“Love cars. Love people. Love life”
-Mr. K

Here is a memorable throwback that inspires us at ZCG, enjoy!

 

To Rob and team of Z Car Garage,

Thank you for being a big part of reuniting me with my 1971 240Z on my 50th birthday.

I’m not sure whether you know, but this was my very first car, purchased for me by my father when I was 16 years old. Did I have a cool dad or what? He paid $4700 for the car in 1978. Although it was about 7 years old when I got it, it was in great shape and probably the most awesome car I could have had during high school. After a year, the seller experienced seller’s remorse and actually contacted my Dad to buy the car back. Of course, there was no way I was giving that car up, and over the next 20 years, my 240Z was my pride and joy.

Besides being a reliable means of transportation, I have numerous fond memories of this car, most notably proposing to my wife in this car 19 years ago. On that night, we had dinner in SF and afterward, I drove to the Marin headlands. With a romantic view of the City, Golden Gate Bridge and some champagne and strawberries, I proposed to my then girlfriend, who might very well have said yes because the car made me so cool.

 
But, after 20 years, I unfortunately started to notice exhaust fumes seeping into the car, and by this time, it was no longer my primary mode of transportation (more of a weekend car). With the exhaust issue and the fact that I didn’t have room at my new home for three cars, I decided to store the Z at my father’s place. My plan to temporarily store the car until I had time to address the exhaust issue turned into a 12 year separation between me and my 240Z.

  
For my 50th Birthday, my cousin, Trent coordinated with my wife to get my car running again and secretly moved the car from my dad’s place to your garage. Along with many assorted relatives, they planned to surprise me with the restored car during a party we held at my house. Of course, it was a HUGE surprise to walk out my front door and see the Z sitting on my driveway after 12 years in storage! It’s amazing how good it looks, and I especially appreciate how the restoration is not “over-the-top”- as close to stock as I maintained it.

 
Everywhere I drive now, someone comments on how good it looks. Besides looking great, it also runs great. The carburetors are perfectly tuned, the clutch is tight, and the suspension has greatly improved the handling. And it’s not bad for my ego either.

It’s great to have my 240Z back and I can’t help but smile whenever I get in it.

Thank you again to you and your team,
Ken M.

As you can imagine we were very eager to help Ken’s family bring the Datsun back to life and back on the road. ZCG focused on making this car sharp looking with an emphasis on driver enjoyment. Cosmetic upgrades included re-chroming and straightening both f/r bumpers with fresh OEM rubber trim:

   

Requisite 16×7 Panasport wheels shod with Bridgestone Pole-Position Re760(225/50/16) tires are at all four corners:

  

Underhood the engine bay received some serious attention with a full clean/detail, all new coolant bypass hoses and upper/lower radiator hoses:

  

The intake manifold was removed, cleaned and de-smogged. New intake/exhaust manifold gaskets installed along with a new header and full exhaust system. Driveability being a priority Rob and the crew tuned the carbs to perfection: steady idle, crisp throttle response, and smooth power delivery in all gears. I drove the car briefly to take photos and even I fell in love with it 🙂

   

The chassis also got some serious love with a complete front/rear suspension rebuild that included new bushings throughout, 5-way Tockicos, Eibach springs, sway bars, and new steering rack bushings. The interior on this 240 is incredibly clean. We added a Kenwood head unit and an MSA rear speaker box: Nothing flashy in this handsome cabin!

  
Thanks to Ken and his family for letting ZCG be a part of their Z Car passion. This is what we live for!

Please view more pictures of the restoration in the original gallery HERE

 

George S owned a 1971 Datsun 240z back in 80’s, sold it in the 90’s and recently tracked the car down to its current owner in Atlanta. Sadly, after all those years the Z wasn’t in the greatest shape (2013):

 

A little history on George’s ’71:

I purchased it in August 1981 with 75,000 miles from a single girl in the Marina District. It was my every day car for 10 years, putting on an additional 75k miles. Along the way added the Enkei gold rims, added a Monza exhaust system which was popular then and re-painted it in 1990(similar shade, but not the Datsun blue)

Serviced it regularly and never had to do anything other than the basics. She ran like a charm, was never in an accident.

Sold it in 1991 to a guy I worked with who drove it back to Tennessee a short while later. Thought about the car often, but had no info on it until the guy in Atlanta called me in October 2013. Think he said the car had about 190k miles.

George, obviously missing his Z car after tracking it down had considered restoring it and consulted with us at ZCG. It turns out that Rob actually knew the current owner in Atlanta and the two discussed the Z’s state of repair. Rob felt that it was one of those cars that would be difficult to stay ahead of the curve on. The recommendation: buy an S30 that’s ready to drive, and that’s exactly what George did…

 

George picked up a 1972 240z with an automatic transmission in SoCal. We were impressed with its super low 57k miles, original paint and stunning red interior.

   

Once it arrived at ZCG we went on and corrected issues with braking system and fixed front suspension parts. We found a really clean set of Series 2 wheel covers to replace the later units and really made the car standout proper. Congratulations on your Z and Enjoy The Ride, George!

 

 

In 2011, the engine inside the “Gimlet” was tired. The owner, Kevin, wanted to keep the 2.4L block that came with his 240z so we built a 2.7L using his existing block. This is a Rebello specialty for customers that want to keep their L24 block.

 

The engine/transmission were removed and prepped:

 

We installed a JWT aluminum flywheel and HD clutch:

 

Engine re-assembly time!

  

 

The triple Webers were re-jetted for the 2.7L:

   

A new tach tach adaptor so his tachometer would work with new ignition items like the MSD box:

   

We bring up this build from 2011 because we recently saw Kevin for the first time and in the 5 years that’s elapsed he put 3500 miles on the Z. C’mon Kev, you gotta Enjoy The Ride and put some real miles on her!  Here is the 2.7L all buttoned up and back in the Gimlet:

 

This time we refreshed the clutch hydraulics, fixed a couple of things in the suspension and performed an alignment.  Long Live The Z!

 

Hello Z-Car fans! We have another great story from a customer that finally found their dream Z with a little help from Rob at ZCG. Read on as Tim joins the ranks of Z-ownership…the journey begins.

When I was 8 years old, I used to count how many 240Zs I saw on the road each day. The most was 38. My mom loves to tell the story how I cried for days when I read in Road & Track magazine that the 240Z would be going out of production some 7 years before I would even be old enough to drive. The year was 1973. Fast forward 43 years later. I called Rob 5 months ago to enlist his help finding a Series 2 240Z, and someone to build me a “sleeper.” I visited the shop and met all the guys. Not only did I love Rob’s obvious passion for the cars and encyclopedic knowledge of everything about modifying, maintaining, and driving them, but Rob never tried to “sell” me on ZCG. After my visit and tour of the shop, I went home and saw a Youtube video of the sole legendary OS Giken TC24-B1Z in the U.S. , featuring ZCG. In fact, the black “Behemoth” was in the shop during my visit.

   

When I asked Rob why he didn’t mention any of those accolades, he said “I wanted your visit to be about you, and your journey, not about ZCG.” I had clearly found my partner in crime. Now I needed a car.

It had to be rust-free, and a candidate for a period cockpit and interior restoration, and period updates to the suspension and engine. For 5 months I scoured Craigslist and eBay, and Rob not only inspected (and rejected) countless local candidates, but helped evaluate cars in New York, Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, and Irvine. I was freaking, but Rob insisted that I remain patient… that the right car, at the right price was out there. Finally, one of ZCGs own customers called Rob about selling his Orange ’73 240Z. Not only did it fit the bill, but it was one of ZCG’s own, and over 50% of my planned mods had already been done by ZCG.

Delivery day for Tim at the shop:

 

Tim was happy as the car did already have some great performance and handling upgrades including a 2.8L block with a hotter cam and head work, triple Mikuni carbs, 5-speed transmission, limited slip differential and aluminum radiator:

 

Improved handling and looks through Tokico struts w/Eibach springs and Panasport wheels:

A sharp interior with refurbished dash and new door cards with ZCG’s sound insulation:

  

The car still has original paint, and is a perfect launching point for Tim’s vision of a “sleeper” Z. Stay tuned for more installments as we proceed with a classic restoration to the interior (with a few of ZCG’s modifications) and a meticulous re-spray of Nissan Orange #918.  A ZCG Big-Brake Kit kit will precede an engine rebuild to a 3.2 liter stroker.

Many thanks to Rob Fuller at Z Car Garage for helping me realize a boyhood dream. My Z-journey begins… 44 years in the making.

We are happy to report that Tim got no less than 10 honks and thumbs up on his drive home to San Francisco from the shop! Enjoy The Ride and Long Live The Z!

 

 

 

 

At Z Car Garage we are fortunate to be a part of many Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts lives. Here is a great story of how we helped re-kindle one couple’s love for their Z. Ruth and Larry bought their 1978 280z brand new and immediately enjoyed it with Ruth daily driving for several years. Unfortunately, life gets in the way and Ruth put the car in storage for a long period.

  

We met the couple in 2008 when Ruth came in to ZCG to get the Z up and running which resulted in a full mechanical refresh.  All hydraulics (brakes/clutch) were restored. The suspension was treated to urethane bushings and Tokico 5-way struts with Eibach springs and a set of beautiful set of Panasports. Finally, we cut and buffed the paint and Ruth’s Z took on a new look…it was almost like 1978 again!

 

  

The next step for them to drive and enjoy the car happened a few years later when we restored the entire interior of the car: a full dashboard restoration, Recaro LXF seats (Leather!), custom carpet kit, sound deadening, all weatherstripping, seals, etc.  These are all the details that ZCG performs to take a 280z from an awesome car from the 70’s to a timeless classic that can be driven anywhere.

The Little Things:  sill lock trim!

 

Dashboard: gauges and knobs:

    

The result of the interior restoration:

 

It had been years since we had seen the Roth’s other than routine maintenance. It was time to dive back into the project with a full external restoration.  The cut/buff from a few years back wasn’t sufficient and it showed in areas like the hood. Those amazing pinstripes and lower rocker trim were looking a bit tired as well:

 

We called upon our man William from William’s Auto Body and both Ruth and Larry had two requests: 1) The Z car must be as awesome inside as outside and 2) we absolutely must keep the pinstriping that had been on the car since new. William was more than up to to the task. This time we went ahead and installed electric power steering for ease/use, our upgraded rearview mirror (as featured on Gary Roser’s car, report later) which includes a backup camera, GPS, temp:

 

 

Re-chromed bumpers and restored guards:

    

Full glass/chrome trim/weatherstrip R&R. All NOS Nissan!

 

Inner fender liners:

 

NOS emblems replace pitted/fading orignal pieces:

 

Rear tail light panel:

 

Restored side moulding:

  

William applied the factory paint color and the Z looks fantastic. We cleaned up the louvers too.

 

The best part, of course, is that Ruth and Larry are still in love with their 280z! Enjoy The Ride and thank you for letting us be a part of your journey. Your dedication and passion for the Z is contagious and we love it!

More pictures in our gallery below: …[read more]