Hearing crickets in here.

It's been, what 5 months since my last post. I had lost interest in this. Nothing really interesting going on, or too caught up in doing. But it's been long enough, I think it's time to get some thoughts down. So here's a recap of what's going on and things to come and whatever the hell else I want. So here goes...

Project Celica is underway: It is currently 6:21pm on day three of the shock install on my 1981 Celica ST project car and it's raining, so I'm spending my time doing this. No homework, no chores left, nothing better to do.

I've found out a lot about the car in doing this, namely, it needs a lot of work. While everything is solid, there are a lot of things left that need improvement. First off, my dad and I took it for a test drive today. When I got the car, it rode like an old caddy. With just the fronts shocks replaced, it rides like a newer cadillac. Still not great, but a huge improvement. It's also gotten a lot flatter over bumps where the nose used to bounce incessantly. Even so, transitions are much, MUCH better. And it's no wonder, the old shocks did nothing for dampening. I actually think they were the original pieces. Another strange thing is that the strut is welded to the brake from the factory, so taking the shock out required moving the brakes around. Someone with muscles is a huge help.

It's also been an awesome bonding experience for my dad and I. Not like we needed another, but he's never done a shock job either. I always wait for him to get home from work, and we've been having a blast working on it and driving it around.

I plan on really building this car. Properly. But I am aiming for fun rather than straight out speed. I want to put in a 1-JZ(280hp 264 tq's), costs running and with transmission for $2300 shipped. I want to weld the diff and put in ground control springs, bucket seats, and rack and pinion steering. It'll run on steelies and look just as junky as it does now. It'll be a sleeper, a ricer with the muscle to back it up. And I want to make a shift lever cover out of drift wood I got from Bull island (get it? DRIFT wood :D). But money is short and Jobs elude me. Working on that.

The 24hr. Karting race: So May 28th, some friends of mine and I entered the Victory Lane Karting 24hr Enduro. It was brutal, tiring, and expensive. But we were the only privateer team and we didn't lose completely. We came in 13th out of 15, which may seem embarrassing, but when you consider that these were the highest ranked karting teams in the country (and some international), We didn't do that bad. Yes the 2 teams we beat withdrew, but part of an enduro is finishing. Things learned: Enduro's are really tiring, we're not nearly as fast as we thought, and Pro karting teams are made almost exclusively out of douche-nozzles. We had so many people be so rude to us that I want to do as much as I can to mess with them next time we go. Next time, We go themed as Mario Kart Characters. YOSHI ALL UP IN THIS BITCH!!! Props to Nate, Kat, Zach, Chris, and Zack. It was fun guys!

Hmm, what else: OH!, I got an offer from Baker Motor Company to drive the new IPL G Coupe when it comes in. I'm really excited, expect a feature on it. The fun part is the camera car we're going to use is a G37 S Sedan. Gonna submit that one to Jalopnik, maybe I could get a freelance job out of it, or at least my name out there. Eh, whatevs.

So I get to teach someone how to drive stick tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it as they always stall it the first time. This'll be the third person I've taught and it has turned out well previously. But being me, I don't just teach them how to start off and change gears, I teach downshifting and weight transfer. It's going to be a hoot!.

EDIT: lol, she backed out. Surprised? nah.

I'm also getting super low on cash. I've gotten to the point that I can either go to Zach's birthday weekend (which Is priority) in Clemson, or I can go to the CMP karting event (which I'm not giving up on, Taking donations now), or I can sell something (Where the hell are my Pokemon cards?!)

More stuff later, I'm kind of getting tired of writing now and I'm running out of stuff to say. So you guys keep the rubber to the road, gas in the tank, and your knuckles white. I'm out!

My Vimeo account: http://vimeo.com/zmankellan

G37S sedan

History/Specs:

The G37S sedan is the newest luxury/sports sedan from Infiniti/Nissan. It has a 3.7 Litre V6, RWD, and a 7-speed automatic. The amenities are well ahead of most Japanese luxury cars. It has heated seats, 3 zone climate control(front left, front right, and rear), amazingly soft leather, and a million way adjustable seats. the most impressive part is that, there isn't excessive room all around, just enough where it matters. The ergonomics are stunning. The automatic has paddle shifters AND tiptronic, although the tiptronic is backwards from how it should be(push back is up, push forward is down). The shifting is slow, but comfortable. This is fine, since the engine is so torquey. The brakes are touchy, but strong. The bottom line, it's a beautiful armchair with a turbo button and rocket boosters.

My Opinion:

Having driven one of these plenty of times, i have found the throttle touchy. The car is either slowly coming to a stop, or has your head pinned to the seat. the brakes are the same way. They are either non-existent, or pulling the road with them because they're so jammed on. It takes some getting used to. The computers are a bit intrusive, but with the right timing and some talent, it'll behave. The only problem is that if you haven't driven the car in a while, and you need to get where you're going quickly, it feels like you have to beat the beast over the head and force it to do anything. It's a 5 year old brat. Which is pretty accurate seeing as to how it just came out. The best part of the G37S sedan, is that you can still feel it's roots under the computers and swathes of leather. Trace it back, from the G37, to the G35, to the 350Z, to the 300zx, all the way back to the 240z, that rebel of a sports car that warms my heart every time I see one. The thing is, if you turn your head and squint a little bit, you can still see the bulb head lights and slight cowl in the hood, the curves of the fenders. It's all still there, the fun and the style and everything good about the fairlady lineage. And most important about that family, is the soul that has been passed down through the years. And the G37S sedan has that soul. Drive one, and you'll see it.