Rick’s Nissan Silvia returned to Z Car Garage for a suspension upgrade and sorting. This is not the 90’s Silvia (US-Market Nissan 240sx) we know and love, it is the ultra-rare 1965 Silvia CSP311. Only 554 examples were made from ’65 -’67 and never imported to the US.
The Silvia is special for many reasons. This car was built on the Datsun Sports Roadster chassis, meaning it is a body-on-frame platform sharing the same R16 drivetrain as the Datsun 1600 (SP311). All were hand built and right hand drive with a gorgeous interior. Fairlady owners will notice familiar gauges and switchgear–all borrowed from the contemporary Datsun Roadster.
A rare specimen indeed, fortunately owner Rick K was able to acquire this Silvia from our friends at JDM Legends and have Z Car Garage maintain it. See our report from Rick’s initial visit (inspection, dyno tune etc,) all on zcarblog.com.
Bilstein Suspension
Rick visited us earlier this year for installation of upgraded Bilstein shocks on the Silvia. We have had a great experience running these units on my personal SR20-powered roadster and the ZCG 1967 Datsun 2000 Roadster:
The Bilsteins are available Datsun Restoration Products. Theses are high-quality, fully rebuildable and most importantly custom-valved for the Datsun Roadster for touring to race applications. Rick’s custom-valved set both front and rear for his Silvia:
Installation was a breeze. You’ll notice the supplied lower spring mount. Once installed, these shocks can be removed and replaced through the lower A-arm, no need to disassemble the front suspension to change shocks:
The car was fully aligned following the new shocks:
We also sorted some minor things for Rick. Our electronics master Joshua Corwin fixed the wiring to enable all exterior lighting to function, and we fixed his license plate bracket:
Driving is Believing
The Bilstein shocks transformed the ride quality of the Silvia. Much like our experience with these on our personal Datsun Roadsters, the dampening ability of the Bilsteins is superior to off-the-shelf shock absorbers for this chassis. No more “po-going” or high-frequency jarring on the freeway. I had a blast driving this RHD gem on the Tokyo Calling Tokyo Calling Event with Breakfast Club Rally back in March and the difference was night/day. The Bilsteins are that good.
Rick was kind enough to let me experience the Silvia with the new shocks on one of my favorite roads here the local foothills. It was so much fun. Now Rick needs some nice sticky, vintage rubber to take full advantage, enjoy!
We are so happy to see Rick still Enjoying the Ride. It was a real pleasure to see Rick’s Silvia driven by his son Matthew at the local Morning Motors hosted by DrivingWhileAwesome:
The Silvia is in good company with Rick’s family C1 Corvette. He’s enamored with the Silvia and even found a way to get the unobtanium OEM hubcaps reproduced. For now, the Watanabe’s will be used for spirited-drives!
Huge thanks to our client Rick K for giving us the opportunity to enjoy this gorgeous (and rare) slice of JDM forbidden fruit. We look forward to seeing you on the road! More photos in the gallery below.
The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. We had a wonderful time attending their Meet and Greet event at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, Ca on June 11, 2023.
We left Z Car Garage in our 2023 Nissan Z, 1971 Datsun 510 Wagon and Randy’s 1972 Datsun 240Z (For Sale). Joining the caravan were Alex in his 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon and our friend Geoff in his BMW 2002. Despite some morning fog the turnout was impressive for a relaxed gathering. No judged car show or awards, just Z-Car fans catching up with old friends and meeting new enthusiasts.
Highlights from the show
Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s. Both upper and lower parking areas were packed with cars and people having a great time.
The New Nissan Z!
Linda Williams’ proudly displayed her 1 of 240Z special edition Nissan Z “Proto Spec” in the upper Museum area. Our RZ34 was in the lower lot and we will have a full report on the recently installed Fast Intentions exhaust system!
Z’s, 510s, Roadsters and More!
Here are a few of my favorite S30 Z cars from the gathering, starting with this flared beauty on custom 17″ early S30 hubcap-inspired wheels. This is the creation of Hoover Chan from Turbohoses R&D and it sports an L28ET. Rob and Hoover go way back many years!
We were pleasantly surprised to see many Z Car Garage clients so let’s take a look at what they drove. Garrett drove his 1972 Datsun 240Z featuring our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles combined with a suspension rebuild improved the chassis. Power comes from a Rebello 3L with our Z Car Garage Heat Shield and in-house dyno tuning to make it sing. His latest addition are new Recaro leather seats!
It was great to see Steve and Kevin’s Nismo Z33s. Full reports on both coming to zcarblog.com!
Here is a video from the event, enjoy!
Blow-thru Fantasy
We met Francisco and his S30 had a really neat HKS blow-through turbo system. Rob was impressed with his enthusiasm and love for the Z!
Twice the Beauty
Joey Bautista drove two of his immaculate Z cars. The engine bay on this blue car looks factory right? A closer inspection reveals a bespoke factory-style triple carb air cleaner, complete with OEM-style emissions stickers! The B-speed “LY” vintage valve cover was a nice touch as well. Really love d the aesthetic.
The silver S30 also sported triple carbs with a vintage SK air box and “triple” emissions stickers:
Z32
The Z32 300ZX was out in full force with both NA and TT examples. We enjoyed seeing familiar faces like Kevin Neely’s TT with fresh TE37 wheels and Joe’s show-winning red Z32:
Z33 and Z34
Strong showing of Z34s including V1 and V2 Nismo models:
510s
We love to see Datsun 510s and there were many examples of both stock and modified. Andy’s SR20DET-powered 510 was my favorite with Gotti wheels and rear-mounted A/C system. This was another creation from Hoover at Turbohoses!
SSS Bluebird was the only RHD 510 model at the show:
Jay’s 510 Wagon on Longchamp XR-4 wheels. Jay also has a 510 2-door featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles.
Alex’s 1968 Datsun 510 Wagon is a total sleeper with an LS3 V8 drivetrain!
Roadsters
The lone Datsun Roadster was John Baker’s ’69 2000. This is a Concours-level restoration with lots of rare, NOS Nissan Competition parts like passenger foot rest and oil cooler.
Rare Everwing fog lights and day/night mirror:
R32 Row
R32 Skyline GT-Rs in a variety of colors! Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou displayed his recently acquired Crystal White R32 on BBS LeMans wheels:
A familiar R34 GT-R also showed up!
R35
A handful of R35 GT-Rs
People
It’s why we keep coming back to ZONC events. Thank you to everyone that took the time to say hello!
Thank You ZONC!
We had a great time spending the day at the ZONC Meet and Greet. It reminded us to (in the words of the late Mr.K), ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.” This is a club that keep the Z community together year-round and we are excited for their next events. Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below!
This 1966 Datsun 1600 Roadster is a turn-key restomod built by our friends at Spriso Motorsports. Highlights include excellent power and reliability from the Nissan S15 SR20DE/5-speed drivetrain with full chassis, suspension and braking upgrades. Ultimate bright-work and style with OEM Nissan and rare parts utilized throughout. A rare opportunity to own one, it is complete and ready to drive anywhere! Full details with build documentation and photos can be seen on our FOR SALE page HERE (SOLD)
One of the real joys this holiday season is the opportunity to say thank you and wish you the very best for the new year. From all of us at Z Car Garage we thank our friends, family and customers again for another exciting and productive year! Enjoy our 2022 recap and upcoming projects. Please note our holiday closure below:
ZCG will be closed from 12/26 through 12/30 for our Annual Holiday Break and we will re-open for business on 1/3/23
Client Updates for 2023
We had a busy year and though the shop will be closed, we won’t leave you hanging for the holidays. Many zcarblog features have yet to be published like our belated race report from the CSRG Charity Challenge and Finale in addition to client stories. Before we take a look back at highlights from 2022, here are several exciting projects coming along at the shop:
Jeff and Ryan B’s LS3-powered Z came to us for mechanical sorting. It’s now sporting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles. Ryan successfully ran the Targa California Rallye in blistering summer heat. He recently got a new set of VOLK TE37V wheels full report soon!
At Z Car Garage we enjoy both modifying Z cars and restoring them back to factory spec. Mike’s 1970 Datsun 240Z came to us from North Carolina and we delivered it in July. This ’69 production VIN#193 is a beautiful driving example of how wonderful these cars were from the factory.
James’s Turbocharged L-series powered S30 will be back after some cosmetic upgrades. We enjoyed making some great power and music:
Rick’s BRE-inspired Datsun 240Z track car is getting a CD009 6-speed transmission, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, coil-over suspension and track preparation.
Ken’s Series 1 Datsun 240Z (#1762) is getting our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, ZCG CV Axles, KA24 5-speed transmission and Fujitsubo exhaust. The L28 is now receiving Jenvey ITB EFI managed by a Haltech 750:
Beau’s Datsun 280Z coming together. Fresh from paint featuring Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, T3 suspension and more.
Taking care of clients!
Z Car Garage takes pride in our ability to handle client’s needs, with same-day service possible. Our parts room with over 1,000 parts on hand allows us to get you in and back on the road. Client Vince S had a clutch hydraulic failure and limped his way in to the shop. We sorted his hydraulics and he was off in 4hrs:
Stan K (VIN #511) and Tony H’s Series Datsun 240Z cars came in for mechanical sorting, interior work and Z Car Garage CV Axles
Datsunworks
Z Car Garage is excited to collaborate with Datsunworks and develop their brilliant KN20 dual-overhead cam (DOHC) cylinder head designed for the Nissan inline-6 L-Series engine. You can read all about it HERE. We continue to extract more power and run longevity testing with owner Gary’s Datsun 240Z, who has the pleasure of living daily with this beast affectionately named the “Behemoth”.
Khang’s 1973 Datsun 240Z was completed in October and he returned with 1,000 miles on the 3.2L L-Series. We adjusted the valves and double-checked power levels.
Happy to see both builds healthy and confirm power output. Enjoy the music from the both L-Series engines, sporting Jenvey ITB EFI managed by Haltech 750 Elite ECUs backed by the CD009a Six-Speed transmission.
Dyno Tuning your 350z/370z/Q/G
We have been dyno tuning your late model Nissan/Infiniti sports car daily. Bolt-ons, UPREV tuning. Our customers leave happy with more performance. Call us to schedule an appointment! Here are just a few cars:
Eric’s Q50:
R35 and R32 GT-R
R35s in for service and upgrades. Mike and Kurt’s R32 GT-Rs got power and chassis upgrades deserving their own blog features:
Z32
Mike’s 1991 Stillen GTZ. This rare, twin-turbo Z32 300ZX is #6 of 6 cars created by Steve Millen. It featured special 17” billet wheels, Brembo brakes, aero and performance upgrades. Excited to share its story and other client Z32 projects!
Race Cars
Several race cars to report on including the Transcendental Racing Datsun 240Z, Glenn Chiou’s Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510 (sporting ZCG CV Axles), the Corky Bell Trans-Am 510 and more!
Highlights from 2022
Even though 2022 was crazy year for all of us we still managed to have fun on and off the track. The shop made some really great progress as well. Enjoy these highlights from the year and Z you in 2023!
Click on each link or photo to see the full features!
The New Nissan Z
Huge thanks to Nissan for giving us the opportunity to experience the 2023 Nissan Z. We really can’t wait to get our new Z!
