More Cruise-In News

Well, we hit up the cruise in once again, and tonight was a bit rowdier than last time. Two people almost started a fight, typical jock drama, and a few Mustangs decided they were going to have a... fishtailing  contest? Odd choice, I know, but I'll be damned if their exhausts didn't sound so sweet. Also, the Graffiti Civic from the other post has apparently now been featured in Honda Tuning magazine, Super Street Online, and Tristate Tuner. I'll post links to those articles when they hit the net, but I'm still proud I found it first!

On the other hand, not too much happened tonight. There were a lot of old favorites, including the little Honda crew that went tearing off after Sam as he went to refuel. The Infiniti Skyline changed out the slick black-and-silver rims for some chrome and gold ones that resemble BBS style (a bit of a loss, I think, the black was awesome). Other than that, though, it was a pretty slow weekend. Understandable with Easter being tomorrow, but still a bit disappointing. On the upside, I have a new place and a new event that I'll be scouting out later on, thanks to the owner of the Zerolift Autolab, Mike Bailey. He talked to me about his new S2000 and pointed me towards an event happening this September, the Street Life Tour, which will be held at Kilkare Raceway. There will be drag and drift competitions, a general show-off, stunt bike demos, vendors, and live bands!

Needless to say, Team Tristate members will be attending. This fall guarantees to be interesting!

Pictures of the night to follow.

Dayton Auto Show - Review

I hope I can safely assume that everyone reading this blog has been to a mall, and if I can assume that, why not go a step further and assume you've been to the food court and have seen all the Chinese people wandering around pushing samples in people's faces. This year's Dayton Auto Show was a little like that in some respects. (Almost) Every major automaker was there, throwing out incentives for test-driving cars, taking brochures, and signing up for mailing lists and other offers. There were plenty of examples of new cars to sit in and admire, but overall, I'd rate this show as more of a "tell", if you know what I mean. It was all very pretty, but entertainment was obviously not its goal.

Another disappointment came when I realized that there were plenty of manufacturers who didn't even show! Audi, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche... even Aston, if you want to take into account the dealership not twenty miles away. Nissan in particular was a real shock, what with the recent release of the GT-R and the popularity of the new 370z roadster, I would have thought this an opportunity for them to gain some more attention from the public. Apparently not.

The highlights of the show were fairly spread out, but all still impressive. The first new model to show its face was the Ford Fiesta, which premiered in a pristine white finish, surrounded by gawking showgoers and advertisements and brochures. They really played to the customers with this car, taking the rising concerns of fuel mileage and price into account. Ford also displayed the new 2010 and 2011 Mustangs, though they didn't bring the GT 500 that everyone was really hoping for.

After Ford, Chevy brought out the big guns, garnering most of the overall attention with a gorgeous Crystal Red Metallic Corvette ZR1. Sitting right alongside was the new Corvette Grand Sport Coupe, looking positively stunning with the convertible top, more balanced body, and somehow classic styling.

Aside from those rarities, the only other points of interest were the Hyundai Genesis 2.0T Coupe, the new BMW e92 M3, and the Cadillac CTS-V, from a performance standpoint. Honda brought out the new Accord Crosstour, the latest edition of Insight, and a few of the already released Civic models, but no trace of the CR-Z, which I suppose isn't a surprise for a show of this size.

At any rate, this show was more about selling than producing interest, so for those of you looking to buy cars in the near future, it's a good show to hit up next year, but if you're just looking for a good time, save your money for some of the other shows that will be coming along this year.

More Fun in Middletown

Last night I took a trip down to Middletown for the weekly cruise in at The Hills. As we pulled up, I noticed plenty of familiar faces and rides, like the World Rally Blue STI that decided to slide through the gravel lot a few times before his exit. I think the best part about the owner, though, was that he brought along his son, and was showing him the other cars. Future car fanatic in the making? Possibly. There was also a beat up Nissan 240sx with rear 30mm widebody fenders and vast 8 inch Pirelli tires. The owner, Aaron, explained the damage with a confident grin.

"Yeah, it gets pretty beat up," he says. "There's a drift competition coming up here in April, and I'm teaching myself how so I can enter. Hopefully I'll be ready, since I've never really tried it with this configuration on the car, and I've still got mods to do before then."

Mods indeed! Lined up for his SX are a full t25 turbo kit, new tires and wheels, and a few surprises that he wanted kept secret.

"All I can say is I'll be making plenty of power by race day. Nobody's gonna get in front of this beast!" he laughed.

There was a huge variety of cars, ranging from brand-new, to restomods, imports to domestics. A 1969 Chevelle was parked next to a 1999 Volkswagen Golf. Some of the other interesting cars of the night were a silky, midnight black Infiniti G35, perfectly slammed and complemented by silver-on-black Ruff rims, a 2010 Mustang GT with a wannabe driver (he got showed up by our pal Aaron in his 240sx later on that night), and a slew of Civics that went from rice to nice, and one hatch that even looked track-bred. Sporting a custom 'graffiti' paint job, it certainly turned heads, but maybe not in the way the owner hoped.

"That piece of sh*t is just a ball of rice," one driver scoffed. "I don't know why he keeps bringing it."

Hate, hate, and more hate. Could it be jealousy? Perhaps. But whether or not everyone appreciates the car, it still carries its own VERY unique style, and that's something to be proud of. It will never be duplicated or imitated, and I have a feeling that's just how the owner likes it.

As the night pulled to a close, a lady at a nearby intersection decided she was going to take a chance at taunting us. "Haven't you fuckers got anything better to do on a goddamn Saturday night?" The roar of engines drowned out the shouting replies, and as she sped off, the parking lot was filled with laughter and jeering. I guess the hate is just part of the scene, sometimes, but what's a game without some competition?

Finals and School

Winter Quarter is coming to an end, and that means projects galore for those of us down at Sinclair. School projects aren't the only ones on our minds, though, as spring is coming closer. "A young man's fancy turns to thoughts of... cars!" I've seen quite a few changes just in Sinclair's parking garage alone. New rims are being installed, tires and body kits are being swapped out, paint is being refreshed. Little by little, the customs and super tuners are working their way back out of the garages and onto the streets.

For those of us in the north, the weather is changing, and soon it'll be warm enough to get out there and start working on our beauties, for those of us without the privilege of owning our own garages. I know I can't wait to get some detailing done, myself. Washing, wet sanding out some of the little scrapes, waxing and polishing. Now's the time, ladies and gents, to get your rides looking their best, because when summer arrives, you've got to be riding in style! Turning heads is what it's all about, whether it be with a fresh paint job, some wicked new wheels, or that custom exhaust that makes it sound just right.

So, with the snow out of the way, it's time to start wrenching again. Get out there and show us what you've got! You want your fifteen minutes of fame? Send pics to team_tristate@yahoo.com along with a description of your car: year, make, model, any mods you've got installed, all of that. If your car makes the cut, we might even set you up with a feature. Interested? Then submit!

May Crazy

May is going to be all kinds of fun for the Ohio/Indiana enthusiasts. Not only is there going to be a Gen5 (www.gen5alive.com) meet in Michigan City Indiana on the 15th, but there's a a swap meet in Springfield, Ohio on the weekend of the 28th! I'll be attending both (for real this time), and my 5th gen Accord will hopefully be ready for showing off by the time the MI city meet comes around. There's a body kit in the works, as well as some new fenders, both of which will need to get painted up nice. I'll have to save up for the whole body paint job, but hey, that's the cost of a hobby like this.

Anyways, the Michigan City is meant only for 5th gens, so if you've got one you're proud of, come show it to us, and meet others who share your passion.

Updates, updates...

Well, sorry for the lack of news lately, guys, but the snow kind of puts a damper on things. Not too many people going out to race when they can't get any traction, if you know what I mean. At any rate, I've discovered quite a few interesting cars out at Sinclair over the past couple of weeks, so I will post up the pictures I took and see who rises to claim them.

First up, a nice looking two-tone '94 Civic coupe parked on the roof!

Next was an absolutely ferocious looking '91 Celica Supra, which was extremely clean on the insides. Somebody loves this machine.

Also, apparently someone in Springboro (or maybe just passing through) has got enough cash lying around to afford this brand new Nissan GT-R. 

Last up, and for no other reason than that I like the car- An E46 Bimmer! Pristine in its Alpine White.

So, if any of you loyal readers know of cars to rival these ones, take a picture! Send them to my email at team_tristate@yahoo.com, along with any info you might have. Yes, this does mean that you can send in pics of your own ride. Show us what you're made of! Remember, the best reader's ride each week gets added to the header, and shown off for the world to see. So, let's hope this snow clears up fast so we can get back on the roads!

Failed Attempt....

Sadly, the weather has conspired against us, and we didn't get a chance to go to Columbus yesterday. The roads were too snowy, even for us FF cruisers, so we took the day off. Don't worry, though, we're still on for the other shows, and hopefully we won't have any show for a while. Sorry if we let you down, but please keep on reading, and I promise we'll have some new info up soon. As always, keep your eyes peeled for interesting rides and places, and let me know what you find!

In Preparation...

Tomorrow (Feb 6), we will be heading out to the Jeff Johnson Motorsports Expo in Columbus. Sam Gillespie, Mike Elliott, and I will be taking pictures, hopefully video, and trying to get in some interviews. The show runs from 9AM to 4PM, so expect to get up early if you've got some driving to do. 7AM on a weekend?! You better believe it.

This show is more geared towards American Muscle, with its feature "Hemis on Parade", but we'll be hoping for some international pride as well. Admission is five bucks, and everyone gets in free after two. Get there early, though, as there's a car show, swap meet, and trading area going to be set up. Bring a jacket, though, or maybe two or three... We're expecting snow, and loads of it. Still, it should be a good turnout. We'll be heading out early tomorrow, so wish us luck, and see you on the other side.

Looking for Ideas?

Here's the giant, tv episode length feature from Mighty Car Mods! Check them out on youtube (search the name, bub), and see if you can't learn a thing or two about fabrication and installation of various parts you'll see throughout your driving experience. These guys are true grassroots builders with that touch of humor you just can't overlook. Now, on with the show!

Chicago Style: Crossovers

If there's one thing Chicago seems to love doing, it's producing wicked cars that have a few tricks up their sleeves. iLL Garage has their tricked out 13.5 Silvia, while others drive mashup cars like the LS1 powered S13 owned by Matthew Youkhana. Sounds like a Corvette, looks like a Nissan, what's not to love, right?

Well, not always. There are plenty of people out there who absolutely despise the idea of a foreign car with a domestic engine, or vice versa. Sure, sometimes the swap can be advantageous, but to them it's unnatural. Now, I'm not one of those purists, though I can understand where they're coming from. To them, the challenge is all about how much power they can squeeze out of their stock box, even if that means making it not-so-stock anymore. What I think we can appreciate more, though, is the pursuit of speed, no matter what the costs. Sure, it's not too outrageous to drop an LS1 into any old street rod anymore, but what matters here is trying it for yourself, and being happy with it, which Matthew has accomplished. No purist can ever tell him that he hasn't got his dream car.

At any rate, crossovers have been a pretty hot topic ever since they first started, but at the same time, they still seem fairly rare. I think with the availability of engines and bodies to work with, people are going to start coming up with some pretty creative stuff. (Check out the Super Street forums here for an LS6 powered S15!) To all those owners whose cars are half-and-half, congratulations, and keep up the search for power.

2010 Events Schedule for Team Tristate

It's 2010 now, so you know what that means- another great year of car shows and swap meets, filled with drag racing, time attack, drifting, buying, and selling. No doubt it'll be a fantastic year, even with the state of the economy, because nowadays, everyone is looking to something to distract them from the gloom. So! Here are the five shows we've picked out to visit this year, and all but one of them are in the Tristate area, so even the most hard-up for spare cash should be able to attend.

Feb 6 - Ohio Motorsports Expo @ Columbus, OH
http://www.jeffjohnsonmotorsports.com/ome/ome.html

Feb 12-14 - World of Wheels @ Indianapolis, IN
http://www.autorama.com/casi/show/indianapolis.php

May 28-30 - Springfield Swap Meet @ Springfield, OH
http://www.ohioswapmeet.com/

Aug 29 - NOS Import Face-off @ Columbus National Trail Raceway
http://www.importfaceoff.net/index.htm

Also on our list are Hot Import Nights and SPOCOM, though we've still got to figure out which one we'll be attending. Be sure to look for us out there at the events; we won't be too hard to find. Look for where the crowd is parting like you're driving on water, and you'll find our dangerous racing Jesus. See you all at the shows!

Power to the People! NATO strikes home.

I've noticed, lately, that more and more people are starting to put the NATO stamp into their signatures on automotive forums, and I was wondering where exactly it all started. NATO, in this case, isn't the collective of countries, but a collective of people who are banning Altezza style taillights. That's what it stands for, actually. No Altezza Taillights Organization. NATO. Clever, no?

These things here? The work of some automotive devil.

At any rate, I am, myself, a proud member of this group, though I still don't know the origin. Did people finally just get sick of seeing them everywhere, on every ricer with a wannabe, g0-fast OMGHANDA? No disrespect to the drivers out there rockin' real power in their Hondas, but seriously, just because you own a Civic, you don't have to slap Euro lights on it and pretend you can beat any other car out there. If, God forbid, you stick a tin can over your 1.5 inch exhaust as well, then you're doubly lost, in my eyes. At any rate, if you, like me, are sick of those damnable silver, smoked, and fake blackhoused Altezzas winking at you at every stoplight, add NATO to your signatures, and let the ricers know you care.

Power to the people!
-NATO Member for life.

Gen5Alive Spring 2010 Meet

This spring, the Gen5Alive meet will be held in Michigan City, Indiana. For those interested in attending, the meet will focus on the fifth generation Honda Accord, but fans of it who haven't got one of their own are welcome to join us. Stay tuned for more details, but start saving up your dough! We'll be rocking your shocks off sometime between April and June, so hang loose, and finish up those last-minute mods.

Can't wait to see you there!

JDM Craze

Everybody everywhere understands the JDM craze- that is, if you understand cars. The desire to have something that nobody else has, something to give your car that special finish that makes it stick in your mind. Whether it's the wing from hell designed by Japan's best engineers, or the perfect Azect grille, complete with built-in eyelids, everybody has the urge to find those rare treasures known as JDM parts. Unsurprisingly, in response to the outcry for more parts, and more things unique, companies, like Spoon, Mugen, and GReddy started producing - you guessed it - more parts! Tuners everywhere were overjoyed, and the market was saturated with grilles, spoilers, lights, exhaust tips, body kits, and goodies galore. However, with the parts becoming more and more common through the surge in production, we have to wonder... doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of buying JDM? If the parts you're sourcing are no longer hard to find, doesn't that take some of the awesome away from what you're building? True, it still has the same looks, and the same (hopefully) quality, but when Mugen lips are a dime a dozen, where's the sense of awe in encountering one?

Granted, that's an exaggeration, but the point remains. JDM is becoming so common now in the tuner community that I'll make a prediction. Fairly soon, JDM will become so USDM that USDM will become the new JDM. Hold on to your bumpers, boys, they'll be valuable one day!

Next post will be covering the installation of new blackhoused headlamps and clear corners on the Accord. We'll see how the beastie looks without her bumper, and see how clean a front end we can pull off once we're done. First mod is inbound!

Merry Christmas

Hey, sorry for the lack of posts lately, but there hasn't been much going on. If anyone is out there, drop me a line! Let me know what's going on in your part of town, what you're planning, what you're building, that sort of thing. This is the place to do it, you know?

At any rate, updates should start coming again soon. Merry Christmas from Team Tristate!

-Craig

J is the new K is the new B...

There seems to be a trend here. First we started with the old D- to B-series swap, where the original, old school wrenchers had to custom fab just about every part they needed, from front motor mounts to custom-made wire harnesses for their hand-done wiring with ECUs and extra fuel injectors. Nowadays, B swaps are considered simple, with plenty of walkthroughs and guides available through magazines, forums, and others who have done it before. Who cares about the B anymore? Who cares that when it first came out, it was innovative and groundbreaking in its own right?

People like Phil Gaudencio care. Phil has done the impossible, the crazy, the improbable, and hooked up an Acura J32A2 V6 in his EK9 hatch. True, he didn't have nearly the hassle as the original B swap boys, because he DID have the support of the internet and friends who had worked with J series engines before, but what he's done is pretty crazy nonetheless. Gotta hand out mad props to a guy who can put this much into his car and still look for more to do to it. For an excellent, powerful, clean job well done, kudos to you, Phil!


Read more about Phil's crazy ride in the winter 2009 edition of Honda Tuner, on sale until January 19th.

Project Cars - The Fun and the Nightmare

Well, over the past couple of days, I've been messing around with my car, since it still has a few problems that I might be able to figure out on my own. The main problem affecting the legality of my car right now is the lack of running lights. First things first, I checked to see how the bulbs in the brake lights were doing. Go figure- all three of them were busted. For those who haven't really taken a good look at your lightbulbs, I'll tell you what you're missing. There are two filaments to a brake light bulb, one that is a single strand, and one that is curled up tightly. The straight one provides less resistance, and is what glows when you switch on your running lights, then gets overpowered by the curly one when you hit your brakes. When I press the brakes, I still get light, but the running lights don't come on.

After replacing the bulbs and reinstalling my tails, I dove into the fuseboxes to check all of the fuses related to lighting. Small lights, turn signals, lighting relays... everything seemed to be in working order, but still no light coming from the rear! Frustrated, we started poking around the wiring a bit more, bouncing ideas around for possibilities. One that we came up with was that since I am missing a front corner light, and Honda likes to link all of their electronics in series instead of parallel, meaning that in the case of taillights, if one bulb goes out, all the rest of them go out as well. Thinking about this, we figured that the missing front bulb could be canceling out the circuit for the running lights, making it so that power couldn't reach the proper wires and get to the lights. The second idea is that the headlight stalk itself could be malfunctioning at the running lights setting, which would mean that power wouldn't even be trying to reach the lights, whether or not it actually could make it. The last option would be that during the crash that started this whole mess, some of the wires that spiderweb out to the running lights may have been damaged, causing the whole thing to stop working.

On a side note, though possibly related, the internal gauge clusters are refusing to light up as well, which makes me believe more thoroughly that it is probably faulty wiring, rather than a problem with the stalk or the missing bulb.

Either way, we are making the best of a bad situation and using the opportunity to learn more about my car... as well as ordering some flared fenders and a new body kit by Vision. Stay tuned for more, tuners!

Straight Forward

To put it plain and simple, you can only race as well as your machine, and if your machine isn't at 100%, you won't be either! One of the most important parts of proper racing is tire alignment and calibration. I'm talking caster, camber, traditional alignment, and suspension. For those of you in Southern Ohio, or Northern Kentucky, or if you feel like going a bit out of your way for quality, there's noplace better than Performance Alignment in Cincinnati. Not only can they give you a fantastic alignment to your specifications, they can also offer advice based on all of their own racing experience. As well as alignments, they can do work on coilovers, sway bars, custom wheels, brakes, and much more.

Their website is ancient, but that just proves they're much too busy doing amazing tuning to bother learning how to improve their web code. I mean, come on, with skills like theirs, who needs HTML? Point is, they're one of the best companies around, and we need to support them. Check out their website here, or visit them in person sometime.

Performance Alignment - http://www.performance-alignment.com/index.html

Genesis: The New Beginning

It seems like all we hear about now is the Genesis. Hyundai has finally made a break into the true sport coupe market, but will it really turn out to be as fantastic as we all hope? True, it has excellent numbers for the price, producing 210hp and 223ft/lbs torque with the turbocharged, inline four, stock block, it will have plenty of potential for not much cost, with the base model starting at $22,000. It also has an optional Lambda V6, which produces 306hp and 266ft/lbs torque, though it boosts the price up to a (still very reasonable) total of 25,000. However, those are the prices for STOCK ONLY, which means that any aftermarket mods will be coming straight out of our pockets. Considering that, most people will go with the base 2.0T model, which will end up having simpler, cheaper, more available bolt-on and heavy mod power. Now, don't get me wrong, the V6 will still be getting plenty of use from the right people, but when it comes down to it, running a machine that comes turboed from the factory will mean a lot less hassles when it comes to increasing your power output down the line.

And boy will we want it. Considering how rare it is nowadays for a factory turbo, RWD car to show up on the market (hint: Only one has showed up since the 1998 Supra, and this is it), people will be taking out loans by the dozen to get their hands on one of these. Modified coupes are already setting records in the Formula Drift races, and more and more are expected to break into the scene as new parts are developed.

Will it turn out to be the car we've always hoped for? Only time will tell. Has Hyundai finally hit the mark with their new beginning? I think we already know the answer. -CE

Newsless?

Attention readers: There's been a delay in the interview we have slated, but hopefully it will be up soon, once we can get back in contact with Frank. Frank and his 350Z were featured in the August issue of Import Tuner, and we've learned that his car has just undergone another overhaul, so stay tuned for all the details!

In other news, the local cruise in at the Franklin/Middletown strip mall will be held again this weekend, so bring your cars and come check out the rides. Take I-75 to exit 32 at Middletown, then head West on ST 122. Hang a left at the Speedway (on the left), and continue down the road until you see the parking lot full of cars.

We expect a big turnout, so let's make it good! Racing isn't technically allowed, but who cares? Fastest drag racer gets free White Castle during the second half of the night. Beware the blue and red flashers, though! The police will have their eyes open, since it's a weekly meet. Don't get caught, and have fun.