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Z Car Garage CV Axles on Dirk’s 500hp Datsun 510

Filed under: 510,Events,Parts
by Alvin G @ 4:55 pm on April 29, 2022

 

We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. This 1971 Datsun 510 is owned by Dirk D. and he replaced his failing CV Axle kit with our ZCG CV Axles. You may have seen this Specialty Z-built Dime at events in the SoCal area and we are proud to be part of it!

 

We saw Dirk’s 510 last year at the Japanese Classic Car Show and noticed he was running ZCG CV Axles with an R200 diff and Quaife (ATB) limited slip differential. Great to hear that these parts earn Sebastian’s approval and he installed them with ease at the Specialty-Z facility in Simi Valley, CA. Dirk is stoked:

“After receiving them I was even more impressed. Sebastian said the installation went very smooth. I’ve been running them now for over 2000 miles and haven’t had any issues. Even after putting the wood to it a few times. And the fact that we put 498 horse power to the rear wheels proves to me that they are high quality”

 

Datsun 510 Dreams

 

Dirk has bee working for 10 years perfecting this 510 mechanically and visually. Here is a brief overview…

MOTOR: SR20DET Red top, Mazworx intake, 1320 Injector dynamics, dual scroll exhaust manifold with Garrett 30 GTX twin Scroll, Forged Pistons (CP), Rods (Eagle), ARP Studs, O-Rings, BC Stage 3 Cams (Adjustable cam sprockets), R35 GTR PRP Coil Kit, S15 Oil pick up, High Capacity Oil Pan, Setrab oil cooler, modified Mishmoto radiator, OEM Nissan Fan Clutch, High Capacity Fan, Canton remote oil filter

 

DRIVE TRAIN: 5 speed, RPS Carbon Fiber Clutch, Pressure Plate & Fly Wheel (billet aluminum), Custom Built Drive Shaft 300ZX Yolk & U Joints, ZCG CV Axles and Power steering.

 

Sebastian at Specialty Z dyno-tuned the 510 using a Haltech ECU with maps for E85 and 91 octane fuel. It made 369whp at 16psi and 498whp at 20psi. Enjoy this video of the dyno pass:

 

Interior

 

Inside, a finished custom interior features carbon fiber and alcantara touches:

 

Dirk’s 510 was featured in the February 2019 issue of D Sport Magazine:

 

 

Enjoying the Ride

 

Dirk has been driving his 510 everywhere, most recently to the Petersen Museum Japanese Car Cruise-In last weekend. Both Sebastian and Dirk are impressed with the Z Car Garage CV Axles:

“Sebastian from Specialty Z told me about your axles after informing him that I just snapped a set aftermarket CV Axles the first time I put the wood to it. So I decided to upgrade to ZCG CV’s. I thought that weak link was going to be an issue that was unsolvable because prior to your CV’s there was nothing on the market that would hold up to the power that this car has. It’s great you guys have offered this solution to the market.”

 

See more of Dirk’s 510 on his Instagram.

 

Sebastian of Specialty-Z

 

Dirk purchased this 510 with the SR20 swap already in it, assuming it was a turn key car. Unfortunately the engine failed due to the previous owner’s tuning and 76 mm turbo. Dirk knew Sebastian for quite awhile and talked him into helping him rebuild the car to its fullest potential.

“I wanted a car that wasn’t only for drags or track but could also be driven as a daily driver and still haul ass. With no cooling or tuning issues whatsoever. With major help from Sebastian at Specialty Z and Jamie @ Fab Tech I’ve got everything I asked for and more out of the car couldn’t be happier.”

 

We asked Sebastian what his thoughts were on building Dirk’s 510:

“The thing I enjoyed most about Dirk’s 510 project was that it was something that we normally don’t do as far as the platform goes. So it was new and refreshing. We never worked in depth with the SR20 in the past or the 510 chassis. We stuck to high quality (as we usually do anyway) parts for the build so it was hard to leave others out, overall we were happy with the fit and finish of the Mazworx intake and exhaust manifolds. We used a Garrett GTX 3076 for the turbo and Garrett never disappoints. As far as the drivetrain goes, the ZCG axles were a pleasure to install and the quality was second to none. We had issues with the previous axles and immediately noticed the difference in noise (lack of) and even a nicer feel while driving the car.”

 

We have known Sebastian for many years and Specialty Z is a legendary Z32/late-model Nissan tuning house. Seb is a trusted friend and is always willing to help ZCG. It goes without saying that his shop is top notch with many high-profile projects like tuning pro-racer Chris Forsberg’s TT 370Z. Time flies: (L). Ginash and Eric from JDM Legends at SEMA. (Below) Rob and Seb at Z Car Garage:

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You won’t see too much from Specialty Z in regards to Datsun related work, but we frequently refer local clients to Seb that have late-model powerplants. Indeed, we sent Bay Area local Jose P to SPZ for tuning on his SR20-powered Datsun 510! We are also super excited to see Seb restoring our Box-flared Datsun 510 that he purchased it from Rob a few years ago:

 

Seb plans to run a Rebello 2.2L with dual-Mikuni induction, here are a few photos from fresh paint and assembly:

 

 

Thank you Dirk and Sebastian for your support! Happy to see you enjoying the Z Car Garage CV Axles in the Dime. Enjoy The Ride!

 

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:

Supermachine in Tokyo, Japan is running our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles in their Series Datsun 240Z:

 
 

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou is running our ZCG CV Axles in this IMSA GTU 260z race car!

 
 

Racer Brad H is running ZCG CV Axles in his IMSA GTU race car:

 
 

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running ZCG axles in several of his cars:

Set #246 – installed May 2018 on the “Harry Stewart #52” Datsun 510:

 
 

Set #247 – installed April 2018 on the 260z

 
 

Set #248 – installed on Adam Carolla’s “Greg Sorrentino #90” Datsun 510.

 
…[read more]




Derek’s R35 GT-R

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance,R35
by Alvin G @ 8:12 pm on October 16, 2019

 

At Z Car Garage we are fortunate to be a part of our customer’s sports car journeys. Derek Y is a long-time customer and we worked on his 2005 Infiniti G35. Three years passed by and he visited us with his latest Nissan, this 2015 GT-R. The R35 visited ZCG with only 11k miles and received a host of power upgrades from AMS, EcuTek, SpecialtyZ, Turbosmart and more:

 

Here are the SpecialtyZ 3″ intakes and AMS front-mount intercooler being installed:

 

More engine bay work including the AMS crankcase breather setup, ID 1300cc injectors (plus DW fuel pump upgrade), Turbosmart BOVs and a SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel kit:

 

AMS crankcase breather being plumbed:

 

Stock vs Turbosmart BOV:

 

On the lift, AMS cat-less downpipes are installed:

 

At first glance it is difficult to catch all of the power upgrades in the engine bay, Stock (L) vs Modified (R)

 

Derek also needed new tires so we mounted fresh Michelin Pilot Sport4S sized 245/40/20 and 285/35/ 20.

Dyno Tuning

Rob dyno tuned the GT-R using an EcuTek flash and Derek also received a USB dongle for datalogging. Baseline power was 495hp/446tq with final numbers of 612hp/604tq to the wheels on E85:

 

A few plots showing the tuning session: Baseline to 91 octane tune with gains of 65hp/93tq (Left), and the final E85 tune for even more gains of 52hp/51tq (Right):

 

Video of the R35 on the ZCG dyno:

 

Thanks for letting us work on your GT-R Derek and enjoy the 100+hp boost!




PARTS: Z Car Garage CV Axles

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 10:59 am on June 17, 2019

ZCG CV Axles

Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. We have sold over 60 sets of axles, 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. Full details can be found HERE

***Our latest batch of CV Axles is ready, please contact the shop to order your set***

 

V8 Time: LSx owners running ZCG CV axles!

We love to hear from customers using our products. In addition to ZCG customer project cars running our CVs, many do-it-yourself owners are installing these parts on their own cars worldwide. Here are four, GM LSx powered Z-cars all running ZCG CV axles. Johnston S out of North Carolina installed ZCG CV axles on his 1974 260z running a turbocharged LS1:

 

See more of his build on Instagram.

Tyler F. hails from Washington and he sent us these pictures of his LS-powered S30 project getting ZCG CV Axles:

 

We were happy to hear that Tyler successfully installed his CVs:

“Rob, I was able to install the new axles you shipped, and I wanted to say thank you. The fitment was perfect, and really easy to install, and I appreciate the extras you threw in. Im so excited to have my beast out on the roads again! Cheers, Tyler”

 

Mike T. from Georgia installed our CVs on his ’78 LS1-powered 280z:

 

Our customer Gary R also received ZCG CV axles on his LS3-powered 280Z. Full report on this beauty soon!

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!

 

Our latest batch of CV Axles is ready, please contact Rob at the shop to order your set!

408-452-0350

robATzcargarage.com

 




James’ 240z Gets New Wheels

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 1:19 am on November 19, 2018


James’ turbocharged L-series Datsun just got a new set of wheels. Big thanks to Love20bee for sourcing and re-finishing these SSR Watanabe RS8s sized:
Front 10.5, -6 offset
Rear 12.5, -32 offset

 

The crew at ZCG worked diligently to ensure the 275/40 front and massive 315/35/17 rear NT-01 tires cleared at full lock and suspension travel.

 

Our ZCG Big-Brake Kit( 328mm) is framed nicely behind the RS-8 spokes:

 
 

We also installed fender mirrors and James’ already hit the roads to Enjoy The Ride!

 

Enjoy this video of the Z rolling with the new footwork, speakers UP!

 

 

Stay tuned for a full report with dyno/tuning!

 




Mike’s Vortech Supercharged 350z

Filed under: Featured Cars and Projects,Performance
by Alvin G @ 1:02 am on October 1, 2018


We have been working with Mike M and his 2006 Z33 since last year. With every visit to ZCG this 350z gets upgraded in both power and chassis areas. In November 2017, with 111k miles on the VQ a Vortech supercharger was installed with supporting mods:

 
 

Chassis improvements: KW V3 coil overs, SPC front/rear control arms, Hotchkis sway bars and a full alignment. We also installed ART pipes to replace the factory cats:

 

Hotchkis front and rear sway bars:

  
 

ART Pipes:

 
 

Mike’s latest visit to ZCG included fueling, gauges and more power upgrades. The fuel system was converted to support E85/ethanol starting with a Walbro 485 in-tank fuel pump:

 

Next, a CJ Motorsports Stage 2 fuel return system help keep up with the Walbro pump:

 
 

Increased fuel demands of E85 require larger fuel injectors so we installed IDX 1050CC units. A Zeitronix ethanol sensor is critical for monitoring E85 content:

 
 

The brains to managing the E85 content is a Haltech Platinum Pro plug-in. A PLX Devices dm6 AFR/gen4 gauge pod also accommodates the Zeitronix ethanol sensor readout:

 
 

Final power adder was a 2.87 pulley for the supercharger and our ZCG air bypass for the race gate:

 

From the dyno charts below, having the ability to change the ethanol content of fuel allows for more hp/torque.  More smiles per gallon as well with E85 currently at $1.99/gallon

(left) Baseline before Haltech tuning: 331hp/286tq and (right) baseline to 91 octane tune with Haltech: 346hp/303tq to the wheels

 
 

Final 91 octane tune with the Haltech: 364hp/306tq at the wheels:

 

75% Ethanol tune: 421hp/345tq to the wheels:

 

To balance an extra 126hp power from the Vortech we installed a Stoptech Big-Brake Kit. Up front are 332mm ST40 calipers in red, with slotted rotors:

 

Stock vs Stoptech:

 
 

The new brake also look great behind the Enkei RPF1 wheels:

 

Enjoy the Ride Mike!




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