Arsia has been coming to Z Car Garage for over 10 years with his 1994 Z32 Convertible. This was his first car and it has been a pleasure helping him maintain and modify it.
“When I first went to ZCG I was incredibly happy to have found a place that I could completely trust with my Z. Working with Rob is like finding a doctor that you trust and listen to any advice they give.”
“I got the Z in 1996 while I was in high school. My parents were open to me getting a sporty car, but nothing too crazy. I have an uncle in San Diego that sold used cars and he told my parents he had a great deal on a used 1994 Convertible Z. Lucky for me, my parents had no idea what type of car this was, but assumed it was something mild given my uncle was recommending it. In high school the car was used in one of our school parades. Today, the Z is still my daily driver and me and my girlfriend love taking the car out together on weekends for a drive or road trip.”
Making It His Own
Over the last decade Arsia would come to the shop for little projects, slowly giving the 300 his personal touch and building a really nice convertible. The body received a KarumaZ rear spoiler and we called upon our man William from William’s Auto Body to mold-in the side skirts and correct paint work.
Engine
At 93k miles, routine maintenance and upgrades commenced. We fixed all the little things he asked of us and performed timing belt services. Power upgrades included JWT 400 cams, POP charger, JWT ecu (tuned by Rob) rob tune, aftermarket cat and a SpecialtyZ 2.5″ exhaust:
With Rob’s dyno tuning the VG30DE made 206hp/185hp at the wheels. Solid gains of 24hp/34tq from baseline!
Suspension
Early on we installed Tokico 5-way shocks with an Eibach pro-kit, SPL T/C Rods, z32 rack bushings, and Stillen sway bars:
In 2015 we upgraded to TEIN Street Flex coil-overs with EDFC and GPS active suspension:
More maintenance followed with a new convertible top, smog, fuel hoses, 02 sensors and oil change in 2016.
In 2019 we replaced the injectors, cleaned up wear and tear. The transmission got tired so we did a Level 1 hot rod unit with torque converter. 10 years had passed so we serviced timing belt:
Stoptech Big-Brakes
As every Z32 owner knows, the stock brakes just aren’t up to the task. More power exacerbates the issue and you know how we feel at ZCG: It’s Stoptech Or Don’t Stop At All. Arsia’s Z got the 328mm Big-Brake Kit using red ST40 calipers and slotted rotors. A Stoptech sport kit in back with color matched stock calipers completes the system:
Wheels
Wheels make the car. Arsia had a set of OEM (’05-09) 18″ Z33 wheels on the 300. After much research, in Fall 2019 we ordered a set of Volk CE28N SL 18×8.5 front, 18x 9.5 rear finished in Pressed Graphite:
“Finding the CE28N wheels was a long hard process that honestly took hours of research over many days (thankfully Rob was there to help). I kept looking through tons of sites and hundreds of wheel options. Wheel after wheel either didn’t fit, had been discontinued, or wasn’t available in the color I wanted. I knew that whatever wheel I chose would be on the car for 10+ years, so I wanted to ensure it was high quality, extremely light and matched the aesthetics of a pearl Z. I was soooo happy with the result and the help from Rob to really perfect the look of the car.”
The CE28N wheels are light, at 17.8 lbs and they they look fantastic against the pearl white and gleaming Stoptech calipers behind those iconic spokes.
An alignment was performed after wheels/tire installation and we also installed center caps. The SL series wheels are not designed to accept a center cap so we used a hub adapter for that icing on the cake:
Arsia is stoked with the upgrades:
“The thing that I’ve loved with my journey with Rob is that not only is the car well maintained after being 26yrs old, but that it just keeps getting better. With the addition of Stoptech brakes, TEIN suspension, new cams, transmission upgrade, etc, the car feels better than new, while still being a capable daily driver. Rob really knows what maintenance and upgrades work best!”
Enjoying the Ride
Arsia can be found cruising around the Bay Area backroads, top down Enjoying The Ride. We love that after all these years he’s still passionate about his 300. More pictures in the gallery below!
“Rob is always super knowledgeable and understands what your goals are. I love the fact that he knows these cars so well and his top priority is having customers drive away with a smile. Every single time I’ve got the car back after service, I feel the same way I did the day I first drove the car….just grinning ear to ear! I really am thankful for the entire ZCG team, if it wasn’t for them, I truly don’t know if I would be able to still have this car today.”
Thank you Arsia, it’s been an absolute pleasure working with you. Long Live The Z!
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