Month: August 2013

Car Surf Of The Day: BMW E30

Despite the glorious weather we are experiencing, whilst everyone was out basking in the sun and making the most of their Saturday, I spent the afternoon with the curtains drawn staring at my computer screen… no, not what you’re thinking.

After looking at potential drift projects, I happened upon this beauty of a E30. For the money – a mere £2295 – you really get a lot of car. The retro 1988 Beemer boxiness combined with those Alpina alloys is a perfect match. Also, it’s a convertible, perfect for cruising along the coast. Okay, so there’s no leather, but the interior is pretty good nick. It’s also manual for some “enthusiastic” driving. The 1 year MOT is also a bonus – what a bargain.

Check out the details of this BMW E30 you’re interested.

Planning For My Drift Build

Having drifted my WRX Wagon and my Prodrive, I am now seeking a more suitable drift machine, something RWD and a little tail happy.

I love the look of the more retro drift cars, such as the AE86 and the 180SX. Securing a half decent machine isn’t expensive, but it will usually come with high mileage. So I guess the first thing to do will be to check compression and give it a damn good servicing, perhaps adding performance plugs and leads. It will be a turbo so I’ll change for a CAI filter if it doesn’t already have one.

Next up will be the brakes. If they are looking worst for wear, I’ll change them all round and go for a durable pad such as Yellow Stuff. Because the handbrake will be used to initiate a drift, extra attention needs to be given to the rear pads (maybe go for a harder pad?).

Now I should have an MOT worthy Nissan 180SX to throw around. But first I will need to add a strut brace to keep the chassis a little stiffer, and if my budget allows, I’ll invest in a set of coilovers, otherwise just a set of stiffer and lower springs – cutting springs seems arduous and not worth the effort.

As this will be a toy and not my daily driver, I’ll literally tear everything out and replace the seats with two bucket seats and an extended drift handbrake lever.

The 180SX comes with an LSD (Limited Slip Differential), so that saves wielding the diff.

By this point, I should be ready to get sideways and hone my skills to link a few slides together.

Toyota Corolla Coupé AE86 Turbo Drift Action (newsvideowatchful.wordpress.com)

I wanna Drift… Maybe

There’s a part of me that respects the JDM scene – for those unsure, JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) is buying a Japanese import and maintaining or modifying it with 100% Japanese parts. I also like the Japanese culture and their car scene that goes hand in hand with keeping a car JDM. There’s something almost geeky about it, and I fear this is what appeals to me. It means surfing for parts and being strangely satisfied the car’s heritage remains in tact.

I own a Subaru Impreza WRX, although it isn’t JDM. This led me into considering an import but didn’t fancy ragging a daily driver, also the WRX’s 4WD system doesn’t really allow for drifting. Keeping my WRX and what is essentially a toy separate is what I thought the best solution.

So with that little dilemma dealt with, I then considered a good drift car – I’ve always liked the look of the retro Nissan 200SX, especially when they are transformed into drifters.

Although drifters make it look fairly simple, it isn’t. A lot of people think you just floor it, over-steer, and then hold it, but there’s more to it than that. There are a handful of ways to initiate a drift too, but once you’ve managed a drift, it has you… for life.

Talking to drifters online, I’ve learnt a thing or two, and the most common problems they face is A. Money and B. No social life.

I’ve taken these points into consideration but am not (as yet) deterred. I get that I’ll get through more tyres and clutches than I’ll eat hot dinners, but it’s still cheaper than some hobbies, I guess.

If anyone reading this is a drifter or a Nissan 200SX owner, tell me your woes in the comment box; I’d love to hear them.

Mighty Car Mods – A Must Watch

I don’t know about you but I love cars so much, terrestrial TV doesn’t satiate my hunger and need for horse power, racing and sideways action. One YouTube channel I subscribe to and often watch is Hot Rod Magazine’s Road Kill. This I highly recommend if you like big blocks and burnouts; however, if your tastes are more European or Japanese, you need to check out Mighty Car Mods. These two Aussie chaps (Moog and Martin) started their own little mini series set on Martin’s mum’s driveway. They are both naturally funny, offer extremely helpful and insightful tips, and have become so popular in Japan, their series has grown with sponsorships left right and centre.

Here’s my favourite episode to give you a little taste.

Thank god there are guys like these two out there – as much as I love Top Gear, their antics are getting a little tired.

The Subaru BRZ tS Is Here!

Finally, the STI version of the Subaru BRZ will be made. This car shows some great tuning and modification potential, which is great news considering its well-balanced rear-wheel drive chassis is capable of handling much more than the stock 200hp. As it stands, the STI version of the BRZ is more of a handling upgrade package than a performance boost.

Some may be gutted at this news, but the way I see it, STI are supplying us with a professionally designed and built racing chassis, one in which a few engine and turbo tweaks will take it up to the next level. If I were to own one, I’d be glad to know a simple re-map and a cat back exhaust would hopefully bump it up to the 240+bhp mark and I’d have a chassis more than capable of handling the extra grunt.

Under the tagline “Road to the Purity,” STI will sell 500 units of the BRZ tS, the tS meaning tuned by STI, denoting a suspension and handling upgrade. The BRZ tS gets a larger-diameter driveshaft, 18-inch wheels, Brembo 17-inch four-pot front and two-pot rear brakes, rear suspension link, struts, dampers, retuned stability control, and the trademark flexible strut tower bar.

Exterior bits include a front under spoiler, front fender garnish with STI logo and various badge ornamentation. The GT version, limited to 250 units, features a large carbon fibre rear wing as well. Interior includes leather steering wheel, shift knob, speedometer, engine push putton, and side sill plates. The GT adds Recaro front buckets and Alcantara trim.

The BRZ is miles away from their original Impreza and the WRX but I’d definitely own the tS version.

Stick Your JDM Up Your Hella VDub

For those of you familiar with the terms in the title, you’ll know JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market, Hella (Hellaflush) means making your car look undrivable – which it nearly is – and VDub is associated with Volkswagen.

There are so many car genres and cultures now, it’s becoming a little hard to keep up with the esoteric jargon and relevant car decals. For instance, if you admire the Hellaflush scene and decide to add an illest sticker to your factory stanced car, you’ll be ridiculed. There’s a little more to it than stickers and trends though, and I’ll throw a little light on the subject.

JDM owners’ main concern is ensuring their Jap import is upgraded and maintained with original Jap components. Say you had to replace your Subaru’s turbo. Even if you purchased a 100% authentic turbo from Subaru, it won’t do if bought from outside of Japan. It needs to bought there, shipped over, all the paperwork in Japanese. It’s an expensive way of maintaining your ride if you live outside of Japan, and it’s so big now, a lot of fakes are cropping up on eBay. The stickers and decals reflect the Japanese lifestyle, and these are usually sticker-bombed over a panel of the car or a section of the console.

Hellaflush owners usually take there cars, slam them (lower them), but ensure the wheels are flush with the wheel arches. This could also fall into the ‘Stanced’ or ‘Slammed’ category, but Hellaflush take it a step further and offset the wheels using a lot of negative camber.

The term ‘Hellaflush’ came from the training shoe company Fatlace, and is now one of their brands and the name of their most popular string of car shows. Similarly, illest also comes from the Fatlace company.

What’s a Rat car?

Although I wouldn’t Rat a car, I do admire the creativity that goes into some of them. Although the Rat Rod (a Hot Rod made from bits and bobs) was created with mechanics in mind, Ratting a car now means creating something with purely aesthetics in mind. A popular car to Rat is the VW, especially the Beetle and Lupo – these small cars will usually have a panel stripped of paint and left to rust (the bonnet is the most common panel used), badges from different car brands applied, different wheel trims stuck on, a roof rack added, and various items attached to it. This is where originality comes into play.

Cross Breeding

Although these are all trends on their own, a lot of owners will dabble into other areas. VDub is a term used for Volkswagen and making them look cool – this crosses over into Stanced and Rat because a lot of VW owners slam their cars and a lot of good rat cars are often VWs. A lot of Hellaflush cars also practice JDM or vice versa.

What I think it all boils down to is making a car look a certain way, to be part of something that reflects your attitude. You follow a certain style and trend because it also reflects your personality in the mods you apply to your car. If you have a JDM Honda and like Hella and Rat, well slam it, rust it, rack it, and sticker it up with what you like.

Who cares…

Ashes To Ashes: Cadillac Hearse From Hell

This rather splendid Cadillac is known as the Alexis Funker Hearse. The owner is a kind of odd character, and rather me explain why – although judging by this machine, it’s not hard to understand why – visit Alexis Funker Hearse and watch their videos.

They have recently fitted a new flamethrower. Their plan it to eventually fit the entire perimeter of the roof with piping that will emit a dense ring of flames around the entire edge of the roof.

Is this road legal? I’m sure this would fail an M.O.T emissions test.

Riding Shotgun: What Gun Would Your Car Choose?

At Gargling Gas we believe cars possess character and personality just like us. You associate certain cars with certain things, just like we stereotype a person for driving a certain car i.e. BMW/Estate Agent or Audi TT/Hairdresser.

So with this in mind, I pondered on these mechanical characters and personalities, eventually imagining cars selecting weapons from a gun rack. Within minutes I had a whole fleet of cars and an arsenal large enough to pull off a small heist.

I’ll start with the first car/gun that sprung to mind as I have owned one (the car, that is) and loved every minute of driving her.

AK-47 (Kalashnikov)

Probably one of the most famous guns in the world, the AK-47 is a reliable and powerful assault rifle. Although rather dated now, it is a particular favourite with terrorists.

I associate the AK-47 with the middle east and places such as Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Here we have the W126 Mercedes-Benz S Class, a car I also associate with these places, especially the corrupt leaders and dictators. The Merc is a classy and smooth ride, renowned for its German reliability and build quality. If you need transporting across a country to execute a few people in comfort and style, this is the ride for you.

Mini Sub Machine Guns: Mac-10, Tec-9, Micro Uzi

These mini machine guns are great for those moments when you need to aim and spray. Because of their compact size, they are light and easier to conceal.

Whenever I see these cute little guns, the first image to hit me is South Central L.A. and a gang pulling off a ‘drive by’. The car of choice in these parts is always the ’64 Chevrolet Impala, its suspension modified to transform it into a low rider.

Sniper Rifle

I envisage the movies when it comes to the sniper rifle, a cool and calm hitman carrying his trusty briefcase containing a Meccano set of gun components. He’ll find a room, quickly and efficiently assemble his rifle and centre the cross hairs onto his mark.

Classy, robust, extremely powerful yet tastefully understated, the Audi A8 (the car from Ronin) is the perfect choice of car for a hitman.

The infamous sawn-off pump action shotgun

The sawn-off is an old concept used by many a gangster, although I always picture the cockney London gangsters/cocaine dealers using them.

And what motors are synonymous with Saaff Laandan gangsters? The Ranger Rover Sport, of course.

The Magnum .44 (Dirty Harry)

Described as the most powerful revolver in the world (The Smith & Wesson Model 500 has since taken that title), the .44 is a head removing revolver with one hell of recoil kick. This gun is also a favourite in movies, particularly Dirty Harry, “You’ve got to ask yourself a question: ‘do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?”

I think someone who buys a .44 Magnum is proud to be American, and this would come into play when choosing a car. That would mean a Cadillac – because this vehicle was ubiquitous throughout all three Dirty Harry movies, this ’76 Eldorado fits the bill perfectly.

Glock

When it comes to this piece of engineering excellence, I can think only of the F.B.I and authority. The reason they prefer this Austrian 9mm semi-automatic is for its reliability.

Compared to the cops and their Crown Vics, the F.B.I. would select something a little more exciting, a car relecting their bigger egos. They are known to go for black, and this understated Charger R/T speaks nothing but F.B.I.

Snub Nose .38 Police Special

This cute little fella is the preferred weapon of choice by detectives and private eyes. The snub nose allows for easy concealment and the gun itself offers a decent amount of close range stopping power.

Any undercover agent or private eye would choose a boring but popular car, something that blends in to its surroundings no matter it goes. There is nothing more boring than a grey Honda Accord – popular, featureless, the car equivalent of a chameleon.

Gargling Gas

Because cars have feelings too…

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