We love to help a fellow Datsun owner out especially if they have a long history with their dime. Kent Morgan isn’t the original owner of this 510 wagon;  his father bought it brand new and Kent eventually got his hands on it.  The wagon dropped a valve and needed some work to get back on the road so ZCG came to the rescue.  Rebello helped rebuild the cylinder head and Rob worked on a few other items that needed attention.

This Datsun isn’t a weekend toy or garage queen. Kent works in the upholstery business (40 years strong) doing custom interiors for Pebble Beach-caliber cars. He is a one-man show and the wagon is his daily work vehicle.  The car was re-painted about 25 years ago and Rob couldn’t resist completely detailing the exterior and engine bay.

Kent tells us that not a day goes by without someone stopping him to ask if he would sell his wagon…we understand why he wouldn’t considering how long it has been in the family.

Datsuns are Driven!

Loren S. picked up this ’07 roadster recently from fellow Z fanatic Scott S. The Z already had Tein springs, dual-JWT pop chargers and a mint set of 19″ Volk ProgressiveSpoke wheels in gloss black with polished lips. The bolt-on friendly VQ35HR engine was begging to be uncorked even further so Loren brought the car to ZCG for some exhaust upgrades.

Here are the ART Pipes and full Bassani dual exhaust:

Baseline #’s were strong at 262hp/238tq at the wheels. With the ART pipes and exhaust installed a whopping gain of 25hp/20tq was seen for a total of 287hp/258tq to the wheels. With Rob’s tuning the Z now makes 291hp/260tq!

      
We love the HR’s responsiveness to minor bolt-ons and Loren can enjoy those extra ponies top down and in style.
 

The 2012 Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) was a J-tin fan’s dream come true with hundreds of vintage cars displayed near the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. We left San Jose Friday am and enjoyed the 400-mile roadtrip in our Datsuns. Rob drove the ‘67.5 Datsun 2000 Roadster, I drove my 67.5 roadster, and Lou drove his RHD Fairlady Z:

100+ degree temps tested our physical and mental capacities but all three vintage Datsuns barely protested even in heavy Los Angeles traffic.  This year’s JCCS show featured Japanese cars from Toyota, Subaru, Datsun, Mitsubishi, Honda, and even some Dodge/Chrysler imports. The sweltering heat did not keep folks from enjoying both the grass and parking lot displays and there were so many vehicles it was easy to overlook some real gems. Check out the gallery for pictures, here are a few highlights from Datsun point-of-view… The Datsun Roadster community had a strong showing with 18+ cars, most from Socal with a few cars from the Bay Area as well. These owners love their cars and have all flavors from bone-stock to heavily-modified.

Gary W. has restored several roadsters and his current project is resurrecting this extremely rare, factory “lightweight” racer:

The Z-car showing was extensive with the S130 cars now being included. My favorite Z was Rob B’s turbocharged 280z. The deep, perfectly applied silver paint and crazy details in the engine bay made everyone drool and take a second look:

Z’s everywhere! From triple-carb’d L-series to, V8,  RB and even SR20 drivetrains:

A large gathering of Skylines from C10/110s to the 2013 GT-R was a real treat:

JCCS is also a wheel-lover’s candy store. Deep dish, negative offset, shiny, dull, new, vintage, repros, etc. it’s all there. Enkei display its newest reproduction wheel on Patrick N’s 1973 TE27 Corolla….ridges are good!

My “wildest-JDM” goes to this Toyota Hilux with a boosted JZ drivetrain, full tube-frame chassis, Project MU brakes and TE37V wheels. Ok, I will also award this Corolla with a crazy supercharged V8 and massive flares:

More engine swap madness…I heard both of these V8-powered cars while parking and I immediately assumed GM LSx drivetrains underhood but I was wrong…

Both AE86 and Starion had Toyota V8s!

Super sano S2000 swap in this AE86 goes over the top with a hair dryer and equal length exhaust manifold:

JCCS also invited special guests from the motorsports and celebrity world. Datsun Hero John Morton, Skyline ad celebrity Mary (Diane Krey), and Hot Wheels designer Jun Imai all braved the heat and crowds for fans.

Thanks to the JCCS organizers for putting on another great event! See you in 2013!

Don’t forget to see pictures from the rest of the show below!
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Grant K. is the owner if this beautiful Magnetic Black Nismo 370z, affectionately named “Shamu”. Grant has a serious need for speed and he came to ZCG for some forced induction. The Z already had full suspension, Brembo BBK, and a host of upgrades to make it track-worthy like a roll bar from TC Design, Wedsport wheels and Recaro seats:

Grant wanted more power so he went with Stillen supercharger kit as its CARB certification was very appealing. Follow the dyno plots below on Shamu’s quest for boost:

The Nismo put down 287.73hp/241.92tq to the wheels in stock trim. ZCG bolt-ons alone gained almost +30hp/19tq for a total of 316.61hp/260.97tq.  Unfortunately we were not impressed with the numbers out of the box with the Stillen supercharger/tune: 349.83hp/272.88tq …

ZCG worked with Grant to ensure his power needs were satisfied so we called up Stillen. With their re-tune we saw a modest increase in power: 368.36hp/279.22tq.  Rob then worked his tuning magic and Shamu now moves to the tune of  403hp/299tq to the wheels!

 The best part about Grant and Shamu: They are Driven!  Here is Grant at a local autocross…Oh, and did I mention that I LOVE the way this Nismo 370z looks?

Shamu enjoyed chasing GT2 and GT3 Porsches and put up comparable lap times, Go Shamu Go!

Modern sports cars have put on weight and sacrificed performance for luxury. An interesting article in Automobile Magazine compares the iconic 1971 Datsun 240z with the new Scion FR-S as a reminder of how going back to the basics can produce a rewarding and exciting affordable sports car for today’s enthusiasts. Check out the full article HERE

Long Live the Z!