Matt O is the lucky owner of this 1991 Skyline GTR finished in (TH1) Midnight Blue Pearl.  When we first met he wanted to bring the car in to ZCG for a quick checkup. We looked over it, ran a compression check and also made a plan for his next visit.

 

Matt acquired this California-legal R32 from our friend Sean and his team at Toprank International Vehicle Importers. It goes without saying, if you are in the market for a vintage Skyline (or any JDM car) IVI is the place to go.

   

In March of last year Matt came in for a Haltech Platinum Pro. We have installed many of these and it’s a great foundation for adding power to the R32.

 

We performed all the prep work and ran a the boost sensor to install the Haltech.  Whenever we take on these cars we always run a smoke test to ensure there are no intake leaks present.

  

On the dyno, results for the baseline run (left) followed by Haltech on 91 octane. Despite having a healthy engine/turbos the power levels were fairly low on this car. The culprit: weak actuators not allowing the car to hold boost. Matt will visit us again for new turbos and acuators so it will get a big jump in power. We are big fans of Haltech and now he’s prepared with the right engine management system.

  

Next, we installed a few suspension upgrades supplied by Matt followed by a full alignment:

 

Cusco T/C rods, rack bushings and toe-link/rear control arm setup:

    

T/C rods

   

The R32 had a set of SSR SP1 wheels and Matt wanted to change the look with a fresh set of new wheels: 18″ Volk TE37 finished in bronze.

  

We mounted/balanced his RE071R tires and the Skyline looks sweet:

Matt has been Enjoying The Ride in the R32. Here he is at Laguna Seca:

  

We even caught Matt out on a local drive! Here he is parked next to Naveed’s R32 (story coming soon):

 

Thanks for bringing your Skyline to us Matt. We look forward to more boost! Catch more of Matt’s Th1 R32 on his Instagram

 

“Great Drives” is a Zcarblog series highlighting scenic routes and destinations we have enjoyed from the past and present. Whether it is a nice cruise or thrilling adventure, we hope to inspire Bay Area vintage car owners to Enjoy The Ride! Have a great drive of your own that you want to share? Feel free to contact us on Facebook, Instagram or by e-mail.

 

Mt. Umunhum to Alice’s Restaurant, October 2018

There are several fun routes reaching Alice’s from San Jose. This drive was organized by Lotus 7 owner Geoff W and we all met in Almaden to begin:

 

The 11-car group was diverse with both vintage and modern sports cars with great Nissan/Datsun representation!

The cars:

Daniel’s Nissan 240s (S13) with an RB25DET swap. He is the man behind the lens of BayRoadsAP. Naveed Yousufzai’s R32 Skyline GT-R:

  

Lane Skelton of DrivingWhileAwesome in his Porsche 944. Eric in the 911 Targa

  

TWO Z cars! Michael’s Series 1 240z (with patina) and Andrew’s Series 1 Fairlady Z (RHD!)

  

Geoff (organizer) in his Lotus 7, featured on Petrolicious! Mike in his 993 Porsche:

  

Matt in his Subaru BRZ Performance Pack, Brendan and Drew in their Chevy SS sedans, and myself in the Datsun Roadster.

The route:

  

Driving through Almaden to Mt. Umunhum:

 

The climb up to the peak is filled with freshly paved road and switchbacks. At the top:

 

In the lower lot we had a few minutes to chat and check out the cars

 

I really dig Michael’s S30, it has a warmed-over triple-carb’d L-series:

 

We left Mt. Umunhum towards 17 and exited on Bear Creek Rd. for lunch in Boulder Creek. This was a fun stretch I haven’t been on.

 

Heading up 9 to 35. It was fun chasing Michael in the Z:

 

 

We had a little scare when his oil pressure gauge started reading low….it checked it ok and we were off again:

 

The route changed a bit and we took Alpine Rd. (lots of loose gravel) to Pescadero Creek Rd, then Stage Rd. After re-grouping we hopped on HWY 1N:

 

From 1 we turned right onto 84. This stretch was amazing. SO much fun connecting the turns and chasing Geoff in the Lotus. This is a road that made me love my roadster even more. Thanks Geoff for an exhilarating drive!

 

All of the Roadsters at Alice’s Restaurant. An “Aero Cycle” joined:

 

We also got a closer look at Geoff’s go-kart. One look at the driver’s seat tells all: this is a wild ride!

 

After drinks we departed. Alice’s never disappoints.

 

Here’s video I snapped showing the action, enjoy!

 

After drinks we split up for home, and i took 35 back down 9. I was treated to some great coastal and bay arae views:

 

 

Big thanks to Geoff for organizing the drive. It was a fantastic run with great company! More pictures in the gallery below.

 

When Lehan brought his 1991 R32 GT-R to Z Car Garage it was barely moving under its own power…the clutch failed.  We installed an OS Giken TS2CD clutch and flywheel along with an OS Giken T/O bearing.

 

   

The OS Giken clutch/flywheel combo weighed 32.8lbs compared to the old setup at 39.6lbs:

 

Clutch removal/installation:

   

We also replaced the rear main oil seal while we in there with an OEM seal. The R32 was treated to new clutch hydraulics including master and slave cylinders + hose.  It is prudent to replace these units if they haven’t been done in the last 3-5 years.

   

With a new clutch and hydraulics sorted Lee was back on the road.  He was really surprised that we could do a 2-day turn-around clutch replacement on on his 25-year old Japanese classic supercar.  Enjoy the Ride Lee and thanks for your support!

 

Z Car Garage is proud to offer a CV axle conversion kit for your Datsun S30 and 510. For years we have used aftermarket CV axles that utilize an aluminum adapter prone to loosening up over time. Despite efforts to keep things tight (Loctite, hardware changes) we had to keep an eye on them. We developed a better solution that eliminates the need for aluminum adapters and remains 100% bolt-in like a factory half-shaft.

  

Designed and manufactured locally with KAD Models, the ZCG CV axle kit works in both R180 and R200 configurations.

 

  

These are the beefiest CV axles on the market. They have been tested on the track by our vintage racing customers and also in high hp* street cars (powershifting, clutch dumps, etc.). Each axle has a serial # for peace of mind:

 

The CV axle kit is available now from ZCG for 1595.00 + freight and they come with everything you need to install on your car. Contact us at 408-452-0350 or send Rob an e-mail rob@zcargarage.com to purchase. Installation is just like doing a half-shaft: there is even a marking that shows you where to line up bolts and special hardware:

 

The ZCG CV Axles in action

The video below demonstrates the “looseness” associated with aftermarket CV axles that use adapters compared to the ZCG axles without adapters. Several customer race/street cars running our CV axles are also shown. Enjoy!

 

S30 and 510s running the ZCG CV axles

 

Randy Jaffe’s #46 BRE Datsun 240z received the very first set of ZCG CV axles: Serial # S30-000240!

 

The Bluebird SSS Coupe and Hakosuka Skyline are both running ZCG CV axles on the race track:

   

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running ZCG axles in several of his cars:

Set #246 – installed May 2018 on the “Harry Stewart #52” Datsun 510:

  

Set #247 – installed April 2018 on the 260z

  

Set #248 – will be installed on Adam Carolla’s “Greg Sorrentino #90” Datsun 510. We are pleased to report that Jim will also be installing a set on his “George Alderman #32” 300ZX! The ZCG CV axles are also perfect for high hp street cars. The following customer cars are all running our CV axles now:

Frank B’s fuel-injected, 6-speed stroker L-series:

  

Gary’s 430whp LS3-powered 280z:

  

Scott W’s EFI stroker L-series:

  

James S’ L28ET:

  

Finally, Gary’s “Behemoth”  OS Giken TC24B1Z powered S30:

Technical Information:

The Z Car Garage axles were designed to help remove much of the backlash aka clunk seen in many older vehicles. Modern technology has given us the ability to create a set of axles to exacting standards. We started with a high quality set of CV joints that were found to be the most consistent in both major and minor spline diameters. We then began to design the axle itself to share the same tight tolerances. We are holding a +/- .01mm diametric tolerance on both the inner and outer spline diameters. This gives us the feeling of direct connection between differential and wheel. The axle shaft major diameter was increased to 28MM to give owners a bit of added comfort in knowing the main shafts are stout. Once the axles are splined they are then heat treated to obtain the desired harness. After heat treat the axles are then nickel plated to add corrosion resistance. The inner and outer flanges are made from 316 stainless steel and mate to the CV joints with tapered alignment surfaces to ensure concentricity is maintained throughout the axle thus reducing vibration. The inner flange attaches to the stock R series differential utilizing the Nissan factory hardware. The outer flange attaches to the driven stub with bolts specifically designed and manufactured for the Z Car Garage axle installation kit. These bolts are manufactured to grade 8. All ZCG axles are manufactured locally which helps us maintain the fitment and quality we require.

Materials

Axles : Hardened AISI/SAE 4340 Alloy Steel, 4340 is a nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy steel

Drive flanges: 316 stainless steel, Type 316 steel is an austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel

Outer Flange Bolts: Hardened 4140 Alloy Steel , AISI or SAE 4130 grade is a low-alloy steel containing chromium and molybdenum as strengthening agents

 

 

We have been working with Carlos for several years to raise power levels on his 2015 Nissan GT-R while retaining the stock engine and transmission. On his last visit to ZCG we installed USDM turbos from SIR, bolt-ons and performed an ethanol tune.

 

This time Carlos was ready to hold that boost for a little bit longer. We reached out to Bill Guthrie of SIR and purchased his upgraded actuators matched to our turbos. Originally we had not installed the actuators, trying to keep the boost level down to minimize stress on the engine/tranny. As we all know, the boost fix can last only so long! Carlos came back to ZCG for additional upgrades including an HKS transmission cooler and larger, single FMIC from Boost Logic.

 

  

Acuators:

 

Transmission temps are the enemy of high power levels and track duty for the R35. We installed an HKS transmission cooler and we are really impressed with its quality and performance.

 

You can also see our installation of this HKS cooler on Dan J’s R35, and he reports zero trans temperature issues on the track!

   

The dual intercoolers from the factory were replaced with a single, larger unit from Boost Logic:

 

OEM vs single:

 

Installation of the FMIC:

  

On Carlos’ last visit the R35 put down 611hp/520tq on 91 octane and 703hp/621tq to the wheels on E85. With the new actuators and FMIC it now makes 661p/590tq on 91 octane and 774hp/653tq on Ethanol.

91 Octane:

 

Before tuning on E85, 759p/628tq:

 

After tuning on E85, 774hp/653tq:

 

Allowing the boost to be held to redline resulted in high-end gains in both hp/tq. We can make more power at these boost levels but we are being conservative until we can do a proper built engine/tranny. Enjoy The Boost Carlos!