Just a friendly reminder that Z Car Garage will be closed this Thursday and Friday. We will return to normal business hours 7/8.

Enjoy your Z in this warm summer weather!

Hot summer evenings, the sounds of engines revving and the smell of burning tires in the air….the drags are here! We had a very impressive turnout of ZCG customers and friends at the Wednesday Night Fun drags 6/26!  Our caravan from the shop was 8 cars strong including: Joe E’s Porsche 911 Turbo , David C’s R32 Skyline piloted by Josh C, Scott G’s Twin-Turbo AWD G37 Sedan, Ken S’s 300zx Twin-Turbo, Rob’s 300zx Twin-Turbo, Jeff V’s Vortech Mustang GT, Marco’s RWD(!) Honda CRX, and I drove the Yellow 4-door Datsun 510…

 

 

When we arrived at the dragstrip even more familiar faces had joined the fun: Juan F’s Vortech G35 Coupe, Jason D’s single turbo G35 Coupe, Trevor M’s sexy Z31 Turbo, and John T’s Z32 TT:

After everyone passed the tech inspection(yes, even the RWD CRX) we headed to the grid and started practice runs. If you are a first timer, these “test” runs allow one to learn the optimal launch/shifting strategy for consistent E.T.’s and reaction times. We got  lucky and everyone had 5-6  runs before eliminations. This is one of the most fun parts of the day where you can race your car down the strip, collect your timeslip and discuss with friends!  Also,  between runs comes the banter and virtual car show in the grids:

It was neat to see the little yellow 510 in midst of big-block muscle cars and fire-breathing boosted imports. I taped my first run and ran an embarrassing 16.2s at 87mph. Josh even rigged the MSD ignition’s two-step feature through the horn button, set at 4000rpm. Unfortunately this launch just spun the inside tire:

I gradually improved the launch with each practice run and got down to a 15.797 at 87.73mph before eliminations started.   It was still hot, 90 degrees but rapidly cooling.  Time for elims!  Everyone chose a dial-in time and marked it on the windows. I dialed in at 15.8s. With the adrenalin rushing it’s hard to focus completely on your launch. The countdown tree of lights becomes an over-analyzed feature. Once moving though many things come into play like temperature. Cooler weather means more power and if you feel like you are running faster than your dial-in, maybe letting off or even tapping the brakes could net you a win.

Almost all of us made it through the first round of eliminations!  I eventually lost to the modifed Focus ST pictured next to me as I broke out by running a 15.739 at 88mph. Josh and Jeff moved on and Rob even went to the third round in his 300! Here are some E.Ts for the cars:

 

Jeff V ran 12.06 at 117.94 mph in the Mustang
Rob ran 11.5 at 126.8mph in the 300zx Twin Turbo
Scott G ran 12.3 at 114mph in the G37 sedan
Joe E ran 12.0 at 117mph in the 911 Turbo
Josh C ran 13.6 at 104mph in the Skyline

Stay tuned for more in-car videos in HD.

Come out with us next time for the Wednesday Night Fun drags as it is certainly an experience that all enthusiasts can appreciate!

More pictures in the gallery!
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The 1967.5 Datsun Roadster built by Z Car Garage back in 2003 is featured in the current (August) issue of Super Street magazine! The roadster was photographed with the ZCG-restored hardtop and looks great in print. Here is a preview of the article:

The Wednesday Night Fun Drags at Sonoma/Infineon Raceway are tomorrow! We have a large group of cars planning to go so don’t miss out!
***To join the caravan from ZCarGarage meet at the shop 12:30pm, 1:30pm departure!***

All the information you need about the track and racing itself is located HERE

 

Grant S is a longtime customer and Datsun enthusiast owning both a Datsun 510 and this superb 240z. We love that he comes from a Nissan family where his Dad even rocks a 350z! The 240z had a failed half-shaft so instead of replacing the old u-jointed parts we turned to Troy of Ermish Racing for a complete CV axle kit upgrade:

Here is a before/after of the old half shafts compared to the new CV axles from Troy:

 

Grant’s Z also experienced a sway bar failure where the end link pulled itself thru the rear lower control arm. The solution: new fully adjustable rear lower controls arms from Techno Toy Tuning (3T). 3T is a company that helps keep vintage Japanese cars on the road by creating a myriad of sweet suspension/chassis pieces. Here are the beautiful control arms and end link detail:

 

The S30 rear suspension is not adjustable and that’s what makes these 3T parts so attractive. Besides being over-engineered, these control arms allow for full camber/toe adjustment!

It is great to see companies that continue to support our Datsuns to keep them running so thanks Troy and Techno Toy Tuning. The combination of new control arms and CV axles equals a new level of smoothness you can feel!