We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their Datsuns, especially from overseas! Peter installed a set himself on this 1977 Datsun 280Z at his home in Halmstad, Sweden.

 

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 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

  

Peter has CV axle set #0323 and we are happy to report that he installed them himself with ease:

“The installation was very easy, the axles even came pre-greased ready to bolt in. There was even some red Loctite in the box, great! The axles look very sturdy and I’m sure they are going to last me a life time. An axle failure is the last thing I want, especially since spares are so scarce here in Sweden. Money well spent in my eyes.”

  

He sent us a few pictures before/after replacing his old half-shafts. Nice work!

  

Peter is really happy with the CV Axle performance, under all driving conditions:

“Hi Rob,

I got my car running yesterday. Must tell you that I love your axles! After installing them I’ve got zero vibrations in the drive line. Used to have some at 70mph+, especially during acceleration which I suspected coming from either the prop shaft or drive axles. I’m very happy! 

Have a great weekend”
Peter

 

 

Dreaming of Zs

 

There are around 130 registered S30 Z cars in Sweden, they sold so few that importing is basically the only option, and most registered today are. Peter shared his Z story with us:

“I had dreamt about a S30 for a long time. Driving modern cars on track for the last few years had me longing for something more analogue. S30s are few and far between in Sweden so importing one seemed like the best option. I bought it early 2019 from a car dealer in the UK, they had imported it from Jacksonville, Florida. Here it is after picking it up at the harbour” 

 

Driven Hard with L-Series Magic!

 

The car was a real survivor with almost no rust, but a very worn engine. Peter’s initial plan was to tune the stock engine, but in the end it was easier to buy a complete unit. He had Datsun Spirit build a Stage 4 engine:

“I like their philosophy with low rotating mass and how they build their engines. I had many emails back and forth with DSI discussing how to support the engine, and everything they said turned out to work great. I really believe that the engine is the heart of the car, so any other engine than a L-series was not an option to me.  Jenvey DSI ITB 50mm throttle bodies and fuel injection are controlled by an EMU Classic from ECU Master.”

 

Peter did the engine swap, but the final installation, wiring and tuning was done by a local reputable shop called JMB Optimering in Halmstad, Sweden. With a Kamaeri 6-3-2 header and custom 3″ exhaust they managed to extract 298hp @ 7500rpm at the rear wheels from the DSI Stage 4 3.0l.

 

Backing the ~300whp L-series is a 280ZX 5-speed transmission and upgraded suspension from Techno Toy Tuning. At the rear, an R200 diff with Quaife LSD an our ZCG CV Axles helps put the power down. Sparco Sprint seats keep him in place on the track.

 

Peter has been Enjoying The Ride on the street and track:

“All the work with the car has led to a lot of time spent in the garage, but I took one thing at the time so I have still put around 4000 miles on it since I got it. The idea is to have a summer car that can be used on the track regularly and on the back roads. This season the car will be used in a local sprint cup, consisting of five events, plus a few trackdays. I love driving on the Nurburgring, a place I frequently go to, and the plan is to take the car there as soon as the COVID situation is under control.”

DreamZ Come True at the ‘Ring

 

Peter recently drove his Z on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife and shared his amazing experience with us. Yet again he put our Z Car Garage CV Axles to work at the magical track. Listen to the Z sing in this video from the Nurburgring and past autocross events, VOLUME UP!

 

Peter’s report from the ‘Ring, enjoy:

“This year I realized a dream. Ever since I bought my 280Z I have wanted to drive it on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. But as usual during the rainy and snowy winter months in Sweden, you try to do all the maintenance and all fixes during that time. And as usual everything always takes longer which means there wasn’t any time for any testing before sending the car to Germany. The trip to the Eifel mountains and Nurburg is around 900 miles for, and this time I put the car on a transporter.“

“So after meeting up we spent some time bleeding the brakes, fixing new harnesses and off I went to the gas station. One of the things changed on the car this year was a new fuel tank from s30 world, and when I started filling up, a lot of fuel was dumped on the ground. Ok, time to get the tools out again, thankfully it was a quick fix with a ventilation hose. All this time I was in a little bit of a hurry because I also wanted to tweak my alignment, and time was running fast to make that appointment.”

 

“On the Nordschleife you want a very stable car due to the high speeds and high loads. You can say that in general a setup with more understeer is preferred, and that’s what most people run. The last thing you want is a car with a nervous rear end going over a crest turning at 150mph. I arrived at the race shop just in time, and the tech doing the alignment notice play in my inner tie rod ends. He says: ‘Don’t drive like this’. Great, I have shipped the car all the way here and it was just a waste of money…After some consulting with some other people I trust I decided to drive, ‘just stay off the curbs!’ Like that’s not going to be in the back of my mind…”

 

“Apart from the play in the steering creating variable toe (which is very interesting to drive with) the car worked great. The power and response is great from the DSI engine, no troubles what so ever. Just check the oil and fuel up! The Z Car Garage CV Axles have been working so well, absolutely no vibrations in the rear end!”

 

As expected, the Z garnered plenty of attention and Peter was shocked at the positive comments. The ‘Ring is also known for an incredible variety of sports cars to admire….

“I’m so happy to have driven the Datsun on the Nurburgring, and it’s a thing I’ve been thinking about constantly since starting this project. I have never gotten so much attention with a car, it just makes everybody happy. In Europe it’s a pretty rare sight, and to drive it on my absolute favorite racetrack is a thing that will be repeated again. I’ve been going to the ‘Ring since 2010 and have a few laps under my belt , and I’ve never had this much fun in a car ever. The Nurburgring is a magical place, there just isn’t any place like it anywhere.”

 

 

Khang D is from Modesto and we first met him in 2012 when he visited Z Car Garage with a green 1975 Datsun 280z. We serviced the car, fixed several items and he enjoyed it for a few years before selling. In 2017, Khang purchased this white 1973 240z from our client Brent B, and returned to ZCG for full suspension upgrades including Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, new OEM mirrors, Panasport wheels and a complete tuneup.

 

It wasn’t long before Khang came back to ZCG with a request for more power to match the excellent chassis improvements. Let’s take a closer look at this fantastic daily driver+canyon carver showcasing our  Z Car Garage CV Axles, Z Car Garage Heat Shield, Jenvey ITB fuel injection, CD009 Six-speed transmission and more.

Suspension

 

In September 2017 we overhauled the suspension. The Z received coil-overs from Techno Toy Tuning including T/C rods and rear control arms. The entire front suspension was re-done with new bushings, wheel bearings, rack bushings, steering coupler, etc.

Struts, OEM T/C rods replaced with coil-overs:

   

T3 Rear lower control arms replace OEM units:

 

ZCG Big-Brakes

“WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car” -Glenn

As fellow 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 master cylinder change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments, etc. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel (and some 14″ wheels) 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:

  

Khang’s S30 got the full 4-wheel brake kit with new OEM Master Cylinder:

 

We also installed the fully functioning parking brake that works with factory linkage/handle:

 

 

We promised our readers a full, zcarblog.com report on Trevor’s 280Z after it was featured on Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen. Let’s take a closer look at this fantastic daily driver+canyon carver showcasing our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, CD009 Six-speed transmission and more.

 

The Next Big Thing

 

It’s no secret that S30 chassis values have skyrocketed in the past few years. While the 240Z commands top dollar it has become out of reach for many enthusiasts. Not to worry, Datsun offered the 260Z/280Z models and both are great, attainable chassis in the S30 world. Trevor shares how he found his 280Z:

“I met my Z in almost completely stock form with 94k original miles. I travel for work, ending up in a new town every 6 months or so. As soon as I had an inkling of where I was going to be sent next, I would start hitting the internet classifieds for a 280z. While the 240z had seductive weight savings over the later versions, my attention turned to the 280z for its fuel injection (with constant travel I didn’t want to have to tune carbs), it’s price/ availability, and they are easier to find with air conditioning.” Below, left is the night Trevor bought his Z:

 

“I found my silver Z in Phoenix, Arizona. The only things it had on it that weren’t original from the Hiratsuka factory were the wheels, springs, and Toyota 4×4 front brake calipers. The rest of it was stock, and most importantly, complete. I did a little work to get it running smoother, basically replaced all maintenance items and swapped out a few sensors that weren’t working, and then drove it as much as I possibly could.”

 

Trevor was looking for a shop to take care of his 1978 Datsun 240z and heard about ZCG from a shop tour with Larry Chen on this episode of Hoonigan Autofocus (Thanks Larry!). Trevor brought the Z in last summer and we performed a full inspection before upgrades.

“I chose to send my Z to Z Car Garage after watching Larry Chen’s Autofocus episode on the shop. I could really tell that Rob had a ton of passion for what he does and I knew I could have confidence with him at the helm. Before I had showed up at the shop, Rob and I had talked on the phone about doing the brakes, control arms all the way around, and a couple of other smaller things. I wanted it to handle as best as it possibly could and that meant stopping when it should and having the adjustability in the control arms to set up a proper alignment. ” 

 

 

Trevor is impressed with the braking performance:

“I quickly found out that even after just a short spirited mountain drive, the Toyota brakes would get hot and fade. It didn’t help that after getting a taste for driving her quickly, I wanted to do a few track days in the future. I knew I wanted a brake upgrade, one that I would only have to do once. After getting back to Southern California I was really able to put the car through its paces on the canyon roads. The ZCG Big-Brakes proved their worth and were consistent and didn’t fade even after a few good rips up and down the mountains. This car sticks to the road insanely well. With the alignment and new tires it just carves.”

Panasport Wheels

Complementing the new Big-Brakes on Trevor’s Z are Panasport wheels! We replaced the aftermarket wheels with 16×7 Panasports and sticky Bridgestone RE-71R tires in 225/50/16. The Z was fully aligned:

Rob dyno tuned the L28 with OEM EFI. Baseline was 133hp/149tq and with Rob’s tuning it made 143hp/159tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy the dyno run video below:

 

 

Vince S called Z Car Garage after he scored this 1973 Datsun 240Z from our friends at Bring a Trailer. After we got the Z up here from SoCal we found that it needed some work for Vince to really Enjoy The Ride. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with a full suspension refresh and engine tuning make it just right.

 

Z Destiny

Before we explore the upgrades, let’s take a look at how Vince found his Z car…

“I’m incredibly lucky to own my Z. It was sold new in Decatur, IL on August 10, 1973. The car was supposedly purchased from the 2nd owner who reportedly had it for over 30 years in 2018 by a dealer in Oakland who then sold it to the collector I bought it from. I first saw the car in 2019 parked in my neighbor’s driveway. At the time, I was looking for a 240Z to buy. In high school I had a 1978 280Z that I took to college but it was prone to overheating and I blew a head gasket and didn’t have the money to fix it. I sold it in 1990 and regretted it ever since. So, when I saw a 1973 240Z sitting in that driveway, I knocked on my neighbor’s door and asked if he wanted to sell it.”

“Turns out the Z didn’t belong to him. He was transporting it from Oakland to Carmel and then on to L.A. for a friend who was a collector. The friend already owned two 240Zs (he has one of the 37 Zs that were part of Nissan’s Vintage Restoration Program) and he wanted my Z for it’s a/c components and other bits to complete one of his cars (he later decided it was too good of a car to use for parts). Although I couldn’t buy my Z that day, my neighbor let me go for a quick drive around the block. Fast forward to April 2020 and that very same Z is being auctioned on Bring a Trailer.”

 

  

Chassis and Suspension Upgrades

 

With Vince’s Z finally at the shop we proceeded with upgrades to make it a fantastic, reliable driver. For our clients that are cruising with occasional “spirited” driving we installed our “Stage 1/light street” suspension.  New parts from Techno Toy Tuning included adjustable T/C rods and rear lower control arms. We really appreciate Gabriel and his staff at T3. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

A full front suspension rebuild included new rack bushings, front control arm bushings, ball-joints, tie-rods, new wheel bearings front and rear (OEM genuine Nissan seals/parts), KYB strut inserts, Eibach lowering springs trimmed Macpherson bumps stops for full travel and a ST sway bar set.

   

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

Brakes: every vintage Z car that we build here gets the ultimate setup: our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes for small wheels.  Everyone that drives our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car is sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes  and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 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 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 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 Vince’s brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit with a new brake master cylinder from Nissan, rebuilt brake booster and parking brake assembly.

 

New brake master cylinder from Nissan and stock vs Big-Brakes:

  At the rear, the factory drum brakes were 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 90 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

  

Vince has CV Axle set #341. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

   

ZCG CV axles installed:

 

Panasport Wheels

Complementing the new springs and shocks on Vince’s Z are Panasport wheels! We replaced the stock steel wheels (kept for shows) with 16×7 Panasports and Continental Extreme Contact Sport tires in 225/50/16.

 

 

We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their Datsuns, especially from overseas! Peter installed a set himself on this 1977 Datsun 280Z at his home in Halmstad, Sweden.

 

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 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

  

Peter has CV axle set #0323 and we are happy to report that he installed them himself with ease:

“The installation was very easy, the axles even came pre-greased ready to bolt in. There was even some red Loctite in the box, great! The axles look very sturdy and I’m sure they are going to last me a life time. An axle failure is the last thing I want, especially since spares are so scarce here in Sweden. Money well spent in my eyes.”

  

He sent us a few pictures before/after replacing his old half-shafts. Nice work!

  

Peter is really happy with the CV Axle performance, under all driving conditions:

“Hi Rob,

I got my car running yesterday. Must tell you that I love your axles! After installing them I’ve got zero vibrations in the drive line. Used to have some at 70mph+, especially during acceleration which I suspected coming from either the prop shaft or drive axles. I’m very happy! 

Have a great weekend”
Peter

 

 

Dreaming of Zs

 

There are around 130 registered S30 Z cars in Sweden, they sold so few that importing is basically the only option, and most registered today are. Peter shared his Z story with us:

“I had dreamt about a S30 for a long time. Driving modern cars on track for the last few years had me longing for something more analogue. S30s are few and far between in Sweden so importing one seemed like the best option. I bought it early 2019 from a car dealer in the UK, they had imported it from Jacksonville, Florida. Here it is after picking it up at the harbour” 

 

Driven Hard with L-Series Magic!

 

The car was a real survivor with almost no rust, but a very worn engine. Peter’s initial plan was to tune the stock engine, but in the end it was easier to buy a complete unit. He had Datsun Spirit build a Stage 4 engine:

“I like their philosophy with low rotating mass and how they build their engines. I had many emails back and forth with DSI discussing how to support the engine, and everything they said turned out to work great. I really believe that the engine is the heart of the car, so any other engine than a L-series was not an option to me.  Jenvey DSI ITB 50mm throttle bodies and fuel injection are controlled by an EMU Classic from ECU Master.”

 

Peter did the engine swap, but the final installation, wiring and tuning was done by a local reputable shop called JMB Optimering in Halmstad, Sweden. With a Kamaeri 6-3-2 header and custom 3″ exhaust they managed to extract 298hp @ 7500rpm at the rear wheels from the DSI Stage 4 3.0l.

 

Backing the ~300whp L-series is a 280ZX 5-speed transmission and upgraded suspension from Techno Toy Tuning. At the rear, an R200 diff with Quaife LSD an our ZCG CV Axles helps put the power down. Sparco Sprint seats keep him in place on the track.

 

Peter has been Enjoying The Ride on the street and track:

“All the work with the car has led to a lot of time spent in the garage, but I took one thing at the time so I have still put around 4000 miles on it since I got it. The idea is to have a summer car that can be used on the track regularly and on the back roads. This season the car will be used in a local sprint cup, consisting of five events, plus a few trackdays. I love driving on the Nurburgring, a place I frequently go to, and the plan is to take the car there as soon as the COVID situation is under control.”

Listen to it sing in this video from track and autocross days with more on his YouTube channel.

 

“I’m very satisfied with your products and service. I live in Sweden and any after market support is very scarce. They around 25 240Z here in 1973, that’s about it. A project is never finished and I have some more things to do, but now I plan to enjoy and track the car for the foreseeable future.”

Thanks for your support Peter! We love that you are driving your Z and enjoying our parts over in Sweden. Long Live The Z!