Frank B is no stranger to Z Car Garage having been a customer for more than a decade. Since 2006, we helped build his Fuelie Z, a modified 1972 S30 with ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles, 231whp fuel-injected L-series and 6-speed Nissan 350z transmission:

 

To accompany his hot rod Z, Frank searched for an early S30 project for a stock-style restoration. Before the Z car craze caught on with S30’s fetching big money (ie Bring a Trailer), Frank found an unmolested early Series 1 240z (11/69 production: HLS30 00486, Original Engine: L24-2189):

“For SN 486, a friend found it on Craigslist and sent me an email. I actually got it for a good price. What I found when I went to inspect the car was a well worn early z with all but one of the original badges, no real rust other than under battery tray, and some spare parts including a perfect dash, stroker crank, spare transmission, set of period 2-piece wheels… A nice project kit somebody had lost interest in and left behind. I arranged to store with the seller for a month while I got myself ready to start the project.”

 

Restoring the “Original Z”

Frank is a very capable man, and jumped right into the disassembly with a plan to perform a total ground-up restoration himself.

“I immediately pressure washed off gunk and started taking things apart. I also ordered a rotisserie, fabricated mounts to attach at the bumpers, and removed everything that wasn’t welded to the unibody. I was pretty careful to bag up assemblies and keep fasteners with the parts they belonged to… lots of detailed work and hundreds of baggies later, I was ready to start restoring stuff!”

 

Frank connected with several folks in the Z Car community he had met through the years to source parts for the restoration:

“Les Cannaday was able to get reportedly the last of the butterscotch interiors (vinyl bits) made for the Z restoration program Nissan had done.  I had Patrick Shank (Patrick Restorations) completely go through all gauges, main and other wiring harnesses, and acquired the correct radio for that car (some other electrical bits too). Norm Murphy got all of the plating business and had or helped me find some hard to find items like a NOS cover for the wiper motor, a new double lever choke/throttle assembly, a pair of the early taillights, etc.” 

 

The stripped body and all associated body parts went to Andy Schenk for painting while on the rotisserie…Frank was also able to get a complete set of stainless brake and fuel lines made to the original pattern, greatly simplifying restoration of these systems.

“Once the bottom was done, I took the car off the rotisserie and put it back on it newly restored suspension and the restoration of the inside began (other than the headliner which I also installed while on rotisserie while car was upside-down). The detailed assembly of the car took a couple of years total since I prioritized getting the car right over getting it done…”

 

The end result of Frank’s efforts was an outstanding restoration. You can see more in-progress pictures in the gallery.

Finishing Touches With Z Car Garage

At the very end of his restoration, Frank realized for that last 10% it was time to call up his friends at Z Car Garage. He brought his freshly restored, low-vin S30 in for us to sort out all the little things.

 

He had an early transmission that was making noise so we replaced it with another unit fro our supply. We replaced his lower control arm and moustache bar bushings. The entire underside of the car was nut and bolted, and his work was double-checked. A ZCG exhaust was also installed.

 

Key items in the restoration process were reviewed: verifying brake lines, clutch lines, bleeding the hydraulics, and adjusting the rear brakes.

Dyno Tuning

Frank identified what was needed to make a “Canada” car without the emissions controls of US models.  He restored all of the “smog” stuff so it can stay with the car and be put back on one day if desired… but fully original wasn’t what he had in mind for the drivetrain…

 

The engine went to Dave Rebello for the 2.7l “purist” build: this is the original L24 block stroked (E31 head) so numbers still match while gaining more power. Otherwise stock when you open the hood:

 

We installed a Pertronix ignition, changed the plugs to hotter range, adjusted the valves, set the timing, installed a new alternator and starter and made the wiring at the distributor look OEM. Rob performed a street tune on the dyno yielding 179hp/172tq to the wheels:

 

We also installed an LSD to help get the newfound power to the ground effectively. Next items on the list were electrical issues and interior bits. We got the turn signals operational and replaced the flasher. We went through his interior and got all the missing rivets and cowl clips. Kick panels were installed. The clevis pin in the clutch-pedal assembly was removed, sanded and lubed to eliminate any noise.

 

Time to Enjoy The Ride!

With minor sorting complete we focused on a few aesthetic items like final adjustments of the hood and doors. Frank’s stock wheels  were mounted/balanced, ensuring the “D” hubcaps were secure.  He had lowered the car from stock height with Eibach springs, so we did our trim to the fronts for a nice stance.

 

16×7 Panasports were installed for daily driving:

 

Frank did a fantastic job on this Z:

  

It was great to see Frank driving, here he is on the freeway en route to the ZONC Annual Car Show.

“Three years from when I started the project, I took the car to Rob Fuller to help me bring it back to life… after a couple weeks of dealing with somewhat funky carbs and an improperly rebuild transmission, SN 486 was on the road again and, maybe not surprisingly, drove like a new car from the beginning… everything worked as it should and 80mph freeway travel was delightful. We do drive the car… for now it is being kept as perfect as possible for shows. Here’s where it resides in one of my shops in Oregon.”

 

Here is a short video of Frank in his Z and his wife in the Fuelie Z, enjoy!

 

 

The “Original Z”

 

If you are wondering about that license plate… “Ur” is a slang German term for “Original”.

“The first Audi Quattros are referred to as the UrQuattro.  Since the legend of the z includes some design work by Goetz, a German designer reportedly hired by Katayama-san to develop initial concepts, I took the liberty of naming my z the “Original 240z” or UR 240Z for short…  got the same plate in Oregon.”

Frank and his wife retired to Oregon and we miss the enthusiastic couple. It was our pleasure working with Frank and we appreciate  him being a customer and friend of Z Car Garage.

LONG LIVE THE Z!
More pictures in the gallery below
…[read more]

 

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Z Car Garage! We hope you can find time to Enjoy The Ride over the holidays. Please note our hours of operation below:

We will be closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, re-opening Tuesday December 3.

ZCG will close on the 20^th of December 2019,  reopening on the 2^nd of January 2020

Thank you!

    

 

What sparked your interest in Z Cars? For Scott W it began when he was about 15 years old, and eventually led him to Z Car Garage:

“My best friend’s brother’s friend had a silver 240z. He would take us to lunch and we had to lay down in the back. From that time on I wanted a Z! I started reviewing zcarblog.com and found a very nice 260z for sale that was owned by an older retired couple. Based on all the work performed by ZCG I met with Rob and I purchased it. The 260z was originally gold with the 5mph bumpers.”

 

Indeed the gold 1974 260z was our very own customer Geri R’s. When she retired and moved to San Diego she told Rob, “If you are not in SD my Z car can’t come with me…please find it a new home.” Scott W visited ZCG in 2013 and purchased the Z, well before the S30’s garnered high prices! He had a very clear vision of building the ultimate Z Car:

“I told Rob my plan was a car that was great to look at but I’m going to drive it! And drive it hard. My goal was to keep it looking 1974-ish on the outside but modern under the skin.”

So we began the process of upgrading an already solid, clean chassis that Geri lovingly maintained.

Drivetrain

The first item we discussed was the engine. Scott wanted more power and Rob suggested a Rebello 3.2L Stroker engine. Supporting parts included an MSA 6-into-1 header,  ZCG exhaust system, KOYO race radiator (custom upper hose) and ZCG heat shield. A few pictures of the engine build/installation with many more in the gallery:

 

Induction is handled by Jenvey individual throttle-body fuel injection, managed by a Haltech Elite 750 standalone system.

 

A NISMO Competition oil pan was installed to cope with high cornering loads from road course driving. Also shown is the Nissan 240sx 5-speed transmission. This “KA24” unit is significantly stronger than early S30 transmissions. It handles the 3.2L’s extra power, and we offer this conversion to customers.

 

When we upgrade the transmission we also install a JWT HD clutch with aluminum flywheel. Helping put the power down efficiently is an OS Giken LSD. The R180 houses a 4.11 R&P and the assembly is setup in-house (by Joshua Corwin). Rounding out the drivetrain upgrades are a set of ZCG CV Axles(shown below)

 

The ZCG Exhaust system using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip. Listen to the sound in the video below!

   

The completed engine bay. All hoses, hydraulic lines, fittings etc were removed and restored/replaced with new parts. Zinc plating hardware throughout:

 

On the dyno, Rob tuned the Z with the Haltech making 257hp/229tq to the wheels. An improvement from the stock 121hp/130tq:

Chassis

 

Suspension upgrades were next, focusing on the ideal setup for open track days while remaining comfortable on the street. Scott outgrew the Tokico 5-ways and now has Koni Yellows with our Ground Control coil-over setup from back in the day. Techno Toy Tuning control arms, T/C rods and more complement the total suspension restoration. All parts were powdercoated and hardware plated.  We really appreciate Gabriel at T3 and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

 

Panasport Wheels

 

Custom sized 17×9 Panasport C8 wheels allow us to run a wide 255/40/17 tire at all four corners, without flaring the fenders:

 

Bridgestone RE-71R tires are shown below. The 17″ diameter wheels also give clearance for our ZCG Big Brakes!

  

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

After driving our customer Lou’s Fairlady, Scott was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes.

  

Not to be confused with our familiar Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) that we currently offer, this Big-Brake kit was our initial setup from many years ago. Our first collaboration with Stoptech, this 328mm sized kit requires 17″ diameter wheels and the massive ST-42 calipers are finished in bright red. This kit was installed on our OS Giken TC24-powered 240z and a few other customer cars.

 

 

The ZCG Big-Brakes framed nicely behind the black-spoked C8s. We are currently re-vamping this kit using Stoptech’s latest ST-43 caliper.

    

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 70 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

   

Scott’s 260z received ZCG CV Axles set #250

  

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms and ZCG exhaust system:

  

Comfort

 

Scott’s 260z had an interior in fair shape. We gave it the full ZCG treatment with a refurbished dash, new carpet and creature comforts like Bluetooth, radar detection and functioning HVAC. In-progress shots below with more in the gallery:

 

New carpet throughout, integrated speaker box in hatch:

 

The stock seats were in bad shape Scott was sliding around on them so we upgraded to leather Recaros. Perfect for keeping him locked in place during track days.

 

The heater system from core to blower was completely restored:

 

Full A/C setup using a smaller Toyota compressor with existing A/C parts:

 

Performance

 

Balance. This Z has power and the chassis upgrades to transform it into a well-rounded sports car. Remember Scott’s goal of building the Z to drive really hard? He has been taking his S30 to Buttonwillow Raceway every month, putting our ZCG products to the test on the track.

 

Enjoy the sounds of Scott’s Z in this short video below:

 

 

Exterior

 

You didn’t think we would forget to mention the total paint color change, did you?  About six months into his build Scott called to request a color change from gold to a Mercedes-Benz shade of Gun Metal. Our man William painted the body, retaining all side-markers to maintain a stock look:

 

Scott however was adamant about changing the stock impact bumpers. Rob located Euro-style 240z bumpers and had them sectioned/re-chromed:

 

Thank you Scott for letting us build your Ultimate Z Car! We are proud to see you enjoy it on the track and street.

LONG LIVE THE Z!

More pictures in the gallery below!
…[read more]

 

Brian P hails from Canada and lives in the Bay Area with his family. We met him in 2014 when he visited ZCG for minor sorting and upgrades on his pretty 1973 S30.

 

Attention to the engine bay included changing all fluids, new motor mounts, upgraded alternator and a fresh Koyo racing radiator:

 

Rob dyno tuned the stock, SU-carb’d L24 before and after the addition of our ZCG exhaust using 2.5″ piping to a stainless resonator and Magnaflow muffler with slash-cut tip. We saw gains of 13hp/5tq and improved power throughout the mid-range:

 

Brian returned in 2016 for suspension upgrades. We installed 5-way Tokicos, Suspension Techniques sway bars, Techno Toy Tuning adjustable rear lower control arms, TC rods, and rack bushings.

 

Everything was powdercoated black and we zinc’d all hardware. With fresh bearings and a few more new suspension parts he was out and enjoying the Z.

Panasport Wheels

Complementing the new springs and shocks on Brian’s Z are Panasport wheels! We replaced the old-school Western Turbine wheels with 16×7 Panasports and Hankook R-S3 tires in 225/50/16.

Bottom left picture from Brian:

“This was taken on the day I picked up the car from the PO, a retired writer in Oakland, who only sold me the car after a 3 hour interview/visit 2 weekends prior, before the car was officially ‘for sale’ (I felt like I was being vetted as the car’s next custodian).”

 

Here is Brian Enjoying The Ride in his Z at last year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca:

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

After a few years of driving, Brian came back early this summer for more upgrades. We handed him the keys to “Mrs. Butters”,  our 1970 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂

     

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

Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.

A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:

 

We removed Brian’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit.  We also took his Tokico 5-ways in trade for a full coil-over (Koni) suspension 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.

 

ZCG Big-brakes and T3 coil-overs replacing stock setup:

    

At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained! T3 coil-covers also installed:

 

Brian really wanted the look and feel of Mrs. Butters Z so we obsessed over ride height until we got it exactly where he wanted it. The Z looks fabulous from any angle:

 

 

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 70 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

  

Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

 

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms and ZCG exhaust system:

    

Driving is Believing

Brian was impressed with the ZCG Big-Brakes and how well they work: like having late model brakes on a vintage car!

“The brakes are amazing. I push the car hard on weekend drives on the Peninsula, normally taking different routes out to Alice’s, now without any fade or fear (except from passengers).”

 

With suspension and drivetrain sorted, Brian had a few remaining things on his mind. He reported a heavy fuel smell in the cabin so we replaced all of the vapor hoses to the fuel tank and installed a new hatch seal:

 

Finally, his hood had little specks on it so we had our man William repaint and blend it.  Icing on the cake: Rob installed a NOS “Datsun” emblem on it after adjusting the hood.

 

Enjoy this short video of Brian’s Z:

 

 

We enjoyed working with Brian:

“Rob and team are the best, and the only shop that will ever touch my car. I have supreme confidence that my expectations will be always be exceeded, and Rob’s enthusiasm is infectious. On a lighter note and as a Canadian transplant down here in the Bay Area, it’s a pleasant surprise to find someone who doesn’t feel the need to insert ‘ice’ before saying ‘hockey’.”

Thank you for entrusting us with your S30, Brian. We are so fortunate to work with owners that appreciate the Z and believe in our ability to make them better! LONG LIVE THE Z!

More pictures in the gallery below!
…[read more]

 We had the pleasure of working with Dirk to help achieve his vision of a Z car that can perform and be daily driven. Our  Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles grace this Z with a host of chassis and driveline upgrades. Here is a background on how his Datsun passion started before visiting ZCG.

Datsun 510 and Z car love

Dirk bought his first Datsun in 2014, a 1970 510, to learn how to work on cars himself. After learning more about the history of Datsun, and the significance of both the 510 and the 240Z in establishing Japanese cars in the American market, he knew he had to own a Z as well.

 

A year later, the right Z showed up on eBay in Texas, a 1973 silver gray one. Nice to look at, mostly stock, but not so nice that it’d feel bad to drive and streetpark. And after pouring over the photos and talking to the seller, Dirk bought the car sight unseen. The idea was to have a nice Z to enjoy and drive, while continuing to work on the (sometimes not) rolling restoration of his 510. The car was lovingly restored by a dad and his children and in mostly stock condition.

   

The tires were a bit old, so some sticky Bridgestone tires were acquired, which revealed the suspension as the next weak spot. T3 coilovers were installed, and the next weak spot was the open differential which Dirk broke driving the car around a hairpin on Page Mill Rd. He bought a limited slip diff from a late-model Subaru, modified it to fit and kept driving the car. The original plan had gone awry, and the Z was both driven and worked on a lot more than the poor little 510.

Photos: Dito Milian/Gotbluemilk.com 

After many more tweaks, different induction setups, spring rate changes, rebuilt stock brakes, and 24K miles of driving including a few track days, Dirk’s Z was inching closer and closer to his vision.

 

“After installing a Datsun Spirit STR-3 engine with a set of Nismo Mikuni PHH44 carburetors, the biggest weak spots left were the rest of the drivetrain (especially the stock 4-speed transmission, but the Subaru diff had also developed some bearing issues), the stock brakes, and of course the loose nut behind the wheel – but sadly that last component typically takes too much money and time to modify thoroughly.”

 

After comparing the Z to his Subaru BRZ on the track, it was clear the Z was better at everything except for shifting gears. Since his engine made a healthy amount of torque, but not enough to warrant a CD009 (350z) transmission, Dirk kept looking for alternatives. He also wanted something with slightly closer gear ratios to better suit the engine’s power band. An S15 Silvia 6-speed seemed like the perfect fit. It had almost exactly the same weight and dimensions as the original box, nice close gears (in fact identical to those of his Subaru), and Dirk found a HybridZ member who would modify the bell housing for him to make the box fit an L-series engine.

S15 6-speed transmission

 

Through mutual friend Brian K, Dirk got connected with Rob at Z Car Garage and they immediately hit it off:

“After I bought and installed a set of their amazingly well-built CV axles, it was clear to me that ZCG’s reputation for high-quality work was very well-deserved. If I didn’t get the chance to work through the project myself, this is who he wanted to do it for me.  I was excited to work with ZCG to take a few ideas over the finish line.”

We fabbed a transmission mount installed the 6-speed unit:

 

When we got to the clutch of the Datsun Spirit 3L we noticed that the rear wick seals were leaking from at the back of the last main cap. The wick seals were removed and replaced properly:

 

“The S15 transmission fit surprisingly well. ZCG built a custom crossmember to locate it, and the shifter lined up almost perfectly. No transmission tunnel mods were necessary. The modern shifter did stick out like a sore thumb in the otherwise period interior, so ZCG went to town on it and built Dirk a custom shifter that would look stock, and that works with the Datsun competition shift knob. A small 6-speed shift pattern sticker modeled after the one used in the Silvia is the only clue there’s something different going on under this car. And of course the driving experience.”

Making the S15 shifter look factory, we are happy with the result and Dirk’s subtle shift pattern sticker:

 

The Datsun Comp shift knob complements the steering wheel:

 

Engine Bay and Sorting

After a good long chat, a baseline dyno run, a drive, and going over the various odds and ends in the car that were on Dirk’s wishlist besides the 6-speed project, Rob become a great collaborator in further refining Dirk’s vision for the car.

“We actively talked about my goals, and Rob shared his opinion on how to best achieve it, and really talked through the pros and cons of various options. Along the way, Rob was able to source some really choice parts to take the car to the next level.”

Before 

A beautiful competition oil pan was installed to maximize ground clearance, and a new custom-built PCV system helped mitigate oil fumes. ZCG also deleted Dirk’s aftermarket A/C system that never worked correctly, renewed all fuel lines, tested the fuel tank, and recreated the expansion tank setup that was deleted by a previous owner.

 

Rob and Dirk were not crazy about the Arizona Z Car oil pan. It was removed and replaced with DP Nismo comp pan from Rob’s parts stash:

Chassis and Driveline Upgrades

Together we found a balance between taking the car a major leap forward, while also leaving a few major areas untouched for a future revision, to keep the budget under control and get the car ready to enjoy for the summer.

“We landed on a ZCG-built 4.11 OS Giken limited slip differential, a custom aluminum driveshaft, a Fidanza Aluminum flywheel and a Jim Wolf Technologies clutch to round out the drivetrain project, and the entire drivetrain works together beautifully as a perfect package. The car is quick out of the corners, there’s no longer a need to go down to first gear on Page Mill Road, and it still has long enough legs to be quiet and comfortable on the freeway.”

 

We changed the final drive, installing a R180 4.11 OSG LSD built in in-house:

    

The clutch hydraulics were replaced to work with new alumimum flywheel/JWT HD clutch combo:

 

Dirk had a GPS speedometer setup from SpeedHut that we helped setup and read accurately:

 

Dyno Tuning

Rob massaged the Nismo Mikuni carbs, and after a dyno tuning session, unlocked an additional 30 whp from the car over the baseline run and the car is now putting down a healthy 200hp/200tq at the wheels.

   

Enjoy the dyno video and L-series music!

 

“To make sure the car was ready for the track with almost twice the power at the wheels over a stock 240Z,  ZCG also installed their big brake kit, which has improved front to rear braking balance significantly over the stock setup, where the rear drums feel great for a week after adjusting, and then become mostly ornamental. The brakes feel a lot more reassuring, while remaining easy to modulate, and thankfully without being overly grabby, the car is still incredibly easy to heel and toe. As an added bonus, it’s really nice to have a handbrake that will hold hills with ease.”

 

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

    Dirk visited ZCG and drove “Mrs. Butters”, our 1970 Series 1 240z shop demo car and he was sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Butters has a way of doing this to our customers 🙂 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

Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.

A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:

   

We removed Dirk’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit.

 ZCG Big-brakes replacing stock setup up front:

   

At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality retained!

   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 70 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

   

Also visible on Dirk’s Z are the excellent adjustable lower control arms from Techno Toy Tuning.

 

The Z got a full alignment, though tackling the suspension setup is on future list of projects:

 

Enjoying the Ride

 

Dirk continues to enjoy his Z which is now equally at home on the street and track. We enjoyed working you Dirk and it was rewarding to help you improve your Z.

 

Enjoy these pictures of Dirk Enjoying The Ride and of course more photo documentation of our work in the gallery below. LONG LIVE THE Z!

Photos: Naveed Yousufzai

Photos: Daniel Ohlund/Bay Roads AP