***This Z is up for auction on Bring a Trailer right now, link HERE***

We met Greg a few years ago at a Blackhawk Museum gathering where famed Peter Brock (BRE) was speaking. Greg told us that he found a clean, low-mileage 280z and he was really interested in ZCG going through it. After he visited the shop we discussed our previous 280z builds (Cece, Gary and the Roth’s) and got to work building a Z for Greg that would reflect his tastes while keeping the vintage vibe. This 1977 280z was treated to a ZCG-style mechanical restoration including a new drivetrain, engine bay restoration, total suspension rebuild and more.

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 Drivetrain

 
Greg’s Z received a total engine bay restoration along with upgrades to the driveline for smoother driving and improved torque.  Please visit the gallery below for more pictures documenting the engine bay restoration work, it’s where our efforts shine!

Engine

A fresh 3.1L  engine with new injectors replaced the tired L28:

 
New L31:

    

With the engine/transmission removed we focused our efforts on restoring the engine bay.  Everything was zinc plated or powdercoated.  New parts included brand new injectors, all new fuel system, hoses, fuel filter and all the drive belts.

 

All new hydraulic lines, emissions plumbing and more engine bay clean-up (full re-paint) before/after. More pics in the gallery!

  

Intake manifold cleaned up and powdercoated:

 

An MSA exhaust header was installed:

 

 

At the time we had a 280z 5-speed in our stash but Greg is so particular(we love that) and the unit was gone through by Z car transmission expert Steve Pettersen:

  New clutch/flywheel:

 

With the new engine/transmission even more detail work was performed:

 

MAF/hose/hardware detail:

 

Engine bay restoration, before/after:

Dyno Tuning

 

Rob dyno tuned the rebuilt 3.1L engine making 169hp/179tq to the wheels:

Enjoy L-series music on the dyno!

Suspension

 

Greg wanted a fantastic driver that was worry-free. We replaced all of the hydraulics and front/rear suspension assemblies to match the new driveline.  All suspension was either zinc’d or powdercoated:

  

We installed KYB strut inserts with lowering springs, Suspension Techniques sway bars, Techno Toy Tuning adjustable rear lower control arms, TC rods, and rack bushings, all new wheel bearings and new ball-joints. We do offer a full coil-over setup for track day/performance-oriented customers, and this spring/strut upgrade for those that want a better stance with improved handling without getting beat up.

Suspension refresh with T/C rod and steering rack detail:

     
Rear end with T3 lower control arms in:

 

 

We modified the floor to accommodate Recaro LXF Specialist seats (in leather) to suit Greg’s height while maintaining full seat travel/movemen:

  

New center console, MOMO competition wheel and restored the A/C ensuring it blowed cold (R134A):

  

Details

 

The little things are what we excel at. Exterior items include re-chroming both f/r bumpers and adding Hella H4s with our HID kit. Other interior items include a new tach and making a little seat belt holder clip to work with the Recaros:

 

Please check the gallery below for more detail shots, there are too many to list in this blog post!

Enjoying The Ride

 

With all the attention to detail and upgrades this 280Z can drive comfortably in style with power. Despite common opinion on the 280z, we think it has a wonderful character from that era and when you update similarly as a 240z, they are great sports cars. The majority of our 280z costumers still use their cars as daily drivers (Cece, above).  Greg is super happy with how it came out and he has a smile on his face every time he drives it.  The engine is torquey,  you can stop on a dime and it handles well without riding harshly. Thank you Greg for letting us help build your vision of the ideal 280z.

LONG LIVE THE Z!

***Greg has decided to sell his Z! It is up for auction on Bring a Trailer right now, link HERE***

 

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…[read more]

Working with owners that have a long history with their Z gets us excited. This early Series 1 240z (vin# 2144, March 1970) was Bill R’s very first sports car, owned since 1976. The car had been sitting in storage for over 20 years and Bill contacted us for mechanical sorting.

Beginning in 2019 we had the pleasure of working with Bill to help get his Z back on the road. Our Z Car Garage CV Axles along with refurbished brakes, suspension, interior and engine tuning all transform this Z back into the sports car Bill remembered enjoying. Before we dive in to the restoration let’s take a look at his Z car story.

Love at First Sight

“On December 30th 1976 I purchased my Datsun 204z from Niello Volkswagen in Sacramento, I happened to drive by this dealership and noticed a small two door blue sports car. After driving into the lot to check it out I kinda fell in love with it. The asking price was $3,676 and it had 072260 miles on it. At this time I was only 21 years old and wanted a 2-door sports car…

…The next day I returned to the dealership to put a downpayment on this car. I signed the purchase agreement and I was on my way home. Finally my first sports car! From this date in 1976 I always took great pride and joy in this car. Always kept in a garage. At one time I had purchased another 1971 Z for my wife and we had matching 240z’s”

Over the past 44 years of owning his 240z, Bill began to drive it less as his family grew and mechanical issues arose. After being in and out of different repair shops he was not satisfied with the work completed to get the Z running properly. It sat for many years. After finding ZCG, Bill decided to drive from Elk Grove to San Jose to check out the shop and meet Rob.

Bill towed his “AWWSUM Z” to our shop in January 2019 and we performed a full inspection. The plan to get Bill’s Z back on the road included a full suspension/brake refresh, engine tuning, interior refurbishment with weatherstripping and restoration of those groovy True Spoke wire wheels.

Chassis

 

With the Z happily in our shop the chassis was treated to a full suspension rebuild. We installed all new ball joints, bushings, tie rods, wheel bearings and had all parts powder coated. Before removal:

 

Below: New KYB front/rear struts with Eibach springs and ST f/r sway bars. We also installed new adjustable T/C rods and lower control arms (see below) 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.

  

New suspension parts installed up front:

 

Rear suspension, before and after:

 

The underside was steam-cleaned and undercoated:

Brakes

We restored the OEM brakes with all new lines, new brake master cylinder and remanufactured calipers with Stoptech slotted rotors and 309 pads:

       At the rear, brand new factory rear wheel cylinders, rear shoes and turned aluminum drums:

    

 

Z Car Garage CV Axles

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

 

Bill has CV Axle set #281. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

 

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

        

The differential was resealed with new front/side seals:

 

We gave Bill regular updates on his Z:

“Throughout the 2019 year I was in contact with Rob,  he sent me pictures of the work in progress  performed on my 240z.  In October of 2019 I took a drive to the shop to take a look at what was completed. I was able to take my 240z out for a drive around the neighborhood, I was surprised and shocked to drive my z for the first time in years, just the look at all of the work performed on my Z was unbelievable!

 

Engine

 

The engine bay was next. We steam cleaned the entire underside of the car to reveal any drivetrain leaks. The radiator was removed and boiled out. All cooling system hoses were replaced.  A new 280zx starter, new fan clutch, upgraded alternator and new battery with cables were installed:

 

With 148,876 miles on the odometer we performed a compression/leakdown test and the stock L24 passed. A full service tune was performed including new plugs, plug wire set, cap/rotor, fuel filter, valve cover gasket, MSD Blaster2 (black) coil, new drive belts, water pump, oil change and a valve adjustment. Before/after:

 

New Z-therapy carbs and cleanup of the intake manifold/air injection. The valve cover was also powder coated. More pictures in the gallery below:

 

We replaced intake and exhaust manifold gaskets with factory Nissan parts and the exhaust manifold was replaced with an MSA 6-1 coated header:

 

The old twice-pipe exhaust was replaced with our full ZCG exhaust system with a stainless Magnaflow resonator and slash-cut tip:

 

With the new SU carbs, exhaust/header and engine service Rob dyno tuned the Z making 133hp/133tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy the L24 music in this dyno video:

 

The seats were re-done in blue vinyl:

 

We removed the steering wheel cover revealing a nicely patina’d Series 1 unit in need of light restoration:

 

What a difference!

 

A new shift knob complements the refreshed steering wheel:

 

New pedal covers, many more pictures of the interior refresh in the gallery below:

 

Extensive weatherstripping replacement was performed. Our ZCG door seals to eliminate the “tinniness” when you shut the door. We removed the door panels to restore inner parts, made sure that windows roll up/down smoothly and installed new window felt and runners for the channels:

 

New weatherstripping including hatch seals, doors and window frames:

 

No more leaks or fumes!

 

The vintage True Spoke wheels were re-finished and new 185/70/14 tires with tubes sourced. These wheels were added by Bill in the 70’s and he loves them!

 

The Z was fully detailed inside and out:

Driving is Believing

“On May 15th 2020 I returned to the Z Car Garage to bring my 240z home! Before we put my Z on the trailer Rob took me for a test ride in my Z around the neighborhood and on the freeway to check out the performance and the handling of my newly restored 240z. I didn’t know my car had that much power and cornering capability with stopping power! I thought I was on a race track riding with Rob. After we returned to the shop Rob asked me to take my z out for a test drive by myself, man it never felt so good after many years of not being able to drive my Z without any problems.”

  

Bill owned a Barbecue and Deli business several years ago (Reedsribs and More) and still caters. He thought it was a nice way to thank the shop with a BBQ lunch, an amazing gesture we are thankful for.

“I would like to personally thank each employee that worked on the restoration of my 240z. Rob I would like to thank you personally for the professional way you communicated with me every step of the way with the restoration of my 240z. Since my z has been back home home I showed several friends and previous Z owners the work that was performed in your garage. Everyone was speechless!

Thanks for the restoration and putting me back on the road in my AAWSUM Z”

Bill Reed

 

  

We are so fortunate to work with owners that appreciate the Z and believe in our ability to make them better! Bill we thank you for supporting Z Car Gar Garage, and LONG LIVE THE Z!

More pictures in the gallery below:

 

Being part of a client’s project from start to finish is just one of our favorite jobs at Z Car Garage. Jason P contacted us a few years ago to help find a 240z to call his own and what began as a visit for our ZCG Big-Brakes evolved into building his dream car. Let’s take a closer look at his “ProjectZ” that received a ZCG-style mechanical restoration including a new drivetrain, engine bay clean-up, total suspension rebuild and more.

Jason’s Z Story

We are lucky to work with long-time Z owners and first-time enthusiasts like Jason. It’s no surprise to hear how the Z struck a chord with him at a young age:

“My favorite toy growing up was an old beat-up Transformers Bluestreak I inherited from my cool older cousins. I found out years later this toy was based on a Silver Datsun 280zx and it’s been my dream to get one someday, for the past 20 years I’ve been patiently saving and loosely looking. As weird reminders I’ve done things like make a lego 240Z for my desk to stay passionate about the car.” 

  

Jason recalls how he found us:

“I was looking for a shop from the Bay Area to San Diego that specialized in Zs and who could be a long-term partner in building and maintaining my dream car. I found ZCG on multiple forums and Yelp with stellar reviews and feedback from other Datsun owners.  A couple clicks later I was reading the ZCG blogs and loving how thoroughly the builds were documented. I loved the first time talking to Rob and how he never mentioned any of the prestigious work they had done and was solely focused on what I wanted. Maybe the second time we talked I heard him sing and that sealed the deal.”

 

 

“As a novice car-guy I feel Rob and team really understood my needs for a clean restomod that was easy to drive and could haul if needed. The entire car is super impressive and I find myself daydreaming about driving it around now. “

  

More pictures in the gallery below and LONG LIVE THE Z!

…[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

 

At Z Car Garage we love dyno tuning vintage race cars that are being brought back to life in addition to event veterans. Stan T came up from Socal on referral from fellow racer Steve Link to get his Datsun 1200 back on the race track.   

The Datsun 1200

A few words on the 1200 for the uninitiated, as this small but feisty little Datsun surprised many. The car was Nissan chassis code B110, sold in Japan 1970-1972 and in North America in 1971-1973. Known in the states as a “1200” from its 1.2L engine size and referred to as “Datsun Sunny 1200” in Japan, The 1200 had a rich racing history with success both here and abroad with much of it prowess coming from a lightweight chassis and potent A12 powerplant.

Stan bought his Datsun about 10 years ago as a barn find, tired SCCA H Production racecar. The SCCA logbook that came with the car showed only two races ever entered. It was mostly stock, with a bolt-in Autopower roll cage. Stan tells us about his build and desire to build it with period parts wherever possible:

“Back in the day, one could literally build a Datsun 1200 racecar out of the pages of the Datsun Competition parts catalog. Everything from engines to gearboxes to LSD rear ends was available. Factory teams and independents flocked to the Datsun nameplate, using the available go-fast bits and pieces. My thought with this project was to build up a tribute car in the vein of the original SCCA C Sedan class cars from the 70s, using parts from the Datsun Competition catalog as much as possible. No later, larger engine. No bigger rear axle. Everything was to be as close to period as possible, everything was to be restored with an eye towards authenticity and durability. No Tilton or Wilwood braking systems…I re-fabricated the braking system using historical pictures as a reference.”

“I’ve searched for several years gathering bits here and there from around the world. It was a tedious process – racers naturally use up parts, parts which were not plentiful to start with, and the stockpiles of available pieces had grown smaller over the years. The F5C56A close ratio 5-speed transmission came from New Zealand. A quick shifter and some engine parts came from Japan. Reproduction tail lamp housing gaskets came from a fellow 1200 enthusiast in the Pacific Northwest.”

What about that cool two-piece rocker cover?

“The one-off alloy rocker cover was CNC milled by a genius 1200 owner who took pity on my plea for a two piece unit that would make valve clearance adjustments considerably easier in the pits and back at the shop.”

Race prep advice came from retired 1200 racers who provided a treasure trove of knowledge. The engine was built by master machinist John Edwards in Costa Mesa who, when he was an automotive shop teacher, persuaded Nissan to donate dozens of the A12 engines to the school district for training purposes. 

“This engine is an old SCCA warhorse that was run for years in the San Francisco region. The engine features a ported GX head and a slew of NLA Nismo bits along with trick “modern” pieces like ARP head studs & rod bolts and B-Projects rocker arm collars. It is being resurrected for vintage racing, using a bit more moderate state of tune for longevity and reliability. (if 12.8:1 compression can be called “moderate”)”

Below is a video showing Stan’s A12 motor on the R&D SimTester. It has a variable speed electric motor connected to the flywheel end of the crankshaft, spinning the motor. An oil line connected to the inlet side of the oil pump pressure feeds clean oil to the engine. The tester allows a ‘clean room’ run in of the freshly built engine to bed all the assemblies in, check for oil leaks, find weak/stripped bolts, ascertain clearances of rotating bits at various speeds etc. without generating heat and racket:

 

Stan adds the final steps of his build before dyno tuning:

“Final assembly and fabrication was done by Vinny Torres at Steve Link Racing in Anaheim. While the parts chase was going on, I stripped the body down to a bare shell and had it soda blasted back to bare metal, then repainted it the way it was when I bought it. During that phase, heavy rust was discovered in the cowl area which demanded attention, and after the heavy undercoating was stripped off, it was found out that the front clip of the car had been replaced at some point in an amateurish fashion, requiring a trip to the body shop alignment table to tug things back into some semblance of square.”

 

Dyno Tuning

With the car on the dyno Rob and Josh went to work checking things over in the engine bay. They set the timing correctly, worked on the A/F ratio and fixed a few items in the engine bay.    

  The car made fantastic power screaming to 8500rpm: 

 It was a win/win and Stan was more than pleased:

 “1^st dyno run (blue) showing how poorly the engine ran when I brought it in, then the last dyno run (red) showing the Helen Keller Miracle Worker version, where at the end of that run we all high-fived each other and shouted “Done!” Watching Rob & Josh work together was like watching a couple of master musicians in a recording studio bouncing musical ideas off of each other, with each building on the other’s talents until all of a sudden everything clicks, and a hit is born. They make it seem almost effortless until one steps back and realizes the personal database of tuning knowledge they have has been amassed through thousands and thousands of dyno runs and hundreds of days at the track all feeding back on each other. All the while I stood there awestruck, just happy not to get in the way and to learn a few things while watching the masters at work.”

 

 

Thank you Stan for bringing your 1200 to ZCG. We look forward to your next race!