At Z Car Garage we specialize in performance modifications for your Nissan/Infiniti. We also perform full maintenance services to keep your car running in optimal condition. Reuben M visited ZCG in 2008 to have the 30k-mile services completed on his stock LeMans Sunset 350z. Keep in mind that it is hard to avoid the temptation of forced-induction when one catches a glance of the many boosted-builds in our facility. Fast forward to 2013 and 13k-miles later…guess who has the craving for more power?

 

Reuben chose the Vortech V3-polished supercharger kit for its CARB-friendliness and daily driver operation. The dual-personality nature of the Vortech provides the potential for big power yet smooth, linear delivery.

 

A GTM 25-row oil cooler keeps oil temperature in check while the JWT HD clutch/flywheel help put the power to the wheels:

 

With the Vortech supercharger installed Reuben’s Z made 375hp/327tq to the wheels. This was a +123hp/86tq improvement over stock:

We love how sleeper this Z is! Our ZCG bypass-valve silencer keeps things quiet and the FMIC barely peeks from behind the OEM grille:

Enjoy The Boost, Reuben!

 

 

Robert C purchased a Vortech supercharger kit and started looking for a shop to install it for him. When we got the call from Robert we happily obliged to take his G35 Coupe to the next level!  Here is the V3 kit awaiting installation:

Some in-progress pictures:

 

FMIC and GTM 25-row oil cooler:

 

We also installed a Motordyne plenum spacer, Whiteline lower control arm bushings, changed tranny/diff fluids, and did some general clean-up…

 With Rob’s tuning the Vortech kit make excellent power: 413hp/341tq to the wheels!

We love how the Vortech boosts power while being CARB legal and docile for daily driving…Robert sent us an e-mail confirming this:

“Rob just wanted to reiterate how incredible the car is. You guys do a great job. I had no idea the car would be that strong yet tame as it was before the install.

I have been nothing but a grin from ear to ear for hours now.”

Enjoy The Ride, Robert!

There was a great Nissan and Datsun presence at the autox held at DeAnza College last weekend. Here is Scott S, driver of the GreenMachine with a quick report from the event:

227 drivers showed up for the 42nd Annual DeAnza Autox held in Cupertino, CA, and hosted by DeAnza Auto Tech and NorCal UFO. The weather was spotty for most of the day, with dry runs in the morning for those that showed up really early, and scattered storms throughout most of the rest of the day. Participation was down slightly from last year’s 243 driver’s, likely because of threat of rain all day.

Representing Z Car Garage were Josh C in the ZCG 370Z, Scott S in the GoGreen ZCG 350Z, Allen B in his Vortech supercharged 350Z, and Tom D in his TT G35. Everyone except for Tom had relatively dry weather, but poor Tom fought his power, street tires, and the wetness to manage an impressive 59.5s time given the standing water.

Josh and Scott competed in the OSP class, with Scott taking first place with a 50.2s run and 18th overall. Josh took 3rd in the class with a 55.5s run, and 82nd overall. Allen was incorrectly placed into the huge Evo-filled SM class, and Evos on race tires are hard to trump. Allen piloted the supercharger to a fantastic 52.6s run, earning him a trophy for 4th in class and 43rd overall. If he was properly placed in the SM2 class, he would have taken first handily.

Spectators were treated to witness a blazingly fast, 2002 Porsche GT2, which was co-driven by local SCCA champions Rob B, who owns the beautiful Porsche, and Scott F. Scott nipped Rob in his own car, as they ran 46.1 and 46.3, respectively, for the top two times of the day. Although the course is about the same from year-to-year, overall times were down by 1.5-2s from last year (dry-to-dry comparison).

Hope to Z ya out there next year!
Scott
Here are 2 videos of Scott’s run in the Green Machine. The exhaust note at full throttle is amazing…way to go Scott and congratulations to all that participated and placed high!
In-Car:

From Outside:

More pictures in the gallery!
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Yes Zcarblog readers, even those larger Nissans get ZCG love! Here is Rob with the story on this FX45:
Thad N and his wife Dana are big Nissan fans. Thad found a really clean FX with all the right stuff for making his commute a pleasureable experience. Living in the Santa Cruz mountains with all of those curvy roads this FX certainly gets put through its paces.
Thad has added GTspec bracing to stiffen up the chassis and intake to let that amazing V8 sing its song going in and out of the twistys.

His FX still had too much body roll in and out of the turns, and was also lacking in the brake department.
Solution 1: Eibach Pro-kit. A slight drop with some added spring rate allowing the FX to feel more solid during cornering.

Solution 2:  STOPTECH Big-Brake kt( BBK) kit with matching rotors and 309 pads in the rear. The stock rear calipers were also color matched to the fronts in red.

The new stance and big-brakes peeking out of the stock wheels turn this FX into a sleeper:

This FX is born again. Thad’s impression after the upgrades:  “the FX was amazing!!!”  After Dana drove she called to tell me that her G35 sedan needed to be upgraded ASAP.
So stay tuned this Nissan family has more upgrades on the way 🙂

 

Ken P has been a Datsun roadster owner and enthusiast since the early 90’s. He’s an original member of the Bay Area Datsun Roadster Owner’s Club (BADROC) and owns this highly modified 1969 2000 Datsun roadster, affectionately called “DATSTER”. Ken brought his car to ZCarGarage to get tuned, but let me share a little history with you since it has a special place in my roadster heart.

 

I met Ken at the Solvang Datsun Roadster Show back in 2001 and remember seeing all of his modifications for the first time. What really caught my eye was the paint and bodywork. Shaved door handles and side markers, no door or vent windows, and beautifully applied BMW Technoviolet paint really turned this into a hot rod. The interior was simple with no center console, re-uphostered seats, and a roll-bar. Over the years Ken kept adding his own touches and personality to the car including a trick hidden antenna and HID Xenon headlights adapted from a late-model BMW.

 

Under the hood lay Nissan’s mighty U20 drivetrain complete with several period go-fast parts like Mikuni-Solex side-draft carbs and a hotter camshaft. 14″ Panasports on sticky A032R tires and a full NISMO competition suspension made for a very fun little roadster.
I almost bought his car from him about 8 years ago but fate and the fact that Ken just can’t leave things alone led him to the next level of the DATSTER’s evolution. He removed and sold the U20 setup and with the funds(and money left to spare) purchased and installed a Nissan KA24DE drivetrain from a 240sx. Ken did the installation himself and added a few more custom touches like a metal dashboard color-matched to the body that houses the 240sx gauge cluster and S13 (of course!) seats.

 

Ken continued to drive and enjoy the new KA setup by doing fun runs, autocrosses, and even drag race events.  He wasn’t done yet though and decided to add boost to the motor in a rather unorthodox way: supercharging! A supercharger setup was sourced from a race car and Ken made numerous modifications to make it work in his engine bay.  The blower is mounted just above the frame rail but hidden under the intake runners. A custom throttle-body and pulley system were necessary.

 

Rob and the crew at ZCarGarage have worked on many roadsters, from bone stock to modified. Ken came to ZCG because he wanted to make sure his supercharged engine was tuned correctly for longevity and power. Baseline numbers were 159hp/156tq, and it was definitely in need of a proper tune. Rob and Clark Steppler tuned the roadster using a JWT ECU to safely boost at 8lbs and make some great power: 180hp/171tq at the wheels!!! The dyno plot reveals the beauty of a roots-style supercharger: a broad torque curve with over 150tq available from 2000rpm to 6000rpm! We think Ken is happier now 🙂

 

So with all of the ingenuity, modifications and big power is Ken finally “done”? Nope. He is currently engineering stronger brakes that will fit within those classy 14″ Panasports. Datsun owners are truly one of a kind!

 

Here are a few clips of Ken’s supercharged roadster in action and many more pictures in the gallery, enjoy!

more photos in the gallery:
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