We featured Ashley’s Z33 Roadster back in November ’10 when her Z-obssessed husband brought the car in for Tein springs and dual-JWT pop chargers. The car still sports the same tasteful drop but now sits on a mint set of 19″ Volk Progressive Spoke wheels(discontinued) in gloss black with polished lips.


ZCG also installed that neat “Z” emblem which doubles as a LED side marker, here is a short video of it in action:

Ashley’s husband is none other than Scott S, fearless driver of the GreenMachine. Scott also owns one of the baddest Twin-Turbo Z32s on the planet. I will do a feature on his car soon, but here is a teaser of his latest set of wheels on the 300:

We had another fantastic track day with NCRC at Laguna Seca Raceway. The ZCarGarage group included Scott S (Green Z33), myself (silver 350z), Allen B (grey Vortech350z), Walt p (Blue GT-R), Rob (red370z), Tom D (gray G35 TT), and Kurt I (blue Z06, don’t worry he has a real Z too). There were at least 3 other Z33s, a 370z, a Datsun 240z, 2 GT-Rs and a very clean Nismo Z33 in the paddock…a great day for Nissans 🙂

The paddock was filled with lots of wicked metal.  Some highlights: BMW was very well represented with all years of M3s and a bunch of 135is. A lone Ferrari 458 spent an inordinate amount of time parked with race numbers….hmmm.  Bobby T showed up with his newly painted Carrera; this car used to be an interesting shade of brown so good job Bobby! A tube-framed Mercedes 300SL, I wish I had seen this LS1-powered Miata in action, and incredibly fast green 240z.

The weather and track conditions went from damp and foggy in the morning to warm and dry in the afternoon. Our friends were spread out in all three of the run groups, and everyone had a chance to “mix it up” through the various turns of ‘Seca. Walt P was tearing it up in the Open(race) group with his 1-month new GT-R, kudos to him for putting the 530hp beast to the test straight from the dealership!

This was Allen B’s 2nd time at ‘Seca and he came armed with sticky Toyo R888s on SSR-Comp wheels at all four corners of his Vortech’d Z. I love that car. Tom D’s Twin-Turbo G35 sounded wicked on the front straight. This car has been boosted for over 40k miles and he is still tracking it, daily driving it, and enjoying it!
Scott S continues to amaze us all at his driving ability in the Green Machine. He tested several sets of race rubber including some BFG R1s, but ended up going back to that sweet, sweet, Hoosier. Scott was running 1:46s on them, even with some braking system issues.

I drove my Z in the Point-by group and also had my friend Chis W drive the Z in the Solo group. That’s right, double-duty for my Z again! Big thanks to ZCG for track-prepping the car to handle the beating! Between Chris and I the Z had no issues at all. Brakes were awesome. Stoptechs were made for ‘Seca. Chris was a beginner and this was his first time driving at an open track event. My friend Glynn D instructed him throughout the day and Chris went from being a spectator to competent lapper. He had a blast. There might be a Z-car in his future now. Here are a few pics of him courtesy of GotBlueMilk.com

At the end of the day the crew from ZCG dropped by and we gave everyone ride-alongs. The last session of the day is one that is always bittersweet for me. Half of me is tired from the day of driving but the other half is wishing it wouldn’t come to an end. Laguna Seca will do that to you 🙂  So keep an eye on the blog for upcoming track days and see what it is all about. You will love your car even more.

Stay tuned for video footage from the track. Lots of photos in the gallery too!

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Do you think ZCarGarage is too far away from you? Here is Rob to tell you a story of one owner’s long distance relationship with Performance With Passion: proving that no distance or commute is too far to give your Z/G the love it deserves 🙂
Terry L is a Z-car fanatic and his stable includes a 280zx Turbo, 300zx Twin-Turbo, and this ’93 300zx. Look closely though and keen observers will notice that there are no T-tops on this Z32. This is a low-production “slicktop” model and the absence of those removable glass roofs equal weight savings and much improved rigidity.

Terry lives in Arizona but his brother is a local Z guy in Morgan Hill. Guess what his brother owns? A Nismo 350z and a 300zx! The two visited the shop by chance and Terry eventually became part of the ZCG crew. Although he lives and daily drives the Z in another state, it comes to the shop yearly for service. We have worked on it for a few years now and this slicktop is one special beast.
Full suspension upgrades include Tokico 5-way shocks, Eibach springs, and Stillen sway bars. Powertrix adjustable T/C rods, camber arms, and upgraded rack bushings round out handling duties. The drivetrain was given a thorough overhaul with several upgrades along the way.  A 2.5″ SpecialtyZ cat-back exhaust system(extra resonator from the H-pipe to quiet things down), JWT cams and headers help in the breathing department.

This combination of modifications really makes an improvement in response and it is definitely felt in the seat. 215hp/187tq to the wheels put this NA motor well past the 222hp(crank) from the factory:

While the drivetrain was out a new engine harness was installed and the entire engine bay was detailed. Full 120k services were also performed.

There are many more of engine pictures in the gallery for your detailed viewing pleasure, but for now check out the before/after shots:

Before:                                                                                            After:

Even the interior got some attention with a host of new OEM interior panels and stereo parts.
We love all Z cars, and Z cars love us. Terry might be from out of town, but he knows the place to be for all things Nissan.
Long Live the Slicktop!

 

more photos in the gallery:
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Here is Rob to bring you a Vortech-Supecharged G35 update:
Deric is a mathematics teacher at a local high school and owner of this 2005 G35 coupe. I met Deric at ZCG and he was ready to increase the G’s performance or move up to a GT-R.  I let him know that the GT-R was amazing but he could certainly turn up the boost (pun intended) on his daily driven G sports coupe. We arranged a time to meet and made a plan for success. We hooked Deric up with a Vortech Supercharger and supporting cast of headers, cams, full exhaust system, and a ZCG oil cooler.


A full complement of DEFI Gauges in a color-matched gauge pod were added inside along with a custom mounted Link unit.

After a few weeks of tearing up the streets Deric’s automatic transmission started to disagree with all of the new horsepower and torque being produced. A plan was made to build Deric an “All out war” transmission. Sam at GTM was given the order and funds to proceed with a built gearbox. During a short few weeks at the wheel Deric noticed that the G was having trouble keeping up with the power….Slowing down became harder and the tires had this issue where they would smoke when smashing the gas in the lower gears. You will never guess what happens next…Boom…Axis wheels and Stoptechs all the way around for this bad G!!!

Next in line was a Stillen front bumper upgrade to get more air over that intercooler during the hard runs from light to light…Deric’s G had become a 3-Dimensional Sportscar enthusiast’s dream.
Before/After Axis wheels, Stoptechs, and Stillen front bumper:

Big power, crisp shifts, traction, and stopping with ease….Any student or faculty member leaving campus didn’t stand a chance…From time to time I would hear reports from Deric on how much he was enjoying his ride. He even bought his wife matching wheels for her Z. This family is serious about Nissan performance.
Latest news on Deric’s G…We switched engine management to UPREV, installed 600cc injectors and a Pmas MAF. All of the Vortech FMU components were removed, and the fuel pump and supercharger pulley were upgraded for more boost goodness 🙂
Dyno plots below showing the stock motor: 215hp/211tq, initial Vortech tune: 355hp/295tq,  and final tune: 388hp/311tq at the wheels.


Deric ‘s G is driven daily and this G is HOT for teacher!!!

More photos in the gallery, enjoy!
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Ken P has been a Datsun roadster owner and enthusiast since the early 90’s. He’s an original member of the Bay Area Datsun Roadster Owner’s Club (BADROC) and owns this highly modified 1969 2000 Datsun roadster, affectionately called “DATSTER”. Ken brought his car to ZCarGarage to get tuned, but let me share a little history with you since it has a special place in my roadster heart.

 

I met Ken at the Solvang Datsun Roadster Show back in 2001 and remember seeing all of his modifications for the first time. What really caught my eye was the paint and bodywork. Shaved door handles and side markers, no door or vent windows, and beautifully applied BMW Technoviolet paint really turned this into a hot rod. The interior was simple with no center console, re-uphostered seats, and a roll-bar. Over the years Ken kept adding his own touches and personality to the car including a trick hidden antenna and HID Xenon headlights adapted from a late-model BMW.

 

Under the hood lay Nissan’s mighty U20 drivetrain complete with several period go-fast parts like Mikuni-Solex side-draft carbs and a hotter camshaft. 14″ Panasports on sticky A032R tires and a full NISMO competition suspension made for a very fun little roadster.
I almost bought his car from him about 8 years ago but fate and the fact that Ken just can’t leave things alone led him to the next level of the DATSTER’s evolution. He removed and sold the U20 setup and with the funds(and money left to spare) purchased and installed a Nissan KA24DE drivetrain from a 240sx. Ken did the installation himself and added a few more custom touches like a metal dashboard color-matched to the body that houses the 240sx gauge cluster and S13 (of course!) seats.

 

Ken continued to drive and enjoy the new KA setup by doing fun runs, autocrosses, and even drag race events.  He wasn’t done yet though and decided to add boost to the motor in a rather unorthodox way: supercharging! A supercharger setup was sourced from a race car and Ken made numerous modifications to make it work in his engine bay.  The blower is mounted just above the frame rail but hidden under the intake runners. A custom throttle-body and pulley system were necessary.

 

Rob and the crew at ZCarGarage have worked on many roadsters, from bone stock to modified. Ken came to ZCG because he wanted to make sure his supercharged engine was tuned correctly for longevity and power. Baseline numbers were 159hp/156tq, and it was definitely in need of a proper tune. Rob and Clark Steppler tuned the roadster using a JWT ECU to safely boost at 8lbs and make some great power: 180hp/171tq at the wheels!!! The dyno plot reveals the beauty of a roots-style supercharger: a broad torque curve with over 150tq available from 2000rpm to 6000rpm! We think Ken is happier now 🙂

 

So with all of the ingenuity, modifications and big power is Ken finally “done”? Nope. He is currently engineering stronger brakes that will fit within those classy 14″ Panasports. Datsun owners are truly one of a kind!

 

Here are a few clips of Ken’s supercharged roadster in action and many more pictures in the gallery, enjoy!

more photos in the gallery:
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