TGIF! Looking forward to enjoying the car this weekend- high of 81 tomorrow and sunny all weekend. I’m sure this will probably be the last one we get like this. Pretty stoked!
TOMEI POWERED
Got swirl marks?
New headlight setup next week. Should be pretty cool! Have a good weekend everyone!
Damon
Brian hooked me up with a box full of JDM the other day. Pretty cool- thanks dude!
lol, love it...
I’ll send you some Red Wings doo dads soon, man!
This guy just celebrated his first birthday last week. He’s a handful sometimes, but an awesome dog!
Eight weeks old, when we brought him home:
This morning:
Naps:
Remember, kids- those cute little fluffy puppies turn out to be big, havoc- wreaking DOGS. lol. Happy Friday everyone! I should have some cool 240 updates early next week. Thanks a lot for reading!
Damon
McNuggets
Type X cupholders are useless, lol. Thought the 370Z McD’s bag was pretty cool. I totally ripped off of RA64Freddy in my last post, BTW. I guess I was feeling inspired by his posting style, haha. Keep it up Fred!
Drive your project every day you can. Rain or shine…
Rain, wind, construction, traffic jams, no defrost, forty miles, hour & twenty minutes. But still dope in the project car…
New seats arrived from Cali yesterday! The ZEROS is one of two in the USA, formerly owned by Mr. BH WORLD himself. I am still in shock that I managed to score these things. Super happy with almost everything about them right now! I’m going to have them cleaned professionally and then I will be completely content. Digging the look without the back seat right now as well… I think it will stay that way with some little details to clean it up back there completely.
It started getting dark on me, so some of the photos are less than perfect. I’ll try to get some more shots tonight and post them up. Loving this setup right now though! I was nervous about all of the black Bride accents with the red seats in there, but I actually really like it. Subtle interior helps the seats pop/stand out. More updates soon!
Damon
I barely had any time to touch the car last night, but I decided to skip dinner and get this thing back on the ground. There is nothing better than finally pulling the jackstands and starting your car to roll it off of the boards after having it all torn apart- even if it was only off the road for about a week.
My friend Mike loaned me some Fortune toe rods and a Bride Zeta III to use while I am in between parts, so that was super nice. I still need to decide what I want to run for toe rods- I want the Cusco ones to match everything, but they don’t have a bend in the rods to clear the subframe. I don’t think it will be an issue, but something to consider for sure.
Tonight I need to bolt the Zeta in, burp the coolant, and adjust the rear camber a bit. Apparently I did a bad job matching the new arms up to the old ones, because the tire is touching the sheet metal on the driver’s side and at about -4 on the passenger side, lol. I’ll take it in for a proper alignment again when I get some permanent toe rods on there.
So yeah, so stoked to drive this thing! The weather has been feeling a lot more like fall lately, which is a total bummer. It was 39 degrees out when I let the dog out this morning. I can feel winter creeping in- better get some enjoyment out of the car before ol’ Mother Nature decides to throw down.
My new seats left Cali yesterday, so they should be here sometime early/mid next week. Can’t wait to install them and post some pics! Thanks for reading my ramblings.
Damon
Sorry about the lack of updates- I’ve been slacking big time.
Let’s see… I tore the car apart on Tuesday night. I sold my Koyo radiator, so I had to pull that out and get it ready to ship. I also got rid of my Zeta III and my Kouki 180SX rear seat, so those have been shipped out as well. I am looking for a buyer for the kouki 180SX passenger seat, so let me know if you are looking for one!
Terrible cell shot, lol.
While the radiator was out, I decided to install my GReddy alternator pulley. The one I got was used and didn’t come with the washer/spacer for installation, so I am off to the hardware store after work to try to find something that will work. Then I’ll be able to drop the GReddy radiator in as well.
I’ve also got the suspension torn apart a bit. I purchased an S15 Helical diff from a friend, so I am in the process of putting that on the car. I just need to seal the cover back up and top off the fluid, then that will take the place of the Tomei 2 way. I liked the Tomei a lot, but it’s just too much for the street on a daily driven car. It sounds like I’ll be delivering that to none other than Mr. Soapgun himself next weekend.
Finally, I am installing my Cusco tension, RUCA, and traction rods. I am still trying to decide what to replace the SPC toe rods with. I would love to do the Cusco units, but they are a pretty big chunk of change. I wouldn’t have all of the other Cusco arms if I didn’t get a great deal on them. We’ll see though, maybe I can boss up, lol.
I’m planning to finish most of this by Saturday night. The new seats won’t be here until late next week, though- which is a bummer. Here’s a little something that showed up yesterday for the new setup- hopefully that will keep you guys interested!
So yeah- keep a lookout! I’ll have to post an update early next week. In the mean time, check out Kyle’s progress– dude is making serious moves and putting me to shame. Love that car so much… KING OF RED.
Damon
We woke up around 9:30 or so on Saturday- thankfully, my roll-in time for the show wasn’t until noon, since I wasn’t with a specific “crew.” I thought the late roll in was a good thing, until I looked at the radar when I woke up. A pretty gnarly thunderstorm proceeded to roll through downtown Chicago at 10:30 for about an hour or so. Naturally, my car was parked outside, so it got pretty trashed. Thankfully there wasn’t any hail or anything, though.
The drive from my brother’s apartment to McCormick was interesting to say the least. We left at 11:30, giving us a half hour to drive 5 miles- plenty of time, right? Apparently not, lol. All of the side street entrances to Lake Shore Drive were closed because of an Air Show that was going on. We basically had to negotiate our way through the middle of town for a while in gridlocked traffic until we found an open route to Lake Shore. Jordan pulled up Google Maps on his phone, and every single street was red, lol. Brutal. Top it off with the fact that it was raining the whole time and every window in the car was fogging up, so we kept smoking the frame rails on pot holes and stuff that we couldn’t see.
At this point I was thinking we weren’t going to make it to the show, but somehow we managed to get there at about 12:10. We got all checked in and negotiated through the tunnel/ramp up to where the show was taking place. The tunnel was super dark and completely flooded, so we drove through about 5″ of water to get up there. I honestly have no idea how some of those cars got into the show- it was nuts.
It was really nice having Jordan with me, since the car was completely trashed when we got there. They were still working out staging, so the staff had us chill off to the side while they moved some cars. We busted out the cleaning supplies and managed to make the car look pretty decent considering the drive in. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a spray gun or paint, so the car still had its usual flaws, lol. After about 20 minutes, the staff came over and told me they were starting a new row with my car-zing! Awesome news. I coulsn’t have been happier with the spot they gave me. I know it wasn’t based on my car or anything, but it was a welcome coincidence.
Danh from Mayday Garage stopped by and gave me a couple of their stickers- he told me they were big fans of the car, which was an awesome compliment! They have randomly posted a couple pictured of my car on their FB page in the past, including one of Kyle and I’s cars at Import Alliance about a week ago, so that’s always really cool to see. I appreciate the compliments and the stickers, guys!
Also sporting my DRIFT WOLRD sticker- thanks sOap!
Once the car was all situated, Jordan and I walked around the show to check out all of the cars before the show opened to the public. It seemed like a pretty good array of cars- I was impressed overall with the turnout and the cars they chose. Granted, it is the Midwest, so there will always be some things that feel like they don’t really fit the theme of the show- but that’s to be expected. I took some snaps of a few cars that I thought were nice:
Bugeye with TE37SLs and Voltex wing.
Z33 on VSXX if I am not mistaken...
Super nice AE86 that I believe was Honda FC powered.
I've been digging Cressidas lately...
S2K that was recently featured on Canibeat.
Always loved the MR-S for some reason...
I had the pleasure of meeting Josh, Phil, and Chob from Risky Devil- all of them were super cool dudes with some really nice cars. I had never seen any of those cars in person before, so it was a pretty cool experience. These guys may get a lot of hate sometimes on the internetz, but they are some classy gents.
Josh's car- SO GOOD. Love this thing...
Josh took home first place in Stance with his crazy 18/19 stagger.
Chob's S14- my brother used to have the same sleeping bag, lol.
Phil's Miata- so nice! Love the wheels. PhilStar took home first place in the Mazda Class.
Touge Factory brought out this 6666 Customs/ Rocket Bunny coupe that was pretty crazy. Fizz Autosports had their S15 out as well- not used to seeing cars like this out here. I thought both of them were sweet!
The S15 is my #1 dream car for sure...
My friend Dan from Michigan brought out his immaculate all-NISMO fitted R34 as well. Always nice to see this car in person- the attention to detail is insane. I was sort of bummed that he didn’t head home with an award, but I know this car gets its fair share of attention:
Joey getting some exposure out here in the Midwest- I need some of those Print stickers!
The new home of Josh's old aero and wheels- pretty nice!
The stage- sort of a 2002 vibe to it, haha.
Surprisingly, I ended up going home with the 3rd place Stance Award presented by HellaFlush, which was quite an honor. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if some people were annoyed about that, but it was still cool. I’ve never really felt like my car was “HellaFlush Approved,” so I was really shocked. But really cool either way and I appreciated the recognition from the judges! Means a lot coming from the Cali dudes.
So yeah, my overall impression of the show was positive. I started to get a little worn out/bored around 5 PM, but I think it’s mostly just because my brother went home and Kyle/Toby weren’t able to make it out to the show. One thing I’ll never understand about these shows is the model chicks and the way dudes freak out about them. I mean I guess I understand why models are there and that it is a part of the car culture and whatnot, but some guys are just skeezers. I saw this one dude wildly snapping pictures of a model chick’s butt while standing right next to his wife, look at the shot on his camera screen, and then let out a nerdy Napoleon Dynamite- esque, “YESSSS!” I guess I’ll just never understand it. I mean, if that’s what you’re into that’s cool I guess, it’s just different being a married dude with a beautiful wife at home (not to toot my own horn or anything, but it still blows my mind, lol.) I did what I could to avoid the model chicks like the plague throughout the day.
My only other gripe with the show was people whining. I found that a large majority of the Michigan people that came out had nothing but negative things to say about the show when they got home- whether it was the quality of cars, the money/time they spent, or whether or not they won an award. Honestly, I had no idea this was even a judged event until they announced it at the show. I understand that some people are all about the show scene and trophy collections, but I guess it just isn’t about that for me. I enjoy going out to events, talking to people about the car, and just meeting people and seeing their cars in general. The whole community thing is what I like- show results are just someone’s opinion anyway. As for the quality of cars not being there, I’m sorry- but if you don’t like it, build something better and enter the show. I would bet that a lot of the people complaining didn’t even apply. You’ve gotta pay to play!
OK, yeah- I hate to rant like that, but I wanted to put that stuff out there because I thought it was important to address. But yeah- I tip my hat to Wekfest and all of the WekSos crew, Fatlace, and Hellaflush for a great event! I am thrilled to hear that these guys want to come back next year. I’ll for sure be out there again as long as they’ll have me!
The rest of my mediocre shots can be seen here.
Saturday night after the show was really chill- had some dinner with Stevie and Jordan, played some PS3, and got some sleep. I left for home the next morning around 10:30 Chicago time because I had to get home to pick the dog up from the kennel. While sitting in traffic on 94, I got to watch some of the air show planes fly through the Chicago skyline along the waterfront, which was pretty awesome.
The weather was perfect for cruising and traffic was great once I got out of the city. That’s what it’s really all about for me- cruising and using the car that you have spent so much time and money on. This was an awesome trip and I hope to take the 240 to Chicago again really soon- I’ll be cruising down to Normal/Bloomington, Illinois in October for Broadfield’s Nissan BBQ, so that will be my next road trip!
Damon
See what I did there? lol.
Sorry about slacking on the updates! It seems that I have been crazy busy lately. But anyway, as you guys know my transmission decided to take a dump just over a week before I was supposed to drive four hours to Chicago for WekFest. Thankfully, I had a lot of help from some friends and was able to get it all back together and running by Wednesday night. I drove it to and from work on Thursday and everything seemed good, so I was basically ready to rock!
Pre-Wek Bath
The car was filthy from rain and being worked on, so I spent Friday going over the whole thing and cleaning it up the best I could. I knew that it would probably rain on the way there as a result, but I went for it anyway. I rolled out at about 3:30 on Friday afternoon, only to find that I-96 W was completely gridlocked by the on ramp near my house. Thinking that I would take a side road West to get around it, I found that that was also at a dead stop. Bummer. I ended up heading East instead and driving down through Ann Arbor before picking up I-94 to head out of town that way. It was about 15 or 20 minutes out of the way, but at least I was moving. I can’t stand sitting in traffic jams…
Pre-Wek fillup in Friday traffic.
The drive out there was really nice and problem free. It was a bit hot, but I picked up some Mt Dew Voltage and Shock Tarts at the gas station on the way, which was a brilliant choice. Traffic moved right along smoothly until I hit Lakeshore Drive and was within five miles from my brother’s apartment. It ended up taking me about 45 minutes to make it through the madness on Lake Shore, but at least it was a cool view. I always get goosebumps rolling into Chicago- it’s a really cool place for sure.
It's always weird when most of the screen is water, lol.
"Chi City," As Mr. West would say.
Navy Pier peeking over the k-rail.
Lake Michigan on the right...
And Chicago skyline on the left. Too cool.
My brother was kind enough to park his girlfriend Stevie’s car on the street for me and let me use their parking pass for the spot they have in an alley right behind the apartment complex. That way it was off of the street and tucked in the back so that I didn’t come out to find it on blocks in the morning or something, haha. We ordered some Jimmy John’s and mostly just chilled for the night. Their apartment was pretty cool and their two cats were super entertaining. Climbing all over everything, lol.
Pepper and Scout. Awesome kittahs.
At about midnight or so, Jordan and I took the car out onto 94 to mess around. My brother used to be big into cars with me and had a swapped Subaru 2.5 RS, but due to some shady tuning (from a shop that will remain nameless) the engine blew up about a year or so ago. Now that he lives in Chicago, he doesn’t have a car there aside from his lady Stevie’s car, so I think that bums him out a bit. He is working to build the motor in the Subaru with my cousin right now, so hopefully they follow through with that. But anyway, I planned my fuel usage poorly and had well over a quarter tank of fuel, so we had to go out and do some rips to burn enough fuel to get into McCormick place. Annoying, but it had to be done. After messing around for a while, we headed home and got some sleep.
That’s all I’ve got time for today- I’ll get into the actual show and the rest of the trip in my next post! Hopefully that will be tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
Damon
PS- Huge shout out to Jay at JDM Ego for the kind words! Check out his blog if you haven’t before- super talented designer dude that is building one awesome Evo!
CamryOnBronze 