WE LOVE RACING! On March 3-5, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) hosted their SpeedTour season opener at Thunderhill Raceway. Z Car Garage had a great time racing and supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group. Enjoy our report with in-car footage and photos.

Z Car Garage Race Support Services

 

Z Car Garage offers full trackside support and in-house race car preparation so you can focus on driving. Our client Todd R is a great example of ZCG trackside support in action. He’s been racing his Datsun 510 privateer-style for the last few years and hired us for the first time last year, check out his experience HERE. For the SVRA event at Thunderhill we supported our clients Tom and Gabe:

Z Car Garage Racers

Tom’s Ex-Norm Balzer 510:

 

Here is Tom’s race report:

“The weekend was a little bit of mixed bag. Friday went well with some stellar setup tuning to adjust to the RA1 tire (first time with them on track).  Saturday was a bit of disappointment with fuel pressure issues, but Rob, Nick and Copper stayed focused and the smoking gun (Fuel cell foam was long past its prime). Problem resolved and Sunday was a success. Starting from the back of the grid (after DNF’ing the Saturday qualifying race) provided some passing fun, finished the race chasing Mark Nettesheim in his newly rebuilt Maroon ands Silver #37.  We stayed nose to tail until he spun on T3 on the last lap, providing me a window to slip by.  Great fun.”

 

Gabe’s B-Sedan 510:

 

Rob was in his Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510:

 

Rob’s race report:

“It’s been a few months since we’ve been in our B-Sedan vintage race cars. We headed up to Thunderhill Raceway for new event, SVRA’s first time hosting a season opener. Weather was spotty with fear of rain all weekend but the Datsun Gods blessed each session with a nice, dry track. Usual suspects Meghan, Corwins, Nick and Cooper all helped support our clients Tom and Gabe. So we were the trifecta of B-Sedan awesomeness in group 8.” 

 

“Tom’s car fought us a bit but with help from Nick and Cooper we were able to get it back on the track for Tom to enjoy the rest of the weekend. We need more Alfas and 2002s out there…we are the huge 510s fan and biggest advocate for rhem but it would be cool to see a wide of variety of cars racing. I was able to win one of the races and Gabe was in the front of the field. Really proud of him going from mid-pack to top 5 racers. He will only get faster.”

 

Watch this video from Rob’s 510 in the B-Sedan Group 8:

You can see more race videos from the SVRA event on Rob’s YouTube Channel. Give the guy a thumbs up and subscribe while you are there! (Below) Rob Fuller, Troy Ermish and Jim Froula, Gabe and David all on the podium:

 

 

A weekend of great racing and good times

 

Special thanks to ZCG crew Nick and Cooper for kicking ass all weekend to ensure our cars were safe and running in top form. We had a great time and it was nice to see new faces and old friends like David Carroll. He won OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car in his LS-powered Z!

   

Join The Vintage Racing Fun

 

Interested in joining the vintage racing fun? Z Car Garage can help you prepare and support your race car at the track. We can also help you find a vintage race car! Contact Rob at the shop at 408-452-0350 or e-mail rob@Zcargarage.com for more details. Catch all of our race reports on zcarblog HERE and stay tuned for our race report from the 3/25 CSRG race event! More photos in the gallery below:

 

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Z Car Garage is featured in Nostalgic Hero’s coverage of the Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) 50th Birthday Celebration at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca. You can view the article HERE.

 

We had a great time attending the event and Rob Fuller displayed his #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z. Our client and fellow racer Glenn Chiou displayed his FAR Performance 240Z while Linda Williams displayed her 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate:

 

Z Car Garage also displayed the 2023 Nissan Z!

 

You can see our full report from the ZONC celebration with even more photos and video in this blog post HERE. Thanks to Hisahi Masui from Nostalgic Hero!

 

Our client Gary’s S30 with the Datsunworks KN20 twin-cam cylinder head is featured in the popular Japanese magazine, “Option”.

 

Supporting the 3.1L engine are our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, Jenvey ITB EFI with Haltech Elite management, Nissan 6-speed CD009a transmission and OS Giken 4.11 LSD. You can view the article HERE.

 

Big thanks to photographer Akio Hirano and Hideo Kobayashi for taking the time to visit Z Car Garage on their trip from Japan. Long Live The Z!

 

 

 

We love working with owners that have a long history with their Z car. Stan K is the original owner of this early Datsun 240z (VIN# 511, 11/69 build), purchased brand new in 1970. The car had been sitting in storage for decades and Stan contacted us to revive it with mechanical sorting.

 

Stan shipped his car to our shop from Rocklin, Ca and we began work in 2020 to get it back on the road. Our Z Car Garage CV Axles along with refurbished brakes, suspension, interior and engine all transform this Z back into the sports car Stan remembered enjoying. Let’s get into the mechanical restoration of HLS30-00511 in one of our favorite colors, Safari Gold.

Drivetrain

 

The Z had been sitting in garage since the early 90s. Stan was getting older and his son was getting to be of age where he could enjoy it. The idea was for Stan and his family to do a mechanical restoration, allowing us to get it back on the road for the next generation to drive.  We performed a full inspection when it arrived, and it was in rough condition from being parked for so long:

 

Unfortunately the engine had failed, so we built a Rebello 2.4 “stock” rebuild, retaining the factory block and cylinder head since it was such an early S30:

 

Before the rebuilt engine was installed the engine bay was cleaned up, before/after and many more photos in the gallery below:

 

Rebuilt engine going back in and ZCG went to work, performing all the things we do when getting these Z cars back on the road: refreshed entire cooling system, heater core, updated the starter and charging system to 280ZX spec and a fresh set of Z-Therapy carbs with Pertronix ignition and all of tune-up items:

 

We replaced the intake/exhaust manifold gaskets and installed an MSA coated header with our ZCG Exhaust system. The original 4-speed transmission was resealed. Before/After drivetrain and engine bay work:

   

Dyno Tuning

Rob dyno tuned the Z, making 133hp/137tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy this video of the dyno runs and L-Series music!

 

Z Car Garage 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.

  

Stan has CV Axle set #377. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units. Also shown are the T3 control arms:

 

The differential was resealed with new front/side seals:

   

Braking System

 

Rob shares his thoughts on going through Stan’s entire braking/hydraulic system:

“I couldn’t believe how Stan K’s car went from resting in its slumber in his garage to running on the road once again. After the phenomenon of Z Car Garage Big-Brakes it was really odd to go back to an entirely stock braking system…re-doing factory calipers, rotors, re-packing wheel-bearings, shoes, wheel cylinders, drums, it was really cool.”

 

S30 World Fuel Tank

We decided to start fresh with a new S30 World fuel tank. They make a wonderful Series 1 replacement. Great product coming from owners Gustav Oplasnik and Chris Visscher, Z enthusiasts/restorers.

   

We also replaced all vapor hoses and hatch weatherstripping to eliminate fuel smell in the cabin:

 

Topping off the mechanical restoration was a suspension refurbishment with adjustable T/C rods, new ball joints, springs and shocks:

Details

 

Since our 1971 shop demo Z Mrs. Butters used to run on the Series 1 OEM wheels we knew exactly what tire to run on Stan’s…185/70/14 Vredstein Sprint Classics. Rob also found Stan a set of Series 1 “D” hubcaps from our stash of parts:

 

A fresh set of NOS Hatch vents was installed:

 

Interior

 

In addition to the mechanical restoration we also freshened up the interior. The highlight is a full dashboard replacement using a Series 1 reproduction piece from Vintage Dashes. We have now performed several Vintage Dashes installations and we thank Ivan Jaramillo for making a cost-effective product for Z cars. Here are a few in-progress photos showing the old-cracked original dash being removed to prep for the new unit, more pictures of the process in the photo gallery!

 

The heater box was refurbished with new heat/defrost vents, gaskets and all HVAC cable controls were lubed:

 

All gauges were dissembled and cleaned up so the view from the steering wheel is minty fresh:

 

New dash fully assembled and ready to re-install:

 

Stan’s Z received our ZCG door treatment with our door seals and weatherstripping: all the things we do to make those doors sound less “tinny” and shut like a German car:

 

The seats were weathered, so once again Rob’s stash of parts yielded a fresh set of seats:

   

This Z is back to its former glory, with everything we know to update/improve without taking away the value of a Series 1. Stan’s Z has a full mechanical restoration so it can be enjoyed by his family and next generation of Z enthusiasts. On the cosmetics side, with a full detail you can see how the factory paint comes back like nobody’s business:

 

Our time with Stan’s Z was during COVID so his family was not able to come down to the shop and see all the progress. A bit of sad news, by the time we finished his beloved 240Z, Stan passed away. His widow, son and daughter came down to Z Car Garage. His son did not know how to drive manual so Rob gave him a quick lesson:

“I taught his son how to drive stick and use specific items like the choke lever. We all cried, tears of sadness and joy celebrating Stan’s Z. He might have crossed over but his Z car will remain here for his family to enjoy. Long Live The Z. Long live the passion. Thanks Stan K.”

 

Life is short. Enjoy The Ride fellow Z car enthusiasts! More photo of Stan’s 1970 Datsun 240Z in the gallery below:
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At Z Car Garage we love getting Z’s back on the road. Garett is a Bay Area local and visited us for mechanical sorting on his 1972 Datsun 240Z. Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles combined with a suspension rebuild improved the chassis. Power comes from a Rebello 3L with our Z Car Garage Heat Shield  and in-house dyno tuning to make it sing.

 

“I first learned about Z Car Garage just searching on the internet to see who works on Z cars exclusively in the Bay Area. Then I started watching videos of  Larry Chen and all the amazing work that Z Car Garage provides and I knew I wanted to go with them for their expertise on my 1972 240z, which I couldn’t just trust any mechanic to work on this beautiful car.”

Before we describe the mechanical work, let’s hear how Garett got in to his Z car…

History

 

Garett’s love for the Z starts at a young age. His Dad purchased this S30 brand new in June of 1972:

“Ever since I laid eyes on that car I wanted it and eventually when I turned 20 years old I bought it off of him and after driving for a while it blew a head gasket. I learned about Rebello racing, located in Pacheco at the time and I put in a fully ported and polished 3 liter with triple-Mikuni carbs. The amazing Mike Yoes lived one town over from me in Crockett, and installed my engine right out of his garage.” 

 

“After a while my Z sat in the side of my parents house for a while due to lack of money to fix other parts. After 6 years I’m slowly reviving her and now she’s back better than ever with a lot of love put in. My goal with the Z was to basically restore it back to original look and functionality with the mechanical upgrades to really enjoy the car to the fullest.”

 

Drivetrain

 

Garett’s Z sports a Rebello 3L engine with 280ZX 5-speed from many years ago. We installed what every triple-carbed L-series needs: a ZCG Heat Shield! Garett has #HS00257.

 

Dyno Tuning

 

Rob dyno tuned the Rebello 3L engine with jetting, A/F and performance in mind. Baseline was 215hp/202tq and it left with 229hp/209tq to the wheels:

 

Enjoy the L-series music in this video of Garett’s Z on the dyno…volume up!

 

Driveline Upgrades

Helping put the power down efficiently is an OS Giken LSD paired with our Z Car Garage CV Axles. The R180 houses a 4.11 R&P and the assembly is setup in-house (by Joshua Corwin). More photos in the gallery below:

 

Z Car Garage CV Axles

Garett initially contacted us to have Z Car Garage products installed on his 240Z. Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

 

We replaced his existing CV Axles (left) with ZCG units (Right). Garett received set #00426. Also visible are the T3 lower control arms:

 

ZCG Big-Brakes

We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on Garett’s 240z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) which have the been standard on numerous ZCG builds. 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.

  

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

At the rear, factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. OEM Nissan master cylinder and Factory handbrake functionality IS retained! Not only do they perform, they look great behind the 16×7 Panasport wheels!

 

Suspension

 

The front suspension was overhauled with new adj. T/C rods from Techno Toy Tuning, new control arm bushings in OEM control arms, rack bushings, ball joints, outer tie rods, steering rack boots and more.

Old, torn rack boots vs new units and new T/C rods:

 

The rear suspension received new T3 lower control arms and rear wheel bearings.

 

Details

 

Small items that make a difference: we corrected his brake booster issues, fixed the emergency-brake lever  that popped out of its housing and corrected his speedometer:

 

While were in the engine bay we also upgraded to a 280ZX alternator with Motorsport bypass and corrected throttle linkage issues to make the gas pedal feel awesome:

 

Panasport Wheels

 

We installed 16×7 Panasport wheels in our offset allowing 225/50/16 tires (Bridgestone RE-71R). The Z was fully aligned afterwards.

   

Driving is Believing

Garett was happy with the mechanical upgrades and ZCG parts:

“I got the work done over last December. Z Car Garage works so fast and everything was done and ready in about 4 days.  I know there were supply chain issues but after 2 plus years of waiting it was worth the wait. I could really feel the difference when driving in hard turns and how the other wheel grips and really pushes my car through the turns compared to the original open diff. The low drone sound went away as well. The Z Car Garage Big Brake kit works well. I put them to the rest and they do their job. I love the drive and acceleration.”

We enjoyed working with Garett and loved that he’s owned this Z for a long time. He’s also into music, playing in bands in the Bay Area. What’s next for his Z car?

“Future plans include new or aftermarket seats which are comfortable on long rides with no lower back pain, while keeping me planted in my seat and maintaining a time period classic look. New gauges and a dash restoration down the line would be nice as well, but all in due time.”

We’re here to help you when ready, Garett. Long Live The Z!
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