“Fork in the road, I’m always going right. Nowadays, knowing life, there aint no more road lights.”

It is time to make some changes. My car has been going the direction of clean, simple, and unmolested for a few years now. I have managed to keep the exterior pretty damn clean and the paint has always been fresh. The wheels and stance were about the only things that are really wild on the car, and I was really into that style. Stock metal fenders, OEM bumpers, original styling; the car was pretty tame compared to some of my amigos. After a few battle wounds that is about to change.

I definitely have to switch to fiberglass overfenders in the rear due to the giant craters resembling the moon. This changes the overall direction of the car for a few reasons. I need to space the shit out of the wheels which means the front have to be spaced as well. This brings me to my first fork; pull the metal front fenders or go wide fiberglass fenders. Metal fenders are far more durable but suck when they are pulled. Fiberglass fenders will give me extra clearance but have vents and fit like ass. Hmmmm. Next up is the question of aero or no aero. With wide fenders I am going to want a more aggressive look, plus I will be paying for paint anyways so I might as well go aero.

Type X front with a Group A vent is at the top of my list right now. I might compliment that with a full Sexy Style kit or something very sleek and smooth, nothing crazy. Or maybe a full Type X kit with the kouki wing. Here is some inspiration.

ohhh black betty, bam a lam

So it happened. After years and years and some more years of keeping my car clean and accident free, I finally made a mistake and ruined it. Well, sort of a mistake, sort of a moment of glory. I was working on my car and swapped in some new Hawk brake pads and thought it would be a great idea to lower the front some more. I went about three quarters of an inch lower and it looks killer. I took it for a drive and it definitely rubs more, but that’s the price you have to pay when you want to look cool.

So I am out at one of my favorite drift spots taking a few spirited turns giving the car a little bit of a shakedown. I approach my favorite turn at about 35 mph, and flick the car sideways with a little clutch kick. Womp womp womp all over the rev limiter, perfectly sideways and billowing no smoke (hahaha). I was all over the apex of the turn like white on rice, but had slightly more speed than I usually do in this turn. Having a lower car gave me more false confidence. Or something like that.

I go a tad wide and drop one wheel off the pavement. I know Im running wide and yet I keep the right pedal to the floor. Like a boss. All of the sudden WHACK. A fucking bomb just went off inside my car. I knew there was a road marker on the outside of that turn and my car just kissed it. I held the drift perfectly and drove off like nothing happened. I was scared to look, because it was LOUD. Consistent with my thoughts, the quarter panel is crinkled like some cafeteria fries. Oh well. Overs and aero next year.

With that comes NZNew’s s13 coupe that makes fiberglass look good. Sort of beat, lots of cool. This car makes me feel that fiberglass is OK. Lovin’ it.

vote or die

So I can’t decide. Somebody locally has an SR20 complete motorset for sale and it is super cheap. I simply cannot decide if I want to buy it and swap it now, with little to no extra money if something goes wrong or if I want to wait until later next spring and do it right. It would be really nice to have something to wrench on in the garage all winter, and then come spring time I would have a beast that had been hibernating all winter. I would always have something to work on, and would definitely make the winter months pass easier knowing that with spring comes boost.

It would also be nice to wait until spring and it isn’t so damn freezing in the garage. I would love to do a full swap with some goodies on the side and build a car that is bulletproof and reliable. That all takes money, money that I kind of have but kind of don’t want to spend at the moment. I am sort answering my own questions and making up my mind as I write this. Therapy writing, if you will.

I wont bore you with my stupid life decisions, but I will bore you with my stupid car decisions. I am deciding that my car is going to take a turn back to the streetable side of things, and the interior is getting fully redone over winter. That means carpet, new trunk panels, and probably some seats and other goodies as well. Stay tuned.

under the influenced

My car life is highly influenced by others. It sucks that all of those others aren’t located anywhere near me. The city of Rockford is a giant dud when it comes to cars, car style, and overall car life. The city is dominated with stupid SRT-4’s and Hondas that run around acting all boss. It drives me nuts to be surrounded by these morons and a handful of cars that I would even drive.

The only types of cars that are cool around here are the big boy luxury cars with giant wheels. My buddy Oscar has a blacked out Charger sitting on 24’s, among a handful of friends that have other big cars with massive rollers. The thing is sick. Black on black, black 24’s, a roof wing, tints, and a Batman logo. Ballin’.

It is weird to be such a diamond in the rough. My car fits in with other rides in the city of Chicago and I consider these guys my influences more than anything around here. I do my best to get in there every so often and get some critical type to hang with the boys. They all have great car style and know how to make a stuff look rad. Although most of them are much more beat up than my car, it is still nice to ride with some guys that know what a cool car looks and drives like. They drive hard, roll deep, and most of all know what is really up.

Broadfield

http://broadfield.wordpress.com

Toby Broadfield has quite possibly the cleanest OEM styled s13 on the planet. This thing is the definition of the word DETAIL. Everything, and I mean everything, has been brushed over with a fine toothed comb. If it isnt perfect, it is scrapped for a replacement part that looks cooler and performs better. Literally every little minute detail has been painstakingly analyzed and improved upon. It is borderline gross. Its almost too clean.

Toby knows his stuff. Whether he is banging out some wiring on a vehicle for his shop or rebuilding a complete motorset, Toby is a person that does everything the RIGHT way. He is somebody you should get to know if you want to build things correctly. Do it right, do it right, do it right. Do not take shortcuts. Spend a little bit extra money/time/resources the first time. Take your time, and have fun doing what youre doing. These are all things I have picked up working around Toby. He is a good influence and a true testament to the assumption that there are still good people out there. His business is built on his good word and trust, two thing that lack in the automotive world.

He takes everything he does seriously but still enjoys life. His blog is no different. Its cool, interesting, and detailed. He explains small thing very well and takes his time when he posts. Every post is more than just a picture and a word or two. Check it out, you will surely enjoy.

http://broadfield.wordpress.com

thank God for sliding

Thank god it’s Friday. It has been one of those weeks that just take a toll on a person. Long hours at work, late nights up doing random things like moving and cleaning, and all the while I am trying to balance my life. Sometimes I feel like I take on a lot of challenges, but there are certain things in life that make me forget all of the madness that occurs daily

One of those things is hoppin’ in the whip and going out for a “spirited” drive. By spirited I mean downright crazy. I love getting in the driver seat. At this moment nothing exists in my life other than a suede steering wheel, a perfect Nismo shift knob, and some pedals. To be honest it’s probably the only time I really feel natural. Life is sort of awkward for me at times, but when I am behind the wheel I feel like I actually belong there. It’s my niche.

When I get off work today (probably skip out a little early) I am going to do just that. Go pull the beast out of the garage, go for a leisurely cruise to get my nerves settled, and then go burn some tires off. The feeling of sliding, the smell of the rubber, the nervousness I get from jumping spot to spot, all makes my life seem perfect. Again, it’s like I was born to do this. It’s weird. When I’m sideways at 40+ miles per hour, milliseconds and millimeters from disaster, my ridiculously fast-paced life slows down. I feel calm, I feel in control, I feel perfect. They say that great athletes can slow down the game and take things at their own pace. So can great drivers.

I’m getting chills just thinking about it. No joke.

Singin' in the Rain

The other night it was raining out and I went and had my adult version of a field day. I got the car out, got my driving shoes one, and went and did some old fashioned street drifting. Sliding on the streets is so much fun, but its pretty risky at the same time. I have to worry about all of the hazards that are present on the streets, as well as a million other things such as cops, pedestrians, and annoying people who think they are cops.

But it is so much fun. It is even better in the rain because I can slide at much lower speeds which helps reduce some of the hazards. I can save tires and reduce the wear and tear on my car. Plus the slick surfaces makes it that much easier to hang out some rad angle and get close to certain clipping points that I like to stay away from in the dry. I have more control because I am going a bit slower, but can still take the wild fast lines that I love to take when the roads are dry.

So that got me thinking, it is also a lot less dangerous in other aspects. I know that there aren’t going to be people out at my spots, whether riding bikes or walking their dogs. I also know that cops don’t really like the rain and would rather stay dry in their squad cars at some other location. I guess its sort of a package deal, I have more control over my surroundings and the things that I can’t control are less abundant. Sliding in the rain is awesome in many ways.

Enjoy this perfect example of a fellow 180 just dancing through the puddles.