Happy Friday from Z Car Garage! Here are a few cars in for service, performance upgrades and mechanical sorting. Enjoy! Matt’s 1972 Datsun 240Z received our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles along with a full suspension refresh and engine tuning back in 2022. He returned to ZCG for a KA24 5-speed transmission, LSD and a new 3L L-series engine with triple-Mikuni carb induction.
Michael’s LeMans Sunset Nissan 350Z is getting an OS Giken LSD and gears.
R’s Day, one of the largest gatherings of Nissan Skylines on the West Coast was held on December 7, 2025 at Laguna Seca Raceway. Z Car Garage attended the event and supported our client Kurt in his R32 GT-R. Rob brought out the Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510 and several ZCG clients all had a great time. Enjoy our report with photos and videos!
Kurt’s R32 GT-R
We prepared Kurt’s R32 Skyline GT-R for the track day. Earlier in the year it received a fresh RB26 motor and turbo upgrade to complement the new KW coil-over suspension and Stoptech Big-Brakes….
Dyno tuning Kurt’s R32, volume up!
Kurt enjoyed driving his R32 at Laguna Seca with fellow GT-R owners. Photos by gtrx.app, and you can see more of Kurt’s R32 on his Instagram
Rob’s Vintage Racing Datsun 510
We also dyno’d Rob’s B-Sedan vintage racing Datsun 510:
Here’s Rob’s report from R’s Day…
ROB: Cooper and I loaded the BAAD car to Laguna Seca, our home track during the vintage race season. It was really fun to bring out my Datsun 510 race car with all those cool street cars. We had Dirk stoop in his 1973 Datsun 240z, Amy in her RZ34, Joseph in the RZ34 # 49 car, and a few others including Miles’ R32. Our main focus was to support Kurt in his R32 GT-R which has been modified and tuned by ZCG, full report coming to zcarblog.com soon.
I’ve been to a few R’s day and this was the first time I’ve driven. Each event has seen a steady increase in attendance and it was the most R32, R33 or R34s I’ve ever seen. It was incredible to be in a paddock filled with lots of cool Nissans… There was Pat’s RB-powered Pat’s Kenmeri (featuring our ZCG CV Axles):
All kinds of really cool cars and kudos to the R’s Day team as they were just super organized: the meetings and downloads were quick and informative. I love their grid process. Everything was just wonderful and we will definitely be back next year. Kurt’s car rocked. There were some pretty fast cars including Charles Park from Powertrix with their time-attack R35 tuned by SpecialtyZ. Sean Morris and Brian J from Top Rank, people from all over the California GTR scene. Todd Lapin from Norcal Skylines cooked HotPot in the garages! It was just a very festive, community-oriented vibe and I had a blast.
Dirk’s 1973 Datsun 240Z
Dirk’s 1973 Datsun 240Z features Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (StopTech), Z Car Garage CV Axles, Silvia 6-speed transmission and a host of chassis and driveline upgrades. Rob dyno tuned the 3.0L Rebello L-series engine with triple-Mikuni ph44 carbs, making 265hp/231tq at the wheels. We prepared the Z for R’s Day and Dirk had a great time:
DIRK: Yeah dude, massive difference! Work done by ZCG just before the day: 1. New rear sway bar (ST suspensions), car did not have one before, last Sonoma track day, being able to rotate the car on entry was difficult, this change was made to help that 2. New RE-71RS tires, Rob found old tires were pretty much spent, Dirk ordered tires, car stayed at ZCG an extra day so that they could be installed before the track day 3. Suspension and brake inspection 4. Change diff and trans fluids
Car rotated much better with the new rear sway bar, now able to rotate just by lifting off throttle in turns, quicker, and more fun. Felt great, very predictable and forgiving at the limit.
JOSEPH: It was a beautiful day at Laguna Seca (as if anything else is possible) with GT-Rs from every era, as far as the eye could see! There was also a very famous 510 in the mix…The #49 new Z ran great on its new 18×10.5 SSR wheels (275-35-18 Nitto NT01), but the day was cut short by cleanup of an oil spill from turn 6 to turn 10, and one of my brake pads deciding to delaminate in the heat on the way into turn 2. We’re putting race pads on next time! I made my goal of breaking 1:50, so I left with a smile on my face anyway.
Check out his R’s Day session at Laguna Seca (in-car video HERE)
Amy’s R34, Rob’s 510 and Kurt’s R32 GT-R….more photos in the gallery below!
On Saturday, August 30 we attended the Tokyo Calling 5 event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. Z Car Garage participated with a group of client cars and enjoyed a wonderful day of driving through the foothills of Northern California. The event featured 280+ Japanese classics and 90’s-era wonders to appreciate during the morning social gathering and rest stops. Enjoy our report with mega-photo gallery and video!
Breakfast Club Rally
The Breakfast Club Rally (BCR) started 5 years ago as a small group enjoying weekend drives. It blossomed into monthly events with one hour of hanging out followed by several hours of driving. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to enjoy the beautiful Northern California roads and scenery. You can see our previous BCR reports HERE!
The initial BCR Tokyo Calling event, Tokyo Calling 2, Tokyo Calling 3 and Tokyo Calling 4 were all a blast. We did not want to miss their fifth all-Japanese, mostly-vintage rally so I assembled a group of Z Car Garage clients and friends to participate in TC5. We left the shop at 6:15am heading to Sonoma, here is a preview of our cars:
Linda Williams drove her 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate. Z Car Garage revived this historically-significant Z from its slumber to make it a nice driver for Linda while retaining its survivor status. She loves driving it everywhere.
Our morning caravan of 6 cars enjoyed cruising up I-280 and the Golden Gate Bridge. Nothing beats driving with fellow Z car owners!
Tokyo is Calling before the Rally!
Our crew arrived at the rally start in Sonoma and it was already filled with fabulous J-Tin parked at a local airport. BCR hosted a “social hour” from 7:30-9am so we could take in all the glorious cars. The vibe was tremendous, and as usual it went by too quickly. Let’s go through some of the highlights, with more photos in the gallery below!
Over 20 S30 Z cars were present!
I am always on the lookout for Nissans and Datsuns, and roadsters get my attention. There were at least 10 in attendance including a genuine 1967 2000. One of the most sought after Datsuns, these “half-year” models were introduced mid-1967 offering a 5-speed transmission and 150hp twin-Mikuni carb’d 2L engine…hot stuff for the era.
Ian’s SRL is #601 (out of ~1000 cars) and it was fully restored years ago by Les Cannaday in San Diego. Ian is meticulous about maintaining this car, but it is no garage queen, attending monthly rally events. The (655) Off-white paint with red interior is one of my favorites. Yes, it even sports a factory Nissan hardtop with all the stainless trim!
Another ’67 2000, this one is #072!
Mark’s right-hand drive ’69 2000:
High and low-windshield roadsters models were present:
Datsun 510
There were several Datsun 510s in wagon and sedan form. Our client Jay installed a set of our Z Car Garage CV Axles on his Green 510, and this time he brought the entire family in their mint 510 Wagon!
More 510s:
Back to Z cars, Lora joined us with her recently acquired 1971 Datsun 240z. This one-owner Series 1 S30, affectionately known as “Buttercup” has been with Z Car Garage for many years. Excited to share her Z-car journey on zcarblog.
Jason Dove’s 280z featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. Jason is a long-time friend and client, full report coming to zcarblog.com.
See the gallery below for more S30 Z car photos!
A Z31 300ZX attending, in turbo form!
Our client Cameron’s Z32 Twin Turbo visited Z Car Garage for maintenance work, downpipes, inlet piping, larger intercoolers all from Specialty Z. Cameron has been bringing his 300 to us for many years and we we are really glad to see him driving. There were several Z32TTs in attendance!
Paul’s B13 Sentra S-R
There were a handful of S13, S14 and S15(!) 240SX:
Leo’s Nissan Pulsar GTi-R
Super happy to see Leo and his Nissan Pulsar GTi-R at Tokyo Calling 5. This RHD, JDM hot-hatch is known as “Baby Godzilla”, sporting all-wheel drive and an SR20DET drivetrain. What’s wild is that this Pulsar used to be owned by our very own Gary at Z Car Garage! Leo purchased it back in 2017 and drove it all the way from Reno, NV.
Nissan Skyline
It was great to see Miles (Rays wheels) and Kurt W.. Both will be getting updated zcarblog features.
Mike’s R32 is looking sharp, now wearing silver TE37s:
Enjoy this walk-around video from Tokyo Calling 5:
Rally On!
Photo by Zack Hubbell
The rally started at 9am and I was tasked with leading our group. I really enjoyed hustling Mrs. Butters through the backroads. This route was a bit longer than previous TC events at a 130+ miles.
One of the perks of BCR events is their team of professional photographers at various stages capturing epic rolling and detail shots so people can focus on enjoying the drive. I encourage you to visit each of these SIX photographer’s photo albums to see shots of your rides:Nathalie Mossberg, Kevin Lee, Alex Nibyt, Zack Hubbell, Emma Lai and Chris Friske.
Photo by Emma Lai
We took a midpoint break from the heat in the historic town of Winters. Lots of cars to see and great chatting with fellow enthusiasts.
The rally concluded back in Sonoma airport, where BCR arranged for lunch from Kinoko Japanese Home Cooking. We enjoyed Japanese comfort food surrounded by J-Tin and vintage aircrafts.
Photo by Kevin Lee
There were so many cool cars, please check the gallery for more photos! Next, let’s check out some non-Nissan/Datsun action…
Honda
Honda was well-represented including late model DC2 Integras, a few NSXs, lots of S2000s, CRXs and EF/EG hatches rounded out the display:
Mazda
A rare Mazda Cosmos was a real treat to see. First-gen, FC and FD RX-7s, and many Miatas attended:
Toyota
Some of our favorite Toyota’s including Supra (A60, A70, A80), first gen MR2s, and AE86s! The Lexus IS300 SportCross with A80 Supra wheels was sweet!
I don’t think I’ve seen this many 2nd-gen A60 Celica-Supras on one place!
Trucks and Vans
Let’s not forget the Japanese classic trucks and vans! Generations of Land Cruiser:
Thanks BCR!
Many thanks to the Breakfast Club Rally organizers, we had a blast and I urge you to register for their next event, especially if you are in the South Bay area like me and want to see what driving bliss lies North.
Photo by Chris Friske
Thank you to all of the Z Car Garage clients that made the journey with us and braved the heat! Huge thanks to BCR for extending their hospitality to our crew, everyone was thrilled. Here’s to the next rally and always, always #DoitInADatsun! More photos in the gallery below…
All work and maintenance performed by Z Car Garage since 2013
Built engine with forged internals. Stock turbos.
Ohlins Road and Track coilovers
Stoptech BBK front & rear
TE37SL wheels
Bride seats
Takata Racing harness
Additional parts and details below
Asking $75,000 obo
Contact Lou at ltstrick32ATgmail if interested.
Build History at Z Car Garage
For most fans of Japanese sports cars the “R32” Skyline supercar is highly regarded and historically significant. Not familiar with this model? Find out what makes it special over at JNC. This R32 Skyline received extensive suspension and engine work performed by Z Car Garage including fully upgraded front/rear Ohlins coil-overs (2022), sway bars, T/C rods, camber/control arms using parts from Cusco and Powertrix:
A full Stoptech big-brake system with larger calipers and 332mm vented rotors F/R was installed. Volk TE37SL wheels, sized 18×9.5 and finished in high-metal bronze. The wheels perfectly frame the Stoptech 332mm big-brake kit at all 4-corners:
The RB26 was rebuilt using a Rebello-prepped bottom end consisting of forged JE pistons and Eagle rods. Mild headwork and stock turbos make up the top end.
A full Tomei titanium exhaust system was added including downpipes, test pipe and the Expreme Ti muffler, installed at ZCG:
Video of exhaust with drive-by:
With the new exhaust and Haltech it was dyno tuned to a healthy 412hp/311tq to the wheels:
The interior features a Bride seats with Takata harnesses and a MOMO steering wheel:
The R32 has been driven to many shows/events running flawlessly. It is equally at home on the street or at the track.
This R32 was featured and driven by Jason Cammisa in the GT-R episode of IGNITION from MotorTrend:
If you have not seen the video yet click on the YouTube link below for a preview of the R32 in action, and see our behind-the-scenes report HERE.
Filed under: Parts,r32,Skyline
by Alvin G @ 8:34 pm on April 26, 2024
Happy Friday from Z Car Garage! Today we are installing engines into a Hakosuka and R32 Skyline. Sebastian’s Hako is getting a 3.0L stroker engine to complement the suspension refresh and Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (Stoptech).
Kurt’s R32 R32 Skyline GT-R is getting a fresh RB26 motor and turbo upgrade to complement the new KW coil-over suspension:
Our Datsun forklift is putting in work! Full reports on both Skylines coming to zcarblog.com!
