Company Spotlight: Godzilla Raceworks brings modern tech to classic Datsuns

Quinn Walton

Sep 28

3 min read

Company Spotlight · Fort Worth, Texas

Keeping a classic Datsun on the road does not have to mean keeping every system exactly as it left the factory. For owners who want the character of an early Z with a different approach to its mechanical systems, the interesting question is where modernization helps—and where it changes the car they fell for in the first place.

Godzilla Raceworks has built its business around that territory. The Fort Worth shop describes its mission as making Datsun projects more approachable through available parts, technical support and modern technology. Its operation combines a mail-order catalog with workshop services rather than asking every owner to approach a build the same way.

A catalog that looks beyond the engine bay

The company's 1970–83 Datsun Z catalog spans engine management, ignition, fuel systems and drivetrain components, alongside cooling, brakes, suspension, cabin parts and air conditioning. That breadth matters because a restomod is rarely just an engine decision. The supporting systems determine whether the finished car works as a coherent package.

A catalog listing is not a promise that every component fits every model year or combination. Owners still need to check the application, what the package includes, and what additional work their particular car requires.

The useful part is explaining the compromises

Godzilla Raceworks' six-speed conversion guide provides a good example of its approach. The shop says it partnered with DatsunWorks to offer CD009/CD00A and Aisin TL70 conversions after difficulties sourcing suitable parts and rebuildable cores for its earlier five-speed offering.

The guide distinguishes the two paths rather than treating another gear as an automatic win. Godzilla Raceworks describes tunnel modifications for the larger CD009/CD00A installation, while presenting the TL70 as the more compact alternative. These are the shop's application and fitment descriptions, not an independent assessment by The Z Hub. Exact requirements should be confirmed for the chassis and kit before ordering.

For an owner, that is the conversation worth having: not simply which gearbox sounds most impressive, but how the conversion fits the engine, intended use and amount of fabrication the project can reasonably absorb.

A complete car puts the idea in context

One documented example is the 1972 240Z featured in the shop's June 5, 2026 build report. According to Godzilla Raceworks, the project combined a 3.2-liter L-series stroker engine, individual throttle bodies, MegaSquirt engine management and a TL70 six-speed. Its published specification also includes air conditioning, electric power steering and chassis upgrades.

The shop reports that the build took approximately two years, with supplier, machine-shop and body-shop delays contributing to the timeline. That detail is worth keeping alongside the finished-car photographs: a coordinated restomod is a substantial project, not a shopping cart that assembles itself.

Parts, workshop work and support

For owners who would rather commission work than perform every installation themselves, the local services page lists Datsun and Nissan specialist work, fabrication and engine-building services. The company also says it can arrange vehicle or component transport for customers outside the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Capacity and timing require a direct inquiry.

Its technical articles include installation material and buyer guides. The separate technical-support form is specifically for previously purchased products; the site directs general questions through its general-contact route.

The Z Hub's take

The appeal here is not modernization for its own sake. It is having more ways to build a Datsun around the driving experience its owner actually wants. A carefully preserved original car and a substantially reworked Z can both make sense. The useful specialist helps an owner understand the choices before the parts start arriving.

Editorial note: This profile is based on Godzilla Raceworks' published company information, catalog, technical guides and build reporting. It is not a new interview, an independent product test or a hands-on installation review.