JCCA Classic Car Festival New Years Meeting Odaiba, Japan Part 2
This Mazda Savanna GT (RX3) was amazing sitting on Hayashi Streets and sporting flares and a chin and ducktail spoiler, I love that look on these. I noticed the gas door had been moved up to the C pillar and that the brakes were different. So we took a look underneath and Ken and I were surprised to see independent suspension in the rear. After talking to the owner it turns out its riding on skyline suspension, pretty trick. He was cool and fired up the bridge ported 13b, it was music to our ears.
Sitting next to the Rx3 was a SA22 RX7 in a rad green on some SSR formula mesh. It had the perfect stance. Simple and timeless, straight outta the early 80's. The Fast Four and Rotary guys would love it.
We recognized this Ken Mary right away with it's distinct livery.
Not far from the Ken Mary we saw this TE27 chassis sitting out at these guys booth and as we approached saw the ultra rare and awesome 151e toyota race engine hanging out in it's bay.
Love the Advan livery and deep A3A's on this corolla.
This custom Lotus Elan on panasports was beautiful. The sharper nose, slightly smoother fender arches with relocated mirrors and headlights were nice and subtle for a unique look.
This KP61 Starlet with TRD N2 flares coated in orange paint looked tough, we were lusting after the TRD tach inside.
The Galant FTO is one of my favorites that you don't see a lot. This one looked aggressive in the green they came in and sitting on some beautiful Techno Phantoms.
Thank you to all of our sponsors!
JCCA Classic Car Festival New Years Meeting Odaiba, Japan Part 1
JCCA Classic Car Festival New Years Meeting Odaiba, Japan Part 1
To say this event was rad is a understatement, this is by far my favorite automotive meet. The number of amazing classic Japanese cars is overwhelming. If you love old school Japanese cars, this is a worth while trip, the swap meet is an added bonus too. There are four JCCA events through out the year, the New Year Meeting being the biggest gathering usually taking place in Odaiba.
Lucky for us, the weather had just cleared up the day before and it was sunny skies. We took the train over and as we walked over to the event a bunch of bosozuku cars blasted by on the road nearby. We were pretty juiced! The cars in the parking lots outside the event are a show in themselves. Most being just as nice and rad as the cars within.
There are rows with amazing builds, immaculate restorations and vintage race cars tucked in here and there. Exotic European cars (we were surprised by the number of badass Lotus Europa's there) and even some older american cars. The event runs from 9am to 4pm, which sounds like a long time, but there are so many cars to look at and then the swap meet too. You could spend an hour looking over a row of Hakosuka's and Ken Mary's or get lost looking for hard to find old parts in the swap meet. Make sure to come early to check out the cars in the parking lot though, they are worth it, a huge variety of Japanese badassery.
After checking out some cool old little Kei cars we came across a group of awesome Celicas, several sporting Wizard stickers.
This yellow Celica sporting flares and wide Hayashi Streets drew our intention as soon as we spotted it. The owner was super cool and came over and popped the hood for us.
We then made our way over to opposing rows of Skylines and Lotus Europa's, it was a interesting pairing, seeing them together. This Hakosuka on four spoke Watanabes and Black Lotus Europa on SSR MK3's are awesome.
It's pretty cool to see Team Wild Cards represented in Japan with an amazing Skyline on TE37 wrapped with Hoosiers
To be continued. In the mean time here's a few photos from the event and a word from our sponsor.
Written by Tom Johnston Instagram @_night.moves_
Photography by Kenjo Raif Instagram @garagestar
Koyo Radiator install
As some of you know we have been using a Koyo aluminum radiator for the past couple months. We've now put 6,000 miles on the car, ran a couple atuoX events and now has a track day with this radiator. We absolutely love it! The car performed awesome over this past weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Temperatures were over 105 and the temp didn't go up at all. We did 4 sessions at 20 minutes at a time. A lot of you have asked how was the install on it and can it be done at home. It absolutely can be done at home with regular tools. We put together a install guide in case you needed some help installing the Koyo Radiator. Visit http://www.koyorad.com/ for more info
Koyo Radiator replacement guide for 2006-2015 Mazda Miata
Forward:
In this article, we will be detailing the process to install your brand new Koyo radiator into your 2006-2015 Mazda Miata. This install was done on a 2014 Miata Club Edition, but everything in the engine bay as far as the cooling system will remain the same between the years. From this point on, we will refer to the car by its chassis code: NC.
Difficulty:
8/10
This install is fairly complex, as you have to remove basically everything from the battery forwards. It is highly recommended, that if you want to upgrade your headlights to a retrofitted system (or add HID bulbs), change your intake to a cold air system, update your front bumper, upgrade fans, etc. do it all at the same time. This is suggested because many components that you would need to remove for the installation of the above mentioned parts, are removed during this time for example: intake, splash guards, battery, radiator, fans.
Tools Required:
- 10mm socket and ratchet
- 10mm wrench
- Various extensions
- Flat head screw driver
- Pliers (various sizes helps)
- 12mm socket
- Coolant
- Phillips screwdriver
Time allotment
Please allow for approximately 6-8 hours to do this installation. This isn’t your typical radiator swap. The packaging of this car does not allow for an easy install. Also, it would be best to have a friend help you on some steps.
Disclaimer:
This installation was performed at the Garage Star HQ in Sacramento, CA on the Garage Star NC3 Club Edition. We used a lift to perform this install, however it can be done on jack stands. When using a lift, jack stands, power tools etc, please take the proper safety precautions. Please dispose of your coolant and oil in the proper manner.
Installation:
NOTE: This install is best done when the car is cooled down. No one likes to work on a hot car, and no one likes hot coolant in their faces. This is a long install, grab some drinks, food, listen to music but most importantly – take your time, and be patient.
Step 1:
Jack up the car: Take extra precautions when jacking up your car to ensure it will not slip off the stands.
Step 2:
Begin to remove the splash shields. There are a total of 3- 2 in the wheel well and one under the engine. The front of the splash guard is held in by phillips head screws, and the rest of the paneling is held in by fasteners which can be removed using a flat head screwdriver. The rear and wheel wells do have 10mm bolts holding them in.
You will need a 10mm socket and extension to reach this 10mm bolt holding in the wheel well splash guards.
Step 3:
The drain bolt is located in the front of the radiator, drivers side. It can be taken out with a phillips head screw driver, take caution to not strip this drain plug.
Place something under the drain plug to catch the coolant coming out. Once you position your pan, you can remove the radiator cap to help coolant drain quicker.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Never open the radiator cap if the car has just been on, the system is pressurized and can cause harm to you or others.
- Dispose of all coolant in the proper manner determined by your city, county or state.
Step 4:
The fun begins now. Remove the coolant hose from the top of the battery cover, as well as the battery cover.
Please Note:
Being organized now, will save you hassle in the long run.
Remove the bolts holding in the intake box. There is one phillips head/10mm bolt on the intake arm (green arrow), and 2 bolts on the intake box holding it to the chassis (blue arrow). Use a flat head screwdriver to unclip the MAF sensor.
Remove the air box, and filter.
Here you will want to use a flat head screwdriver to remove the plug for the MAF sensor.
This fastener for the bottom of the air box is a bit tricky. If you are standing at the front of the car, pull it towards you. It’s a rubber grommet that holds it secure. It may be stuck and will take some persuasion to get it to release. Don’t spray a lubricant on it to coax it free, your ecu is below.
This is what it looks like once removed.
Step 6:
Next we will remove the water reservoir. There are 3 coolant hoses connected to it as well as a few 10mm nuts . Use a pair of pliers to remove the hose clamps and if necessary, grip the hose with the clamps and wiggle the hose free.
Step 7:
Undo the battery, remove the tie downs, negative and positive wires. Once the battery is removed, remove the 10mm bolts holding the tray in. You will want to also remove the bolt holding down the power steering reservoir.
Step 8:
Now lets remove the ecu. There are 4 bolts holding in the ecu cover. Remove those.
Press the clip down (blue arrow) and then swing the white arm back and you will have the cable disconnected. Remove the ecu and black paneling under it.
Unplug the fan, and separate the coolant hoses from the fan shroud.
Step 10:
We will now remove the AC and PS components which attach themselves to the radiator. Remember - take your time, you don’t want to damage your PS or AC lines. You may want a friend to help hold parts up while they dangle.
The AC condenser and lines attach at the front and sides of the radiator and can easily be removed using 10mm wrenches and ratchets.
The upper radiator stays are this l shaped bracket. 2 10mm nuts hold them in. Then remove the lower radiator stays, those are held in by 12mm bolts.
Step 11:
Now its time to install your Koyo Radiator in. We put the radiator in without mounting the fan first.
Transfer the rubber feet from the OEM radiator to the Koyo radiator, and reattach mounting points and AC lines. You will need a friend to help.
Koyo uses the OEM rubber mountings for the lower radiator stay.
Take your time when reinstalling your AC components.
Now you’re ready to install the fan. Simply slide it back into place, Koyo’s radiator has areas for the stock fan mounting brackets.
Step 12:
Simply follow these instructions in reverse to reinstall everything, battery, air box, ecu etc. You can then begin to bleed the coolant.
Step 13:
Enjoy your new Koyo Radiator!
Garage Star Delrin door Bushings
Replace your old worn rubber bushings with Garage Star delrin door bushings. The Garage Star door bushings will help with chassis rigidity.
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Drove the car today with the GarageStar door bushings and I have to say, these things are great!
One of the most immediate things I noticed with these was something I didn’t even have to drive the car to see; audio quality was massively improved with these. The stock 10AE Bose system doesn’t sound terrible anymore! Bass and mids are much cleaner and the bass hits are a lot punchier than before. Night and day difference in regards to that.
As far as drivability goes, I probably noticed the benefits of these the most while going over bumps and highway joints in the road. The doors definitely don’t move at all. These make that signature Miata wiggle and clunking sound virtually disappear over harsh bumps.
As far as NVH:
Noise: Quite the opposite of what I was expecting; a very noticeable reduction in noise overall. Mostly noticeable when going over bumps.
Vibration: Little to no additional vibration from what I could tell. My car is pretty well braced, so your mileage may vary here depending on what level of bracing is installed in your car.
Harshness: Little to no additional harshness. Yet again, this may vary depending on what you have installed in your car.
One thing I will say: these bushings are great for keeping your doors where they need to be while driving, but they are not a replacement for door bars or frame rails by any means. Not really sure where people were getting that idea to begin with, but for what they are, they do their job fantastically well.
Well done Ken!
ShadowMX5
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Installed GarageStar’s new Delrin door bushings today. 4 Phillips screws and a quick test drive later, I’m pretty impressed.
They eliminated most(not all) of my “65mph shimmy” and make the car feel totally solid.
Tested with hardtop installed, bone stock 99 NB with 192k miles. NBs are significantly stiffer than NAs from the get go so I was surprised how effective these little pieces of plastic are.
In the grand scheme of chassis stiffeners, these are pennies compared to all the other options and more effective than all the shock tower bars, Cannon Braces and lower control arm tie bars I’ve ever tried.
Hit up Garage Star to get yours.
Dan Howard
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I just installed these today on my NB1 daily driver, and I couldn’t be more impressed! Cabin noise is greatly reduced over rough terrain, my car no longer creaks when entering a driveway (I could literally watch my door gap separate prior), and I can affirm that the audio quality has improved with my BOSE/Clearwater setup – much less vibration with lower frequencies. The doors now close with an affirmative clunk that is reminiscent of higher dollar luxury cars.I also test fit them on a few other NA/NB prior to my final install, no need for sanding or modification. If you are experiencing any issues, it is likely that your steel cup has been damaged or bent in your car’s lifetime. Like mentioned earlier, hand tighten to snug, close the door a few times, and cinch it down.Absolutely worth every penny. Hands down one of the best dollar for dollar modifications available for our cars.Great work Ken!!
Black Box Motorsport
Read Adam's review and install guide in the link below.
http://revlimiter.net/blog/2015/07/garage-star-delrin-door-bushing-review/
click the link below to purchase
https://garagestar.com/?product=garage-star-delrin-door-bushings
Garage Star 1.75 " Delrin shift knobs!
A bunch of customers requested we make a black spherical shift knob so here they are! https://garagestar.com/?product=garage-star-black-delrin-shift-knob
Where to purchase Garage Star products
Hi guys. Garage Star is starting to expand rapidly through out the US and world wide. Some of you guys might not know who our vendors are or where to buy Garage Star products locally. We are going to continue to add vendors to this page. If you have any questions feel free to email or call us.
CALIFORNIA
San Diego Area
Pann Auto Performance
www.pannauto.com
7960 Ronson Road
San Diego, CA 92111
858.278.PANN (7266)
866.456.4926
Shop Hours
Monday - Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm
administrator@pannauto.com
Los Angeles Area
Project-G LA
www.projectgla.com
1370-i Maine Ave
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
909 206 4282
parts@projectgla.com
San Francisco Area
Limitless Motorsports
www.limitlessmotorsports.com
1049 San Mateo Ave
San Bruno, CA 94066
(650)589-5495
Does installs and custom fabrication
FLORIDA
Arauz Motoring
www.arauzmotoring.com
Arauzmotoring@gmail.com
786-322-8205
AUSTRALIA
OMG Pham
www.omgpham.com
mail@omgpham.com
Garage Star Stainless Steel Frame Rails
The Garage Star stainless steel frame rails slide over the factory frame rails and stiffen the cars chassis. Over time the factory rails are get damaged over speed bumps, jacking the car from the factory frame rails and mishaps on the race track. With the Garage Star frame rails we designed the bottom to be flat so for lowered and slammed car it wouldn't catch over speed bumper and sharp angled driveways. We also put plenty of drain holes so dirt and water doesn't collect between the factory frame rail and the Garage Star frame rails.
The Garage Star fame rails are made from 14 gauge stainless steel and comes with stainless mounting hardware.
Installation takes about 2.5-3 hours. You will need a drill (to drill holes for the frame rails) and sheers (to trim factory fuel rail bracket) Fuel rail bracket will use the stock mounting locations.
When installing the frame rails no welding is required. Some factory frame rail might need to be repaired before installing the frame rails.
Price $130 plus shipping
To purchase click the link https://garagestar.com/shop/frame_rails.html
For questions please email me. Email is on the contacts page.
Before
After
Garage Star Minimalist Center Console
Finished our new minimalist center console. I made this to give another option to the shorty console we already make. The console fit rover the factory rubber boot, ebrake lever and rear trunk/gas lever. It's held into place by Velcro to the factory carpet. As of right now we have black available but also plan to make it in tan and red LE. I'm also working on a tombstone cap that will be available in the near future.
Price is $150 with free shipping within the US. $180 shipped International
Click the link to purchase. https://garagestar.com/shop/minimalist_center_console.html
If you have any questions feel free to email or call. Email is on the contacts page
