school’s out Moog’s High Speed Chase With A Bus
figaro figaro Going Retro With Nissan’s Tiny Four Seater
roadster life Why Everyone’s Gone Mx5 Mad
flame throwing focus This Turbo Hatchback Is Off Its Face
THE REAL STORY
The Truth Behind the MCM Drift 180SX Build INSIDE ◦ How To Vinyl Wrap ◦ Buying Seats Online ◦ EXE Hillclimb Madness ◦ SEMA ◦ Best Japanese Food ◦ Irongav & Heaps More
For Maximum Digital magazine awesomeness, be sure to set your PDF reader to 'two up' with ‘Show cover page during two-up’ selected. (These are located in the ‘View > Page Display’ menu in Adobe Acrobat). This will mean you can see pages side by side. It looks mad, just don't try and rip the pages out. You might hurt yourself.
MIGHTYCARMODS MAGAZINE
ISSUE FIVE > 2
mightycarmods magazine issue 05
issue05.FEATURES \46
180SX The Real Story Go behind the scenes and find out just how this filthy Nissan was purchased for just $600 Andrew Hawkins
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Roadster Life This is why an MX5 will change your life Ying Bot
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Out Of Focus Would you like flames with that? Turbo Focus Madness Nicholas Ramalho
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Figaro! Figaro! Ugly, blue and turbo? Yes please. Take a closer look at this amazing, tiny, turbo beast from Japan Phil Lee
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Heaven and Hell our man in japan Steve King takes us through the best (and worst) of Japanese Food in this two part series Steve King
issue05.lifestyle
issue05.TECH
8 12 16 17 18 22 28 38 84 86 88 94 98 104 116
17 20 74 76 78 80 92
marty: train people... moog: no signal no service no school your say car news game review: forza horizon mcm meet: melbourne style viva las sema exe haunted hills hill climb wtf! watch your mouth virtual drift pig mcm music: whitecitylight pro photo: tristan still real life: the second self irongav: smell sense
quick car profile: RS Liberty wagon drag racing with mechanical stig moogaru: towing the line how to: vinyl wrap how to: replace axles & cv joints risks of buying seats online what a tool: Step Drill Bit
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Issue 05
mighty car mods T h e
M a g a z i n e
issue05.staff josh neale / jmacman12 Editor
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.
Jara Stojanovic / milkchicken Writer
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 nonVTEC 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. Cover Photo Ross Waldron rosswaldron.com Advertising Enquiries magazine@mightycarmods.com Mighty Car Mods Post Office Box 812 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 magazine@mightycarmods.com mightycarmods.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.
ben neal / mechanical stig Writer
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.
STEVE KING Writer
Steve 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.
Nicholas Ramalho / Blade888 Writer
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.
garth ivers
Art Direction & Design 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.au What 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!
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mighty car mods is.. marty
Moddius Expertus Presentusius Marty’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
Undercover Soccer Mum 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.
issue05. regular columnists andrew hawkins www.motiveDVD.com Andrew 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.
irongav www.irongav.com Despite 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.
Geoff thompson
www.geoffthompson.com Geoff 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’
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issue05. contributors Robert Read / beast260
Writer on ‘MCM Meet: Melbourne Style’ on page 22. 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.
Ying Bot
Writer and Photographer for ‘Roadster Life’. Read the article on page 44. 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 @Nick88s
Writer and Digital Artist for ‘Virtual Drift Pig’. Read the article on page 78. 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?
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
words & IMages : Marty
Train People... 8
mightycarmods magazine issue 05
There are
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.
Damage at night... hard to see right?
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
“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”
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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
“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.”
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.
Damage much easier to see in the daylight...
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mightycarmods magazine issue 05
THE MOOG FILES: No Signal, No Service, No School.
words: MOOG
THE MOOG FILES:
No Signal, No Service, No School. 12
mightycarmods magazine issue 05
but he f my car o e id s e t tun out th to ke his righ ile ta e c n to a h d c e u d a contin ction, wh you’ve ha the interse windows sues of the h is g s u u ro io v th re t read p looked ou ht a peek the kids even caug r the middle o e in s in e z d a d e g o p is p p ma e to s M viously at me the MC e was ob you , H ’s . 3 d at one of 1 a S ro t u green of the ble abo rough the th t e where I ram used to have an g to he got racing w I right, but d by e y rn o might kno tu tr s e to d turned arrow ad been and it had sed it u te a S13 that h la c o h ic to h g, like there strike w of stoppin ing, d . a lightning a .. p te s s ri In c red. wn to a human be to burn do responsible y n g wide a ed to swin ues, I id s c is e l d a g d a le rner of he h ed the ugh the co y to e ro n th After I sort o it m e k e a c to m Swinging insuran at speed. pan. It t a used the h J lig m d o re fr e side the 80SX ping into th p ri t import a 1 ust, a bar of boost, n a e m wide xha process. nd had a full e speakers a y car in the 6 m , f n o io s n e Tein susp with a type nfusion full of sub, t o o b a in all the co e car lf ly th a h te d a e n v u lo rt I . g me I Unfo ersion turbo ars beepin t c X rear conv rs r fi e e th th o er plate, and actually bus numb ven. I e ri and it was d th t r e o g in ’t n did r been car I’d eve om the docks still fr p u picked it fuel. It was Japanese running on mazing. loud and a r day was is particula Anyway, th on the way al morning just a norm three weetd had my as I to work. I’ y pet mice m d e tt a p bix and as around rtment. It w left my apa ulled onto Victoria Ip other 8am when ere lots of w re e th o Road s hool bus in d and a sc cars aroun tion. every direc I was l morning. fu ti u a e b a city It was wards the to t s a e g pped headin d. I had sto as a o R a ri to on Vic and I w affic lights pole at some tr e. I was in n la t h g ri a car in the y left was m o T . n ts and positio at the ligh d e p p to s empty also ve ere was an ght. th t would ha h g ri y to m hout it I turn ri it to w to d s e d n d le a e ic eh I ne lane for v en arrow uble than re o s g tr a a w re d lf o a e h m s ne is in it w h o T rr . a im The right la e la c th rt as make a ced that on my pa il fa and I noti e and then red e iv s ent I a mas ng o not confid S s . a n w e I turned ora re g it t t easy withou light wen quick and wo a n k e I just as my k a g in m id get could nd next th . What I d etal im m la f c I took off a o e h c c n e (334*) insura the scre te number u ro s BANG and u b e at the was th ated sign in m u to my right. ill e much from th which was and s r u u b o e /h th m f k . back o going 15 mber plate n I was only in my ow than the nu r e ly g u tr ig b d n a sing. I was well quick quite confu dow s a w It nd made a . a e in r e w lan v o rs e d v e who I pulle t my dri r Insuranc bus, a C l o t looked ou s o u h J c s option call to a huge the easiest kids. t a f and saw o th d ll e fu in umber expla chock get the n aight tr to s absolutely e d b e k o would river lo n’t have. rs. The bus d which I did glass doo , e te th la p h g u at me thro just taken owing he’d n k y rl a le C
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op “My phts up lig were g in jumpn d up a n dow n like a d agitate ey monkw s a it ut b ” . d oo g o n
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