We met Gordon in 2013 when he came to Z Car Garage for Stillen Gen 3 intakes on his 2010 V1 Nismo Z34. He had 13k miles on the clock and that same summer we also installed a Fast Intentions exhaust system.

Here is the Fast Intentions TDX cat-back exhaust system and Stillen intakes:

The exhaust looks great from the rear:

Stock single muffler vs the TDX dual muffler setup:

The Z is Gordon’s fun car so very little daily driving…in 2015 he came in for minor paint work and an inspection with only 27k miles.

   

With 33k miles no won the odometer we performed a full 30k service. The diff bushings were replaced with Whiteline units and CV axles lubed.

Dyno Tuning

 

We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades. It had been 6-7 years since Gordon’s last UPREV tune. On the dyno, Rob re-tuned the Z with gains throughout the rev range. Peak gains of 22hp/15tq for a total of 309hp/254tq at the wheels:

 

Gordon is thrilled with the power gains:

“The final piece was an Up-Rev tune. So Rob worked his magic with the tune and the results were amazing on the dyno. The car was just awesome. Rob and the team have done some regular maintenance work on the car over the years, including a recent replacement of the factory clutch with a higher performance clutch w/ a lighter flywheel. We also added a new set of Continental Xtreme Sports. It feels like a new car. I can’t say enough about Rob and his team. They truly are Z best…”

 

Thanks for your support Gordon, Long Live The Z!

Contact us for tuning!

Z Car Garage offers the ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details and to schedule your Z/G tuning appointment.

Gentry Stein visited Z Car Garage from Chico, CA for dyno tuning on his V1 Nismo 370Z.  We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades. Gentry contacted us before searching for the right Nismo Z34 and eventually found this super clean V1, #528:

On the dyno, Rob Uprev tuned the Z making great mid-range to redline gains. Peak gains of 9hp/7tq for a total of 322hp/267tq at the wheels:

“My experience at ZCG was absolutely awesome! Rob’s passion for Z’s can truly be felt while at ZCG. I felt confident knowing my car was in the best possible place it could be to get dyno tuned. Rob even took videos of the car for me while it was on the dyno. The car made great power throughout the whole powerband, and it’s even more of a blast to drive now! The throttle feels alive, and the torque gain is really felt from 4K-6.5k RPM. I’m excited every time I sit in the drivers seat of my Z.”

Yo-Yo World Champion

Fun fact: Gentry is the World Champion of Yo-yo. He provides some insight into his desire for a 370Z and career in Yo-yo playing:

“In early 2020 I was specifically looking for a V1 Nismo Z34 in white. I wanted a car that I could daily drive and also take through canyons and coastal roads. I don’t care about a fancy interior with luxurious amenities. I wanted something that looks sexy and is fun to drive, and to me that’s an exact description of this car. Ive driven some other popular cars, but this car feels rewarding on a different level. I love what they did with the body kit of the Nismo too. You know you have the right car when you can’t help but look back at it every time you get out of it.

My Z story really starts with my love for Japan. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Japan 5 times over the last 6 years for work and play, and have developed some incredible friendships that have allowed me to experience Japanese culture and values. I started playing with yoyos when I was 8 years old, which is when I met one of my mentors who is from Japan. From then to now as I’ve turned that passion into a career, much of my success is due to what I learned from that mentor as well as my other connections and experiences in Japan. The month preceding winning my first World Yo-yo Championship was spent training in Nagoya and Tokyo. I experienced the special level of care that goes into everything in Japan, whether it’s design, food, human interaction, work ethic, etc… This has played a major role in inspiring me and helping me develop into the person I am today. This level of care is also felt in their Z cars when looking at and driving them. I have such a respect and appreciation for Japan and their culture, and I feel proud to drive a car that was born from the same place as many of the building blocks to my own life success.

As for my goals with the Z, I plan to continue to drive the hell out of it. I’ve put 15,000 miles on the car in my first 10 months of ownership. It’s literally been 15 thousand miles of fun and I’m looking forward to more of that. I’m pretty content with the way the car is setup. The car is riding on KW V3 suspension, has a Wavetrac limited slip differential, polyurethane differential bushings, K&N drop in air filters, Motordyne Shockwave exhaust, and special sauce from the fresh Z Car Garage tune. I also just did a full paint correction and ceramic coat myself to keep the car looking as good as it drives.

Thanks Z car garage for being part of my car’s story!”

Follow Gentry on Instagram and check out his instructional videos over on YouTube. When you are ready, you can even purchase a yo-yo at his shop.

Contact us for tuning!

Z Car Garage offers the ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details and to schedule your Z/G tuning appointment.

“My first dream car was 350Z. I learned about Z cars in my college days and I recall a cool kid driving one while I was waiting at a bus stop in the cold rain. We had an opportunity to buy a new car and I was very fortunate that it could be a Z. After purchasing the 370Z, 6 months later went to ZCG and the journey began. No offense to stock Zs but these are meant to be modified 🙂 My wife and I both love our Z and I thank her for  supporting my hobby 🙂 “

Bolt-on Beginnings

With only a few months of owner-hip of his new 370s Sport Touring Henry visited us for upgrades. The latest Z34s had ECU changes and no software support at the time. Henry knew he wanted to go forced-induction so in the interim we started bolt-on upgrades. In April of 2019 the chassis was treated to full KWV3 coil-over suspension with SPC F/R control arms and Hotchkis sway bars:

A few installation pictures, followed by a full alignment:

A cat-back exhaust system from Armytrix with Valvetronic sound adjustment:

Henry requested a new steering wheel install:

Stock (with a cover) removed and new carbon fiber + alcantara-trimmed wheel installed:

Time For Boost

With 12k miles on the odometer Henry was ready for boost. We ordered the Stillen supercharger kit (black), CARB-legal for piece of mind. Supporting parts included a Concept Z 25-row oil cooler (thermostatically controlled), Stillen transmission cooler and fueling upgrades. Here a few pictures of the installation:

Fueling upgrades include a CJ Motorsports stage 1 fuel return system and billet fuel pump hat, 1300cc Injector Dynamics injectors, Hellcat Wallbro fuel pump, SpecialtyZ flex fuel kit:

 

The SpecialtyZ flex-fuel kit comes with a Zeitronix gauge that we mounted in pace of the OEM clock:

Cooling upgrades include Soho Motorsports air-to-air intercooler, Concept Z 25-row oil cooler (thermostatically controlled) and Stillen transmission cooler. Also shown is the Fast Intentions crash bar with tow-hook:

Oil and transmission coolers:

We installed a Fast Intentions billet flex-plate, much stronger than the OEM unit:

Finally, we changed the exhaust from Armytrix to an ARK Grip setup paired with ART Pipes from Motordyne:

Henry loves the current exhaust setup:

“I’ve gone through Nismo OEM, Armytrix, and eventually settled with Rob and a friend of mine’s suggestion for the forced induction route: Ark grip catback system + Motordyne art pipes = the deep growl without screaming. Sort of the centered idea of the goals of my Z project – subtle power without drawing attention.”

Dyno Tuning

We wanted the most efficent blower wheel to run ethanol so the V3 SI blower wheel was installed. Ecutek software  was used for tuning, MAP-based with omni sensor.

Shown below are dyno graphs from when Henry was NA to 91 octane and E75 tunes on the Vortech. NA, the Z made 316hp/252tq and a 91 octane tune supercharged yielded 501hp/370tq at the wheels:

Rob then tuned the Z on E75 for 573hp/426tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy the dyno tuning video!

We are very happy with the results and even more stoked to hear Henry’s feedback on the supercharger and tuning performance:

“The supercharger is very daily usable and power whenever I want!  The sc mods put together and tuned by Rob for a 7at Z is able to reach 570+ whp and 430 wtrq and still feel smooth and dramatic at the same time is absolutely beyond my expectation (I followed every ZCG 370Z blog posts and it’s a honor to be one of the highest power 370Z from ZCG, hats off to Rob) And did I mention daily-driveable? Good surprise for me. In addition, Rob has been really patient and knowledgeable for all my questions and requests and late night text regarding my Z. It really felt like we built the car together but it’s all his magic touches! I really appreciate the journey! More to come”

Wheels Make the Car

We have said it before: wheels make or break a car.  After long discussions with Henry we decided on the Ray’s TE37 Ultra Track Edition II. Finished in Blast Black and sized 19×9.5/10.5 these wheels look perfect on the Z34.

We love the little details Ray’s applied:

Enjoy The Boost!

“I love my Z and ZCG! Long live the Z! ZCG has been the place to go if you love Z cars, new or classic. Rob and the shop/crew exude passion for Z cars and you immediately know they will take care of your Z and your Z will be among its family. Rob has been great through the journey and worked with “our” Z. I am sure there is more to come for my Z with ZCG!”

 

You can follow Henry here on Instagram. What’s next for his Z? He’s playing with idea of a body kit but trying to maintain that subtle-aesthetic approach in his build. Stay tuned! Thank you Henry for letting us build your Z. It’s very cool for us as a shop trying to make 50-old cars keep with cars like this. We enjoy playing with the new stuff just as much as the classics. LONG LIVE THE Z! More pictures in the gallery below:

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Arsia has been coming to Z Car Garage for over 10 years with his 1994 Z32 Convertible. This was his first car and it has been a pleasure helping him maintain and modify it.

“When I first went to ZCG I was incredibly happy to have found a place that I could completely trust with my Z. Working with Rob is like finding a doctor that you trust and listen to any advice they give.” 

 

“I got the Z in 1996 while I was in high school. My parents were open to me getting a sporty car, but nothing too crazy. I have an uncle in San Diego that sold used cars and he told my parents he had a great deal on a used 1994 Convertible Z. Lucky for me, my parents had no idea what type of car this was, but assumed it was something mild given my uncle was recommending it. In high school the car was used in one of our school parades. Today, the Z is still my daily driver and me and my girlfriend love taking the car out together on weekends for a drive or road trip.”

Making It His Own

Over the last decade Arsia would come to the shop for little projects, slowly giving the 300 his personal touch and building a really nice convertible. The body received a KarumaZ rear spoiler and we called upon our man William from William’s Auto Body to mold-in the side skirts and correct paint work.

Engine

At 93k miles, routine maintenance and upgrades commenced. We fixed all the little things he asked of us and performed timing belt services. Power upgrades included JWT 400 cams, POP charger, JWT ecu (tuned by Rob) rob tune, aftermarket cat and a SpecialtyZ 2.5″ exhaust:

With Rob’s dyno tuning the VG30DE made 206hp/185hp at the wheels. Solid gains of 24hp/34tq from baseline!

Suspension

Early on we installed Tokico 5-way shocks with an Eibach pro-kit, SPL T/C Rods, z32 rack bushings, and Stillen sway bars:

In 2015  we upgraded to TEIN Street Flex coil-overs with EDFC and GPS active suspension:

More maintenance followed with  a new convertible top, smog, fuel hoses, 02 sensors and oil change in 2016.

In 2019 we replaced the injectors,  cleaned up wear and tear. The transmission got tired so we did a Level 1 hot rod unit with torque converter. 10 years had passed so we serviced timing belt:

Stoptech Big-Brakes

As every Z32 owner knows, the stock brakes just aren’t up to the task. More power exacerbates the issue and you know how we feel at ZCG:  It’s Stoptech Or Don’t Stop At All.  Arsia’s Z got the 328mm Big-Brake Kit using red ST40 calipers and slotted rotors. A Stoptech sport kit in back with color matched stock calipers completes the system:

 

Wheels

Wheels make the car. Arsia had a set of  OEM (’05-09) 18″ Z33 wheels on the 300. After much research, in Fall 2019 we ordered a set of Volk CE28N SL 18×8.5 front, 18x 9.5 rear finished in Pressed Graphite:

“Finding the CE28N wheels was a long hard process that honestly took hours of research over many days (thankfully Rob was there to help). I kept looking through tons of sites and hundreds of wheel options. Wheel after wheel either didn’t fit, had been discontinued, or wasn’t available in the color I wanted. I knew that whatever wheel I chose would be on the car for 10+ years, so I wanted to ensure it was high quality, extremely light and matched the aesthetics of a pearl Z. I was soooo happy with the result and the help from Rob to really perfect the look of the car.”

The CE28N wheels are light, at 17.8 lbs and they they look fantastic against the pearl white and gleaming Stoptech calipers behind those iconic spokes.

An alignment was performed after wheels/tire installation and we also installed center caps. The SL series wheels are not designed to accept a center cap so we used a hub adapter for that icing on the cake:

“The thing that I’ve loved with my journey with Rob is that not only is the car well maintained after being 26yrs old, but that it just keeps getting better. With the addition of Stoptech brakes, TEIN suspension, new cams, transmission upgrade, etc, the car feels better than new, while still being a capable daily driver. Rob really knows what maintenance and upgrades work best!”

Enjoying the Ride

Arsia can be found cruising around the Bay Area backroads, top down Enjoying The Ride. We love that after all these years he’s still passionate about his 300. More pictures in the gallery below!

“Rob is always super knowledgeable and understands what your goals are. I love the fact that he knows these cars so well and his top priority is having customers drive away with a smile. Every single time I’ve got the car back after service, I feel the same way I did the day I first drove the car….just grinning ear to ear! I really am thankful for the entire ZCG team, if it wasn’t for them, I truly don’t know if I would be able to still have this car today.”

Thank you Arsia, it’s been an absolute pleasure working with you. Long Live The Z!