Post on 20-Feb-2016
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This Turbo Hatchback Is Off Its Faceflame throwing focus
Going Retro With Nissan’s Tiny Four Seater
figaro figaro
Why Everyone’s Gone Mx5 Madroadster life
Moog’s High Speed Chase With A Busschool’s out
INSIDE ◦ How To Vinyl Wrap ◦ Buying Seats Online ◦ EXE Hillclimb Madness ◦ SEMA ◦ Best Japanese Food ◦ Irongav & Heaps More
THEREALSTORY
THEREALSTORY
The Truth Behind the MCM Drift 180SX Build
MIGHTYCARMODS MAGAZINE
ISSUEFIVE >
For Maximum Digital magazine awesomeness, be sure to set your PDF reader to 'two up' with ‘Show cover page during two-up’ selected.
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It looks mad, just don't try and rip the pages out. You might hurt yourself.
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180SX The Real Story
Roadster Life
Figaro! Figaro!
Out Of Focus
Heaven and Hell
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issue05.Features
issue05.liFestyle issue05.tech
go behind the scenes and Find out just how this Filthy nissan was purchased For just $600
this is why an mX5 will change your liFe
marty: train people...moog: no signal no service no schoolyour saycar newsgame review: Forza horizonmcm meet: melbourne styleviva las semaeXe haunted hills hill climbwtF!watch your mouthvirtual driFt pigmcm music: whitecitylightpro photo: tristan stillreal liFe: the second selFirongav: smell sense
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quick car proFile: rs liberty wagondrag racing with mechanical stigmoogaru: towing the linehow to: vinyl wraphow to: replace aXles & cv jointsrisks oF buying seats onlinewhat a tool: step drill bit
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ugly, blue and turbo? yes please. take a closer look at this amazing, tiny, turbo beast From japan
would you like Flames with that? turbo Focus madness
our man in japan steve king takes us through the best (and worst) oF japanese Food in this two part series
Andrew Hawkins
Ying Bot
Phil Lee
Nicholas Ramalho
Steve King
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mighty carmods
issue05.staFF
ben neal / mechanical stig
jara stojanovic / milkchicken
garth ivers
Writer
Writer
Art Direction & Design
Issue 05
Cover PhotoRoss Waldron rosswaldron.com
Advertising Enquiriesmagazine@mightycarmods.com
Mighty Car ModsPost Office Box 812Strawberry Hills NSW 2012magazine@mightycarmods.commightycarmods.com
Mighty Car Mods Magazine is published six times a year exclusively through digital distribution by Mighty Car Mods Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. All prices correct at time of press but are subject to change.
The publisher, editors, contributors and related parties are not responsible in any way for the actions, results or consequences taken by any person, organisation or party on the basis of reading the information, stories or contributions in this publication. The advices offered within this publication are opinions only and it is recommended that consultation with a Certified Engineer is carried out before undertaking any vehicular modifications. The publisher, editors, contributors, and related parties disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any person or party, be they a purchaser, reader, advertiser or consumer of this publication.
T h e M a g a z i n e
Ben is a self confessed Subaru nut whose garage is a revolving door for Subarus in need of some love. His 9-5 is as a trade mechanic and import parts specialist for a Sydney-based importer.
What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Cutting the rear section out of a Subaru Fiori to (attempt to) install a WRX engine.
Owner of the title ‘too many cars to remember’, Jara is happy to lend a helping hand to those who demand. However, don’t let her kind exterior fool you, she has no problem putting the boys in their place when it comes to Honda tuning.What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Converting my non-VTEC Honda Civic to VTEC while keeping the stock carburettors. Although it doesn’t sound insane, the 25hp increase says otherwise in a rather small car.
Meticulous designer, obsessive music addict & AE86 die-hard pretty much defines our one-man art department. If not at his desk buried in pixels, Garth can normally be found under the hood of his AE86 ‘hachiroku’ Trueno or through digging stacks of vinyl records. He also runs the AE86/ZN6 community, Hachiroku.com.auWhat is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? BEAMS 3S-GE engine and 6-speed gearbox swap into my AE86! It’s still ongoing!
josh neale / jmacman12
nicholas ramalho / blade888
Editor
Writer
Josh Neale is a certified Canadian, general car nut and rather opinionated but in a kind (Canadian) manner. He’s also an avid Audi and Mazda enthusiast, often seen working on either two.
What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Helping a mate put a 3S-GTE into a tiny AW11.
steve kingWriterSteve is a rather tall Yorkshireman who left his native England 15 years ago to visit Japan for a year or so, and ended up never going back. A self-confessed workaholic, when he’s not translating obscure technical Japanese he may be found in the dojo or steering around wild deer in his modified Golf GTI on the mountain roads of Hokkaido. What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Improvised a screwdriver to remove an interior panel to clog the alarm bell using sellotape.
Nick’s love of cars, driving and mechanical skills, came from his father, a Touring Car driver in the 1970s. When not tinkering with IT Tech, or instructing a Cadet Squadron in aviation, you will find him in his car or under it. On a cruise, a race track or a driveway, he’ll be having good times with mates helping out where he can and enjoying the company.What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Using a thin piece of LEGO to hold idle on a throttle assembly on a B21E Engine.
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issue05. regular columnists
marty moogmighty car mods is..
Moddius Expertus Presentusius Undercover Soccer MumMarty’s favourite shirt reads “no tofu” but despite this, he and Moog still manage to stay great friends while creating the hit show Mighty Car Mods. Since he was a teenager he’s been modifying anything that moves, and some things that don’t. He feels most at home in a spare parts shop or wreckers yard scouring for parts to put to use on the driveway and believes that a mod worth doing, is a mod worth doing yourself.What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Cut the roof off a 323, which caught fire a few days later...
Moog is host, and co-creator of the hit YouTube series Mighty Car Mods which started in 2008. He has owned many cars ranging from his Mini, VL Commodore and three-wheeled Camira, through to a range of S13’s, modified Golf GTI’s and his defeated JDM S15. He has filmed over 100 episodes of Mighty Car Mods in locations including USA, Japan and Hong Kong. He dislikes eggplant immensely.What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Glued a Pantera cassette into my stereo so my friends couldn’t change it.
geoFF thompsonwww.geoffthompson.comGeoff Thompson is recognised as one of the best self-defence instructors in the world. After a decade working on the doors of some of the roughest clubs on the planet, he is now a BAFTA winning author of 40 books, including his autobiography ‘Watch My Back’ which was adapted into a major motion film ‘Clubbed’
andrew hawkins
irongav
www.motiveDVD.comAndrew Hawkins is a veteran of the modified car scene in Australia. After studying Engineering in the Airforce he worked as a commentator for Autosalon, Full Lock and Drift Australia, as well as hosting their TV show. He worked as the producer for Ignition DVD before starting his own production company Jet Multimedia which owns the Motive DVD Series. He loves building his own cars and has a R32 GTR street car, drift car, and his well known project car JET200.
www.irongav.comDespite having a degree in industrial design, Gavin’s real interest in cars really only came after he was able to afford to buy them - never settling for anything average, this took quite a bit of time working his way up from intern slave through to feature film art department and then finally head designer of his own and other companies involved with film / video production. Decidedly biased towards anything “made in Germany” he is currently trying to find a pair of long pants that fit like his shorts you will see him in 365 days a year.
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issue05. contributors
ying bot
nick andrew @nick88s
robert read / beast260
Writer and Photographer for ‘Roadster Life’. Read the article on page 44.
Writer and Digital Artist for ‘Virtual Drift Pig’. Read the article on page 78.
Writer on ‘MCM Meet: Melbourne Style’ on page 22.
Born in a sewer containing toxic ooze, Ying was trained by a fierce ninja rodent. As a young adult, she turned her back on the ninja life and replaced her sword with a steering wheel. Local folklorists refer to her as a “Track Ronin” (a circuit samurai with no master). In her spare time, Ying enjoys collecting a selection of fine Japanese wheels and small underpowered vehicles.
What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? I had Adamantium fused to my bones for it’s excellent metal conductivity. I am now able to jump start cars with my bare hands.
Nick Andrew is a Forza guru who spends his time building incredible cars virtually, including vehicles from Top Gear and the MCM Drift Pig 180SX featured in this issue. He’s also got a successful YouTube channel where he’s got crazy fans known as the AR12 Army who follow his mad videos on drifting and gaming.
What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Building a virtual version of the MCM drift car sent my channel insane?
Fitter and turner by trade and all around car nut, Robert is known as the Car MacGyver among the MCM Melbourne members. Has been working on cars since he was 9, from the age of 13 has owned 30+ cars and still counting ranging from a 76 Datsun 200B coupe right up to his 06 Ford XR8 Ute. In his spare time, he likes to arrange car meets and cruises for many of the MCM fans in the Melbourne area.
What is the most insane mod you’ve ever done? Making a Turbo manifold out of a stock Exhaust header for a Holden 3.8 engine.
Do you have a story for MCM Magazine?Got some crazy car stories from your end of the globe? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with the magazine team at magazine@mightycarmods.com
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Train People...
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Train people worDS & iMageS : MarTy
two types of people in this world, car people…
and train people. How can that be? I hear you ask.. Because people either love and use cars, or love and use trains. Now thats not to say that they both love AND use them - it just means they may love them or they may not.
Train museums are proof of this - boffins from all over gather to gawk at the metal behemoths that started the rail revolution. And they are pretty impressive beasts. They are credited with modernising most developed countries, particularly in America, joining the east to the west. Trains basically became the most advanced form of transport once people figured out they could move more gear than with just horses and carts.
This is not an effort to delve into the psychology of those who choose to drive themselves and those who choose to be driven around on geographically limited metal rails by a bloke named ‘Jerry’ and a train guard who finds it funny to mumble incomprehensible station names into the PA microphone - this is a short review of what can go wrong when both methods of transport are utilised, in a foreign country.
Recently I visited the UK to go to Japfest; the United Kingdoms biggest Japanese Car event. Much like SEMA (See article page <<>>) I have been busily squirrelling away spare dollars in order to experience (and document) some of these events around the world while I have the time and a camera that works.
I arrived into London and booked a hire car. The daily hire prices are ridiculously cheap these days - it makes you wonder how it is they actually make money. I’d pre planned the route i’d be taking to the next biggest city so didn’t need the GPS and had travel insurance to cover any accidents with the car (a MUST!) I got “upgraded” from a Ford Focus to a Peugeot 308 - The guy at the counter was extremely friendly so I gave him an MCM lanyard and told him about the show while I was there.
The car had just been washed and was sitting out the front parked rear to kerb, I walked around, had a quick glance and it looked brand new - threw my gear in the boot and was on my way.
20 minutes later i stopped at a roadside service stop to get some dinner (or breakfast, can never tell with Jetlag!) and took a long exposure shot of the car in the carpark. It was full moon and the silver car looked great against the black background, even if it was a Peugeot… diesel!
Fast forward a few days of driving around the country side (well over 600km) and I find myself at the nearest service station to the car rental place, I fill the 3/4 empty tank up with diesel, still in awe at how little fuel the car had used for the trip - and set off to return the car to the rental company.
When I get back, the lady on check in has a look at the front of the car and says “It’s damaged”. A little bit stunned I walk around the front of the car (now very dusty from country roads) and sure enough there’s a scratch on the front bumper bar. I was completely certain I hadn’t damaged the
There are
“those who choose to be driven around on geographically limited metal rails by a bloke named ‘Jerry’ and a train guard who finds it funny to mumble
incomprehensible station names into the pa
microphone”
Damage at night... harD to see right?
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car myself, but there was always the possibility someone else had done it while it was parked. This still didn’t make sense as I’d rarely been into any towns and there wasn’t anything to scratch the bumper bar on. From my painting experience I can tell you it was a graze that hadn’t even made it through to the base coat, so it would have cut and polished out pretty much straight away.
The minutes were ticking down to get a connecting train and I was ushered through the process of paying close to $400 for the “damaged vehicle”. I had no choice but to sign a form outlining my side of the story and that it could be followed up later but “i would have to pay for the damage now”.
As I was discussing the damage with the branch manager she pulled up the database for that car. There was an entry for ‘scratch, lower valance’. She decided that was not the same as the bumper bar, so therefor this damage I had
caused must be new. I was told a valance is a ‘lower lip’, by the way - the 308 doesn’t have a valance, or lower lip.
I took a quick photo of the damage in case i’d need it later on.
A while later I remembered that i’d taken that long exposure photo in the car park. I opened it up on my laptop, sure enough, not 20 minutes after I’d hired the car - there was the same scratch! I was relieved that I hadn’t unknowingly caused the damage to the car - but my bank balance had still copped a hit - (a few days worth of accommodation or car hire for example) because of it.
It’s easy to get angry in this situation, and to be honest, I was. It seems quite unfair to not only be blamed for damage that you didn’t do but also to be made to pay for it straight away with no opportunity to contest it. I was glad I had travel insurance and also glad I had the photo.
Not long after getting on that train.. a ticket inspector came and asked me for my ticket. I presented my reservation documents only to be told that “No, that is not the correct kind of ticket, and No you can’t actually print off the right kind of ticket for the train you are on so you need to buy another ticket right now”.
A few hundred euro’s later (now a whole week of budget completely blown) I was allowed to remain in one of the two seats I had now paid for.
I’m writing this a few days later, and in a few days from now I’ll need to hire another car.
The lesson i’ve learned is that you actually do need to check the car with a fine tooth comb before hiring - even in a first world country on a practically new car. I’ve always given hire cars a once over but from now on I think some walk around photos might be in order. In the end the bill for my rental car almost tripled, and now i’m no longer wondering why the daily hire rate was so cheap.
an update
So for the second hire I chose a different company, based mostly on what cars were available as all the prices and conditions are very similar.
A turbo golf was offered for a really good price and after some issues with the booking system, i was given free excess coverage as part of the hire. The staff actually said to me “don’t worry too much about checking it, if you damage it its all covered anyway and won’t cost you anything”
That was quite revealing and gave me just a little insight into how rental car companies can afford to offer the cars at such a low daily rate.
“The lesson I’ve learned Is ThaT
you acTually do need To check The car wITh a fIne TooTh comb before hIrIng - even In a
fIrsT world counTry on a pracTIcally new car.”
Damage much easier to see in the Daylight...
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The Moog FileS:
No Signal, No Service, No School.
No Signal, No Service, No School.
THE MOOG FILES:
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The Moog FileS: no Signal, no ServiCe, no SChool. worDS: Moog
you’ve had a chance to
read previous issues of the
magazine or even caught a peek
at one of the MCM episodes
where I ramble about S13’s, you
might know I used to have an
S13 that had been destroyed by
a lightning strike which caused it
to burn down to a crisp...
After I sorted the legal issues, I
used the insurance money to
import a 180SX from Japan. It
had a full exhaust, a bar of boost,
Tein suspension, 6 speakers and
half a boot full of sub, with a type
X rear conversion. I loved the car
and it was actually the first turbo
car I’d ever been in or driven. I
picked it up from the docks still
running on Japanese fuel. It was
loud and amazing.
Anyway, this particular day was
just a normal morning on the way
to work. I’d had my three weet-
bix and patted my pet mice as I
left my apartment. It was around
8am when I pulled onto Victoria
Road so there were lots of other
cars around and a school bus in
every direction.
It was a beautiful morning. I was
heading east towards the city
on Victoria Road. I had stopped
at some traffic lights and I was
in the right lane. I was in pole
position. To my left was a car
also stopped at the lights and
to my right there was an empty
lane for vehicles to turn right.
The right lane had a green arrow
and I noticed that the arrow
turned orange and then red
just as my light went green. So
I took off and next thing I know -
BANG and the screech of metal
to my right.
I was only going 15km/hour and
was well and truly in my own
lane. It was quite confusing. I
looked out my drivers window
and saw a huge school bus,
absolutely chock full of kids.
The bus driver looked straight
at me through the glass doors.
Clearly knowing he’d just taken
out the side of my car but he
continued to take his right tun
through the intersection, while
the kids looked out windows
at me stopped in the middle
of the road. He was obviously
racing to get through the green
arrow to turn right, but he got
there too late and it had turned
red. Instead of stopping, like
any responsible human being,
he had decided to swing wide
to make it through the corner of
the red light at speed. Swinging
wide meant ripping into the side
of my car in the process.
Unfortunately in all the confusion
and other cars beeping me I
didn’t get the bus number plate,
and without it I would have
more trouble than I needed to
make a claim. This in itself was
a massive fail on my part as
without it I was not confident I
could make a quick and easy
insurance claim. What I did get
was the bus route number (334*)
from the illuminated sign at the
back of the bus which was much
bigger than the number plate.
I pulled over and made a quick
call to Just Car Insurance who
explained that the easiest option
would be to get the number
plate, which I didn’t have.
iF
“My pOp Up LIgHTS
wERE jUMpIng Up and dOwn LIkE an
agITaTEd MOnkEy
bUT IT waS nO gOOd.”
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