Stance Is Everything.... It's all about how it sits &#187; Featured

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With several award winning custom builds under his belt Blair Taylor of Taylor’d Customs picked this truck up as a side project completely stock in August of 2011 and three short months later had it laying in the weeds at Dropt and Destroyed October of 2011.

Behind a grill that has swallowed its fair share of country mile now sits a freshly rebuilt ‘low horsepower’ Chevy 350 motor.

Low horsepower is of course a matter of perspective because based on his other builds and the impressive growl audible in the video recently released on the Talyor’d Customs Facebook page this truck could probably put vehicle or two to shame while leaving a trail of sparks in its wake.

The 350 sits on top of a Heidts Mustang II front end with custom lower control arms, and the 57 three speed transmission bolted to the back of it is mounted to a lifted cross member.

The original bed, which used to carry lord knows what, has had it’s floor removed to clear the massive 8 inch notch and custom triangulated, square bar, four link suspension necessary to get this truck to lay out completely flat.

When the time is right to get up and go slam bags at all four corners are aired up with dual Viair 444 compressors.

Static fans don’t fret this truck doesn’t ride high and park low, it rides low and parks lower.

Exterior wise Blair kept this trucks character intact by not removing the multiple layers of paint on the exterior, instead he took just a little bit of sheen off with a buffing pad giving it a very nice looking patina that doesn’t look forced.

The only modern addition that can be found on this trucks exterior are the 20″ Foose wheels that spend most of their time buried in the fenders.

Inside a 61 Chevy Impala bench seat keeps occupants in place while the rest of the interior, save for the floor mats, are factory 57.

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Big thanks to Blair and Kristina for letting me put together this feature and inviting me to check out the shop which I will be doing in the next few weeks.

I really look forward to seeing what else Taylor’d has in store for 2012.

taylordcustoms.com
Taylor’d Customs on facebook
Taylor’d Customs on Twitter

Modification List

Drive-train

Freshly rebuilt 350
57 3-speed standard transmission
2-piece drive shaft
Stainless Gas Tank

Suspension/Chassis

Heidts Mustang II front end with custom lower control arms
5-bolt conversion
Custom triangulated square-bar four-link suspension, 8-inch C-notch
Slam Bags (all four corners)
Lifted transmission crossmember
AccuAir manifold
Dual Viair 444 compressors

Interior/Exterior

’61 Impala seat
20” Foose wheels

Photo Credit: Kristina Doyle – Taylor’d Customs

Featured Ride: Moneesh’s RX-8

DaveT — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:12:19 +0000

2011 saw a lot of people take extreme measures to build something that stands out in what has become an increasingly competitive scene.

In an attempt to separate themselves from the latest internet sensation some arguably took things a little bit too far.

Montreal native Moneesh didn’t do this, instead of setting out to launch the ‘fitment bar’ to the moon he upgraded his car with modifications that compliment the RX-8′s factory figure letting the final result speak for itself.

Passing on the variety of body kits available for the RX-8, Moneesh added a simple, yet effective, EVO-R carbon fiber lip to the front end of the car.

This lip really adds some aggression to the front end, especially when combined with the slightly raked profile provided by Stance GR+ coilovers

For wheels Moneesh chose Enkei RPF-1s in 18×9.5 and 10.5 sizing at +15 all around wrapped in 225/40 and 245/40 Flaken FK45 tires respectively.

This tasteful wheel and tire package fills out all four corners of the car beautifully while still allowing Moneesh to navigate the notoriously horrendous Montreal roads at speeds worthy of a red sports car.

Not having to worry about popping out his JDM clear corners at every bump Moneesh mostly concerns himself with keeping an eye on the local PD while enjoying his various performance modifications outlined below.

After all what use would they be if he couldn’t flog on the car every now and again?

Moneesh’s car is a reminder that you don’t need to go over the top to create an appealing ride and is a great way to start off the features of 2012.

Rob Dyson, One Happy Team Owner

Thanks go to Jeremy Alan Glover for once again gracing Stance Is Everything with a look at some of the cars out in Montreal.

Modification List

Wheels/Tires Suspension

18×9.5 +15 (Black)
Falken FK452 225/40/18
Enkei RPF1 18×10.5 +15 (Black)
Falken FK452 245/40/18
Stance GR+ Coilovers

Interior/Exterior

EVO-R Carbon Fiber Front Lip
JDM Mazda Clear Corners
PIAA Plasma Ion Yellow Fog Lights
ShiftStyle Alcantara Shift Boot
V-LEDS Interior & Exterior LEDs

Performance

Agency Power Steel Braided Clutch Line
Axialflow Engineering Short Shifter
GTSPEC Aluminum Front Under Tray Cooling Panel
Hawk Performance Ceramic Brake Pads
K&N Typhoon V2 Intake
Optima RedTop Battery
Race Roots Clutch Pedal Reinforcement Bracket
Race Roots Radiator Air Diversion Panel

Moneesh would like to give one final shout out to the 2LO Crewn and KNS Autosport for helping put this car together.

Featured Photographer: Nick Busato

DaveT — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:45:37 +0000

I’ve known Nick for a few years now and one thing I realized about him early on is that he is a perfectionist who sets the bar for himself incredibly high.

When he rode it wasn’t uncommon to see him do a trick over and over until he deemed it was perfect, even though the rest of us thought it was perfect sixteen tries previous.

These days he has focused his passion towards photography and has approached it with the same mindset.

If I were to ask Nick which of his photos were his favorite chances are he would only answer me after explaining how each of them could be better if he were to shoot them all again.

But that’s just Nick, he is not the type to ever stop trying to improve or settle for ‘pretty good’ and this is the reason why I believe that the sky is truly the limit when it comes to how far automotive photography is going to take him in the future.

The Stare

Guillaume Moreau

A Moment Of Calm

In the year or so that he has truly dedicated himself to capturing motorsport Nick has been fortunate enough to travel to several events in the United States at famed venues such as Watkins Glen, and Lime Rock.

A little closer to home he has also covered three different top tier events here at Mosport Raceway in Bomanville Ontario.

We Are Number One

With this caliber of coverage under his belt in his first year don’t be surprised if you start to see Nick’s name and watermark attached to some of your favorite racing photos in years to come.

It is really awesome to be able to showcase some of Nick’s work here on Stance Is Everything and I couldn’t think of a better photographer to close out features for the year.

Blast Off

Speed From This Vantage Point

Nick would like to thank the guys at Inside Track and Ryan from Mosport for all of their help in 2011.

If you like what you see here check out all of Nick’s work at flickr.com/jamesbusato/.

As Nick got the year end feature I asked him for a lot of photos and he certainly delivered so here are a few more:

Prost Puts the Rebellion To Work

Frantic Calm

I Believe I Can Fly

Hinchtown

Sebastian Saavedra Has A Wheel Lifting Experience

S For Scheckter

Crazy Leo: Living The Dream

DaveT — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:55:28 +0000

Last Monday Chris Pereira (of the Canadian Sport Compact Series) invited me to locally renowned Subaru tuning shop Can Jam Motorsports to meet 2011 Rally of The Tall Pines winner “Crazy” Leo Urlichich.

After a quick stop off at home for a bite to eat and my camera gear I headed back out to Richmond Hill to meet up with Chris who introduced me to Leo.

Following a handshake and brief small talk Leo decided I had hung around long enough to meet Beast.

Beast is Leo’s current rally car (replacing his previous now street car known as Bastard) and believe me as a fully prepped, sequential geared, monster of a an STI Beast certainly lives up to his name.

Beast and Leo make up two thirds of the combination that conquered the Tall Pines course in Bancroft the previous weekend in a total time of 1:59:04.8.

The final piece to the winning puzzle was Leo’s co driver for the event Martin Brady whom I was informed is ‘proper big’ guy as they adjusted the harness to fit my much smaller frame.

Once we left the shop it was Beast who took over introducing me to Leo, the real Leo, the one people call ‘Crazy’.

As Leo expertly piloted Beast around a few neighboring back roads it became very quickly aware that Leo knows how to drive the heck out of a car. After a few spirited corners and straights of his local test and tune areas Leo gave me a little bit of a crash (we didn’t actually crash) course on rally driving, rally cars, and rally courses.

This is when I realized that if Leo is ‘crazy’ about anything it is rally driving.

Once back at the shop and Leo, myself, and a few others began chatting about all things automotive; Toronto’s stunt driving charge (and the automotive scene in general), Ferrari Testarossas (and other childhood poster cars), and of course his recent win, were all topics of discussion over bubble tea.

When talking with Leo it is impossible to not pick up on the passion behind his words he simply loves rally driving and is 100% dedicated to not only improving himself as a driver but also exposing the sport of rally driving to more automotive enthusiasts in the area such as myself.

To continue to improve his skills Leo plans to attend more state side events next year (including the North American Rally Cup) as well as events here in Canada because for Leo there is no off season or down time, if he is not competing he is out surveying the next course, working on Beast, or networking his way further into the rally community.

In the midst of doing all of this Leo also manages to somehow be very active on both his blog (CrazyLeo.Net) and facebook page (facebook.com/crazyleonet) promoting himself and local rally events as much as possible.

Leo’s current side project is a plan to put on a driving demo with ride-a-longs in a local quarry to introduce rally inside of the city in the hopes that this exposure will entice them to attend a true rally event outside of the city.

Ultimately Leo’s goal is to become the best rally driver he can be while bringing the Canadian sector of the sport along with him, and the fact that he was able to keep the Tall Pines trophy in Canada truly means a lot to Leo. The smile you see in the photos is genuine as he is rightfully proud of his accomplishments.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a handful of professionals in their respective fields (Hockey, Football, BMX, Skateboarding etc) over the years but I can’t think of many who are as genuine and passionate as Leo.

He is simply one of those people lucky enough to live their dream.

Follow Leos Dream:

Blog: Crazyleo.net
Twitter:@CrazyLeoNet
Facebook: facebook.com/crazyleonet

Featured Ride: Phil’s Cobra

DaveT — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:14:51 +0000

Not everyone’s got the balls to go up against the modification ‘norms’ of their platform because doing so invites the opinions of naysayers and know-it-alls.

But what if the end product is a combination of function and form comprised of parts only from reputable manufacturers, then what?

Well then you have a car like today’s Mustang, one that provokes conversation and stands out amongst its peers.

Phil started this build right where the Ford factory left off by installing a group of go fast modifications to the already supercharged Cobra from manufacturers such as: BilletFlow , JLT, Bassani, Steeda, LFP and Innovative.

Now the car now puts down a healthy 480 or so horsepower which means that the same people quick to share their dislike for this car on other blogs and forums secretly wish they could run with it on the highway.

Suspension wise the home built, no corners cut, Accuair/Ride-tech air install is sure to not only satisfy the ‘moar lows’ crowd but also please those who live by the phrase built not bought.

This suspension, which is the most recent modification done to the car, was carefully researched before hand to ensure that it both looked and performed better than the Cobra coupe suspension that preceded it.

Finally the aptly named CCW Classic wheels are sure to keep the wheel aficionados at bay because the timeless design of these high polished wheels suit the car perfectly, and the 275/295 tires that wrap these18x9 and 18×11 inch wheels are a direct nod to this Cobras performance roots.

If this car were described only by it’s stand out features, the CCWS, air ride, and boost would a Mustang be the image most conjured up? Probably not.

Does that make this car any less impressive? Definitely not.

Phil’s desire to head somewhat off the beaten path while still creating a car that is very much functional is exactly the type of thing that keeps this hobby interesting and I for one welcome more people willing to challenge the norm.

I would like to thank Phil for not only giving me the opportunity to feature his car, but also for being a long time reader, and putting me in touch with talented photographer Jeremy Alan Glover who handled the lens work for this feature.

Modification List

Interior/Exterior

GG&G “F*ckin’ Fast” shift knob
Innovate G3 Air/Fuel ratio gauge
Paint-matched CDC lightbar
Bullitt Mustang side scoops
Cobra grille emblem
Black vinyl bumper letter inserts

Suspension/Wheels

Accuair e-level air suspension kit with touchpad
5 gallon tank
Dual chromed Viair 400C compressors
RideTech CoolRide bags and plates
Maximum Motorsports front Strut Tower Brace
Kenny Brown Performance Extreme Matrix Subframe System
CCW Classic 18×9.5 front with 275/35R18 Nitto INVO (post shoot)
CCW Classic 18×11 rear with 295/35R18 Nitto INVO

Motor

JLT Carbon Fiber CAI
Stock TB and plenum ported by Stiegemeier
2.76″ BilletFlow blower pulley and 100mm idler
Bassani stainless steel catted X-pipe
Steeda stainless steel catback
LFP Dual Pass Heat Exchanger
LFP Supertank intercooler reservoir
Innovate LC-1 wideband O2 sensor
SCT XCalibrator2 with custom tune
MGW short shifter

Featured Ride: Mike’s 3.3T GTI

DaveT — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:16:24 +0000

I’ve never met Mike but based on the picture he paints of himself on twitter he is one hard working SOB.

When these pictures of his car arrived in my inbox it was easy to see where all those late nights nights and early mornings have gone over the past several years.

His GTI is the perfect balance of function and form and there simply won’t be anything like it again for long time.

Condensing a build like this down into a few words is no easy task but the best place to start would probably be the motor.

It is a 3.2L VR6 Mk4 R32 mill that was been bored 0.5 over to 3.3 liters and had a huge laundry list of modifications thrown at it including JE 8.5-1 compression 0.5 over bore pistons, Integrated Engineering forged connecting rods, ARP Fasteners, and Racewear head studs.

Once fully built and ready to accept more power a C2Motorsports Stage 3 R32 turbo kit was added before a United Motor sport tune was done to really get things moving.

Now when the gas pedal becomes one with the floor the car puts out a whooping 507hp and 400lbs of torque transmitted to the ground via an OEM six speed R32 transmission that has been fully cryo treated and filled with Motul synthetic lube.

Screaming along with the tires at WOT is a custom, silicone coated and heat wrapped, 3” exhaust that is tucked up between orange powder coated components and surrounded by a completely sealed and repainted underbody.

Sending 500hp through a Quaffie limited slip differential to undersized overstretched rubber would be completely asinine so in front of the Tar*OX BBK (13.62″ Rotors up front and 11″ vented and drilled discs out back) are timeless 19×8.5 and 19×10 BBS LMs wrapped in Falken RT615K rubber.

Aesthetically this car has many of the Mk4 Golf aftermarket norms done including a complete shave of OEM adornments (save for the handles) and OEM R32 bumpers, but what really separates this vehicle’s exterior from the rest are the minute details.

Hiding under the white and various shades of gray is one of the cars most unique modifications, a custom Pro-fit fuel door that swivels on its own axis and points away from the filler using an aftermarket popping fuel mechanism originally made for the GMC Denali.

Going to the trouble to graft on an OEM Denali rear quarter panel for something most people will never notice may seem a bit crazy but it is a guaranteed way to have a modification that no one is going to copy anytime soon.

On the subject of bodywork do not for a second think that anything is unfinished under the vinyl.

The roof, center section of hood, grille/grille surround, hatch spoiler, mirrors, and sections between door and quarter panel glass, have been re-painted in a base flat black DP90 sealant while the rest of the exterior has been painted OEM Reflex Silver.

To match the built motor and uniquely modified exterior is an equally tastefully done interior, seating is handled by OEM R32 seats that have been wrapped in black suede to match the OMP race steering wheel and perfectly complement the raw brushed metal 6 point cage.

Incredible is simply the only way to describe this build and to really appreciate it without seeing it I suggest you scroll down to the modification list below.

It easily rivals the amount of modifications people put into several cars over a lifetime.

Modification List

Exterior

OEM .:R32 front bumper.emblem notch, corner markers, and upper swag/body line in lower bumper cover all shaved/smoothed
OEM R32 rear bumper. both exhaust openings removed and smoothed
All body side moldings removed/smoothed through out
fender marker lights removed/smoothed
rear hatch emblem, handle, and wiper removed/smoothed. Wiper delete from a 1983 Honda civic base model car, NOS part direct from Honda
gas door, replaced with “Pro Fit Fuel Doors”, billet fuel door. aftermarket popping fuel door made for 99-04GMC Denali/ Cadillac Escalade. pops out, then pivots on its own axis point/turns away from the filler. hadto buy, and then mold a Denali quarter to make it fit properly, and still works off the OEM switch
VIS carbon OEM Gti hood w/notch originally. Notch filled in and smoothed, filled with a carbon/ Kevlar material used for race car repair
Roof, center section of hood between the body lines, grille, grille surrounding section of front bumper, hatch spoiler, mirrors, and sections between door and quarter panel glass, re-painted in a base flat black DP90 sealant, then cleared with a clear made from 60/40 flex and flat additive.
Remainder of car based in OEM reflex silver, and clear coated in the same 60/40 flex and flat mixture
OEM taillights and rear license plate, scuffed down, and cleared in the same mix, so as to match the overall hue of the rest of the cars finish.
Headlights, and housings broken down. Inner bezels, and assembly painted matte black, and headlights re-assembled.
Full digital camo vnyl wrap

Interior

OEM .:R32 headliner, fully recovered in suede, and having deleted all seat belt mounting points in the rear
OMP Race steering wheel, black leather finish. w/ Sparco hub adapter, and quick release steering hub
.:R32 front and rear seats, and matching black .:R seat belts in front
New South column pod, w/ autometer phantom 30 psi boost gauge, clocked to put max boost at eye level/ straight up and down
fully custom fabricated 6 point roll cage. Boxed, plated, and through the floor, fully welded in. even so far as to be welded into the dashboard support beam behind dash. Prepped, smoothed, and finished in a raw metal brushed look, and treated from time to time to keep it rust free
OEM TT 225 6 speed shift knob
OEM beetle “turbo S” pedal set
OEM .:R32 brushed door pull/ window controls, and door opener pull handles
OEM .:R32 center console, w/o center arm rest

Wheels/ tires/ brakes/ suspension

Tar*Ox B34 10 Piston front calipers, with 13.6 2 piece front rotors, and S/S lines
Performance Café 11 inch rear vented and drilled rear brake upgrade, w/ stainless braided lines, and calipers also stripped and powder coated clear.
19×8.5 and 19×10 BBS LM
Bilstein PSS9 fully adjustable coilovers
Autotech lower rear sway bar
TT solid rubber control arm bushings
all bushings, and mounts, front and rear were replaced 6k miles ago (upper front, control arm, and sway bar, rear beam, rear upper mounts) lower front subframe, control arms, center support beam, and rear torsion beam axle powder coated orange. as well, entire under body re painted with matte black rock gaurd sealant.

Engine

3.2l VR6 mk4 R32 motor, bored .5 over to a 3.3
JE 8.5-1 compression, .5 over bore pistons, with True Seal rings.
Integrated Engineering forged connecting rods
ARP rod and lower end fasteners
Racewear head studs
Mishimoto Aluminum radiator, and modified electric fans and shroud from a 2G DSM car
Samco “urban camo” coolant hoses
Precision Turbo PTB300.6267E turbo w/custom billet impeller wheel (C2Motorsports Stg3 R32 Turbo kit)
C2Motorsports Turbo Inlet (The “Bat”)
GrimmSpeed Manual boost controller
TIAL 38mm external wastegate
550 cc injectors
Bosch 044 255lph motosport inline fuel pump
3 inch custom turbo back exhaust, wrapped in heat wrap and silicon coated all the way back to the bumper
deleted SAI, and Evap systems
C2Motorsports turbo manifold
C2Motorsports 3 inch V-band Down Pipe and high flow cat
C2Motorsports “QuickFlow” Short Runner Intake manifold
C2Motorsports Front mount inter-cooler
Forge Motorsport Diverter Valve
VF Engineering motor, transmission, and dogbone mounts
Moroso drag car style coolant res
BSH MK5 2.0t race catch can.
United Motorsport (Jeff Atwood) ECM tuning
(507 horsepower, 400 lb feet of torque @ the front wheels at psi of boost, 92 octane “plain ole’ pump” gas)

Transmission

OEM 24v O2M 6 Speed
fully cryo-treated gear set, all internal gears and parts
Quaiffe limited slip differential
strengthened synchros throughout
ClutchMasters 725 dual disc clutch
Motul Synthetic Gear lube

If anything on that list jumps out at you as something you would want on your own ride don’t be afraid to get in contact with Mike (low ballers need not apply) because he’s already moved onto another project and is parting this one out.

Audi 80 fans rejoice because Mike’s next project will be right up your alley.

Special thanks to Jared Levine for cutting me in on the exclusive list of websites he has given the opportunity to run these photos.

Featured Ride: Kingpin’s Y34

DaveT — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:32:51 +0000

Looking at this100% authentic Junction Produce Y34/M45 sitting among the rest of the Liberty VIP cars at Importfest ’11 it would be easy to assume that it was an out of town car.

It certainly looks the part of a car that would be right at home in the garage of a member of the Yakuza.

However this beautifully modified Y34 isn’t from over seas, or the United States, its home is right here in Toronto.

As one of the newest members of the prestigious Liberty VIP family Yudi Kingpin Persaud’s car is the perfect example of what’s possible when you don’t settle for ‘good enough’.

Drawing inspiration from only the finest VIP cars in Japan Yudi took his time researching what purchases were necessary to turn his luxury sedan from stock to head turner before contacting SKperformance and modifying the car literally bumper to bumper.

To start things off a 5 piece Junction Produce body kit was ordered and installed while the front end of the car was updated to the 2003 version.

Completing the 2003 upgrade properly requires fabricating a new rebar which is exactly what was done and once the conversion was sound structurally a Nissan Gloria front grill was installed and the lighting was converted from halogen to HID units.

The Junction Produce theme that started with the body kit continues throughout the rest of the exterior as a JP rear spoiler, roof spoiler, mark emblem, fog lights and muffler have all been installed.

On the inside a Junction Produce Fusa, Kitsuna, and steering wheel cover are all showcased beneath SKperformance LED lighting.

Finally after all of the JP accessories were properly fitted an air runner suspension kit was installed giving the car the ability to gracefully touch down.

Only once this car is completely on the floor do you notice one of the most complicated modifications, the radiused front fenders. These modified fenders are what keep those beautiful silver polished 19×9 -10, and 19×10 -6 Leon Hardirtt Waffle wheels visible when the car kisses the pavement.

In the VIP world, where authenticity is paramount, Kingpin has proven with his Y34 that there is absolutely no replacement for quality workmanship.

Photos taken by Heimond Ching provided by Yudi Persaud.

2003 Infiniti M45 – Modification List

Exterior

Junction Produce Y34 5 pc body kit
Junction Produce rear spoiler
Junction Produce Roof spoiler
Junction Produce Muffler
Junction Produce Markemblem
Junction Produce emblems
Junction Produce fogs
Fully radius front Fenders
Custom CF wrap and grill trim
Nissan Gloria custom front grill
Full rebar and custom front end
Gloria window visors
Full 3″ stainless cat back Exhaust
Hidden Reverse sensors
Gloria led tail lights
HID fogs / Headlights
LED projector reverse light
3m clear bra front end

Suspension/Brakes/Audio

Air runner suspension
Braided stainless steels lines
Custom ALM tanks
V480 compressor
Quick connects to power / user for air flow
Super drain and water trap
Easy street air management
4 piston Brakes
K&N Intake filter
0 guage wire
8 FH CAP

Interior

LED lighting by SKperformance
Junction produce Kitusuna
Junction Produce Fusa
Junction Produce steering cover

Wheels/Tires

Leon Harditti Waffe (Silver polished finished) 3pc forged (19 x 9 – 10, 19 x 10 – 6)
Cooper Tires (225/35/19, 235/35/19)

Featured Ride: Richie’s SLK 350

DaveT — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:14:09 +0000

Real Mercedez Benz enthusiasts share very little in common with the misconceptions many have about Mercedes Benz drivers. The true enthusiasts don’t have egos or attitudes and are not at all arrogant.

They are simply brand loyal car enthusiasts not unlike those who are into Hondas or Fords.

Minutes into a conversation with Richie it is easy to tell that he is an avid Mercdes Benz enthusiast who is also a huge fan of low tastefully modified cars.

Richie’s attraction to the MB brand started at a young age when his father purchased at 1991 S-Class straight off the lot to replace his 1986 Nissan 300zx turbo.

The passion his dad had for the car was passed down to Richie (along with the car) and while he drove the S-Class throughout College he realized that though Mercedes got a lot of things right from the factory there were a few things he could improve on.

Instead of modifying a refined classic like the S-Class Richie opted to park that piece of his families history (which now only appears to take top honors in concurs shows in the GTA) and pick up an SLK350.

After he got the car the factory ride height was one of the first things he addressed, initially dropping the car with Eibach springs and then shortly there after going lower with a set of H&R coilovers.

Now sitting low with lots of room to go lower (these pics have the coils nearly all the way up) Richie noticed that the AMG wheels looked pretty great at factory height but simply didn’t cut it as summer wheels at the cars new altered stance.

The wheels that soon found there way on the car (then back off the car for a refinish and then on the car once more) are a set of 19″ Sonic Tuning ST160 concave mesh wheels at 8.5 and 9.5 (et35) widths.

These wheels have 235/35 and 245/35 tires mounted to them and thanks to Curbed now painted hyper silver and have machined faces which give them that extra bit of pop without putting them over the top.

In addition to the drop and wheels Richie has also added a custom exhaust and a smart top roof control module that allows him to drop the top via his remote FOB.

The fact that this car look so good with so little means that the sky is the limit to what Richie can continue to improve on, and as the owner and administrator of Mercedes Enthusiast board PureMB.com his source of inspiration for both his current car and any MBs in the future is nearly limitless. In fact the wheels you currently see on the car are up for sale as Richie has a little something more planned for 2012.

With a long winter ahead and a strong community to influence him don’t be surprised if Richie debuts something completely different for 2012.

Thanks to Richie for letting me shoot his car on what was quite possibly the last warm weekend of 2011, can’t wait to do it again next year.

Event Coverage: CSCS Finale 2011 Part: One

DaveT — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:50:49 +0000

Yesterday marked the conclusion of what might may have been the best CSCS season I have attended. The addition of a new track coupled with very co-operative weather made this ninth year of the Canadian Sport Compact Series one of the most attended and therefore exciting.

Though I woke up a bit under the weather there was no way I was going to let myself sit around all day and miss the season ender where people would be battling to find them selves atop their various classes.

One of the most anticipated battles at this CSCS was between Shasha Anis (SG Motorsports 350z) and Brian Wong (Advance Powerhouse/Nextmod Evo) for the unlimited record.

Brain (who held the title at the beginning of the day) damaged the bumper on his Evo bad enough to keep him out of the competition which left the door open for Shasha to smash the previous record and set a new one at 1:13.945.

Unfortunately I showed up to the track minutes after all of that happened so I attempted to get over my brain fart by snapping some photos of the rest of the time attackers.

Before drift started I managed to catch Pete out on the track

Also saw Spenser out putting his WRX hood scoop to use

Go-pros were all over cayuga

When not competing Anna from Sweetie Girl Racing was giving rides in a Scion TC

RSX rippin

This s2000 looked pretty quick out on the track I don't have official numbers or anything

Similar to all of the other CSCS events I showed up in time for the top 16 drift action and I was surprised to see a couple new faces in the top 16 (more because it was the last event of the year). A couple guys really held their own with the regulars too.

Jon

Contributed some stickers to Chris' newest sticker bomb

Anthony's weekend warrior

The lead car in this Tandem is one I don't recall seeing before

Teammates Ryan Stock and Anthony battling it out

I hear some tracks charge for sod, good thing Cayuga is cool

Anthony chasing Lucas Johnson

Stock during the exhibition

Jon Fiddy getting loose in the demo

Good smoke

Bad smoke.

Wayne throwing his is300 around

Lucas during the demo

Wish I got a bit more angle with this shot

Fiddy's car is such a monster

Anthony sliding through one handed

Tire for high res offer still stands Sailun

I might go back and give this photo a re-edit sometime down the road

Here’s a video of Shasha setting the new time attack record.

Show and shine CSCS coverage will be up by Wednesday.

Featured Ride: Randy’s Prelude

DaveT — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:58:51 +0000

Remember your high school car?

I am sure you do because for many of us this wasn’t just our first car it was our key to independence and no matter how hard we try it’s impossible to ever re create that connection again.

While for some reason or another many of us have parted with our high school cars Randy is one of few who was able to hold onto their high school car long enough to turn it into something more than just an alternative to taking the bus.

Randy’s striking Prelude was recently posted in the Prelude Theme Tuesday and while you wouldn’t be able to tell now this car came from incredibly humble beginnings originally purchased as a way to get Randy to and from his job.

While at that time money wasn’t great Randy was able to do a few modifications to the car (Tein S-Techs, JDM fogs, and an AEM CAI) however shortly after getting started Randy realized that modifying a car and putting himself through college didn’t leave him with a lot of cash flow.

So even though he was just at the beginning of the build he decided to put car modifications on hold and focus on getting through college both academically and financially.

This turned out to be a wise choice because anytime he had a spare moment in College he planned what he wanted to do to his car once he left.

Once he was able to put long nights and finals behind him Randy capitalized on his research and took his car from nearly stock to what you see today.

Along the way he also ended up meeting a group of enthusiasts who helped him learn to do a lot of the work to the car himself and he is quick to admit that without the help of this group of friends known as ‘TBB’ his car simply wouldn’t be what it is now.

Currently driving one of the cleanest fifth generation Preludes around Randy is happily enjoying the fruits of his labor recently being featured on Prelude Power and entering two local shows.

Randy hopes to achieve more with his car in the future and with his mindset, determination, and network of friends, I only see great things to come for this already fantastic looking Prelude.

Photo Credit: zomgitsnole

Modification List

Exterior

OEM front lip
Mugen Style Sideskirts
Mugen Style Rear Add-Ons molded to stock lip
Shaved sidemarkers off of front bumper
FX35 bi-xenon projectors retrofitted into OEM headlights with painted black housing
DDM Tuning HID kit / 4300k OEM Philips headlight bulbs
Authentic JDM fog lights / DDM Tuning HID kit 6k bulbs
LED License Plate light

Interior

S2000 AP1 Seats
Proper+ Clear/Black stripes 220mm Shift Knob
Painted silver “bezel rings” in gauge cluster
JVC’s KD-AVX11 DVD/MP3 deck
Wink 5-panel panoramic rear-view mirror
LED dome/trunk light

Suspension/Wheels

BC Racing BR Series Extreme Low Coilovers
Suspension Techniques rear sway bar
DC lower tie bar
Burning gold work VS-XX’s 18×7+25 / 18×9+30
Nankang ns-II’s 215/35f 225/35r

Engine

AEM Cold Air Intake
Custom “bosozoku”-style exhaust
NGK Iridium spark plugs
NGK spark plug wires
Skunk2 Cam Seal Plug

Liberty For All

DaveT — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:40:04 +0000

There is a lot you can tell about a car club by reading about them online. The size of the club, the cars that make up the club, and how many awards they have won all things translate easily through text.

Things that don’t translate quite as easily are the presence the vehicles they drive have, the reactions they cause, and the personalities of the individual members.

These are things that to really get an understanding of you have to experience in person.

Prior to meeting some of the Liberty VIP members at Importfest I thought I had an good idea of what to expect in both regards (people and cars) but upon meeting them I realized everything I had read had fell short of accurately describing the group, and that shooting through a mods list simply wouldn’t do these cars justice.

I mean I could take a minute to talk about how perfect Brett’s Wald kitted LS400 looks on Auto Couture’s, how Aidan’s IS300 car simply never looked cleaner, the fact that Yudi’s Junction Produce M45 went through nearly a complete makeover prior to the show, how subtle yet significant the widened rear fenders on Mikes CL500 are, and just how crazy Jermaine’s Y33 looks in person but going any further just talking about the pages worth of modifications done to these cars would just be doing them a half service.

The best way to describe these cars would be by telling you that every time I passed by these cars in the lobby of Importfest they were surrounded by people who simply couldn’t get enough of them. There are now hundreds of people in Toronto and abroad with photos of these cars on their cameras and phones most of which who had no doubt never seen VIP cars of this caliber before.

But of course that was more or less expected because shows draw enthusiasts and as as car enthusiasts we appreciate top notch work.

What wasn’t expected was what happened the night before when the cars were parked out in front of the Metro Toronto Convention Center. Once they all pulled up and parked people who had previously looked determined to get wherever they were going suddenly slowed to take a look at what was going on. A few trying to figure out who these cars belong to, and why they were there.

The sight of these luxury cars sitting out on the street unannounced was so unique that it even lured one of Toronto’s less fortunate away from their belongings and across the street to and put together the words to describe how ‘magnificent’ these cars were.

And all the while the owners remained as humble as ever.

One of the most important things I took away from Liberty that weekend was that no matter how deserving their cars might be of awards, and no matter how much of a crowd they draw, none of them ever really seemed the slightest bit concerned with taking home an award or receiving any sort of special treatment.

In fact after being introduced to Mike and Jermaine, along with their co pilots Tom and Dave (Aidan, Yudi, and Brett I had met previously) it became apparent to me that the show was just a good reason for all of them to get together in a place they had never been and anything else was just a bonus and at the end of the day it’s this mentality that makes a great club.

Thanks to all of the guys at Liberty VIP for coming to Toronto and giving a lot of people a first hand experience of a dedicated VIP car club, and congratulations once again for all of the awards you took home.

If you are in the New Jersey area and want to check out the Liberty Team in person be sure to head out to BLACK 2 which is an event put on by the club exclusively for VIP cars.

Featured Ride: Josh’s MKV Jetta

DaveT — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:48:58 +0000

It’s funny, non enthusiasts would view a car theft as a reason to drive a stock car forever more but those of us who are truly passionate about modifying automobiles refuse to let the actions of one low life ever take away the hobby we love.

Josh, who is a web developer and graphic designer by trade, is now an avid VW enthusiast thanks to a local car thief who took it upon himself to steal his Civic SI from a local movie theater parking lot.

Once the red mist of rage that follows a car theft passed Josh picked up his first Volkswagen (a MK3 GTI VR) and the rest as they say was history because ever since he has only wanted to drive dubs.

Of course it also didn’t hurt that in addition to having an incredibly supportive wife since becoming a dubnut Josh has also aligned with one of the top euro centric customizing shops in the area, CHOPSHOP.

Anything that has ever left the CHOPSHOP garage has been a head turner and his platinum grey Jetta is no exception.

This car is actually Josh’s second MKV Jetta because while he instantly fell in love with the body style (and colour) of his first he felt he could accomplish more with the gas motor so he picked up a 2.0t to replace the TDI he had previously.

Once he acquired the new car he wasted no time taking advantage of the new power plant and quickly installed a barrage of parts from the Eurojet catalog including an S3 front mount inter-cooler, aluminum valve cover, and catch can.

APR then came through with more performance goods by contributing a 3″ turbo back exhaust and stage 2+ tuning software while Nuespeed provided the car with a better way to breathe via a p-flow cold air intake.

Exterior wise the Votex lip and side skirt are now familiar with the ground thanks to an Airlift suspension set-up managed by an Autopilot Digital Management system.

This system is also responsible for tucking the 18×8 and 18×9 Work VS MS wheels as far up inside those fenders as possible giving the car a very clean final stance.

While it might seem a little silly to thank a car thief for anything it’s not hard to see why Josh does every time he drives this Jetta, it’s simply beautiful.

Of course Josh would also like to thanks all of the people who helped him with this build inclduing CHOPSHOP and Euroline Performance.

Modification List

Performance

APR Stage 2+ full program software
APR 3” turboback exhaust
Eurojet S3 FMIC
Eurojet aluminum valve cover
Eurojet VTA catch can
Nuespeed P-Flow CAI
Forge DV

Cosmetic

Custom painted FK badgless grill
InPro smoked mirror lights
Votex front lip
Votex side skirts
Smoothed GLI rear skirt
Shaved headlight washers and sidemarkerts
Painted mirror covers
Painted battery box, fuse box, washer, and coolant lids

Suspension and wheels

Notched frame
Custom finsished Work VS MS – 18×8 / 18×9 wheels
Nankang AS-1 – 205/40 & 215/40 with custom finish
5mm spacers
Airlift XL slam series bags
Digital autopilot management
Custom 5 port aluminum tank
Dual viair 400c compressors

Photo Credits: Mark Mark Luciani and Josh Horvath – faduchigroup.com and Matthew Berenz (Deathlens).

Event Coverage: Importfest 2011 Part:1

DaveT — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:30:15 +0000

Is there such thing as a car show hangover? If so that is what I have after this years Importfest Toronto. This has always been a show that people look forward too but I felt as though this year people were anticipating it even more than usual.

I think the increased amount of anticipation was due to the hard work the Ifest team put in beforehand promoting the show online and at events, as well as the announcement of several ‘feature‘ cars coming to the show from both within the GTA area and abroad.

Personally I was looking forward to the show as it would be my first time attending the show on setup day, and it was an opportunity to meet a huge number of readers for the first time. It’s always cool to see what you guys have to say about the site.

Today’s coverage is most of the behind the scenes stuff though a little of that might trickle into part two as well.

This vibe speaker wall is a big reason why my throat hurts today, it is LOUD

The Acurabot made it's return to Importfest to compete in the 'Elite' category

I think I heard an audible snap when the guy in the striped shirt int he background turned his head

Sic Ryde had a huge setup this year, his area was flooded with people (and models) Saturday

This Civic stopped me in my tracks the last CSCS and did the same at Importfest, it's immaculate and heavily modified

This Civic was one of three dope cars in the 'Stretch & Poke!' area

So Fresh Automotive was nearly done setting up there lineup when I passed by

Brightest Speed 3 ever, did very well when it came down to awards

This Maxima is crazy, the people next door at Fanexpo would have got a kick out of it

Importfest supporting their local Chop Shop

A3 obsession continues...

Scion Tuner Challenge 2011

I’m not sure how many of you guys have been following this challenge but the cars were all complete and debuted at Importfest. While all quite different stylistically they are all good examples of what can be done on the various Scion platforms.

My goes to the Team TDS ‘Chocolate Love’ because they are a team made up of local OGs.

Kryptonite by Camo customs out of Quebec

Anarchy by the SR auto group from BC

Chocolate love by Team TDS out of right here in Toronto

3/4 of the Chocolate love car

Nine-O-Five Rides

The Nine-0-Five Rides team are regulars at Importfest so this years was no exception. I know a couple of the guys in this group personally and know how hard they worked to get their cars ready for the show so it was good to see they all were able to make it.

Erik recently finished his turbo setup and was straight piped at IF so you could hear him coming in

Quick look at Erik's new Turbo setup

Eric and Ty parked and ready for the next day

Not sure if I have seen this Celica before, new addition?

I know the Acurabot was in the house but Alex's car went through one hell of a Transformation

I hear there is an interoffice lowest car contest where he works and now he's a little closer to the top...

Explicit Conentz

The Exclusive Wheel and Tire backed Explicit Contentz team had a bunch of unique vehicles including a very quick Kia which I will have more photos of tomorrow and Mina’s recently featured GTI along with a golf with an A3 front end.

The body work on this car was incredibly well done even with the hood popped it looked factory

Mina and the above mentioned boosted Kia

Toronto Subaru Club

TSC had it’s own team this year, they also had a meet the day after which I wasn’t able to attend but Spyder01 was if you want to check that out.

Chris' hawk eye is considerably lower than the last time I saw it and still amazing

BBS RS FTMFW

Chris pointed out that there are no WRB Subaru's in this whole line up, go figure.

Division R Performance

A lot of Division R was already there when I showed up but a few cars were still rolling in that I didn’t get a chance to shoot. Their area was pretty live during the show though thanks to the support from Cherry Sounds.

Met Tim,a reader with a very heavily modified Protege

Two very fitted G35s

This was one of the best applications of a smoke machine I have ever seen at a car show

This looks 1000 times better than the cotton ball trick people were using late 90s

Nextmod

Nextmod got their familiar spot this year and brought out a lot of their show regulars with a few new additions.

Nextmod is big in the Mazda 3 community so they always have a couple in the show with them

Shea was the first person to rock the new sticker on his 2010

White cars still make up a lot of the Nextmod lineup

But they do include a few other cars

Setting track records one weekend winning car show trophies the next...

If you don't recognize this car take a look at the feature from early this summer

Advan's gone, ADV.1's installed, and dropped, Peter was busy!

Level One

Level One has some of the most recognizable low and aggressively fit cars in the area and they brought them all out for IF.

Serious front line

Dan's s2000 had some paint work done before the show and looked absolutely flawless

Got Ass?

I love the LM's on the first car and the Civic is my favorite of that generation locally hands down

Liberty VIP

If you followed the fan page this weekend you know I spent a decent amount of time with the guys from Liberty VIP. I plan to dedicate an entire post to them in the not too distant future but I couldn’t leave them out of this post.

Going through the photos I have of these cars alone is going to take some time…. here’s a couple.

Brett, one of the local members, initially parked his LS400 upstairs

This year I really took notice at just how clean this car is

Eventually he made it down to what would be Liberty VIP's permanent home for the show, the lobby

Still want, still can't afford.

This car is straight up insane in person, insane.

Hope you enjoyed this collection of pre show photos. Tomorrow’s Theme Tuesday will be Importfest related and potentially NSFW so be sure to check that out, then Wednesday I will get into the coverage from Saturday.

Featured Ride: Mina’s Golf GTI

DaveT — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:01:11 +0000

The number of tastefully modified cars in the Toronto area is increasing at a rate far greater than ever before and the local Volkswagen community seems intent on being at the forefront of this clean car revolution.

Mina, no stranger to riding low, made a few changes to his JDM and Euro inspired GTI during the off season that have made it one of the most easily recognizable MKV’s in the area.

The car now has ‘that’ look which enthusiasts strive for, it catches your eye instantly and holds it there while you take in the overall package that flows together effortlessly.

The body of the car in particular is so well thought out that it looks as though it should have come that way straight off of the assembly line.

Mina has cleaned up the front end of his GTI by filling the hood notch, shaving the front bumper and installing a badgless honeycomb grill, he was also able to source an authentic euro ed30 lip which he molded to the shaved front bumper while installing the matching ed30 side skirts. Finally a euro ed30 rear bumper with a custom diffuser was added to the rear to house the tips of his GHL quad cat-back exhaust.

The carefully placed matte black accents all over the vehicle are beautifully contrasted by the authentic J’s Racing Teal that is used on the ‘smiley’ and carried into the engine compartment where the Evolution Motorsports engine cover, battery cover, fuse box, Eurojet DV, and AEM true cold air intake have all be treated to doses of that unique blend of green and blue.

Painted accessories are far from all that’s going on under the hood, the performance numbers have been give a bump up thanks to more contributions from the Eurojet catalog (dv relocation, VTA catch can, and heat shield) along with a Revo stage 2 performance tune.

In the footwork department the J’s teal faces join high polished 2.5” and 3.5” aluminum lips, matte black barrels, and gold BBS RS bolts, to create one of the most attractive and unique looking sets of work VS-XX wheels in the entire GTA area.

The wheels combined a healthy dose of tire stretch and a hard-lined air lift suspension setup are responsible for giving this car its incredible stance.

At ride height this car sits essentially perfectly flush and when the air is let out of the system the front wheels tuck into the fenders and the rear quarter panel squeezes between the lip and tire.

Mina’s hard work in 2011 has so far paid off because he recently took home top honors in the MKV wild category at Vagkraft 2011, and best VW CSCS round 3 2011.

The car is an absolute must see in person to really appreciate not only the eye popping stance but the awesome color that has been used on the wheels and accents.

Congratulations Mina for helping raise the bar.

COSMETIC

matte black roof
matte black R-line mirrors
matte black front shield
matte black front middle section on ed30 lip
matte black rear diffuser
matte black honeycombe grilles
J’s Racing Teal front smiley
Badgeless Honeycomb grille
filled in hood notch
OEM open fog grilles
nokya yellow fogs +nokya yellow ftps
OEM smoked mirror indicators
full euro ed30 kit (front ed30 euro lip + rear ed30 euro bumper + side skirts)
fully shaved front bumper + moulded ed30 euro lip
custom moulded rear diffuser to run quad exhaust
euro OEM LED tail lights
debadged front and rear “gti”
35% tint all around
Evoms Engine Cover painted matte black/ BMP with J’s Racing Teal accents
Painted Battery cover + fuse cover BMP with J’s Racing teal accents
Brake Calipers Painted black

PERFORMANCE:

revo stage 2
atp 3″ catlessdp
ghl 3″ quad catback
sprint booster
aem true cold air intake
42dd shift bushings
Eurojet dv relocation
Eurojet dv
Eurojet VTA catchcan
Eurojet Heat shield
BSH dogbone mount
Eurospec Front and Rear Ceramic brake rotors (black hubs)
Hawk HPS Brake pads

INTERIOR:

Waywell
OEM Red stitching gti floormats
Eurojet Digital boost gauge
Dakota Digital air gauge
OSIR double-o gauge pod
euro OEM headlight switch
euro OEM cupholder

TRUNK:

5 gallon slim tank
Polished aluminum hardlines
Gold fittings
Suede floor

AIR:

Air lift XL fronts
Airlift Slam Rears
Airlift rear shocks
Accuair VU-4 Manifold
Accuair Switchspeed Management
Dakota Digital air gauge
Viair 480C Compressor
C notch frame

WHEELS:

18×8.5 et27 2.5” lip
18×10 et27 3.5” lip
sparco 5mm spacers front
J’s Racing Teal face
Matte Black barrels
High polished aluminum lips
Gold plated bbs rs bolts
Special “W” Work caps