Filed under: 240z,Parts
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on November 3, 2023
We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. Adam D is running a set on his 1971 Datsun 240Z with an RB25DET drivetrain.
Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. We have sold over 200 sets of axles globally, with customers installing and enjoying them on everything from street cars to full-blown IMSA racers. These CV axles will help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts.
For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft. These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars. Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind and the kit comes with everything you need to install on your car.
Datsun 240Z Dreams
Adam shared his Z car history with us:
“I heard about Z car Garage on YouTube. I own a 1971 240z with a Series 1 RB25det and it’s been my dream build since I was a teenager. My neighbor growing up had a 240z and he made his look so sporty I had to have one. I always loved Hondas and Evos which I’ve owned and built,but the 240z for me was my all out build as far as performance since it’s a classic car and I don’t have to worry about emissions. I’ve been building this car since 2013 when I bought it as a rolling shell with the RB for $7500 off Craigslist...”
“I first had the body work done paint and body by Mikes Paint and Body in Fullerton. He molded in my fenders. Then I found Nissan RB engine specialist vendors (Rawbrokerage) built the motor with Animal auto. I recently had fabrication to make custom titanium and other metal work by humble engineering.”
“The car has full T3 suspension and arms with Z Car Garage Axles. I chose these axles since I wanted over kill if I want to push more power. I run a Garret Gen 2 g35 .82 ar. The car runs on a Haltech stand alone rated at 530whp. I am highly satisfied with the axles and I like how when I called and had questions Rob took time to talk to me. Future work is more cosmetics and interior .”
Enjoying the Ride
We saw Adam and his Z at the Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, Ca back in October. Rob was happy to see the Z Car Garage Axles on Adam’s Z…Datsuns Are Driven!
Enjoy this video of Adam’s 240Z in action:
Thank you for your support Adam! Please read below for more information on our ZCG CV Axles:
ZCG CV Axles
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. These are 100% bolt-in replacing your half-shafts and does not use aluminum adapters commonly found in aftermarket units. We have over 200+ CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft.
Designed and manufactured locally with KAD Models, the ZCG CV axle kit works in both R180 and R200 configurations.
These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars (powershifting, clutch dumps, etc.). Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind:
The CV axle kit is available now from ZCG for 1595.00 + freight and they come with everything you need to install on your car. Contact us at 408-452-0350 or send Rob an e-mail rob@zcargarage.com to purchase. Installation is just like doing a half-shaft: there is even a marking that shows you where to line up bolts and special hardware:
The ZCG CV Axles in action
The video below demonstrates the “looseness” associated with aftermarket CV axles that use adapters compared to the ZCG axles without adapters. Several customer race/street cars running our CV axles are also shown. Enjoy!
Enjoy this video made by our client Hazel. She installed our ZCG CV Axles on her Hazel’s 1970 Datsun 240Z
Over 200 sets of our ZCG CV Axles are installed in client’s cars all over the world:
At Z Car Garage we love keeping Z’s on the road. From concours-level restorations to light refurbishments, helping a client realize their vision is our passion. CJ shipped his 1971 Datsun 240Z from Durango, Colorado for final mechanical sorting, ZCG-style. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles and Z Car Garage Heat Shield along with a new drivetrain make this the Z of CJ’s dreams.
CJ’s Z Story
Before we dive in to the project let’s hear how CJ got his Z car…
CJ: “When I was in my teens I was a huge WRC fan, and rally led to my passion for Japanese cars. Video games like Sega GT and Gran Turismo also helped. I think my first exposure to classic Z cars was when I was about 17 and it was probably in a bootleg Wangan Midnight VHS that my buddies and I found at a Japanese video rental place. I’ve loved the aesthetic of the S30 since that time. It’s not an exaggeration to say I’ve dreamed of an S30 with factory fender flares, an air dam, and a 432 style wing for over half my life, but I never had an opportunity to own one.”
In 2017 CJ acquired his best friend Travis’ 1971 project car that hadn’t run since the 1990s. Over the next four years, and with significant help from his wife, the duo restored or refurbished just about every part of the car.
CJ: “We fully refurbished the dash, redid the entire interior, and mechanically refreshed the brakes and drivetrain. The exterior received new factory matching paint, new gaskets, tail lights and corner lights I refurbished, RS Watanabe wheels, and flares from Marugen Shoukai. The car also got BC coilovers, Techno Toy Tuning arms and subframe components. The L24 was replaced with an L28 and triple Mikunis, assembled in my garage. There are so many good memories wrapped up in the restoration of this car and it was a blast to learn new skills throughout the process.”
In October 2020, with the engine he built with his Dad the car drove under its own power. CJ was proud, and the moment was satisfying and exhilarating, right up until it wasn’t. He had been building drift cars since the early 2000s but the first drive of this car made it clear that if he wanted a car that was sturdy, reliable, and confident to take on road trips, he’d need to get some help from a specialist…
CJ: “And that’s where Z Car Garage came in. I’d been an avid reader of the Z Car Blog throughout the restoration and had even spoken to Rob occasionally about various issues. There was never any question as to where I wanted to send the car for finishing school. So in Spring of 2021 I shipped the car from my small Colorado mountain town to San Jose. The initial plan was to have Rob and the crew bring it that extra 10% to completion. Thankfully Rob understood my vision and suggested additional work to ensure I actually wound up with the car I’d been dreaming of for so long.”
After sorting the engine and installing brakes/suspension we were stoked to get CJ’s car running. Before hitting the dyno we always do a test drive on the street and we noticed low oil pressure on the dash gauge, despite lack of obvious noises or behavior. Low oil pressure unfortunately was confirmed with our own gauge, and so we were at a crossroads with this 2.8 engine that CJ assembled together with his Dad. A decision was made to send it to Rebello Racing for a 3.0L build and it really came alive. CJ already provided the ph44 Mikuni carbs and we installed what every triple-carbed L-series needs: a ZCG Heat Shield!
A Moroso competition baffled oil pan prevents oil starvation with high cornering loads:
Cj was having header fitment issues. We ensured clearance was no longer an issue with a Fujitsubo exhaust system from manifold to muffler. These newer units have better fitment, but every car is different. More photos of the exhaust system in the gallery below:
The engine bay turned out great with general clean-up and sorting:
Driveline Upgrades
With the 3L engine in we focused on the transmission and rear axle. To handle the power from the 3L engine we replaced the stock 4-speed 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. 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):
As CJ mentioned, he is avid reader of our zcarblog and no stranger to the “Butters” phenomenon: clients desire a similar setup for their own S30s. Our 1971 shop demo Z Mrs. Butters proudly features our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield, 6-speed transmission, full KW suspension (releasing soon) and 3.2L engine with triple-Mikuni induction. 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.
We replaced the existing CV Axles (left) with ZCG units (Right). CJ received set #00395. Also visible are the T3 control arms:
Dyno Tuning
Rob dyno tuned the Rebello 3L engine with jetting, A/F and performance in mind as CJ would be driving this Z at 6,500ft above elevation. It put down a stout 261hp/220tq to the wheels:
Enjoy the L-series music in this extended video of CJ’s Z including dyno runs, test drive with Rob and engine/exhaust sounds…volume up!
ZCG Big-Brakes
We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on CJ’s 240z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) which have the been standard on numerous ZCG builds. 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.
We removed the stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. Not only do they perform, they look great behind the 15×8 Watanabe wheels!
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. New OEM Nissan master cylinder and Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!
Details
Cj’s project involved more than installation of our ZCG performance upgrades and dyno tuning. We nut and bolted the entire car, installed T3 RCAs to fix suspension geometry up front, set the ride height, scaled and aligned it. The gas tank was removed and all fuel recovery hoses replaced along with a new fuel pump. The clutch pedal was removed to allow welding-up of the pivot hole that had wallowed-out. This ensures proper clutch travel to work with his new KA24 transmission/clutch combo. The master cylinder, slave and hose were replaced with all new Nissan OEM components.
Driving is Believing
CJ’s Z was shipped back to Colorado in November and we are happy to report he is Enjoying the Ride in his dream Z…
CJ: “Like so many project cars, the goals of the build evolved and the car grew into something significantly more impressive than the onset of the build. Throughout the car’s time at ZCG Rob was great to work with and he always understood my vision and explained how to make it real. By the time the car came back to me in November of 2022 it may have still looked like the car I sent away, but the similarities were skin deep. From the brakes to the drivetrain the guts of the car were totally new and upgraded.”
CJ was impressed with the upgrades from Z Car Garage:
CJ:“The car is incredible now. It is an absolute animal when you give it full beans and the sounds and sensations it creates for me as a driver are like nothing I’ve ever experienced in a car. It is well mannered and drivable at low speeds and can cruise comfortably and quietly in 5th on the highway, but the instant you open up the right pedal it will shove you back in your seat with a massive grin on your face. The best thing about the car to me is the way each piece is set up to work together. The new ZCG brakes and axles work with the new transmission, OS Giken diff, suspension set up, and stout Rebello 3L to deliver a driving experience that is both exciting and confidence inspiring.”
CJ: “One of the coolest things about these old Z cars is the variety of people who love them. When I am out for drives I am just as likely to encounter a 19 year old kid who loves the car as I am to encounter a 79 year old with the same enthusiasm.”
We enjoyed working with you CJ, thank you for your support! Enjoy the photo gallery below.
Rob: “We enjoyed working with CJ, not only does he have a bitchin’ Z car, he’s fun to work with, very responsive and we had great conversations. He did not hold back in communicating his needs and we were happy to deliver the goods like we always try to. Honored to have folks locally and globally that want to work with ZCG. Thank you so much CJ, Long Live The Z.”
This 1966 Datsun 1600 Roadster is a turn-key restomod built by our friends at Spriso Motorsports. Highlights include excellent power and reliability from the Nissan S15 SR20DE/5-speed drivetrain with full chassis, suspension and braking upgrades. Ultimate bright-work and style with OEM Nissan and rare parts utilized throughout. A rare opportunity to own one, it is complete and ready to drive anywhere! Full details with build documentation and photos can be seen on our FOR SALE page HERE (SOLD)
Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou has been a friend and client of Z Car Garage for many years. His canyon-carving companion is this 1972 Nissan Fairlady 240Z-L featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and dyno tuning. Before we get into the details behind this rare, right-hand drive survivor let’s take a look at Glenn’s Datsun story.
Racing Is Life
Glenn is passionate about vintage racing and loves re-telling the stories of legendary privateer Z car racers. Like privateers of the period, Glenn builds his Z cars, maintains and manages his racing efforts himself. You may have seen Glenn’s FAR Performance 240Z in VIPS Restaurant livery as raced in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence or his Ex-Greg Sorrentino IMSA 260Z at events like the Velocity Invitational and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Glenn restored these cars himself and the VIPS Z is now going back to Bay Area Datsun Dealers livery as raced by FAR Performance privateer Walt Maas.
Glenn also races a Datsun 510, championing a vintage race group dedicated to theHistoric B&C Sedan class. He is currently restoring the 1968 Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am 510. You can follow his racing adventures on Instagram.
Finding a Fairlady
When he’s not working on race cars, Glenn is enjoying his 1972 Nissan 240Z-L. It’s “the dream list” car that started his Datsun passion. Glenn has owned it for several years, enjoying it as a back-road burner on the street and rallye events.
The Z has a great story behind its acquisition. Purchased from Chiyoda Nissan as a used car by US Air Force lieutenant David Zabel in ’73, it was brought back with him to the States in 1974 and driven until 1992. Glenn found the Z in 2010 sitting in a Datsun collection in Ben Lomond, Ca. Below are period photos from Japan in the 70’s at Yokota air base near Tokyo and ski-trips at Lake Tahoe:
Find out more about the story behind this right-hand-drive survivor over on Petrolicious with photography by Courtney Cutchen with a great video. To this day it still wears its original paint, interior and neat Japanese-market features like the 8-track Nissan/Hitachi radio and passenger side foot rest. Glenn also sourced the rare rallye clock that is functional, running off an oscillator box in the passenger footwell.
Drivetrain
We actually tuned Glenn’s Fairlady back in 2012. The 3.0L stroker is fed by triple-Mikuni induction backed by a Nissan 240SX 5-speed transmission and OS Giken limited-slip diff. With Rob’s tuning it produced one of the highest dyno numbers we had seen back then putting down 249hp/227tq to the wheels:
Z Car Garage Big Brakes for Glenn’s S30
The Z clearly had more than enough power, but braking was always something Glenn wanted to improve and once he heard about our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes for small wheels he became a believer after test driving them. Rather than tell you how we feel about this product, let’s hear Glenn’s experience.
“Throughout my years of Z car ownership, I have run a variety of brake setups. My Z cars have seen everything from restored OEM Sumitomos, Toyota 4×4’s, trick Wilwood setups, even frankenstein’d Baer calipers. There is no doubt that it has been one area that I have never been completely satisfied with. Over time, after many years and attempts to find the ‘perfect’ setup, I had given up and just settled for what I had.
The most important aspect to me when it comes to braking on a street driven car is feel. Yes, stopping power is extremely important, but also is not that difficult to achieve on an early Z car that is naturally light to begin with. Feel, however, is something that has always managed to escape me. On my vintage 240z race car, we use multiple master cylinders, swap them in and out, fiddle with our brake proportioning valves, fine tuning them to fit our driving style and preference. We are trying to find that ‘racer’s edge.’ In all honesty, when it comes to a street car, I want nothing to do with all that.”
“Wheel sizing and style was also extremely important to me. I love old school wheels and the sizes they came in. I needed a brake caliper that would fit under my 15” Watanabe RS wheels without having to shave or drastically modify my setup. If it was not for being in love with these wheels, I would have opted for Z Car Garage’s larger big brake kit.”
Our clients asked us to make a BBK for smaller wheels so even a guy running 14″ vintage 5-slots slots could brake like a modern sports car. Typical big-brake kits use a 4-piston setup up front and a ZX in back; Proportioning is hard to get right, varying from car to car. We wanted a brake system that suited the car and totally bolted in, no M/C change, no proportioning valve, no booster change.
Working with Stoptech again, we developed this smaller BBK as a direct bolt-in solution for the 1970 to 1978 S30 Z cars. We’ve been with Stoptech since the beginning and love their products. With over 150 brake kits sold, we are stoked with all of the positive feedback. Let’s get back to Glenn and hear his initial impressions of the big-brake kit:
“Rob informed me he was working up a solution and he wanted me to be test the brake kit. Rob promised three things – they would brake amazing, they would fit under my 15” Watanabes, and they would feel as if they belonged on the car. Did I doubt it at first? Sure, a little. However, I also knew that the fit and finish of all products that came out of ZCG were top notch, and that Rob thoroughly tested all his products against his own standards. Which I’m sure everyone knows, are extremely high.
In preparation for the Monterey Historics last year, I had brought the Z race car to the shop for dyno time. Rob gave me the keys to his Butters Z and said “Go drive it.” Under 14″ wheels sat his brand new ZCG brake kit. I gladly accepted and took the car for a ride.”
“WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car, and these were on a car with stock suspension, tires and probably cruddy tires! I told Rob, “sign me up!”
Glenn wanted to run the brake kit on his Fairlady and we happily obliged. He had also been gearing up for a road rallye so the braking system would be throughly used. You can see his Z (top left) along with his buddy Erich C’s S30 (top right, also getting a ZCG BBK!):
“Then came the day Rob called me up and said they were ready to rock and roll. Lucky for me, I was just about to head out on the 1000-mile Coastal Range Rally! The kit came with beautifully anodized front and rear calipers, hats, rotors, brakes lines, reversible brackets (for early and later Z offsets), and a factory ⅞” master cylinder. Read that again… Yes, a proportioning valve was left out from that list! The brakes were a straight bolt on and ZCG did all the math to get both the master cylinder size and piston sizes correct. We brought the car in for install and within a day the car was ready to rock.”
Glenn’s 240z now had 4-wheel disc brakes ready to tackle the street and rallye:
And of course, the brakes fit beautifully under the 15″ Watts. Kane approved, and Glenn was stoked:
“I could hardly wait to jump in the seat of the car and take it for a spin. The brakes were now on a car with suspension, tire, power, and a proper alignment. It was everything I had remembered from driving the Butters Z and MORE. The brakes performed flawlessly on the Coastal Range Rally, taking abuse from California’s most challenging roads”
“Attention to detail goes a long way. This is exactly what these brakes delivered, and what continues to be delivered by ZCG.
LONG LIVE THE Z!”
Still Enjoying the Ride
Last weekend we caught up with Glenn and took the FairladyZ out for a spin to stretch its legs. Glenn was one of the first clients to run our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes back in 2018 and we are happy to report that he is still braking late and deep all while Enjoy The Ride!
Over the years we’ve been fortunate to drive our Datsuns together through the local Bay Area backroads. Glenn’s Z always looks sharp while sounding sensational. Here is a video from our recent drive, volume up and enjoy!
You can find him carving through the Santa Cruz Mountains or taking a break at Alice’s Restaurant off Skyline…
While we were catching up with Glenn he reminded me that the ZCG Big-Brakes are better than any of the other setups he’s driven, the only one that feels and behaves like a modern car. He loves them.
What’s next for the Z? Glenn says its due for a refresh..NOS door panels, some engine bay fuel plumbing updates and maybe a change from the Ground Control/Tokico coil-overs. Aside from the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes , it remains very much the same as he set it up over 10 years ago. Big thanks to Glenn for the support and feedback. We look forward to many more race events and drives with you. Enjoy the photo gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!
We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. Ray H added a set to his 1971 Skyline that he acquired from our friends at JDM Legends. Ray also visited Z Car Garage for dyno tuning and alignment services which transformed this Hakosuka.
Ray has been a ZCG client for many years. We first saw his Skyline at the 2019 Golden Week Kyusha Festival where I spoke to him about visiting ZCG for some upgrades and tuning.
Fast forward to 2021 and I spotted Ray at the Driving While Awesome gathering. He pleasantly informed me that he was running our ZCG CV Axles (serial # 00356) and we are happy to report that he installed them himself!
“I have been wanting to go with CV’s for a while on my SR 510. I have been following a few suppliers since they first started showing up about 10 years ago. I did notice that people were having problems with them wearing out and also that there were a few redesigns. On my Hako, I desperately needed to a wheel bearing and half shaft u-joint replacement as it was making some awful clunking noises back there. So, when I started seeing your blogs about the CV’s I was immediately interested. Knowing Rob, I knew these had to be good!”
Ray sent us a few installation pictures of the ZCG CV Axles replacing the old CVs and the R180 STI LSD:
“It was just an optimum time to get these when I had my entire rear suspension out for a rebuild and upgrade. The installation was pretty straightforward.” So far all good, I don’t think my modest power has put these to the test but its nice to know something has been well engineered and its one thing I wont have to worry about, not mention they look bitchin!”
For more information on our Z Car Garage CV Axles please read below. Before we share the dyno tuning results, let’s take a look at how Ray found his Skyline…
Datsuns From the Beginning
It is worth noting that Ray is a die-hard Datsun (510) enthusiast with ties to the old Nor-cal 510 club from decades ago. In the groovy group photo above, Ray is in the back row, last 510 on the right! Here it is, his first Datsun 510 circa 1981 (below, left) and same car with flares and a Cartech turbo kit in the FAR Performance parking lot!
Ray shares the story of his Skyline:
“I have always loved the 510, my first car in high school and still own 3 currently. When the internet started to become a regular thing I noticed these awesome looking boxy cars by Nissan sold only over there and I think Europe. I eventually stumbled upon JDM Legends website about 10 years ago and started inquiring about how much they cost and how to get one. Erik at a couple different times offered me a chance to buy one, however timing was just not right for me at the time. Fast forward a few years and Velocity channel (now Motortrend) starts promoting a show with Hakos running around! I instantly got the bug again and thought “these things are going to explode in value, If I don’t get one now I never will”.
Much to my amazement, I got a call within a month. He said “I got a line on a couple in Japan, one sounds exactly what you looking for”. He sent me pictures and I think I agreed to buy it the next day, still remember July 4th, 2018! Took about 3-4 months to get to Long Beach, then immediately to Utah. Once it was in Utah, Erik and Josh went through the whole car so it was a ready to go.”
“I flew out to Utah after he had it for a month to go over additional upgrades. First off, he said this was one of the cleanest, most solid chassis he’d ever brought over! It really goes to show, you get what you pay for. I cant stress enough, pay the money up front, it is so worth it to get a solid car with everything on it! The additional work they performed included, flaring the front and ordering wider Watanabes, modern fuse block conversion, new spoiler upfront, Mauricio did the paint match! I picked up in November of that year and trailered it all the way home.”
Since picking it up from JDM-L, Ray has been driving the Hako frequently. Quick specs:
1971 Nissan 2000 GTX , finished in white as GTR tribute
Engine:
2.8 L series straight six, Late 5 spd transmission, N42 head, Triple Italian Weber 40’s, Headers with Fujitsubo exhast, All original mechanical linkage.
Suspension:
Watanabe 15×9.5 -26 rear 15×8.5 -6 front, Toyo RA1 225/50/15 rear 205/50/15 front, Modified rear crossmember with FotoFab camber/toe brackets (510), QA1 double adj.rear shocks, ZCG CV’s, Subie R180 3.9 LSD, Finned aluminum rear drums, New Nissan bushings, bearings, driveshaft U-joints, brake cylinders, T3 280ZX front strut with coilover and aluminum hubs and Koni yellow adj. struts.
Exterior:
Protec over flares and front spoiler
GTR front grill and badging
Complete chrome trim and new weather strip
Interior:
Power windows, GTR shift knob and emblem, Stock Seats, Nardi steering wheel, Coco mats, Stock radio. All functioning and complete switches and dash.
Ray also has several 510s including a ’72 510 2dr (S15 SR20DET) “SaRafina”, ‘72 510 4dr “Mossy” and ‘69 510 2dr “project Scotty”. Follow Ray and his Datsun adventures on Instagram.
Dyno Tuning
Ray was experiencing some driveability issues and considered changing his triple-Weber induction to triple-Mikuni to resolve it. We suggested bringing it in for Rob to diagnose, tune and also provide alignment services. Before hitting the dyno, Rob and Josh identified the major culprit-the throttle linkage was not allowing wide-open operation.
The throttle-linkage was fixed and Rob was able to dyno tune the L28 with the triple-Webers for best AFR/timing. The results were astounding: baseline was 53hp/83tq and after tuning 162hp/169tq to the wheels!
It’s not unusual to pick up 10-15whp with Rob’s dyno tuning of your vintage car, but Ray gained a whopping 109hp/86tq. After driving the Hako after ZCG tuning/alignment he was ecstatic:
“My experience at ZCG and the dyno – Freakin awesome! Way exceeded my expectations! I’ve already had many people ask me “can he get me in there, I need that”. It’s actually kind of a bummer, that he is so booked up, I’m sure there are many people that would love to get there car in there and unlock some potential! My Hako is so much more driveable now, tracks straight with the alignment and the power gain, amazing! Like I told you, my Solex 44’s are ready, but I just want to enjoy this now for a while.”
Enjoy this video we made of the Skyline in action: dyno passes, in-car testing with Rob and Ray’s first drive/reactions. Volume up!
Evening shots with Ray in amazement after his test drive…
Alignment Services
Z Car Garage offers full alignment services for your late model and vintage car. Ray’s Hako was fully-aligned by our lead technician Josh who has many hours of street and race car setup experience. Caster was optimized here for better steering/stability.
Enjoying The Ride
We were super stoked to see Ray so happy with the Hako and he continues to drive and enjoy it.
“As I get up here in age, it is very important that my collector cars run! I’m no longer interested in endless project cars. Now I just want to get out there and drive! This leads into my praise for JDM Legends, like ZCG they just get it. Erik Bizek, like Rob, has a crazy passion for these vintage cars which I love.”
Thank you for your support Ray, and for letting us be a part of your Hakosuka. We look forward to working with you again and seeing you on the road!
We have many more photos in the gallery and please read below for more information on our ZCG CV Axles:
ZCG CV Axles
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. These are 100% bolt-in replacing your half-shafts and does not use aluminum adapters commonly found in aftermarket units. We have over 200+ CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft.
Designed and manufactured locally with KAD Models, the ZCG CV axle kit works in both R180 and R200 configurations.
These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars (powershifting, clutch dumps, etc.). Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind:
The CV axle kit is available now from ZCG for 1595.00 + freight and they come with everything you need to install on your car. Contact us at 408-452-0350 or send Rob an e-mail rob@zcargarage.com to purchase. Installation is just like doing a half-shaft: there is even a marking that shows you where to line up bolts and special hardware:
The ZCG CV Axles in action
The video below demonstrates the “looseness” associated with aftermarket CV axles that use adapters compared to the ZCG axles without adapters. Several customer race/street cars running our CV axles are also shown. Enjoy!
Enjoy this video made by our client Hazel. She installed our ZCG CV Axles on her Hazel’s 1970 Datsun 240Z
Over 150 sets of our ZCG CV Axles are installed in client’s cars all over the world:
