Sean M visited Z Car Garage for dyno tuning on his 2010 Nismo 370Z. We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades. Let’s hear how Sean found his Pearl White V1 Nismo Z34:

“I obtained this car through my father’s best friend. A couple of years ago, I found this car on craigslist and I wanted to jump on it very badly. I had just gotten a car six months before, so I couldn’t get it and knew it was going to be gone within the next couple of days. Sure enough, that’s what happened. I showed up at the Thunder Hill 3-Mile course that weekend, and spotted the car parked next to our trailer when we arrived. It turns out my father’s best friend bought the car, and from that moment I told him that if he ever wants to sell it, I want to buy it from him. About a year and a half later, thats what happened!”

Once he got the car Sean started modifying it immediately with Stillen G3 intakes, Z1 headers, Magnaflow cat-back, Z1 motorsports 34 row oil cooler, Z1 clutch, KW V3 Coilovers, Hawk DTC60 pads, and AEM Oil pressure and wideband AFR gauges.

“After installing those parts, I knew it was going to need a tune. Thats when I found the man the myth the legend Rob at Z Car Garage! I found them online looking for Z tuners in the bay, and after coming into Z Car Garage I knew I brought it to the right place. Rob got the car squared away with the UPREV ARC license, and with his knowledge about how hard the car gets driven he dialed it in.”

Dyno Tuning

We specialize in UPREV and EcuTek Tuning to maximize power gains from individual modifications like intake and exhaust upgrades on Sean’s Z. On the dyno, Rob UPREV tuned with gains throughout the rev range. Peak gains of 20hp/20tq for a total of 335hp/272tq at the wheels was achieved:

Enjoy this dyno video that Sean filmed:

Sean was stoked on the dyno results:

“Being a huge racer himself, he knows what it takes to keep a car maintained and up to date, and the motor running safely and efficiently. Z Car Garage is always my recommendation to fellow Z enthusiasts, as I know Rob is a wealth of useful information as well as a brilliant mechanic. After the tune, the car has fantastic throttle response on partial throttle and tons of top end!”

We also added the ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details and to schedule your Z/G tuning appointment.

Here is a video of the exhaust and launch control (courtesy of the UPREV ARC License):

Enjoying The Ride

Sean is an avid driving enthusiast and this Z sees the track 2+ weekends per month, running strong each and every time. It is a car that gets driven close to its limit, and is often featured on Sean’s YouTube Channel, Milburn Motorsports. You can also catch Sean and his racing adventures on Instagram.

Rob had a great time with Sean:

“We met Sean through tuning his car. He’s an awesome young man and even brought some of his friends (some we’ve also worked with) with him to the shop. It’s good to see passionate, enthusiastic young people in motorsports.  Whenever Sean is here we talk about his Z car and how much he enjoys it and how we both enjoy driving. He’s got a really cool YouTube channel that we subscribe to and he’s an excellent racetrack driver.”

Thanks for your support Sean, Long Live The Z!

Contact us for tuning!

Z Car Garage offers the ARC (Advanced Racing Controls) license. This add-on service to the existing UPREV Flash allows you to have adjustable launch control, burnout mode, and flat-foot shifting. This is for cars with manual transmission, VDC/cruise control. Call Rob for more details and to schedule your Z/G tuning appointment.

This is a new vintage racing event created by the Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation and Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) to raise money for charity. It is an open sound event with multiple races for each race group, charity rides and more. Registration details are HERE. Join Z Car Garage at Laps for Laguna as we will be running the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:

Racing into 2022!

Z Car Garage is amped for this year’s race season. Here is list of events we will be attending. Please join us!

April

4/1-3  Sonoma with CSRG (Finished, report soon!)

4/21-24 Laguna with SVRA

4/28-5/2 Sonoma with SVRA

May

5/21-22  Laps for Laguna with CSRG

August

8/13-14  Laguna with HSR Pre Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

8/17-20 Laguna  with HSR  Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

October

9/30-10/2 Sonoma with CSRG Charity Challenge

9/13-16 Laguna   VI

November

11/4-6   Thunderhill with CSRG

Z Car Garage is excited to go vintage racing two weekends in a row! On April 21-24, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) will host the Trans Am SpeedFest at Laguna Seca. On April 28 to May 1, SVRA will host the Sonoma Speed Tour at Sonoma Raceway.

Details for the Trans Am SpeedFest at Laguna Seca are HERE.

Details for the Sonoma SpeedTour at Sonoma Raceway are HERE.

Z Car Garage Racers

Z Car Garage will be racing and supporting several client cars at both events:

Kelvin’ Datsun 510

Gabe’s Datsun 510

Ed’s Ex-Walt Mass 1965 Porsche 911

Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers Datsun 510

Racing into 2022!

Z Car Garage is amped for this year’s race season. Here is list of events we will be attending. Please join us!

April

4/1-3  Sonoma with CSRG (Finished, report soon!)

4/21-24 Laguna with SVRA

4/28-5/2 Sonoma with SVRA

May

5/21-22  Laps for Laguna with CSRG

August

8/13-14  Laguna with HSR Pre Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

8/17-20 Laguna  with HSR  Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

October

9/30-10/2 Sonoma with CSRG Charity Challenge

9/13-16 Laguna   VI

November

11/4-6   Thunderhill with CSRG

Z cars may remain with their loving owners for years, change ownership or even get spotlighted in the media at some point. Our “where are they now” series features past Z Car Garage vehicles with updates on their status. In this third installment we catch up with Craig’s 2004 Nissan 350Z.

Craig’s 350Z was supercharged almost 12 years ago using a Vortech Tuner Kit with supporting fuel and cooling upgrades.

 

Fast forward to 2022, Craig visited ZCG for routine maintenance including a new air filter and rear differential bushing replacement:

The diff bushings were replaced with new units from Whiteline. The diff bushings are the most common failure as see in previous blog posts:

We put the Z on the dyno and it put down almost identical power output some 12 years later! This is a testament to the mighty VQ35 engine and Craig’s maintenance. Dyno plots:

(L) 2022, the Z made 420hp/349tq at the wheels

(R) ~2012, the Z made 415hp/344tq at the wheels:

Enjoy the latest dyno passes of Craig’s 350Z in the video below:

Craig is still happy:

“Even after 12 years or so, every time I drive my Le Mans Sunset 2004 Touring model, I feel like it’s the first day. Aligning with the team at Z Car Garage was the best move. I didn’t need to shop around once I visited a few times. I knew I was at the right shop.  Buying the Z in 2008 was exciting as this was the first sports car I’d ever had. Having the performance upgrades a couple years later from Z Car made a world of difference. So glad Rob  helped me “pull the trigger”. Without a great deal of knowledge of what I wanted in components, I let Rob custom-craft what he felt (and had solid experience with) was the best mix for me and the car.  I’m pretty tall, so I don’t track the car, which is a bummer at times, but I have as much spirited driving as I can. Also, I live about an hour from the shop, so Rob and team make a point to take care of me when I do visit, reviewing maintenance items needed.”

Thanks for your support Craig! We love that your Z is still running strong and you continue to Enjoy The Ride. Stay tuned for our next “Where are they now” feature, and if you missed our first and second features find them HERE. Long Live The Z!

Datsun Roadsters hold a special place in our heart and recently we had the opportunity to tune this very beautiful example owned by Pat S. The only reason we don’t work on or build these gems: we simply can’t keep up with our Z car workload. Once in a while though, someone will throw around the name “Alvin” (our shop social media manager) and they will get into Z Car Garage.

Pat contacted ZCG to discuss his 1970 Datsun 2000 roadster’s twin-Mikuni carb setup. The 2L/U20 models could be optioned with dual Mikuni-Solex carbs (replacing SU carbs) as part of a factory “competition” package also including a hotter “B” camshaft and 7.5qt. aluminum oil pan. Pat had done all he could to make it drive nicely and wanted a touch more driveability. Once at the shop, Rob took his car for a ride, impressed with how nicely restored it was.

Dyno Tuning

Rob and Pat discussed his goals and what he wanted to accomplish. We were able to go in and adjust the idle/off-idle settings, and of course wide-open throttle. The U20 put down 113hp/109tq to the wheels:

Pat was really pleased with the dyno tuning results. We actually saw him on the recent BCR Tokyo Calling Rally where he said the car was running fantastic and he was stoked:

“I saw Z Car Garage referenced on 311s.org when I was trying to sort out my carbs. I had the carbs completely rebuilt by Taka Sato at Kyusha House (beautiful job) and Z Car Garage did the fine tune adjustments on the dyno. Starts and runs great. So fun to drive! I once had a good friend that owned a high end Porsche shop (he races Lotus’ now) in LA. No matter who you were, if there was any oil or dirt on the engine, he would send them away. Rob reminds me of him. An expert with a true passion for the cars!”

Enjoy the sounds of a Solex-equipped Datsun 2000 on the dyno below!

Pat shared his Datsun story with us:

“I bought my first roadster in 1973 and it was a ’66 1600 that I paid $600 for. I’ve always wanted to get another so about 3 years ago I purchased my ’70 2L.  Mike Young of DatsunSports rebuilt the top end and installed a ‘B’ cam for me and has been a true friend by not letting make too many mistakes.

The car was striped down to bare metal, rusted panels welded in and a new paint job with rechromed the bumpers and trim.

Pat refurbished all of the electrical switches and lights (LEDs now). Gauge expert Jon Frampton refurbished the gauges. Pat also rebuilt the seats and has new upholstery throughout:

Enjoying The Ride

It was great to see Pat driving his roadster on the BCR Tokyo calling rally where he was all smiles with the tuning results. Here a few shots of him at speed in the foothills of Sonoma, CA.

Roadster owners united at the rally’s final stage at Sonoma Raceway (Alvin, Rob, Mike Young, Eric and Pat):

Pat you have done a great job on the roadster. Nice work, and we love seeing Datsun owners realize the maximum potential out of their cars. Thanks for your support and Enjoy The Ride!

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