Nick K has been coming to Z Car Garage for several years. He makes the trek all the way from Sacramento and we’re proud to be the only shop that gets to work on his 2004 G35 Coupe. In 2012 we first met Nick, UPREV flashed his car and performed routine services.  He had daydreamed of one day doing a supercharger kit.

 

A year later Nick K’s engine was tired. With 209k miles on the clock he dropped the G35 off at ZCG in preparation for a fresh start and…boost!  We removed the ailing VQ35 engine and installed a complete VQ35 from a customer who wrecked his car with 50k miles on it:

 

With the engine out it was prudent to install a JWT HD clutch/aluminum flywheel. We did a Vortech tuner supercharger kit using our recipe of 1000cc injectors, GT MAF, and Aeromotive 340 fuel pump. To keep everything cool in Sactown heat we installed a 25-row oil cooler. In 2013, Nick was on his way with a new engine and boost, enjoying a nice 140hp/105tq bump in power for a total of 386hp/334tq to the wheels:
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Eric Straw is a long time friend of the shop and hails from Oregon. Last year he visited Z Car Garage on the way down to the JCCS show where he debuted his latest masterpiece, this 1984 Nissan Skyline RS-X. Most Americans are familiar with the classic 70’s Skylines and later GT-R series, but this 6th generation (R30) chassis remains unknown unless you are a JDM-nerd. In Japan the R30 sold well and had a great following with Nissan enlisting the famous actor/racer Paul Newman to appear in ad campaigns. The R30 also formed the basis for the insanely cool SuperSilhouette race car:

   

The details of Eric’s R30 are endless. I don’t want to reveal too much as it deserves a major media feature first. It would be easy to write thousands, if not ten thousand words about the character, the touches, and the simple uniqueness that make the “Straw30” one of a kind. Where I fall short of storytelling, I hope photos suffice.

To get an appreciation of Eric’s talent as a fabricator and his build aesthetic take a quick look at his other Datsuns, a 1969 Datsun Roadster and 1971 Datsun 510:

 

  

Both deserve their own feature but can you see a theme starting to build here? Eric has a penchant for white paint and red valve covers…and turbocharged Nissan powerplants!

 

Finding A Skyline

It all started with an ad spotted on our good friend’s site, Bring A Trailer for a 1984 Skyline without an engine. This appeared to be the perfect specimen with the distinctive Tekkamen or “Iron Mask” front end compared to pre-facelift models with a conventional grille. Fellow Datsun enthusiast/restorer Michael Spreadbury of Spriso Motorsports joined Eric on the trek to Washington to pick up the R30.

 

As with most of these vintage Japanese cars, rust was a hidden issue as Eric discovered:

“When I first saw the car I wanted to make a really fun driver with lots of power and for sure RB powered. I didn’t plan on restoring the body when I bought it. After digging in, it was obvious I had to do a complete restoration as there was a lot of rust.”

Chassis restoration

What begun as an engine swap turned into a full blown bare metal restoration. Eric’s work simply goes beyond an OEM restoration. There are so many areas of custom fabrication throughout the chassis. We simply have not seen this level of care and love executed on an R30.  Here is Eric putting in work:
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We are both excited and humbled to have our Datsun Roadster featured on Petrolicious! Big thanks to Courtney Cutchen for the capitvating photography and a lively interview. Enjoy the article, link below:

petrolicious.com/this-datsun-roadster-has-a-new-heart-and-quite-a-few-stories-to-tell

 

We love to install bolt-on parts that add power to your Z/G car. At Z Car Garage UPREV tuning can maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake/exhaust upgrades. Here are two examples of how we consistently achieve better performance through tuning, with mods or even without!

 

Owen T had his 370z towed out of state for another tuner and he reached out to us for re-tune of an existing tune. The UPREV software is very user-friendly and a must-have for owners that have bolt-ons. Owen’s Z34 picked up 16hp/10tq for a total of 309hp/256tq to the wheels. Strong gains throughout the entire rev range:

 
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Dan J is the owner of this gorgeous 2015 GT-R finished in Regal Red paint with Ivory interior. In June ’15 he visited Z Car Garage for more power via the AMS Alpha 7 package making 577hp/562tq to the wheels.

  

Dan has been enjoying the newfound power on the street and racetrack. Speaking of the racetrack, Rob was at Laguna Seca recently with a few other customers and spotted Dan who was also tracking his car. Rob noticed that the GT-R’s front tires were worn and he had braking trouble. Immediately following the track day Dan reached out to us and discussed upgrading the brakes and suspension to reign in all that new power.

 
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