Event Coverage: Oktoberfest 2011

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Oct 24, 2011

With winter just around the corner ChopShop decided to send the 2011 season off properly with a charity BBQ (proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Food bank) called Oktoberfest.

The somewhat unseasonably nice weather lead to a great turn out and because this wasn’t a show the atmosphere was super laid back which made it a great way to kill a couple of hours on a fall day.

I spent way more time shooting the breeze with the ChopShop guys at this event than taking photos so forgive me if I missed a car or two, but once mid/old school bmx conversations get rolling they are hard to stop.

lineup — Lineup on the left had side of the lot

scraped_crusaders — I parked with the Scraped Crusaders for the day

vw_mazda — Two-tone Jetta on Audi fat fives, good look

ohdear — Hitting a deer is high up there on the list of things I want to never happen

905 — This cars at nearly all of the events I attend, trooper

bishop — My friend Dave's Audi on his recently picked up S4 wheels

audi_yel_front — Whenever I convince myself I don't like a certain color car one comes along that changes all that

audi_yel_rear — Great fitment, great height and overall choice of modifications

mooner_front — Mooner's Civic stopped a lot of people in their tracks

s10 — This speed bump was getting hammered all day

jetta_ccw — Would not change a single thing

porsche_jetta — All the talking made me more or less miss this 930, but I think I have some photos of this Jetta coming from another event

josh — Shout out to Josh as he was one of the many people putting in work behind the scenes on this event

mk4_golf — The Volkswagen communities secret stash of Work Wheels continues to grow

golf_bagged — I see this car commuting every now and again very nice

calvin — Calvin rocking his Ocean Blitz decal proudly

duece_coupe — This guy cruised by, perhaps on his way to the Canadian Tire up the road that often has meets

jeff_front — Jeff's car which was recently featured on Stance Nation

jeff_rear — Totally deserved the feature it got as it is a great build

jeff_turn — Jeff is a firm believer of ride low park lower because his ride height and drive height are very close

put_it_in_h — Perhaps my favorite car of the day

put_it_in_h2 — Check the fan page for a link to the build on this, tons of work put in

If you didn’t come out this year be sure to mark the end of October 2012 now so you don’t miss next years.

So long 2011 season, my summers come off tomorrow.

(Event coverage from last weeks Squeaky Clean show will be later this week)

WTF Friday: T-Tops

By

DaveT

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Oct 21, 2011

4

Last week I tried something a little different for WTF Friday but this week I am going back to a tried and true formula: A wild car with a crazy power plant.

Or in this case a wild car with TWO crazy power plants between the frame rails.

UK based Fast Car Magazine recently did a feature on this car and since I follow them on twitter it popped up in my feed and immediately blew me away.

I’ve posted a couple twin mill (and twin supercharged) cars before but I think this one takes the cake as the two supercharged v8s in this Ford T-Bucket not only look imposing the make a combined 1007 horsepower.

The builder Gordon Tronson is pretty interesting too, he moved from New Zealand to Canada and began building Lamborghini replicas (sound familiar?) until he got slapped with a lawsuit in 1990. Not wanting to stop building cool cars he moved again and started up a tele-com business to fund crazy creations just like this.

This man knows how to get his priorities in order.

ttops2 — Rick Ross had two seizures, this guy has two motors, I think there is a new Boss in town

ttops1 — The motors are joined with a Gates Poly Chain Carbon belt and sprocket drive and a Ford C5 trans

ttops5 — Would those twin supers count as a visual distraction while driving?

The full feature of this crazy car can be found on Fastcar.co.uk.

The car also has a page all to itself here.

Site Updates

The latest batch of vinyl arrived from Seche Media which means that the store is restocked with the new script stickers and the white and pink I like em dropped stickers are back in stock as well.

The first 10 orders or the script stickers get a little bonus sticker from Seche Media as well.

Click above to order a set of the latest sticker design

This weekend I hope to get out and do a photo shoot and hit up a charity BBQ ~~but I hit a bit of a bump in the road (literally) with my car that might throw all of that out the window, Sucks to roll hard.~~ I’m still rolling.

Flashback Friday

Not sure why the car above reminded me of this ‘GTI RS’ but it did so if you didn’t see this car the first time I posted it take a look.

Square peg, round wheels.

By

DaveT

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Oct 20, 2011

10

With all of the awesome cars I share here dedicating an entire post to my own ride almost seems out of place. It’s not the lowest or most aggressive Mazda 3 but I’ve received far more compliments on it this year than any other and my previous sunk setup was well received so what the heck.

Big thanks to Steve at Square Peg Images for picking up my slack and shooting my car for me, if he didn’t take these pics I probably would have never got around to doing it this year.

I’ve already got a small list of modifications planned for next season as well as things I have to address to keep the car looking clean but the most important (and most relevant) plan will be getting the car about a half inch lower.

My goal is to do this without removing lock rings. I’ve got my front spring rates and lengths figured out but I still have to figure out what I am doing for the rear which is kind of tough as most people just run the spring back there.

For those curious the car is on BC coil overs with what is now called the extreme drop kit, dominant camber arms in the rear (about 2.5 degrees) and 17×8/9 et 38 Work Equips with 215/40 tires all around.

Here is the video, not sure why I was landing so rear wheel heavy that day with the hops hah.

Kill Your Heros: Stanced Mazda 3 feature from Steve Hayward on Vimeo.

The full photo shoot is here and if you want to see more of my riding check out vimeo

Featured Ride: Kingpin’s Y34

By

DaveT

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Oct 19, 2011

13

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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)

Theme Tuesdays: Duallys

By

DaveT

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Oct 18, 2011

7

Of all the lowered/dropped/slammed/sparking vehicles I have shown people not into ‘the scene’ the two that provoke the most reaction are vans and duallys.

With Vans people just can’t wrap their heads around why someone bothered to modify a family hauler and with duallys they scream bloody murder that the truck is now useless.

The funny thing is 90% of these people couldn’t put a dually to better use themselves so I am not sure what the big deal is, these things look great on the floor.

dually_5 — First or second truck I saved for this post

dually_6 — Excellent capture of a neck break in process

Do I post this image to much? Is that possible?

dually_7 — Woodgrain flames... surprisingly quite attractive

Who can forget the Big Job from SEMA 2010

dually_2 — I like how this lays out with next to no camber

dually_9 — This post could have almost double as a trucks with flames Theme Tuesday

dually_8 — I've seen those Rockstar rims turn up in the weirdest places but they look best on slammed duallys

dually_14 — After looking at this image I got sidetracked with 8-lug.com for awhile

dually_11 — Texas based Hills Hot Rods makes some killer trucks

dually_12 — Not sure if I like this truck more like this

DuallyBuild1 — Or in it's original patina

dually_15 — Can't decided what to drive? Bring both.

Dually or Dualie?

Featured Ride: Richie’s SLK 350

By

DaveT

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Oct 17, 2011

3

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

WTF Friday: Fair Game

By

DaveT

-

Oct 14, 2011

8

Last Saturday my girlfriend and I headed out to Dorchester Ontario for some Thanksgiving festivities and while there we attended the annual fair. This year the fairs main attractions were a freestyle motocross demo and a demolition derby.

I am posting the coverage today because a) it doesn’t really fit anywhere else and b) Dorchester residents who had never seen FMX before could be heard uttering WTF when the two riders putting on the demo took to the sky.

This is the first time I have attended a derby that wasn’t at a Monster truck event and I can certainly see the appeal of them from both a spectator and participant stand point.

debry_figure_8 — This Acura was killing the figure 8 race and loud as hell

derby_steaming_2 — Until it ended up in a head on collision and the radiator got popped

derby_figure_8_2 — This triple 7 Civic ended up doing pretty well... vtec must have kicked in

derby_3_way — The pro modified class was only three cars which was a little disappointing

derby_tandem_doughnuts — Tandem doughnuts

derby_head_on — Not sure the green car did so well after this

derby_before — Next up was the super stock class which in my opinion was the most interesting

derby_swag_wag — This wagon had some camber forced upon it and an interesting name so I rooted for it

derby_busted_drive_shaft — Then the drive shaft fell popped out of the diff and that was that

derby_and_stay_there — Then to add insult to injury 1919 shoved it into the corner

derby_after — Talk about crumple zones...

It pains me to admit I am ‘one of those guys’ but I really want to see an FMX flip in person and so far it has not happened, I won’t go as far to be that jackass in the crowd that yells do a back flip but hopefully it happens soon.

Both of these riders were pretty good at what the did so I really wish the announcer just let them ride openly more than tell them what to do.

moto_x_1_footed_wheelie — Apparently to get on the local FMX tour you have to audition and be able to do wheelies

moto_x_superman — Super stylish superman

moto_x_super_seat_1 — It always amazes me how stable the bikes are by themselves in the air

moto_x_lazy_boy — and not a single f*ck was given this day

Site Updates

Got a new readers ride that I shot last weekend which should be going up Monday (provided I have time to edit the photos), and Sunday, weather permitting (and after my girlfriend runs a half marathon), I am going to swing by the SQUEAKY CLEAN Specialty Meet/Show @JRP.

Flashback Friday

I was reading a Taurus wagon build thread that reminded me of this Bonneville I posted last December which is still the best looking Bonneville I have ever seen.

Still amazed at how nice the e39 headlights fit

The owner and I emailed back and forth a few times so I’ll see if I can get an update on this car.

Fat and Flush: Double Trouble

By

DaveT

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Oct 13, 2011

6

I’ve been to neglecting the Fat and Flush category for months (my bad) but these two s2000s I spotted in an appreciation thread should make up for my shortcomings.

These two s2000s are a great example of awesome, aggressive setups that don’t have any tire stretch or excessive camber.

Function and form balance achieved.

fatflushs2k2 — White Advans complete the 'white out' look of this s2000

fatflushs2k1 — Height suitable for hooning and looking good

fatflushs2k4 — I'm impressed the fenders on this car are in such good shape, damn

If you know where these photos originated feel free to drop the credit in the comments so that I can update this post accordingly.

I’ll do my best not to leave such a long gap between this post and the next one.

Phurple

By

DaveT

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Oct 12, 2011

5

On Sunday afternoon I was lucky enough to have the owner of this car take some time out of his Thanksgiving weekend to shot some photos and video of my car.

While he was working hard I was rolling around on my BMX, tweeting, and uploading photos of our cars to facebook.

Several of people seemed pretty into Steve’s Phantom Purple 3 on freshly refinished BBS RS wheels so here’s a better look at the car as it currently sits.

Prior to meeting Steve and I were shooting text messages back and forth comparing fitment notes so actually meeting him in person to talk about current and future vehicle plans was quite enjoyable as our taste in cars and modifications is fairly similar.

aitch_1 — BBS RS... put that ish on everythang

aitch_6 — Steve is one of few first gens with dual exhaust tips, it is a great touch

aitch_4 — Curbed did an excellent job on his wheels

aitch_3 — As did Steve with the old school Mazda caps

aitch_5 — Wonder if Steve is a Lakers fan...

Before he moves on (euro) Steve has a few more plans for the car so provided he still has it next year I think we will both link up again to do an updated dual shoot.

Steve’s 3 is on Yonaka coilovers and the wheels are et30 and 35 (after 5mm spacers all around) with 205/45 tires on 8/9 wheels and more information on the car can be found on Toronto Mazda 3 and Mazda 3 Forums.

Photo Credit Square Peg Images

Theme Tuesdays: Classy Car Models Part 4

By

DaveT

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Oct 11, 2011

9

At the last round of CSCS Danny from Street Concepts was wearing a T-shirt that said “Say No To Recession Models” in addition to making me laugh this shirt made me realize it’s been awhile since I have done a ‘Classy Car Model’ Theme Tuesday.

As always pulling together this group took quite sometime because the trend for most car models (specifically import) is still to wear as little clothes as possible so everyone can see your high points and your low points.

This post is 99% cottage cheese free.