BZF 2017: MOTHER NATURE GETS IT RIGHT!
Z CAR CLUB MAGAZINE
2017 SHINES BRIGHT IN AUSTIN
M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 7 • I S S U E 3.5 /3.6
ZCARCLUBMAG.COM
Contents
zcarclubmag.com • may/june 2017 • issue 3.5/3.6
Features
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8 Branson Z Fest 2017 Another great year in Branson. And as usuall, already looking forward to next year.
Reflections: A Look Back at 14 ZCON’s, Past and Present Man, do the years go by fast. It’s hard to believe that it has been 22 years since my first attended ZCON. Highlights from past and present.
Departments 5 From the Editor 7 Moving Parts 22 Around the Curve fourteen
publisher: Nelson Ackerman, nlackerman1@aol.com editor-in-chief: Art Singer, arts.zccm@gmail.com managing editor: Keelan Murphy, keelan.zccm@gmail.com advertising: call 505.835.9170 for a media kit operations: Printing: Short Run Printing Ltd, distribution: Lita Singer
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Z Car Club Magazine is a monthly digital publication and a printed version comes out three times a year (April, August and December). No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the expressed written permission of the publisher. This publication is distributed with the understanding that the information presented herein is from various sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, safety, or completeness. Unsolicited material will not be returned. PRINTED IN U.S.A.
FROM THE EDITOR • It’s Showtime! By: Art Singer, EIC (ZCCM), Albuquerque Z Car Club Summertime mean show time in the Z community and with ZCON 2017 just concluding, there are still quite a few shows to be found that are worth attending. Three of the bigger events still on the schedule are the Midwest Z Heritage Festival on the 18th and 19th of August in Dearborn, MI. This is an event that on a yearly basis is hosted by Z Clubs all around the midwest. Last years event was in Columbus, OH and hosted by ZROC, the 13th Annual JCCS in Long Beach, CA on the 23rd of September and Z1’s 2017 Z Nationals in Lawrenceville, GA (this is basically a warmup for nexts years ZCON). There is also the 7th Annual Multi-State Datsun Classic (or should we say Japanese Classic) that is held in Williams, AZ. This years event has been expanded to include all Japanese makes and models from 1986 and older. There are also quite a few local car shows hosted by Z Clubs around the country. The Z Car Club of Colorado will be having there annual Show ‘n Shine on August 13th in Bolder, CO (visit zccc.org for details) and the Triangle Z Club will have there Triangle Z Fall Show on the 15th of October in Cary, NC (visit trianglezclub.com for details). These are just a couple of the many local events that happen each and every year throughout the country. Since the magazine can’t be everywhere, if you attend one of the many shows around the country and want to submit some pictures and a writeup of
your experience, ZCCM would love to help promote and bring exposure to a Z event near you. Send your submissions to arts.zccm@gmail.com There have still been quite a few readers wanting to send in articles on their Zs. The problem (if you want to call it that) is, they are mostly coming from the S30 crowd. I would love to see some later model Z owners (280ZX, 300ZX, 350Z and 370Z) get involved and start submitting some articles on their cars. As much as I love the S30, I would like to see more variety, including the newer models in the pages of ZCCM. A few good pictures and a good story behind the car is all it takes to make it happen. Even the 510 and Roadster owners are welcome to submit an article. ZCCM is still in search of Z-cars for the "Behind the Wheel" section of the magazine. If you own a nice Z and would like to see your car gracing the pages of the magazine and don't mind writing about it then send me an email at arts.zccm@gmail.com to get the ball rolling. Who knows, it might turn into a feature (see above) if there is a really good story behind it! Most BTW's only need between 400 to 700 words and about 5 to 8 hi-res images. This is your chance to see your car in print and it also looks nice displayed in the rear hatch area of your Z at your local car show. So get out from behind the wheel and show the world what you got.
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www.baddogparts.com Bad Dog Parts specializes in the sale of used, new, and custom designed parts for owners of 1st generation Z cars (1970-78). We do on occasion carry parts for later model Zs. And for those looking for something a little different, that adds strength, or ease of operation to your Z car, we have a line of custom made parts which are available:
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MENTION THIS AD AND GET A 20% DISCOUNT - EXPIRES 6/31/16 KEEP IT COOL WITH 280Z AND 280ZX CUSTOM HOOD VENTS These fiberglass cowl--style hood vents are direct replacements for the factory hood vents in the 1977 and 1978 280Z as well as the 1979 to 1981 280ZX. Vents can also be used on earlier 240Z and 260Z models to improve engine bay cooling at idle or in traffic, prevent vapor lock, and reduce thermal stress on wiring harness connectors and other engine components.
We also carry a wide variety of fiberglass rebody kits along with widebody fenders, flares, hoods, airdams and various body parts for the 240z 260z 280z and 280zx.
Visit our website or give us a call at
www.ZTRIX.com • 480.229.1831
MOVING PARTS ZCCM’s Moving Parts column digs up the latest and greatest parts and accessories for your Nissan, Infiniti, or Datsun. Know of a product that should be featured? E-mail details to arts.zccm@gmail.com.
Top End Performance Street/Autocross Camber Plates For street or autocross, these camber plates for the 240Z, 260Z and 280Z' require no sheet metal cutting and fits all shocks without machining. The unique polyurethane design allows quick and easy camber changes. Extremely long-lasting. Maintains original ride height on 240Z and 260Z cars, Lowers 260Z (after chassis #30-060001) and all 280Z cars by 3/4". Instructions included. Price: $139 for the Pair (front or rear). Details: racetep.com Contour Coils for your 240Z, 260Z and 280Z Another product from Top End Performance. Contour coils are cold-wound from oil-tempered spring steel for great strength to weight ratio and long term durability. Coils are then shot-peened and heat-treated. Coils will not sag after hard use. Powder coated for an attractive yet durable finish. Spring rates are optimized for street and autocross performance. Slight progressive rate improves ride without sacrificing handling. (steep progressive rate designs are often overstressed and can sag after long hard use. Price: $229. Details: racetep.com
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Photos by Art Singer
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in pictures
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Best of Show & First Place Winners
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First Place Winners continued
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REFLEC
STORY AND PHOTOS BY ART SINGER 14
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LOOK AT BACK
ZCON
’S
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The title says it all. As I was looking over all the pictures I took at this year’s convention, I started to reflect back on the past 16 that I attended before this year’s event. Some good, some not so good and some great.
The first convention I ever attended was the 8th Annual ZCON in 1995 in Atlanta, GA. In fact, it was the first Z car event that I had ever attended. I had just started working with Don and Venita Hazen from Z Car Magazine and they invited me to go. I don’t remember much
about it other then the car show itself. To this day I consider it the best ZCON car show that I have seen. It was indoors and vendors lined the four outer walls. That was back in the day when the Z32 was still in production and there were a lot of aftermarket companies still in business. The track event was at Road Atlanta. Can’t wait till next year. The next year, the convention was in Denver, CO. Again I don’t remember much other then that the car show was in Golden, CO. Not far from the Coors Brewing Co. I skipped a year (York, PA) and waited for the 11th Annual ZCON in Albuquerque, NM. Interestingly enough, the one ZCON that was only a couple of miles away from where I lived was the one I stayed away from other than to meet up with a friend traveling from out of town. The reason for me not going? You’d have to ask Mad Mike Taylor. Another year skipped and then it was on to Las Vegas for the 13th Annual ZCON. Man it was hot that year. It was around 104 degrees every day. I never really left the hotel that year. This convention had some major issues behind the scenes. You’d have
These three together ca mean one thing: TROUB
to ask Mad Mike about this as well. For the next five years I attended ZCON’s starting with the 14th Annual ZCON in Kingston, ON. Back then you didn’t need a passport. That was where I got my first look at what would be the production model of the 350Z. The car show was held at an ice rink (fitting for Canada, right?). I was also introduced to the Jersey boys, at which point I spent a lot of time in the local bars. Don’t remember much about the car show, but I had a great time. Then it was on to San Antonio for the 15th Annual ZCON. That is where I had a lot of firsts for me. It was the first time I met Mr.K and Johnnie Gable. Ever since then I have considered Johnnie to be my car show mom. I also met Kellie and Troy Elms for the first time, spending one crazy night at the hotel bar with Kellie and a couple of her friends. The next stop would be the 16th Annual ZCON in Nashua, NH. The car show was downtown and because of a mixup, there were only two vendors in attendance, Toyo Tires and Sport Z Magazine. I remember at that time, Toyo was really big into supporting Z events. This ZCON is also the first time I met John Jeffery from Bad Dog Parts. Moving on to 2004, the 17th Annual ZCON was held in Los Angeles, CA. I remember the host hotel being in Long Beach. I decided that it would be cool to bring the whole family and stay at the Queen Mary. It had been converted into a hotel. The only problem was, there was nothing to do there. Everything was closed. It was truly a ghost ship. The car show was at Nissan headquarters. I was lucky enough to get a chance to visit the Nissan Garage. That was where all the old Datsun and Nissan’s were stored while in CA. They have since been moved to Tennessee into a traditional museum. The next convention I attended was the 20th Annual in Daytona, FL. The draw for this event was the Daytona 500 track. It is where the driving events, car show and parade laps would take place. There was a hurricane off the coast so it rained like crazy for most of the week. These were also the good years for Nissan. Media cars were always available. So Nissan loaned a 350Z to the magazine. This is one time where I took advantage of a situation that was in front of me. During the parade laps on the Daytona 500 track, we were on the final lap and about to be led off the track. There was a pace car in front and a pace car in back. I happened to be the last Z car 16
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Three engine bays worth looking at.
an only BLE!
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in the group. The only car behind me was the official track car. Going around the track, I don’t think we ever went past 70 or 80 mph and we rode on the lower end of the track. I decided to slowly distance myself from the Z in front of me. I knew that the track car was behind me and the worst that would happen is I would be black flagged off the track for what I was about to do. With enough distance between the Z in front and myself I accelerated to around 130 mph and drove the Z high up on the track near the wall. Looking down I saw Z’s below and just in front of me. I thought for sure the official track car was going to chase me down, but the driver did nothing and let me get back in line to exit the track. A great memory indeed! Next up, the 21st Annual ZCON in Cleveland, OH. It rained a lot here as well. The car show was moved inside with only a few cars having to park outside. I remember one of the highlights was when this guy shows up at the hotel with a carload of Hotwheels he was looking to sell. There was myself and two other people going through every box to see what he had. Being a Hotwheels collector, I was in heaven, and found several nice Z’s to add to my collection. The 22nd Annual ZCON was back in San Antonio, TX. Some clubs just can’t get enough of the craziness. In 2010 the convention was in Nashville, TN for the 40th anniversary of the Z car. The car show was held on the front lawn of Nissan headquarters in Franklin, TN. I have been to two ZCON’s in Tennessee and both times it was really hot. This was one of the biggest shows of all the conventions I have attended with many really nice cars on display. The 25th Annual ZCON made a return visit back to Arizona. Okay, there is sweaty hot in Tennessee and then there is heat hot in Arizona. It had to be close to 120 the day of the car show. I remember everyone parking his or her cars for the show and then heading back into the hotel/casino for most of the day. The only crazy people that spent most of the day outside were the vendors. Again, this was another event where I spent most of the time inside the hotel. Now back to Nashua for the 26th Annual ZCON. The car show was at a great location. It was held at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. This also happen to be where they stable and train the Clydesdale horses. I was lucky enough to get to watch them in training. It was also a plus to be able to do a tour of the brewery. You know what you get at the end right? The other great thing about ZCON 2013 was that Chris Karl was nice enough to let me drive his NISMO 370Z to the convention. I flew into Cleveland where we caravanned to Nashua. Along the way we made a stop in Connecticut to pay a visit to Bob Sharps house where we got a tour of the place and afterwards went out for dinner. There was also another first for me on this trip as well. Bob Sharp was the first person to ever ask me to autograph a copy of the magazine. I’m usually the one asking. So I guess when I’m long gone, that copy might be worth a dollar. This was also one event where I was more social. I won’t go into details, but I can say that I drank more in one night then I do in an entire year. I don’t expect that to be repeated anytime soon. West Coast bound, the 27th Annual ZCON landed in San Diego, CA. This ranks as my number one all around convention to attend. It started with a stop in Las Vegas to see Journey and the Steve Miller Band in concert. What a way to start a convention! If you are looking for perfect weather, San Diego is the place. The location was incredible. It was near every major attraction and the beach was just a few miles away. This was also where Mike DeLashmutt (next years chairman of ZCON 2018) and myself rented waverunners and had a blast. I never laughed so hard in my life. The water was so choppy that it beat the crap out of us. Sea World was a lot of fun too. This was also the first time that ZCON split the car shows up. Judged show on a weekday and People’s Choice on the weekend. Back to Tennessee for the 28th Annual ZCON in Memphis. Man was it hot, again. The great thing about this event was the location of the car show. It was on Beale Street. 18
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So many first timers, it was bound to happen.
Can you pick out the one who is wanted in three states?
The Z version of Pacman, looks like a Z32 is about to be eaten
The Williams family: Blanca, Eric and Joseph prove that autocross can be a family event.
Torry Sylvester next to his 1977 280Z. He is running a stroker with a Holley 650.
Bill Coffey and family.
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This really made the event. It was also cool to see so many Branson Z Fest friends in attendance. I also had a blast hanging out with the guys from New England. Skipped a year and now it’s 2017 and the convention was in Austin, TX. ZCON 2017 was one of the most relaxing for me. I was there more as an attendee and treated it as a mini vacation. My friend and local Z club member, Nelson came along for the ride. I was going to bring my newest Z project car to Austin. But since Nelson was bringing his turbo 240Z (trailered) I didn’t see a benefit in driving my Z. Next year, the Z will be in Atlanta. This year’s convention started out with a 13-hour drive. We left at 3:30 am so that we would get into Austin in time for the opening reception and the Texas chili party. I’m a big fan of chili without beans and that’s the way the Texas group makes it. I ended up having three bowls of it. The only thing missing for me was sour cream. I wanted to take the entire crock-pot full of chili back to my room because it was so good. Wednesday was the judged car show at a place called the Oasis. It was hot and sticky but there was enough of a breeze to help keep us somewhat cooled down. Mike Wodopian did a great job of keeping everything organized. I skipped the dinner at the Oasis because I really wanted BBQ for dinner and I wasn’t going to be denied. Thursday was the one day where we really didn’t have anything planned so we tagged along with a group of attendees to a steakhouse somewhere outside of Austin. A very popular place, since I heard that a lot of people went there from the convention. We did make it back in time to get some pictures at the HPDE track day at Harris Hill Road. Again, it was so hot and humid that we only spent about 45 minutes taking pictures. I give credit to the drivers that spent the whole day there. Friday was the day I was really looking forward to. Nelson and I were signed up for autocross and for both of us it would be the first time. It was funny that so many of the other drivers kept telling us we were going to get the bug. Guess what? We did. There were four timed laps and a couple of fun laps. My times weren’t great but I didn’t care. I was having too much fun. The only bummer was that we didn’t get more time on the track. I think the weather had something to do with it. That damn heat! We were supposed to have somewhere around six hours of track time and it only ended up being 3 hours. The only thing I would have changed for the Friday events was to not overlap events where you had to make a choice on which to attend. I really wanted to attend the two Tech Talk sessions, but autocross was calling. There’s always next year. The other event of the day was the parade laps at COTA (Circuit of the Americas). A little over 150 Z’s showed up for this event. Most got to run 2 to 3 laps around the track. We weren’t so lucky. We got less then one lap. There was a lot of confusion as to how this event was going to start and they needed volunteers to help herd the cars onto the track. By the time we got on the track (last group of cars-no Z’s, except the one we were in) we did a very slow lap around to the pits. That was the extent of the parade laps on COTA for us. But it was cool to at least get on the track. I can now say I have been on the Indy 500 track, the Daytona 500 track and COTA. Saturday was for the People’s Choice car show. It ended up being the best day as far as weather was concerned. It rained in the morning for about 45 minutes but after that it stayed overcast and in the 80’s for the rest of the day. It’s a good thing because there is no shade at COTA. I was able to scout out some really nice Z’s for future articles in the magazine. Looking forward to getting them in. Overall, we had a great time. The hotel was nice (same one used for NISMO Fiesta). Breakfast was the best. It was great to meet up with Z friends even if I had just seen some of them two weeks earlier at Branson Z Fest. Next year’s convention will be in Atlanta, GA. It will be hosted by the Fairlady Alliance of Atlanta and the Georgia Z Club. The track day will be at Road Atlanta. As mentioned earlier, Mike DeLashmutt will be the Chairman of ZCON 2018. Knowing Mike, it will be a great event and a must attend for every Z enthusiasts. No excuses! Hey Mike, maybe we can rent waverunners at Lake Lanier this time. I’ll bring the video camera. 20
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My car show mom. I’ll see you again in September.
Don’t blame me for these photos getting in. It’s all Beth Browns fault
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AROUND THE CURVE ZCCM is for car clubs and their members. We encourage you to join your local club or consider starting one of your own— it’s a great way to grow the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun community. If you already belong to a club and you don’t see it listed contact Art Singer at arts.zccm@gmail.com or 505-835-9170 for more information on how your club can become a partner.
• Partner Club Directory Arizona Datsun Southwest Location: Tucson, AZ Contact: Jon Figueroa - President Email: speedgato@yahoo.com Phone: 520-208-7212 Website: datsunsouthwest.com Facebook: facebook.com/BanzaiDattoSouthwest Desert Z Association Location: Phoenix, AZ Contact: Jack Saxton Email: dza@desertzassocation.com Website: desertzassociation.com California Group Z Sports Car Club Location: Southern California Contact: Ian Stewart - President Email: ian@groupz.com Website: groupz.com Z Club of San Diego Location: San Diego, CA Contact: Chuck Golden Email: chucksbarandgrill@cox.net Website: zcsd.org Z Owners of Northern California Location: Northern California Contact: Jason Green - President Email/: zoncpres@gmail.com Phone: 707-681-8717 Website: zonc.org Colorado Z Car Club of Colorado Location: Denver & surrounding area Contact: Ira Sanders Email: zroadrunner14@gmail.com Website: zccc.org Connecticut Connecticut Z Car Club Location: Connecticut & surrounding area Contact: Ross Williams Email: officers@ctzcc.com Website: ctzcc.com
Illinois Windy City Z Club Location: Chicago Metro Area Contact: Ty Ozgen Email: tyozgen@gmail.com Phone: 630-910-3616 Website: windycityzclub.com Kentucky Bluegrass Z Car Club Location: Louisville, KY Contact: Bill Edens - President Email: bzcc@bellsouth.net Phone: 502-241-3812 Website: bluegrasszcarclub.com Maryland Maryland Z Club Location: Finksburg, MD Contacts: Mark Lambert - President JoAnne Gardner - VP Email: mdzclub@mdzclub.org Phone: 410-857-4320 Website: mdzclub.org Missouri Ozarks Z Club Location: Springfield, MO Contacts: Josh Lyman - President Email: Ozarkszclubprez@gmail.com Phone: 417-597-0872 Facebook.com/groups/ozarkszclub New Hampshire Z Car Club of New England Location: New Hampshire Contact: John Jeffries - President Email: john@baddogparts.com Phone: 617-510-2694 Website: zccne.org New Mexico Albuquerque Z Car Club Location: Albuquerque Metro Area Contact: Nelson Ackerman Email: nlackerman1@aol.com Phone: 505-239-6833 Facebook: Albuquerque Z Car Club
New York Z Association of New York Location: Upstate New York Contact: Mike Roth Email: rothm@srgarch.com Phone: 518-857-5026 Website: zanyz.com North Carolina Triad Z Club Location: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point Contact: Matthew Ragan - President Email: president@triadzclub.com Phone: 336-399-0961 Website: triadzclub.com Triangle Z Club Location: Raleigh, NC Contact: Bud Hansen - President Email: budhansenus@hotmail.com Phone: 919-215-2698 Website: trianglezclub.com Ohio Cleveland Z Club Location: Northern Ohio Contact: Brent Heath Email: Zaddict96@gmail.com Phone: 216-408-0105 Website: Clevelandzclub.com Z Car and Roadster Owners Club Location: Central Ohio Contact: Tom Marshall Email: tommarshall1@twc.com Phone: 614-451-1890 Website: zroc.org Oklahoma Oklahoma Z car Club Location: Tulsa and Oklahoma City Contact: Pete Pitchford Email: petepitchford@gmail.com Phone: 405-612-1146 Website: okzcc.com South Carolina Upstate Z Club Location: South Carolina Contact: Greg Groppe - President Email: bluez280@afo.net Phone: 864-884-7001 Website: upstatezclub.com Tennessee Middle Tennessee Z Club Location: Central Tennessee Contact: Robert McGehee Email: rmcgehee22@gmail.com or mtzclub@gmail.com Phone: 615-361-4574 Website: middletennesseezclub.com
Smokey Mountain Z Car Club Location: Eastern Tennessee Contact: Tony Price Email: tonyprice1@yahoo.com Phone: 865-681-7986 Website: smokymountainzcarclub.com Texas Cowtown Z Club Location: Ft Worth and Arlington Area Contact: Mike Brunner Email: mtbrunner14@hotmail.com Phone: 817-441-6471 Website: cowtownzclub.com Z Club of Texas Location: Dallas Metro Area Contact: “Mad” Mike Taylor Email: zmadmike@airmail.net Phone: 214-533-0922 Website: zcluboftexas.org Virginia Tidewater Z Car Club Location: Eastern Virginia Contact: Todd Wagner Email: zfixers@cox.net Phone: 757-851-8098 Website: tzccva.org Z Car Association of Richmond Location: Richmond, VA Contact: Chris Grigg Email: President@richmondzcar.com Phone: 804-467-5067 Website: richmondzcar.com And we're on Facebook! Z Car Club of Northern Virginia Location: Tysons Corner Contact: Bernie Bilski Email: yugobernie@cox.net Website: zcarclubnova.org Washington Z Car Club of Washington Location: Washington State Contact: Marty Molloy Email: twin.turbos@yahoo.com Phone: 425-367-9065 Facebook: facebook.com/DatsunClub Web Based Z Car Clubs Classic Zcar Club Location: Internet Contact: Mike Gholson Website: classiczcars.com
UPCOMING EVENTS ZCCC Annual Show’n Shine Date: August 13, 2017 - 7:30am Location: Boulder, CO Details: zccc.org Midwest Z Heritage Date: August 18-19, 2017 Location: Dearborn, MI Details: Facebook: Midwest Z Hertiage Festival
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