Farewell

For those that didnt know, Hizam has sold his JDM Mitsubishi Evolution 6.5 Tommi Makkinen Evo. These photos were taken a few days before being handed over to the new owner. Whatever were left in the car were part of the value-added-modification to the new owner which he/she do not have to think so much on what to do next, i believe.

As you have noticed that some of the bling-bling toys has been taken out and swapped to original parts due to the price haggle/war that everybody seems to fight for these days. I have to respect Hizam to be braved enough to entertain Malaysian-bargaining conversations. More jokers than true enthusiastic buyers.

I have to admit buying special parts for the specific year for a car can be very expensive. When it comes to this EVO, you cant just swap things from other older or latter model to fit inside. Everything has to come fit to its parts meant to be, unless you like fruit-salad?

I have seen this EVO grew from basic modification done to a mildly modified daily beater. I have seen blisters on Hizam's fingers due to DIYs, the endless prolonging savings to buy that special parts, the horror of parkings among the uncourteous drivers and running trolleys, the scorching heatwave that bites the car and also the hard to get teeny restoration parts.

Not only me, i think few and maybe some of us will definitely miss this car around. We'll miss the snapping torque from the rear axle and we definitely miss everything about it. MeGuiar's car clean products are among Hizam's favourite, so you can imagine it is much expensive than your daily hair shampoo. Ha Ha.

Before any curiosities start to fly around and kill each other, good-ol mothergoose told me its gonna be a continental this time.

Till then.

Super Fast Minis (B-series & K-Series Swaps)

http://superfastminis.com/

TuningFactory Bought J's Racing CR-X

Ireland Leading Honda Specialist
http://www.tuningfactory.ie/

Those of you that stays in UK or Ireland might know about Tuning Factory. I got to know them from my brother early last year since he is a big fan of them and his local JDM aftermarket shop. They are like another AJ-R but in Ireland.

Their recent purchase on the J's Racing CR-X track car made a big headline in the Honda communities. Everyone was excited to know especially those that loved CR-X. To the new generation, Honda CR-X is pretty much an oldschool car similar to the Toyota AE86 Levin/Trueno.

From online forums :
"Finally got some pictures back from the photographer of the CRX on track so I can put up a little info about it.The CRX was built by J's Racing so show their ability & products relating to Honda. The EF8 chassis was chosen because of its lightweight and short wheelbase. Powered by a B18C engine it develops around 235bhp, with a weight of around 750KG's its bhp per ton is similar to that of a 4WD Turbo car with 450+bhp. Couple that to the close ratio gearbox and its very quick in a straight line.

A widened track with Crux suspension and J's Racing Aero & Suspension parts means this car also sticks to the bends. Braking may surprise people as it has very small discs, but on a car this size it just doesnt need anything more. This car was considered outdated to J's Racing as they moved onto S2000's & K24 powered Jazz's. Tuning Factory was offered this car with a blown engine and gearbox problems for a small sum. It wouldnt take a genius to assume their next step!!The car arrived in Ireland some time ago, giving TF time to hide it and strip out the engine & box for re-building. We took it out for the first time at a VIP day the weekend of the Time Attack.

Initially the setup was too hard for mondello and some adjustments had to be made, but ultimately its handling like a dream now and setting devastating times.On the International its posted a 1.50 - Thats around 8 seconds slower than a BTCC car which has around 65bhp more, a sequential 6 speed box, slicks, a paid "pro driver" and a full racing team to back it up.

On the National circuit it put in a 59 second lap during the Time Attacks. We believe a 1.48 / 58 second laps are possible on this car.

Before the "Haters" start, we never claimed this to be our car, we simply re-built it and set it up for Mondello. Its out to show what J's Racing can do, that we can look after it and give all Honda owners a smile and entertain. The Integra is still our main priority."

I managed to gather as much pix plus some lovely Youtubes links for you guys.

Youtube : Tuning Factory Time Attack CR-X (J's Racing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQc96PEW1F0

Youtube : Tuning Factory Time Attack Integra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCNWwoVyJ7k

DOHCResearch (Hawaiian Scene)

I have been a fan of DOHCResearch for few years now. I have
just added their link on my link list.

Please don't blame me for letting you know where the nicest cars
are online. :p

Below is my all time favourite Toyota AE86 Levin, god knows whos the
owner but he/she is sick good. One-eyed headlight and wingless.

Sometimes less is more.

Fake Takata?

I've been reading a few online forums regarding fake Takata harness flooding on EBay and also online sale forums which look almost identical to the original version. From my observation, you can easily be tricked if unaware of the differences.

A genuine Takata Harness (Made in Japan) has FOUR (4) cross stitches where it sews together. And the fake version comes with (7) cross stiches. The expiry date on the fakes are almost always 2010. The green colour does not shine like the original version.

From the online inputs gathered, they came from Taiwan's OEM Takata factory without the proper packaging. Hmm, im curious from where Takata harnesses were actually made. From whereabouts i dont care but fake imitations on a SAFEty harness aint gonna assure your life.

Well i guessed these cheap, almost lookalike imitations are meant for their targeted buyers as long it looks JDM from a far or near and as long u pay 1/3 of the price. Some people say, cheap is gooooddddd as long it works. Besides JDM, we have TDM(Taiwan Domestic Market) and CDM (China Domestic Market) fans around the world.

Prolly if you sweat to much, it'll fade on your shirt. Who knows.

Fry-wheel?

Again and again and again, it's pretty much a beatup topic
but i dont mind sharing some notes. Do bear in mind im not
a physicist, so dont mind the basic momentum vs torque vs
power vs whatnottodo vs justbuythedamnthing.

What about aluminium flywheels compared to
TODA chrome-moly steel?
Aluminum has a higher strength to weight ratio than steel,
which is why it is used for the lightest applications, serious
racing only. The main disadvantage of aluminum is that it
has a finite fatigue life. You can only stress aluminum so many
times before it breaks, while steel just keeps going. That is why
you never see aluminum springs, always steel (or titanium or
something else). So aluminum has an increased risk of shattering.
Aluminum also tends to break, whereas steel has more of a tendency
to bend.

Flywheel & torque?
The flywheel doesn't 'create' torque, it stores torque. Removing weight
from the rotating parts of the car allows the engine to provide more
power accelerating the car and not the drive train. The flywheel
provides no torque to the engine so the logic that it is the main
source of torque for the four cylinder is flawed. And the flywheel
does 'create' torque and lots of it on a 4cyl. Torque is,
(in simple words) the weight spinning( crank, flywheel mainly) and
gaing momentum helping to turn your engine. And sure you would
accelerate off the line a little faster with a lighter one but you
would have no top end cause you would have no torque.

Flywheel & horsepower?
A light flywheel won't give you any horsepower. But it will take
less time to get the revs up where the power is at. It increases
the transient response of the engine.

High revving?
All the lightened flywheel will help is revving, you would probably
gain a couple hundred rpms up top, and it'll get there quicker,
however this isn't ideal for daily driving as the engine also loses
revs much quicker, its not too much of a nuisence once you get
used to the way it reacts. Especially with Hondas where all the
power is in high revs, a light flywheels can help alot at the meat
of the powerband.

Inertia?
Inertia is what you have to overcome to get it moving, torque
is what is actually measured when you try to stop or load it.

Fat crank = fat torque?
No, if you were to install a heavier crank, you would NOT get
more torque. Installing a crank with a longer stroke will give you
more torque however.

Worth to buy an aftermarket flywheel?
If you want hp per every cent spent, forget about it.

Machining factory flywheel?
There is limitation in doing this. A good way is to skim a bit
and lose some steel weight on your flywheel and make sure
it has been balanced too. Doing it too much either you will
shatter the flywheel and bust your gearbox or u have a
ninja's shuriken going towards your firewall and you.

Sani's TODA Flywheel For B-Series

As usual, at wrong timings, things are always out of stock.
Instead of getting a new TODA flywheel which i hoped, i
only managed to find a used piece, luckily i would say.
The TODA flywheel is very light. I could actually slip a finger
in one of the holes and lift it up effortlessly. With my Proton

machined lightened flywheel, i could break a finger.

The TODA flywheel is 4.1kg and it is chrome-moly steel. JUN
flywheel should be around 4.2kg and they are quite rare for
b-series these days.

JUN has rectangular holes at the side of the flywheel.

You can get brand new from JC Racing, Sunway for RM1,350.

How Big Is Yours?

Last weekend i had supper with 2 other cool chaps. As usual,
good topics lead to good ideas which are applicable and logical
to the real-life mods. The topic about having small or big
radiators and its functionality. Size does matter as long your
personal budget permits.

As usual, in Malaysia, if its not big, its not going to work,
mentally speaking. Whatever mods being done on the streets
of malaysia are stamped by products with labels "For Race
Use Onry". Believe it or not, some of the drivers do not think
of the long term consequences with that fine label sticking beside
the product. Anything which states the highest spec and swipe your
credit card, its good to go. NOT!.

If you decide to go with a dual core/row rad (fullsize or halfsize)
with an aftermarket slim fan, you shouldnt have any overheating
problems. It should work great for street and weekend drag use.
With the radiator and fan combination, do pickup a low temp
thermostat and fan switch. Remember, a large 1 core/row is MUCH
better than a small 2 core/row. The 2nd row of the small aftermarket
radiator will only get warm air from the row before. A large radiator
that is twice the size, but only one row, will get only fresh, cool air into it.

Why over-heating?:
- Dying water pump and seals (Wear and tear issues,
change for god sake)
- Leaking radiator (factory radiator versus engine heat,
it cracks sometimes)
- Wrong radiator pressure cap (Obsession with SPOON
1.35kg/cm2 on a stock rad)
- Slow factory rad fan for 4 climate season countries
(Since we are not in Japan)
- Old and bloated radiator hose (Silicone hoses available)
- Dry radiator (Driver ignorance)

The best combination should be :
- Aftermarket aluminium radiator (Dual/Triple Core If Possible)
- Aftermarket high volume fan (Billion or FAL)
- Low temp thermostat + fan switch
- Good coolant or water wetter
- Correct radiator cap pressure

With all the expensive toys :
- If you can, direct all the air to the radiator. Dont block with
your air-con condenser or smiling intercooler. Be smart.
- Relocate your JDM big-ass plate holder somewhere else and
dont block the air.
- If your bodykit doesnt flow fresh air, make an air funnel.

Dont think by just buying aluminium radiator is cool.
After some time, the top flat portion gets oxidise and turns ugly.
When that happens, you need to do some DIY to shine it.

I think this sort of project is not cheap, not forgetting the radiator
mounts/holder and other relocation pipes for the air-con system
especially. The best would be the same model and size for the
specific car.

Stay cool, always.

Identify VOLKS TE-37

Tips i found on the net. Now when i see any on them the streets, i will look at them closely this time.

Bob's CR-X : The Street Bomber

I met Bob online in one of the Malaysian car forums during
my Honda days. Online and offline, he is a true honda fanatic
that i know of to this very day.

Some people call him VTEC maniac, which i reckoned the
nick was true from his crude remarks if you do not do
things right and without thinking.

Sadly to say i did not manage to capture all his cars' conversion,
restoration and refurbishment processes. I missed the last 2 Civic
EFs and 1 Accord CD. Before that, Bob had many other cars from
a Mazda to a Proton Wira converted Mivec-engined.

When it comes to restoration and detailing, sometimes he drives
far to get the parts to make sure everything is complete. He spent
most of his time making the car looks good and a bit of mild
performance under the hood to ensure his personal fun to and
from work.

I have not met Bob for quite sometime due to work and other
commitments. As i have heard rumours spreading around saying
that Bob has bought a CR-X, i believe my intention to see him is
mandatory.

When the 1st time i laid my eyes on the car, it looked like a oldschool
Royal Air Force British Tornado jet-fighter plane ready to cluster bomb
the enemies' soul to hell. The colour scheme was superb.
Camoflage looks and fierce matching rims combination. The Enkei
CPS-II looks good on the car tho. Reminds me of Louis's CR-X.

Bob rides a converted Honda CR-X EF-7 Si to EF-8 Si-R. I believe
from what i have seen, he is almost 95% complete with his restoration.
With a bit of original JDM sticker schemes and parts, it should be done
by the end of the 1st quater this year.

For those curious with the front-lip spoiler he is using, it came
from Japan and aftermarket.

He has no plans to sell the car at the moment (That's what
he said-lah and he said its 40k-50k all go ha ha).

For what he has done till to this day, RESPECT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavia_Tornado

UNREST Jeff's Proton Satria (Before & After Paint)

I have known Jeff for a few years now through a close friend.
When i first met him, there were so much accesorries-mods
on his car rather than performance or good quality show-off
looks.

Jeff is constantly busy working since the day i knew him as he
is a sous chef and qualify control chef for few famous 5-star
hotels in Malaysia.

This Proton Satria is his toy car. His project started when power
is EVERYTHING to him. From a factory N/A 1.5 SOHC then to a
N/A 1.5 DOHC and lastly to this turbocharged 2WD GSR 1.8 DOHC.
The money spent would have been a nice EVO-engined but somehow
or rather he has this exotic taste with GSRs.

He did his personal research and development to create his personal
style of modding with no doubt, more spending money and few engine
casualties. Jeff has come a long way on building his car based on what
he believed and who entrusted to build the car.

For those who are wondering, that hood is an original Ralliart fiber hood
from a track car for CA4A Mivec. Good ventilation for Jeff's setup.

For the last 1 hiatus year, he had opened his own small food business
at the same time still a sous chef in one of the 5-star hotel. He went
quiet, low-profiled and saved as much money to paint the car.

One day he called me up, with his blue colour obsession, asked me
about the colour code for the Subaru Version 8. The Mica Blue was
definitely a nice colour, but on a small car, i wondered.

Surprisingly, it turned up well. The colour is nice but it would be better
with a few more tiny mods on the car to make it stand out from the crowd.

All the best in your mods Jeff.

What's New?

• By the end of the week, it's gonna be my 2-year-old blogging life in blogspot. I hope they have more space for me to upload more pix.


• I have been very busy as you obviously see from the slow updates since year 2008 ticked.


• I left few main car mods to go and hopefully it'll be done this year. I have other things to concentrate on.


• Hope i have more time to relax this year and watch as much movies as i can.


• Also, im a year older this month. Ha ha.


• They say the year of the rat you should move on forward. That's a hint for job seekers.