Nissan Z owners are dedicated to their cars. At ZCG we offer that same level of dedication to helping each customer achieve their vision of Z perfection. Tom N is the owner of this brilliant blue 370z and shows us how perseverance and love for the Z always prevails.
It begins just over 2 years ago when Tom visited ZCG for some simple NA bolt-ons that yielded over 300rwhp:

 

With significant power gains Tom then gave the Z a stance adjustment, stiffer suspension and a new look that soon became a “must do” for most Z34 owners: William’s “Blackout” package.

All of you can see where this is going, right? Time for BOOST! Two years ago the forced-induction scene for the Z34 was definitely not as abundant as for the Z33. Stillen offered a centrifugal-based supercharger and the only CARB-legal s/c kit on the market which was very attractive to Tom. ZCG installed the kit and put the Z on the dyno for some tuning only to find that it was not producing power as advertised by Stillen:

 

 

387hp/310tq at the wheels just didn’t feel or sound right. Despite Tom and ZCG’s best efforts, dealing with Stillen unfortunately did not yield an improvement which was disappointing. This is where the power of the Z and their owners comes into play.  Where most would be tempted to throw in the towel Tom kept at it and continued his quest for boost. Sam at GTM had developed a new Rotrex-based supercharger kit for the Z34 and it really impressed Rob.  GTM to the rescue!

Here are a few pics of the install. Note how compact the Rotrex unit is, FMIC detailing, and intakes:

 

Fit and finish of the kit is great and it really does have a sleeper look underhood with the Rotrex unit neatly tucked away. Do you see a blower? Looks like a power steering pump to me!

 

Tom also added a few supporting mods like Motordyne ART pipes and a Berk exhaust system.  Icing on the cake: The HKS camp2 engine monitoring system in the factory NAV location…

 

Did I mention that Tom has great taste? A subtle front lip and supremely tasty Volk TE37s finished in black with Bridgestone PP S-04 tires make this boosted 370z really special.

 

So how did the GTM kit perform compared to the Stillen?

 

With 421hp and 359tq at the wheels and more power all the way to that sweet HR-7500rpm redline, we think Tom is much happier with the GTM kit 🙂

Check the gallery for more install pictures and TE37 pictures too!

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*** ZCG will be closed next week from Wednesday 6/13 through Friday 6/15***

Rob is getting married!

ZCG will be open for business again on the following Monday 6/18.

 

One of our customers has acquired a very special ’72 S30 with only 30K miles! It is truly a time capsule with a pristine interior, engine bay, and original parts like ignition wires stamped with “1972” on them!
Check those tags out, this Z has been sitting on jackstands since 1988..and today it was started for the first time at ZCG!

Follow the blog for updates and enjoy these teaser shots…

Left: Yes, that is the factory exhaust system!  Center:  Original T/C rubber bushings are still pliable! Right: Factory paint in trunk looks amazing!

Back in April our good friends from Oregon visited ZCG for the first time. No, they didn’t fly down here they drove their Datsun roadsters! Part of their 900+mile journey from Oregon to the Solvang Datsun Roadster Show included a stop in San Jose for a shop tour that turned into a memorable time for all.

Eric S, Dave J. and Michael S. are all Datsun roadster owners that have modern Nissan SR20 powerplants thanks to Michael’s engineering and parts from his shop, Spriso Motorsports. I can’t possibly list everything about these two sensational roadsters but here are some highlights about Eric and Michael’s cars:

Eric’s high-windsheild roadster has a full frame-off restoration and an S13 SR20DET drivetrain. In addition to the turbo-plumbing the interior also showcases Eric’s fabrication skills with a low windsheild dash swap, lowered floorpans with Lotus Elise seats, Classic Instruments gauges, Tommy Kaira shift knob, staggered 16″ Watanabe wheels, z32 brakes, and an RX-7 rear end. Eric gave me a ride at Solvang and it almost has a “German” feel to it…that is how solid the car is!
With a power-to-weight ratio better than a Lotus it also accelerated unbelievably fast.

Michael’s ’66 low windsheild is painted a subtle beige/grey metallic with staggered 16″ Watanabe wheels. It is also a full frame-off restoration with an NA S15 SR20DE powerplant, Z32 brakes, RX-7 rear axle with TORSEN lsd, stock interior with Classic Instrument gauges and trademark functioning teardrop side markers. Both cars have exquisite attention to detail and really show how modern running gear works beautifully with the classic styling and feel of the roadster.

Shortly after their arrival to the shop Rob gave everyone rides in his 644whp Z32TT and Gary’s C10. The facial expressions(Eric shown) of each person as they emerged from the Skyline showed how impressive that wicked 3.2L really is 🙂

Rob closed the shop  in the evening and a few other Datsun enthusiasts joined us as we shared stories and reminisced in a garage full of Nissans and Datsuns. Good times were had by all.

The two roadsters spent the night safely inside the shop while their owners stayed at a nearby hotel. The following morning both cars were put on the ZCG dyno for fun and off they went to Solvang…

It was great seeing the guys from Oregon and their Datsuns too. Enjoy the Ride!

At Z Car Garage we have had the pleasure of working with customers throughout California and the occasional out of state Z-Car fan that is willing to go the distance for that ZCG touch. How far would you drive to visit us? Jack W. drove his 370z roadster all the way from Canada! A roadtrip to San Francisco turned into an opportunity to arrive early and get the Z tuned…we happily obliged!

Jack’s Z34 came to us with a few bolt-on mods already in place like an Akrapovic exhaust system and dual intakes. ZCG installed a pulley and UPREV tuned for more power.

Thank you Jack for making ZCG Internationally known 🙂