Woweeee

Haven’t done this in ages..currently on Spring Break so I guess I’ll try to catch this thing up to date.

Welp the S13 is finally running, actually did the Top Drift Round 1 Competition 2 weeks ago. The weeks leading up to that event were hell, so much money spent, sacrifices made, etc etc.

But it was all worth it =D

Ended up qualifying / finishing 6th, ran in Top 16, advanced, then got knocked out in Top 8 due to n00b mistake!! But its cool, got this sick pic out of it :).

LOL, this was my leading run, I already had the advantage from the previous run (Mike Pollard spun in front of me). I could have just took this run easy and coasted through to the Top 4, but noooo, I ended up pushing it too much on the bank and jumped over some haybales =). RIP sideskirt, I’m gunna attempt to ziptie stitch it back together, we’ll see how it goes..

Some vids:

Qualifying run:

Top 16 run tandem run:

Random practice, was having steering issues, and on old tires:

I really need an exhaust for the S13.. and Evo lol. Both the cars are so quiet =\.

Top Drift Round 2 is just around the corner, in 3 weeks at Horse Thief Mile..it’s gunna be coming down to the wire again, I can feel it. Theres still a lot to do on the car, I am mainly concerned about the steering. It doesn’t feel normal at all.

The Evo is a little bit faster now, but still mostly stock. All I did was get a Buschur intake pipe, UR test-pipe, and tune for it. I really need an exhaust for it, its a huge bottle neck.

School wise, I’m not doing as well as I was doing last quarter.. The focus and drive just isn’t there. I am doing the work and studying but a lot of it is kind of half-assed and its kind of showing in some classes. I need to manage my time better.

I’ll wrap this up with some additional pics of the S13:

I need paint..

S13 update w/ VIDEO!!

Took out the existing Battle Version S14 tension rods and put in the Performance ones. I couldn’t loosen the big nut on the Peak Performance ones so I had limited adjustability. The rods just barely went on, what a bitch.

Comparison between the Battle Version and Peak Performance tension rods.

Also took a short vid of the car starting up and etc =). Next, I’m going to try and get the car down to Thai’s house somehow so his neighbor can fab up a support for my front end.

Gunna go to Willow Springs tomorrow with Matt and Thai. Hopefully they will let me get a couple runs in their cars hehehehhe. I’ll be sure to get some vids and lotsa pics. Gunna practice panning shots.

It’s alive!!!!!!!!!

Got the S13 running yesterday =). Phase 2 was able to replace my battery with a new one =D. I didn’t have my camera w/ me so didn’t record it starting up and running and etc, next time.

I hooked up the new battery and proceeded to try to start the car but it just kept cranking, nooooooooooooo!

I then checked the fuel pressure gauge and it read zero. There was no gas =\. The car had been sitting for awhile and etc and it didn’t have a lotta gas in it to begin with. So I bought a 2 gallon gas container thingy and filled the car w/ some gas. Switched the key to on position and checked the fuel pressure. It was holding at a solid 42 psi. Hopped back in the car, turned the key and it started right up =D!

So ya, thats one big thing outta the way but I think I still have a power steering leak somewhere. I checked under the car after I started it and there was fresh power steering fluid on the ground.. ugh.

Wiped the car down also, the amount of dust on it was sad to look at. Half comparison lol.

I probably won’t work on the car again till next week after New Years.

Also, the Peak Performance tension rods came in today =). They seem beefy as hell, quality stuff.

S13 time!

I’ve been working on the S13 now since break has started. Mainly been taking parts off the car to be sold and etc. I sold my Battle Version S14 Toe Rods so far, just shipped those out today. Trying to sell my Megan RUCA’s got a couple people interested in them but they keep flaking =\. Purchased a set of Peak Performance tension rods that should be coming in on Wednesday.

List of stuff that needs to be done:

1. Fuel leak at fuel filter – rubber hoses
2. Cracked rear subframe
3. Need relay for fuel pump
4. Need battery
5. Need to have a front support made
6. Front Tension Rods
7. Rear RUCA?
8. Wire up headlights
9. Leaking power steering – hose
10. Hood pins
11. Rear drivers side suspension has some play – toe
12. Coil packs
13. Check for any loose unfinished / unclamped things

I addressed the fuel leak today. I loosened the clamp from the hose and took it off and replaced with new hose. What happened was that I guess the clamps were too tight and it ate into the rubber.

Also fixed the power steering leak today. The clamp had ate into the rubber also, so I just cut off the torn section and reclamped the hose.

I found my old engine dampener and threw it on. Took me awhile to adjust it to fit but I finally got it to work.

Also lowered the car a bit to make it even w/ the other side. It’s kinda wierd but I don’t think I am going to focus on wheel fitment all that much with this car. Once the kit goes back on and everything, I’ll see how it looks and go from there.

yes its ugly….need paint and kit back on lol

Tomorrow, gunna see if I can get a new battery from Phase 2. I hope with a new battery that the car will start up normally again. If the car starts up then it will be ready to go down to Thai’s house so his neighbor can repair / weld up the rear subframe. Thai has a pipe bender and etc also so we can also make the front support. After that, everything should be coming together pretty fast.

I hope to be on the track by January 8th, but I dunno ahahha, we’ll see.

A little bit over a year has passed..

So last year on November 14, 2008 I totaled my S14 at the Formula D Pro AM Finals held at the Redbull World Drift Championship in Long Beach. That event didn’t go right even in the very beginning. I remember I drove my car straight from G-Dimensions right into tech. My kill switch still wasn’t wired up right so Matt, Jeff, and I were frantically trying to pull a wire off the alternator before my car was to be teched so the car wouldve been running purely off the battery and whenever we flipped the switch, it would shut the car off. But we couldn’t do that in time and had to BS the tech guy ahhah. Whenever they turned the kill switch, I would use my turbo timer to kill the car hahah. But ya, that was hectic, if tech didnt go through and all that money was spent just to get there, that wouldve been a huge bummer. But now, looking back I sorta wish they didn’t let me through tech, maybe I would still have my S14 haha.

The roll cage in my car was only 3 days old, freshly welded up by Alex Pfeiffer. After the crash he came up and said, “Well thanks for crash testing my cages for me!” Haha.$1600 down the drain, Matt and I split the cage money 50/50. Without Matt, I couldn’t have made it to the event, he helped me out so much along the way.

Anyways, I wanted this post to be more about the reflection of the past year after the crash.. if you want to read about the actual crash and how it happened, I blogged about it a week after the crash, you can find it here:

http://jordanthemango.blogspot.com/2008/11/so-shnappyyyyyy.html

Sooooo a year after… hmm. I was expecting to be in another drift car maybe 3 months after the crash and be drifting again. But, obviously that didn’t happen. After the crash, I became very unmotivated in school, I ditched school at least one day a week, sometimes skipping whole weeks and etc. Needless to say I only passed two classes out of the whole year, math and Criminal Justice. Because I flunked so many classes and etc at IVC, I was put on academic probation.

I started working full time at my parent’s company American Greenpower in Ontario. Working was enjoyable at first, but then it got worse and worse. Mainly because I started out doing simple things like lets say, editing documents, data entry and whatnot. But then it progressed into financial shit like using Quickbooks in which I have no fucking idea wtf I’m doing. So my mom started giving me lotsa grief and expectations with accounting stuff but I didn’t have ANY kind of accounting background at all and I also suck with numbers. Also since I worked full time I barely spent any time with friends. I lost touch with a couple of my OC friends and Riverside friends alike.

During this time, I also started living with Matt in his place in Rancho Cucamonga. His house was only 10 minutes and like 3 miles away from the office as opposed to 35 miles and 40 minutes if I drove from my house. This saved lots of money and mileage on my car and I also felt a little bit independent for a change. I had to go buy my own food and etc but it still didn’t feel like actually moving out..

I left American Greenpower at the end of August since I don’t think I was actually helping the company at all at this point and my brother was back from Hong Kong and ready to help the company. I decided to shift my focus to school and school only. I switched from IVC to SCC due to it being closer to my house (5 min drive) and also because of the academic probation thing. I didn’t have to deal with that at SCC. I got all the classes I wanted, had to petition for them but I got em, and all my teachers are pretty good. My grades are the highest they have ever been since like fking elementary school. So currently, I am very happy at where I stand academically, I just gotta keep up this momentum.

Unfortunately my focus on school has created a loss of touch between me and Outside Family (Matt and Thai). I meet with Matt maybe like once every two weeks, I haven’t seen Thai forever but we talk occasionally on AIM. The last time we all went drifting was probably over 6 months ago (I can’t even remember). I miss the good ol’ days of heading out to Willow Springs in the early morning, drifting all day, grabbing Pho on the way back. I miss drifting at the lot every Sunday and seeing smiles and just having a good time. I feel that Outside Family has really died this year. Matt has built a new car but is now seeking to sell it. Thai has like two cars and has built a new 350Z but still, we just aren’t motivated to drive anymore I guess.

So.. this brings me to the future.. I plan to have the S13 ready to go drifting in February. Theres not much left to do, I just need to get proper control arms, retune, alignment, and just check over the car for any missing or worn hoses and etc. I really want to do the Top Drift Battle series next year. I don’t plan on going to Formula D or anything like that, I just want to drift to drift. Drift for fun, not for recognition. I want to bring back the spirit of Outside Family again. We really felt like a family I think. Thai and Matt have helped me soooo much, I seriously can’t drift without them.

To achieve this goal of getting back into drifting in 2010, I need to have income of some sort. My brother and I are working on a new business venture and I also went down to Kohl’s and picked up a job application. Ian said they are hiring all the time. I think I should be able to balance school, work, and a little bit of drifting. The beauty of the Top Drift Battle series is that they only have events like every 2 months or so, so it gives adequate time in between each to prepare so it won’t be as hectic.

Sorry for the super long post, it was kinda overdue. I planned to post this up on Nov. 14 but I was at HellaFlush that day and wanted to post when I got back but I had to catch up with some school work, it was a pretty hectic week.

But ya, today I think I am gunna go to the Formula D Pro AM Finals in Irwindale =), I hope nobody kills their car like I did. I wanna see Forrest Wang rape the living shit out of everyone there. wah00!