Back in June, my brother, Steven, approached me with an idea for a trip. The idea involved me traveling over 12,000 miles, driving on the edge, 10 hours of jet lag either direction, and the potential for good times and good stories…hmmmm, naturally I was in. So where was all this going down? Japan…
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Posted in Brickhouse Products, Event, Greg, Japan, Steve | Tagged 180sx, 240sx, Drifting, Ebisue, Japan, Matsuri, Okinawa, Tokyo | Leave a Comment »
Before we get to the rest of the Japan trip and Drift Matsuri pics and such, we wanted give a big thank you to all who supported our semi-last minute Red Cross fundraiser! All said and done, we raised just over 100 dollars ($106 to be exact) that will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross!
A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED THE EFFORT!
Posted in Brickhouse Products, Event, Greg, Steve | Leave a Comment »
In thinking of ways to give the car some character for Matsuri, we’ve come up with a plan that we couldn’t be more stoked about. We are “selling” spots on the car for your names and stickers in exchange for donations to the Japan Red Cross. Kind of like buying a sponsorship spot on a race car but, instead of supporting the car, 100% of the money will go to the Japan Red Cross!
As most in our segment of the car community know, Ebisu Circuit was directly affected by the March 11th tsunami and earthquake. They suffered damages and then stepped up to help out those displaced by providing food and shelter. While a few months have passed, clean up and rebuilding are still going on throughout the affected areas. Help is always needed – especially when it is no longer in the media spotlight. This is a cool way to show we all care and bring the fundraising effort to them!
Our goal is to raise money for the Japan Red Cross, have fun decorating the Missil80, and make Matsuri more interactive for everyone who donates and follows the coverage from home. We’d like to cover the car front to back with your names and whatever stickers you send us! Stickers can be your blog, company, group/team, funny sayings, images, or any other randomness; whatever it is – make a donation and send them to us!
Here’s how it works:
To have your name written on the car – Make a $1.00 donation and we’ll write whatever name you specify in the Paypal comments box on the car. (If you want to donate more than $1.00, click the second donate button!)
Click this button to donate $1.00! >>> ![]()
To have your sticker put on the car – Make a donation of any amount greater than $1.00, identify what sticker you are sending in the Paypal comment box with your name, and then send your stickers to:
Brickhouse Products
P.O. Box 6724
Lincoln, NE 68506-6724
Click this button to donate any amount! >>> ![]()
If you send stickers, we’ll need them by Saturday, August 6th so they can catch the plane to Japan! Help spread the word and repost this (please!)! Let’s raise some money and have some fun!
Cheers! よろしく おねがい します!
Posted in Brickhouse Products, Greg, Steve | 1 Comment »
We’ve got a short list of prep to knock out on the Missle prior to Drift Matsuri. The main concern is keeping the car cool. Drift Matsuri in the middle of summer will be hot.
On this front, we’ll be installing a Yashio Factory two row that will be waiting for us at Ebisu. And, Greg is in the midst of piecing together a cheap oil cooler setup that he’ll be bringing with him. I’m not sure what he has planned for the sandal. Haha.
Here’s the rest of the list:
Oil change
Radiator swap
Coolant temp adapter
Coolant temp gauge
Oil cooler
Oil cooler sandwich adapter
Fix oil temp gauge
Tie rod spacers
Boost gauge
OEM toe rods
Posted in Event, Greg, Steve | Tagged 180sx, drift matsuri, Drifting, Ebisu, sil80, summer 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I spent Sunday afternoon at the track. I’ve been trying to drive as much as possible, which is why I bought the car, repaired parts, and built it up a bit. It is to learn and have fun. So Sunday found me at Nago Circuit – the other “track” in Okinawa – doing just that driving and having fun.
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Posted in Magilla Gorilla, Steve | Tagged chaser, crash, Drifting, jzx100 | 2 Comments »
Greg and I will be making the trek to Ebisu for Drift Matsuri Round 2 next month! The details are finally getting sorted out so I thought I’d share what we’ll be driving – or destructing – during our stay. This is the Sil80 that Powervehicles lined up for us. Heaps sick, right? Right?!?!?
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Posted in Brickhouse Products, Greg, Steve | Tagged drift matsuri, sil80, summer | Leave a Comment »
The list below is a breakdown of car part terms and names in Japanese.
First, a note about the language barrier…or lack there of…well kind of. Lucky for native English speakers, the Japanese names for most car parts are adapted “English” names. You’ll notice katakana is used – katakana is used when writing a foreign loan word. As you’ll see, this can be anything from car names to specific parts. Reading the list, you’ll get an idea of the close approximation of the names and, in some cases, a surprise at what they call a part. You’ll also get a feel for the limits of the Japanese language – the sounds that are used/not used compared to English. Credit for the list goes to “Japanese Word for Car Parts Names” thread on Zeroyon.com; I’ve cleaned up the list and added the romaji (Japanese written with Roman letters) so all can read and hear the pronunciation.
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Posted in How to:, Steve | Tagged brand, car, japanese, katakana, name, part, romaji, upgarage, yaj | Leave a Comment »
While checking ferry times in Tallinn, Estonia, last summer, I caught this rally spec’d Ford Fiesta (Festiva?) getting ready to be loaded for the short trip to Helsinki, Finland. I let my buddies go inquire about times and I snapped some pics and observed.
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Posted in Brickhouse Abroad, Steve, Timeout | Tagged estonia, fiesta, finland, Ford, rally | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Steve, Timeout | Leave a Comment »
C&Y Sports’ main office is on mainland but, to our good fortune, they opened a shop here in Okinawa a few years back. They do crazy motor swaps. It’s their thing. It’s what they are known for. It’s what got them noticed.
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Posted in Shops, Steve, Timeout | Tagged Altezza, C&Y Sports, IS300, RB26 swap, SSR D5R, wide fenders | Leave a Comment »







