We are happy to see more Z car owners enjoying innovative products from Z Car Garage. The Bring a Trailer Datsun 240z recently visited us for a ZCG Big-Brake kit installation after an eventful driving season. We found and prepped this car for BaT Co-Founder and CEO Randy Nonnenberg just in time for an epic road trip to The Mitty. If you missed the introduction to this Z please visit our initial blog post HERE.

 

Keeping up with the BaT 240z

Before we get into the Big-Brake kit details, let’s catch up with the BaT 240z since it left our shop heading to Road Atlanta in April. The Z’s first duty was to serve as photo/chase car participating in the Copperstate 1000 rallye in Tempe, AZ:

  

The journey to The Mitty was more than a destination where Datsun was the featured marque. Along the way, the Z would visit “BaT Alumni” and fans for interviews to share their automotive stories. We were stoked to see the Z made it all the way to Road Atlanta!

 

BaT’s entire Mitty road trip is wonderfully documented in several installments HERE, enjoy this video too:

 

Rallye Prep Services

After the 4000+ mile road trip the BaT Z came back to us for sorting and a refresh.  Despite losing 5th gear in Nashville, Randy was able to cross the finish line at Road Atlanta using 4th. At the shop we confirmed the mainshaft nut had backed off (very common on early 5-speeds) creating situation where all the gears become misaligned.  We removed it and installed a really nice 280z 5-speed transmission.

  

A few more items needing attention that we sorted:

-all fluids
-fixed headlight switch
-replaced/rebuilt hatch strut
-A/C wiring and power switch corrected + system re-charged (performed in-house)

Back in April, Randy and Rob both agreed on returning the Z back to its original aesthetics before the epic road trip. We swapped out the air dam for a factory valance and installed the stock steering wheel, but we didn’t have time to replace the dated black mirrors. On this visit we tackled the installation of factory Nissan mirrors:

  

Removal of the black plastic mirrors and installing OEM units required minor bodywork. Our man William took care of the 112 paint. Hard to beat these beautiful mirrors on the S30, more pics in the gallery!

 

With the Z sorted, Randy and his father drove it on yet another rallye in July, the Faultine 500.

 

ZCG Big Brakes

In September we met BaT at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca.  Randy and the crew discussed using ZCG products on their Z as it had an older Wilwood brake kit. The plan was to install and run our ZCG Big-Brake kit for the Targa Baja California rallye coming in October.

  

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 14″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel! 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.

Randy brought the Z to the shop and we removed the existing Wilwood setup:

  

Front setup:

  

The proportioning valve that was required for the old Wilwood kit was removed:  ZCG Brakes do NOT require a proportioning valve!

  

Big-Brakes at the rear as well. The Z had a weird hydraulic parking brake and this was removed so we could install the factory brake lever setup.

 

  Randy’s Z now has a fully functioning parking brake:

  

Before leaving the shop we replaced a failed u-joint in the driveshaft and balanced it. We were stoked to hear how well the Z and the Big-Brake kit performed on the Targa Baja California rallye in October:

“Big thanks to Rob Fuller and his team at Z Car Garage for preparing our 1972 Datsun 240Z which ran flawlessly the entire time at sustained high RPMs and in hot weather. Prior to the event he outfitted the car with his custom in-house developed Z brake kit which provided excellent stopping power and near-perfect pedal feel. After it was all over, we woke up early Sunday morning in Ensenada and drove 600 miles straight back to San Francisco!”

 

Thanks to Randy and the crew at Bring a Trailer for the support and sharing their Z car experience with the world. They are truly Enjoying the Ride, proving that Datsuns ARE DRIVEN!

More pictures in the gallery below
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More and more Z car owners are enjoying innovative products from Z Car Garage. Here is a quick update on two S30s getting our ZCG Big-Brakes for small wheels. Full report coming soon!

The Bring A Trailer Datsun 240z

The Bring A Trailer Datsun 240z is back at ZCG to replace the existing Wilwood brakes with our ZCG Big-Brake Kit.

 

   

Randy’s Z will also have a fully functioning parking brake now! We are excited to have have the car ready to rock on its next rallye at the Targa Baja California.

 

Bruce’s Series 1 Datsun 240z

We met Bruce L at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion . He has owned this Series 1 Z for a long time and he wanted it back on the road. Though he’s worked on his own Z for years, he was ready to hand it off to our crew at ZCG. We are restoring the fuel system and just finished up the suspension. Bruce’s Z got our ZCG Big-Brake kit and our ZCG CV Axles:

  

Both of these products are available now from Z Car Garage. Please email/call Rob!

We have been working with Mike M and his 2006 Z33 since last year. With every visit to ZCG this 350z gets upgraded in both power and chassis areas. In November 2017, with 111k miles on the VQ a Vortech supercharger was installed with supporting mods:

   

Chassis improvements: KW V3 coil overs, SPC front/rear control arms, Hotchkis sway bars and a full alignment. We also installed ART pipes to replace the factory cats:

 

Hotchkis front and rear sway bars:

   

ART Pipes:

  

Mike’s latest visit to ZCG included fueling, gauges and more power upgrades. The fuel system was converted to support E85/ethanol starting with a Walbro 485 in-tank fuel pump:

 

Next, a CJ Motorsports Stage 2 fuel return system help keep up with the Walbro pump:

  

Increased fuel demands of E85 require larger fuel injectors so we installed IDX 1050CC units. A Zeitronix ethanol sensor is critical for monitoring E85 content:

  

The brains to managing the E85 content is a Haltech Platinum Pro plug-in. A PLX Devices dm6 AFR/gen4 gauge pod also accommodates the Zeitronix ethanol sensor readout:

  

Final power adder was a 2.87 pulley for the supercharger and our ZCG air bypass for the race gate:

 

From the dyno charts below, having the ability to change the ethanol content of fuel allows for more hp/torque.  More smiles per gallon as well with E85 currently at $1.99/gallon

(left) Baseline before Haltech tuning: 331hp/286tq and (right) baseline to 91 octane tune with Haltech: 346hp/303tq to the wheels

  

Final 91 octane tune with the Haltech: 364hp/306tq at the wheels:

 

75% Ethanol tune: 421hp/345tq to the wheels:

 

To balance an extra 126hp power from the Vortech we installed a Stoptech Big-Brake Kit. Up front are 332mm ST40 calipers in red, with slotted rotors:

 

Stock vs Stoptech:

  

The new brake also look great behind the Enkei RPF1 wheels:

 

Enjoy the Ride Mike!

 

Brian K is an avid Datsun fan and talented machinist. He is also the man behind our Z Car Garage CV Axles. When he’s not enjoying Datsuns, Brian owns/operates KaD Models machine shop in Berkeley, CA. In addition to the fully restored yellow S30 shown above, here are a few cars in his stable:

 

  

We are proud of Brian as his 1967 Nissan Patrol was displayed last weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance! Brian visited Z Car Garage for a few things on his Z including our Big-Brakes for small wheels, door seals and dyno tuning.

Finding the ’72

Let’s start with a brief history of Brian’s 240z. It’s an early ’72 built in 11/71, early enough to still have vertical defrosters and elastic strapped seats. Brian bought the car with the intention of doing a period correct restoration with some current tech modification.

In June of 2016 I found a very good candidate for this build. A factory 112 colored 240z. The car was purchased in Los Altos and driven home. For 5 months I drove the car and made notes of trouble areas. In December I stripped it, sent the body to the body shop and engine to Rebello.

   

Meanwhile I had my 1967 Datsun 2000 to build so I was happy knowing I had storage. The body work took a solid 14 months and the engine was ready in about the same time. The engine is a numbers matching “purists” build making 302hp on the engine dyno. The transmission is a zx 5 speed…a rebuilt Craigslist find:

  

The clean aesthetic and details in the engine bay showcase Brian’s restoration skills:

 

Z Car Garage CV Axles

 

With significantly more power than stock, upgrading the stock half shafts adds piece of mind as well as smoother operation. Power is sent to an open 3.54 R200 courtesy of Junkyard Jenn, and transferred to the rear wheels via Z Car Garage CV Axles. Brian installed the CV axles himself (with our blessing) 🙂 Note the Z story exhaust, more on this later:

  

Brian visits Z Car Garage

Upon completion of my ’67 Datsun 2000 I had the opportunity to meet Rob at ZCG for a dyno tune that Alvin set up. This was my first face to face with their shop. What I found was a lot of Datsun/Nissan passion and a shop that is well presented. I found many similarities in speaking with Rob. When researching brakes for Z cars I found many types…and because of the web I found all sorts of confusing and conflicting arguments. I knew ZCG made a big brake kit but my temporary Konig Rewinds were to be replaced with my still in process 15″ Volk Racing centerlocks.

 

ZCG Big Brakes for Brian’s 240z

A couple months later there was a write up on Glenn Chiou’s Fairlady 240Z-L…this was about big brakes for small wheels and that’s all I needed to hear. From what I know of Rob and ZCG, they don’t sell things until they are sure to perform better than other options with little chance of failure. My car wasn’t yet running but I made an appointment for the install.

Brian came in to ZCG and we installed the ZCG Big Brakes, replacing the factory disc/drum setup:

 

Front:

 

Rear, including the fully-functioning parking brake:

   

A few more detail shots of the 4-wheel discs:

   

Brian also had a few things on his mind and we took care of them:

When I arrived at Zcar Rob asked if there was anything else he should be aware of or I was concerned about. Mind you I had had the car together for all of 8 days and 78 now 134 miles. I gave him a list: Speedo drive is not engaging, precision rubber door seals are making me cry, one stripped rear stud and exhaust hitting things issue.

The Z story exhaust system was hitting the chassis so we re-aligned it eliminate rubbing:

 

ZCG Door Seals

Brian was having trouble with door fitment so we put the ZCG door seals on it:

All doors were aligned to make it open/close nicely. Before/after:

  

Brian was happy with the results and he doesn’t let just anyone work on his cars. Actually, he’s always done it himself:

I was a Honda then Chrysler ASE mechanic prior to becoming machinist. This was the first time I was leaving my car in the hands of another shop aside from Factory maintenance on my late model cars. Was I worried…. slightly. I left though in a loaner. I received pictures throughout the day on status and was invited to pick the car up and run a dyno tune. There were some issues that I was sent away as homework so the dyno tune although showing a healthy 235 whp was full of scatter. 

You can watch the dyno run and hear the Z story exhaust in this video below:

 

Getting Brian back on the road

Brian was heading back to our shop for a quick dyno tune on his way to the Mt. Shasta Datsun Roadster Meet when a last minute setback occurred:

I was invited to return the following Wednesday before the annual Mt Shasta Datsun roadster meet. I’d opted to bring the 112 z and my 67.5 2000. The previous weekend I I had driven many miles, had done a Fun Run had put an additional 600 miles on the car. While running down 880 I was zipping along in 5th gear and just before exiting to ZCG I was in neutral. I knew right away…. someone forgot to stake the nut. It was 730AM and the day was not going well. I arrived at Z car and Rob greeted me and said let’s do this… I said I have bigger problems. 5th isn’t with us anymore but I think the nut backed off and I am pretty sure it’s okay but no dyno. Rob said “ do you want me to yank it and put it back together today?” 

Brian indeed had an early Z 5-speed and they are known to have the mainshaft nut back off resulting in 5th gear loss:

  

We removed and replaced the transmission, got on the dyno at 3pm and put him back on the road to Shasta where the Z won 2nd in its class! Thanks for trusting us to work on your freshly restored beauty. More pictures in the gallery below and you can follow Brian on Instagram. Enjoy The Ride Brian!

For reports on other customer cars running Z Car Garage Big Brakes and CV Axles, please visit the links below:

Z Car Garage Big Brakes
Z Car Garage CV Axles

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Khang D is from Modesto and we first met him in 2012 when he visited ZCG with a green 1975 Datsun 280z. We serviced the car, fixed several items, made a cold-air intake and he enjoyed it for a few years before selling. Last September, Khang purchased this white 1973 240z from our customer Brent B, and returned to ZCG knowing our familiarity with the Z.

 

Khang came in for full suspension upgrades, Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, new OEM mirrors, Panasport wheels and a complete tune+service.

Suspension

The Z received full coil-over suspension from Techno Toy Tuning including T/C rods and rear control arms. The entire front suspension was re-done with new bushings, rack bushings, steering coupler, etc.

 

Struts, OEM T/C rods replaced with coil-overs:

 

Roll center adjusters from T3:

 

Rear lower control arms replace OEM units:

   

ZCG Big-Brakes for small wheels

“WOW, what a difference. The feel, modulation, power, sharpness was amazing. Hands down the best brakes I had ever driven on a Z car” -Glenn

As 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, etc.

  

Khang’s S30 got the full 4-wheel brake kit:

 

We also installed the fully functioning parking brake that works with factory linkage/handle:

 

OEM Mirror Installation

Brent B put a z31 side mirror that MSA sells, and it bolts on to the window frame. Khang didn’t like them as it dates the car so we changed the moldings performed ZCG door treatment:

 OEM mirror were installed:

  

We think it looks much better now:

 

 

Panasport Wheels

We are an authorized Panasport dealer and lover. Khang’s meshies were replaced with 16×7 Panasports with 225/50/16  Yokohama S-drive tires. Finally, we performed a major service/tune-up including all fluids and remaining items that the PO didn’t get to.

  

As you can see from the smile on his face, Khang is very happy with the Big-Brakes and new suspension. We are discussing a possible 3.2L engine with Jenvey EFI after finishing  Scott W’s 260z and Tim N’s 1973 240 builds. Khang is excited to match a new driveline to his fantastic chassis/brakes upgrades. Long Live The Z!

 

You can see more ZCG customer cars running our Big-Brakes below:

ZCG Big-Brakes for small wheels

Erich C

  

Jose N

 
Glenn C

Sam C