his most recent visit we repaired the transmission shift boot and performed a tune-up… and he’s off.
Now the car looks as good as it runs and Ed just drives while staying on top of maintenance.
Enjoying The Ride
We love when Ed sends us pictures of his drives in the Z:
“Still looks and drives good after 50 years. As Rob would say “Long live the Z”. Rob even introduced me to Peter Bock and John Morton and I now feel like I’m even more a part of the Z car family.”
Thanks to Ed for trusting us with your Z. We look forward to many more years of smiles behind the wheel! Your Z is a great example of how to Enjoy The Ride without all of the hot rod parts and we admire your efforts to keep it close to stock!
Filed under: 510
by Alvin G @ 12:33 pm on January 11, 2021
We love to see our products being installed and enjoyed on customer cars. Classified Motorsports in Kelowna, BC is running our Z Car Garage CV Axles in this Datsun 510 race car.
The CVs are being installed in a R200 with OS Giken Super Lock LSD:
This 510 is powered by Chevy V8, you can see it action below:
You can see more of the 510 on Classified Motorsports’ Instagram. Thank you for supporting us and enjoy the Z Car Garage CV Axles!
We met Ken W last summer when he stopped by Z Car Garage to meet Rob and have his S30 inspected. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with upgraded suspension parts and a Rebello 3L engine transformed his 1971 240Z into a fantastic sports car.
The Right Z
Before we dive in to the upgrades let’s take a look at how Ken got into Z cars and finally found the right one…
“When I was a junior in High School, the cool kids were driving Mustangs, Camaros, and ‘Cudas. Always different, my imagination was captured by the ’71 Datsun 240z. Being a Kansas farm boy on the lower end of the economic scale, had to settle for a ’64 Ford Fairlane 500 4-door with the 269 V-8. Knew that someday I’d own a 240z. Spent 2018 researching the 240z market. In January 2019, bought a red ’72 240z with Wilwood brakes, QA1 coil-over suspension, 17” wheels. A little rough but convinced me that owning a 240z as a daily driver, was going to make me happy.”
We inspected Ken’s red ’72 240z and found many problems. Rob suggested finding a chassis in better shape to make his own. After our evaluation Ken consulted with fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C to affirm that ZCG was the right place to be. Ken was convinced that the S30 is a great rally car and began searching again, finding this green ’71 on Craigslist, near Sacramento.
“Rob gave this car his approval as a basis for the rally car that I wanted to build. ZCG is so popular that we weren’t able to get it in for the chassis upgrades before the Mother Lode 400 rally in June 2019 . The car was fine, but only fine. Yes, the brakes and suspension worked and the motor was dependable, but with the enthusiastic style of rally driving, showed they really weren’t up to the task.”
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
The upgrade process began, giving Ken the ability to brake on a dime, perform well and daily drive. We handed him the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 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 Ken’s brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. The Z also received Tokico 5-way struts with Eibach springs and suspension parts from Techno Toy Tuning. New parts included adjustable T/C rods, rear control arms, new bushings, rack bushings, steering coupler, factory Nissan ball joints, new wheel bearings and more. We really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
ZCG Big-brakes up front:
T3 T/C rods and new brake master cylinder/booster:
Suspension Techniques sway bars installed front and rear:
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality retained! Ken was pleased with the brakes:
“I really the brakes. Having experienced stock brakes and the Wilwood’s (Stage 4 front and rear), was really interested to discover if the ZCG Big Brake kit was all that I’d heard about. I’m here to say that the Big Brake kit exceeded all expectations. Under hard braking, feels like I’ve just driven into a huge pool of thick super glue or that someone immediately behind me has just switched on a huge electromagnet. Undeniably shorter braking distances. Huge confidence when diving deep into corners.”
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. Ken’s Z received set #298. We have over 100 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Stock half shafts and control arms (L):
Before/After suspension upgrades. Not shown is the ZCG exhaust system using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip:
Great feedback again from Ken regarding the suspension upgrades:
“In August 2019 it went into ZCG shop for the upgrades. Let’s talk about the suspension first. My red ’72 had QA1 coil-overs and it wasn’t particularly balanced or optimized. Too soft in front, too harsh in back, little squirrely under brake or gas. By comparison the ZCG components showed care in selection, thought in design and clear goals in creation of a balanced package. The car is impressive under braking, squatting uniformly and smoothly. Under hard acceleration, it tracks straight. The CV axles are works of art and well suited to handle the Rebello motor to come.”
More Power
With braking and suspension sorted all Ken needed was power to match. Without going too wild we opted for a Rebello 3L, retaining SU induction. The 3L still leaves room for aggressive cam/Mikuni induction upgrades should he feel the need. A few pictures of the fresh motor, more in the gallery below:
Ken enjoys tinkering with vintage motorcycles and rallying. While running the Snowball Rally the car did really well and he had a great time but unfortunately, it was hit by a motorist (not part of the rally). We called upon our man William from William’s Auto Body to fix everything and re-spray.
While the motor was out, we cleaned up the engine bay. Everything came out, the bay was painted, new seals around all hoses going through the firewall. The engine got an MSA 6 to 1 header, all intake/exhaust gaskets, MSD6Al box with tach adapter, Koyo race radiator, zinc’d hardware and new alternator/starter. We ensured that he would be able to rally wherever and whenever.
Backing the 3L is a 5-speed with JWT aluminum flywheel and Exedy clutch:
Rob dyno-tuned the Z with the stock L24 (109hp/128tq) and the 3L, now making 199hp/209tq to the wheels:
Enjoy the L-Series music!
Panasport Wheels
What is the perfect companion for Ken’s Z, now that it has full suspension and wicked brakes and fresh paint? Panasport wheels! We replaced the old-school slotted wheels with 16×7 Panasports and Bridgestone’s killer S-007a tire in 225/50/16.
“The Wilwood Stage 4 front brakes required a spacer to move the generic Japanese front wheels out far enough to avoid fouling the calipers. This meant running 215/45/17 tires. A drawback to the 17” wheels is that the space-saving spare can’t exceed 16” in the spare tire well. I totally love the beautiful Panasport wheels! When I take the car to Z car meet-ups, everyone says “this car has been to ZCG, right?” The wheel and brake combo means I gained 10mm tire width and no spacers. We agreed that for rally purposes, I’d change the tires every 3 years, so Rob picked out some nice sticky ones.”
Rallye On!
Ken was smiling ear to ear and told us we built him a Z car he really enjoyed:
“The results are fabulous! My car is such a hoot to drive. Quick off the line, easy to spin the tires. Now I understand why Rob recommended the CV shafts. The car was awesome on the 2019 California Melee. Had so much fun driving the rally with my brother who flew in from Kansas. He drove it much slower than I did, so when I took my first shift, diving it deeper and deeper into the corners, accelerating harder and harder out of the corners, that I proposed establishing a safe word if he wanted me to ease off the fun.”
We have been checking in with Ken and he’s happily Enjoying The Ride. We even spotted his Z cars while cruising through the neighborhood.
“I’m so happy to have met Rob and provided him with a car that has ‘good bones’. Enjoyed working with ZCG. A key for me is that ZCG has been able to provide all the upgrades, in an integrated package. Didn’t want to use multiple shops and fight through finger pointing. Trust Rob and his crew, they’ve done these upgrades 100 times or more. They know what works and what doesn’t. Personally, I care more about the quality of work performed and the result, rather than shopping for the lowest price.”
Thank you Ken for allowing us to help you achieve your vision of the ultimate Z car. We loved working with you. Long Live The Z!
We met Bruce L at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. He has owned these (two) Series 1 240z cars for decades and wanted us to revive them. Bruce has performed all work himself and never let anyone else touch his Z cars so we were honored to oblige. In addition to getting the cars road-worthy each one sports our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles. Let’s take a look at how Bruce got into S30’s.
Beginnings
Bruce was introduced to Datsuns with his parent’s Bluebird 4-door 1300 (he took his driving license in this in 1969). He even purchased a brand new 1971 Datsun pickup in 1970 for $1800 and got a glimpse of the Z car:
“In the dealership showroom floor while purchasing this Pickup was a brand new early production Dark Green 1969 240Z with a Tan interior. The price tag was 3,400.00 ish. There was no way I could afford that kind of money for another car, let alone a sports car, and I needed a truck to haul my Dirt Bike to and from the Hollister Hills off-road park. Still, I wanted a 240Z instead of any of the muscle cars of the era. They just didn’t speak to me. Too big and bulky and the Cobra had no top to speak of in those days and it didn’t say buy-me.”
In 1973 Bruce walked into that same dealership to see and purchase a used ’72 Lime Yellow 240z. Leap forward to 1982 and he purchased “Christine” from the same Datsun mechanic that used to work on his yellow ’72. Later in 1989 is when he purchased “Valerie” from a lady named Valerie who wanted to sell right after the ’89 Loma Prieta Earthquake.
“I love both of my Z’s even if I had to store them both for ten years. Rob brought them both back to life for me and added all of the improvements to make them come alive. And a thrill to drive once again. I still do all the small general maintenance for the most part on both Z’s, but have given the chore of anything else that I don’t wish to tackle at 67 years old to Rob.”
Bruce and his wife are fantastic people that have been active in the Z car community for a long time. After seeing us at the Rolex event, our operations and many happy customers Bruce wanted us to go through all of his personal cars. Both Series 1 S30’s came to Z Car Garage, starting with Valerie and later the Hot Rod, Christine.
Valerie
Valerie had been sitting for about 10 years and we performed the basics to get it back on the road again. The fuel tank was removed, boiled out and all fuel/vapor-associated lines were replaced:
Chassis
The chassis was treated to a light refresh with new parts and bushings from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. T3 adjustable front T/C rods and lower rear control arms:
Bruce had already done springs and struts on Valerie long ago…but nothing had serious miles on it so we just had to correct a couple of things, trimmed front springs for a nicer stance and trimmed bump stops. We also replaced the rack and moustache bar bushings.
The diff was removed and re-sealed:
ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles
Our readers are likely familiar with “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car with full suspension and our ZCG Big-Brakes. Following a test drive in Butters, clients are sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles! 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 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 Bruce’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit on both Valerie and Christine. Up front:
The rear drums were replace with the ZCG setup and factory hand brake functionality remains!
The ZCG Big-Brake Kit fits nicely behind 15″ (Valerie) and 16″ (Christine) Panasports and Bruce is really happy with the disc brake upgrades.
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 100 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
We installed CV Axle kit #258 on Valerie and #266 on Christine. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:
More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms:
Engine
Bruce gives a little background on Valerie’s drivetrain:
“I originally intended to make Valerie a commute car for my wife to travel between Prunedale and Morgan Hill. The job never materialized and I then decided to make Valerie into a show car. Everything about Christine in terms of how she was built is identical with Valerie, except for the engine which she still retains a 2.4 L with E-31 head, Schneider cam and stock twin” SUs.” Valerie has a 5 speed transmission with custom shift lever.”
With the engine gone through by Bruce many years ago, we went ahead replaced the oil pan gasket, pulled/sealed transmission, installed a JWT clutch and updated ignition with Pertronix.
On the dyno we dialed it in for best performance, making 128hp/127tq at the wheels, video below:
Just You and Me
Bruce and his wife Enjoying Valerie. He recalls an old car show we both attended (but did know each other then):
“I had Valerie stripped down to bare metal also and repainted in 1989 Mercedes Back Pearl. I then had her wet sanded and polished to a near mirror finish. I took her to the Ohlone College Car Show in 2002 where she won 1st place in the 240Z category out of Fifty Two 240Z’s. Mr. K was present and awarded Valerie “Best of Show”, signing both awards.”
Christine
As soon as we finished Valerie, Bruce brought us his second 1970 S30 affectionately named “Christine”. This is his Hot Rod Z:
“I replaced the original 2.4 L engine with a rebuilt 2.8 L engine. I then had an E-31 Head Ported and Polished with a Schneider Cam installed. I installed a 280Z 5-speed transmission that required me to make a custom linkage making the gearshift lever appear to be in a stock position on the console. Then around 1985 I had the car stripped of all way down to bare metal, prepped, sanded along with having deletes welded in on the rear bumper to accommodate the Cobra style bumper.”
Christine was also sitting for a decade and we performed similar revival tasks as done to Valerie. The fuel tank was pulled, clutch and oil plump replaced and we did all the corrections that were needed, with ZCG touches. An MSD6AL box with Blaster2 coil was installed and triple-Mikuni PHH 40 carbs (now with titanium velocity stacks) were re-jetted. Rob dyno tuned Christine, making 165hp/159tq at the wheels:
Bruce was pleased:
“In 2019 I took Christine to Z Car Garage and had Rob Fuller complete a refresh on the engine to include a Dyno Tune on the Carburetors. Rob did a fantastic job of getting Christine back up and running the way she should be as she had been in storage for 10 years. Rob also did a complete tubular control arm upgrade along with installing solid one-piece half shafts and a complete four-wheel disc brake conversion kit to include the emergency brake.”
Both of these products are available now from Z Car Garage. Please email/call Rob!
The Big-Brakes look great behind a new set of 16×7 Panasport wheels with s007a tires in 225/50/16:
Enjoying the Ride
With both 1970 Z cars back on the road Bruce was out Enjoying The Ride. Above, Christine enjoys prime parking at the Pacific Grove Car Show during Monterey Car Week in 2019. Below, Bruce attended the ZONC Annual Car Show in Brisbane, CA earning 1st place with Christine:
On that car show note, here is a fun fact: Bruce has been the caretaker of “Sunshine”, a special Z32. Sunshine was previously owned by Carolyn Dudley – ZONC President for many years and personal friend of Mr. K.
After Carolyn passed away (RIP), her son sold the Z to Bruce. Under his ownership Bruce has given this 300zx a full restoration and keeps it running well at 157k miles.
“Sunshine was given center stage at Blackhawk Car Show in 2004. People were recognizing Sunshine and they approached her and laid their hands on the car and were praying. That gave me chills. I stopped taking Sunshine to events until I took her 2 years ago to the ZONC picnic in the bay area and still a lot of people recognized her.”
Feelin’ Stronger Everyday
We understand that it is hard to entrust a shop with your pride and joy. After purchasing Christine in 1982, all of the work performed on her was completed by Bruce and his best friend in a garage.
“I have never left either of my Z’s at any place to be worked on other than the 2 paint shops. (One in 1985 Sean’s Auto Body in Salinas – Black Acrylic Enamel and One in 1991 or 92 at J&J Auto Body in Auburn Calif – 1989 Mercedes Black Pearl). I also wasn’t concerned in 2019 with leaving either of my 240Z’s with Rob Fuller at ZCG because of his reputation in the Z World that I explored prior to contacting him at the shop. Christine was never purchased as an investment, she was purchased as a car that I cherished and now 38 years later Christine is still not for sale.”
We thank Bruce for giving us the opportunity to help get both of his 1970 Z cars back on the road. Enjoy the picture gallery and LONG LIVE THE Z!
