Z Car Garage had a blast at GRIDLIFE Laguna at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This was the final festival of the season held on October 20th, and Rob Fuller raced his B-Sedan Datsun 510 in the Touring Cup group. Enjoy our race report with commentary from Rob, photos and video below.

 

ROB: “I am fortunate to be friends with Larry Chen. We were chatting about Z cars, vintage racing, and our obsession with Datsuns when he mentioned that GRIDLIFE was coming to Laguna Seca for the first time. Thought it would be cool to bring a vintage car there as Seca is my home-track. I didn’t know anything about the run groups/classes, only what I’ve seen through Larry’s lens. Since Nick and Cooper did so much trackside support I called out the OG’s…Joshua and his father Keith Corwin. Josh went down on Thursday, loaded us in to the paddock and I arrived Friday in the New Z.”

 

“Tech inspection was quite stringent with check off items like do you have aero? dox bog? weight? We had to add about 150lbs of ballast to our Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510. Gridlife also specifies racing on a 200 treadwear tire. Since there are no 200TW tires in my size we went with a Toyo RA-1. Toyo has been very supportive of my club racing and vintage racing. They wanted to place the BADD 510 in their Toyo booth which I was really excited about.”

Photos by Larry Chen

Racing in GLTC

The GRIDLIFE Touring Car Cup (GLTC) is a wheel-to-wheel sprint racing series that focuses on single-class sprint racing. Typical entrants are modern cars like the S2000, Miata, Corvette, Cayman…so we were really excited to throw our hat in the ring and show everyone what a 50-year old Datsun 510 can do. It was a great opportunity to introduce this crowd to vintage racing!

 

ROB: “In Race 1 I was pretty out-gunned. At ‘Seca when I am on the tire we run and weight, my car is usually running 1:40.2 or 1:40.4. With the added weight and tires I was running 1:44s while front runners were at 1:39 and 1:40…so the first time in a long time, my little BADD 510 was in the back. I gridded and started 29th and made it up to 25th. Starting position is determined by your fastest lap in previous race. They are really strict about the rules so they impounded me and weighed me…I was flattered that they picked me being the smallest, oldest car in the field!”

 

“Race 2 I started 25th and made it to 17th in the first couple of laps…but with with their wings, big tires and hp, aero etc. I couldn’t hang. We finished 23rd. Race 3 I had another good start and made it to 17th again. Two laps in unfortunately my transmission failed. I did a really good job of getting off the race surface, so no yellow flags or race stop. Had the best seat in the house watching the drivers cruise around. All in all really cool to be a part of something different. It’s funny it almost felt like the Sesame Street Song..one of these things is not like the other…the 510 looked out of place in the field but right at home as usual on the track.”

   

Video

Enjoy this video with in-car footage from Rob’s 510, paddock and drift and action:

Good People. Good Vibes.

“Absolutely adore Larry Chen’s staff and the Gridlife folks were super generous. So many people came to see the 510 in the paddock and it was endearing as always to hear “My dad had a 510”. I think we accomplished the goal of showing people that 50 years ago a Datsun 510 was competitive and even today, out-gunned, it is still competitive. 

 

We were stoked to see local ay Area gearheads like Ali and Lane from Driving While Awesome and Radwood fame. B-Sedan Racing also showed some love. Shawn’s Time-Attack S30 was also in the field and nearby in the Toyo Tires booth…

 

Drifting Up-close

 

“I missed the afternoon’s Race 4, kind of a bummer but Larry Chen asked me to be his assistant in the chase car for the drift exhibition…he didn’t have to ask me twice and it was F’ing rad! Watching Larry do what he does…to be inches from a drift car and capture that perfect action shot…in the Corkscrew with the car completely sideways on front of us and Larry is creeping up to it. Just brilliant. He’s an incredible driver, I wasn’t nervous…I was pumped.” 

 

Thanks Gridlife!

 

“If you haven’t been to a Gridlife event I highly suggest it. I’m already planning to attend the next event and bring a car that allow us to be competitive. Great job and welcome to West Coast, Gridife. Super shoutout to Larry Chen, Tyler and Spicy Luis you made me feel right at home.”

All races were livestreamed, you can watch them HERE. Don’t forge to check out Rob’s full in-car racing videos over on his YouTube channel and give him a follow!

Coming up next will be our race report from the 2023 Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway!

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We have known Alex for many years and enjoy seeing his Sunny truck on local drives and gatherings. He reached out to Z Car Garage for dyno tuning and we happily obliged. The Sunny was already close to being dialed-in so we just put the sprinkles on with a few adjustments. It is such a cool little RHD truck and drives really well.

 

Alex’s cars are built to high standard and have a great vibe. His LS-powered Datsun 510 wagon built by Marcus Fry Racing is well-known in the community:

 

“I met Rob through a mutual friend at the time (Dan from DGR), just about 15 years ago. I helped deliver the Bluebird he has around that time. Throughout the years I have heard great things about ZCG and it only made sense to go to Rob when it was time to get the carbs tuned on the Sunny. My experience was great. The acceleration is now smoother and I got to see numbers. The carbs are now synced and timing adjusted.”

 

Alex recalls how acquired the Sunny:

“I randomly found the Sunny for sale in Seattle a few years ago and pulled the trigger as I have always wanted one but never seen one in person. It was originally brought to the states by JapaneseClassicsLLC a year prior. A good friend, Marcus of MFR, volunteered to go with me and tow it back. Since then, I have had a blast driving and updating as we all do when we get a Datsun to play with. Rebuilt 5-speed, 0 offset Panasports, new rubber bushings and weatherstripping, and getting the seats reupholstered are just some of the things I have had done to date.”

Dyno Tuning

 

Alex brought truck to ZCG and we got it on the dyno. Under the hood is Nissan’s 1.2L A12 engine, also used in the B110 series sedans/coupes. This one sports dual Solex-Mikuni induction. It was already close to being dialed so we adjusted the full throttle, smoothed-out the fuel curve and timing. The truck made 54hp/59tq to the wheels:

  

Enjoy this video of the Sunny on the dyno at ZCG:

 

Enjoying the Ride

 

We love that Alex drives the ‘Ute everywhere. He’s a great guy to be around and also an an avid videographer, mounting a Ghostcam on the back of the truck capturing neat driving perspectives. You can see more of his adventures on his Instagram. We’ve had the pleasure of running with him on road rally events like Breakfast Club Rally. I even spotted Alex on HWY 101 S and at a local bar…you can tell how happy he is driving this truck. And yes, seeing a kei car in modern-day Bay Area traffic is quite the sight:

 

We asked Alex what’s next for the Sunny:

“In the future, I want to up grade the suspension and brakes (maybe I can get something ZCG to fit under 13s lol). Since I “somewhat” over modified my LS510, I decided to keep the sunny mostly stock. Soon, I am getting another A12 to use so I can rebuild the one under the hood to OEM.
I have always been a 510 guy, but I can’t help but like to drive the Sunny more.”

We appreciate your support Alex, keep Enjoying the Ride in your Datsuns! More photos in the gallery below

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At Z Car Garage, the Datsun 510 is very close to our heart. Our hero John Morton piloted a 510 in the Trans Am racing series to put Nissan on the map, fueling every Datsun enthusiast’s passion for hot-rodding the humble economy car. We also have our share of race, personal and project 510s. When Mark G contacted us to work on his 510, we happily obliged especially after learning that it was built by fellow racer and Datsun 510 specialist Troy Ermish. The 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles, dyno tuning and more.

 

UPDATE: This post is an update to our initial blog post on Mark’s rad 510. He had an emergency request and Z Car Garage got him back on the road. Here is Mark with the story:

“I drove up HWY 9 for a quick run. The car died about a mile from Skyline, I called Nick for advice, no Spark. I emailed Rob that afternoon, after getting the car towed home, he contacted me the next morning. He got me into the shop on that Thursday to replace a bad MSD, so I could do the run with ZCG and crew to Morning Motors on July 31st.”

 

When Mark called we did not hesitate to get him in to the shop to resolve the issue. We found no power to coil and traced it to a failed MSD box. This was a strange unit we were not familiar with so we had our in-house electrical expert Joshua Corwin wire in our favorite MSD 6AL box. After a few small adjustments we dyno-tuned the 510 and it made excellent power, 177hp/170tq to the wheels:

 

Enjoy this video showing Mark’s 510 on the dyno and driving on the road, volume up!

 

Enjoying The Ride

 

Mark’s 510 was back on the road again and we all had a great time attending the Driving While Awesome Morning Motors. (Above) The group convened at Alice’s Restaurant, Mark’s 510 next to Erich’s Alfa Romeo gave some serious B-Sedan vibes!

 

Since this last visit we have had the pleasure of seeing Mark at various race events and even Nick’s Birthday party. Thanks for your support Mark!

“Because of the installation of the new MSD, ZCG dyno’d the car which improved it’s HP. Yahoo! Rob was kind enough to lend me his G20 to get around that day, cool little fun car. With his permission, I washed the cars windows. Another successful Z Car Garage encounter.”

 

Read further to learn more about Mark’s history with his 510 and build details…

510 Beginnings

 

Mark is an avid car enthusiast, growing up here in the South Bay. His first car was a lowered Capri that he tracked in the 80’s at Laguna Seca. He attributes his 510 passion from its rich racing heritage:

 “I was introduced to Sports Car racing at Laguna Seca in the mid 70’s. I have been going to most all of the different events ever since. My favorite was Sports Cars racing, Camel GT’s, IMSA, ALMS. Thus the ‘Poor Man’s BMW 2002’, my recent 510 is my third and hopefully last. Number 2 was also brought back from the dead and used to commute and cruise over Highway 17 to Aptos to work for my Father’s business. The surf rack was installed to haul all kinds of stuff.”

 

In 2015, Mark decided to fulfill his dream of another 510 and bought a project car:

“I wanted something I could turn into a street racer and autocross car for my son. As in any extensive full blown renovation, everything on the car has been touched. I tore it completely apart, soda-blasted the car, personally sandblasted every bolt and part on the car, welded in new floor panels and rebuilt the trunk, back panel and rear valance.”

The project car:

 

Mark’s extensive bodywork:

 

“I met Troy Ermish early on in the process, so when the floors and trunk were repaired, the car was trailered to Troy for a full roll cage, front fender wells were cut back and jack points installed in the rocker panels at the “B” Pillars.”

 

After 18months of bodywork, which Mark was heavily involved with, it was back to Ermish for the final build out. The car was purchased with a 1600 and funky 4 speed, but Mark also scored a 2000cc with two side draft Mikuni’s and a ZX 5 speed transmission. The engine was sent to Rebello for a full rebuild and upgrade to 2360cc spec.

 

T- Square Brain

 

Mark studied art in school and his attention to detail throughout the 510 impressive. From the no-frills interior to uncluttered engine bay it’s no surprise that he earned the nickname “T-square brain”. Each time I see this car it reveals another level of fanaticism that reminds me how awesome Datsun-owners are. Enjoy a few detail shots with more pics in the gallery below:

Engine Bay

Devoid of unnecessary bits, the Rebello 2.3 with dual-Mikuni’s takes center stage:

 

Interior

 

A tribute to the B-Sedan racing 510s of the 70’s, the interior is spartan with a simple dash, roll cage and OMP seats:

 

Again, it’s super sanitary in here with subtle color choices and straightforward switchgear. That is Pete Brock’s signature on the dash!

  

Body

The 2017 Corvette Racing Yellow paint is loud, but in a good way. Mark’s touches here are an exercise in restraint, while harking back to the Trans Am racers he remembered. The white roundel was inspired by our friend Dave Scholz’ Datsun 240z as seen on Petrolicious . 13″ re-pop’d (VTO) AR Libras are the definitive wheel choice here, with contrasting black spokes and chunky Toyo R888 tires:

 

Sorting at ZCG

 

The 510 was constructed with both Mark’s skillset and Troy’s finishing touches. After he finished his project, Mark visited ZCG for adjustments and sorting.

 

ZCG CV Axles!

 

We upgraded Mark’s standard half shafts to our Z Car Garage CV Axles. These CV axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to standard half shafts, while eliminating the need for aluminum adapters.  Mark got ZCG VV Axle set #320 and he loves them:

 

Nick about to install the new CVs:

 

Standard half shafts (left) and ZCG CV Axles (right). Note all of the powdercoated suspension parts:

   

Getting Mark Back On The Road

 

Mark was experiencing a re-occurring high water temp issue. Finally the head gasket was compromised so we pulled the engine for a refresh.

 

We re-intalled the the engine and tidied up the engine bay. The electric fan was removed and a fan clutch installed utilizing a 620 water pump/S30 fan blade to make it all fit behind the Koyo radiator:

 

On the road

 

With a few more minor tweaks like door locks and windows, Mark was out and about with his 510. He joined us at the local Fuel Supply Cars and Coffee:

 

Enjoy this video of Mark’s 510 in action:

 

We even spotted Mark at Driving While Awesome Morning Motors:

 

 

Do It In A Datsun

 

I was fortunate to catch up with Mark and meet his son Dom who also has motorsports background. It was rad to see the Datsun being a family affair and Mark all smiles behind the wheel:

 

 “I feel very lucky to be part of the Z Car Garage family. The staff are  all great guys. I will continue to bring the car in for Anything it needs.”

 

Big thanks to Mark for letting us service his 510. We really enjoyed having the 510 in the shop!

 

Speaking of Love for The 510…this weekend 20+ B-Sedan racers will be running at Laguna Seca. I will have a full report for you, stay tuned!

 

More pictures in the gallery here: https://www.zcarblog.com/2020/08/05/performance/marks-1972-datsun-510.html

 

WE LOVE RACING! On October 13-15, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the second annual Laps for Laguna event at Laguna Seca Raceway. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 9 (John Morton Cup). It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with in-car footage and photos.

Z Car Garage Racers

We raced and provided trackside support for our client’s B-Sedan Datsun 510s (Rob, Todd, Jeff and Gabe):

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd enjoyed his Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the first Laps For Laguna event!

#25 Jeff Rothman

Gabe’s father Jeff is racing his B-Sedan Datsun 510:

 

#8 Gabe Rothman

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

 

Let’s Race!

Laps for Laguna is a vintage racing event created by the Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation and California Sports Racing Group (CSRG) to raise money for charity. It is an open sound event with multiple races for each race group, charity rides and more. We hope Laps for Laguna continues to be an annual affair.

 

Rob recaps the weekend:

“Friday afternoon we had practice sessions with father-son duo Jeff and Gabe Rothman, Todd R, and myself all running our B-Sedan Datsun 510s. Todd and Jeff were running similar pace so they were cutting it up. Gabe continues to pick up his pace and smooth out his driving…and he is a front runner. Super excited and proud of him.”

 

“It was just myself and Parker’s Alfa in front. Fortunately, he has picked up some speed this year and become the one to beat! Really stoked for him and Fred from Autostrada prepping this fast Alfa. On Sunday we had a really good battle when Alan Terpins in 911 T/R. he motored us pretty well on the start and Parker and I just chased him for 8-10 laps. Other two races Parker and I matched each other’s pace and exchanged places a few times, but my 510 didn’t have the pace of that Alfa. Congrats to those guys. Perfect weather, great run groups and one fantastic weekend!”

 

Watch this exciting in-Car video from Rob’s 510, mixing it up with a 1968 Porsche 911 T/R driven by Alan Terpins and Alfa Romeo driven by Parker McKean:

The Z Car Garage Nissan Z as Pace Car

Z Car Garage was happy to have our 2023 Nissan Z as Official Pace Car at Laps For Laguna. Rob enjoyed wheeling the New Z around the track:

“The track had a “friends of Laguna Seca Raceway” gathering where corporate partners would bring their staff to enjoy some charity rides in cars like GT40s, Nascar, Ferrari’s and one new Nissan Z car. I was able to give rides on Friday morning for about 2 hrs straight. It was really fun to put the new Z through its paces.”

You might notice the new Z’s livery, it’s a nod to our #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z, and we will dedicate a separate blog post to it:

 

Paddock Highlights

Big thanks to Meghan for taking photos and video around the paddock. Here is a highlight reel of race and paddock action at the track:

A weekend of great racing and good times

 

Special shoutout to ZCG crew for keeping all of the cars running so we can race! More photos in the gallery below.

 

Join us for the 2024 Vintage Racing Season!

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing next year. Please check the CSRG website and zcarblog.com for upcoming race events. We are thinking about returning to Walter Mitty at Road Atlanta in spring since they are celebrating Japanese cars. We may get a transporter full of vintage cars so if you are a vintage racer and want to join us please please inquire with Rob at the shop. CSRG race event schedule below. Stay tuned for more race reports!

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WE LOVE RACING! Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the 20th Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway on September 8-10. Z Car Garage raced and supported several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in the B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). Everyone had a blast, enjoy our race report with in-car video and photos below.

   

Z Car Garage Supports Five Datsun 510s!

 

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services include full race support and car-preparation to help make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. One of our specialties is dyno tuning. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno:

 

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd enjoyed his Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the Laps For Laguna event!

#7 Kelvin Tse

Kelvin and his brother Kenny are regular ZCG trackside support clients…

  

Gabe and his Dad Jeff’s B-Sedans:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

     

Rob will also ran the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z at Sonoma Raceway.

 

Group 3 B-Sedan Races

Rob recaps the Charity Challenge races from Group 3: B-Sedan and John Morton Cup…

“Over the last 20 years, CSRG has raised money for children’s charities and every Fall Z Car Garage tries to attend the Charity Challenge. We had a strange summer with Laguna Seca canceling our summer event, so it had been many months since CSRG was on the race track. In the B-Sedan group we were happy to support Kenny, Todd, and Gabe’s Datsun 510s. We also had newcomer Jeff Rothman, who is father of Gabe. Jeff’s no stranger to vintage racing with serious Alfas and a Formula Ford. One of Gabe’s fondest early memories is when his Dad took him to the historic races at Laguna Seca. And now they are racing together at Sonoma.”

 

“First session out Kenny had a transmission issue, so Nick and Cooper went to work making sure everyone could stay on the track. We got Kenny’s car back together and I lost 4th gear in my 510 so I decided to start from the back. I was proud to still click off a fast time despite losing 4th gear. Gabe and Kenny shared the front row and both got their personal lap records! It was Todd’s first time with an Elite box, he kicked ass with no issues while improving his times. We had just done a bunch of prep to Jeff’s car and he had a great time. Not as many cars in our run group but it was super fun.”

 

Enjoy these in-car videos from the Group 3 Race from Rob’s Datsun 510:

“No 4th gear but still trying to get to the front. At the start of the race a Mini hits me in the right rear but I am able to recover and keep racing till the end . Thanks for CSRG for another great weekend. Z Car Garage kept me safe and on track all weekend long. Do it in a Datsun! Note: My steering wheel is off since my car is toed in the rear and you can hear the right rear tire howling.. Good times!”

Race 2: Rob was missing 4th gear all weekend so he tried starting in the back to see if he could work his way to the front:

The 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!

 

Z Car Garage was happy to have our 2023 Nissan Z as Official Pace Car at the Charity Challenge. Rob was happy to wheel the New Z around the track:

“One of the coolest things about the Charity Challenge was driving the new Z as pace car and give charity rides. In its 20th year the Charity Challenge has raised millions for children’s charities and they allowed me to be a driver on Sat/Sun to give 4-5 rides which included a warm-up lap, race lap and cool-down lap. Yes, that’s actor/director Seth Rogen!

 

Paddock Action

Experience the sights and sounds from our paddock and the race track in this video below!

 

The #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z

 

Rob also raced the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z at Sonoma Raceway:

“My IMSA car has pretty good history at Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway); it came from the Bondurant School and actually held a record there. I really enjoyed driving it, and had a good pace. Super fun race with Jim Froula of RacecraftNW in his GT3 240SX-bodied car. Stoked on the ZCG crew and thanks to Roger Kraus for the tires: first time running Goodyears and I love them. The Joel Anderson IMSA Z was on display all weekend and people remembered it from back in the day. A couple came over and showed me a photo of the Z from 1980. I let a young person sit in it. Made me happy to see folks appreciating Joel’s creation.”

 

Enjoy these in-car videos from Group 8 in The Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:

Sunday’s race:

“Thank you CSRG for another great event. It was so awesome to get the Joel Anderson GTU 240Z out on track. Great driving by Jim @racecraftnw in his GT3 car. Thank you Z Car Garage for keeping us safe and on track all weekend. Long live the Z.”

Saturday’s race:

“Starting from the back in Anderson 49 car… @ the 13 min mark Dr. Phil waves me by and I come up on a waving yellow caused by a spun out car in Turn 4. I clear it and give Phil back his position and we race to the checkered flag. So cool to be on track with some Nissan History. Thanks for CSRG for another great weekend. Z Car Garage kept me safe and on track all weekend long. Do it in a Datsun!”

 

Thank You!

The Charity Challenge was fun with the usual group of folks, Oliver, Meghan, lots of snacks and good times. The ZCG crew kept all of us safe and on the track to enjoy the weekend. We got to have dinner in the turn 11 clubhouse for the first time and the vibe was incredible. Excited for next year’s event! Huge shoutout and thank you to our star photographer Meghan Fuller for capturing all of the paddock and track photos in the gallery below.

  

The racing continues! We are racing at Laguna Seca this weekend for the GRIDLIFE event. Race reports from the Laps For Laguna event and SVRA Double-header are coming soon. You can see our report from the 2022 Charity Challenge HERE

Join us for the 2023 Vintage Racing Season!

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Here is list of events we will be attending in 2023, including CSRG and SVRA . Please join us!

March

March  3^rd to the 5^th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26^th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27^th to 30^th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4^th   to 7^th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25^th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

August 12-13                    Monterey Pre-Reunion
August 16-19                    Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

September

Sept 8^th  to 10^th              CSRG   Sonoma

October

October 13-15                  CSRG Laps For Laguna

October 20-22.                GRIDLIFE Laguna

November

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

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