When we attended the Shokuji J-Tin show back in April a writer from Nissan NA was present and interviewed several Datsun owners for an article. The article was recently published for the Nissan Virtual Academy (a training content Web site for dealers) and looks to be very well-received:

 

Our Datsun Roadsters are covered in the beginning while the coolest Datsun family, our very own Tom, Matt and Nick Dockery are featured next with their Datsun 510 wagon. It’s a fun read, and also nice to see Nissan interested in enthusiasts that still love their vintage rides!  Check out the full article(PDF) below:

A Blast from the Past

Thank you to Ivan and James at HJCG for organizing this event! Don’t forget to register for this Saturday’s HJCG show:
Vintage Auto Salon Show

Rich R is long time customer and loves to run with the Lockheed-Martin autocross group. He wanted stiffer ride without compromising ride height or going to full coil-overs. We installed Koni dampers with NISMO coil springs.

Enjoy the Ride Rich!

Mark G came to ZCG to have his NISMO Z33 wheels re-finished, T/C bushings replaced and get an UPREV tune. Since his Z was a base model it didn’t have the fancy multi-function steering wheel…UPREV tuning maps can be selected via the steering wheel mounted buttons so we did a complete gauge cluster/steering wheel swap.  The clutch switch was also replaced for the cruise control “cancel” button:

On the dyno, Rob’s UPREV tuning yielded +10hp/10tq  for a total of 270hp/253tq to the wheels. Check out the significant gains from mid-range to redline:

 

Here is another great Datsun family story that Z Car Garage is proud to be a part of. John B’s mother actually bought this 240z in 1978! The Z has been in their family ever since and eventually John became the owner. Unfortunately it had been sitting for a long time as the family changed residences and needed lots of work. ZCG to the rescue! We restored the brakes and suspension which were badly corroded/seized:

 

The front end was treated to new rotors and turned drums, new calipers and T/C rods from Techno Toy Tuning (3T). 3T is a company that helps keep vintage Japanese cars on the road by creating sweet suspension/chassis pieces. We love their products and continue to use them as seen on Grant’s 240z. Here are the old vs new calipers finished in black:

  

The hard, brittle tires and groovy slotted mags were replaced with fresh Bridgestone rubber and 16×7 Panasports. These are the “new” style Panasport castings with a brilliant anodized lip:

 

It is amazing what a little cleaning and some Panasports can do 🙂

Underhood, the engine had a severe exhaust leak. Actually, the entire exhaust system was badly rusted…

A full ZCG exhaust system from the MSA 6-2-1 header back to our trademark slash cut tip:

More engine bay work…the gnarly carbs were fully refurbished and dialed-in. We de-smogged the engine, restored the radiator, replaced the water pump and coolant by pass hoses:

Water pump:

More deteriorated rubber found in the fuel system:

A final touch we are proud of is the refinished cowl piece. ZCG  powdercoats it a matte-black finish that looks fantastic:

 

Dyno tuning produced a robust 140hp/152tq to the wheels:

 

With the engine bay in tip top shape John is ready to hit the road in this family heirloom Z!

 

Last year our friend Victor Laury had a stroke and could not enjoy driving his collection of Datsuns. With the help of the very tight-knit Datsun Roadster community we helped auction his 1970 Datsun 2000 Roadster…and the winner was from Australia!

Victor’s roadster was on display at the 2012 Solvang Datsun Roadster Show where people could purchase tickets to enter the raffle in person or online. The winner was to be selected from a bowl of tickets by Victor himself.

Congratulations to winner Robert P. of New South Wales, Australia!  He is now the proud owner of a very special SRL. Rob also happens to be a true “Z” fanatic, owning a boosted VQ-swapped S30. Check out the custom fabricated intake manifold he artfully made!

 

The roadster was shipped from SoCal overseas to it’s new home:

 

Though Rob had never owned a roadster before, he immediately started making the roadster his own while keeping the spirit of Victor’s aesthetics/modifications intact. His choice of copper finished SSR Mk IIr’s carry on Victor’s appreciation of  JDM wheels.

 

Rob worked diligently to get the car roadworthy for Australian motoring and started enjoying the ride! Imagine driving a LHD vehicle down under…

 

He even visited expert Datsun Roadster specialist Lou Mondello for a dyno tune! The Solex-equipped U20 put down a healthy 79KW to the wheels:

Rob’s roadster was even featured in a recent TV commercial! When Victor owned this car it was featured in many JDM magazines…it appears that the limelight he enjoyed is strong. Here is the TV Commercial

If you want to see Rob’s transformation of his newest Datsun, follow the build on the world’s best Datsun Roadster website:
www.311s.org
Congrats again to Rob and our heart goes out to Victor who we hear is doing much better now. At the time of this post a Datsun Fun Run was being organized at his request!