At Z Car Garage we are huge fans of the Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, the underdog of 90’s Japanese supercars. Sure the RX7, Supra and NSX get all the attention – but the ’90-’96 Z32 (yes we are biased) represents the best balance of performance, reliability and comfort.  From the intimate feeling of the power leather seats and gauge cluster to the addictive power that evokes a familiar Nissan commercial…

…the Z32 is magical. It is hard to describe how rad these cars are after ZCG has gone through one. Let’s take a look at our customer Patrick’s 1994 Z32 and see of what our 20yrs+ of experience with this chassis can create.

 

Patrick’s Z has been with us for almost a decade, receiving maintenance and upgrades along the way. In 2017 he got into a fender bender and brought it in for repairs. We took this opportunity to replace the control arms, install some loaner Z33 wheels and have William install a full JDM front bumper with sided markers and Powertrix fog light ducts. He also repaired the right front fender and blended existing paint work:

 

Notice the J-spec tail lights, one of our favorite aesthetic mods and it looks so good on the black Z32s.

 

We installed them and the center panel replacing the factory units:

 

William really knocked it out of the park with the paint work.

 

Stoptech Big-Brakes

 

As every Z32 owner knows, the stock brakes just aren’t up to the task. More power exacerbates the issue and you know how we feel at ZCG:  It’s Stoptech Or Don’t Stop At All.  Patrick’s car had larger than factory wheels allowing us to install the 332mm Big-Brake Kit using red calipers and rotors.

 

Stock vs Stoptech

 

At the rear, stock Z32 calipers were paint-matched to the Stoptech red up front.  Sport kit slotted rotors with 309 pads and SS lines throughout:

  

In addition to their function, the Stoptechs look nice too! One of Patrick’s wheels was damaged in the accident we replaced them with a set of SSR GTx-01 18×8.5F and 18.×9.5F. Finished in flat black with center caps running Bridgestone 007a 245/275 tires and Volk Racing lugnuts:

Details

 

Patrick’s interior needed attention with a new passenger side window motor. We also installed new rack bushings and detailed the entire car.

 

Power Upgrades

 

With the front end off it was the perfect time for power upgrades: JWT clutch/flywheel, Ashspec Massive intercoolers,  Selin translator dual MAF and BDE Performance motor mounts to allow for Ashspec 2.5″ inlet piping.

 

Exhaust upgrades included a full SpecialtyZ 2.5″ exhaust with single outlet option:

 

On the dyno Rob tuned the Z making 349hp/375tq to the wheels on 91 octane:

 

Thanks for bringing your 300 to us Patrick and Long Live The (Twin Turbo) Z! More pictures in the gallery below:

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We might be biased but we feel the Z32 is the best Japanese sports car of the 90’s. Keeping them on the road is our passion and even in 2019 there are still some real gems out there. Felix C brought his 1996 300zx Twin Turbo in to ZCG under dire circumstances and here is how we met him.

 

While we were at the Spring Classic event at Laguna Seca a customer was trying to buy a ’96 Z32TT from SoCal. Rob informed this customer to hold off buying the car until inspected by our friends at SpecialtyZ. When we got back to the shop at night to unload our cars from the race weekend…that ’96 Z32TT was sitting in front of Z Car Garage!

 

The following morning a gentlemen named Felix called to say he had purchased this car in SoCal and on the way home it broke down. With 96k miles the odometer, this Z32 from came to ZCG with a busted fan clutch. When the fan clutch failed it made a mess of the radiator and front end. The first visit for Felix was a full inspection with a plan to remedy all problems to get him back on the road. We installed a new Koyo race radiator, our one-step colder plugs and performed full timing belt services:

  

 

Power Upgrades

Felix returned after feeling the need for more power and we also knocked out a few more items from the initial inspection. Power upgrades included a SpecialtyZ 2.5″ exhaust with resonated x-pipe and dual tips, 740cc injectors, Ashspec massive intercoolers and Greddy boost controller:

 

On this visit we also got the A/C working with a new condenser and drier. A new fuel pump and all fuel hoses on top of the plenum were replaced:

 

The engine bay was cleaned up, including oil cooler lines:

 

More power upgrades: Selin translator dual MAF and BDE Performance motor mounts to allow for ASH-SPEC inlet piping. Massive IC from Ash shown below:

 

Dyno Tuning

We dyno tuned Felix’s Z with each power modification. It came in with a failed knock sensor, causing the low baseline power levels of 220hp/223tq. The knock sensor was fixed:

 

Great gains with the SZ exhaust system for 313hp/334tq to the wheels:

Ash-SPEC intercoolers:

 

Rob’s final tuning really woke the Z up, yielding 357hp/351tq to the wheels on 91 octane, dyno video below:

 

 

Interior

Felix wanted us to sort out the interior. During this visit we installed some weatherstrip, fixed an ABS sensor code and eliminated a few door panel rattles.

      

Felix added LED lighting:

 

The highlight of the cabin: we had the seats re-finished to OEM spec!

 

Big-Brakes and Chassis

 

As every Z32 owner knows, the stock brakes just aren’t up to the task. More power exacerbates the issue and you know how we feel at ZCG:  It’s Stoptech Or Don’t Stop At All.  Felix’s car had larger than factory wheels allowing us to install the 332mm Big-Brake Kit using red calipers and rotors.

 

Stock vs Stoptech

 

At the rear, stock Z32 calipers were paint-matched to the Stoptech red up front.  Sport kit slotted rotors with 309 pads and SS lines throughout:

  

In addition to their function, the Stoptechs look nice too!

 

Stillen sway bars front and rear and we replaced all of the power steering hoses:

 

The Z had outgrown its suspension and it was 40th Felix’s birthday. We delivered icing on the cake with KW V3 coil-over suspension:

 

Installed front and rear:

 

More birthday goodness: super sexy SSR GTX-01 wheels in 18×9.5 with Bridgestone S-04 tires:

 

Wheels/tires being mounted:

 

Notice the J-spec tail lights, one of our favorite aesthetic mods and it looks so good on the black Z32s. Of note is the license plate “AUDREYH”…Felix wanted to pay tribute to his Mom’s favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn:

“aka Fairlady Z since the designer named it after the classic movie My Fairlady. The actress in the movie is the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Hence I chose AUDREYH.  I figured a classic lady should have a classic name with relevance.”

 

The 300 is now well-sorted and Felix is loving it. He did his first track day at Sears Point (Sonoma Raceway) and had a blast hustling the Z:

 

“Rob and the team is a high energy team that takes their work seriously while having fun.  I’m happy what they have done to the car and also ecstatic that they share equal appreciation of the Z32”

 

The 2018 Japanese Classic Car Show was held on September 15, in Long Beach, CA. This is the original vintage Japanese-car event in SoCal and in its 14th year, JCCS has grown incredibly–over 430 cars covered the lawn of Marina Green Park. The vehicles themselves remained a fantastic blend of stock, modified and restored. This is the most important show for Japanese cars, and the Z Car Garage crew keeps coming back every year to soak up the sun, see old friends and drool over some spectacular vintage builds.

   

ZCG Displays Two Z Cars!

 

Z Car Garage displayed two customer cars at the show: Randy Jaffe’s 1970 Datsun 240z and James Stevens’ 1972 Datsun 240z.  Randy’s Z was completed in time to be our booth car. This Series 1 S30 started as a project car 4-years ago with paint/bodywork performed by Bryson Richards of Classic Livery. The Z was shipped to us from Georgia for finishing Randy’s vision of a wild show/go race car:

 

Inspiration for the Jagermeister livery came from Randy’s obsession with Porsche, and the Max Moritz Racing Porsche 934.

  

We will take an in-depth look at this Z in separate post, but here are a few key details. Providing room for the 275/315-width tires is an authentic Pandem Rocketbunny aero kit. Randy channeled his passion for racing into this build and the chassis is virtually identical to his #46 BRE Datsun 240z, using zinc’d DP Racing suspension parts. The engine is a big displacement L-series running 13:5:1 compression, triple-Mikuni ph44s, a Fujitsubo header and glorious BRE-style exhaust. Running gear includes a close-ratio ZX transmission, OS Giken LSD for the 4.11 R180, our ZCG CV Axles and ZCG Big-Brake Kit (race version).

   

We are happy to report that Randy’s Z won 1st place, Best 240z in a class filled with incredible Z cars!

 

James’s 1972 S30 was displayed with fellow Z car owners in the show. At the heart of this beast is a turbocharged L-series managed by Haltech. Chassis upgrades include custom full-length subframe connectors, our ZCG CV Axles and Big-Brake Kit (328mm) behind Volk TE37V wheels.

 

A stack instrument cluster was integrated into the gauge pod, viewed from leather Recaro Pole Position seats. This Z has a very unique sound. We recently tuned it on E85, dyno results and videos coming soon!

   

We are very happy for James as he won the award for Best of JC Speed!

 

Stay tuned for in-depth reports on both of these Z cars coming to zcarblog.com.

Showtime!

Our friend and talented racer Troy Ermish transported both of our Z cars (and his 510) down to Long Beach Friday afternoon. Below is a video of the Z’s loading from the shop:

We unloaded early Saturday morning from the expansive parking lot near the new venue in Marina Green Park.  Immediately we could tell this location was larger and more vendor-friendly than The Queen Mary of past shows. Our booth was situated in a great spot, at the mid-point of the show with our neighbors from OS Giken.
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SEMA was a blur this year—but that’s really no different than any other year for the most intense sensory overload in car show form on the planet. This trade-only show features all of the latest and greatest builds, technology, and creativity in our industry. While the show has historically been populated by American marques and their aftermarket support, in recent years the influx of Japanese metal (Nissan included) is undeniable.

  

We only attended the show for one day and while the crowds were as appalling as ever in the Las Vegas Convention Center, the quality of cars made it all worth it. It wasn’t just “cars” that got us excited, it was the astonishing number of vintage Datsuns/Nissans! The variety was astounding. We counted 16 cars from a 1972 Datsun 510 to 1983 Skyline and everything in between.

 

Year of the Datsun!

Our Datsun-hunting at SEMA started with Datsun 510s. Pro-drifter Chris Forsberg built this hot-rod 510 wagon for his wife. The Mazworx-built SR20DET is backed by an automatic transmission and even sports air-conditioning. Deep-lipped SSR MKIII wheels fill out the box-flares that are part of the “Hakobird” kit from Carbonsignal. This might be the closest thing to Hakosuka Skyline wagon!

 

Our friend and fellow 510 racer Troy Ermish built this ultra-clean 510 2-door for actor Daniel Wu. We dig the bronze Watanabe wheels and subtle paint color. A built L-series breathing through dual-Mikuni’s and stock-ish interior also makes us happy. You can learn more about the build from our friends over at JNC.

 

Our final 510 sighting was the legendary Pete Brock’s personal car in Braille battery booth. Affectionately known as “Datzilla”, we remember first seeing this 450hp small-block V8 beast back in 2008 at the MotoringJ Style show.

  

Z Car Fever

A total of NINE S30 Z cars were at SEMA this year. That may not seem like many, but consider just 3 years ago only two Z cars were present. It was hard to pick a favorite but we were impressed with the Gas Monkey Garage 280z and the ChasingJs 240z built by Big Mike and Dominic Le, respectively.

The Gas Monkey Garage 280z

 

Big Mike was commissioned to design/build this 280Z 2+2 for the TV show Gas Monkey Garage. We loved how he took a often un-loved chassis and created a unique car that Datsun fans and American-iron alike can appreciate. Some quick details that caught our eye: the huge void found in front of the 4-cylinder SR20DET was filled with an OEM-like air filer box. The stock interior features vintage buckets with matching rears. The body color choice was perfect against bronze Volk TE37V wheels. Watch for two episodes covering the build airing on Fast n Loud TV on the Discovery channel!
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Mo M comes out of Capitola, CA and he is a car enthusiast with a show-winning Toyota MR2 that he built last year. His next project is this NA 300zx with a planned V8 engine swap (LS3). Before the Z receives the new drivetrain, Mo wanted to make sure it could handle the power.

  

We went through the entire car with Mo and installed his suspension parts including full Powertrix coil-over suspension, f/r camber arms, new T/C rods and sway bars:

  

Stock suspension vs new coil-overs

   

Fender rolling:

  

One of the things plaguing Mo was that he had several general repair shops work on the car. They replaced the clutch and flywheel assembly but he was getting a persistent grinding upon startup. We replaced the starter, installed a JWT aluminum flywheel and clutch.  We also fixed brake master cylinder.

Now Mo is super pumped about the car’s handling and brakes. The next set of mods include a nice set of SSR Professor MS3 wheels and big brakes to handle the power of that mighty LS3 engine that’s coming soon!