The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. We had a wonderful time attending their Meet and Greet event at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca on June 11, 2023.

 

We left Z Car Garage in our 2023 Nissan Z, 1971 Datsun 510 Wagon and  Randy’s 1972 Datsun 240Z (For Sale). Joining the caravan were Alex in his 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon and our friend Geoff in his BMW 2002. Despite some morning fog the turnout was impressive for a relaxed gathering. No judged car show or awards, just Z-Car fans catching up with old friends and meeting new enthusiasts.

Highlights from the show

Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s. Both upper and lower parking areas were packed with cars and people having a great time.

  

The New Nissan Z!

 

Linda Williams’  proudly displayed her 1 of 240Z special edition Nissan Z “Proto Spec” in the upper Museum area. Our RZ34 was in the lower lot and we will have a full report on the recently installed Fast Intentions exhaust system!

 

Z’s, 510s, Roadsters and More!

 

Here are a few of my favorite S30 Z cars from the gathering, starting with this flared beauty on custom 17″ early S30 hubcap-inspired wheels. This is the creation of Hoover Chan from Turbohoses R&D and it sports an L28ET. Rob and Hoover go way back many years!

  

We were pleasantly surprised to see many Z Car Garage clients so let’s take a look at what they drove. Garrett drove his 1972 Datsun 240Z featuring 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. His latest addition are new Recaro leather seats!

 

Ken’s 1970 Datsun 240Z also has our Z Car Garage CV Axles:

  

Stoked to see Hazel’s 1970 Datsun 240Z featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles. Looks like Hazel just added a mint set of Watanabe R-Type wheels to her Z!

 

 

It was great to see Steve and Kevin’s Nismo Z33s. Full reports on both coming to zcarblog.com!

 

Here is a video from the event, enjoy!

 

Blow-thru Fantasy

 

We met Francisco and his S30 had a really neat HKS blow-through turbo system. Rob was impressed with his enthusiasm and love for the Z!

Twice the Beauty

  

Joey Bautista drove two of his immaculate Z cars.  The engine bay on this blue car looks factory right? A closer inspection reveals a bespoke factory-style triple carb  air cleaner, complete with OEM-style emissions stickers! The B-speed “LY” vintage valve cover was a nice touch as well. Really love d the aesthetic.

 

 

The silver S30 also sported triple carbs with a vintage SK air box and “triple” emissions stickers:

 

Z32

 The Z32 300ZX was out in full force with both NA and TT examples. We enjoyed seeing familiar faces like Kevin Neely’s TT with fresh TE37 wheels and Joe’s show-winning red Z32:

 

Z33 and Z34

Strong showing of Z34s including V1 and V2 Nismo models:

     

510s

 We love to see Datsun 510s and there were many examples of both stock and modified. Andy’s SR20DET-powered 510 was my favorite with Gotti wheels and rear-mounted A/C system. This was another creation from Hoover at Turbohoses!

 

SSS Bluebird was the only RHD 510 model at the show:

 

 

Jay’s 510 Wagon on Longchamp XR-4 wheels. Jay also has a 510 2-door featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles.

  

Matt’s 510 with turbocharged KA24DE:

   

Alex’s 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon is a total sleeper with an LS3 V8 drivetrain!

 

Roadsters

The lone Datsun Roadster was John Baker’s ’69 2000. This is a Concours-level restoration with lots of rare, NOS Nissan Competition parts like passenger foot rest and oil cooler.

 
Rare Everwing fog lights and day/night mirror:

R32 Row

 

R32 Skyline GT-Rs in a variety of colors! Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou displayed his recently acquired Crystal White R32 on BBS LeMans wheels:

 

A familiar R34 GT-R also showed up!

 

 

R35

A handful of R35 GT-Rs

 

People

It’s why we keep coming back to ZONC events. Thank you to everyone that took the time to say hello!

 

Thank You ZONC!

We had a great time spending the day at the ZONC Meet and Greet. It reminded us to (in the words of the late Mr.K), ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.”  This is a club that keep the Z community together year-round and we are excited for their next events. Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below!

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Join us this Sunday, June 11 for the Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) gathering at the Blackhawk Museum! See flyer below for more details:

 

Z Car Garage will be attending with our new 2023 Nissan Z, 1972 Datsun 240Z (for sale) and 1971 KA24-powered Datsun 510 Wagon:

 

We had a blast at last year’s ZONC event (their 50th anniversary) with a fantastic turnout:

 

You can see our report from the 2022 event HERE, and Z you this Sunday at Blackhawk!

 

At Z Car Garage we enjoy both modifying Z cars and restoring them back to original spec. Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z came to us from North Carolina for finishing work and now this 11/69 production (VIN#193) S30 is a beautiful driving example of how wonderful these cars were from the factory.

 

We met Mike and his amazing wife Debbie through our client Randy Jaffe. In the 70’s and 80’s Mike, his brother and dad were doing all kinds of Z car stuff and Mike later went on to be a car collector of some of the finest examples of cool Datsuns including a Nissan Fairlady Z432, multiple low-vin # S30s, and a 12-mile 10th-Anniversary 280zx:

 

Mike’s history with VIN#193:

“According to all my research, #193 is the 75th oldest Datsun 240z in existence. I bought this car and started restoration in 2014. I did most of the work myself after dealing with a few people who never should have been in the restoration business. I have over 50 years of working on Datsun Z’s so I knew the car well. After 8 years of sourcing parts and pieces, most of which are pretty rare on 1969 cars, I got to the final stage of finishing the car. I knew of Rob’s expertise on these cars, so I turned it over to him to finish. His reverence for the car was greater than mine. He continually was calling me and proposing things that I never knew.”

 

The Finishing Touch at Z Car Garage

 

Mike had been working alone on VIN #193 and he called upon ZCG to take it to the finish line. The car was shipped to us from North Carolina and we identified many things that were done incorrectly. Mike also had a pick list for us and the goal was to restore this S30 back to Series 1 spec. We sourced all of the parts and with attention to detail to ensure this car could drive anywhere and also showcase the beauty of an unmolested Series 1 Z. Enjoy our detailed photos in the gallery below and let’s start with the interior…

Interior

 

Many parts were missing that are specific to a Series 1 car like turn signal and headlight switches, Series 1 cables and heater bracket tabs. We ensured everything in the dash area was functional:

 

We also restored the interior vinyl and replaced the hatch seals Anything that was not correct on this Z we did everything in our power to make it look like it was 1969 and it rolled off the showroom floor.

 

Scissor jack cover and seat trim:

 

Engine Bay

 

Series 1-specific items were missing or incorrect in the engine bay. Since this was a an 11/69 production car it needed a 1969 Fuel rail. The way the distributor standoff is, SU bowls, plugs, hose clamps and other small items like a black-painted hood prop were corrected. If Mike took this S30 to a Concours event it would do well.

 

An often overlooked detail are the hose clamps around the SMOG equipment. Very early cars like #193 had silver hose clamps instead of matching yellow/gold-plated finishes because smog equipment was added in the U.S. Mike was unaware but appreciative of this.

 

Chassis

 

The chassis was nut and bolted after we went through the hydraulics and checked the braking system. Factory markings like the (R) and (L) stickers on the struts were added:

 

The transmission was wrong so we installed an early Series 1 unit:

 

More chassis photos in the gallery below!

 

Details

 

All of the early series 1 and S30 wheels were date coded. We sourced the correct, 69-date coded wheels that are correct for Mike’s car:

 

Small details: Series 1 lock assemblies, weatherstripping and early day/night “red dot” rearview mirror:

 

 

Dyno Tuning

 

We baseline dyno tested the Z and it made 102hp/113tq at the wheels. With Rob’s tuning it made 114hp/125tq to the wheels:

 

Once all systems were go we performed a road test followed by a full detail. Mike’s car was loaded onto a transporter and headed back home to North Carolina:

 

Enjoy this video of Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z in action with dyno runs, in-car driving and walk-around:

Mike was more than satisfied with our work on #193:

“Rob’s Z Car Garage is truly the best place to do any kind of work on any Z car in this country, in my opinion, and he will be the only person to work on any of my cars, ever!!!! When you find the best, now you know the best, so never get too far away from that guy!!!

He wanted Z Car Garage to work on his other Datsuns so he shipped us a few more cars from his collection in North Carolina including this 1977 V8-powered 280Z, 510 vintage race car and RB25DET-powered 240Z. We will have updates on these cars coming to zcarblog.com soon!

 

Auction Bound!

 

Mike will be offering VIN #193 and 7 other cars for auction at Mecum in Monterey on August 17-19. In addition to #193 here is a preview of the exciting Z cars offered from his collection:

1970 Fairlady Z 432

4 valves, 3 carburetors, 2 cams. Only 418 of these cars were built between 1969-73 and only 200 were built in 1970. This car had been restored in Japan as well as London, which is where it was acquired. Slightly modified but all numbers match (number 105) and it has Magnesium Watanabe wheels.

12k mile 280ZX

 

This 1980 10th anniversary 280zx is 1/500 in red/black. In 1980 there were 1250 Datsun dealers in the U.S. so every dealer got a black/gold one. The top 500 dealers got a red/black one. Gerry Ellis Chevrolet-Datsun in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was a top 500 dealer. It was a trophy to him so he put it in a warehouse at his dealership and covered it up. He never would sell it and it sat there for 40 years. Purchased with 12 miles on the clock (now has 26miles!). Check out this video of the 280ZX from this ZCON 2021 and an in-depth look with Randy and Mike below:

 

1972 Datsun 240Z (Vintage Z Program)

  

This 1972 240z is 1 of the 37 factory restorations done in 1996. Nissan was waiting for the 350z to be finished and decided they would find 250 cars in the southwest U.S. that were rust free and they would ship all the spare parts they had at the factory to restore them and sell them as new cars with a factory warranty in select Datsun dealerships. This plan was to keep the Datsun Z name alive to the public. They planned on 250 but it cost so much to restore them that the program ended after only 37 cars. This is one of those 37. Super rare car!

 

Thank you Mike for your support and letting us help you restore #193! More to come from Mike’s Datsun collection and Long Live The Z!
Check the gallery for more detailed pictures:
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Z Car Garage wishes you a Happy 5/10 Day! We love driving Datsun 510s on the street and at the race track. Here are a few 510s at the shop today, with more photos in the gallery below. Hope you get to Enjoy the Ride in your Dime today too!

 

We have several Datsun 510s in the shop today, here’s a short preview with full features coming to zcarblog.com.

SR20DET-powered Bluebird Coupe:

 

Sean’s SR20-powered (Mikuni induction) 510:

 

510 Wagon

 

We always have many racing 510s in for tuning/sorting:

5/10 Days of the Past

 

We have plenty of 510 content for you to enjoy, starting with the most famous Dime of all time…when the Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) Datsun 510 #46 race car arrived at Z Car Garage.

 

Despite being against all odds, our hero John Morton drove this 510 to SCCA Trans-Am series championship victories in 1971 and 1972, putting Nissan on the map and fueling every Datsun enthusiast’s passion. In preparation for the Velocity Invitational at Laguna Seca we dyno tested this legendary race car. Turn those speakers up and enjoy the video!

Enjoy some of our favorite 510s at the shop:

Rob Fuller’s 1971 Datsun 510 featured on Hoonigan Autofocus with Larry Chen

 

Rob’s Turbo6 80’s-revival project:

   

Enjoy The Boost in this video of the 510s in action:

 

Nick’s 510 Wagon

 

WE LOVE RACING! On March 24-26, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the David Love Vintage races at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in the B-Sedan Group. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with in-car footage and photos

 

Z Car Garage Supports Five Datsun 510s

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services do include full race support and car-preparation to help make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. One of our specialties is dyno tuning. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno.

Video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Rob and Tom), Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

ZCG clients running at the David Love Vintage races included:

#8 Gabe Rothman

Gabe has been an avid track day weekend warrior for five years and we will highlight our preparation of his B-Sedan 510 soon. Let’s hear his race report from Sonoma:

“This year’s David Love Memorial, as always was a first-class event attended by the usual fun and friendly rabble of vintage racing enthusiasts. The weather was perfect, with clear blue skies and comfortable  temperatures, but cool track temps which made for ideal racing conditions.”

 

“While I had a few ups and downs over the weekend, I had far more ups highlighted by setting a new personal best of 1:53.9 en route to a 4th place finish in the Saturday feature race. This time represented a 2-second improvement from my previous best. It just goes to show that the best mod is the driver mod — track time rules all! I can’t take all the credit though. As always, I received phenomenal trackside support from Rob Fuller and Z Car Garage, who were there to help me fine-tune the car and provide valuable insights and advice. Rob, in particular, is an invaluable resource. His insights are always tailored to suit the driver and have helped me rapidly move to the front of the B-Sedan field despite this being just my second season in the car.”

Watch Gabe putting in work with his Personal Record session, volume up and enjoy!

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his  Ex-Norm Balzer 510. This car made its debut in May 2019  and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing soon.

Tom made a triumphant return to last year’s 2022 CSRG Season Finale after the car was down for repairs. He’s getting back into the rhythm of things and we are happy to see him behind the wheel again. Let’s hear his race report…

 

“The weekend didn’t start as planned, as work issues forced a late arrival to the Friday practice day. I managed to get on rack for the last practice of the day, but the combination of track conditions and my absence from Sonoma Raceway produced really slow and sloppy laps. Saturday, morning practice was an improvement and I was able to find a better Sonoma rhythm. Qualifying race in the afternoon was interesting mostly because the Mini’s were thrown into our group.  There were a few of the Mini guys running similar lap times with me so the were certainly in the mix at the start. Sunday I put on new tires and I continued to find more speed and faster lap times. I look forward to picking up where I left off at the end of April when the SVRA event comes to the Sonoma.”

 

Here is in-car video from Tom’s 510 with a cool rear-facing camera angle, enjoy!

#7a Kelvin Tse

Kelvin’s 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles and dyno tuning. He and his brother Kenny both had a total blast with us at the David Love event.

 

#64 Kenny Tse

Photo by Josel Cobangbang

Kenny drove the Ex-Ted Gruner B-Sedan 510. He had pretty serious goals this year and he was picking up the pace really well.

 

#7 Rob Fuller

Photo by Josel Cobangbang

Rob Fuller piloted the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute 510. Here is his report from the race weekend with in-car video:

 

“Once a year we get to attend the David Love. There was a good mix of 19 cars in Group 3 Sedans (2002s, Alfas, 510s and Minis). ZCG supported 5-cars total: myself, Tom, Gabe and Tse brothers Kelvin and Kenny. Cars in the field: Parker and his dad Bruce were fast in their Alfas. Parker’s car was acting up so I opted to start from the back rest of the weekend. We’ve been making changes to the suspension setup in BADD 510 and its working well…very slippery on Friday from recent rains, better over weekend.”

 

“Honorable mention goes to Kenny who picked up the pace towards his goals, Kelvin and Tom getting back into the swing of things. Gabe joined the ZCG team last year and his car had alot of issues we’ve been sorting them out with each event. It’s been a blast watching him excel…he makes great decisions, listens and he’s fast. He was up in the front of the field and we are super excited to see how he does at the SVRA events. Gabe’s car has a 2L in it so it’s a pretty heavy car but man he is wheeling it. Really proud of him and all the guys. We had a great spot and  the vibe in this ZCG pit is filled with friends, family and fun. great time. Kudos to the CSRG people they put on such a great event. Excited to be a part of their organization.”

 

Enjoy this in-car video from Rob’s 510 as he starts from the very back of the race group:

You can see more of Rob’s race videos from the CSRG event (and other race) on his YouTube Channel. Give the guy a thumbs up and subscribe while you are there!

 

Mrs. Butters as Pace Car

 

Our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car “Mrs. Butters” was Pace Car at the David Love event. It features our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension. Rob is stoked:

“CSRG has been gracious in letting ZCG provide pace cars for the race events… since it was raining and we did ‘t get our RZ34 in time we thought it appropriate to have Mrs. Butters do the duty…pretty cool to have Butters out there with pace car lights leading the track. Even the Pace Car driver really enjoyed her.

Photo by Josel Cobangbang (L) and Geoff Pitts (R)

 

Rob also test drove a few cars for clients to give feedback. Big thanks to Meghan for taking photos and video around the paddock. Here is a paddock highlight reel of what it’s like at a vintage race…you should join us next time!

 There were cool cars everywhere in the paddock:

More photos in the gallery below! See you at Sonoma April 27 and Laguna Seca May 4 for SVRA’s double-header vintage racing events!

 

Join us for the 2023 Vintage Racing Season!

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Here is list of events we will be attending in 2023, including CSRG and SVRA . Please join us!

March

March  3^rd to the 5^th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26^th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27^th to 30^th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4^th   to 7^th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25^th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

August 12-13                    Monterey Pre-Reunion
August 16-19                    Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

September

Sept 8^th  to 10^th              CSRG   Sonoma

October

Oct. 13-15.                     CSRG Laps For Laguna

Novemeber

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunderhill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

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