At Z Car Garage we are fortunate to be a part of many Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts lives and here is another amazing story of how we helped one man reunite with his beloved 240z…

To Rob and team of Z Car Garage,

Thank you for being a big part of reuniting me with my 1971 240Z on my 50th birthday.

I’m not sure whether you know, but this was my very first car, purchased for me by my father when I was 16 years old. Did I have a cool dad or what? He paid $4700 for the car in 1978. Although it was about 7 years old when I got it, it was in great shape and probably the most awesome car I could have had during high school. After a year, the seller experienced seller’s remorse and actually contacted my Dad to buy the car back. Of course, there was no way I was giving that car up, and over the next 20 years, my 240Z was my pride and joy.

Besides being a reliable means of transportation, I have numerous fond memories of this car, most notably proposing to my wife in this car 19 years ago. On that night, we had dinner in SF and afterward, I drove to the Marin headlands. With a romantic view of the City, Golden Gate Bridge and some champagne and strawberries, I proposed to my then girlfriend, who might very well have said yes because the car made me so cool.

But, after 20 years, I unfortunately started to notice exhaust fumes seeping into the car, and by this time, it was no longer my primary mode of transportation (more of a weekend car). With the exhaust issue and the fact that I didn’t have room at my new home for three cars, I decided to store the Z at my father’s place. My plan to temporarily store the car until I had time to address the exhaust issue turned into a 12 year separation between me and my 240Z.

For my 50th Birthday, my cousin, Trent coordinated with my wife to get my car running again and secretly moved the car from my dad’s place to your garage. Along with many assorted relatives, they planned to surprise me with the restored car during a party we held at my house. Of course, it was a HUGE surprise to walk out my front door and see the Z sitting on my driveway after 12 years in storage! It’s amazing how good it looks, and I especially appreciate how the restoration is not “over-the-top”- as close to stock as I maintained it.

Everywhere I drive now, someone comments on how good it looks. Besides looking great, it also runs great. The carburetors are perfectly tuned, the clutch is tight, and the suspension has greatly improved the handling. And it’s not bad for my ego either.

It’s great to have my 240Z back and I can’t help but smile whenever I get in it.

Thank you again to you and your team,
Ken M.

As you can imagine we were very eager to help Ken’s family bring the Datsun back to life and back on the road. ZCG focused on making this car sharp looking with an emphasis on driver enjoyment. Cosmetic upgrades included re-chroming and straightening both f/r bumpers with fresh OEM rubber trim:

 

Requisite 16×7 Panasport wheels shod with Bridgestone Pole-Position  re760(225/50/16) tires are at all four corners:

 

Underhood the engine bay received some serious attention with a full clean/detail, all new coolant bypass hoses and upper/lower radiator hoses:

 

The intake manifold was removed, cleaned and de-smogged. New intake/exhaust manifold gaskets installed along with a new header and full exhaust system. Driveability being a priority Rob and the crew tuned the carbs to perfection: steady idle, crisp throttle response, and smooth power delivery in all gears. I drove the car briefly to take photos and even I fell in love with it 🙂

 

The chassis also got some serious love with a complete front/rear suspension rebuild that included new bushings throughout, 5-way Tockicos, Eibach springs, sway bars, and new steering rack bushings. The interior on this 240 is incredibly clean. We added a Kenwood head unit and an MSA rear speaker box: Nothing flashy in this handsome cabin!

Thanks to Ken and his family for letting ZCG be a part of their Z Car passion. This is what we live for!

Check the gallery for more detailed pictures:
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Before the 350z and G35 became incredibly popular import hot rods Rob built a very special sportscar with owner John N. back in 2005. They Vortech supercharged a G35 coupe to the tune of 500whp with nitrous intercooler-spray along with plenty of bolt-ons. The car was even featured in SportCompactCar magazine, here is what it looked like then:

From 2006-2007 John wanted to go all out in terms of performance and looks so ZCG proceeded to transform the G starting with a APS Extreme Twin-Turbo kit on a fully-built 4.1L stroker motor:

The interior got an extensive roll-cage that was both safe and allowed back seat access. Bride seats and a custom gauge pod stand out in otherwise factory-luxurious interior:

Footwork was immense, consisting of Stoptech 14″ brakes both front and rear(355mm), Tein-Flex coil-overs, and ludicrously wide custom HRE wheels with 345-width tires in back.

Although the tuning scene was very differnt 6 years ago, practically every aftermaket part available at the time was included in the build. The engine wasn’t fully tuned to experience all of its glory but the G was thoroughly enjoyed after it left the shop.
Fast forward to 2012 when current owner Mark L. called ZCG and described a certain widebody G35 for sale! Rob immediately knew the car, an appointment was made and work began where they left off to
complete that last 10% to make this widebody a street sweeper. Rob UPREV tuned with the factory ECU instead of Hydranemesis standalone originally on the car and made some incredible gains:

Before:   481hp/482tq

After:     556hp/566tq

Thanks for letting us finish an awesome car Mark, enjoy the ride!

It’s about  time we shared with you how our customers feel after coming to  ZCG for some performance upgrades. Here is owner Kevin R. with his experience:

“I bought my 73 240 in 1977 from the original owner with 42k miles when I was 18… drove it 2 weeks, decided to rebuild the motor for fun and added triple Webers and a DeLong cam. Four years ago, with 340k miles, Rob put in a high performance motor: 2.8 bottom end, E-30 ported head, and still the triple Webers and cam. Performance is incredible.. just added Rob’s custom exhaust system and hp at the rear end went from 162 to 182 and the power and torque is fantastic!  I am now at 386k miles and it runs stronger than ever…Thanks Rob”

Thad N brought his FX45 to ZCG last year for a BBK and suspension. While handling and braking were transformed and the new ride height pleasing to the eye the stock wheels just didn’t quite fill those massive wheel wells. Good thing Thaad has excellent taste and ZCG installedl these striking 22s with 275s up front and huge 305s in back.
The stance is just right. This FX is now both elegant and mean making it one incredibly cool canyon cruiser…

Last month we introduced you to Peter and his 1971 Skyline that he recently acquired through the well-known JDMLegends shop. After seeing ZCG’s upgrades to Gary’s C10 Peter wanted similar ignition mods and carb tuning. A 3.2L stroker motor is in the future but for now Peter wanted to get the car dialed-in to enjoying summer driving.

A Mallory Unilite setup with MSD6AL igntion box replace the stock coil.  A very trick ZCG touch hides the tach adaptor under the horn and the MSD unit is placed under the dash to keep the engine bay uncluttered. New factory Nissan plug wires are used because they are the best! Below you can also see the stock direct drive fan replaced with Zcar fan clutch:

The engine bay needed some love, especially the carbs which were corroded. New Nissan fuel lines supply the triple 40’s. 44s are on the horizon. Check out that engine bay now…

The fuel system was also corroded and the electric pump was replaced with a factory mechanical fuel pump.

Rob tuned the carbs for better driveability and a few more horses. The dyno shows significant gains in hp/tq and much smoother delivery.

Peter’s Skyline is ready to rock for the summertime. We know we will find him on a twisty mountain road with a smile on his face as the Skyline’s tach sweeps towards redline 🙂