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 second installment we catch up with Greg’s 1977 Datsun 280Z, now residing in Seattle, WA.

Z Car Garage Restoration

We met the previous owner, Greg H 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.

You can read all about our work on this Z here HERE. A few highlights include our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes developed with Stoptech:

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

Greg received ZCG CV Axle set #264, standard half-shafts shown on left:

The Z received a new L31 engine with fresh 280Z 5-speed transmission. The entire engine bay was detailed with new hoses/clamps, plating and wiring:

Full front and rear suspension rebuild:

Panasport wheels:

The interior received a full ZCG-style treatment with our custom high-end sound deadening and carpet. ZCG door seals and sound deadening were applied as well new hatch seals. We modified the floor to accommodate Recaro LXF Specialist seats (in leather) to suit Greg’s height while maintaining full seat travel/movement:

Where is it now?

In August 2020, Greg H listed the Z on Bring a Trailer, you can see the auction HERE. The auction winner and new owner Greg J reached out to us and we’ve been in touch ever since. He even sent us this nice write-up below of his journey picking up the Z in Fresno, CA and driving back up to his home in Seattle, WA. Enjoy!

You can’t go back, or can you?

By Greg James

There’s an old saying about never being able to go back. In a sense, it’s true. Anyone approaching-or at- senior citizen status knows what I mean. However, with our cars, we can re-live some of our youth even If it means doing so with a bit more weight, less hair, and a more measured approach to what and how we drive. In other words a car can be a great way to go back in time. In the early 1980’s, while in college, I earned my degree from the school of auto hard knocks before getting things more or less sorted out. Impulsive car buying decisions  and – admittedly – my poor maintenance of those same cars resulted in a series of duds that ended up junked or unloaded quickly. That list included a Datsun 610, Sunbeam Alpine, Saab 99, and a Datsun 1600 Roadster. Eventually after trial and error and a couple of seized motors, I found my “road mate”: A lightly used Orange/Black 1973 Datsun 240Z. Unlike my previous cars, the Datsun was quick, reliable (By then I’d learned to change the oil), and sleek.  Did I mention reliable? I drove it for over 50K miles, and it never let me down. After 3 years of ownership I sold the 240Z and moved on to a 1976 Porsche 911S. I quickly embraced the Porsche marque and over the next several decades, bought, sold, and “drove the wheels off” a dozen 911 cars starting with the original S and up to my current pair of Neunelfers, a 1996 993 Twin Turbo, and a 1985 3.2 Carrera. During Porsche ownership I rarely looked back at – or thought about – any of my former cars, with one big exception, the Datsun 240Z. When I occasionally saw one on the road, I remembered the ‘73 and the numerous road trips I took with my girlfriend to places like Sun Valley Idaho or San Francisco. By today’s standards, the originals Z’s are primitive and underpowered. 40 years ago they were a sexy Japanese import with curb appeal, and performance to match.

At the height of the 2020 summer Covid shutdown, my attention turned to the Internet and many of the popular on-line auctions sites. Datsun 240Z’s had become a staple on Bring A Trailer, and auctions often featured nut and bolt restorations or original low mile “time capsules”. Six figure sales of a Japanese car that originally sold for around $3500 occurred weekly. Eventually boredom, fond memories, and my own curiosity got the better of me and I decided to add a “Z” to my small car collection. That decision then prompted me to soul search as I contemplated buying a 1970’s era Datsun: Would it be a rotisserie restored early series low mile 240Z that could $100k or more? Perhaps a DIY restored high quality “driver” for $30-50k? Or a 280Z with fuel injection, a more robust build and the optional 5-speed transmission?

In the end, after a fair amount of research, chats with local Z owners, and several test drives I settled on the 280Z. I concluded I wanted a car I’d drive, and fuel injection made sense because of lower maintenance costs, and less finicky old school technology. Eventually the ideal candidate came up on BaT. Located in Fresno California, It was a professionally restored 1977 280Z in light metallic blue, with a 5-speed, fuel injection, upgraded suspension brakes and wheels, a new interior, and an impressive stack of receipts from Z Car Garage of San Jose CA. As a bonus, the car had a stroked 3.1 motor built by Hasselgren Engineering of Berkley CA. Dyno’d at 170 RWHP, the straight 6 was producing close to 50 horsepower more than stock and promised performance that would enable it to at least keep up with a modern SUV. I bought the car.

Originally intending to have the car shipped 1000 miles from Fresno to Seattle, I thought back to some of the early road trips I made in my 20’s and convinced my 12 yr. old son Andrew that in the middle of the Covid “summer of boredom” we’d have a great time touring Northern California, and the coasts of Oregon and Washington in the new acquisition. The route we decided on would be nearly 1200 miles, and after explaining what a “Datsun” was to Andrew, and some negotiation, we agreed on two things: We’d drive scenic coastal Hwy 101 from Eureka north, and lunches would be at In-N-Out Burger.

We flew to Fresno on a Saturday and met the owner at the airport. After a short test drive in which the Datsun performed well, and some chit chat about cars, the weather, traffic, money, and why a beat up Porsche 914 is cooler than a modern Mazda Miata, we were off. We left at 3 in the afternoon on a typical 105 degree Fresno summer day. The owner promised everything in the car worked, and true to his word, the A/C blew cold, which was a big relief. On the freeway, the 3.1 straight six performed well. With noticeably more grunt than a stock 2.8 the car accelerated in a predictable linear manner. No hesitation, no carb flat spot, just smooth running. In fact, I judged its acceleration to be similar to my 207 HP US spec 1985 3.2 Carrera. The 5 speed was tight, the steering crisp, and the overall feel told me we’d have some spirited driving ahead of us.

Day 1 took us from Fresno, 300 miles north to Redding CA on I-5, which was uneventful freeway driving. Day 2 was more exciting as we departed Redding early and made our way to CA Hwy 299, a well maintained mostly 2 lane mountain road that snakes 150 miles west through the Coastal range while following the Trinity River to the Pacific Ocean. I’m lucky enough to have driven some spectacular western US “driver” roads in my 60 years, and 299 would rank near the very top for curves, hairpins, fast straights, scenery, and a respectable number of passing lanes. We made it to Eureka and the coast in under 3 hours, and just in time for lunch at In-N-Out Burger, California’s famously good fast food chain. From there we drove north on 101 with a stop at Redwoods National Park and a stroll through The Lady Bird Johnson Grove of Giants. While I’ve always appreciated the amazing machines we humans have managed to build with our big brains and ingenuity, nothing human-made can match the awe you feel standing next to a 2000 year old, 300 foot tall truly enormous tree. From the Redwoods, we proceeded north on 101 along the Southern Oregon coast. Traffic was light, and Oregon State Troopers were few and far between. Andrew and I reveled in the scenery: rugged beaches, breaking waves, jagged near-shore islands, steep cliffs. 101 is a drivers dream! We stopped for the night in the beach town of Florence Oregon, famous for its miles of sand dunes and Honeyman State Park. The next day, after a fisherman’s breakfast and some strong coffee, the plan was to continue north on 101. However, fires closed the road ten miles north of Florence and we were forced to sidetrack east to Eugene Oregon and I-5 for the rest of the trip to Seattle. The last days 300 miles went smoothly, and the Datsun 280Z handled high freeway speeds with minimal effort. At 3000 RPM in 5th, the big 3.1 had us cruising along effortlessly at 80MPH. All in all, a great trip with a great kid in a wonderful car.  Ah, the memories…

Enjoying The Ride

In March of 2021, Greg contacted us with a nice update on the Z…he had early bumpers installed and it looks great:

Thanks for sharing your story and passion with us Greg. We are stoked that you got to Enjoy The Ride in the Z with family on an epic roadtrip. Here’s to many more memorieZ.  Stay tuned for our next “Where are they now” feature, and if you missed our first installment find it HERE. Long Live The Z!