Let this be the first of many references to the holiday season in the mag. As 'tis the season to give, we shall now give you the greatest gift of all: the gift of knowledge. Take these pearls of wisdom and spread them among your family and friends.

Wes Allison
Here's the deal: Wes is the best cover photographer there is. Plain and simple. He wakes up in the morning and he pisses excellence.

Garpot Studios
Our main man Scott Garpot always hits the town wearing his best tuxedo T-shirt. Not only does this shirt say that he wants to be formal but is really here to party, it helps him pull L.A.'s finest models.

Roel Concepcion
Ro-Dawg may not want you to know this, but he and Donald Duck share the same cougar-pleasing middle name: Faderoga.

Tetsuya Ogushi
Like Donald Duck, our man Tetsuya was banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

Henry Dekuyper
Fun Christmas fact: while you were wasting away at community college, Henry did a full spread for Playgirl magazine under the alias of Mike Honcho. Now try and get that image out of your brain.

Scott Dukes
There was a person that paid $14,000 for the bra Marilyn Monroe wore in Some Like It Hot. That person: Scott Dukes.

Alastair Ritchie
54-percent of Americans fold toilet paper neatly. 35-percent wad it. What about the other 11-percent? Only Alastair knows the answer, and he ain't telling-and he isn't even American!

Elliott Moran
It is said that if you inject all the chemicals found in a cigarette directly into your bloodstream, you will die. That is why Elliot smokes cigarettes rather than shooting them up.

Terence Patrick
Terence likes to piss off nerds by saying that Pi is exactly 3.14, but he really knows that billionth digit of Pi is nine.

It's tough building a car when your only source of income is allocated for important things, like tuition and school books. But if you are sneaky enough to figure out how to tweak that "budget" wisely (and believe us, we've seen plenty of people who have done this; not that you should), then we say: get away with it while you can! Eric Moon isn't doing a regular nine-to-five and can't afford to buy a secondary car to use as his project, so he did what every undergrad that's into building cars does: spend that financial aid check with abandon!

After his first Si, a 2000 coupe, was stolen, Eric wanted to keep his next car in the Honda fam, switching up to the one Si that never fully developed: the EP3 '02-'05. "It's so unpopular compared to other Civics," he says, "but I think it has so much potential to be a great car." He bought the car off a fellow EP enthusiast who had already modified it heavily, but to make it his own-and to avoid adding to his collection of fix-it tickets-Eric found a better way to enjoy his daily driver by tuning the suspension rather than the engine. "The K20's power is fine the way it is," he adds, "I tried building my engine with all CARB-approved products, but the cops still get me for them. Besides, I like to drive the canyons more and this current setup is perfect for it, not to mention affordable."

This quest for handling perfection pushed Eric to find the best in suspension wares. A set of Ohlins coilovers doesn't come cheap, but he installed it anyway. He made further tweaks by slipping in an Integra Type-R front sway bar, a Progress rear sway bar, Mugen front lower control arms and Skunk2 rear control arms, and stiffened the chassis with a Cusco roll cage. He stepped farther out of the box by trying modifications that he hadn't seen elsewhere or he thought would seem unusual on a front-wheel drive. "Fender flares and negative offset wheels are natural for a RWD, and could be considered "ricey" for my car," he explains, "but it looks great and that's what makes my car unique." When we first spotted Eric's car at a Hot Import Nights earlier this year, those fat 17x9 Work Meister wheels were what grabbed our attention. Unnatural for sure, but nonetheless sick for a Honda.

With the suspension dialed to his liking, Eric did have some engine issues to work out. The original K20A3 was an unpopular K-Series engine from the get-go, dishing out a paltry 160 hp. To fix this, a 201hp K20Z out of a later generation RSX Type-S was dropped into place and along with it, a CARB-exempt Jackson Racing supercharger kit. On top of this setup, Eric had the cylinder head built with Skunk2 valve train pieces, including Stage 2 cams, valves, valve springs and retainers. This may not be flashy like a fresh set of individual throttle bodies, but it is good for at least an extra 50 hp, more so once the Hondata KPro is tuned.

Previous stages of this car include it being repainted in various colors of the spectrum; first it was white, then red and green. Eric changed it one more time to a custom yellow with green and red flakes that pop like crazy with the right light. The fender flares were a must to match the Work wheels unless you want to run the chance of cruising around like a lowrider and the Mugen aero pieces on the front end give the hatchback a very aggressive touch.

The concept behind Eric's EP is quite easy to stomach; it's simple and it didn't require having to order every piece from Mugen's catalog to complete. The kid's suffering without an interior and a real audio system to make his car lighter. He doesn't need the fancy stuff and that's going the distance in our eyes. He stepped lightly but cashed in big on parts he knew would prove their worth. That's how you do things when money's tight, or at least until the financial aid runs out.

Fast Facts
'02 Honda Civic Si

Owner Deokbae "Eric" Moon

Hometown Buena Park, CA

Daily Grind Student

Under The Hood 2.0L DOHC i-VTEC K20Z1 engine; Skunk2 camshafts, cam gears, valve springs and retainers; Jackson Racing supercharger; Mugen oil cap, intake and baffled oil pan; Spoon exhaust, magnetic oil drain plug/transmission drain plug; high flow catalytic converter; Six Sigma Racing header; NGK Iridium spark plugs; Koyo radiator and cap; powdercoated valve cover by Rainbow Powdercoating; ARC stainless spark plug cover; Samco radiator hoses; Innovative motor mounts; Hondata intake manifold gasket

Drivetrain Acura RSX Type-S six-speed transmission; Quaife limited slip differential; aluminum shifter bushings; Exedy organic clutch

Brains Hondata K-Pro ECU

Power 250 hp

Stiff Stuff Ohlins PCV full coilovers with camber plates; DC5R Integra Type R front sway bar; Progress rear sway bar and rear tie bar; Spoon rear strut bar; spherical bearings; Mugen DC5R aluminum front lower control arms; Skunk2 aluminum rear control arms; custom end links; SPC camber kit; Cusco roll cage; Neuspeed cross brace; J's Racing C-pillar bar

Stoppers Rotora big brake kit

Rollers 17x9 (-10) Work Meister S1 wheels; Toyo R1R 235/40R17 tires

Outside Civic Type-R front bumper, side skirts, rear lip, front headlights, ion foglights and taillights; Mugen front aero lip, front radiator duct and front grill; Seibon carbon-fiber hood and Mugen-style rear wing; VIS carbon-fiber hatch; custom fender flares; custom yellow with green/red flake paint job and clear spray-on bra by M1 Autobody

Inside Bride Maxis III and Zeta III seat; Civic Type-R carpet, gauge cluster and shift boot; AIM MXL digital cluster; MOMO Tuner steering wheel; ARC titanium shift knob; Project pedals; Splash steering wheel hub; Simpson harnesses; Taylor battery relocation box

ICE Kenwood head unit; Alpine speakers

Props Mike Shin at Toyo Tires; Tony at Skunk2; David at InlineFour; Team RL2; GPC; Fullerton homies (Team Shell); John Nohand Ray at Just Tires, Buena Park; DK Garage

WWW cafe.daum.net/onroad; ephatch.com; hondata.com; kingmotorsports.com (Mugen); koyorad.com; more-japan.com (Bride); momo.com; neuspeed.com; rotora.com; skunk2.com; toyo.com; visracing.com

When it comes to cars there are two types of people: those who see a car as a convenient mode of transportation from point A to point B, and the rest of us who are reading this article. We spend a majority of our time (and money) trying to decide how to get from point A to point B faster, more stylishly and a little differently than the next guy. Unfortunately for those of us that fall into the second category, that puts us into a bit of a dilemma. We are the ones who sit and daydream of all the cars and modifications we could have if we just happened to hit the Powerball jackpot. However, there are a few people who find the means to compromise and still come up with a neck-breaking vehicle that even Fortune 500 CEOs can admire.

This is exactly what Brian Nguyen has done with his '05 RSX Type-S. For a lot of us, a newer vehicle is usually accompanied by a price tag that is beyond our checkbooks, and his case was no exception. Fortunately for Brian, his family owns a wrecking yard, which was just waiting for the day that the perfect car would come along for his picking. "We auction cars back and I picked mine up for next to nothing. I decided on the RSX because it was a price I couldn't refuse. I had my 2000 Civic Si that I loved, but I saw an opportunity for this car so I just had to take it." The day he was waiting for finally came and Brian snagged this gorgeous Jade Green Type-S from the auction block for a nominal fee. "The car was passed down from my uncle. I drove it for the first time, and just fell in love with it." Once the chassis had been selected Brian made short work of fixing the very minor front end damage and started envisioning what the car could look like.

With a vast amount of money saved from the low initial cost of the vehicle, Brian figured that rather than simply restoring the car, he could style it the way he desired with his savings. Once he got the DC5 home, the first pieces of the puzzle came into play as his girlfriend assisted with the installation of some Function Form Type 2 coilovers to aid the 17" Regamaster Evos into their new habitat, tucked up in the car's fender wells. "If I were to choose something memorable (about the build) it would be putting in the suspension for the first time with my girlfriend. We started out good and ended up running into trouble... but we ended up figuring it out." Brian got over the ever familiar "I'm going to keep it mostly stock" phase in a flash. "At first my whole intention of building my car was just a simple drop, lip and rims. Then once I had that done, I just couldn't stop buying more mods."

Wasting no time, Brian got down to business searching the Club RSX forums for all of his aftermarket needs. If you have expensive taste, it often pays off in large dividends to buy used goods from trusted sellers on Internet forums, but you have to be selective about your purchases. After several agreements were made, Brian now had a plethora of Mugen aero pieces including a front lip, side skirts, rear lip and eventually a full front bumper. To help fill out and balance the rear end of the car, an A-Spec spoiler was thrown into the mix. After installing the new gear, Brian took the car in for a paint job that was completed by "Pilo." Adorning its rejuvenated pearlescent green coat, the car was then ready for some final JDM knickknacks-like window visors, taillights and badges-to complete the theme. The appearance of the vehicle was better than anything Brian had previously imagined. The bug had now bitten and Brian wasn't ready to stop investing in his rolling masterpiece.

Since the exterior was looking so fly, Brian could hardly stand how badly the interior paled in comparison. The DC5 is equipped with a pretty sophisticated interior packed with luxuries, but few of those are useful when you're trying to go fast. The first things that Brian knew had to go were the stock seats. Luckily, Honda of Japan made his selection a breeze because they decided to use some of the best seats on the planet as standard equipment in the RSX's beefed up JDM brother, the Integra Type-R. Again relying on his computer, this Web-savvy enthusiast scooped up a mint pair of red Recaros for $900 from a Club RSX member. To complement the beautiful new reclinable buckets without going bankrupt, Mr. Nguyen had the stock rear seats and front door inserts re-wrapped. The end result: pieces that blended so well, they would easily fool you as OEM if you didn't know better. After the aggressively bolstered seats were properly secured, a pair of infamous green Takata harnesses was added. It was the only suitable choice to ensure nobody in the front seats would be tossed around. With the addition of a Nardi wood grain Classic steering wheel and an A Spec shift knob, Brian put the icing on the cockpit.

These parts were all added to help the occupants under higher speeds or aggressive turns; however, until this point, the car seemed a little "all show, no go." The last thing Brian wanted was a car that couldn't back up its incredible looks with serious performance. The RSX Type-S already comes equipped with a K20Z1, the hottest four cylinder engine American Honda has ever placed in a production front-wheel drive car. Producing 210 naturally-aspirated ponies from two liters of displacement is almost unheard of from most manufacturers, but it's a benchmark that wasn't impressive enough for Brian. To free up some of the exhaust his RSX was trying to exhale, Brian decided to go with a Strup race header and a Tanabe Hyper Medallion cat-back exhaust system. Getting the job done without going over the top on the intake side, Brian fitted an AEM cold air intake to help get the motor breathing more efficiently. While this setup would please most, Brian kept saving his pennies and still felt that the car had more potential that needed to be exploited. It was time for a major change, something that would force the car to move faster. The force Brian would finally turn to was forced induction in the form of a Jackson Racing Supercharger, or JRSC for short.

A supercharger seemed to be just the ticket; "having in mind (a JRSC) is gonna be simple, inexpensive horsepower," it seemed that Brian couldn't go wrong. Another trip to his favorite Web forum rendered Brian with a Jackson Racing Supercharger at an unbelievably low price of $1000. They say the third time's the charm, but that wasn't the case with his latest Internet transaction. This time, Brian realized something was wrong when he learned an important life lesson: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. "I bought the JRSC knowing that a few spacers were going to be missing. This was a whole new thing to me, and I didn't know any better. I spent about $250 to have everything complete. It was a pain because I didn't know the exact spacers and bolts I needed, but just did more research on the forums and figured it out. I had Daniel Butler AKA "Palmerbrock" from Church Automotive install it, and everything was fine for that night. I drove it the next day, and the car took a s***. It wasn't running right and was making noise at 3k rpms. "Check engine" light blinking, car shutting off; it was just terrible. I got it checked that night, and it ended up being that something was wrong with my supercharger. I ended up needing to take it off and sent it to Moss for a rebuild. They received it and told me it was messed up; the blade and bearings were all jacked up, and needed to be rebuilt for $720. During that rebuild of the supercharger, there was down time for a good month. Once I got it back, Kevin AKA "ksmatic" helped me get the install going and it was running good." Remember what I said about being selective when it comes to Web forums?

Once the car was finally back together and everything was working the way they should, Brian limped the car over to Church's Automotive to have it tuned. After a few hours of work, the boys called it quits when the RSX laid down a nasty 285 whp on the "street tune." Thanks to a 3.2" pulley, the most aggressive Jackson Racing makes for this application, Brian is now looking for a better flowing exhaust because he still isn't a happy camper. With an ever growing hunger for more modifications, Brian plans to continue building the car one part at a time. "I decided to keep the supercharger because when you're modding a car, downtime and negative outcomes are bound to happen, so it was all a lesson learned." If there's anything that we can learn from Brian's build it's that you don't have to be ballin' to have a good time building a ride you once considered out of reach. But remember: Just because you're building on a budget, it doesn't mean you can't splurge here and there because as Brian learned the hard way, "you get what you pay for."

Fast Facts
2005 Acura RSX Type-S
Owner Brian Nguyen

Hometown El Monte, CA

Daily Grind Full-Time Student

Under The Hood 2.0L K20Z1; AEM cold-air intake; Hondata intake manifold gasket; Jackson Racing supercharger (roots type), 3.2" pulley; Mugen radiator cap and reservoir socks; Racecoated custom valve cover; Strup race header; Tanabe Hyper Medallion cat-back exhaust system; TEIN hood dampers

Drivetrain 6spd OEM Type-S LSD transmission; Competition Clutch Stage 4 pressure plate and disc; Fidanza 11lb flywheel

Brains Hondata K-Pro

Stiff Stuff Function Form Type II coilovers; Mugen front strut tower bar

Stoppers OEM DC5 Type-S Brakes

Rollers Desmond Regamaster Evo 17X8 +35 (white), 215/45R17 Falken Azenis RT-615 tires

Outside A Spec rear wing; custom rear diffuser; JDM DC5 Type-R window visors, taillights,"H" badges; Mugen front bumper(show), front lip (daily), side skirts, rear lip; Jade green paint by "Pilo"; Techone 6000k HIDs

Inside A Spec shiftknob; custom reupholstered rear seats and door panel inserts; Nardi woodgrain classic steering wheel; JDM DC5 Type-R Recaro seats; Mugen race pedal kit; Muxx dead pedal; Takata harneses; Worksbell steering hub

Ice OEM Type-S Bose sound system

Props My girlfriend, Nancy, for helping me with the build and being there for me the whole time through the ups and downs of my car; my parents; my sister; my homie David; Will; Gabe; TJ; Ejay; Sean Klingelhoefer Photography; hasback Photography; Payuan Photography; Daniel Butler from church automotive;Mike from Jimmy UP; Kevin Shue ksmatic garage; Doug from Blueprint, Sean Nike SB'd; Phaze2; Jerkz; DPK; and all the SoCal crews; Club RSX; DC5 Nation; Honda-Tech.com; nwp4life.com

WWW clubrsx.com; dc5nation.com; f2autolife.com; honda-tech.com; kingmotorsports.com; mugen-power.com; nwp4life.com; racecoated.com

It seems like a pretty wild project, but for Mario Hernandez it was quite a simple desire. You see, he comes from a family of Datsun lovers. His father owned Datsuns all his life. Mario and his brother Luis first learned how to wrench with these cars. Datsuns of that era are all very similar, so if you knew how to work on one, you became pretty well-versed for all the Datsuns. Most of the parts are interchangeable with each, making them very popular with the tuner enthusiasts.

The Datsun PL510 generation came in four variants: the Bluebird coupe (Japan only), the two-door 510 sedan, the four-door 510 sedan and the 510 wagon. While everyone, including his brother Luis (see our May '08 issue), built the two-door sedan, Mario wanted something a little more rare and maybe a little more car too. He went with the least popular of the bunch: the 510 wagon.

Now, when shopping for an old car, the number one goal is a straight body and frame. Well, Mario struck gold. Somehow he was lucky enough to find a 510 wagon in spectacular shape. It's still sporting the original paint that Datsun sprayed on over 35 years ago, and it's glossier than some of the cars I've seen come out of paint shops. Beyond the exterior, the interior is also in great shape; full original black vinyl interior, with no rips or tears in the seats.

Now comes the madness. Mario didn't just want to modify the original 1.6L four-cylinder. It was time for a newer, bigger power plant. Mario decided to put in one of Nissan's largest four-cylinder engines in his wagon. Some unlucky Nissan 240SX donated its 2.4L KA24DE engine. Along with that, Mario picked up a five-speed manual transmission from a '98 240SX. Now before you go out and try to buy one of the many abandoned KA24 engines and try this swap, it's not very simple. It takes quite a bit of work and fabrication to get this to work. "My challenge was to install a big engine in a small car," he said. Some of the custom work required major modifications to the front crossmember and a custom front sway bar. Old car plus new motor equals a wiring nightmare. I wouldn't even want to image the work involved there. But even before the gigantic KA went in, he had to make it a beast. Only real mechanics do internal work, and that's what Mario did. The head was ported and polished before it received a new Supertech valvetrain (valves, springs and retainers). Cheap cast pistons were tossed in the garbage and replaced with forged Wiseco units. Tomei injectors and a Vortech FMU were brought in to help fuel the fire in this dragon wagon.

As great as the 510 looks, no one just leaves it alone. A front air dam and Panasport rims were added to give this car that nostalgic race look. To give it more attention to detail, JDM taillights and front signals were installed (yes, JDM lights were a fad long before your car was even built).

A classic old skool car with the power and reliability of a new car, it's the perfect formula. A simple desire, but definitely a task neither easy nor common.

Fast Facts
'71 Datsun 510

Owner Mario Hernandez

Hometown Los Angeles, CA

Daily Grind Technician at European Motors

Under The Hood 2.4L KA24DE; Wiseco forged pistons; port and polish headwork; Supertech valves, valve springs, and retainers; Tomei fuel injectors; chromed valve cover; VW Sirocco radiator; NGK spark plug wires; custom intake; Vortech FMU

Drivetrain '98 240SX five-speed transmission; Stage 3 clutch; dual diaphragm pressure plate; Cusco LSD

Stiff Stuff Eibach springs; Tokico front struts, rear shocks; custom-made front sway bar; GReddy front strut tower bar; Rollers 15x7 Panasport rims; Falken Azenis 205/50R15 tires

Outside original factory paint; aftermarket front air dam; JDM taillights and front signals;

Inside original factory vinyl seats; Auto Meter water, fuel, and oil gauges; Formuling France steering wheel

Props My brother, Luis, my son, Mario and especially my daughter, Melissa.

WWW cusco.co.jp; eibach.com; hitachi-hap-la.com/tokicogasshocks; ngksparkplugs.com; panasport.jp;supertechperformance.com; tomeiusa.com;vortechsuperchargers.com; wiseco.com

It was bound to happen. After giving up my last Honda years ago, it was time to go back. Back to a fix-it attracting, CV boot-tearing, too bouncy and too loud for a 30-year-old, front-wheel drive Civic hatchback. But why a car this old? Why not go with an EG or EK? Well, I've done an EG already and building an EK doesn't seem challenging enough. The EF is already presenting its headaches in the form of finding new OEM replacement parts or tracking down aftermarket parts if they're still in production! This is really going to be a special project in that I'm going to pour all of my effort into restoring and doing it the way I always wished that I could have when I was in high school. No big horsepower K-Series, body kit or matching Bride upholstery; just clean, slammed and fun to drive-at least, that's how I remember my old Civic being. We're going to have lots of build-up features relating to this build and you can follow along more in-depth in our sister title, Project Car, including all the suspension, brakes and the big engine swap it's going to receive soon, so make sure to find a copy at your local newsstand. For now, soak in these pictures of the car in stock form because it's not going to look that way for long.

Step-By-Step
Those of you who want to see every aspect of the build behind our Project EF9 can look to Project Car magazine, where they'll show you step-by-step (and we do mean every step) how to install all the basic upgrades we chose. Essentially, they'll show you the easy how-tos and we'll get into the more hardcore stuff. The current issue highlights TEIN coilovers, Suspension Techniques sway bars and how to swap your U.S. front end for the JDM version. Here's what's coming up in the next couple of months in Super Street and Project Car:

* Paint change with complete JDM exterior
* B16A engine swap
* Old school wheel restoration

Don't forget, when this car's finished, we'll be going head-to-head against Project Car's turbocharged EF CRX to see if the money we spent on a bigger engine was better than the money they saved by taking on the stock motor and adding more power to it.

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It's unfortunate that you'll never be able to preserve a car's life unless you leave it garaged and un-driven or spend hours restoring the damn thing from the ground up. For those of us who take on the daily driven or beat-to-hell path, we will devote countless hours and sacrifice our sanity (and whatever bank funds are required) to complete a "job well done." And as each year passes and new cars flood the market, the resources to save an old car from extinction become harder to come by.

Take the much sought after Datsun 510; what a great piece of automotive genius. Originally it was outfitted with a 96hp carbureted L-series engine, but the 510 appealed to so many enthusiasts because the car was simple to work on, reliable and great to modify because of its interchangeability of parts from other Datsun models. This eventually led to real custom engine conversions; rotaries became a popular conversion and the continual rise and use of the SR20DE/T make the 510 a very popular old school car to build.

Luis Hernandez is a proud supporter of the 510, having owned several with his father back in his home country of El Salvador. He found that these cars had just as popular a following after moving to Los Angeles, so what better way to carry on the family tradition of tuning 510s than with this silver coupe? But like all 510 enthusiasts, Luis had trouble tracking down parts and had to custom fabricate some parts to work. Luckily, he built enough of a network to help find the rare pieces he needed and went the new school route of bolting in a SR20DET with a fast spooling T25 HKS turbo. Unlike the 240s, where a SR drops in naturally, Luis made it look like it was a factory install by using custom piping for the blow-off valve, intercooler and air intake. It uses the standard SR gearbox but it now employs a stronger clutch and a lightened flywheel from F1 Racing for faster pickup. A limited slip differential from a R200 Nissan 300ZX is also being used to improve traction and the engine has been tuned to put out 300whp and 280lb-ft at 18psi.

A good majority of the 510s we see in California are either primered, weathered or redone with a classic paint-but not Luis'. His is a mash-up of colors, a sort of new school twist with the two-tone paint and the carbon front lip spoiler. The 510 sports taillights from the Japanese Bluebird and the front headlights are retrofitted to use HID Xenon bulbs. Those are some OG Watanabe wheels as well-tiny at that, sizing up at a mere 14x7 and 7.5-inches. The brakes may not be screaming big ass calipers but that's only because they're Maxima fronts and 280ZX Turbo rear brakes. Luis and his brother Mario lowered the 510 with Ground Control coilover sleeves that were matched to Tokico shocks. Swaybars from the Aussie version 510 were bolted to the undercarriage and a front strut bar intended for a '82 Maxima helps to take the flex out of the shock towers.

For the most part, Luis' 510 interior is clean, a simple reminder that one not need a rollcage and multicolored accessories to boost its look. The old school Recaros retain a classic feel, but the Autometer gauges custom mounted to the old dash and center console locations are signs that the old just can't keep up with the new. There are really light audio upgrades in the form of an Alpine head unit, three Kenwood amps and Kenwood speakers. Luis also added in a steering wheel, shift knob and pedals from MOMO then mounted a HKS turbo timer to the top of the steering column. We especially liked that he was able to source brand new replacement pieces, like the door panels, carpet and dashboard.

Luis' dedication to the preservation of the 510 may not stop the rare Japanese coupe from becoming extinct, but it will slow the process for another few more years. Perhaps his kids will follow suit, using improved technology to better it for future generations.

Fast Facts
'73 Datsun 510
Owner Luis Hernandez
Hometown El Salvador,San Salvador
Daily Grind Quality control for post-production company

Under The Hood '93 Nissan SR20DET 2.0L engine; HKS T25 turbo, turbo manifold, Super Mega Flow, 550cc fuel injectors, intercooler and exhaust; Walbro 255 fuel pump; GReddy blow-off valve; Denso iridium spark plugs; ported stock intake manifold; SX fuel pressure regulator; Toy radiator

Drivetrain F1 Racing clutch and flywheel; Nissan 300ZX LSD (R-200)

Power 300 whp and 280 lb-ft at 18psi

Brains reflashed ECU; HKS turbo timer

Stiff Stuff Ground Control coilover sleeves and camber plates; Tokico shocks; front/rear sway bars; Nissan Maxima strut bar; front control rods; bump steer spacers

Stoppers Nissan Maxima front brakes/Nissan 280ZX Turbo rear brakes

Rollers 14x7 and 14x7.5 Watanabe wheels; Falken Azenis 195/55R14 tires

Outside front carbon-fiber lip; HID Xenon head lights; Japanese Bluebird taillights; paint and bodywork by Lico's Body Works; graphics by Chorombo's Graphics; front Japanese grille

Inside Recaro seats; new original carpet, door panels and dashboard; Autometer tach, oil pressure, boost and speedometer; MOMO steering wheel, shift knob and pedals

Ice Alpine CDA-7893 head unit; three Kenwood KAC-848 amplifiers and speakers; Monster Cable wiring

Props Thanks to God for letting me finish this car and to my wife, Letty, for all of her support; to my brother, Mario, for the help on all of my projects; my kids: Luigy, Brian and Vanessa; my dad, Lico, mom and my sister; Oscar Perez (Chorombo); my good friends Jose Santos, Irvin, Luis, Carlos, Jose Villanueva, Pete Bolanos, Milton and Johnny-these are the friends who helped me find parts to build this car

WWW alpine-usa.com; falkentire.com; greddy.com;groundcontrol.com; hksusa.com; kenwoodusa.com;momo.com; recaro.com

When awaiting the final release of something big, a sneak peek can often go a long way in helping people hold their breath. For example, when I first saw the trailer for Casino Royale, the most recent James Bond film, I knew the movie was going to be amazing. I had read that the filmmakers re-tooled the story to be more action-oriented and a bit rougher around the edges while maintaining the sheer coolness of the Bond character, and the preview certainly kept me anticipating the full showing for months on end. Similarly, upon visiting Tokyo and seeing all the latest cars that were in the process of being tuned-but not quite ready-on display by various manufacturers, I found myself anxiously wanting to see what would come of these awe-inspiring vehicles. For instance, the latest manifestation of Subaru's Impreza STI dressed to the nines by ings+1. At this point, the car is mainly an outer shell of what is to come, but it is definitely not a bad outer shell to be in. Have an exclusive first look at what is sure to be a lean, mean and super clean STI.

Get Off In Two Pages
Faster Facts
'08 Subaru Impreza STI (GRB)
Owner ings+1
Under The Hood 2.0L EJ207 engine, 5Zigen Proracer custom exhaust
Stiff Stuff Zeal Function Xs coilovers
Stoppers Endless System Inch Up kit
Rollers ings+1 TS06 (F+R) 18x8, 5J+30; Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R 245/40R18 rubber
Outside ings+1 front/rear bumper, side step, front canard, windshield wipers
Inside Bride Zeta III seats, Takata 4-point harness

WWW bridgestone.com;
endlessusa.com;
ings-net.com;
takataracingproducts.com;
tees-usa.com

Holla At Us At: mailsack@superstreetonline.com or Super Street, Attn: Mailsack, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048.

Problems with your subscription? Don't send them here.Send inquiries to: superstreet@palmcoastd.com.

Letter Of The Month
I'd like to start off by saying thanks for the trip... to detention. Thanks to you and page 124 of the January issue, I had to spend an hour sitting next to some wanksta who kept trying to spit pathetic rhymes. For some reason my history teacher didn't find Diamond very appealing, in her white bikini and whatnot. I got in trouble for inappropriate reading material (good thing you guys didn't show your man boobs, because then I really would have been screwed). But with all this aside, I want to thank you for all of your insight, rambling and an absolutely great mag you guys seem to pull off every month. I always have and always will be a loyal SS fan.
Garrett Boillot
Via the Internet

If they thought that was bad, wait until they see the next couple of issues.

Super Trooper
I was walking home from my daily ritual at the horror show I call my job when I found a brand new Super Street lying on the sidewalk, still in its plastic. Being appalled by such a blatant act of degradation to such a familiar magazine, I picked it up off the snowy ground and took it to my local library, where they were so taken by your work that they've now subscribed to your monthly journal of hot chicks and killer rides. Now I can sit at home and read my Super Street whilst knowing that I've contributed to some poor sappy souls who are too damn cheap to go out and buy a copy of the magazine for their very own. If that's not worthy of a reward, I don't know what is. Should I be considered a hero?
Steve Neill
Ontario, Canada

For enlightening other bright, young minds? Sure. You can call yourself whatever you'd like.

Thanks, We Like You, Too
Saw the latest issue at LAX. Gear guide looks nice. Very high end. Liked the outtakes section, too. Tell "Sweet Cheeks" DeVera to expect some prison mail.
Ed Loh
Motor Trend (sent via Blackberry)

Alright, We Suck (We Get It)
I was reading the last issue of Super Street and noticed a question submitted by a reader. I can't remember the section, but the question pertained to a subscriber wanting to swap a VQ35DE into his Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. I actually laughed out loud at Borders when I read that you used a reference to freshalloy.com. I'm sure if you had known that the guy that actually does these swaps (Travis is a member of MySpecV.com and regularly signs on and posts updates on all of his projects) you would have posted that site. I just wanted to let you know that anyone wanting to know any type of information about swapping the VQ35 into the Spec V can be found on MySpecV.com without a doubt. If you could, I would like you to update this info in your next issue as MySpecV.com is the best resource on the Web concerning the QR25DE engine.
Kevin Manning
Via the Internet

I am emailing you in reference to the information that you have given to a reader in your tech question section in the March issue on page 100. I noticed that you gave credit to JWT and freshalloy.com in the section. I own a VQ35 swapped Sentra and it was done by Travis Burell, and all the information I found was from MySpecV.com. It's basically everything that you'll want to know about the swap, not to mention also being one of the strongest Web forums for the B15 platform. As an owner of a VQ35-powered Sentra I would love to see you guys give credit where it is due, especially to those who deserve it.
Jimmy Phan
Via the Internet

We realize that there might be an underground society of tuners who are dedicated to tuning the Spec-V Sentras-in addition to the stores and websites we've referred-so we're glad that you guys have chimed in with another great resource for people to look towards for help. Remember, we're all in this tuning community together.

This is a rare month in that we tackled all of the writing ourselves. However, we would have been SOL had we not relied on these good folks for their photographic work.

Wes Allison
Although the guy never strays from his Japanese diet, consisting of McDonalds (Mac-do), Outback, TGIF or Denny's, we can always count on Wes to capture those essential moments on film-and to hit on unsuspecting waitresses for Tetsu, only to discover that Tetsu finds Asian-American girls to be more his cup of o-cha.

Scott Dukes
The Dukester comes through yet again. Changing up the usual pace of the city life for something different, he shot this month's old school feature way out in the sticks-with rocks. Pretty neat stuff.

Antonio Alvendia
We saw Antoine doing his rounds at the Tokyo Auto Salon and asked if he wouldn't mind finding some weird stuff other than cars to show to you guys. Nothing says "mmm-mmm" like a mouth full of Collon.

Rodrez
The Honda crusader strikes again, snapping pics at the latest NWP/Eibach Honda meet in Southern California. May '08 be a great year for the H-crowd yet again.

Tetsuya Ogushi
Yes, it's true; Tetsu boldly denied the phone number of a very attractive and hard-working Filipino woman at the Outback Steakhouse because he says he's "more interested in the girls who are from Ame-li-ca." Dai Yoshihara scooped that one up quickly.

California breeds all kinds of Honda whiz kids, from the north to the south, from the eastside to westside-and they all come together at Eibach's headquarters, where NWP4Life.com assembles the largest gathering of Hondas for a day of engine swaps, JDM-styling and kickin' it. Get your Honda out here if you want to bump heads with the serious players.
www.nwp4life.com

Play 2 Fizzle In Need For Speead: Prostreet!
Here's a special treat for all you gamers. EA has announced a whole new series of cars for use in the Need For Speed: ProStreet game, where you can choose our very own 2Fizzle Nissan 240SX as an actual game car! You can download our blueprint for free if you already own NFS: ProStreet and it can be found under the "Stage 4 Performance Blueprint Bundle." EA will be hosting online tournaments (details TBA) in the future that will be using cars specifically from the Stage 4 bundle with plenty of prizes for the winners. Can't beat this virtual reality!www.ea.com/prostreet

And Get This, They Don't Even Need Inflating
For months we've been hyping up the much anticipated, double-sided NOS Energy Drink poster with the '08 N.E.D. girls, Corissa Furr and Alicia Whitten. Well, the girls are finally here in this month's newsstand edition (subscribers, that means you'll have to go out and grab another copy if you want this exclusive poster) and they're even hotter than we imagined. Remember, there are two sides to it, so you can pick the girl of your choice, not to mention it's life-sized. So for all of you who were claiming to be 5'6", let's see if that holds true because Corissa and Alicia stacked up pretty tall next to our staff. We want to see how creative you can get with these posters, so grab a digi-cam and get creative, funny, whatever-just keep your clothes on. NOS Energy Drink is going to be rewarding the best photos and we'll publish the winners in a future issue of Super Street! www.drinknos.com

All-New Tsx For '09
Fans of Acura's "four-door RSX"-the TSX-will be happy to know that the '09 redesign is on its way and should be arriving soon to your local dealer showroom. This is the second generation of the TSX and while full details are coming, you can expect this sedan to be just as performance-minded as the first release. www.acura.com

$140k Hot Wheels? Does That Come With Jessica?
For its 40th anniversary and 4 billionth production toy, Hot Wheels(r) teamed up with Jason of Beverly Hills to dress up this 1:64 scale car with diamonds valued at $140,000 (can you dig 23 carats?) with a 18-karat white gold casting, blue diamond detailing and plenty of white and black diamonds for the engine and undercarriage. This thing even comes with a custom carrying case that houses 40 white diamonds to signify each year of Hot Wheels'(r) legacy.www.hotwheels.com/40th

Classic Super Street
May '98 Was Grrrreat It was our first visit to Japan ever and although it's only been a decade since, the GT-R was king back then like it is now. Surprisingly, there was informative tech (a very un-Super Street thing to do these days) as we demonstrated how to install a GReddy 18G turbo kit onto a late model DSM. Toyota shocked us with a manual V-6 Camry release and Veilside was the cat's meow with their wow-wow-wee-wow body kits that also spawned a revolution of knock-off combat kits.

D1 In The Us: No Mas
Bad news drift fans: D1GP announced early this year the cancellation of this year's D1GP US points series, citing conflicts and timing issues with Japan's D1. Plans are still set for the US versus Japan exhibition at the Irwindale Speedway in November, but whether the series plans to return in '09 remains to be seen. www.d1gp.com

Chinatown Showoff- Los Angeles, CA
Kicking off their annual show season, Ken Miyoshi and the Mainstream crew invaded Chinatown LA once again to celebrate the Year of the Rat and let the local car clubs battle it out for early bragging rights. Multi-winners High End Performance, Team Hybrid and AMSeven came to floss as did Honda Ruckus champions, Bowls. www.showoffcafe.com

Tetsu's Tales
New GTR, new Impreza STI, new Mitsubishi EVO. Tokyo Auto Salon 2008 is different with last year. There were many new sport cars in the show. Many tuning companies displayed new sport cars in own booth but most of new tuning sport cars' hood was closing and looked like stock. "Could you open the hood for shooting photo?" I asked. But the staff of tuning company said "Sorry. It is still stock now. We are developing some tuning parts for it. We could not finish to develop the tuning parts for it before TAS." I asked same question for some tuning companies but answer was same. They said "During development." I understand this situation because most of tuning companies got new sport cars after summer 2007. Four or five months is very short time for developing new tuning parts and the new sport cars are not simple cars. If you put the fake or bad quality parts on the new sport cars which would make power down. Now,any tuning companies spend the time and much money for developing the parts for the new sport cars. I can't wait next Tokyo Auto Salon in 2009.

Honda's genuine parts company, Honda Access displayed Sports Modulo Civic TYPE-R(www.honda.co.jp/ACCESS/autosalon08/concept/). Modulo Type-R has Modulo body kit and suspension. The body kit is prototype and the suspension is not coilover but Modulo Type-R is faster than stock Civic Type-R. Keiichi Tsuchiya drove this Modulo Type-R and he liked it. He admired Modulo suspension, which you can buy (www.honda.co.jp/ACCESS/automobiles/civictype-r/foot-gear/suspension.html), but I don't know this suspension is good or bad for the streets in USA. I was surprising Lexus had booth in TAS. Lexus displayed Lexus IS race car. Lexus staff said engineer built this IS race car for developing IS-F. IS race car was looked like GT race car. In this year, some race car teams will take part in GT race with Lexus IS. I don't know this IS race car at TAS is the relationship with the IS GT race cars. I think four doors sedan GT race is not bad. Maybe Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus will sell new sport cars for competing Nissan GT-R. The price will be over 8,000,000 yen. I am waiting under 2,000,000 yen sport cars!Tetsu