The 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show was held on September 15, in Long Beach, CA. This is the original vintage Japanese-car event in SoCal and in its 14th year, JCCS has grown incredibly–over 430 cars covered the lawn of Marina Green Park. The vehicles themselves remained a fantastic blend of stock, modified and restored. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.
ZCG Displays Two Z Cars!
Z Car Garage displayed two customer cars at the show: Randy Jaffe’s 1970 Datsun 240z and James Stevens’ 1972 Datsun 240z. Randy’s Z was completed in time to be our booth car. This Series 1 S30 started as a project car 4-years ago with paint/bodywork performed by Bryson Richards of Classic Livery. The Z was shipped to us from Georgia for finishing Randy’s vision of a wild show/go race car:
Inspiration for the Jagermeister livery came from Randy’s obsession with Porsche, and the Max Moritz Racing Porsche 934.
We will take an in-depth look at this Z in separate post, but here are a few key details. Providing room for the 275/315-width tires is an authentic Pandem Rocketbunny aero kit. Randy channeled his passion for racing into this build and the chassis is virtually identical to his #46 BRE Datsun 240z, using zinc’d DP Racing suspension parts. The engine is a big displacement L-series running 13:5:1 compression, triple-Mikuni ph44s, a Fujitsubo header and glorious BRE-style exhaust. Running gear includes a close-ratio ZX transmission, OS Giken LSD for the 4.11 R180, our ZCG CV Axles and ZCG Big-Brake Kit (race version).
We are happy to report that Randy’s Z won 1st place, Best 240z in a class filled with incredible Z cars!
James’s 1972 S30 was displayed with fellow Z car owners in the show. At the heart of this beast is a turbocharged L-series managed by Haltech. Chassis upgrades include custom full-length subframe connectors, our ZCG CV Axles and Big-Brake Kit (328mm) behind Volk TE37V wheels.
A stack instrument cluster was integrated into the gauge pod, viewed from leather Recaro Pole Position seats. This Z has a very unique sound. We recently tuned it on E85, dyno results and videos coming soon!
We are very happy for James as he won the award for Best of JC Speed!
Stay tuned for in-depth reports on both of these Z cars coming to zcarblog.com.
Showtime!
Our friend and talented racer Troy Ermish transported both of our Z cars (and his 510) down to Long Beach Friday afternoon. Below is a video of the Z’s loading from the shop:
We unloaded early Saturday morning from the expansive parking lot near the new venue in Marina Green Park. Immediately we could tell this location was larger and more vendor-friendly than The Queen Mary of past shows. Our booth was situated in a great spot, at the mid-point of the show with our neighbors from OS Giken. …[read more]
When we last saw Erich C he visited Z Car Garage for some sorting on his 1973 Datsun 240z, reported in our blog post here. The Z was fresh from a restoration by fellow racer and Datsun 510 specialist Troy Ermish, sporting a Rebello 3L with triple Mikuni carbs and many hot rod parts:
Erich’s Z made an impressive 261hp to the wheels on our dyno and he felt the need to have brakes to match that power. We recently installed our ZCG Big-Brakes for small wheels on Glenn’s Fairlady and his review was positive:
“WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car”
As Glenn mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments, etc. After Erich drove Glenn’s Fairlady with the Big-Brakes, he was a believer. Erich returned to ZCG to have the brake kit installed on his S30.
The existing new Wilwood brake setup was removed and replaced with the ZCG Big-Brake kit at all 4 corners.
Up front:
Rear:
Erich was really stoked about the parking brake assembly, and now he has a fully functioning parking brake, utilizing the factory hand brake lever and linkage. This was another key request for our customers when creating the Big-Brakes.
A few more detail shots of the brakes:
And of course, the brakes fit easily under Erich’s sexy 15×8 zero offset Watanabe wheels:
For great stopping power, feel and bolt-in convenience, look no further than ZCG Big-Brakes for small wheels! Stay tuned as we bring you more Z’s getting the kit installed, joining our customers Frank, Sam, and Glenn. Erich is really happy with the brakes and we loved working on his Z, Enjoy The Ride!
This 1972 Nissan 240Z-L however is “the list” car for Glenn 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.
Find out more about the story behind this right-hand-drive survivor over on Petrolicious and also watch this great video:
We’ve known Glenn for many years and we actually tuned his Fairlady back in 2012. The 3L stroker produced one of the highest dyno numbers we had seen!
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 latest Big-Brake Kit 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.
A few words about our latest big-brake kit solution. Our successful, larger ZCG BBK utilizes 328mm rotors and 4-piston calipers requiring a 16″ or 17″ wheel. This kit was made with our friends Tyler and Eric from Stoptech over ten years ago. Recently our customers 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. We aim to release this product to the masses once our local installs are completed. 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!
We are happy to report that Glenn is still braking late and still braking deep all while Enjoy The Ride! You can find him carving through the Santa Cruz Mountains:
Big thanks to Glenn for letting us work on your Fairlady! We also thank Eric and Tyler from Stoptech for supporting us and our precious Z cars!
This 1973 Datsun 240z has been in owner Erich C’s family since new. He is also a good friend of fellow Z-car racer Glenn and both enjoy carving through the winding back roads of the Bay Area. Erich decided to finally restore his S30 and placed it in the capable hands of racer and Datsun guru Troy Ermish. Fresh from a restoration at his shop the Z had plenty of hot rod parts including a Rebello 3L with triple Mikuni carbs:
Erich came to Z Car Garage for inspection services and sorting before entering the car in the fabled Coastal Range Rally held on Feb. 22. His Z came to us at a great time with plenty of familiar company in the shop:
On the short list of items needing attention: clutch hydraulics, brake booster issue, wiring issues, speedometer not working, exhaust leaks, engine oil leak and transmission leak.
We addressed the clutch hydraulics by replacing the clutch M/C and re-drilling the clutch slave cylinder mounting holes. The system was bled and we adjusted everything to ensure the clutch pedal worked beautifully. The brake booster was also adjusted to allow full travel and full pressure with pedal application:
Next, we diagnosed a leak at the bellhousing. First, we removed the transmission and confirmed that the clutch/flywheel surfaces were dry and unaffected:
The source of the leak was from the transmission’s front seal:
We separated the transmission to replace the seal:
Bellhousing cleaned and front cover assembled:
The reverse switch was not operable. On the KA24 transmission conversion the reverse gear switch is located about 22mm further back on the F4W71B than on the FS5W71B or C. While the transmission was out we relocated the reverse switch and it now functions:
Let’s take a brief pause for this beauty:
A few wiring issues were diagnosed like the the brake lights: we found a broken wire at the pedal switch, removed all the bolts cleaned up the connections and replaced the switch with a NOS Nissan part. Brake lights work now!
The speedometer was not functioning so we replaced the speedo cable assembly with some ZCG stock. We also traced wiring from the tachometer to engine bay and got it working. Tach and speedo now operable!
Moving towards the rear of the Z, look how ultra-clean it is!
What may not be apparent from the photo above is the exhaust was hitting the diff, so we clearanced it:
The differential “fill” bolt with was replaced with the correct square plug:
On high power Z’s like Erich’s the diff fluid can overflow out of the vent, so we add a little hose here:
There was an oil leak at the oil pump so this part was replaced, no more leaks:
Erich’s excellent choice of RS Watanabe wheels really complete the look for this car.
The combination of 15×8 wheels with 225/50/15 Toyo R888 tires was rubbing badly on the rear fender lips:
We rolled the lips and confirmed no rubbing:
Before tuning the car we identified and fixed exhaust leaks at the header flange and collectors:
Fresh spark plugs, an O2 sensor and we were ready for some dyno time.
After we corrected some jetting issues Erich’s S30 made a stout 261hp/234tq to the wheels!
Erich’s S30 left Z Car Garage just in time to participate in the Coast Range Rally and we are happy to report that he completed it!
We are proud of Troy and his restoration of this Z. It is also great to see Erich out Enjoying The Ride where these cars are meant to be. Thank you Erich and Troy for letting us work on this canyon carver. Stay tuned as Erich made another appointment with us to replace his Wilwood brakes with…our ZCG Big Brake Kit!
Love is in the air this week with three Datsun 510s at the shop💘 Each one has a unique history with different powerplants and wheels! Expect full stories on the blog soon.
