The Safari tribute 240Z is owned by our client Randy Jaffe and Z Car Garage helped prepare this car a few years ago for a Nissan commercial. We installed new 3.0 Rebello street race motor, 1982 280ZX 5 speed transmission and OS Giken 4.11 LSD. Small details were re-created including functional Works-style side jacking points, rear bumper steps and twin-exit exhaust system. View our full report on this build HERE.
Photos by Larry Chen
Talented photographer and car culture ambassador Larry Chen captured these amazing photos and video of Randy’s Safari tribute and the New Z Safari tribute in action. You can see more photos in the official Nissan Nissan Press Release, and view behind-the-scenes footage on Larry’s Instagram.
Enjoy this video highlighting Larry Chen’s work:
Follow or Facebook and Instagram accounts for more Z car content from the SEMA show!
We are excited to sponsor and be a part of the 2023 Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, Ca on October 7. In just under two weeks, the JCCS returns to Marina Green Park with hundreds of cool vintage Japanese cars to enjoy. Z Car Garage will have a vendor booth with all of our parts on display. Please stop by and say hello, we would love to answer your questions and talk about Z cars. Read below for a preview…
The Z Car Garage booth will have the following parts on display for you to see, touch and inquire: Our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech), ZCG CV Axles, ZCG Heat Shield and Z Car Garage KW Coil-over suspension. The ZCG Big-Brakes are now officially no longer on back order. We are ready to take orders!
Z Car Garage Displays Two Cars at JCCS!
On display in our booth for this first time is our #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z. This is a vintage race car that was built and raced in period by the late Joel Anderson. Z Car Garage restored this Z back to its original livery in 2014, and Rob Fuller now actively races it. Learn more about this special car HERE.
Also on display in our booth will be Sung Kang’s FuguZ. Sung visited Z Car Garage back in 2021, driving “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car. After driving Butters, Sung wanted the exact same Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels), Z Car Garage CV Axles and KW suspension on his very own RB26DETT-powered FuguZ!
The show takes place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in Marina Green Park, and it is the epitome of all J-Tin shows! Catch a glimpse of what JCCS is all about in our previous Japanese Classic Car Show reports. We will also have and some ZCG swag for you to pick up. Come by, say hello and long live the Z!
Nissan’s (Z32) 300ZX is a model that we specialize in at Z Car Garage and our shop is always filled Twin-Turbo, NA or convertible variants. Chris G visited us for suspension and engine work on his “slicktop” NA 300ZX:
Chris’ Z has always been a handful in the suspension department he just wanted to make it more “adult” so we happily obliged. Full suspension upgrades included SPL Upper control arms, SPL rear traction arms, SPL front T/C rods, Suspension Techniques front/rear sway bars, Stillen rear strut bar and KW V3 coil-overs. We also replaced the steering rack boots and rack bushings:
The NA VG30DE engine was pulled to service the valve covers, perform timing belt services and total re-seal with Nissan valve cover gaskets / BDE billet half moon seals / Gates bypass hose / fuel lines. A JWT aluminum clutch/flywheel was installed:
Dyno Tuning
We dyno tuned the Z following the engine refresh, making a healthy 201hp/180tq at the wheels:
Watch the dyno runs in the video below:
Enjoying The Ride
Chris immediately felt a difference after the upgrades and services:
“The Z is a completely different car now. The KW V3 suspension and some real tires make the car feel brand new. All the new goodies they added just took this car to the next level for me. The engine rebuild made a world of difference, pulls hard in every gear, sounds 5x better than before, no more leaks/smells. Just overall an amazing transformation I could feel as soon as I rolled out of the shop.”
The Z32 is super fresh with gold BBS LM wheels and timeless good looks. We loved working with Chris, knowing him since he was young and now he’s got a kid of his own…
“I was first introduced to Z’s when my friend bought an 85’ Z31. From there I found the Z32 and fell in love. I really wanted a slicktop, after about a year of looking I found one in the Bay Area and drove out the next day to see it and ended up buying it. I first brought my car to ZCG in 2015. I did research on shops in the bay area, and everything kept pointing back to ZCG as the best of the best. So, I scheduled time with Rob and after meeting him and seeing his true passion for the Z I knew I had found the right people to bring my car to! From beginning to end Rob helped plan everything, I had a list of wants and to-do’s and they made it happen. Along with other recommendations which really helped bring everything together. I could not have done it without them and their abundance of Z knowledge. Some roadblocks occurred during the build, but Rob kept me updated the entire time and followed through to the end to make sure everything was spot on before the next step. Their mindfulness is top tier.”
Thanks for your support Chris. We live for this. Long Live the Z!
Photographer and car culture ambassador Larry Chen commissioned Z Car Garage to transform his beloved SR20DET-powered 1970 Datsun 240Z from an “ok driver” to a no-excuses, multi-dimensional sports car with power, handling, braking, comfort, reliability and performance to match its eye-catching beauty.
Larry just released a video chronicling his journey with his Z, affectionately known as “Ole Orange Bang”, featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, chassis preparation, dyno tuning and more. It’s a wonderful video with some killer action of Larry enjoying the Z in the canyons. Check it out below or on his YouTube Channel. Volume up and enjoy!
Thanks for the love Larry! You can see our report of the work ZCG performed on this Z on zcarblog.com HERE and LONG LIVE THE Z!
