Last weekend was beautiful and sunny in the Bay Area, perfect for a quick drive in Sora, our 1967 Datsun 2000 roadster. I joined Geoff in his 1963 Lotus Elan and Glenn Chiou in his Honda Civic Type-R (FL5).
We met in downtown Saratoga and admired Geoff’s recently acquired 1963 Lotus Elan S1. It’s sporting 26R-spec wider bodywork and interior pieces.
The hardtop is the most sharp-looking I’ve seen on a 60’s roadster (this is not a coupe!) and those are real Knock-on wheels. Dyno tuned at Z Car Garage. We’ll take a deep-dive into this English gem in a full report coming to zcarblog.
We headed up HWY9 to the Vista Point where the skidpad hosted some great hardware as usual, including these two Porsche (993) 911 Turbos. The Arena Red car had 195k miles and the Polar Silver car sported Advan GT wheels and Andial-built GT2-spec engine.
Vanity plate award goes to this BMW 1M:
Geoff was happy to see a fellow 7-owner. This one clearly powered by a Hayabusa motorcycle engine:
An NC Miata wearing Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R wheels…we thought it looked great!
From there we drove down HWY9 to Boulder Creek and headed home via Bear Creek Rd. There was an usual (and welcome) number of Pre-War “Ragtime Racer” cars out and about!
Enjoy the sights and sound of our 60’s sports cars in this video:
At home, Geoff kindly indulged my obligatory driveway photos. My family also witnessed a car that’s actually smaller than the Datsun Roadster!
Sora performed admirably, making many people smile this weekend. Enjoy the photo gallery below and Do It In A Datsun!
All work and maintenance performed by Z Car Garage since 2013
Built engine with forged internals. Stock turbos.
Ohlins Road and Track coilovers
Stoptech BBK front & rear
TE37SL wheels
Bride seats
Takata Racing harness
Additional parts and details below
Asking $75,000 obo
Contact Lou at ltstrick32ATgmail if interested.
Build History at Z Car Garage
For most fans of Japanese sports cars the “R32” Skyline supercar is highly regarded and historically significant. Not familiar with this model? Find out what makes it special over at JNC. This R32 Skyline received extensive suspension and engine work performed by Z Car Garage including fully upgraded front/rear Ohlins coil-overs (2022), sway bars, T/C rods, camber/control arms using parts from Cusco and Powertrix:
A full Stoptech big-brake system with larger calipers and 332mm vented rotors F/R was installed. Volk TE37SL wheels, sized 18×9.5 and finished in high-metal bronze. The wheels perfectly frame the Stoptech 332mm big-brake kit at all 4-corners:
The RB26 was rebuilt using a Rebello-prepped bottom end consisting of forged JE pistons and Eagle rods. Mild headwork and stock turbos make up the top end.
A full Tomei titanium exhaust system was added including downpipes, test pipe and the Expreme Ti muffler, installed at ZCG:
Video of exhaust with drive-by:
With the new exhaust and Haltech it was dyno tuned to a healthy 412hp/311tq to the wheels:
The interior features a Bride seats with Takata harnesses and a MOMO steering wheel:
The R32 has been driven to many shows/events running flawlessly. It is equally at home on the street or at the track.
This R32 was featured and driven by Jason Cammisa in the GT-R episode of IGNITION from MotorTrend:
If you have not seen the video yet click on the YouTube link below for a preview of the R32 in action, and see our behind-the-scenes report HERE.
We first met Jonathan in 2021 while visiting Nissan Headquarters in Tennessee to preview the Z Proto. In addition to being a proud Nissan North America employee, he is an avid car enthusiast with a passion for Nissans and Datsuns, having owned a 240Z, 350Z and Hakosuka Skyline. Jonathan recently acquired this QM1 White R34 Skyline GT-R from our friend Sean at Toprank International Vehicle Importers, and came to Z Car Garage for upgrades and dyno tuning.
JONATHAN: My history with Nissan and Z cars started before I was even born. My dad had purchased a 240Z in Ojai, California in 1978 while in the Navy and daily drove it until 1998. There are pics of me as an infant of me in it and when I was old enough to go to daycare, he would take me in the Z. Growing up around it, helping him work on it and wanting to ride in it as much as possible shaped my love for not only cars, but the Datsun/Nissan brand and especially the Z. When I got old enough to start thinking about my first car, my dream was to get the newly launched 350Z to go along with my dad’s 240Z. I was drawn to the Le Mans sunset orange launch color and fell even more in love with that color when I got to see it in person at my local grocery store.
As it so happened though, on my 15th birthday, my dad surprised me by gifting me the 240Z! I was in shock but so excited to work on it with him, restoring it to this level I had built up in my head for years. The project took 3 years and by the time I was a senior in high school, we had finished it… Painting it my favorite Le Mans sunset orange and building it out just as I had imagined as a young kid. Read more about the Father and Son duo in Japanese Nostalgic Car and GrassrootsMotorsports.
Fast forward to 2023, after enjoying it for so many years, my wife and I were involved in a really bad accident in it. It was totaled and was a huge loss for myself and my family. I knew I needed to find another special Nissan. Below you will see how this situation shaped how I got into the Skyline’s, specifically my Hako and now the R34 GT-R. However, between the ownerships of the Hako and the R34, my wife found this beautiful 2003 Z33 350Z in my favorite color, Le Mans Sunset. I had always wanted this car since I was 13 and it was the spitting image of (a newer version) of my old 240Z. A great bookend to a Z journey that lasted over 34 years.
GT-R Dreams
JONATHAN: My love for the R34 Skyline started I believe with the rest of my generation, 2 Fast 2 Furious. That scene where Brian drives through Miami to get to the race at the beginning will forever be reason for my Skyline love. I also remember watching old Hot Versions on YouTube with the MINES R34 GT-R going against the Amuse MK4 Supra. The sound from the exhaust and the feedback from the drivers made it clear that not only was it the winner in that episode, it was the winner of the JDM legends of its time. It was only natural to want one growing up, but as prices increased, it became clear that it would just be a dream.
My journey really began on a vacation just after the Z accident, my wife and I were looking at the back of one of my JDM Legends t-shirts that had a Hakosuka Skyline on it. We looked at each other and said “Thats the car”. At that point, we had no idea where to even begin to look for a Hako but we both knew that was the direction we wanted to go. She knew I had always loved the Skylines, but the Hako (aside from the R34 GTR) always was a favorite.
After a few months, Jonathan reached out to friend (Randy Jaffe) with a collection of Nissan’s and Datsuns including a 1971 Nissan Skyline that Z Car Garage had worked on! They discussed for a while, and one afternoon the Hako was headed to TN. Jonathan was excited for the opportunity to be the next caretaker of this beloved Skyline. He enjoyed the car for several months, driving it to shows, and really getting to know the chassis.
JONATHAN: Just when I was getting comfortable though, I received a call from the sales director at Toprank International Vehicle Importers, who I had built a good relationship with. He asked if I would be interested in selling my Hako to a big Skyline collector in Texas (the Hako returned to Z Car Garage, full report coming soon!). After talking it over and coming up with a good deal, I made the decision to sell the Hako and purchase a bone stock, 1-owner R34 GT-R from Top Rank’s inventory in Japan.
Top Rank brokered the deal and made the process so easy. I knew though that I would have to wait until June of 2024 before it could be imported due to the 25-year law but it was so worth the wait and I cannot express how grateful I am to have been in a position for such an opportunity to be realized.
Upgrades and Dyno Tuning at Z Car Garage
ROB: In the fall of 2024, Jonathan acquired his dream car, an R34 Skyline GT-R, from Top Rank Importers. They were having some issues and shipped it to Z Car Garage for minor sorting and upgrades…
JONATHAN: One of the very first videos I saved on YouTube was a video of Rob driving the green 240Z with the RB25 swap. I knew then that Z Car Garage was the best and I always wanted to have a build done by them! After the R34 GT-R arrived stateside, I knew it had to go directly to ZCG. There was no other place I wanted to go and now having the car for a few days, driving it and really enjoying it, I made the absolute best decision.
(Below) Jonathan visited us in 2022 for the Tokyo Calling Rally. We had to snap a photo with the Go Green RB25DET-powered 240Z that inspired to build one of his own…and 1/24 scale the model I made 🙂
At the shop we installed a Haltech Elite 2500 with plug ‘n’ play adapter, dual wide-band controller, one-step colder NGK plugs, ID 1300 injectors, Wallbro Hellcat Fuel pump, Z Car Garage Bosch relay kit and KOYO Race radiator:
More upgrades included an HKS FMIC, Greddy BOV, PRP R35 coil packs, Wiring Specialities injector resistor bypass kit and a Haltech boost controller followed by dyno tuning. More photos of the parts installation in the gallery below:
New Nismo clutch/flywheel replacement:
ROB: We’re not positive, but we believe this car had some sort of strange, hot rod turbo that wasn’t allowing the factory system to control the boost level. So you know what we did? We performed a Garrett GT2560-5 Turbo upgrade with supporting mods and tuned it again. It was wonderful and it rocks. We feel very honored: even though Jonathan lives in TN he trusts ZCG to work on his new R34. We shipped the car back with Masney and everyone’s happy. Long Live The R!”
Engine bay with new intake plumbing:
On the dyno, baseline numbers were 336hp/281tq at the wheels. After tuning with the turbo and supporting upgrades the Skyline put down 438hp/333tq at the wheels. Enjoy the RB26DETT in action!
Enjoying the Ride
Jonathan has been enjoying his R34 at home in Tennessee. QM1 is a fantastic color for this GT-R:
JONATHAN: Since leaving ZCG, I have added a few small mods including the V-Spec front diffuser, NISMO shift know, pedals, double din head unit and a few engine bay dress up items. In the future I will look to add a V-spec rear carbon diffuser, maybe a Z-tune hood and perhaps maybe a little more power. Otherwise, drive and enjoy!
Thanks for your support Jonathan and congratulations on finding your dream car. Catch more of Jonathan’s car adventures on his Instagram. More pictures in the gallery below!
We love to see owners installing our Z Car Garage CV Axles on their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. Steven added a set to his gorgeous 1972 Skyline GT-X that he performed a full restoration on in New Zealand.
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. Over 250+ CV axle kits on client cars with unanimous positive feedback.
Steven shares his experience replacing the original half shafts with ZCG CV Axles on his Hakosuka Skyline…
“I decided to upgrade as my overall goal was to build one of the best Skylines in the world, having the old clunky axles wasn’t going to fit the bill. It helped to see photos on the website of Hako’s with them installed (see Ray and Julio’s Hako’s) however still nervous about how the quality would stand up to certification in New Zealand. After a lot of online research I chose on the ZCG CV Axles and rapt with the results.
Steven kindly shared installation photos (more in the gallery below) with us:
“As always when buying stuff from half way across the world I am very nervous however the website looked great and the buying/shipping process was simple. The Axles were extremely well made and packaged, we have very tough certification rules in New Zealand however the certifier had no issues with the axles. They were as simple as undoing 4 bolts on each end of the factory axles dropping it out and putting the CV Axles in place and doing up the bolts. Absolutely no modifications and nothing more than a 14mm spanner needed.”
Super stoked to hear Steven enjoying the axles, enjoy this video of his installation:
“The noticeable benefits were noise reduction, smoothness of rear suspension movements and they look great”
Skyline Dreams
The Hakosuka Skyline is undeniably a JDM icon. We asked Steven about his history with Japanese classics and his dream to own the original Skyline…
“Life time goal starting out in 2005 with a 1998 Nissan Skyline GT (4Door) in Grey, moving onto a 1998 Nissan Skyline GTT in 2007 (2 Door) in Red, to a 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR in 2020 in white I was well down the path of getting to the dream of trading my way to own a Hakosuka. The GTR market went crazy in 2022 so I made the most of the opportunity to sell and bank the money for when I finally manage to locate the right Hakosuka as I knew I would need every cent for the rebuild. Having never been to Japan and not speaking a word of Japanese I came across Scott Palmer from Nippon2u, he was an Aussie so we could have a good yarn and he happened to have the car (1972 Nissan Skyline GT-X KGC10 13,678kms, Grade 3.5, L20, 2HT, 5 Speed) but laughed when I said I was keen on purchasing it as the prices were crazy and the rebuild costs to have it clear certification in NZ were enormous given its 50 year old thin steel.”
“These cars are the pinnacle of Japan’s motorsport history, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy the auction was 11:56am on 7 th April 2023 and we set a price of 6,860,000 yen but that was soon passed to 6,905,000 yen and still didn’t meet the reserve. I just needed to take the leap and hope it was a solid car as with auction fees etc. it came to 8,120,000 yen…on par with the market and still cheaper than an R34 GTR in NZ. Finally on the 21 June it was on the ship with Dolphin shipping and arrived in Auckland on 6 th July, 4 months after auction. Walking into the PTS logistics office I had no idea if the car would even run or roll, the car luckily was exactly how I imaged it to be, original/solid but needing a good restoration.”
The Restoration
Steven’s goal for the restoration was to build the car utilizing best in the world components.
“Even before it arrived in New Zealand I had developed a project plan with what I deem the best of the best in their respective fields. I wanted to do as much as possible but also wanted to make sure we achieved the highest quality finish possible, and I think this is the high quality example of the Hakosuka in the world. I stripped the car down to a bare shell within days and started restoring everything whilst moving the body and drivetrain to the professionals. Spent hours building custom brake lines, stripping subframes, machining/pressing/customise mounts. Chris Calder of Waipukarau long term friend and in my opinion the best painter in the country. Full bare metal, rotisserie strip down and paint job which included the cutting and flaring of rear guards, complete replacement rear panel and unstitching a lot of the panels to treat. Smoothing of engine bay, removal of body holes for aerial and front bonnet centre trim. The car was also fully sealed underneath.”
“Engine was removed and sent to PPRE in Whanganui which they were keen to get their hands into as a change from their normal rotary engine building. Gareth was given a bit of a free licence to make the engine the best it can…”
– Haltech Nexus R3 and PD16 Computers
– Nissan r35 GTR Coils
– Ported and Polished Cylinder Head and Manifold
– Fully custom built stainless steel headers and exhaust
– Custom build in tank fuel system
– L20 2L Engine, 141hp at the wheels
– EFI Hardware full ITB kit, fuel injection system, inlet manifold with Billet distributor
and sensors and electronic accelerator.
“Rear CV axles we sourced and imported from Rob Fuller @zcargarage in the San Jos California and fitted perfectly. Front adjustable suspension was built by Evan @ Speedfactor in Tauranga, they were able to build a coil over system which bolted in directly along with all of the necessary reports for certification.”
“Bede Stevenson at bspeed engineering custom built the engine rocker cover Along the way I had a few great mates that helped with guidance as they are at the top of their field especially Isaac Probert and the team at Manawatu Auto Electrical. They completely re wired the car from scratch which involved some technical programming of the two Haltech computers as well as an incredible attention to detail. This included me having the opportunity to build the front wiring loom alongside Isaac and learn a few new skills along the way. Then a massive list of parts were sourced through FNLHVN.com in Japan, the owner Jamel is awesome. This was one of Chris Pocock’s final jobs as the owner of Classic Custom Motor Trimmers, he has spent decades building custom upholstery and he was determine to take on this complete re trim. I took it upon myself to build the centre console from scratch to better modernise the driving experience.”
“Aidan at Pine Engineering in Wakefield (South Island) was able to customise a set of genuine Watanabe 3-piece wheels to my specifications to get as much rubber on the road as possible. This was a great option for difficult wheel sizes and offsets The tyres and rims were a massive challenge however Jared Parker from Zestino Tyres in Wellington was keen to get involved and supplied the 195/50/15 and 245/45/15 ZS01’s. Every nut, bolt and bracket on the car has been either replaced with new or I have stripped down and had it powder coated by Glen @ Elite Powder coaters in Palmerston North, also any bare metal fittings we gold anodised in Palmerston North by Graham @ electroplating Manawatu.”
After a 14-month long journey, Steven has some final thoughts on the restoration:
“I have been very fortunate to have had the ability to build American, British/Aussie and now Japanese cars and I can say hands down the Japanese definitely made life a lot easier with their design and materials. This included everything fitting perfectly, metric!!!!, having the foresight for electric windows, air conditioning and even adding threaded mounts for 3 point seatbelts from and rear even though they only came with lap belts. Weight is only 840kgs, independent rear end, HANDbrake, and perfectly fitting straight 6 motor. This car has been built to drive so once it has done the car show scene it will be seen out on the road and around the odd track cruze event. I have recently managed to blow up my challengers motor so that’s the next project.”
Steven has been Enjoying the Ride in his dream car Hakosuka Skyline. What’s next? He’s got a mint set of Recaro seats to match his interior and he’s trying to source a complete replacement set of window glass for the car and store the factory glass. We are confident he’ll score a set of make his own 🙂
Back in October the Hako was featured in New Zealand Classic Car magazine and he’s been driving everywhere, as it should be! You can follow his adventures on Instagram
Thank you for your support Steven, your Skyline is amazing! Please 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 250+ 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:
Filed under: 240z,R35,Skyline
by Alvin G @ 1:34 pm on December 9, 2024
This pretty Bayside Blue (TV2) R34 Skyline GT-R is at the shop for maintenance services and upgrades. Incredible condition with low mileage, enjoy the photos!
