Paul Ferrari has been in our life since 2002. Prior to launching Z Car Garage, as a young man Rob worked on Paul’s 1991 Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo. Paul is super enthusiastic and he is similar to Rob—there’s never enough power.

Our journey with Paul’s Z32TT spans almost two decades. It made plenty of power back in an era where it was uncommon; nowadays 500hp is easy to achieve with current performance parts.  From a NA-TT setup to full disassembly and restoration with lessons and tricks learned along the way…Paul has been a devoted friend and customer. Folks like Paul contribute to the success of Z Car Garage and we love when customers see ZCG as “their own” garage. Let’s take a look at how Paul found his 300…

Z32 Destiny

Paul recalls how we acquired the Z in December 2002, after passing on a MkIV Supra:

“When I first saw the Z in the seller’s driveway…It was one of those moments that is burned into my memory! I was amazed! The look! The stance! Even the license plate, “500HP”!  It had all the typical import performance parts of the era:  JWT Sport 500 turbos and test pipes, Stillen intercoolers, Stillen “dual pop chargers”, RCE 550 injectors, JWT ECU, HKS EVC, Apex’I Super AVC-R, Greddy Turbo timer, and OZ 17 inch-5 spokes. There was no doubt in my mind; this was going to be my car. It was so sexy, sleek and fast!” 

He reached out to Rob for a commensurate pre-purchase inspection and eventually purchased the Z:

“It only took a few phone calls to dealerships and other import shops to zero in on a guy named Rob Fuller at Scott Performance.  I think Rob’s name was mentioned in 3 out of 4 calls. It was well known, even before Z Car Garage that if you needed someone to look at your performance Nissan that Rob was the guy you wanted looking at it.” 

In 2004, Rob started his own performance shop, Z Car Garage. Paul Ferrari was one of many customers that followed and he certainly had the itch for more power. This led to the first high performance engine build, circa 2004:

 

We had Rebello build the VG30 with H-beam Rods, forged pistons, rebuilt the bottom end and heads, ordered JWT Sport 700 ball bearing turbos along with a set of big JWT cams, bigger intercoolers, bigger injectors and a laundry list of miscellaneous items.  It was good for 570hp/483tq at the wheels. Paul enjoyed it but shortly after he had run it on high boost without race fuel causing engine failure…

“Proof of my escapade that day still hangs on the wall between the shop and the office at Z Car Garage in the form of a stout, but severely bent H beam Rod attached to a piston with broken ring lands.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think mine was the first installment ever on the Z Car Garage wall of shame. ” 

The NATT is Born

Rob offered Paul a loaner motor out of a naturally aspirated Z32. Through some interesting twists and turns in Paul’s life, he was even a ZCG employee at the time. The crew discussed hanging his turbos on it, and to install the turbo cams since they were still at the shop. We all agreed, and it would be affectionately called the NATT    (Naturally Aspirated Twin Turbo). It was surprisingly good, and still a fond memory for many of us.

Paul’s life changed and he moved out of the Bay Area. With his life in transition eventually the NATT was pulled, and the Z sat in storage from 2008 to 2012. In this period we had the engine refreshed by Rebello, and had the car sent off to Williams Autobody for paint and installation of a new Veilside EC-01 front bumper and Karuma rear spoiler.

“During the time my car was mothballed, innovations at Z Car Garage never ceased. And since my car was just sitting, Rob and I were able to add almost everything to my build sheet.  Some of these innovations disappeared as fast as they came, some stayed. CZP 2.5 inch intercooler piping, larger throttle bodies, Bell intercoolers, a 4.08:1 Leaders gear set and KAAZ Limited slip diff; smaller exhaust housings and modified impellers on the turbos, Mike Smith high flow cast exhaust manifolds, a Selin dual MAF, ASHspec dual inlet piping, and several items from Specialty Z. ” 

Final Form

In 2012, Rob had started using Haltech ECU’s to unlock the power of his builds and was getting amazing performance results across the board.  He’d also been experimenting with Turbo exhaust housings, and modified impellers, cam profiles, and cam timing, along with a whole host of innovations for S30’s to Z34’s. We called up Paul and asked him to drive Rob’s newly-built Z32TT ( with tuning thanks to Seb of SpecialtyZ)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0UT3lwlZw4

Paul recalls the experience

“So, he calls me one day and says, ‘Man you need to come down and drive my Z.  You’ve got to experience the gains we’re getting with these Haltech’s.’  That car broke loose at 70 plus and went beyond 100 faster than anything I’d ever driven, and far faster than any Ferrari I’d ever ridden in, and for me, from that moment on, that’s all I could talk about and think about. During the era that my car was mothballed I had sold a house, changed careers, retired, moved to a different city, and had taken up off roading and traveling in a big way, so by the time I was able to house my Z, it was ready to be finished up and delivered.  And along with all the innovations that had taken place I was now going to have My Monster.”

Drivetrain

We removed the NATT from his Z and began the epic build, applying all the tricks we learned starting starting with a fully built Rebello 3L. The list includes: Sport 500 cams, HD springs all new lifters, and lots of headwork…

…3″ downpipes, 3″ mid pipes, SZ 2.5″ cat-back exhaust, BB700 turbos, BDE engine mounts, Ashspec inlet piping, Tomei exhaust cam gears, BDE cam gears, Mike Smith manifolds with EGR, SZ big IC piping and massive intercoolers, brand new transmission from Nissan, SZ high-five clutch/flywheel and a Haltech plugin Platinum Pro ECU with boost solenoids and map-based tuning:

More build pics in the gallery below! Here is the fresh, hot-rodded VG30DETT installed:

Rob dyno tuned using Haltech,  a Greddy boost controller and 100 octane yielding 630hp/539tq at the wheels:

Chassis

In addition to the full engine build, the entire car was restored from interior to exterior. The chassis was treated to Stoptech ST40 front and ST22 rear calipers, Volk SF Winning 18″ wheels with 245/275 Bridgestone RE-71R tires, new driveshaft assembly, Leader gears(4.08) with Quiafe LSD, Tein coil-overs with EDFC Active Pro controller, SPL tension rods and titanium HICAS eliminator and a full wiring harness.

The exterior restoration included all new mouldings, new front glass, all new cowl panel, and every weatherstrip piece that is available from Nissan. The interior is just as pristine as the exterior:

Paul was pleased with the Z, as delivered in 2017:

“When I took delivery, Rob wouldn’t tell me the horsepower I was making till well after I had had several months to drive the car.  He eventually told me 630 HP, and 540Lb/Ft TQ on a relatively conservative tune at near Sea Level in San Jose.  It’s strictly a VP110 car now.  Here at home in Reno at 4500 feet above Sea level the tires easily break loose on the freeway going 70, at this elevation it is truly amazing!”

Enjoying The Ride

Paul is very serious about motorsports and he is into LS-powered sand rails and Haybusa-powered buggies etc. so he has a 55 gallon of 110 race fuel at his house. His Z is tuned for 110 octane and he regularly tracks the car at Thunderhill Raceway. We love to see him Enjoying The Ride! Track photos by Gorilla Tornado Photography

“I track the car on club days, and I run it around the mountain roads of Tahoe and Virginia City, and take it to Cars and Coffee events.   I’ve gotten it up to 160mph, and maybe 170mph, and at the time of this writing the car is 29 years old, so I don’t think that’s too shabby!  It doesn’t need to go any faster, and neither do I.  It sits beautifully in the garage on a Battery Tender, along side a fuel jug full of VP110, waiting for its next rip.  It gets washed even when it doesn’t need it just for good measure.  It still rips and it still makes my heart race like nothing else. ” 

Enjoy this short video of the z in action:

“I found a Z Car that would not only invigorate my life but would lead me to the doorstep of such a long quest as a customer, friend, and supporter of Z Car Garage! I am honored and privileged to have been a part of the history of Z Car Garage.  I have a deep respect for Rob, the guys that started with Rob, and the guys who have cycled through in the shop, and I am privileged to have met so many great guys and gals that are passionate about performance Nissans.”

Thank you Paul Ferrari for being a part of the Z Car Garage family. It has been, and continues to be a rewarding journey working with you. LONG LIVE THE (twin turbo) Z!

The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. We are proud to be a part of this group and support its members, like former ZONC president Ken C. Ken brought his 1970 S30 to Z Car Garage for a dyno tune and minor sorting. In true do-it-yourself fashion Ken performs most of the work himself, even installing a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles in his garage.

“When I was 19 and in the Air Force I saved up for a Pinto, saved more for a Maverick…then I saw a 240z. I always wanted a 1970 and got this one in 1985. I drove it everywhere including Maine. I do 99% of the work myself with lots of details/upgrades like a huge cooling system (custom shroud) to support the A/C, rebuilt steering rack and all lightning.”

We recall seeing Ken’s Series 1 240z at the ZONC Annual Car Show in Brisbane, CA where he picked up an award for his efforts:

You can imagine how honored we were to have Ken let us work on his Z that only he’s allowed to work on. He had built a Rebello 3L with 5-speed/stock clutch and wanted us to do final sorting:

“Rob has always supported ZONC, done good work for its members so I trusted him to help get my Z in shape.  It was running too rich, stumbling and it would die when A/C  was turned on.”

Rob dyno tuned the L-series with SUs gaining more hp/tq and eliminating the hesitation Ken reported. The dyno plot shows his old L24 from a ZONC dyno day at the shop vs the current Rebello 3L now making a stout 183hp/191tq at the wheels. Enjoy this dyno video with sweet L-series music:

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 100 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

Ken had purchased a set of our ZCG CV Axles and installed them himself.We love to hear from customers that are using our products and he reports that the axles were easy to install and well-engineered. Thanks Ken, and nice work:

“The ZCG CV axles—much smoother happy with less vibrations, best CV axles I’ve ever seen. It took me about 90 minutes to install. Super simple and easy and Rob is of course always supporting his own products with great service.”

Please contact the shop or visit our website to order your CV Axles!

Time To Enjoy The Ride

Ken continues to enjoy driving his Z, to shows or cruises and around town:

More inspiration for the Do-it-yourself’er…Ken is also restoring this ’72 S30 back to its stock blue/white in his garage (and kitchen)!

Thank you Ken for entrusting your Z to us. Ken is an avid baker and makes his own jerky, we also thank him for the cookies (which he’s known for) and snacks he provided to the ZCG crew. LONG LIVE THE Z!

More pictures in the gallery below: …[read more]

We love to install bolt-on parts that add power to your Z/G car. At Z Car Garage UPREV or EcuTek dyno tuning can maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake/exhaust upgrades. Today we bring you three cars that received dyno tuning to maximize performance gains from common bolt-on parts. Enjoy!

Salvador’s 370z

Salvador visited us for a dyno tune with EcuTek on his 2018 370z.

The dyno shows significant gains in power/tq making 314hp/264tq to the wheels:

James’ 350z

James visited ZCG for an UPREV tune on his 2003 350z.

The Z responded really well to the dyno tuning session, making 256hp/257tq at the wheels. We also re-located James’ steering-mounted controls to allow map switching.

Z Car Garage offers the ARC(Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting for $150. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details!

Malcolm’s 350z

Malcolm’s Z came to us with a tune by another shop. It was E-tuned and Malcolm reported that it just didn’t feel right.

After UPREV tuning he picked up 13hp/10tq making 309hp/272tq to the wheels:

Enjoy this video showing all three Z’s on the dyno and contact us if you are interested in UPREV or ECUTEK tuning for you Nissan or Infiniti!

More often than not, it’s our parents who are responsible for our unrelenting passion for cars. For Geoff G, his automotive love was gifted to him by his Dad as a child. We love sharing our passion with family and friends so when Geoff and his father visited us with their 1972 Datsun 240z we happily obliged to help. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with tuning really made it come alive.

Z Car Beginnings

The Z was acquired from a family friend in 2015. Geoff worked on it with his Dad (Edgar) to make it a decent runner:

“When we took ownership of the car it had been sitting in a garage for several years, only being fired up occasionally. It’s originally painted 112 yellow, but a couple resale-red resprays along the way is where she sits. Drive train is all original. SU’s and 4 speed all there. And most importantly, no rust, or any signs of accidents. This is me and my dad’s first Z car. Always been a fan.”  

Fast forward, the father-son duo felt confident enough to enter the Z on a couple of rallye events in 2019. These Targa events are familiar to us, having prepared the Bring a Trailer Datsun 240z for the Targa Baja California rallye in October ’18:

“In 2014 we successfully piloted his 1973 Opel GT on the Snowball Rally event.  So when we picked up our Z, we knew we would get it out on the rally events. You can see our Z in the videos below”

Targa California 2019 Z shows up at 7:00 min mark: YouTube

Targa Baja California 2019 – Z shows up at 0:52 mark sporting rally Z inspired decals: YouTube

Pictures from the two rallye events:

 

Regarding the livery, Edgar wanted to make the car stand out a bit more in the rallye events and typical BRE-inspired themes.  They went in the direction of the Rallye Monte Carlo Z that came in 3rd place at the 1972 event:

 

“The livery is very loosely based on the Monte Carlo car: When we brought it home, it came fitted with the front brush bar style bumper. I really did not like the look at the time, so I sourced a set of nice original chrome bumpers to bring it back to original. So we had that clean look for a while. But after our first rallye in the Z, I thought, you know, some fog lights would be a great idea. Functional for the night stages in the events. So we threw the brush bar back on, and it really set the tone for a rally style/safari look Z. In the end, the bumper and the livery came together.”

 

It’Z a Small World

 

Geoff and Edgar visited Z Car Garage back in January to help with some braking system issues.

“In the beginning of the year, after running the 2 previous events, the brakes started to feel on their way out.  So after coming across ZCG on social media several years ago, and at the backing of our dear family friend, Ricky Silverio, I reached out to Rob for some stopping help.”

It is a small world indeed, as we’ve known Ricky for many years and the crew at Japanese Nostalgic Car (JNC)! It gets even better as both Ricky and Geoff’s family’s go way back to their days in the Philippines. Recently, Ricky decided to let go of his 1993 Mazda Miata with only 31k miles and Geoff picked it up. It complements Geoff’s ’94 R-package Miata (he credits Ricky for his MX-5 addiction).

 

 

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

Back to the Z…Geoff had heard about our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) so we let both him and his father take “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car out for a test drive.

They were both super-impressed with how the brakes felt and they were sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 Read below for a brief description of these parts:

     

As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with engineers at Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel (and some 14″ wheels) and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:

Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)

Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats

Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads

Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.

A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:

 

We removed Geoff’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. Up front:

   

A few more shots of the front brakes:

     Our Big-Brakes utilize the OEM brake master cylinder and booster along with the factory hydraulic system. We installed NOS booster and master cylinder for Geoff:

 

At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes:

          

Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!

  

The new brakes fit nicely behind the 15×8 RS Watanabe wheels front and rear:

      

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 90 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

 

Geoff received axle set #309. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units, more pictures in the gallery below:

  

Engine

 

Geoff’s engine needed some work. The carbs were off as was the timing. Rob performed on-the-fly tuning after setting the carbs and full timing. The distributor was also re-installed correctly. After these adjustments were made they took their Z out for a drive and came back to the shop. The look on Edgar’s face was priceless. They were impressed. Stage 1 of this build is complete and we are discussing plans for a built L-series, 5-speed transmission and fresh suspension. The new triple Mikuni’s are ready:

 

Part Two

 

We had a blast working with this father and son team and love that their passion is a family affair. Their affection for Datsuns also runs deep with Edgar enjoying 510s in the 80’s and Geoff picking up this cherry 2-door in 2016:

 

“We are very much looking forward to the next step. It’s a great car, and we’ve made so many good friends and stories in it. There will be a sequel, starring a 3.1L and triple Mikuni’s. Can’t wait for the next chapter!”

Tune in to zcarblog for updates and Long Live The Z!

More pictures in the gallery below: …[read more]

Yoni has been our customer since 2014 and after having a taste of vintage Z cars at the shop he finally found one to call his own. This green S30 has had a long history with ZCG and before Yoni picked it up he requested intallation of our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles to make it perfect.

This Z was previously owned by our customer Alan L who purchased it in Idaho in 1995. We worked on this car since the late 90’s and it has many neat parts suiting his taste like a nasty 3L mated to a 4-speed transmission, stock brakes with race pads, Panasports and roll bar. He drove the wheels off this thing not only on the street but at the track too. In 2013 Alan retired to Palm springs and decided it was time to sell, sending it to us to find the Z a new home.

We got it here and installed a Rebello 2.9 with SUs, early 5-speed trans and some cleanup work.

Timing worked out wonderfully as Yoni was jonesing for an S30:

“I got my G37 in 2013 as a gift to myself for graduating college and landing my first “big boy” job. I researched the best garages in the Bay Area and only one stood out: Z Car Garage. I sent my first email to Rob in 2014, and my journey with ZCG has continued since then. Over the years I’ve only brought my G to Rob and his amazing team. They’ve performed all my routine maintenance and a couple major repairs and realized I appreciated the car as it is. It fulfilled it’s purpose for me – a fun, fast, reliable daily driver…

 

… Around 2019 I considered selling my G. There was nothing wrong with it, but I felt like something was missing for me. At this point I had spent the majority of my career developing electric vehicle technology (and even an electric flying taxi!). Spending so much time thinking about what was coming next made me, ironically, want to drive something more physical. I wanted to be able to experience driving something with personality, something that required actual skill and gave real feedback. I wanted something more rewarding…”

 

The Butters Effect

After a routine visit to ZCG and seeing all the vintage Z cars, Yoni took our shop demo car “Mrs. Butters” for a spin. It solidified his need for a Z:

“Rob eventually he let me drive one of his personal cars, Butters. The thing about driving Butters for the first time, especially if you’ve never driven a Z car, is that it’s totally unfair. Butters is kind of like the best version of what a Z car should be. It’s not another LS swap, not a restored garage queen, just a solid Z with a big engine and killer brakes. Butters is like the gateway drug of Z cars – you leave expecting all Z cars to be like that.”

Fast forward a few months and Yoni was ready to purchase the green Z. The 3.1L was already transplanted into customer Jason’s ProjectZ and the freshly built 2.9L with SUs and early 5-speed took its place:

Rob dyno tuned the L-series, now making 175hp/190tq at the wheels:

Enjoy the video with sweet L-series music!

The Z was good, but not “ZCG-good”, so we fixed that. Before it went home he had us install our ZCG Big-Brakes,  ZCG CV Axles, new Bridgestone S007a tires and more:

“When Rob showed me the car for the first time, I was mostly sold. The car was great, but the stock brakes needed to go (thanks to Butters). The car had a huge binder of records and history that went along with it. The price was right and we agreed that Rob would install ZCG big brakes, CV axles, and some sticky tires before I took delivery. He also took care of a few small items I wanted.”

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

We handed Yoni the keys to “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 Read below for a brief description of these parts:

     

As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with engineers at Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel (and some 14″ wheels) and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below: Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized) Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:

 

We removed the stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit:

  At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!

   

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 90 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

 

Yon has CV Axle set #331. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

 

ZCG CV axles installed:

  

Details

 

A few more items were sorted including bumper over-rider removals, corrected side markers and replaced antenna

       

Welcome to the Z car family!

 

Yoni and his super supportive wife picked up car and they were stoked. Now he has a rad vintage 240z to go along with his daily G37 coupe.

“I’m really happy with the car. It’s the perfect compliment to my G, which I am definitely keeping now. It’s also really the best mix of things I wanted in a first Z. A good engine, moderate suspension upgrades, awesome brakes, and nice but not perfect paint. It’s something I can really enjoy driving and sharing with people without being paranoid about keeping it perfect. At some point I’ll be back to have Rob work on the interior with me. Who knows, maybe there’s a set of triple Mikuni carbs in my future. For now though, I’m enjoying the ride.”

Thank you for your continued support an we love working with you Yoni. We are glad that you are now a 240z owner,  welcome to the family and LONG LIVE THE Z!

More pictures in the gallery below: …[read more]