Part 2 in a series: ZCG also supports vintage cars of non-JDM origin!
Tuning The Datsun 510’s Rival
Alfas and BMWs have long been rivals of Datsun 510s. Fighting against both BMW and Alfa for the 1971 Trans Am 2.5 Challenge, a certain red, white and blue liveried BRE 510 coupe took the championship that year and in ’72/’73. So, at the shop it’s no secret we LOVE 510s and know for a fact that they are much cooler than their Euro counterparts 🙂 Tom H. is a gearhead and ran a 280zx in the 24hrs of LeMons last year with some help from Z Car Garage. Tom recently came to the shop to help tune his beautiful, modified BMW 2002 and we readily accepted the challenge.
The 2002 is a 1973 non-Tii “roundie” in Sahara paint with very subtle exterior mods for a clean, pre-’72 Euro look: shorter chrome bumpers, no lower trim on the doors, deleted side marker lights and basic BMW steelies. A great stance and handling comes from Ground Control coil-overs up front and Ireland Engineering Stage II springs in the rear with Koni shocks all around. Tom turned the ’02 into a total sleeper by modifying the motor with a ported head, custom 9:5:1 CR pistons and Megasquirt EFI. He recently converted to TWM 45mm throttle bodies which complicated tuning so ZCG came to the rescue!
On the dyno, baseline numbers were 98hp/129tq to the wheels. Great plateau of torque available from low rpm but still in need of tuning and full rev range:
After Rob’s tuning the mighty ’02 made 131hp/139tq to the wheels! Here is a short clip of the Bimmer on the dyno:
Just for kicks we even weighed the BMW to see how it compares to a Datsun 510: 2297lbs vs 2160 for Rob’s SR20DET-powered dime.
We enjoyed working with Tom and his very pretty(and potent!) 2002. Enjoy the Ride Tom!
Part 1 in a series: ZCG also supports vintage cars of non-JDM origin!
From Datsun to Porsche
Peter V. is no stranger to Datsuns having owned both a 240z and a 1968 2000 roadster (silver car below) for many years. We have known him for a long time and enjoyed his company on fun runs and car shows. So when Peter came to ZCG to have some work done on his Porsche 914 naturally we obliged!
The Porsche was running rough and had pinging issues. ZCG tuned the carbs and set the timing with smooth running and excellent power delivery in mind. We also took care of a few cosmetic items like the lower valance, see before/after below:
On the dyno, tuning yielded significant improvements in hp/tq throughout the rev range. Final numbers of 108hp/118tq at the wheels make this little 914 scoot!
It’s good to see Peter still enjoying the ride and though it may not be in a Datsun we dig his 914. We love working with classic cars of all makes so stay tuned for Part 2 in the series!
On Sunday I joined a group of Datsun roadster owners for a nice morning drive up to Mt. Hamilton and down to Livermore. We had a very diverse gathering of cars with Mike’s 67.5 SPL, Ken’s KA24-powered ’69 SRL, Dave The Car Guy’s ’68 SRL, Eddie’s SR20-powered ’66 SPL, and the boosted Box Flare 510.
We met at the Alum Rock Road/130 junction ~8am and headed up to Mt. Hamilton. This section of road was super curvy with blind corners, endless switchbacks and the occasional cyclist. Here is a short clip from inside the 510 to give you an idea:
We reached Lick Observatory at ~9am for a break and to admire the view. Looking down at the Bay Area one can also appreciate the “Race Track” that HWY 130 provides:
The descent down 130 into the valley offers an entirely different driving and scenic experience. Long, fast sweepers with off-camber turns combined with out-of-state landscape surroundings makes us long for another visit! Here is another video from inside the 510:
Watch the blog for more fun runs!
More pics in the gallery: …[read more]
Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 11:52 pm on June 8, 2013
Come join us for an afternoon of fun and Z-ing “in a straight line” June 26, 2013 at Sonoma/Infineon Raceway.
If you would like to caravan up from the South Bay meet at ZCarGarage at 1:30pm, 2pm departure!
The Wednesday Night Drags events are held at Sonoma Raceway on most Wednesday nights during the year. The gates open at 3:30 and racing is from 5-10pm. One typically gets a few practice (non-competitive) runs in before the racing starts assuming you get there early. All the information you need about the track and racing itself is located HERE
