Dan F is long time customer of Z Car Garage and we started working with him shortly after he acquired his Nissan 350z. Dan comes from a family of motorsports enthusiasts with his Dad (C6 Corvette) and brothers all enjoying track time together:

 

In 2012 we installed a Vortech Supercharger and for the next five years Dan regularly tracked this Z33. We fought with oil/water temperature and anything you can think of battling while at the track. Where there was an issue, a solution was devised so he could beat on this Z for 20-30minute sessions easily.

Better, Stronger and Faster

In 2017 with 53k miles on the odometer the factory engine failed in Turn 1 at Laguna Seca. We were at a crossroads: with all the developments we made so Dan’s Z could handle routine track duty should we push the envelope by adding even more power?

 

The answer, invariably was YES. At the heart of the new build was a Rebello VQ with HR top end and internals including forged pistons and rods, HR head gaskets and headbolts, race bearings, factory compression ratio, JWT C8 cams and JWT HD valve springs:

 

The major power added was a new Vortech Si wheel offering more hp per pound of boost. Supporting mods included DC sports carb legal headers, EV14 1000c injectors, GT MAF and upgraded fuel pump. Keeping things cool are new oil coolers and a revised ZCG cold-air intake:

   

The front-mount intercooler was upgraded to an ATP Garrett 900hp unit:

 

To monitor intercooler efficiency a gauge was installed in the factory cubicle displaying temperature before and after the IC:

 

A few more pics of Dan’s interior:

  

Dyno Tuning

 

With the engine bay all buttoned up Rob dyno tuned the Z using UPREV. The Z is now making 480hp/390tq at the wheels on a conservative track tune to keep heat low. The dyno plots show the previous 91 octane tune (368hp/333tq) and newest 91 octane tune (455hp/365tq):

 

More Track Mods

 

An off at Thunderhill gave Dan an opportunity re-engineered his aero pieces. He rebuilt the front splitter, added side blades, rear diffuser and front fender slats:

 “For the brake ducts I repurposed old Roush Nascar ducts in dry carbon with standard ducting. The front splitter with spats I made to attach to the Stillen piece. The spats are tied in up the fender to prevent turbulence with the tire as it’s running a 295 front with -3.6 degrees camber.”

 

“Rob has been part of the heart and soul of this car as he has helped me build it over the last 10 years. It has been a guinea pig at times to try new methods but he has been a great partner and sponsor through all of it. It’s very fast and very fun being quite easy to handle at the limit. It is maintained for track duty at ZCG.”

 

Here is a video of Dan autocrossing and running the Z at Laguna Seca, there is even a snip from Larry Chen’s Hoonigan Autofocus :):

 

Our shared excitement is seeing Dan making personal bests at the track.  Dan is fast and here are a few notable times and achivements at his favorite tracks, we are proud of him!

“I’m still looking for time to break 1:40 at Laguna Seca, currently at….140.7 and 123.7 at Thunder Hill West. I’ve consistently run in the top 10 of 100 with Santa Clara Corvette Club AX’s”

 

  

We have even seen Dan on the street at the local 2018 ZONC Annual Car Show and cruising twisty Bay Area roads near Alice’s restaurant:

 

Thanks for supporting Z Car Garage and letting us build your track car Dan. We look forward to seeing you enjoy track events. Long Live The Z!

More pictures in the gallery below!

 

 

 

 

At Z Car Garage we live for anything Nissan/Datsun and that includes late model cars like the 350z. The Z33 has been part of our customer base since the beginning, spanning everything from NA and forced induction to full track-spec builds. Josh visited us last year to discuss supercharging his 2008 350z. He acquired it completely stock 3 years ago and slowly began the modification process.

 

Josh signed on for a Stillen supercharger kit (satin, CARB legal) and we installed it with our typical supporting mods like GTR plugs, and Concept Performance Z 25-row oil cooler  (Setrab, T-stat controlled).

 

The front end needed work to accomodate Josh’s front crash bar. We shifted items around like the water-air exchanger to retain functionality:

 

Josh also requested installation of parts he had purchased previously like Tomei cams/valve springs for the HR engine. These units worked really well with the blower as seen in the dyno below. A few cam install pictures:

 

The transmission was crunchy in 3rd and 5th gear so we installed a brand new OEM CD009 transmission:

 

Backing the VQ is a Z Speed Performance South Bend stage 2 clutch with internal slave delete (CMAK upgrade):

 

For piece of mind we replaced all engine gaskets and seals:

 

The differential bushings were replaced with Whiteline parts:

 

Before/after the Stillen Supercharger installation:

 

On the dyno the Z made 286hp/252tq baseline. Rob UPREV tuned with the Stillen supercharger making 427hp/311tq at the wheels:

 

Enjoy the dyno video:

 

Finally, we had our man William install Josh’s supplied carbon fiber hood, fenders and hood pins.

 

Josh was really happy with the results and he’s been texting us often:

“I brought in my base model 350z to Rob to get it Supercharged, cammed, and a transmission swap. I was pleased with Rob and the teams work, they knew what was needed for the build. The tune is excellent, I haven’t had any issues with engine codes after excessive driving.”

Enjoy The Boost Josh!

More pics in the gallery below

 

 

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Roman C came to Z Car Garage earlier this year to have his 2008 Nissan 350z inspected. After going over the car he expressed his goals and one was full suspension upgrades. We installed KW V3 coil-overs and replaced bushings throughout with Whiteline parts.  ZCG has performed many KW suspension installs and we really like how they work, using them exclusively on the 300zx(z32) and 350z models.

 

OEM vs KW coil-overs front and rear:

   

Whenever we do a coil-over installation and lower the ride height we always use the SPC front and rear camber arms. This ensures that a customer gets the desired ride height, handling and tire wear:

  

Stock vs SPC upper control arms, with a full alignment following installation:

   

OEM sway bars were replaced with our favorite units from sway bars from Hotchkis:

 

OEM vs Hotchkis front and rear:

    

A common upgrade/maintenance item we routinely perform is differential bushing replacement. Here, again we use Whiteline bushings:

 

Roman had a few bolt-ons like intake and exhaust so we UPREV tuned. Peak numbers of 304hp/260tq to the wheels was achieved but more importantly the power gains are seen throughout the rev range:

 

Roman was super stoked with the results. We took care of a few maintenance items like replacing a drive belt and peforming a coolant flush. Finally, he had he bought some new wheels/tires so we mounted and balanced them for him.

Enjoy The Ride Roman!

 

Love for the Z is strong in Northern California

The Z Owners of Northern California (ZONC) is one of the oldest Z car clubs in the nation. In its prime they had over 600 members with close ties to Yutaka Katayama (“Mr. K”) and Nissan USA. Of the many events and fun runs they host throughout the year including the famous Blackhawk Museum Show, we had a wonderful time attending their ZONC Annual Car Show in Brisbane, CA held on July 22, 2017.

 

 

This was a relaxed, relatively small gathering of enthusiasts that we shared with a group of ZCG customers and friends. Our Saturday morning caravan to the show began at the shop with seven Z cars, one roadster and a C110 Kenmeri Skyline:

 

Here is a short video of the ride to Brisbane with all of our cars…just Enjoying The Ride on a Saturday!

 

Highlights from the show

Still to this day, 240Zs are the most represented model in the club. Expansion over time currently includes all recent Z models and the GT-R, but also reaches back in time to include the Datsun Roadsters and 510s.  41 cars were displayed this year, each one of them special and showing pride of ownership. The only model missing from the show was the Z31 300ZX and that’s because the only one registered somehow overheated on the way.

 

From showroom stock to wildly-modified the S30 selection was diverse. We are very proud of ZCG customer James S’ 1972 240z. This hot rod sports a Rebello 3.2 L-series engine with boost provided by a GTX3576R turbo and Haltech management.  The exterior is quite menacing with large carbon fiber flares containing 17″ VOLK TE37 wheels wrapped in sticky Kumho slicks. ZCG Big Brakes are at all four corners. Stay tuned for a full report on this beast as we dial in the E85 tuning!

 

   

Frank Burkeen’s stunning Series 1 240z is the result of a full rotisserie restoration. We will have a full report on this build soon, but if you take close look at that stock engine bay it’s impossible to tell that it makes about 50hp more than stock!

 

Frank is also a long-time ZCG customer and his wife drove his other Z car, a bright orange fuel-injected canyon carver. We love the Chevlon mesh wheels and they do a superb job of framing our ZCG Big Brakes!

 

Our friend and fellow vintage racer Glenn Chiou’s 1971 Nissan Fairlady 240Z-L is a RHD model with a Rebello heart and a host of period goodies. The original paint is impressive and this car just looks so “right” from all angles.

   

260z and 280z

ZCG customer Joe A showed his pretty 260z, fresh from the shop (full report on the blog soon)

   

Linda W’s 1978 280z

 

S130

Who could forget the S130 280zx! Black Gold too:

 

People

We like this show because of the laid-back atmosphere and good folks that organize it. You won’t find Drake or EDM blasting through loudspeakers here. No bikini contests.  Just Z-car and Nissan/Datsun enthusiasts simply sharing their love about cars.

Z32

 

11 Z32 300zx cars were displayed ranging from high-mileage survivors with original owners to show-spec pristine examples. Kevin N and Joe K’s Z32 Twin Turbos are both top-level examples of highly modified yet tasteful machines:

 

Jack and Yolanda’s famous widebody Z32s. Jack is the creator of the original “primadonnaZ” back in the 70’s.

 

This 1994 NA Z32 caught our eye because it had 332k miles from its original owner!

 

Z33

If you are a fan of Japanese classic cars there’s a good chance that you have visited Japanese Nostalgic Car. JNC’s senior minicar correspondent and all-around J-Tin guru is Ricky Silverio and he is also a Z-car owner! Here is his pristine, 10k-mile 2003 350z Track model that we will be performing services on soon. Like his other sports cars, Ricky shows impeccable taste in his “OEM+” mods. Check out more pics in the gallery as there are many “easter eggs” in his Z!

  

Z34

This is the first show since 2009 that Nissan USA helped support and ZONC was very happy to have a new NISMO 370Z  on display:

 

We spotted this pair of of white NISMO Z’s. Nissan’s final evolution of the Z34 is the best looking, in our opinion:

  

510s

 

Three Datsuns 510s showed up, two with KA24s and one sporting an L-series. Datsun die-hards may remember this familiar 510 that belonged to builder Gary Jervis:

 

Our favorite (and the crowd’s too) was Matt’s 510. This boosted KA24DE Dime ticks all the right boxes for our love of low-flying bricks, and he also won 1st place for Best 510!

The Kenmeri Skyline

Alex M lent us his C110 Skyline to participate in the show. It was well received and even won an award!

Roadsters and Best of Show

The lone Datsun Roadster, and winner of Best of Show award went to Dan M’s pretty ’69 Datsun 2000. Dan also brought his ’72 240z!

 

Vanity plates

It’s no secret Z car owners have the best vanity plates! Some notables:

   

Parking lot finds

The beautiful venue is also a public park so plenty of folks stopped by to check out the Z’s.

  

Award Winners

It is always great to see ZCG customers carrying home awards for their pride and joy.

James S won Best Modified and Super Modified! Joe A won best 260z and Frank M won Best Stock 240z!

 

See you next year!

Spending the day at the ZONC Annual Car Show was a welcome experience that reminded us to, in the words of the late Mr.K, ” Love cars. Love people. Love Life.”  We look forward to the next show keep an eye on our event updates and Z you soon! Don’t forget to check out our picture gallery below! Big thanks to the ZONC organizers and Ricky Silverio for sharing his photos with us.

 

 

 

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Our customer and friend of the shop Bill Clark just reviewed the 2014 Nismo 370z for eBay Motors Blog. In addition to giving readers a taste of the 370z, he also compares it to his slightly modified 350z. Bill’s 2007 350z was one of the first HR-powered cars at ZCG to receive a Bassani exhaust and minor bolt-ons resulting in just over 300whp. Time does fly and these mods were installed six years ago! Good news is that Bill is still Enjoying The Ride in his beloved 350z and he was kind enough to think of Z Car Garage when writing his eBay article. We happily dyno’d both the Nismo 370z and Bill’s 350z so check his review out for the results!

 

Thanks again Bill for giving ZCG a shout in your review!