Friday, October 29, 2010

The Bosozoku MEGAPOST

The following is a 3 part MegaThread that VadGTI posted some time in 2004 to the VWVortex
The photos were lost in a crash... this year... I recovered them and rehosted them and helped Vad re-code the forum threads so that they worked again.
However, you'll notice the threads start as "I'm Back! Part IV" and then V an VI, respectively...
there is in fact a part I, II and III... and we ARE recovering these as well. Teaser: lots of photos from Tokyo Auto Salon 2004!

Here is a SINGLE MEGAPOST of all 3 parts!

This was a meet at Daikoku in Yokohama a couple of days after January 1st.To celebrate the new year, bosozoku (motorcycle hooligans) cruise into Kamakura on motorcycles via the Shonan (like our PCH) in droves.Their other favorite mode of transport is an unregistered Mark II or Cresta (our Cressida) with its roof chopped off...The weekend after January 1st, they gather at Daikoku (a well-known spot for meets) for a huge meet at a rest stop... This is where I snapped these pics.The cars ranged from bozo'd out old school Laurels/Crestas/Skylines to crazy vans and flashing trucks...


Daikoku is in the middle of the tangle of off/on-ramps


Aerial shot

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Annual Dyno Day!

for the past 8 years, I've done dyno days almost every year without fail.
I've used multiple places, multiple dyno types and compiled research on many of those dynos.
For the past 3 years, I've used Enhanced Street Performance in Sterling MA for two reasons:
1) no upfront cost to schedule a dyno day. Most places charge a day rental fee and then the organizer is responsible for collecting the fees from the attendees... this sucks for me as the organizer as I need cash from everyone and I float a huge fee out there that sometimes I wasn't recouping. ESP does it simple: schedule the day, get people to come. You get 15 people to come, the organizer rolls free!
2) Friendly and knowledgeable staff. I've seen them hook up really weird cars safely and quickly, maximizing pull times. Last year they had to lock down an R8. They say the ONE car they hate are Audi Allroads. They provide free food and drink for PAYING participants. Spectators can get scraps once everyone has eaten.

ESP uses a Mustang 1100-SE AWD dyno. While not my FAVORITE dyno out there (that'd be the Land & Sea Dynomite because they're made locally in Concord NH and they have great software and sensor inputs). The Mustang is a great, easy to use dyno that spits out pretty good data. (I suggest asking your local dyno operator for a CSV file of the run with all the data outputs in a table format if available.

I've got my annual dyno day scheduled for November 13th this year. I do this in late fall because that's generally the best time to do it for most cars. Normally I do it in Mid October, but this year I had my October already booked up in advance.
I'm trying to get a lot of 5 cylinder Audis to come so we can get a great set of data points.

Video and photos are always available after the dyno at http://www.youtube.com/northshoreinnovation

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Casey Jones - Audi S6

In February of 2009, I sold my GTI for an S6

When I first bought it, it was kind of a wreck, aethetically

But it was certainly mechanically sound.
The owner had a book of receipts dating back to the original purchase date
When looking at the AAN powerplant, mileage only really becomes a concern above 200k when the valve seats start to wear and you get some blow by. This car had it's head recently removed, re-seated, reground, resurfaced, new t-belt, water pump, headgasket and bolt kit, Control arms, tie rods, wheel bearings, radiator hoses, spark plugs, CV joints, ball joints and a few other things



The suspension was blown out completely, the driver's seat was on it's way to being wasted, the steering wheel leather was peeling, the paint was hazy, a headlight was cracked, the blower motor squealed like a pig and the car also had the 1.8T Coilpack conversion (except he was using 4.2L V8 Coils)
It also came with the most awful looking 15" wheels I've ever seen, but it was clad with relatively new winter rubber, which was good because it was February.



So, I basically bought it sight unseen (in person anyway). I had literally just sold my GTI and the Porsche wheels I had on it the day before and went down there with $4000 cash in hand and bought it after a short drive with my friend.
It seemed pretty solid, aside from the wasted suspension and the loud, squirmy snow tires. So $4000 poorer (actually only about $700 poorer because I made a good sale on my GTI and the wheels) I drove it home. That's when I found the blower motor made an awful noise.

Either way, the owner gave me this giant book of details on the car. Upon inspection of the delivery documentation I found this strange line on the sheets:
Part # NPN-RS2KIT
Description - Perf Mod Kit
Price $1192.50

Hmm... Performance Mod Kit? I looked at the tech notes and one of the things it mentioned was "Instal Computor" (sic)
There was also a whole bunch of extra nuts and bolts on the parts manifest as well. What I eventually came to find out (after ripping the ECU out and diseccting it) was that the car had an RS2 Exhaust Manifold and a Lehmann Chip
Now, the RS2 exhaust manifold I knew about, as did the previous owner, but we didn't know about the chip
The RS2 manifold is an interesting one in itself. Maybe not so much the RS2 manifold, but the stock one:

RS2 on top, Stock on bottom.
For some reason, the stock manifold only feeds cylinders 2,3 and 4 to the turbo while 1 and 5 go to the wastegate.
RS2 manifolds go for $800-1200 on the market, so this was a good thing to have. It also opened up the doors to a full RS2 turbo and software for maximum benefits.
About a week after I bought it, I decided to upgrade the headlamps to HIDs and install the radio I've always had.

I also made an auxiliary in jack on the dash

the HIDs were certainly beneficial as well and thanks to the car having projectors, it actually looked good too.
At the same time I was installing my HIDs, I had got my new suspension from a guy in NJ for dirt cheap ($400 or so) and was simply waiting to install it
Of course, a few days after that, the car just up and died on me.

So, we started our first "WTF" moment with the car.
First thing we tried was a new ignition switch... that didn't work ($7)
then we tried a new camshaft position sensor... that didn't work ($10)
Figuring that I got a 'fake' Cam position sensors, I purchased the OEM one for $50 and did it again. Now, the Cam position sensor involves removing the t-belt and camshaft sprocket. The first time we did it it took about 2 hours. The second time about 30 minutes.
We tried a new fuel pump relay ($50)... that didn't work
We were checking for spark the whole time and we were getting spark... at least we were until we weren't.
In a fit of rage I called a tow truck and had it towed to my friend Lee's shop.
Lee grabbed a spare coilpack from his stash and threw it in... the car fired right up.
Of course then the coolant temp sensor housing exploded. Luckily that was cheap.
So, I got my car back and drove it for a few days. The whole time I started worrying about those shitty 1.8T coils... they sucked in the 1.8T, why would they be any better in a car not designed for them. I had a friend with a non-running S6 and he wanted to try replacing his ignition, so I sold my kit to him and bought the EFI Express LS2 Coilpack system. The car seemed to run a lot smoother now.

After all that time, I finally got around to getting the car into the shop for the suspension.

Before

After

We also found the cause for my major front end clunk:

COMPLETELY perished front strut mounts. Upon removal, the bushing simply fell out.
A few days later I got my first set of wheels:

$200 with good tires.

At this point, I took a break and started planning a dyno day and had my friend Todd do some paint restoration


Then a few days later... the front axle fell out. Luckily, it bolted back in with no major issues
I decided, after finding out that I had a chip in the car, that I wanted to find out how much boost it's making BEFORE the dyno day. So I ordered up a Mk4 Jetta boost gauge holder and a Stewart Warner gauge.
Which doesn't fit perfectly, but it works for now

here it is installed

A few days later it was on the rollers. I was expecting about 180-190whp on this dyno as it has been a killer for me in the past. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it made 230whp

Video as well

a few weeks later, I began noticing my car was leaving oil everywhere. The oil pressure sender had gone bad and was leaking. Another $3 fix

I was scheduled to have a methanol injection setup done, but I still haven't gotten around to that. At this point I had started taking the train to work instead of driving. The S6 is not the best on gas

After a few choice encounters with horribly faded brakes, I decided my money was best spent on upgrading to Porsche brakes. I found a set locally, used for cheap ($600) so I set about getting them. A few friends of mine orchestrated the pick up and within a few weeks I had my new brakes.

I also sent the car to my friend Lee to replace the blower motor because that was driving me mental as well as take care of a few other maintenance items like having the newest coolant flushed into it, fix some clunks and get new tranny and diff fluid.

At this point my car started to get real down on power. I replaced the N75 valve and also found that a boost line had gone sour and was crimping up.

My friends were nice enough to take my car for a week and install the brakes and lines and flush it all out


Then I promised myself and my wife that I'd be done for the year...
until I bought this...


but considering I got it for $600 when they normally go for $1200, I figured why not.

Then a few weeks later at a BBQ, I was informed of an RS2 powered car which had just met it's demise at the hands of a tree and 70mph.


I also finally got my European rear plate surround off to my friend for painting

so I should have that soon

Now I just need to install the turbo and software/injector kit and I'll REALLY be done.
Aside from a 6 speed transmission and a clutch upgrade, that's all that's left to do with the car.
Maybe the methanol injection too.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Buy a Nuclear Accelerator, Get Some Free Lamborghinis!

This is a deal right here. Only US $17,500,000.00.



2004 Aracor Eagle. Neutron, Nuclear detector. Worlds largest x ray CT. Comes with a warehouse full of Lamborghini's at no extra charge! The Eagle has been a sought after system following 9/11/01. Jamaica paid $17,500,000.00 for this identical model, and homeland security announced a $40,000,000.00 contract with Aracor for an undisclosed number of machines. This one can be obtained with substantial savings This cargo inspection system, will penetrate a 12 inch wall of metal to give an image, yet not kill a stowaway. High energy electron accelerator beam will scan a 20 foot sea container in 30 seconds. This is a mobile unit in perfect operating condition. (hard drive is removed for security) The engine only has 1000 hours since new(only a month and a half of running) It is located on the eastern coast (middle) of the United States in an international deep water port (exact location disclosed upon request). It can be moved by barge to any of the 185 deep water ports in the United States, or anywhere in the world. It can also be disassembled and moved by truck or rail. I drove the eagle yesterday, and it runs perfectly. Generator runs perfectly as well. Generator has 1500 hours. For the buy it now price, we will deliver the Eagle to any deep water port; and give to the buyer or broker making the sale a collection of 7 Lamborghini's from 1971 to 2009. (One Espada, 1971; Five Murcielago's, 2002, 2003, 2003, 2005, 2005; and one LP640, 2009). This way you can help your country and yourself. The fifth photo is from geosynchronous orbit yesterday (view from space). The machine weighs 180,000 pounds (90 tons) and is several lanes wide and three stories tall, so it cannot be driven on the road for any distance. The Eagle can also be used to scan trucks and rail cars at land borders or entry point facilities. This item is owned by the seller herein who will negotiate with any interested country or United States agency. However, we neither negotiate with, nor sell to terrorists or their agents. In September, the Eagle was chosen by R&D Magazine for a 2004 “R&D 100 award,” and was selected as the “Best of the Best” among those products that solve a social problem. Members of the judging panel included almost 50 independent technical experts, as well as the magazine’s editors, and competitors for the awards included country-region U.S. national laboratories as well as businesses from Asia, Europe and North America. Current clients for the EAGLE include several automobile makers, who use its scanners to inspect car parts; the U.S. Air Force, which employs them to inspect the rocket motors of both Peacekeeper and Minuteman missiles, and the Department of Energy, which uses them to inspect nuclear weapons components at its storage sites. For technical info see: http://hpschapters.org/ncchps/Inspection_Systems_at_POE.pdf
All reasonable offers will be considered. Brokers are welcome and will be paid commission, or given the warehouse full of Lamborghini's. So if you can find a buyer, you can retire. You can reach us at 225 205 1675. Lee

Friday, August 27, 2010

Bike Garage


What's great about throwing a "over the cab" camper made for a pickup truck onto the back of a flatbed, is that you get your Bike Garage space framed out for free... And make no mistake, you gotta have a bike garage.


Thursday, August 26, 2010

Going Mobile


"Lift up! Handmade" Camping car from Japan.



This is an oldie but goodie. The most gonzo "camping car" home-built camper from Japan. Three Guys. Three Years. A million wins. This project is inspirational to me, because someday, I'm going to do it. Mine won't transform, and it probably won't have a bathtub or tatami mats in it, but one of these days I'm going to hit the road, and it sure as hell won't be in an off-the-shelf RV. Who's with me?


Reader submitted blogs

We start with:
Build Threads

check this one out:
K-series powered Corrado.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Roundup: Coverage from Nisei Showoff 2010

Blogging a blog of other people's blogs

Roundup: Coverage from Nisei Showoff 2010

Ben Levy has a great roundup of all the other blogs who were blogging about Nisei

this N600 is doing something right


A brief history of TPKN

While not entirely my story to tell, I can explain briefly what TPKN is and was.
A long time ago, before wikipedia... there was a group of people on a burgeoning forum who had the answers.
We were those people.
At first, acting as a single unit, we all began to notice that many threads ended with a reply and final answer from us. We grouped together as TEAM POST KILLING NINJA! *insert dramatic music*
Each member had their own specialty. Turbos, tuning, suspension, engineering, engine and chassis codes, general automotive knowledge, niche automotive knowledge... if we didn't know the answer, we knew someone who did or we knew where to find it.

Over time, the internet filled itself with the knowledge we imparted and we took a smaller role online. But we still remain friends on facebook (except for paranoid-ass Vad) and we'll still kick in a little information here and there.

Roster

Leonardo
Donatello
Michaelangelo
Raphael
Splinter
Casey Jones
Leatherhead
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