Eric T hails from Benicia, CA and he is one of the key members of Inconceivable Racing along with our customers Matt M and Rasheed B. This is a group of enthusiasts that got into Z cars and are now obsessed with taking them to open track days and events like Shift Sector. What is really cool is that both Eric and his wife run their HR-powered 350z cars together at the track!

 

Here are the couple enjoy their Z cars at Laguna Seca. It is a small Z-car world and we have worked on Eric’s wife’s 350z Convertible because it was our man William’s!

 

Eric had been to several independent shops and wasn’t really happy.  Rasheed told him about ZCG and we met with Eric to help sort his Z.  After driving at Laguna Seca, he was frustrated with corner entry and exit speeds. This was a result of not putting power down effectively through the open differential on his Base-model Z. Our solution was to install the OS Giken limited-slip unit:

 

Here is the unit being installed with a 4.08 gear, all new bearings and seals.  We also added a NISMO Diff cover:

 

    

The diff all buttoned-up and installed on the car:

   

With the car up on the lift we noticed one of the bushings in rear subframe was leaking. The subframe was pulled and all bushings were replaced with with SPL solid bushings. The diff received Whiteline bushings:

     

The aftermarket exhaust system was rubbing on the rear chassis brace and had a rubber pad wedged in between as the solution from a previous shop. We fixed it:

 

The exhaust was also rubbing on the rear sway bar, where a heater hose complete with hose clamps was used as an isolator. We fixed this well:

 

Motordyne ART pipes were installed and the Z was retuned with UPREV:

 

On the dyno we found peak gains of 7hp/11tq for a final 303hp/265tq to the wheels. More importantly the gains can be seen throughout the rev range:

 

 

 

After we performed this work Eric attended a 2-day race event at ‘Seca for his birthday. He was super pumped with the Z and it performed well. He’s a ZCG believer. Enjoy the Ride, Eric!

 

 

We are proud to be a sponsor of the 13th Annual 2017 Japanese Classic Car Show September 23! The JCCS is a J-Tin lover’s paradise and it keeps getting better every year. Take a look at the poster above and you might notice a familiar black Z car. This year our OS Giken TC24 powered 1971 Datsun 240z will be displayed as one of the featured show cars, from the press release:

 

“America’s Most Exotic 240z” does have a nice ring to it!  You can see the original article by Mike Garrett over at Speedhunters HERE.

 

 

Z Car Garage will have its own booth at the show, so please stop by, check out the Z and say hello!

                    ***JCCS registration opens Saturday, July 1.***

 

Registration open tomorrow, July 1, so get those applications in and Z you at the show!

In case you missed it, our coverage of last year’s JCCS show is HERE and you can see a brief history of the TC24B1Z powered 240z below:

 

Over 30 years ago OS Giken created the first dual overhead cam (DOHC) 24-valve cylinder head for the Nissan L-series engine: The TC24-B1Z.

 

Z Car Garage in partnership with OS Giken debuted the first North American (LHD) Datsun 240z to run the TC24-B1Z at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, CA:
ZCG at SEMA 2015

We want to share how this mythical cylinder head sounds, looks and drives.
Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

 

 

 

We met Rich G when he called us about the suspension on his 2011 G37 Sport Coupe.  After visiting a wheel shop to get new wheels/tires installed he reported the car was bottoming out and felt very unstable. Rich sought out a specialist (sound familiar?), called ZCG and met with Rob to assess the car. We put the G up on the rack and noticed installation of very aggressive H&R lowering springs. The springs and aggressive wheel/tire fitment made the car bottom out and also cause excessive camber wear.

 

We immediately changed the springs to a set of Eibach progressive rate units which are fantastic for a car that just wants to be slightly lower and enjoyed as a daily driver.

   

The wheels were wrapped in new Hankook v12 evo S2 tires and SPC  F/R control arms help keep the suspension properly aligned. The G still has a nice stance:

 

Rich’s son is a younger fellow and removed the rear muffler so we put it back on for Rich. If you are going to wear tires like an adult sports car…it might as well sound like one too:) After the G was sorted we heard from Rich a few weeks later and he was super stoked with the way the car rides.  He was also happy to report perfect tire wear too.

  

So here we have another great example of the specialty shop working for you! Enjoy The Ride, Rich!

Hello Zcarblog readers! In our next blog posts we aim to demonstrate the importance of a specialty shop for your Nissan/Infiniti/Datsun.

Let’s begin with Justin L’s 2013 370z. He had a Stillen supercharger installed at a local shop and while there are many competent shops that can get your car ready to go, the specialist exists for a reason: we have become proficient at specific installations because the are part of our daily routine.

 

The Stillen supercharger kit for the Z34 is an install we are intimately familiar with, and as a result we corrected several things on Justin’s car including engine codes and a fuse in the intercooler pump system that wasn’t allowing water to be pumped into the IC.  We also adjusted the clutch pedal and crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s as we do for many folks that bring their cars to ZCG.

Rob tuned the car using Ecutek software flashing with a MAP sensor instead of the MAF and Stillen-supplied CAN tunes.  Moving to speed density allows more control improved driveablity from idle to on boost. The results were impressive:

 

Justin’s Z came to us with 360hp/291tq and left with 396hp/321tq at the wheels. Gains of 36hp/30tq using slightly less boost as well with gains throughout the entire rev range. Justin is a happy camper and hopefully we’ve gained another customer for life. Long Live The Z!

 

 

 

We had fun participating in the inaugural Spring Classic event held on May 19-21 at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway. The weekend was filled with vintage races celebrating cars from the 70s, 80s, 90s and the Datsun/Nissan presence was impressive!

Racing the Hakosuka

Our duty was race support for Driver/Owner Alex McDowell and his 1971 Nissan Skyline.  This Hakosuka was originally built and raced by Jim Froula who successfully raced it at the famous ROLEX Motorsports Reunion in 2014 and 2015:

  

This was our first time running the Hako at a road course, and a first time for Alex at the helm. One of the goals of this event was to familiarize ourselves with this machine. Alex, however, is familiar with the Laguna Seca road course having run Spec Miata and his own R32 Skyline GT-R on several occasions:

 

The Hako had fueling issues early on but with some sorting we finished the final race on Sunday, an accomplishment we are proud of.

 

Here is a short video showing the sights and sounds of the Hako on the racetrack, turn the volume up and enjoy!

 

Datsuns Galore in Trans-Am 2.5 liter

My favorite part of the Spring Classic was its “mini” Rolex event-like feel.  All the excitement of wheel-to-wheel battles with your favorite vintage race cars…in a relaxed atmosphere without the huge crowds. One of the most anticipated and action-packed races was the 2.5 Trans Am Liter group including almost a dozen Datsun 510s!

 

 

Our friends Jim Froula, Dave Stone, Steve Link and Troy Ermish put on a show in their B-sedan Datsun 510s. Heated battles can be seen in the nice video below assembled by Steve and Mary Walker:

 

Troy in his Blue/Black (38) 510 won both Trans-Am 2.5 Liter races on Sunday, dueling with a 911 and eventually passing him for the win.

  

Troy is an amazing guy and phenomenal driver.  See video below:

 

Adding to the Datsun Domination were several Z cars running alongside us in the 1967-1972 Formula B group.  John Wilkins 240z and Less Cannaday’s 280zx:

  

Glenn Chiou and his beautifully prepped 240z.

 

Trans-Am Muscle

I love muscle cars. The Trans Am group is my personal favorite and the Spring Classic did not disappoint. Despite the laid-back atmosphere these heart-pounding machines still got adrenaline flowing and ears blazing.

 

The line-up from pit lane for Trans-Am…HEAVEN!

 

Epic Paddock Finds

Another highlight of vintage racing events at Laguna Seca is finding eye candy in the paddock. Top of my list had to be this street-converted 1979 BMW M1 Procar, restored by Canepa. Look at those wheels!

 

 

Air-cooled magnificence. 356, 993-4S and race:

 

Radical race cars from wayback:

  

Lastly, how can we forget our very own Ms. ButterZ that Rob commuted in, followed by Alex’s Kenmeri Skyline. This is how you arrive and drive at ‘Seca!

 

Thank you for all the friends that stopped by to say hello and Michelle Schall for the track photos. We hope the Spring Classic becomes a yearly staple to keep historic racing fans happy!

Please visit our photo gallery for more pictures!

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