On behalf of Z Car Garage and all of it’s staff I would like to welcome home our good friend and Z owner Chuck G.  He has been in Afghanistan for quite some time now and we are happy to report that he has returned safely.  We have been storing and working on his car while he was overseas and we can’t wait to get it back into his hands.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with his project here are the basics:

• 3.8L Stroked VQ35
• GReddy Twin Turbo kit
• Fully built and upgraded automatic transmission (peppermint lattes!!)
• Upgraded axles
• Rotora Big Brake Kit
• VOLK Racing SF Challenge Wheels

Click on the three links below to follow the previous stages of his build.  The car currently makes 500whp and 500wtq through the auto tranny on only its base tune.  Now that Chuck is back the tuning will be finalized and he will be free to destroy as many tires as he pleases.

Again, welcome home friend.

• 3.8L Nears Completion
• 3.8L Lives!
• 3.8L Baseline Dyno
  

You might remember this 370 from awhile ago when we installed a set of Berk high-flow catalytic converters as well as a Stillen exhaust system and the car put down over 300 wheel horsepower.   Well it came back last week to add a few parts to help it handle as well as it accelerates now.  We started off with the standard Eibach Springs Pro Kit and then added upper front control arms and rear lower control arms to keep the excessive camber in check.

The adjustable SPC Performance control arms allow for a perfect alignment on the track or the street.  The front arms are of a hybrid tubular design which allows for increased strength and reduced flex over the cast aluminum pieces.  They come with all the bushings pre-installed so installation is a snap, for the most part, and they are finished in a semi-gloss black which is a shop favorite.

To stiffen things up even more we also installed a set of new sway bars from Hotchkis suspension.  We have been using these for years on most of the newer Zs and Gs and are always satisfied with the decreased body roll and planted feeling that they provide in the corners.

Not wanting to leave things looking stock, the owner opted for a couple of exterior paint changes.  Now the car was sent over to Williams Autobody to have the front “fangs” and the rear exhaust surround painted in a semi-gloss black.  This is a nice and easy way for the owner to set his Z apart from the crowd (unless the ZCG 370 is around), but to take it one step further we also sent the factory “Sport” wheels out for a quality powder coating job.  What color?  You guessed it, semi-gloss black.  I think it looks awesome.  No one will be mistaking this car now.  (We put the car on our spare R35 GT-R wheels until the stockers came back)

In the end, the tasteful modifications done to this 370z will allow the owner to enjoy his car to it’s fullest, or until he comes back for more anyway….  The 370z just keeps getting better and better.

The full gallery is after the “read more” from beginning to end to show you the ride height change and such  ENJOY!!

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The 300zx is a classic.  It possesses timeless lines that will probably never go out of style.  These cars are capable of awesome power numbers with a few of the right parts put on them.  Unfortunately the braking performance is becoming a classic also as this design nears twenty years old.  This is where our good friends at StopTech Brakes come in.

The 332mm front brake kit is the perfect system for any sort of high performance street driving and it even suits the occasional track day enthusiast.  The factory brakes wouldn’t stand a chance here.  We also paired the new brakes with a pair of braided brake lines up front just to ensure that we were getting every bit of brake performance that a 300zx deserves.  The downside of a big brake kit is that it won’t clear most stock wheels.  What ever should we do!?  Oh yeah, get new wheels!!  In this case we have a nice set of silver split five spokes in an 18″ size to clear the new stoppers.  The brakes really fill out the wheels now.

Another weak part of the 300zx is the front suspension.  The tension (T/C) rods can fail at anytime due to mileage or age (and possibly looking at them wrong), and when replacing the T/C rods why not add adjustable upper control arms to complete the equation.  In this case the high quality parts from Powertrix were called into duty and fit the bill quite nicely.  Now the front suspension is far more adjustable than it ever was in stock form as well as being more reliable.

Bring on the next project!!

See all the photos after the ‘read more’

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This car belongs to the one and only William of William’s Autobody fame.  The 240 came into the shop with a noisy valvetrain so we (Josh) removed the front cover and discovered that the timing chain tensioner had dismantled itself over the last few hundred miles.  Uh oh.  Normally this would result in the chain jumping a tooth or more on one of the gears which would cause terminal engine damage, we happened to get lucky.  Part replaced, Long live the L-series engine!!

Turning our focus towards the rear of the car, we have a slight overhaul in order.  What you see here are a set of T3 (Techno Toy Tuning) fully adjustable rear control arms.  These new pieces are light years ahead of the stock stamped pieces in terms of stiffness and adjustablility.  The perfect alignment is now achievable.  To accompany the control arms and their new bushings are a set of 250lbs/in springs (up from 175lbs) to firm up the rear a bit.

The new rear suspension pieces and and replaced tensioner will help our faithful painter enjoy one of his Z cars to its fullest.  ZOOM ZOOM (He has a Miata as well)  Long Live the Z!!

I know that some of you are super eager to see some major progress on this huge project so here is another “carrot in front of the donkey” to keep you interested and coming back for more.  Here are the first photos of the newly powder coated and anodized suspension parts going on the car for mock-up.  We also threw one of the brakes on just to give you an idea of what they will look like, 12.9″ brakes on a Z are ridiculous, and amazing.

Two of the ZCG Big Brake Kit posts can be found HERE and HERE

I MIGHT have a couple more shots for you before the week is over of the car on the ground, that’s right, it will be a roller.  Holy Crap.  keep bringing it back here for your Z-car fix.

I’m tired.  Good night all.