For folks that live in the US, it’s hard to imagine a bigger piece of forbidden automotive fruit than the Nissan Skyline. The Skyline has never been sold in the United States, yet it’s still managed to develop a fanbase and aura that can easily rival the best foreign or domestic metal. Most of us are familiar with classic Skylines and modern GT-Rs, but the DR30 you see above is still relatively unknown among non-JDM lovers. Reid B. scored this lovely red Skyline 2000 RS-Turbo almost four years ago.
The pillarless windows, angular body shape and killer graphics package create an unmistakable 80’s vibe. We love it!
Soon after Reid purchased the DR he started making it his own while preserving the classic OEM goodness. He brought the car to us initially for a dyno and tune after noting that the Skyline had a flat spot in mid-range power delivery. When we inspected the car we found the front suspension was severely rubbing on the tires and this was addressed first. We installed Techno Toy Tuning (T3) coil-overs with custom springs, RCA’s, Energy Suspension T/C rod bushings and AGX shocks:
Although Reid was hoping to fit a 215-width tire up front the DR now sports 225/50/16 Yokohama S-Drive tires at all four corners with great clearance. Watanabe wheels look so right on these!
This being a 1983 model, it sports Nissan’s legendary FJ20ET powerplant underhood. Reid was concerned about potential fuel delivery problems and our A/F monitoring revealed lean conditions under load. We discovered a failed fuel-pressure regulator and our solution was to replace and modify a 280zx fuel pump and FPR to fit. A new oxygen sensor was also installed.
Further inspection revealed over-boosting so we lowered the base boost rate with a lower pressure spring in the external wastegate. Dyno results were great and we’re happy to report the DR makes more power at less boost now! Baseline numbers were 160hp/177tq and after 201hp/197tq to the wheels:
We liked working with Reid as he is the type of owner that wants to bring the car back to life the best he can. Z Car Garage lives for reviving Japanese classics and hearing our customers satisfied with their cars keeps us going. Listen to Reid’s impressions after picking the DR30 up:
Rob,
So the drive home was awesome. I still cant believe it. I didn’t get to drive it to work today but tomorrow for sure. I could drive 80 and then roll on the gas and it would just go and not want to stop. The new front suspension makes the car drive so much better, it doesn’t feel like it rides on cut springs. I drove the car from Newark to Roseville and it was awesome going from 75-95. I could roll on the gas it would start boost and just keep going. I feel like when I am driving now that I am holding the car back cause it just wants to go and go. I am still in awe.
Reid
Enjoy The Ride, Reid and thank you for giving us the pleasure of working on your Skyline!
Jason D has been enjoying his G35 coupe since we finished installation of a Momentum single turbo in late 2011. With over 500whp and 315-width Michelins he started breaking the drive axles and came back for some traction upgrades. We started by installing 900hp-rated axles to replace the 500hp-rated units:
A common failure that is exacerbated with high horsepower is found in the rear crossmember and differential bushings. All were replaced with Whiteline units:
On the power side we installed JWT C8 cams w/springs:
The cams transformed the car and UPREV tuning yielded sweet results on the dyno:
Jason’s G now makes 523whp/432tq…peak gains of 26hp and 54tq! Despite a slight trade-off of power below 3500rpm when boost hits both curves jump with as much as 50-70hp/tq until redline.
Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 5:15 pm on May 17, 2015
On Sunday we attended a private screening of the new movie “Winning” about actor/driver Paul Newman. The venue for this event was held at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, CA. Our crew of eight cars met at the shop but before we departed a friend offered us a ride in a new Tesla Model S “P85D”. This is the one with two electric motors, 690hp and the fabled “insane mode”.
The Tesla lived up to its hype. With 4 adults on board Rob launched the car and our heads abruptly hit their headrests. We couldn’t resist weighing this marvel and it tipped the scales at 4,920lbs. With that experience checked off the bucket list, we proceeded to Apple:
When we arrived the parking lot scene was surprisingly like a Cars & Coffee meet with high-dollar/exotic machinery everywhere, like this $1.6 million Mclaren P1:
An entire section was taped off just for our Nissans/Datsuns! It was great to see enthusiasts appreciating the mix of cars, both vintage and modern. Here a few Datsuns that caught my eye, starting with Dave Stone’s 610 on Watanabe wheels:
This Datsun 240z (S30) also sported Watanabe wheels and a striking red interior. Loved the fender mirrors too!
Before watching the movie we admired some amazing cars from all marques. There was a large turnout of Ferrari’s, more new than classic like the 458, FF and F12:
This Dino and familiar Lusso of course will always be the pinnacle of Ferrari’s design:
I really dig the interior on the new Mercedes Benz AMG GT S:
Cool muscle cars too like these Mopars and Shelby GT350:
We enjoyed the movie and it gave us Datsun geeks a chance to shine as Paul Newman piloted everything from 510s to 900hp Nissans on famous road racing tracks throughout his career. “Winning” is a must see documentary for every automotive enthusiast. You can catch it in theaters May 22 and on demand through iTunes. Cheers to Adam Carolla! Please check the picture gallery for even more wonderful cars from the Apple parking lot.
This 1973 Datsun 240z is now for sale after 5 years of ownership and maintenance by Z Car Garage. Please visit our For Sale page for more details on this beautiful S30.
Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 10:57 pm on May 12, 2015
The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, CA has been hosting Cars & Coffee every first Sunday of the month. From what we have seen in the media turnout has been phenomenal with some really impressive cars.
We would like to gather a group of Datsuns/Nissans to show their cars at the event on Sunday, June 7. If we can get a firm number of attendees in advance the nice folks at the show will tape off an area for us to park! Interested in parking with your fellow owners? Please contact alvin AT gmailDotCom or simply reply to our Facebook page or Instagram (#zcargarage) posts. All Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti cars welcome, see you at the show!
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