The Project Continues

Well my original plan for posting updates on the car 1-2 times a month was apparently wishful thinking. I've been working on it on and off, but there hasn't been any major changes so there really wasn't any good reason to post anything. But I figured it was about time to post some updates (even if they're small), and get some other info up about what the project has in store.

This is basically what the front half looks like at the moment. The head lights are from a company called Circuit Sport, they're "angel eye" lights (which means they have a halo effect like you see on BMW's when only the parking lights are on).

The engine still hasn't been put back together since I'm still waiting for a ring compressor, which is on back order >_>. I'll be rebuilding it with Eagle H-beam rods, pictured above, and a set of Fel-pro stock cast pistons (no picture, they're just boring stock pistons). Originally I planed to use a set of Arias 10.8:1 domed pistons, but I decided not to spend $600 for pistons and another few hundred for machine work. Maybe after a year or 2 of track use I'll upgrade from the stockers.

Some of the other areas I'm working on at the moment are the trunk, since I'm moving the battery to the trunk, and replacing the gas tank with an 8 gallon fuel cell. I'm going to be replacing the entire trunk floor with aluminum to make mounting the battery box and the fuel cell easier (and it will look a hell of a lot better as a flat piece, instead of having the big ugly spare tire "well" in the middle of the floor).

I'm also replacing all the factory wiring and fuse blocks with Painless Wiring units. Originally I was just tracing down the wires and cutting off the ones that were no longer in use, but it became way more of a pain in the ass than it was worth. The factory wiring was a god damn nightmare, and I wasted about 3 weeks with it till I finally gave up and decided to just strip it entirely and rewire it from scratch. It might be a little more difficult (though I'd be hard pressed to see how), but I think the pay off in the end will be far greater then using a 20 year-old half assed cut up factory wiring harness.

In between the bigger projects I've also been changing out the bushings with Energy Suspension polyurethane ones. I've replaced those on the front and rear sway bar, and the steering rack as of right now.

I'm also "shaving" the front and rear side marker lights and the fuel door (since the fuel cell will be in the trunk) for a cleaner look. I have been thinking of just moving the front markers from where they are (right behind the front bumper) to up near the top rear corner of the fender. I'll be using a different housing, since the factory amber ones look like cheap ass bicycle reflectors. That will (hopefully) help keeping me from getting pulled over, considering everything else that's likely to get me pulled over, every little bit that doesn't will help.

Some plans for the future include:

-Aluminum dashboard with Autometer C2 gauges

-Corbeau: FX1 Pro seats

-MSD 6AL-2 ignition and Blaster coil

-Converting to manual brakes using a Wilwood master cylinder

-Baer drilled&slotted rotors and Hawk HP Plus pads (front and rear)

And something just for fun,

After getting inspired by an old letter in Super Street magazine, I decided to make a "JDM-style" key, but since I'm not rich I used a cheap screw driver from the hardware store and not a fancy Snap-on one :).

A little clean up

I decided my Blog was getting messy as shit with different labels on posts (I had 55 different labels for only 20 posts >_>), so I cut down the bullshit and made a single label for each post. I also added a label list (upper right corner), so if your only interested in Rants posts, or Automotive posts, you can sort by them and not have to wade through all of my other bullshit that you don't care about to find what your interested in (see how nice I am). I'll give you a quick breakdown of how I'll be labeling shit.

Anime: These will be posts about anime/anime news/etc.

Automotive: These are posts about cars/driving/etc.

Project Car (240sx): These will be posts only about my 240sx project car

Rant: These will be rants on random subjects that piss me off enough to point them out.

Video Games: These will be rants/reviews of various games/game types

obviously there will be other labels as time goes on, and I make posts on different subjects, but for now this will be a shitload better then the 55 labels I had before.

Who Wants to be a Douchebagonaire?

It's been quite a while since I posted last, so I decided to do something kinda fun, and kinda serious. I write a lot about things I hate to encounter when I'm out driving. So for the hell of it I put together this quick little quiz, it's nothing special (trust me), but I hope it's at least interesting, otherwise I just blew 2 hours typing this dumb shit up. The scoring may be a little fucked up, but I'm sure you'll get the idea.

The Automotive Douche bag Quiz:

1. The automobile I use most often in my daily commute is a/an...
A)Small/mid-size car (0)
B)Mini-van (3)
C)Full-size SUV (5)
D)Pick-up/mini-SUV (3)
E)Luxury/sports/exotic car (2)

2. In a given speed zone (30,45,55,etc.), I drive...
A)10+mph under posted limit (20)
B)5-10mph under posted limit (5)
C)0-5mph over posted limit (0)
D)5-15mph over posted limit (5)
E)15+mph over posted limit (20)

3. On a highway I stay ____feet behind the car in front of me...
A)200+ (5)
B)100-200 (0)
C)50-100 (5)
D)20-50 (10)
E)20 or less (20)

4. I _____ talk on my cell phone when I’m driving...
A)Never (0)
B)Rarely (1)
C)Sometimes (5)
D)Often (10)
E)Almost Always (20)

5. My seating position when driving is...
A)Upright (0)
B)slightly reclined (1)
C)Leaned back (5)
D)leaning sideways over the center console (15)
E)my seats don’t recline (0)

6. The interior of my car...
A)Is spotless (0)
B)Is a little dirty (1)
C)Has some candy wrappers/ empty bottles (5)
D)Has a fair amount of garbage in it (10)
E)Looks like a landfill (20)

7. If another driver makes a small mistake (no turn signal, etc.), I...
A)Ignore it (0)
B)Call them an idiot to myself (1)
C)Honk or Yell at them (5)
D)Honk and Yell at them (10)
E)Follow them to their destination then lecture them about it (20)

8. When in traffic I play my radio...
A)I don’t play my radio in traffic (0)
B)Loud enough to hear with the windows up (0)
C)Loud enough to hear with the windows Down (1)
D)Loud enough so that people 4 cars away can hear (5)
E)So everyone in a 5 mile radius hears it (20)

9. The kind of music I listen to while driving is...
A)Nothing (0)
B)Rock/Alt./Classical (1)
C)Dance/Techno/Metal/Screamo/Emo (5)
D)Country/Talk Radio/Christian (10)
E)Pop music, and I sing along loudly off key ^___^ (20)
*multiply the score for this answer with your score on #8*

10. When I have my brights on and another car is approaching I...
A)Dim them right away (0)
B)Dim them at ~1/2 mile (1)
C)Dim them only if they flash their brights at me (5)
D)Keep them on no matter what (20)
E)I never use my brights when driving (2)

Total Score: (add up the numbers in parentheses behind your answers)

0-5: Not a douche- For the most part, at least when it comes to driving and road manners your a good person, and you add as little stress as possible to other people on the road, Thanks.

6-19: Kinda-A-Douche- Usually people will tolerate you since your only a minor annoyance, your probably safe, unless you meet up with someone with a short fuse, who just got laid off.

20-50: Certified Douche- Congrats, your a true blood douche bag. The way you act and present yourself on the road is usually enough to make most people avoid being around your car, even your friends think twice sometimes before going with when your driving.

51-100: Complete fucking tool- Your a driver that almost everyone (except for other tools) can’t stand dealing with, you spend most of your time cutting people off, yelling at other drivers, and blasting through red lights. Just so you can shave a few seconds off your commute.

100+: King Douche- Amazingly nobody’s followed you home yet, and killed you in your sleep. You manage to infuriate even the most forgiving of drivers with your asinine habits. No one wants to be a passenger in your car and given the choice most would walk, since they’re afraid of getting shot at by one of the many people you’ve pissed off.