Project E30 - Complete

Another trans-mogrified frankenstein (initially seen here) rolls out of RPM Autoworks, only to be unleashed on the streets of Penang. Seng's E30 SR20DET is complete and tests commenced yesterday. Good luck with the build and we don't hope to see you all too soon! :P

MR - Revisited

I previously had a short stint in an MR-S (read here) around "congestion hour" (in Pg its 6-7p.m.) and thus I could only flavor its handling on very select occasions. However, this MR's owner called me up and told me he was getting some suspension parts replaced and a set of new dampers installed.

So I packed up my lunch and headed off to RPM and the install was nearly done, I got a few pics though :P TRD Sportivo shocks and springs yo!

And his little MR had got some huge new shoes. This white baby is now running on 18" staggered fitments. Upon completion, the owner told me that a test drive and review session by the Snappy one was warranted and who was I to refuse? We took off to the nearest hill and did a short run.

And of course, photo ops are never of short supply. I love Penang scenery.

Handling was fantastic, the TRD suspension set really gave the MR-S a whole new perspective. Plus this little car is really obedient and could be told whether to under or oversteer even mid-corner. Excellent!

I have to say though, that the ride was excellent save for the 18's kept scraping all round. I guess more is not always best ;)

Cuore Sostituzione

I had the title inspired by Alfa Romeo's "Cuore Sportivo", because a 155 drove by just as I was cracking my head for the title. It means, replacement heart, if you were just to wonder.

Anyway, the Silver Banana had been having heart problems since last year and it was just financially unfeasible to do anything at then until things eventually got worst and its now failing on me. Sadly, the SOHC 4G63 in the Silver Banana is a faithful and strong workhorse that lugged me to and through many places and faces that its sad replacing it.

But on the other hand, change, like death is just imminent and inevitable and I guess I'll just have to embrace it for what it is. My Silver Steed will no longer be the same once the transplant is complete, but like every change, I can only hope for the better and hope all's well.

If you're wondering, initially I planned on dumping a 4G63 DOHC "kosong" into Silver's bay. Targets and aims for this little project will be durability, efficiency (in hopes of fuel conservation - I know y'all need more, so I'm saving up :P) and improved driveability.

I'm hoping to hit at least 2 out of 3 of these targets. Wish me luck!

A Pavilion to work and play

With the PC fair in town and everyone who's anyone in this IT driven world will be attending to get the latest deals and hottest parts in town. I took a dive and went straight to visit an old pal at Swisspac resources for a laptop which I'd been dying to get for some time now. With my specifications in place and some work requirements thrown in, Ryan recommended to me the HP Pavilion dv3500 as an all rounder, complete with entertainment and work rolled in.

I slowly unpacked my new toy and read all the instructions inside and out before even putting on the battery. There are lots of functions in electronic items that we are unaware of simply because we chose to neglect the instruction booklet.

Right out of the box and it looked beautiful, it looked like MY computer, it looked right... It looked personal! And that's what HP aims to do, to make the computer "personal again".What I loved most about the booting up process was the thumb reader whereby I could just swipe my thumb and the computer will recognise who I am and log on for me. Sweet!
As I'm really not a gamer buff, the latest game I had was the NFSU Underground 2 which I'd installed immediately to test out the graphics and it was to no dissapointment.

Thanks a lot to Ryan for the RM600 rebate and awesome suggestion.

Clearvue - A screen replacement story

My old and battered windscreen (as much as I'd loved it) was just too beaten and had finally given way to the forces of granite impacts. I called up my agent and had him arrange the paperwork for a speedy replacement.
So Scav paid a visit to Yan Kee in Jln P. Ramlee for the works, they're the most acclaimed (super fast and clean install) "glass people" (they deal in any automotive glass replacement) there is in Penang.

A look at the shop with contact details clearly written on the signboard. I was the first one there and since there was not many customers around, the boss had time to chat and clarify my doubts on windscreen care and other urban myths.

His well trained staff only took half an hour to remove and re-install my windscreen. As seen in pic, work was done with care and precaution.

The new windscreen looks awesome. I have no words to explain how much the night driving experience has improved.

Since I got a new windscreen and all, I went all out to replace the old (never replaced since I got the car, but still working fine) wipers for a smashing new set of silicone blades. These babies need to be give a couple of dry wipes to coat your glass in a thin layer of silicone and all else is history.

Dragon70 and Leaning Wheels

The Dragon70 was kickin' up a sandstorm upon its completion and a carefree use of tires were warranted to dramatize the driving experience! A change was imminent and Leng felt it right to just bling up the old lady a bit so he got a couple of 17s and slapped them on.

Check out how it looks sitting right outside RPM Autoworks. The fronts will be going 17 too once the spacers are completed.

The massive rears are just impeccable when driving. The grip from Continental's Sportcontact was just immense and unless one kicks the clutch mid-corner, it's near impossible to throw the rear before you slide the fronts off course.

I then took a peep at my own set of whels and realized how nice camber looks when viewed at any angle!
I run massive camber on all my wheels to avoid uneven tire wear. The low speed and super twisty Penang touge commands this if your tires are to survive any longer than 3 months! Even with lots of normal driving and the occasional cruises uphill, these Kumho Solus tires are my fav set so far, and I've tried lots of tires (believe me you).

At least my last set of Kumho Solus lasted close to a year before it shone clean like a Kojak convention. These are my second set and things still look deeply threaded and with very even wear. I love my camber!

Body builder Fiat

One fine evening after work, I visited Mansion II to meet up with Soon for one of our weekly gym sessions when I saw this massive build autoshow Fiat. Soon had completed this as his last project at RABK before taking leave.

It was a slow and painful build with immaculate finishing, the paint itself cost upwards of RM7K. Even the interior was not spared.
As I moved to catch a view of the rear, I'd recalled that this model has an RR configuration like Porsche and the VW Beetle. So I took a peep in the boot to find...

An immaculate extractor built from 304 stainless steel. This custom fabrication cost the owner a whopping RM 1,200.00.

Although only displacing a kei car class engine, the acceleration on this beauty (up to one's perception) was Kelisa beating.

This restoration and body building excercise was just fantastic, the owner was so passionate about Fiat. He actually runs a Fiat restoration facility downtown and this is only one of his 3 owned, where the other 2 were complete classic restoration projects. This show car is definitely worth its while.

Fat lady on Tun Sardon

Let me kick things off with a touge recap. I did a high speed touge with WH in his immaculate 350Z. It was truly a commanding sight to watch the fat-lady (which is a name I call all Z cars from the Z32 onwards) in action. Pure NA thrills from the torquey VQ35DE is just commendable but the Z's heft shows and ever so slightly creeps into understeer mode no matter how hard the suspension setup tries to mask this.
We arrived at the Balik Pulau market area for a chat (where WH's car turned quite a few heads) and some self-relieving from the adrenaline rush.

I just couldn't resist the camhwhore moment in the fat-lady's presence.

Trying to outrun this on the high speed Tun Sardon route is just mind blowing. The torque this bugger delivers is just awesome. Thanks for letting me have the chance to cruise in the Z, WH. It is truly something else.

After which we decided to part ways as it'd been a couple of hours and the sun was right above us, but still... A camwhore moment is inevitable.

It was a fantastic experience going up the touge with a torque monster on my heels. We have to do it again soon WH. Once my operation is complete... Hopefully in time for your departure.

Psst... Readers : Northern Touge members had another run later that week with WH, you can read more about it at WH's blog.

Repent, Rinse, and Repeat

Every cycle of processes or group of actions in our life always seems to go through this order of repetition. In whatever we do, we end up repenting for our misdoings, rinsing oneself of all collections memorable, then repeating whether in the similar fashion or otherwise.

Well, I've been off the blogging scene for some time due to some work issues and I'm back now.. Alive and kickin'. I got myself a new laptop, a new heart, and hopefully a new prospective promotion (which I'll cover each in depth a little later on.. Hopefully, things will be looking up in light of the current economical downcast.

Well, happy reading to all my dear readers and have a great.. Scratch that. Have a FANTASTIC day ahead.

Project E30

RPM Autoworks had recently just started a new project, which is an E30 Beemer that has embarked on a journey of rediscovery. Axis power meets Land of the Rising Sun.

SR20 donor up and ready, note the flat install regards of Chun's (mech) skillz :P

It's original BMW 1.8 motor hauled out and prepped for the bin.
Original Beemer embossed on the rocker cover.

Rear view with mega pipe done and ready.

Interior is stripped out, and prepped for new modern dash.

Donor S13 emptied and fully scavenged for the E30's benefit.

I can't wait to test out this monster build!