![]() RF: I have let you know, as Butters received these components and the recipe was coming together, she became one of the most impressive Z-cars we’ve done. Butters has lived more than one life already, between its original owner and its current role. She’s become invaluable to us for that reason, and an important member of the Z Car Garage family. We use Butters to prototype, revise, and finalize before we launch. Butters Z has allowed us to not only develop these parts, but to fine tune them to ensure they do everything we want them to do in real world scenarios. ![]() Since the GO GA Z was retired, we started using Butters to develop our in-house brake system, our perfectly specced Panasport wheels, our CD009a six-speed swap, and even our coilover system, all of which can now be attained and fitted to any Z-car in the world. We’d been making parts since 2005, but really starting innovating after having Butters. But I could never figure out how to perfect these parts and make them to scale for the masses so that I could allow people all around the world to experience what we had to offer. RF: Z Car Garage has always made components that allowed us to pick up where the aftermarket left off. It was retired from daily and street driving duties, which made me start driving some of my other Datsuns and Nissans in its place. But because of its countless engine swaps and testing parts on it, I stopped driving it over time and it eventually was being used for development purposes only. ![]() It’s seen every racetrack in Northern California. It’s been L-series powered, L28ET-powered, RB25DET-powered, and even OS Giken TC24B1-powered. I did a 2.8-liter swap, five-speed, and an R200 limited-slip to begin with, but it has seen so many changes since then. NY: And what happened to that first Z of yours? The owner also had a race car that I managed to get behind the wheel of every now and then, all of which contributed to my love for the Z-car, and by 1998, I purchased my first while also moving out to California to work at another well known Z-focused facility, called Z Car Shop, until the owner retired. The shop was focused on servicing and maintaining Nissans in general, but with the large local Z community in full effect, Z-cars of all ages frequented the shop. RF: As the times progressed, I made a name for myself among the Atlanta Datsun crowd with my 510, and eventually landed my first mechanic job at a local Z shop called Z Service Unlimited of Atlanta. I would typically go about putting my conversation with Rob into my perspective to share with you, but Rob has so much love for Zs, and this one in particular, that it only feels right to deliver his words verbatim. You’ll also be likely to find him at his shop, dyno-tuning a fellow racer’s DeKon Monza-which I can attest to being a very memorable aural experience-but the one car Rob still takes immense pride in, despite having an impressive collection of vintage race cars and street cars, is this yellow dollop of happiness that he refers to as the “Mrs. When he’s not out at the historic races flogging his period IMSA Z, he may be out on a fun run with me and a few other of our driving buddies, taking advantage of the best local back roads, enjoying the beautiful Northern California scenery as it passes in a blur. He is interested in and knowledgable about more than just Nissans and Datsuns, but the sheer passion for these vintage Japanese sports cars and their kin has defined his life path. And right now, a well-done patina hot rod is bringing the same passion as a full-blown custom car.Rob is what you might consider an Z enthusiast first and a Z shop owner second. Some of these patina cars and trucks are sold for a significant amount of money. There are a lot of videos and articles out there to help you accomplish this look. Creating it consists of sanding down and dulling the paint, creating weathered looking door lettering, and other tactics. If that can’t be found with the type of vehicle you want, make your own patina. You need to find a car or truck that is weathered but not completely deteriorated. How do you find a classic car with the right amount of patina? Sometimes it’s not that easy. Instead of having a $10,000-$20,000 custom paint job, the money is spent on performance, handling, and reliability. Faded paint, surface rust, and exposed primer are all part of the allure. Hot rodding adds style to the patina trend. Per Wikipedia, patina refers to accumulated changes in surface texture and color that result from normal use of an object. Cars and trucks with patina continue to grow in popularity.
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