Our Z Car Garage Big Brakes have been winning over Z-car enthusiasts locally and globally. Jason purchased a set for his 1974 Datsun 260Z and performed the installation himself. Before we go into his Big-Brake experience let’s hear his Z-story…

 

JASON: “I first heard about Z Car Garage by following Larry Chen’s 240z build on his YouTube Channel. I saw his various interviews with Rob Fuller and was really impressed with his knowledge and passion for the Datsun 510 and s30 chassis. Quickly, I started researching more about the pain points of the s30’s, and noted the lack of support from many other companies in the area of suspension and braking locally. The kits available were Wilwood, Endless, Star Road, among others. No complete kits that were torture tested and raced like what Z Car Garage was doing with their ZCG CV Axles , Brake Kits and other components they were selling. Research and development are key to me, and I was thrilled to see ZCG taking this on themselves. In addition, Rob is a real human being who’s on top of answering questions via email and in person at Z car events. That’s a HUGE deal to me, and it’s so rare to meet someone that of course is just as passionate about his cars as the enthusiasts building them.”

 

“My 1974 Datsun 260z is an Early model s30. When I purchased it, a few years ago I quickly removed the stock seats and reupholstered Recaro LX vintage seats in Black. I loved the netted headrest, and the clean recaro stitching at the center of the seat. I also removed the Greddy Oni wheel that was originally in the car and swapped it out with a new old stock Nardi Nismo Deep steering wheel with a Black and Gold finish. I went through the interior and purchased a NOS Datsun center console, and replaced the stock door cards with Skillard flat cards with leather pull straps.”

 

“In addition to the door cards, I added Skillard powder coated heel plates. The car came with BC adjustable coil-overs and Swift Springs which I will be updating in the near future. The BC Coilovers are perfectly fine for the street applications I’m using the car for currently. My suspension underneath the car is the full T3 catalog including the power cradle, control arms, bushings, and even their steering elements. It’s finally sorted, and I really enjoy driving the car the way it currently feels.”

 

“The car is equipped with a L28, ZX 5 Speed transmission, and 44pHH Mikuni triple carbs built by Taka at Kyusha House. The header and exhaust system are Fujitsubo Legalis R. The engine has since been updated in every way from the ignition system, oil pump, spark plug cables, and brake new seals and belt. The oil pan was replaced with a Moroso baffled racing pan with higher oil capacity.” 

  

“I have two sets of wheels and tires for the car. One set is Volk Racing TE37v custom gold 15×9 at 0 offset on Toyo Proxes R888 205/50/15, and the other set is Work Racing Equip 03 15×8.5 at -3 offset custom bronzed lip, and Gold Center on Falken Azenis RT660 205/50/15. The front bumper is a carbon MSA, and the rear tail light bezels are carbon fiber made by Vintage Carbon. The wing is a Carbon Fiber BRE spoiler.”

 

You can see Jason’s Z in action in the video below:

 

Z Car Garage Big-Brakes

  

As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:

Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)

Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats

Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads

Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.

  

Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!

Z Car Garage is proud to offer our Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves. We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive (40-page) installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Enjoy these pictures of Jason’s beautiful S30 and his ZCG Big-Brake installation:

 

Our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake function. Jason successfully installed the BBK on his Z with PitstopMotorTuning, and they look great behind both the Work Equip 03 and Volk TE37 wheels:

    

Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. Jason shares his feedback after replacing his existing Wilwood brakes with the ZCG BBK:

JASON: “The Stoptech ZCG Big-Brakes are really a solid kit. The lead time was pretty rough, but again Rob reassured me every month over the course of a year of waiting that it would be worth it. He was right! These brakes do not disappoint. Once the kit was completely bedded and broken in, I quickly put the brakes to the test on Angeles Crest highway here in Los Angeles. I know this road well, and that’s where I usually push the car at a safe limit, and see where the pain points lie. The ZCG brakes are worth every penny. They are precise, they are confidence inspiring, and also feel great under late braking situations. I had a blast carving around the canyon knowing my brakes would safely hold up. My next test would be to get a couple of track days on them, and see how they hold up under extreme conditions and multiple sessions.”

 
What’s in store for Jason’s Z?

“The goal for the 260z is to refine my current setup. The paint is a bit rough since it was a garage paint job, and I would love to repaint the whole car including the interior. At the moment, I’m building a high compression 3.1L stroker motor with Jenvey 50mm ITB being managed by a Haltech Elite 750 stand alone ECU. My goals long term are for big power, but with street car reliability. I would love to confidently do a track day, but also be comfortable driving my wife to car shows, and even to grab a cup of coffee together. The engine has a custom designed valve cover designed by myself, and commissioned to be created by BSpeed in New Zealand. Big updates to come in the new year!”

 

Thanks for your support Jason we love that you are Enjoying The Ride and Long Live The Z! More photos in the gallery below

The Last Stop in Braking for your Z

 

Z Car Garage Big Brakes are one of the best systems available for your S30 Z Car with over 200 kits sold worldwide and unanimous positive feedback. See our ZCG Big-Brakes on client cars HERE and enjoy the photos below:

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We love to see our products being installed and used on client cars. Armon is running our Z Car Garage Heat Shield in his 1973 Datsun 240Z that he rescued and restored on his own.

 

ZCG Heat Shield

 

We are excited to offer the Z Car Garage Heat Shield for your triple-carb’d L-series Z car. This is a one-piece 304 stainless unit with laser-etched serial number. Proven on all of our L-series engine builds and dyno testing.

  

This heat shield will fit Mikuni, Weber, Dellorto and Jenvey induction with several intake manifolds like the Harada. Also available for 4-cylinder L-series applications as well!

 

The ZCG Heat Shield is available for purchase with product information below. View this product and other ZCG parts on the new “products” page of our website HERE

 

Save Classic Cars

Armon is a car enthusiast passionate about keeping classic cars on the road. “Save Classic Cars” is a platform he created to share his love for vintage metal and foster the DIY spirit in others. You can catch his adventures on Instagram. Let’s hear from Armon himself about the rescue of this 1973 Datsun 240Z…

 

The Rescue

ARMON: “I actually remember looking into 240z’s when I was 16 years old- I’m 28 now. At the time, I wanted something classic that I could tinker with and drive throughout high school. Most of the Z cars listed for sale had some level of rust, which in hindsight, was nothing compared to what I would eventually get my hands on. I eventually gave up and ended up buying a classic mustang (then another, and other, etc). I still wanted a Z car, but didn’t actively search for one due to the price- the days of the “cheap” 240z were long gone in my book.”

 

“Last August (2021), I went on a walk in my neighborhood with my Dad. We spotted a Z car tucked away behind a pile of firewood just 800 feet from my house. I came back the next day and introduced myself to the neighbors- the gentleman who owned it bought it in 1989, paid someone to tune it (which made it run worse), and subsequently parked it in 1991. The car sat there for 30 years and became one with the earth- it had sunken into the ground, a tree had grown up next to the door, there was moss growing on the paint, rodents living/dying in it- the poor thing was a mess. The owner told me he wanted to sell it- I got excited and bought it on the spot (in hindsight, I probably should have at least opened the hood).”

Bodywork

 

“With the help of a few buddies and a truck, we dragged it out of the ground and down the street to my house. It turns out the person who did the tune up didn’t gap the points. It was running the next day, I actually drove it to the previous owner’s house the following week. The car ran incredibly well- someone had swapped in an L28, regeared it with 3.90’s and added the Mulholland suspension package.”

 

“Beyond that, it was an absolute mess. Floors, firewall, frame rail, floor supports, toe boards- all toast. It had been hit hard on the passenger side and poorly repaired. I fell in love with this car after driving it, I decided that I wanted to keep it and fix it. I stripped the car down to a shell, built a frame jig, and made the car whole again; literally. Oh, all of the metal work and mechanical restoration was done in THREE months. As fun as that was, I think I’m going to need a little break before I take on something like that again.”

Drivetrain and Chassis

 

“The cylinder head was rebuilt with a more aggressive cam and larger 280z valves, triple-Webers, and then completely resealed. Many Z enthusiasts mentioned adding a heat shield- I didn’t think much of it until I watched one of my Weber’s drool some gas onto the headers. A quick email to Z Car Garage and I was on my way home with a new heat shield! It looks great and keeps the Webers cool.”

Close-up view of the Z Car Garage Heat Shield beneath Armon’s triple-Weber induction setup, this unit is serial#00258:

 

With the engine taken care of, Armon added T3 front control arms, T/C rods and ST springs (courtesy of ZCG) along with replaced bushings throughout:

 

“I then sourced a 280z 5 speed and some Datsun comp style seats- my crusty (but solid!) go kart was ready to take on the world. Future plans? Continue flogging it! I’ve been driving my 240z every chance I get. I’d like to grab some stickier tires and hit some track days, it’s been an absolute blast to drive around town and in the mountains.”

Enjoying The Ride

 

We love that Armon drives his Z everywhere. He’s joined us on local events and gatherings like the Breakfast Club Rally. Their “Tokyo Calling 3” event (above) was ~300miles of fun through beautiful Sonoma backroads. (below) Meeting up with our client Dirk and his 1973 Datsun 240Z:

Armon followed through on his plan to track the Z, enjoying it an HPDE at Thunderhill Raceway. He also took the Z to an Autocross event at Sonoma Raceway.

 

Enjoy this video of Armon’s 240Z in action…

 

More photos of Armon enjoying the Z after rescuing it are in the gallery below…happy to see him at Nick’s birthday party:

 

Alexey Orlov captured the sound and experience of driving the Z in this video below:

It’Z a Small World

 

Z-car ownership often comes with some interesting stories from previous stewards. Armon was reunited with a former owner of his Z and it’s neat story:

ARMON: “That’s not just any 240z. That’s MY 240z! I recently met with the gentleman who owned my 240z from early 70’s to 1989- it turns out he lives half a mile away from me. He gave me the full story and sent me a few pictures from back in the day- it’s incredible. He [John] bought the car from the original owner not knowing of all of the hidden accident damage, then had a buddy weld it up (he never looked back, the car drove fine). Every few years, John would get bored, strip the car down to bare metal, and repaint it a different color in his parents garage. It’s been metallic brown (original color), red, yellow, green, black, and white- all with psychedelic 70’s stripes and graphics. He swapped in the L28 short block when the original L24 died and he would go to the legendary FAR Performance to buy his parts.⁣”

⁣
“John was very excited to see his 240z in person after parting ways with it over 30 years ago. Every time he’d see something on the car, he would remember another story- it was incredible. ⁣The best part? He’s a Bay Area local and used to take this 240z up highway 9 and Alice’s regularly. It’s truly come full circle. This car is a textbook example of why classic cars are more than just…Cars! I’ve been an advocate for these things for a long time and I will never stop spewing my classic car propaganda. They bring people together, build communities, and remind us of good times. SAVE CLASSIC CARS and keep them on the road where they belong!⁣”

 

Thank you for your support Armon we are happy to see our Z Car Garage Heat Shield on your S30. Long Live The Z!

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We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. B&T Performance Retro in Thailand is running a set in three of their iconic, right-hand drive cars: a 1971 Skyline 2000GT, Fairlady Z and Kenmeri Skyline:

 

Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. We have sold over 200 sets of axles globally, with customers installing and enjoying them on everything from street cars to full-blown IMSA racers. These CV axles will help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts.

   

For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft. These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars. Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind and the kit comes with everything you need to install on your car.

Hakosuka Skyline

 

This 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-X was restored by B&T Performance Retro featuring a 3.0L L-Series with triple-Weber induction:

  

Owner Longlom Bunnag sent us a few photos the Z Car Garage CV Axles installed:

 

We love his motto of “This is built to be driven hard, not just for taking still pictures”. Indeed, this Hakosuka sees regular track time. Enjoy this short video clip of the Hako in action:

 

Fairlady Z

 

This RHD FairladyZ features a stroker L-Series with triple-Weber induction and Z Car Garage CV Axles. Like the Hako above, it is also driven in anger:

 

Kenmeri

 

B&T Performance Retro also restored this 1973 “Ken and Mary” or “Kenmeri” Skyline. It features a similar-spec’d 3L L-Series and 5-speed transmission with Z Car Garage CV Axles. More photos in the gallery below:

 

We love seeing our parts installed and enjoyed, thank you B&T Performance Retro for your support! You can see more of their work on Facebook , and read below for more information on our ZCG CV Axles:

ZCG CV Axles

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. These are 100% bolt-in replacing your half-shafts and does not use aluminum adapters commonly found in aftermarket units. We have over 200+ CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

  For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft.

 Designed and manufactured locally with KAD Models, the ZCG CV axle kit works in both R180 and R200 configurations.

 These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars (powershifting, clutch dumps, etc.). Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind:

The CV axle kit is available now from ZCG for 1595.00 + freight and they come with everything you need to install on your car. Contact us at 408-452-0350 or send Rob an e-mail rob@zcargarage.com to purchase. Installation is just like doing a half-shaft: there is even a marking that shows you where to line up bolts and special hardware:

The ZCG CV Axles in action

The video below demonstrates the “looseness” associated with aftermarket CV axles that use adapters compared to the ZCG axles without adapters. Several customer race/street cars running our CV axles are also shown. Enjoy!

 

Enjoy this video made by our client Hazel. She installed our ZCG CV Axles on her Hazel’s 1970 Datsun 240Z

 

Over 200 sets of our ZCG CV Axles are installed in client’s cars all over the world:

Supermachine in Tokyo, Japan is running our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles in their Series Datsun 240Z:

 Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou is running our ZCG CV Axles in this IMSA GTU 260z race car!

 Racer Brad H is running ZCG CV Axles in his IMSA GTU race car:

 Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running ZCG axles in several of his cars:Set #246 – installed May 2018 on the “Harry Stewart #52” Datsun 510:

 Set #247 – installed April 2018 on the 260z

 Set #248 – installed on Adam Carolla’s “Greg Sorrentino #90” Datsun 510.

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When we acquired our new 2023 Nissan Z the very first modification was a Fast Intentions TDX 2.5″ Cat Back Exhaust System. FI makes the best exhaust for late model Nissans/Infiniti sports cars, If you have an RZ34 this is the one to get with high quality, great fitment and a wonderful exhaust note. Enjoy our review with photos and video below.

 

We watched Fast Intentions grow as a company and they have never compromised their quality. Z Car Garage has installed and tested many FI cat-back exhausts on the 370Z/Q60 sports cars, the fit/finish for their 2023+ Nissan Z system is equally impressive:

 

OEM and Fast Intentions exhaust installed before/after:

 

Detailed photos of the mufflers and piping, with even more shots in the gallery below:

 

 

Dyno Proven Results

 

The Fast Intentions Cat Back exhaust system also provides solid power gains. We performed before and after dyno runs on our 2023 Nissan Z Performance 6MT and saw 388hp/392tq with the OEM exhaust and 399hp/394tq with the Fast Intentions exhaust. Expect even more with tuning:

 

Enjoy this video demonstrating the Fast Intentions exhaust on our 2023 Nissan Z. You can see and hear it in action with hot/cold start, acceleration, drive-by and in-car footage:

Enjoying The Sound

We have put a few thousand miles on our Fast Intentions exhaust and it still looks and sounds fantastic. It has been through many dyno passes, track days and mountain runs.

 

Running as Official Pace Car of CSRG:

 

For more details, visit Fast Intentions to see their Fast Intentions TDX 2.5″ Cat Back Exhaust System for the 2023+ Nissan Z. Thanks to FI for delivering consistenly high-quality parts and excellent customer service. Long Live The Z!

 

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Yousef purchased a set of Panasport Wheels from Z Car Garage that we shipped to Saudi Arabia. We are an authorized Panasport dealer and have limited sets available for fitment on your S30 Z car. Before we show you how a set of these 16×7 wheels look on almost every Z color imaginable, enjoy these shots of Yousef’s Series 1 S30 featuring a 3.1L ITB EFI L-Series engine. Full story coming to zcarblog.com soon!

 

 

Panasport wheels for your Z car

    

Treat your Z to a brand new set of Panasport wheels! We special order this offset to enable fitment of a 225/50/16 tire on the 1970 to 1978 S30s.

Contact us: rob@zcargarage.com or call 408-452-0350 Limited availability (pallet pictured)

Wondering how a set of Panasports would look on your Z car? Please enjoy pictures below of ZCG customer cars in jus about every color imaginable with Panasport wheels: