Kunal J is the owner of this very sexy G35 coupe with Volk TE37s wheels and tasteful ride height. He came to ZCG for brake services, ART pipes and an UPREV dyno tune. We happily installed brake parts that Kunal brought in himself and replenished the clutch hydraulics:
ART pipes, and fresh tires for the timeless TE37 wheels:
Rob UPREV tuned the G and gained 16hp/4tq for a total of 278hp/261tq to the wheels. The dyno shows improvements throughout the entire rev range:
Chris B is a long time ZCG customer and we have been with him through various stages of his build. Affectionately called “Lucy”, this beautiful G35 coupe has won numerous awards at shows including Hot Import Nights. Chris fanatically detailed the engine bay with polished and stainless parts abound. Even the Cosworth intake manifold was customized with candy-red carbon fiber to match the valve covers and huge Brembo calipers at all 4 corners.
Low compression in one cylinder and a feeling that he’d reached the limits of the Vortech supercharger sparked a call to ZCG. Rob and Chris discussed the next stage of boost for Lucy and it would be in the form of two turbos courtesy of a GTM Stage 2 kit! Parts arrived and the drivetrain was removed.
The built VQ was re-assembled with care and attention to detail considering how Chris insanely polished parts like the entire front end.
Behold the shine. Once you start polishing it is hard to stop!
With the engine buttoned down the GTM twin-turbo kit was installed. Note details like the manifold heat shields and insulation protecting oil/wiring lines near downpipes. The fresh GTM stage 4 automatic transmission is a prudent upgrade to handle big power:
Twin-turbo VQ, welcome home!
Polished hot/cold pipes feed the GTM FMIC:
Rob’s conservative 91 octane tune yielded 450hp/421tq to the wheels. More power to come!
We love working with Chris and look forward to turning up the wick when the urge arises! Enjoy the boost and that wonderful engine bay!
Lots of pictures of Chris’ build in the gallery below so don’t forget to click after the jump! …[read more]
Robert C purchased a Vortech supercharger kit and started looking for a shop to install it for him. When we got the call from Robert we happily obliged to take his G35 Coupe to the next level! Here is the V3 kit awaiting installation:
Some in-progress pictures:
FMIC and GTM 25-row oil cooler:
We also installed a Motordyne plenum spacer, Whiteline lower control arm bushings, changed tranny/diff fluids, and did some general clean-up…
With Rob’s tuning the Vortech kit make excellent power: 413hp/341tq to the wheels!
We love how the Vortech boosts power while being CARB legal and docile for daily driving…Robert sent us an e-mail confirming this:
“Rob just wanted to reiterate how incredible the car is. You guys do a great job. I had no idea the car would be that strong yet tame as it was before the install.
I have been nothing but a grin from ear to ear for hours now.”
Congratulations to Patrick Chio for his 2nd place finish in the Modified RWD class in Round 6 of the 2013 Redline Time Attack race! He has been a top contender in this series with 1st/2nd place finishes. Recently he added a Vortech supercharger and this compounded the 350z’s high oil temp issues under hot race conditions. Read Patrick’s report and how Z Car Garage helped tune his 350 to survive the blistering temperatures and demands of the Auto Club Speedway:
Due to a City Tech Auto Body track day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca we missed the practice day on Saturday. Arriving on Sunday early morning we completed the check up, tech, registration and temperature was rising to 77 degrees right before our first session.
Auto Club Speedway is known to put a lot of stress on the motor because of the NASCAR banking at high speed. Our Z hit 5th gear, full throttle, 6k+ rpm on the bank over 140mph. During the first time attack session, our Z was able to keep the oil temperature just about 200F through out the whole session at around 82 degree ambient temperature. However, during the 2nd session ambient temperature rose up to 100F+. We saw many M3, STi and highly modified cars forced to pit after the 2nd lap. Despite the high heat, we managed to finish the full session and oil temperature reached 260F right before the checker flag.
We were amazed that a supercharged 350z was able to last the full session in this harsh environment. Rob and his crew at Z Car Garage have done an amazing job again keeping our time attack Z alive! Below is the video in one of the session (Count how many super cars we have passed):
Keep up the superb driving Patrick and thank you for letting ZCG work on your Time Attack Z!
We love the Datsun 510. We also want to see these cars driven and road-worthy instead of sitting. Earlier this year Rob got in touch with a friend from Georgia to help keep this yellow 4-door Dime from a rusty, idle future. Almost two decades ago Rob and Steve met for the first time under true, Datsun-geek circumstances…Steve was driving the 510 in traffic when Rob spotted him while moving in the opposite direction. Rob stepped out of his car and ran all they way back to catch Steve and introduce himself as a fellow Datsun fan, thus beginning their friendship.
When Steve purchased this car in the early 90’s it had already been setup for autocross duty with Carrera coil-overs and a roll-cage. Steve even muscled a rear seat in between the roll bar so his kids could enjoy the ride with him. At one point in time Steve scored a set of Mikuni carbs from Rob which are still on the car to this day! This Datsun has got character.
Steve enjoyed the 510 for many years and it was a big part of his life. Unfortunately it had been sitting for awhile and he decided to pass the car on his brother-in-law Jonathan who then sold it to Rob as its next steward. I joined Rob the day the 510 arrived to ZCG from Georgia via transport. The little Dime fired right up though it was smoking heavily. The head was pulled:
The stock bottom end was left alone but it was time to send the head to Rebello to work their magic!
Before/after:
Port/polish with fresh valvetrain:
With the Rebello head, dual Mikunis and 91 octane the L20b made an impressive 147hp/130tq to the wheels. Over 100tq from 3k to 7krpm. Great, NA L-series power:
I drove the 510 with it’s freshened motor and I was amazed at the power delivery. It rips, listen to this video clip:
The car is an absolute blast to drive. It can be chucked into corners and there is plenty of power to leave a grin on your face. The suspension is really the highlight of the car but now has an engine to match it!
Since the foundation and history of the car is so great we didn’t do anything radical. Rob’s plans are to make the car comfortable enough for daily driving yet capable and fun at open track events. The extensive roll cage wrapped in hot pink nerf padding had to go as it was intrusive. Nissan 350z seats on factory rails are a welcome addition to the interior with the cage removed:
Crystal-clear outward visibility courtesy of a new windshield. She is now sporting 14 x 6 Panasports (+15mm) from the ZCG Datsun 2000. We like the look compared to the Italian 15s:
What’s next? A factory tach install, minor cosmetic restoration and some wiring cleanup. The car is sweet. Yellow 510 just got a new exhaust system and Porterfield R4S pads to do a track day at Laguna Seca. Thank you Steve for keeping the 510 in the family!
