We are excited to be part of a new episode of Jay Leno’s Garage featuring Larry’s own beloved SR20DET-powered 1970 Datsun 240Z, legendary John Morton’s personal Datsun 240Z and our KN20-powered Datsun 240Z. See Larry Chen’s message below and a few photos from the video shoot:
“Filmed with legends yesterday 🙏
Somehow I convinced John Morton, Rob Fuller and Jay Leno’s Garage Car Care to come together to do an all 240z show. Three different Datsuns modified three different ways.
Can you believe that John got his first ever 240z at 82 years old? He waited that long to join the club.
Keep an eye out for this episode on the Jay Leno’s Garage Car Care YouTube channel. Thanks to Z Car Garage for bringing the twin cam Honda K- Series Datsun Works car down.
The last slide is of Jay ripping on the 350hp twin cam car.”
This is Sean’s 1970 Datsun 240Z featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles and Z Car Garage Big-Brakes that he had installed in SoCal. Highlights include a Rebello 3.0L, triple-Mikuni induction, Nismo 6-speed transmission and Watanabe wheels. Let’s take a look at how Sean got into Z cars…
Sean: This early-production 1970 Datsun 240Z Series 1 was purchased in 2019 from the original owner’s family. The original owner, in the army and stationed in Okinawa at the time, bought the car there brand new in mid-1970. It’s an early-production car with a 4/70 build date, chassis number HLS30-2811, and is one of the early non-EVAP examples. After completing his time overseas, he had the car shipped back to the United States in 1972, where it spent its entire life in Long Beach and has remained in California ever since. The family also included the original 1972 California pink slip with the car, which I thought was incredibly cool. Because of its lifelong California history, while the car does have some minor rust in common areas, it remains a very solid and honest example with excellent bones.
The original owner passed away roughly 25 years ago, after which the car sat dormant and untouched. When I acquired it, although largely original, the interior was in rough shape, the engine barely ran, and the car showed clear signs of long-term neglect. Over the years, it had been repainted twice in its lifetime, but I intentionally chose to leave the exterior exactly as it is. The layers of paint, chips, and exposed remnants of the original finish tell the story of the car’s history, and preserving that character became more important to me than restoring it cosmetically..
Interior
SEAN: While the exterior remains untouched, I painstakingly restored the interior myself back to essentially factory condition, using as many original parts as possible. This build was never intended to be a trailer queen — it was built to be period-correct, with modern underpinnings, driven, and enjoyed. Because of that, a full repaint will probably never happen. I know I’d never be able to keep it perfect, and honestly, I enjoy the car far more this way. I drive it through the canyons nearly every weekend, which is what it was built for...
Drivetrain
SEAN: Mechanically, the car has been transformed into the driver’s car I always envisioned. It’s powered by a 3.0L Rebello engine, paired with a Nissan S15 Nismo six-speed transmission and a fully rebuilt R200 differential with a Quaife LSD. Supporting modifications include triple Mikuni 44 PHH carbs, Kameari headers, a Fujitsubo Legalis R exhaust system, 123 Ignition, and Koyo radiator:
SEAN: The car recently dyno’d at 234 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque to the wheels on a Dynojet, which is more than enough for my needs. At this point, the build is pretty much complete Now it’s simply about enjoying the experience and continuing to drive a car that feels incredibly rewarding every time I get behind the wheel.
Enjoy this video of the Z in action including the dyno run, volume up!
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes
SEAN:The chassis was upgraded with Techno Toy Tuning and Apex components throughout. The Z Car Garage Big-Brake and CV Axle upgrades absolutely transformed the car, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The car has also been professionally corner-balanced and tuned to my liking.
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
Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!
(UPDATE…this kit is no longer available, V2 is coming soon see HERE for more details)
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.
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. Photos of Sean’s ZCG BBK installation, looking great behind his 15×8 Watanabe wheels:
Parking brake functionality is retained with our ZCG Big-Brakes!
Z Car Garage CV Axles
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 250 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
Sean’s ZCG CV Axle set, #0422 installed:
Enjoying The Ride
Sean has been driving his Z everywhere including those canyon runs!
What’s in store for Sean’s Z? Follow his build on Instagram
SEAN: I’ve always had a love for these cars. I bought my first Datsun 240Z in 1988 for 700 bucks before my senior year of high school and went on to own several more throughout the 1990s before selling my last one in 2001 due to having twin boys, as life understandably shifted priorities, but I hoarded and held onto all my parts, knowing that someday I’d own another one once the kids finally flew the coop..
Thanks for your support Sean 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: (UPDATE…this kit is no longer available, V2 is coming soon see here for more detailss)
For Sale
2003 Nissan 350Z
138,212 miles
LeMans Sunset
6-speed manual transmission
APS Twin Turbo kit
3.5″ Downpipes with Nismo exhaust
Stoptech Big-Brakes F/R
Eibach springs with Koni shocks
Hotchkis sway bars
18″ 350z Touring wheels
Price: $15k OBO
This 2003 Nissan 350Z has been in the Z Car Garage family since 2008. The original owner was a ZCG client and we performed an APS Twin Turbo kit installation at 38k miles. At about 40k miles we purchased the Z. The 6-speed transmission was replaced with the updated unit and new clutch. The first lady of Z Car Garage (see license plate) Meghan Fuller has driven this Z for many years. It has 100,000 miles on the turbo kit and runs flawlessly, making 400hp/400tq. Supporting mods and upgrades include 3.5″ downpipes into a custom Nismo exhaust system, Stoptech Big-Brake kit front (355mm) and rear (328mm), Eibach springs with Koni shocks and Hotchkis sway bars. The interior features Burnt Orange leather power/heated seats and aftermarket stereo.
Please view the photo gallery and driving video below. Full photo gallery can be viewed HERE. Contact Rob Fuller for more information: rob@zcargarage.com or 408-452-0350 (leave a VM).
One of ZCG’s greatest achievements is the development of our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes in collaboration with StopTech. Many satisfied clients are running these brakes on their S30s. Unfortunately, due to supply issues, we no longer offer that kit. The good news is that we’re excited to introduce our new Big Brake Kit!
Version 2 has a slightly larger rotor with 4-piston calipers front and rear. It is in final testing, and will be released soon. Here are a few photos from our test drive last weekend in “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car fitted with the V.2 Big-Brake Kit:
Gary’s 1978 Datsun 280Z featuring a GM LS3/6-speed drivetrain is for sale. This S30 has been with Z Car Garage since 2007 where it received a bare-metal restoration and performance development to its current form.
Fantastic fit/finish with chassis upgrades like our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles and full suspension with 17″ Panasport C8 wheels transformed this Z. The interior features Recaro Specialist leather seats, A/C, power steering, power windows and more. Turn-key, ready to enjoy. See more details below and serious inquiries only please contact rob@zcargarage.com
A full feature documenting the restoration and upgrades with more photos and video can be viewed HERE
Interior
A complete dash restoration was performed with full HVAC/ducting and A/C refurbishment:
Recaro Specialist seats in leather are our favorite upgrade to the S30 interior. Gary enjoys modern creature comforts like Bluetooth, back-up camera, power steering and full sound system:
Suspension
The chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild with new parts, bushings, Ground Control coil-overs (Koni struts with our spring rates) and ST sway bars front and rear:
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes
Not to be confused with our current Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), this Big-Brake kit was our initial setup from over a decade ago. This 328mm sized kit requires 17″ diameter wheels and the massive ST-42 calipers are finished in bright red.
A few more detail shots of the Big-Brakes, they really pop behind the black Panasport wheels:
Panasport Wheels
Gary also got a set of our custom Panasport Racing C8 wheels. These 3 piece, 17×8 wheels allowed fitment of a 255/40/17 tire under stock fender flares:
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 250 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
We built Gary a set of CV Axles, shown below:
LS3 V8 Power
The LS3-crate motor came with a warranty from GM and weighs less than the L-Series engine it replaced. Engine and 6-speed transmission were installed using the Hoke Performance kit:
The larger, twin-fan radiator and A/C plumbing and wiring:
Ovalized exhaust from headers to catalytic converter help with ground clearance:
Dyno Tuning
The LS3/6-speed T56 drivetrain was dyno tuned after installation, making 405hp/410tq at the wheels, a significant increase of 115hp/206tq compared to the L-Series:
Enjoy this video with dyno run, in-car driving, cruising and fly-by action with Gary’s LS3-powered 280Z:
See more details below and serious inquiries only please contact rob@zcargarage.com.
A full feature documenting the restoration and upgrades with more photos and video can be viewed HERE
