Taka Y visited us in 2012 for some maintenance on his pretty 1972 S30. Originally the classic orange in color, we love this metallic red shade as it shifts from burgundy in the shade to a brilliant ruby in direct light.

 

In addition to sorting out the SU carbs we added Pertronix electronic ignition, did minor suspension work and cleaned up the fuel tank and all associated hoses:

 

After a few years of enjoying the Z Taka came back to ZCG for more suspension upgrades and clean-up work. Starting with the suspension we chose new rear lower control arms from TechnoToyTuning (T3), Eibach springs , KONI classic shocks and f/r sway bars:

 

Here are the original rear control arms and new T3 adjustable parts:

 

Both lower control arms installed:

 

The rear end also got treated to new mustache bar bushings:

 

Up front the lower control arms and T/C rods were cleaned, primed and rust-proofed:

 

We installed a new clutch master cylinder and clutch slave followed by full hydraulic system bleed with Stoptech 600 fluid. New hoses shown below (L): On the right, Taka’s L-series oil pan gasket was seeping oil so we replaced it with a new competition piece:

 

Here is the pan coming off and new comp. gasket applied. A new oil pressure sending unit was also installed:

 

We replaced the old, worn motor mounts with new pieces:

 

New vs old motor mount isolators:

 

With the chassis, engine and hydraulics sorted we improved aesthetics by changing the wheels. We really do love the Panasport wheel and over the years they improved their casting/design. The latest offering is stronger and lighter with stunning finishes. Below (L) it’s easy to see the difference in tire dimensions…

 

Taka’s 80’s era 280zx 14″ wheels were mounted on gargantuan 235/60/14 tires. The new Panasports are sized 16×7 (11mm offset) and shod with 225/50/16 Bridgestone RE760Sport tires.  Taka’s Z now has a sportier, updated look with performance to match thanks to this wheel/tire combo.

Enjoy The Ride, Taka. We love your 240z!

 

At Z Car Garage we love to help enthusiasts by installing customer-supplied parts. Eric R purchased these hot rod goodies online and came to us for installation on his 2014 370z:

 

Stillen Gen 3 Intakes are a proven way to increase mid to high-range power on the VQ37HR:

 

Install showing filter location:

 

 

The 370Z has been discovered to suffer from high oil temps when exposed to extended periods of spirited driving. Once oil temps reach a specific temperature, the vehicle’s ECU will put itself into a “Limp Mode” cutting the power to the engine.  The solution? An engine oil cooler, this one is a great unit from Z1 Motorsports:

 

Stainless steel braided brakes lines can also help with pedal feel compared to the stock, rubber lines:

 

The perfect balance to improved intakes is to upgrade the exhaust side. Eric chose the TDX cat-back system from Fast Intentions. Aside from the power gains this carbon fiber muffler option also saves weight:

 

And yes i does look great too!

 

UPREV tuning maximizes power gains from these bolt-ons. The Stillen intakes and FI exhaust pushed power past the 300whp mark to 307hp/258tq at the wheels:

 

With UPREV tuning we extracted 10hp more to the wheels for total of 317hp/258tq, noticeable improvements in mid to high range hp and torque:

How can we help you add power and performance through bolt-ons on your Z or G?

Last year we helped Ruben enjoy the merits of boost with a full Vortech supercharger install install on his LeMans Sunset 350z:

 

The high-flow catalytic convertors had failed so we replaced them ART pipes from Motordyne:

 

HFCs vs ART pipes:

We also re-tuned the Z and it picked up 18hp/6tq for a total of 385hp/330tq to the wheels:

 

Enjoy The Ride Ruben!

 

Kevin R has been a Z Car Garage customer for over 10 years. His last visit to the shop in 2013 included an entire dash overhaul, minor suspension work and carb tuning:

With close to 400,000 miles on the chassis of his 1973 S30 years of dirt and grime had taken its toll on the chassis. We decided it was time to refresh and upgrade the suspension front/rear with Tokico 5-way adj. shocks, Eibach springs and several parts from Techno Toy Tuning (T3):

 

The ball joints had seen better days! Fresh boots with grease and a thorough cleaning does wonders!

 

More front end services including new T/C rods and roll-center adjusters from T3.

 

New front control arm and steering rack bushings:

 

New Tokico shocks and Eibach springs about to go in:

 

At the rear we degreased the diff housing and installed new moustache bushings:

 

More grime and new T3 rear control arms:

 

 

Finally we mounted new 215/45/16 tires on the old-school O.Z. Monte Carlo wheels followed by a full alignment. Kevin’s Z is now ready to tackle thousands more miles of twisty roads!

 

 

We always appreciate seeing our customer cars in the media. Recently Speedhunters had a “carbs only” theme for January and featured cars/engine bays with everyone’s favorite vintage mechanical car part. In their latest installment of the carb theme they featured our very own Lou S’ RHD S30 engine bay showing off its tantalizing triple-Weber carbs. Check out the Speedhunters article here.

 

Stay tuned for an update on Lou’s Fairlady as it now sports a late-model(240sx) 5-speed transmission and lower gears for brisk acceleration.

 

Here’s a short teaser video of the 300hp Rebello L-series stroker in action. Enjoy the carburetor sounds!