Our good friend Forbes brought this to our attention…Could the next Nissan Z be powered by a 4-cylinder instead of 6? Read the scoop over on AUTOBLOG. A lighter and smaller Z is a step in the right direction but how will Z fans respond to motivation from a four-banger? This isn’t a new concept as folks have replaced their vintage inline-6 240z’s and current VQ-based V6 drivetrains with four-cylinder SR20DET powerplants. Fuel efficiency or not, I can’t think of any four cylinder that can replace the mellifluous, exotic exhaust note of a Nissan 6-cylinder engine. What do you think?

At some point in time everyone’s vintage Datsun was in a “work-in-progress” phase. Either the bodywork needed finishing or the interior wasn’t quite together, yet we still kept driving and improving things here and there.  Chris R. has been a customer since a teenager and his 1971 240z earned the nickname “Skittles” from it’s rainbow of multi-color body panels it has acquired over the years.
Starting with the interior, the dash was pulled to re-do the wiring and gauges:

New Auto-Meter gauges were custom flush-mounted in factory locations along with a pair auxillary gauges in the center stack:

Underhood lies an L28 conversion bored .060 over with a ported head, cam , triple Mikuini 44s, electronic ignition, and a Clifford header. ZCG added an MSA aluminum radiator and catch can.

Skittles was built with the intention of track duty and canyon carving so over the years it has accumulated Porsche 993 “Big Red” calipers at all 4 -corners, with Tociko/Eibach coilovers, AZC control arms, and ST sway bars.

The sexy flares were done by Williams. Panasport C8 wheels with the rears widened to 17X10 give a mean lip and fill the flares quite well. Viewers will also notice the carbon fiber front/rear bumpers and rear tail light panel.

Don’t be fooled by the primer and mis-matched exterior; Chris has put alot of love into his Z and almost feels torn between painting it or leaving it as is…

If you are a fan of vintage racing come out to Laguna Seca August 17-19 for the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. ZCG is hosting a VIP Car Corral for your Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti. To park in the corral you MUST purchase the corral tickets through ZCG! It is only $10, allows you to park with other Datsun owners, and it’s literally footsteps away from the track and venue, unlike general parking. See you there!  You can download the flyer in .pdf format below: Monterey Motorsports Reunion – 2012
Pictures from last year’s event are HERE

Mike V. came to ZCG to add a little more pep to his Juke. It’s no secret that turbocharged cars can benefit from  simple bolt-ons, especially in the breathing department. We stated with a new Injen intake:

With the intake alone we saw a gain of +3hp/3tq at the wheels on an awd dyno:

A Stillen cat-back exhaust replaced the heavy, restrictive OEM system:

 The exhaust produced even more hp/tq for a final output of 128hp/117tq at the wheels: modest gains but power that can be noticeably felt above 3000rpm to redline:

 

The Annual Brisbane Car Show will be held on July 28 and the last day to pre-register is July 7, 2012!
Friday is the last day for the pre-registration of the ZONC Annual Car Show at the Brisbane Marina.

Attached is a pdf of the Registration Form.
2012Registration
Mailed entries must be postmarked by July 7th.

After July 7th the cost is $30.00 for everyone.

You may also register at the ZONC website http://www.zonc.org

Pictures from last year’s show are HERE