At Z Car Garage we love keeping Z’s on the road. From concours-level restorations to light refurbishments, making a client’s goals reality is our passion. Richard W brought his 1971 Datsun 240Z from Eureka, Ca for a full mechanical restoration, ZCG-style. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles and Z Car Garage Heat Shield along with a new drivetrain and full suspension transformed this Series 1 S30.

  

In 2017 Richard contacted us to inquire about restoration work. He understood we were booked, and we spoke again later, but this time he visited the shop with a photo album filled with photos of his beautiful, Sunshine Yellow Z.

“I did my due diligence and researched what ZCG could do, and arranged for a meeting with Rob to discuss my car. I asked if he would be interested in restoring my 1970 240 Z.  He was pretty adamant, ‘I don’t restore those rust buckets anymore.’ A little disheartened but I persisted. Would you take a look at the album I have of my car? He flipped through he pages and you could see him light up and the enthusiasm came forth. He said, ‘Where is the rust?’. I told him there was none as the car has been indoors for the last 40 years.”

 

Rob and Richard agreed that since the exterior was in great shape ZCG would perform a mechanical restoration. Richard is in his 70’s and still practices dentistry in the small town of Eureka. After being parked for decades he trailered the Z down and arrived at ZCG in January 2018 . Here is VIN #12291, with 63k original miles:

 

He bought this Z brand new 12/70 and absolutely adores it, being an integral part of his life for half a century! We love the story behind Richard’s Z lets’ take a look before going into the mechanical work…

Life With The Z

 

“We all have defining moments in our lives and those moments need to be prioritized. The marriage to my wife of 50+ years is of course the most important moment. She provided the resources to live in San Francisco and was so supportive of my graduation from college. That same year she became pregnant with our first born. We moved to Eureka at the same time. I was able to start my own business in 1970 and begin an adult life. All the important hurdles were checked off. We moved to Eureka with $300 in our pocket and a mountain of debt. But wait, there was one more hurdle…”

 

“…From across a parking lot, in Eureka no less, stood a bright yellow Ferrari. Upon closer inspection I was even more baffled. What was a Datsun 240Z?  I went to the local Datsun agency, long before Nissan came along and made my inquiry. Yes, the new 240Zs are very special and very desirable. They were being shipped in but there is a waiting list. Just add my name.  Sure enough they called a few weeks later and said there was an Orange Z on the lot. They made the mistake of letting me wring that car out and I was sold. While I was in school in San Francisco, I saw Cobras and Porsches that cost $6 – $7,000. Way out of my league but I could afford the $3,600 Z. Even if it meant borrowing $1,200. In early December 1970 I took possession of my Z. It became my car and my identity. It has remained just that for the last 50 years.“

 

“My oldest son was born the following February. Now all the pieces for my life fell into place. Marriage, college, moving to a permanent home, birth of our son and the final piece, my sports car. Being a young family in the ‘70s was simple. We just put Jason between our two seats the Bull Dog in the back and off we drove. No thought of a car seat. Before he was six months old, we had been the 700 miles to San Diego and the 700 miles to Canada. Not a care in the world and a wonderful way to see the country.” 

 

“My car was a daily driver. For the next 20 + years that was my car. As my boys grew up and learned to drive, I needed to provide a car for them for high school. Well, not my car.  So, I bought them an upgraded and modified ’71 240Z. I bought the Z because I felt they would be safer in that car. I didn’t want a larger car they would put a lot of friends in. Later on, I heard they actually had put 5 guys in the Z car.” 

 

Of course, over time, tastes changed and Richard succumbed to buying a 1992 Corvette. You know, the ones you fall into and climb out of. Fast forward to 2015 and his 240Z is in the garage, covered with the things a guy collects in a garage. The ‘vette became useless and the family all preferred the Z. This is where ZCG becomes part of Richard’s Z car journey. Let the mechanical restoration begin on this Series 1 that has not run since 1985…

Drivetrain

 

We got the original L24 with SUs running after sitting for years, but Richard wanted more power and Rob suggested a Rebello 3.1L engine. Supporting parts included an MSA 6-into-1 header, ZCG exhaust system, internally regulated 280ZX alternator, 280ZX gear reduction starter, KOYO race radiator (custom upper hose) and Z Car Garage Heat Shield. Here are a few pictures of the engine build/installation with many more in the gallery:

 

Powdercoated and plated parts adorn the engine:

 

Induction is handled by triple-Mikuni PH44 carbs on a Harada intake manifold.

   

Beneath the triple-Mikunis is our Z Car Garage Heat Shield, serial #00250:

 Before/After the engine bay restoration, more details below:

 

To handle the power from the 3.1L engine we replaced the stock transmission with a Nissan KA24 (FS5W71C) transmission. This was a common swap (before the CD009a came to market) performed by modifying a 280Z L-series bell housing. The KA24 unit is significantly stronger than early S30 transmissions.

 When we upgraded the transmission we also installed 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 Z Car Garage CV Axles (shown below)

  

Engine Bay Services

Richard’s Z received a total engine bay restoration. Please visit the gallery below for more pictures documenting the engine bay restoration work, it’s where our efforts shine!

 

With the engine/transmission removed we focused our efforts on restoring the engine bay.  Everything was cad plated or powdercoated.  All new fuel hoses, every cooling hose and all new hydraulic lines. Every nut/bolt is bagged and tagged before re-plating.

    

The Z’s body had been painted once before but the engine bay was left un-touched. We called upon our man William from William’s Auto Body re-spray the 919 Sunshine Yellow and it turned out fantastic. Before/After:

     More before/after shots showing fuel pump, hydraulic an coolant lines:

   

With the new engine/transmission even more detail work was performed:

 

Final Before/After in the engine bay:

 

Our 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!

Dyno Tuning

 

Rob dyno tuned the Rebello 3.1L engine making a stout 199hp/221tq to the wheels. Enjoy the L-series music in this extended video of Richard’s Z including dyno runs, test drive with Rob and drive-bys:

 

Suspension

 

Richard’s chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild with new parts, bushings and a full coil-over (Koni struts with our spring rates) 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.

  

New parts included the T3 adjustable T/C rods, T3 rear control arms, T3 front/rear strut tower bars, new ball joints, new front bushings, all new bearings and seals and ST sway bars. Richard wanted a fantastic driver that was worry-free. We replaced all of the hydraulics and front/rear suspension assemblies to match the new driveline.  All suspension was either zinc’d or powdercoated:

 

Front Suspension refresh with T/C rod, crossmember and steering rack detail:

       
Rear end with T3 lower control arms and ST Sway bar:

 

 

Richard was ecstatic. It was the reaction we live for at ZCG:

 

Joel E. Anderson, beloved friend and race car driver, passed away 3/29. He was 79 years old. Joel was an immensely talented graphic artist and successful privateer Datsun racer with regional and national championships all over California. We miss him dearly and offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Let’s take a brief look at Joel’s automotive career and how he touched our lives, knowing fully that a single blog post offers only a glimpse into Joel’s achievements and larger-than-life personality.

Joel Anderson, Epic Datsun Racer

 

Joel Anderson’s racing career began in the late 70’s while working with another Datsun legend Frank Leary at FAR Performance in Mountain View, Ca. He was racing his Z cars as a privateer against many high-dollar teams/cars. Here is Joel re-telling these events in a interview I conducted in 2014:

“In 1974 Walt Maas had just won the National Championship in C/Production in Atlanta, GA in the FAR Performance 260Z called “The Giant Killer”. At the time Frank Leary was Walt’s crew chief and the service manager at FAR. Frank was also building a Z of his own to road race in the carport of his condo in Santa Clara. I helped Frank build his car in exchange for his secrets to make a Datsun fast. While working as Leary’s crew chief I had converted my Z to a full on road racer and ran SCCA solo events and won the C/P class. In 1977 I went through SCCA’s driver’s school and started road racing, by the end of the year I had won most of the races and regional championship and was issued my National license. In 1978 I ran SCCA’s National events and qualified for the runoffs in Atlanta. At Atlanta I had my first DNF due to running too much timing which split and exhaust valve. In ‘79 I turned the SCCA car over to my wife so she could compete in regionals and I built my IMSA GTU car.”

(L) Joel’s C-production Z, in the iconic black-arrowed hood with orange and yellow accents. (R) Frank Leary with Joel.

 

Joel was Frank Leary’s crew chief and later became a fellow competitor. As he mentioned above, Joel raced at Atlanta when Frank won the American Road Race of Champions in 1978, as seen in this cool video. Enjoy this period article about Joel and Frank’s competitiveness and friendship HERE. The two shared a shop together in Santa Clara for years. Here is Joel in the office doing graphic art work, and also wrenching on L-series drivetrains!

 

It was his talents as a graphic artist that led to the white and black CP-Z  race car being casted in the Walt Disney film Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. Note that it was filmed at Laguna Seca Raceway!

 

Joel’s favorite track was Laguna Seca, here are a few period photos of him in the white CP-Z and his black IMSA GTU at familiar courses like Sears Point and Road Atlanta. More pics in the gallery! We highly encourage you to check out our interview with Joel back in 2014, it’s a good read!

 

Our friendship with Joel

 

Joel came into our life in 2010 when he started selling all of his race cars. Rob made an offer that Joel couldn’t refuse:

“I would love to tell your story. I’ll buy the car if you help me assemble it with all of your knowledge. You will drive it at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Renuion at Laguna Seca.” 

  

Rob had been building street cars for years, and attending Historic racing events for years, but he had little experience building one. Of many lessons Joel would teach Rob, he taught him that there is nothing street car about a race car. From 2010 to 2014 Joel, Rob and the ZCG crew worked slowly but surely to assemble his IMSU GTU Z car. Joel describes this car’s history:

“The car was originally presented by Mr. Katayama to Mr. John Cooper, President of Ontario Motor Speedway in 1972 to be used as the Official Pace Car for the Third Annual ” California 500″ held on Sept. 3, 1972. (it still has the built in flag holder) The car was later given to the Bob Bondurant Driving School at Sears Point. In 1977 I purchased the car from Datsun Comp. for one dollar and picked the car up at Sears Point. I ran the car at all the west coast IMSA races in GTU for three years. Starting in 1980 I ran the car in SCCA Super Production setting the track record at Sears Point and Laguna Seca and winning The Pacific Road Race Championship as well in S/P. When I got the car back it had been in a storage shed for 15 years or more.”

 

 

In 2014 we applied for admission to the Rolex event and got accepted, even though Joel’s Z was not completed. In the course of 8-10 weeks before the actual race, friends and family banded together. Joel taught us so much, discussed suspension setup, etc and guided us throughout the build. Josh, Alvin, Lou and others all worked nights/weekends to finish the car.

 

This magical story culminated in a successful race event with Joel and his #49 IMSA Datsun 240z at the Rolex Motorsports Reunion in August. Please see  our coverage of the event HERE

 

Watching a race car that you restored out on the track is amazing. Topping that off, the driver that originally built the car is at the helm, some 35 years later. Laguna Seca’s track layout has changed since Joel and #49 were here in ’79, but the car looks pretty similar if you ask us 🙂

 

Despite the competitiveness we finished the race without incident, actually placing midpack and on par with fellow 240z’s.  Rob recalls the feelings of many at the race:

“The first time since 2001 when the BRE 510 510 ran at Monterey and after watching Against All Odds many times… that didn’t hold a candle to watching a man who built this car 30 years ago drive on the same track, same livery…it was awesome. We all got emotional as Joel drove away onto the starting grid.”

 

If finishing this race wasn’t enough, the supreme measure of satisfaction and validation for countless hours spent on #49 came when a teary-eyed Joel gathered everyone around to thank us:

 

Being a part of this team was the highlight of my year and the dedication from all members and friends that helped really showed. We had #49 t-shirts made for the crew/spectators and Meghan even sported an original 70’s shirt with nails to match. Mike Joy from FOX Sports even interviewed Joel:

 

Telling Joel’s Story

 

In 2015 we applied again and got accepted to the RMMR. Unfortunately Joel wasn’t feeling well, and we were 3-weeks away from the event. Rob was focused on telling Joel’s story….how he raced against factory-backed teams and was competitive…the world needed to know!  With race week fast approaching Rob enlisted the help of his hero and legendary race car driver John Morton. You can see our report from the 2015 RMMR HERE.

 

It had been Rob’s dream to drive the #49 IMSA GTU car and he had one rule: he would never sit in the driver’s seat until he was driving on the track at Laguna Seca. So, since 2010 he did not sit in the car and Joel told him it was time. Joel pushed Rob to make his dream a reality. Joel wanted the people around him to succeed. Rob would gain his SCCA license (special shoutout to Larry Oka) and competition license. In 2018, after running a full SCCA season Rob had the racing bug bad. We finally got accepted to 2018 RMMR.

It was Nissan’s first time being honored at RMMR, and the first time Rob Fuller would race a historically significant Z car.

  (L)Photo: Mark Hutchinson

Adding to the experience was the support from friends and family. Having Joel Anderson close by to see his old Z racing and Rob’s excitement was endearing. Rob was on cloud 9, the student and master both together having a great time.

   We would not be doing the things we are on the track without guidance from Joel. Off track, he was guy that walked into a place and the room changed. he simply oozed cool. Rob remembers Joel and his personality:

“For his 75th birthday in 2017, we flew out to Texas to surprise him. We worked on his hot rod, reminisced, made good food, drank beers. He was just brimming with personality. Our friend Steve S would say ‘If half the s__  Joel did in his life is true, it would make for a movie’. The guy lived so many lives: he was in advertising (working for Atari), owned his own pool company, landscaping. He can fix anything. A fond memory: We were running behind on the IMSA build. He flew in to help for a weekend. Meghan asked me to put ceilings fans in our house, and Joel taught me how to install them! He was LeMons racing with us too. Such a larger-than-life personality. At the 2014 Rolex, people remembered that car.’Is this Joel Anderson’s car? Whatever happened to that guy? I would point he’s right over there!”

  We miss Joel. Even though he is gone, his spirit lives on through friends and family. We will continue to share his story with the world. ZCG will restore his C-Production Z (currently in fabrication stage) and race it just as we did with Joel’s IMSA GTU Z. From Rob:

“My condolences to his family and friends. Brace yourselves… we are slowly losing our heroes but it’s up to us to keep their spirit alive. Everyone knows the BRE Datsun 240Z, and to me Joel Anderson is right there…we loved him. 79 years on Earth is not long enough. Wherever he’s at I hope there’s a race program and he’s kicking ass.” 

 

Joel’s #49 IMSA GTU Z in the Media

Listen to Rob share his love for Joel and the Z in this Hoonigan Autofocus video:

 

Links to racing events and features on Joel’s IMSA GTU Z:

 

Speedhunters: Inside a Historic Z

Happy Birthday Joel Anderson!

Joel Anderson: Datsun Z-Car Racer

RACE REPORT: 2019 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

EVENTS: 2018 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Z Car Garage is on FOX Sports TV!

Z Car Garage goes to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion!

EVENTS: Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion!

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Report!

Z Car Garage is on FOX Sports TV!

 

Enjoy the photo gallery below
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Dave L comes from Carmel Valley and he visited Z Car Garage for suspension upgrades on his 1972 Datsun 240z. Prior to meeting us he added many parts to the car himself like a 5-speed transmission but needed our expertise for Z-specific parts. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with a dyno-tuned 2.8L L-series really transformed this pretty S30.

  

Suspension

 

The chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild 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. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

Stock vs T3 T/C rods up front:

 

Stock rear lower control arms were replaced with T3 adjustable units:

 

Dave provided us with a set of Tokico/springs from back in the day. We installed new tie-rods, Nissan ball joints, rack bushings, bump stops and moustache bar bushings:

   

 

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 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 Dave’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. Up front:

    

 

Our Big-Brakes utilize the OEM brake master cylinder and booster along with the factory hydraulic system. A few more shots of the front setup:

 

At the rear, the stock drums were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes:

  

Factory handbrake functionality IS retained! A few close-ups of the front and rear setup:

 

Following the suspension and brake installation was a full alignment:

 

The new ZCG Big-Brakes fit nicely behind the 15″ Ansen Sprint wheels:

 

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.

 

Dave received axle set #291. Stock half shafts and ZCG units shown below with more pictures in the gallery:

   

On July 10-12, the Classic Sport Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the David Love Vintage Races. Our favorite feature race was the Group 8 class with 20 sedans battling at Sonoma Raceway. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with in-car footage and photos from contributors Kurt Boden, Trent Barr, Nick Dockery and ZCG Crew Nick F and Josh C.

Z Car Garage Supports Three Datsun 510s!

 

2020 has been a strange year and we were fortunate to be racing again at Sears Point in the David Love event. Z Car Garage both participated and provided support for several Datsun 510 race cars.

Here is a video with sights and sounds from the paddock, samples of in-car footage of Rob Fuller, Tom Dockery, Glenn Chiou and Mike Anderson:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

    

Rob Fuller has not been in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510 since last year’s John Morton Cup. This car was purchased from Larry Oka as an IT car, slowly transforming into a B-Sedan. We sorted out the front suspension and this time the rear was attacked. From Rob:

“We installed the weight jacker set to adjust springs for ride height and a DP Racing sway bar that has the same design as the BRE car. Since the shop was slammed and customers come first, we enlisted our friend and fellow racer Troy Ermish to dial in the rear setup. Josh did final prep on the car and we were ready to go. The car did awesome with the back end of he car making all the difference in the world: instead of hopping around uncontrollably I was able to feed it throttle and negotiate the car in/out of corners. We went from middle to front of pack with Troy and the fast friends from RacecraftNW. Good times.”

 

You can see footage of Rob in the second race here:

Here is a great video with multiple angles showing Rob battling with Steve Walker (BMW 2002):

 

#7 Kelvin

 

Let’s talk about our clients. Three weeks before the CSRG event we got a call from Kelvin and he was testing his 510 that he just got from a local shop. It was sputtering and running poorly and by chance Larry Oka was also testing and referred Kelvin to us. We got him on the dyno and the engine failed. With a quick call to Rebello the engine was sorted, installed back in the the 510 and we handled all the prep work to be ready for the race weekend.

 

Kelvin had a successful race experience, finally:

“Kelvin has dealt with some issues on the car and this was the first time he had a good time with it. We were really happy for him. That’s why do this: we want more people at the race track driving, not fixing. It doesn’t allow to you to build confidence as a driver. You need to have a car that is reliable and works well so you can focus on you as a driver. Kelvin was super pumped. On test day I drove both Kelvin and Tom’s cars and they are fantastic examples of what a B-sedan can be. All they need to do is knock those numbers down”

 

Stay tuned for a full report on Kelvin’s 510. His friend Ed M was so impressed with our work that he wants ZCG to prep his sedan as well. Look for full report soon!

 

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his  Ex-Norm Balzer 510. This car made its debut in May 2019  and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing soon.

   Tom’s 510 has an FIA engine so it revs really high making it peaky and hard to drive. Per Tom’s suggestion, a shorter gearset would put him in the powerband and sure enough…always listen to your driver! Tom really got faster and it was great seeing him out there. Car has been flawless.

 

510 Friends!

Many notable Datsun 510 racers were in the group, all sharing the competitive spirit.

#33 Glenn Chiou

Glenn drove the Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. This car made its debut in May at the SVRA event at Laguna Seca. Glenn did an admirable job (as always) getting this historically significant 510 back on the racetrack!

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Glenn was fast. He charged all the way to the front of the pack, only seconds within Jim Froula and Rob. In-car from Glenn:

 

It is also worth noting that Glenn is one of the few “privateer” racers in the field. He sets up his own race car in his garage and his crew are friends Erich and Lloyd. We want to congratulate Glenn on the birth of his son! Kudos for racing and being a father!

#38 Troy Ermish

Troy is a phenomenal driver. He helped set up our 510 rear suspension too:) Watching Troy wheel his blue 510 his a thing of madness, finesse, skill and beauty. He took 1st place!

 

#52 Jim Froula

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft in the Ex- Harry Stewart Datsun 510. Jim was kind to let us pit with his gang. He’s also a fierce competitor.

  

David Love race results can be seen below:

 

A Memorable Racing Event

 

It was so wonderful to share this experience with our friends and CSRG family. We look forward to another B-sedan event and special shoutout to Troy Ermish, ZCG crew including Nick F, the Corwins Josh and Keith. Running all of the cars above would not be possible without them. Rob is excited for future events:

“Of all the vintage racing I’ve done and been around, the B-Sedan group is where it’s at. It’s competitive, fun and you always have someone to race with. We will attempt to do this again August 8-9 at Laguna Seca. Glenn and I are gathering ~25 cars!. Look for B-sedan to become one of the featured groups with CSRG, SVRA and even HMSA/RMMR!”

 

More pictures in the gallery below!
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Z Car Garage wishes you a Happy 5/10 Day and Happy Mother’s Day! We enjoyed driving our 1971 Datsun 510s on a beautiful day in San Jose. Turbo6, our 80’s revival, is back on the road and running great with its turbocharged 6-cylinder L-series. Look for a full report soon:

 

Rob, Meghan and Tank were in the SR20DET-powered 510:

 

A few photo-ops in Downtown San Jose:

 

We got the Bay Area Datsun Dealers race 510 out too!

 

Enjoy The Boost in this video of the 510s in action. We hope you can Do It In A Datsun today too!