Filed under: 240z,Parts
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on February 2, 2026
This is Bruce’s 1971 Datsun 240Z featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles and Panasport Wheels. Before we go into the parts let’s hear how Bruce got his Series 1 S30…
BRUCE: My love affair with the Z began in 1983. I owned #2112 and quickly realized how special Series 1 cars were. I drove that car as much as possible. It was sporty, sexy and huge bang for the buck. Sadly, I had an accident with it and it was a total loss. I loved the car so much, I vowed to get another but this time do it with no expense spared. Fast forward to 2017, I found the current Series 1 car in the garage of an abandoned building in Silverlake Ca. $1,500 later, she was mine…
…I convinced Don Byars at Full Throttle Panteras, who restored and modified my award winning DeTomaso Pantera, to restore this Z. His extreme quality demands, attention to detail and passion for special cars was just what the car needed.
BRUCE: Although he worked solely on Panteras, he enjoyed the build and the attention the car received being in his shop. It was my job to source parts and get answers to difficult questions and that’s how I came across Z Car Garage. Rob was very generous with his assistance and was a great resource for the wheels, CV axles and the fuel injection system. The quality of parts and such detailed service Rob provided was invaluable. Sadly, Don fell ill in 2022 and passed away before the build was complete.
ROB: I met Bruce in 2019 when he called to purchase some Panasports from ZCG. We talked about the Z and some of the upgrades we have, philosophy behind the cars and how we strive for the right product to do the job. Bruce would keep in touch and later purchased a set of ZCG CV Axles and a KOYO race radiator plus our own hose that make. We can’t work on every Z car because of limited bandwidth, but it’s really cool to share a few things that we’ve developed to make a Z car better.
Z Car Garage CV Axles
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 200 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback. Here are Bruce’s CV Axles installed on his ’71 Z:
The ZCG CV Axles complement a full suspension rebuild with new parts from Techno Toy Tuning:
BRUCE:In 2023, I moved to southern Oregon and had found a great shop for my classic cars and the Pantera. Chris at Custom Performance and Rods in Central Point Oregon generously agreed to finish the project. Two years later, she was complete. Chris loved the service Rob provided and the beautiful machine work on the CV axles. They were easy to install and really held up well with the high horsepower being pushed through them.
Panasport Wheels
Bruce purchased a set of 16×7 Panasport Wheels from Z Car Garage. We are an authorized Panasport dealer with have limited sets available for fitment on your S30 Z car with 225/50/16 tires. Bruce always loved Panasport wheels and getting a set was on his wish list since he was a teenager. Don Byars who built his ‘74 Pantera chose the slick Gun-Metal color:
Interior
Bruce’s interior choices were subtle with a simplified center console, stitched dash and custom covered seats.
Drivetrain
The Z sports a Rebello 3.0L L-Series engine with Jenvey ITB fuel-injection. Rob provided support for the EFI and KOYO Race radiator. The engine is backed by a T5 5-speed transmission:
Enjoy this video of Bruce’s Z in action. Volume up!
Enjoy The Ride
BRUCE: I have since put about 800 miles on the car working out bugs and now she runs and performs beautifully. I can say for the most part, my collection is complete. My goal was to build a stock appearing Z that had subtle modifications and had the performance of a Daytona Ferrari. I believe I achieved that. Eliminating the stock marker lights and the stacked Ansa exhaust makes the car seem sexy and sleek. I’m still unsure about the T5 transmission that is in the car. The only plan for the future is to possibly swap the tranny out for something better.
“Thank you for the privilege to showcase my Z. Z Car Garage puts forth passion for the marque that is intoxicating and addicting. These are great cars and Rob makes sure everyone realizes it. He is an asset to the Z community.”
Thanks for your support Bruce we love that you are Enjoying The Ride and Long Live The Z! More photos in the gallery below
Turki A. purchased a set of Panasport Wheels from Z Car Garage and recently shared his Z story with us. We are an authorized Panasport dealer with have limited sets available for fitment on your S30 Z car. Before we show you how a set of these 16×7 wheels look on almost every Z color imaginable, let’s hear about Turki ‘s 240Z…
“My passion for the Z started when I was very young. I was always fascinated by my cousin’s Nissan 300ZX Turbo, and that car shaped my love for the Z family. After many years, in 2020, I bought a Nissan 280ZX 10th Anniversary Edition in gold and black, number 217 out of 3000 produced worldwide.”
“Later, I decided to pursue my dream of owning a 240Z. I found one that had been sitting unused for many years, purchased it, and began a full restoration project in 2023. I completed the full restoration in November 2025, and the car is now fully renewed and better than ever.”
Turki recalls how he found ZCG and eventually purchased a set of Panasports from us:
“I was searching for wheels for my 240Z, but none of the options I found really impressed me. I asked a friend of mine from Kuwait, Wail, who has long experience with Nissan Z cars. He recommended Panasport wheels and told me they would be a perfect match for the 240Z. Based on his advice, I contacted Mr. Rob at Z Car Garage. The experience was excellent, and he helped me with everything. The wheels were shipped smoothly from the U.S. to Dubai, and I am extremely happy with the quality and classic look they add to the car.”
Enjoying the Ride
Turki has been driving his Z everywhere and shared these photos from Dubai, more in the gallery below!
Enjoy this video of Turki’s Datsun 240Z wearing the new Panasport wheels:
The Panasports do look fantastic on this #115 Metallic Blue 240Z. Thank you for your support Turki, glad you are Enjoying The Ride!
Panasport wheels for your Z car
Treat your Z to a brand new set of Panasport wheels! We special order this offset to enable fitment of a 225/50/16 tire on the 1970 to 1978 S30s.
Pricing: $1500 a set of (4)
Contact us to order: rob@zcargarage.com or call 408-452-0350 Limited availability (pallet pictured).
We are also proud to offer a matching Panasport spare wheel/tire setup for your Z! For more info can be found HERE
Wondering how a set of Panasports would look on your Z car? Please enjoy pictures below of ZCG customer cars in jus about every color imaginable with Panasport wheels:
Filed under: 240z,Parts,Skyline
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on December 23, 2025
Mike R sent us his 1971 Datsun 240Z from North Carolina for mechanical sorting, Z Car Garage-style. Our Z Car Garage CV Axles, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage KW V3 coil-overs and CD009a Six-Speed transmission transformed this 919 Sunshine Yellow S30.
ROB: We’ve been very fortunate to work with many clients from the East Coast. One of them is Mike Rogers, you might remember a few years back we did a really early 1970 Datsun 240Z for him and it turned out wonderful:
He purchased an RB25-powered 240Z and called us asking ‘hey do you think we could kinda do what you guys typically do to these cars?’ and I said absolutely. The Z was shipped to San Jose, Ca and we installed our ZCG Big-Brakes (Stoptech), our private label KW V3 coil-over setup and ZCG CV Axles. We just did as much as possible to correct things with the install of his RB25 and it was a fun project.
Drivetrain
ROB: The RB25DET engine swap was already installed by a previous owner. We left the engine bay aesthetics as is and focused on getting it running well. The goal was to make it as close to a Z Car Garage-style RBZ chassis-wise with decent power. We did not turn it up, as Mike is not about big power with this one.
CD009a Six Speed Transmission
A game changer for this RB Z car was to replace the RB five-speed and install a new CD009a Six-speed speed. It works so well together and this transmission is definitely our go-to choice whether you have a powerful or just-for-fun street car S30. We really enjoying doing these swaps behind L-series engines. You might remember our first application of Austin Hoke’s custom 6-speed adapter kit on the OS Giken TC24B1Z-powered 240z, Trevor’s 280Z and Frank’s 240Z:
Using the 6-speed conversion kit from Hoke Performance we installed a new CD009a transmission from the 2003-2008 Z33 behind the RB25DET in Mike’s 240Z:
Here is the brand-new transmission from Nissan being unboxed. Hard to tell from the interior once it is installed:
Driveline Upgrades
We built Mike an R180 rear diff with 3.54 OS Giken LSD, a perfect upgrade for anyone doing spirited driving. All done in-house with new bearings/hardware by our very own Joshua Corwin:
Dyno Tuning
Ron dyno tuned the Z, making 261hp/227tq at the wheels. Enjoy the RB25 sounds in the video below!
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes
As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:
Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)
Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats
Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads
Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!
Z Car Garage is proud to offer our Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves (sorry this is NLA). We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Mike’s RB25 240Z ZCG Big-Brake installation below:
Our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake function. Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments.
Panasport Wheels
Our ZCG Big-Brakes also look great behind the new 16×7 Panasport wheels in our offset allowing us to run 225/50/16 tires. These were a welcome replacement for the Rota wheels on the car. The Z was fully aligned afterwards:
Suspension
Mike’s chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild with new parts from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.
New parts included the T3 adjustable T/C rods, T3 rear control arms, T3 front/rear strut tower bars, new ball joints, new front bushings, all new bearings and seals and ST sway bars. Mike wanted a fantastic driver that was worry-free. We replaced all of the hydraulics and front/rear suspension assemblies to match the new driveline. All suspension was either zinc’d or powdercoated. Before/after show below:
Front Suspension refresh with T/C rod, crossmember and steering rack detail before/after:
Rear end with T3 lower control arms and ST Sway bar, before/after:
Z Car Garage CV Axles
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 250 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.
ZCG CV Axles installed on Mike’s 240Z shown below with more pictures in the gallery:
KW x Z Car Garage Coil-over Suspension
Our Z Car Garage KW V3 Suspension is available in limited quantities. These coil-overs offer game-changing performance suitable for street, track and daily-driving for your S30 Datsun Z car.
The little things are what we excel at. We handled some weatherstripping around the cabin and installed a SpeedHut speedometer box. More photos in the gallery below.
Enjoying The Ride
We received some flattering feedback from Mike after the Z was shipped back to him in NC:
MIKE: Hey my friend, I drove the RB25 to Cars and Coffee Saturday morning. Best damn 240 I’ve ever driven. Absolutely love that car. Gonna be my own “Mrs. Buttersworth” Gonna call it “Mrs. Lemonade” in your honor. Great job!!!
Thanks for your support Mike and Long Live The Z!
The Last Stop in Braking for your Z
Z Car Garage Big Brakes are one of the best systems available for your S30 Z Car with over 200 kits sold worldwide and unanimous positive feedback. See our ZCG Big-Brakes on client cars HERE and enjoy the photos below:
For Sale (SOLD)
1970 Series 1 Datsun 240Z
VIN # 6132
Monte Carlo Red. Original paint
L28 engine with 4-speed manual transmission
Full suspension upgrade with Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech, 328mm)
Price: $27k
Interior: stock with Recaro Specialist seats:
Car currently has 16″ Konig Rewind wheels with Bridgestone RE760 tires and chassis upgrades:
-Stoptech/ZCG big brake kit (Stoptech ST-42 calipers)
-Arizona Z Car billet suspension
-Ground Control coil-overs
-MSA front/rear strut tower bars
Engine is a stock L28:
Solid car, only evidence of rust just below battery tray. Paint is original (Monte Carlo Red only available on early models) and could use a refresh.
FRANK: Our 1975 280z was affectionately nicknamed “Charlie” in 1978 when we became the third owners of the car. I was 22 at the time and my parents had promised to help me buy my 1st car when I finish college. My girlfriend Patty accompanied me down to San Jose to look at the car and test drive but more accurately she had to do the test drive of the manual transmission because I only knew how to drive an automatic transmission. I think I made up the story that the 280z was for my “little sister!” From that moment on that Datsun Z became part of our lives. A short while later we drove “Charlie” on a nice day trip to Monterey where I proposed and I even wrote Patty a note promising that if I ever screw up our marriage, the Z is hers. Talk about a unique prenup!
Anyway “Charlie” has always been with us often as a daily driver to school, work or sometimes to Sears Point to watch that actor race for Bob Sharp. Servicing was usually done at Z Doctor in Richmond or Hayes Auto in the city but as the years went by and these places closed we started to rely on neighborhood service station mechanics.
Fast forward 37 years later, approaching retirement and a big move to San Diego one of my work colleagues who races Miatas asked me if I had ever heard of a fellow vintage racer Rob Fuller who does wonders on Z’s out of his shop Z Car Garage. After exchanging a few photos, Rob agreed to take on a new project. Luckiest day in “Charlie’s” life!
ROB: Frank was a doctor at a SF hospital and his colleague (Matt) was racing Spec Miata as a newbie while I was racing full-time SCCA in 2022, no longer taking any work in. So through a racing connection I was able to take in their car. We performed extensive work on Charlie: injectors, header, ZCG exhaust system, all hydraulics, clutch, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, heater core, 240Z bumpers, full suspension and 16×7 Panasports.
Suspension
The suspension was refreshed with Techno Toy Tuning parts done in ZCG black finish. KYB strut inserts with Eibach lowering kit, T3 control arms, tension rods, urethane bump stops, rack bushings, control arm bushings, ball joints , f/r wheel bearings, ST sway bars, mustache bar bushings…everything was powdercoated or zinc plated.
Before/After:
More chassis photos in the gallery below!
Z Car Garage Big-Brakes
We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on Frank’s 280Z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) which have the been standard on numerous ZCG builds.
As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:
Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)
Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats
Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads
Frank’s stock disc/drum brakes were removed and we installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit.
At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. New OEM Nissan master cylinder and Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!
Z Car Garage CV Axles
Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 250 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback. Frank’s ZCG CV Axles set #0047 shown below:
New motor mounts, tranny and diff mount. The differential was resealed:
Panasport Wheels
Complementing the new Big-Brakes on Frank’s Z are Panasport wheels! We installed 16×7 Panasports with 225/50/16 tires and performed an alignment:
Engine
We knew the car would be stopping and handling better than before, so next up was the engine bay. Once up and running we found the head gasket weeping. We replaced the head gasket, did the front timing chain set and refreshed the top end:
A Koyo race aluminum radiator with upper and lower hoses was installed to keep temperatures in check. The heater core was refurbished:
Beyond cooling and fuel system work, the engine was largely untouched to maintain factory reliability. The intake manifold and all associated plumbing was cleaned up and injectors replaced. We replaced intake and exhaust manifold gaskets with factory Nissan parts with a few ZCG tricks like our exhaust nut and exhaust studs.
New alternator before/after:
New evap canister:
The exhaust manifold was replaced with a 6-into-1 header and EGR kit leading to our ZCG exhaust system with stainless resonator and slash-cut tip.
Engine bay Before/After:
VIDEO
Frank and Patty’s 280Z in action on the street, volume up and enjoy!
S30 World Fuel Tank
We decided to start fresh with a new S30 World fuel tank. Great product from owners Gustav Oplasnik and Chris Visscher, Z enthusiasts/restorers. All the vapor hoses in the back were replaced and hatch weatherstripping to eliminate fuel smell in the cabin:
Interior
Recaro Specialist seats in leather are our favorite upgrade to the S30 interior:
Another upgrade to the interior of an S30 is our ZCG sound deadening package. The result is a less tinny sound and almost Germanic-like “clunk” when you shut the doors. All weatherstripping was replaced on Frank’s 280Z:
240Z Bumpers
Frank wanted to clean up the exterior lines and replaced the large, factory 5-mph bumpers with chrome bumpers from a 240Z. We installed aftermarket F/R bumpers after our man William closed up all the holes and finished the paint work. Enjoy the before/after photos with more in the gallery below.
Rear:
Front:
Enjoying The Ride
We shipped the Z back to Frank and Patty in their new home down in San Diego. They were super stoked with the ZCG work performed and immediately began driving the car. Their first car show was The Main Street America car show in July put on by the Corvette Club of San Diego. Over 400 cars with a Datsun category.
FRANK: Rob and ZCG basically made our 280Z the awesomest most fun to drive ever. The list of replacements and improvements is too long to list but basically incredible upgrades with ZCG BBK, suspension rebuild with KYB struts springs, new bushings, ball joints tie rods control rods sway bar etc… and ZCG 2.5 exhaust system, ZCG CV axles, all new hoses, Koyo Race radiator with belts and so much more! Cosmetically a new head turner with 240Z style bumpers, beautiful bigger wheels with sticky tires and Recaro seats that are the envy. Again so many upgrades a long list but needed and appreciated. “Charlie” is faster, handles better, brakes with authority and what a tone!
Patty and I will always be grateful to Rob for his expertise, Z enthusiasm, honesty and did I mention sweet singing voice. A true pleasure to work with.
Thanks for your support Frank and Patty. Long Live The Z!
The Last Stop in Braking for your Z
Z Car Garage Big Brakes are one of the best systems available for your S30 Z Car with over 200 kits sold worldwide and unanimous positive feedback. See our ZCG Big-Brakes on client cars HERE and enjoy the photos below:
Big-Brake Kits Available For DIY Install!
Z Car Garage is proud to offer our Big-Brake Kit to Z-Car owners that want to perform the installation themselves. We can ship worldwide and each kit contains everything needed with a comprehensive installation guide. Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE. Christopher’s beautiful S30 and his ZCG Big-Brake installation:
Our ZCG Big-Brake kit ships with everything needed to install and retains the factory parking brake function. Chris successfully installed the BBK on his Z and they look great behind the 16×8 (zero offset) Watanabe wheels with 225/45/16 Toyo tires. Beyond ease of installation and quality components, our Big-Brakes perform by offering superb pedal feel…everyone that drives our demo Z confirms! This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments.
CHRISTOPHER: The car feels planted like never before. Our family also has a fully restored 73 240 that is an excellent OEM example. Where that car feels stable and drives well, there’s no denying the age of its component and it drives like a seventies sports car. The 280 feels like a modern sports car and inspires confidence. The brake pedal communicates exceptionally well and the balance of the calipers bring the z down from speed a rate well beyond most cars today. The light weight of the S30 and the size of the ZCG big brakes is an unreal combo!
