We are extremely happy for our friend and fellow Datsun enthusiast Tom D and his newly acquired B-sedan Datsun 510. This is a historically significant race car built and run originally by Norm Balzer.  Here it is at Road Atlanta in 1977:

 

Tom brought the 510 to Z Car Garage to have it prepared for the upcoming race season:

“I bought the car rough three years ago from Steve Link with the help of Dave Stone. Since then I exchanged information with MaryLee Balzer (the original builder and owner’s widow) and Jon Koobation, the last guy to campaign the car. Both kept all the records and materials associated with the car.  They graciously gave me all of it, even Norm’s race jacket (so cool). My plans are (with Rob and ZCG support) to get the car track ready.  The car will be campaigned with its original livery and as much of the original equipment as possible, including the FIA prepped L18.”

 

 
The car was wildly successful on the West Coast.  Many, including Larry Oka referred to the car as the “other BRE car” since it was built with the help of Mac Tilton and hardware from the BRE garage as the Trans Am series ramped down.  Tom plans to run several events this year including CSRG April at Infineon Raceway, The HSMA Festival of Speed in Late May,  The Rolex in August and the CSRG Charity Event in October. We are currently breaking the car down for race prep. It is shockingly original and a treat to see!

 

 

Enjoy that twin-Mikuni carb’d L-series sing!

A Rich Racing History

Purchased from a local Datsun dealer in 1971 for a one dollar, Norm Balzer took this Datsun 510 which was damaged in shipping straight to the garage to create one of the most successful B Sedan race cars on the West Coast.  With help from Mac Tilton, many parts were sourced from the BRE garage.  Norm raced the car from in B Sedan from 1973 until 1979 and then later as a GT2 entry in 1980.

Willow Springs 1976 and RA in 1979:

  

Jon competed with the 510 in GT2, GT3 and IMSA/GTU Special Group 2 from 1981 to 1992, amassing a number of first place finishes including a win in IMSA SP2 at Laguna Seca in May of 1983. Together Norm and Jon took this Datsun 510 to the podium forty times with thirteen first place finishes and six Southern Pacific Division Championships. Overall they competed in eighty-six races between 1973 and 1992.

 

 

Stay tuned for an in-depth look at this historical Datsun race car!

We are very excited to have Mr. K’s 1972 Datsun 240z at the shop! Yutaka Katayama (affectionately known as “Mr. K”) put Datsun on the map while serving as President of Nissan Motors USA.

 

This Z was Mr. K’s personal car, with touches like the “G-Nose”, custom mix Yellow Pearl Paint, wire wheels and automatic transmission. It was most prominently featured in Nissan’s multi-million dollar Datsun Heritage advertising campaign in the late 90’s.  Check it out in this Super Bowl Ad – “The Dream Garage” lead a series of T.V. commercials featuring Mr. K (played by an actor):

 

In 1977 Mr. K retired and before returning to Japan he gave the Z to his long time Administrative Assistant, Johnnie Gable and her son Kenny Ueda. The family still owns it to this day, driving to many events and Enjoying The Ride.  Johnnie contacted Z Car Garage to bring the Z in for some TLC. We are honored to have this national treasure at the shop and look forward to getting it back on the road!

  

If you listen closely, you can almost hear it whisper the words of Mr. K’s simple philosophy, “Love cars. Love people. Love life.”

  

Thank you Johnnie and Kenny for making the trip from Southern California, Long Live The Z!

 

Z Car Garage is featured in the current November issue of Grassroots Motorsports Magazine! Writer/GRM Live Host David S. Wallens visited our shop earlier this year and also dyno’d the new ND Miata with us. Grab a copy on newsstands now!

 

Classic Motorsports Magazine recaps the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in their November issue, showing Rob Fuller’s IMSA GTU Datsun 240z and Randy Jaffe’s #46 BRE Datsun 240z.

 

 

On the cover of the current September issue of Classic Motorsports Magazine is Randy Jaffe’s BRE Datsun 240z. The 12-page feature on Peter Brock’s racing history with the Z also discusses Randy’s restoration of the famous #46 car. We were very happy to see Z Car Garage mentioned in the article after our efforts to support John Morton racing #46 at The Mitty earlier this year. Pick up a copy soon!

  

Our team removing and replacing a failed engine in the BRE Datsun 240z at the Mitty last April, video below:

  

 

Z Car Garage is also in Grassroots Motorsports Magazine in the August issue:

  

We are excited for the 2018 The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion where John Morton will be racing the BRE Datsun 240z again! You can see our report from last year’s RMMR HERE.

Need help planning for Monterey Car Week? Classic Motorsports has a great guide to all of the events during HERE.

 

 

For #throwbackthursday we take a look at Rob Fuller’s 1970 Datsun 240z. This Series 1 S30 gained notoriety 15 years ago when it was powered by an RB25DET drivetrain. We had many good memories with the RB-configuration and like all Datsuns, this one has a great story behind it.

 

In 1997,  Rob spotted a ’70 240Z sitting in a driveway while driving down a back road in Georgia. He soon learned that the owner had the Z for a really long time and it hadn’t been running for years. Unable to afford the owner’s price, Rob offered to wash and detail the car, as well as bringing a car cover to protect it until he had funds for towing. Eventually a deal was made with the seller, and Rob towed it home to start working on it. In 1998 he started his first job working at Z Service Unlimited in Atlanta when the recently acquired Z overheated and failed.

Rob and the 1970 240z at Z Service Unlimited in GA, ~1997. (Right) Turbo Tom’s EFI turbocharged L-Series build, still at the shop today:

 
A customer’s ’71 240Z had rolled-over and Rob swapped it’s 2.8L/5-speed/R200 diff into his Z. He enjoyed driving the Z all around Georgia before relocating to Northern California where he was offered a job at a local Z shop. Once the 240 was shipped over, Rob saved up money for yet another engine transplant, this time a 3.1L stroker with SUs. He attended many track days at Thunderhill and Laguna Seca with the setup. In 2001, the car was painted ’70 Mopar Go Green by William’s Auto Body:

 

In 2004, Rob opened Z Car Garage and started building a turbocharged L-series (utilizing Turbo Tom parts) for his Z.  After completing his SR20DET-powered Datsun 510 he was inspired to have the same modern powerplant for GO GA Z. The turbocharged, inline-6 from the Nissan R33 Skyline was a logical choice. The swap was completed by July 2005.

   

A quick breakdown of the build:  T3/T4 turbo, Nismo 740cc injectors, GReddy intake manifold, custom Z Car Garage front-mount intercooler, C&R radiator, JWT aluminum flywheel and heavy-duty clutch. Ford Lightning MAF, a Z32 TT fuel pump DEFI gauges. Suspension consisted of full Ground Control parts with 5-way adjustable Tokicos,  custom 993 Porsche brakes behind 16×7 Panasport wheels wrapped in 225/50/16 Kumho Victor Racer V700 tires.

 

How did it perform? At 19 psi, the Z put down 440 whp and 380 lb-ft of torque at the wheels on the ZCG dyno. All while making the most intoxicating sounds.  Enjoy this compilation I made of the Z in action, speakers up!

 

We enjoyed driving the Z to car shows/events including long trips to JCCS (2006) and the Mt. Shasta All-Datsun Meet.

  

GO GA Z even got some media exposure (before the days of Instagram and Facebook!) Below: Sport Compact Car Magazine, Lighting Auto (JDM), and Turbo Magazine

  

So where is the Z now? In 2009 the RB25DET was removed and built up to RB28 spec for installation into Gary’s Behemoth.

   

Gary would later decide to run the legendary OS Giken TC24B1Z in his Z, making it the world’s first LHD OS Giken TC24B1Z powered S30. Rob’s Z was the test mule for the TC24, a little known fact. Here it is on the dyno:

 

 

The RB28 sits on display in the front office at ZCG, while the GO GA Z chassis is still being utilized for TC24 development.

 

We hope you enjoyed our trip down memory lane with Rob’s RB-powered Z. I loved this car so much I built a 1/24th scale model of it. Please read on to learn about the model and see more pictures. LONG LIVE THE Z!

About The Model

One of my hobbies is 1/24 scale model car building. In the past few years I’ve focused on building scale replicas of friend’s personal cars. Rob’s 1970 240z holds a special place in my Z heart and I thought it would be a nice challenge to make a model faithful to the real car.

 

I made sure the engine bay had the entire RB25DET drivetrain visible with Greddy intake manifold, injectors, turbo and FMIC plumbing, BOVs, and that Interstate battery. On the outside I used Go Green paint for the body, Porsche Big Red calipers with cross-drilled rotors, Panasport-type wheels, and a photo-reduced license plate that reads ” GO GA Z”.  The interior even has DEFI gauges, a MOMO steering wheel and Recaro seats…just like the real thing!  Enjoy the pictures and stop by the shop to see the model in its display case, but please do not touch it 🙂

 

You can see more pictures below!

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