can't leave well enough alone..

TW200 - update of sorts..

2011-12-23T02:07:00.000-08:00

Someone actually saw my blog(?!!) and asked about the TW.. I realized that a couple things were changed since, and that a pic update is due. Thanks chevyy1212 for the motivation..

Since last time around: shortened the header, ditched the muffler's dinky reverse-cone cap, and gave the tank a quick coat of neutral gray.. It's probably worth mentioning that this is the first bike i've owned that's fully legit, insurance, reg, safety insp, (seriously) in decades..

TW200..

2011-07-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

Picked up a bone-stock '08 TW200 locally.. It was the perfect 'quickie' build for what little free time I have. Cut up some handlebars, bent up a battery/electrical tray, a splashguard, and tail/turn mounts. Did a quick CV mod and rejet, slapped on a round headlamp.. The OEM graphics are nasty, and I'm not 100% sure if I dig the exhaust. There are a few more details in the works, but it is what it is for now. Oh, smaller rear sprocket for the 65+ mpg bike helps to offset the cost of $4.09/gal regular 87 unleaded. Ugh.

Driver training?

2011-04-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

Much to the wife's dismay, the little one felt right at home at the wheel!

Pepper White..

2011-03-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

The Corolla underwent an 8 hour makeover, thanks to a few friends. I needed to choose a color, and Pepper White was the one that I wouldn't be disgusted with a few months down the road..

up the hill..

2011-02-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

There's a hill in my backyard that i haven't hiked up in ages.. Friday afternoon seemed like a good time for it. All that fighting with gravity was worth it!

2011..!!

2010-12-31T20:22:00.001-08:00

Happy 2011 to all of you..!! I'm hoping to post a bit more this coming year & get this blog going as intended!

Test post!

2010-12-31T17:33:00.001-08:00

About a month ago, I finally sucked it up and got an iPhone.. Just figuring out the blog thing now.. Would have done it sooner- damn those angry birds..!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

hrdlck

2010-08-15T03:41:00.001-07:00

http://hrdlck.blogspot.com/

Japan, May '10, part 2

2010-08-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Thiiiis is how hard i've been slacking on posting on here. Japan in May, post updates in August lol. Anyhow, here are a few pics of some random food & drink.. Also got to catch up with Toshi and Maeken for a bit. Beer, beer, beer, food, food, food, fun!

Udon in Shinjuku...

Bacon Potato Pie from Makku - tastes like corn chowder!

Soft cream... what's left of it.!

Agemono (random deep-fried goodness) and Bull-Dog sauce to go..

Yuba-don...

Some dude from Irvine now in Tokyo..

Beer tasting. The one on the left was 88 yen, the others 268? 288?

Gotta love budget Japanese beer LOL. Much like Bud. Not my fave.

Taiwanese food in Yokohama Chukagai

The fellas

"Death Sauce" - full of a little flavor and a lot of pain...

Walking in the rain!

@ slick-kart track in Yamato. The guy in the suit meant business.

Ths place was probably built in the 80s, and is still fun as hell.

See? Business. D1 tandem, in some ratty go-kart!

Japan, May '10

2010-06-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

Just got back from ten days in Japan with wifey, baby Olivia, and my mom-in-law. It was nice to meet my in-laws for the first time!

We took a trip to Zoorasia with Aunty. It's a rad zoo, waaay bigger than the Honolulu Zoo. Lots of different animals, and it's very well designed. I get kinda bummed at zoos though; The polar bear seemed really 'gone' upstairs. Captivity, ugh. The highlight was the Okapi, a horsey, part-zebra-striped creature that looks like it's wearing panties from Wal-Mart. Look at the beautiful exit sign! I thought that it was the best thing ever, as I was tired as f*ck from walking around the whole zoo...

Hanging out with the fam was fun! We spent the weekend at Sheraton Grande Bay Tokyo, which is in the Tokyo Disneyland area. Really nice hotel in a well-planned resort area!

j-grub...

2010-02-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

I woke up hungry, and was thinking about the last time that I had really good Japanese food... New Year's Day '10 was good, with pop-in-law's Osechi-ryori that he had received from his employees!

Fuzzy tweeters...

2010-02-17T03:22:00.001-08:00

With baby around, there's not much time to spend in the garage working on big stuff. The CD player in the G35 has been busted for the past two years, and my co-worker has been constantly talking about car audio stuff for the past half-a-year, so there was good enough reason to futz around in search of some beat. Here are a couple pics of the tweeter panels, fiberglassed, flush mounted and done up in black fuzzy stuff to match the texture of the a-pillars. (This is the kinda stuff I'm doing to maintain sanity, all while baby's sleepin' and momma ain't lookin...!)

Approved? or not-so-frush?

2010-02-13T03:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Fatlace guys and HellaFlush, kids in 2010 are trying to do an automotive version of HOT-OR-NOT, buying all sorts of expensive wheels and learning how to beat up their fenders, all the while praying to GOD that they earn the internet-fame status of "HellaFlush Approved."

It's pretty ingenious, hyping up something to that extent. Most of the car heads that I know would do up their cars so that they turned out exactly how they wanted. Nobody gave a fuck about if other people loved it or hated it. I guess it's different now.

With these kids trying to feel loved with "HellaFlush Approved" status, they're spending more on their car than it'd cost for a girl to get a set of breast implants or a new wardrobe... How is that right?

Old school?

2010-02-13T02:44:00.000-08:00

Some of the dudes at work are getting all excited about Honda Civics, and are talking about how they're so "old school." I guess you can probably find a cheap Civic, throw a thousand bucks worth of knockoff ebay parts on it, and you're good, right?

Anyhow, I got to thinking about it, and the methods of improving a Honda Civic nowadays has progressed enough to become pretty "new school." This car was at Spoon/Type One in Shinjuku, in 2007. Suspension, brakes, chassis lightened and stiffened. K-series, with enough power that they chose to use 255/40's up front. The fiberglass flares came off of something else. Can you tell what they're from?

Everyone thinks that Spoon Sports is all about money. True, their quality is tops, and you can't cheap out on that. It's also about making good choices; There's no price on that.

It's still basically the same ballgame, though it's all driven by performance. You gotta love a car that can do the work.

Oliiiivia!

2010-02-13T02:41:00.001-08:00

Everyone's said that since day one, Olivia looked like her papa. I think that she looks like papa when she's in a good mood, and that she looks like momma when she's fussy. !!!

Random post sans pics..

2010-01-26T01:52:00.000-08:00

To start: I've been watching a fair share of TV these days.. TopGear>JayLeno.. Can't touch a bunch of offbeat Brit blokes beating the crap out of anything that moves.. How did Jay straight bite the celebrity laptime thing? Dang.

Vog sucks. I've had a steady, dull headache for the past two weeks. (it's either that to blame, or the consistent aroma of isopropyl alky @ wrk..) Headache sucks.

What happens to Hawaii if Mufi actually becomes Governor? I'm not a big politics guy, but........

2010-01-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

I've been totally slacking about posting stuff --! Our little girl has doubled her weight since birth, and is already 3-1/2 months old... Time really flies!

I was stoked to find a package in the mail from Phil, Kana and Haru! A shirt from FTC, a Trina&Co bag, and -- Olivia now has her first pair of Air Force 1's!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

:)

2009-10-05T00:54:00.000-07:00

Hey.. She's got me all tied up-- hence the lack of updates here!!

A few passes on the Dynojet...

2009-09-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

Jensen Jerko took time out of his busy schedule today to man the laptop and map out the PowerFC in the GS300. A few passes on the Dynojet netted 368hp and a good amount of torque. (okay, i forgot to look at the printout...) *correction, after finding the printout, there was 368.65hp and 372.89 lbs./ft. Jensen kept it conservative, considering Hawaii's 92 octane pump gas. It's a lot more fun to drive! Thanks for the fresh plugs and the tune-up..!

The Missile..

2009-08-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a long, long time since my last post; There's been a lot going on here at home..!

Anyhow, a few updated pics of the GS. Runs nice and smooth with the base map Jensen put in. Gotta get on the dyno soon. Driving around on super-low-boost is getting boring. That old AVC-R is from my old EG civic, then was in my S13, and here it is still kickin'.. The interior features the Alan V edition steering wheel and custom (hole saw + boat parts) drink holder that wasn't a Lexus factory option in '93..

Step-by-step..

2009-07-09T03:34:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely, the Corolla is gettin' worked on. Wiring harness is complete.. Just gotta work on a crank trigger setup..! Other stuff goin' on -- Lei and I tried Due Divino, an Italian restaurant around the corner.. The thin crust pizza was actually really good!

Progress?!

2009-06-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Lots of changes around the house, so the car thing's kinda been on the back burner. The other half is hoping that I get both cars done by mid-September. Given a deadline, I hit up Brandon and Aaron for some assistance in getting the GS together. I'm glad I did, as it's actually progressing quickly.. If I'd have kept on my pace, I'd have it finished by the year 2013.

The Corolla needs a crank angle sensor bracket fabbed up, a distributor delete plug machined, and the harness buckled up. Work's getting to me, I suppose; I shelled out a few bucks for a mil-spec Amphenol bulkhead connector to pass through the firewall..

Lunch X2..

2009-05-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Fridays are typically "Good (LUNCH) Fridays" at work. Ray's cafe's huge prime rib plate lunches were the call. After that, hooked up with some friends that didn't have such a huge lunch, and got sushi at Mitch's. Stuffed, but HAPPY..!

Bits of progress..

2009-05-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

First off, I keep forgetting to bring my digital cam with me. My phone pics suck. The Corolla got some updates -- SilkRoad front coilovers, Battle Version RCA and suspension rods, Craftz 6kg rear springs, and the TRD rear shocks that Brandon H. previously had on the car.. The SilkRoad coilover setup wasn't able to achieve the right ride height, and had to be modified. They welded a threaded sleeve to a factory spindle to accept their threaded body cartridge. There was interference btw. the stock spindle and the cartridge, so I cut the spindle and sleeve down for clearance, and had the sleeve re-welded. Stuck in my old Sparco Corsa seat with FG rails. Next up: japaneezu bumpers and some rust repair..

Corolla!

2009-04-22T02:23:00.000-07:00

Thinking back, some of the best times of my life were at Hawaii Raceway Park... I had a Corolla GT-S coupe in '04, until I stuffed my door into Justin's bumper and fender at 'off camber' turn. My right A-pillar was busted, and at the top of the door was a two-inch gap that wouldn't close. I'd tape over it if it rained.. When my S13 was complete, I didn't have room for both cars, and had to sell the GT-S. I've missed it ever since..

Jump to 2008, Justin's friend Brandon was parting ways with one of his cars, a dark blue GT-S hatchback. I couldn't pass it up. The body is stock, with the usual set of rust holes, though it runs good. Gonna add suspension stuff, wheels, mess with the fenders and go through the running gear. Here are a couple of pics of the car in progress.. Widened steelies, suspension mocked up. Got the steelies powdercoated at Mekala Powdercoating in Campbell Industrial Park. I'm happy with the way they came out.

Apologies for the crappy cell phone cam images in the dark..

The '90s..!

2009-03-12T19:01:00.001-07:00

Recently, somebody started a group called "Hyper Sports Racing" on Facebook. This past week, I've been trippin' out on all the pics that everyone's been uploading. Here are just a few from those posts.. The original Hyper Sports Racing showroom at 969 Cooke Street, Honolulu.. Wayne's yellow supercharged Mustang, Travis's supercharged '89 GT, an early article of Len's blue Civic with nitrous, Chad's nitrous GS-R Integra, and my old red Civic.. The last pic is of Mike and Travis from back in '96 or '97.. Enjoy!!

Cary came through for a bit..

2009-03-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

Cary came through for a bit. Got to meet up with him, Stieler, Mark, Crazy Greg and a bunch of other dudes last week. It's wild how everyone's "all grown up," yet have stayed true to who they are. Cary is OG Hyper Sports from '94, and after a decade doing some secret computer engineering, he's back in the car industry.. He's calling for a Hyper Sports reunion in July '09..

R+ was back in town..

2009-03-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

The elusive R+ was back in town from NYC for a bit.. Met up with R+, Ryan, Alex and Keef at Mai Tai Bar.. It was good catching up on old times and seeing how things are taking shape..!

2009-03-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

"Hawaii is such a special land, a paradise like no other... Sunny days & warm starry nights... with crystal-clear Pacific blue waters..." quoted from some cheeseball touristy site. Yah right. Philly V. just posted the SF weather forecast, thought I'd do the same for Honolulu. It's (relatively) cold, and not what you'd expect of a 'paradise like no other...'

Lazy Saturday..

2009-03-02T00:37:00.001-08:00

Downloaded a bunch of stuff from my camera, and found pics from January '09.. A bunch of us met up to ride and cruise around, nothing better to do..

3/16" tubing is fun to mess with..

2009-02-28T01:24:00.000-08:00

Today, my co-worker mentioned that he was afraid to work on cars. If you take each subsystem for what it is, cars become waaay less overwhelming. Today's gig was to delete the traction control and ABS, running new 3/16" brake tubing in its place..

Thought it'd be more fun with an extra pedal..

2009-02-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to work on the Lexus again. My GS was never offered with a manual transmission, thus there was no provision for a clutch pedal. I've seen a couple of Lexus manual conversions first hand, and noticed that the pedal placement wasn't to my liking. One clutch pedal in a GS was way out to the left, bottoming out on the dead pedal. Another swap in a SC, though using a factory SC clutch pedal, neglected to change out the brake pedal-- While stepping on the clutch, your left toe would catch on the brake arm, pushing the brake too. Instant seatbelt check.

My intent was to have proper clutch modulation by way of correct leverage and stroke ratios, to have no foot interference, and to have proper pedal relationships. Total cost: $30, plus gettin' dirty. Props to people who have done this conversion before (!) for showing me what the pitfalls can be, and to my neighbor Curtis for always helping out. Mybad for the weak phone camera pic.

Something new every day..

2009-02-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

At work, I was talking to a planner from the machine shop, named Bob. He was a former machinist, and we ended up talking about his trade. As I'm a totally untrained, amateur machinist, Bob was kind enough to spend an hour walking me through the art of grinding lathe tooling. He showed me some basic shapes for turning, for facing, the groove that serves as a chip-breaker, clearances and reliefs, the easy way to set your tool height-- and even his method of sharpening drill bits.

I realized that I'd been fighting with poorly shaped tooling for years.

I guess the reason that I was so stoked was that from the get-go, I was hoping to learn from the experience that surrounds me every day, and this was one of those times. Thanks Bob.

Sporty Harley

2009-02-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

Here's my first go at building a Harley.. Sportster engine / 4-speed tranny.. Goosed rigid frame, shortened springer fork, narrowed tank, and a load of used (junkyard) parts.. It's comfortable with the mid controls, and super fun to ride. It fits me well, is easy to start, and (knock on wood) has been reliable as hell..

The thing that's especially true about putting a bike together is that your sensibilities show up in everything that's done. Every choice, every decision, every shortcut, every shortfall.. Money (or lack thereof), skills (or lack thereof), and style (or lack thereof.) You build something, people look at it. I don't really care whether or not it fits their style, though I do care if they catch me with my balls hanging out. Button yer shit tight. Everything reflects back.

The beater GS300

2009-02-09T04:08:00.000-08:00

In 2008, I found a beater GS300 to drive to work.. Sucker's fifteen years old now, but the A/C still works. It came with some donk-spec chrome wheels and some shiny, shiny tires. Found a new set of Zeal sus, threw on a set of 18x10.5 RPF1's from my old S13.. Changes underway to alleviate the boredom..

The Kickoff

2009-02-09T01:09:00.000-08:00

The kickoff of "Can't Leave Well Enough Alone.." I've realized that the stuff that the fellas and I do is what we'll be doing forever.. A throwup here and there will keep you all in touch with what's happening on my end..