Month: February 2019

The Holdup

/ Chris DiMarco / Leave a comment

This post is full of bullshit excuses.

In my last blog, I mentioned that I planned on releasing a car-related YouTube video in a few days. About a week has passed since I wrote those words, and I don’t particularly enjoy feeling like I’ve fibbed or lead someone astray. So instead, here is a list of things I’ve encountered in the last week while attempting to record the aforementioned video.

A bit of context: the particulars of the video I’m trying to record involve a review of a car exhaust part. This involves two core components: a thorough evaluation of the craftsmanship of the part, and then an installation and reflection on the performance of the part.

The first hurdle I encountered was a technical one. The main camera that I use for video is a Canon Rebel T4i. I’ve had the T4i for 4 years or so. I’ve used it for everything from taking headshots to street photography, car show pics to audition video. The quality of the photos is exceptional, especially with the suite of lenses that I have available. Unfortunately, when it comes to video, it left something to be desired.

The issue is the auto focus mechanism. Canon makes three lens actuation types that fit the T4i: Standard, STM, and USM. Of those, the STM lenses are the best for video because the servo/gearing mechanism that they use is very quiet. Unfortunately, all three of my lenses are of the Standard variety, and servo drives are very noticeable during video capture. I hear tons of servo clicking throughout the video, which is incredibly annoying (see video below). Of course, I could turn off the autofocus, but that limits me in terms of what I can do in frame. For example, if I want my face to be the primary focus and then move to the car, I have to reset the focus manually, which is a pain for continuous shots.

To mitigate that, I ordered a Canon 18-55mm EF-S STM lens off of ebay, which was due to arrive Saturday. Unfortunately, it appears to be doing loops between USPS facilities, and hasn’t arrived yet. Hooray.

The second obstacle has been a common one: old, rusted bolts. On the existing part in question, there are two bolts that connect the front half of the exhaust to the rear half at the Y-pipe. They are heavily corroded, and even my electric impact wrench can’t get them off with ~100 ft-lbs of torque (that’s real, I’ve tested it that high). I will hit them with penetrating fluid as soon as the weather breaks…which is the third problem.

These two little bastards right here…

The weather in Kansas has been just awful for the last few weeks. We’ve had snow and icing non-stop through the span, and it shows no signs of letting up over the next two weeks. This is killing me, because I live in an apartment complex and cannot wrench on the car in this mess. It’s just too cold and too wet. In the long term, I’m hoping to find a wrench space for rent to shoot these videos, but things like bookgaragetime.com have not taken off in the KC area yet. So until then, I must wait for a sunny day.

Not exactly a winter wonderland…nor great for wrenching.

The last challenge I face is knowledge-based. I do know a fair bit about mechanical engineering, but when it comes to welds (a major topic regarding exhaust) my experience is a tad limited. I’ve taken a how-to class on TIG welding, practiced a little MIG, and played with a stick welder, but I am by no means a pro. So, when I went to critique the welds on the part, I felt a bit out of my element and inauthentic. I’ve been rectifying that over the last few days by learning as much about welds and weld inspection as I can, though most of it is related to structural welds and irrelevant to these parts. It has still been a fascinating endeavor and I’m glad I took the time to explore it. I can guarantee there will be plenty more times like that, as I don’t know everything…

…even though I claim to. Hopefully, my next post will be a pleasant review of the video-making experience. ’til then, so long!


Same old something different

/ Chris DiMarco / Leave a comment

Back in October, I made the foolish decision to take my car out to the race track. I consider it foolish because it re-lit a fire that had been relatively stifled in me for a few years: a strong desire to drive my car hard and modify the living hell out of it.

While most would probably suggest that the former is the biggest concern, it’s actually more the latter. The time that is spent in researching the appropriate modifications for your car can easily consume months of your life. It’s also very easy for the costs associated with all the mods to skyrocket in a heartbeat.

The reason for this tends to be one of a few possible options. First there’s the good old “keeping up with the Joneses.” In the age of Instagram, you can find thousands of pics of your very model car with all sorts of wild work done. The attention that those photos gather is more than enough motivation for one to start bolting all sorts of body work and lights to your ride. Another common reason is simply a lack of focus. Some guys just want a cool car, and that means continually bolting something new on. Turbos hot this year? He’s dropping 10k on a Greddy kit. Widebodies? He just ordered a Veilside kit for his RX-7. I happen to fall prey to a third option: wasting all the time and buying almost nothing for years, then suddenly dumping tons into a car for some impulsive reason. I did this with both of my Probes and with my first (S14) 240sx.

This time seems to be a little different for me for several reasons. During those “impulsive” runs, I was stalled due to a common problem. As you modify cars more and more, they usually get less streetable. Throw in a high performance exhaust, and they annoy your neighbors on cold mornings. Upgrade to race suspension, and your back is snapping every time you go over a speed bump or railroad crossing. Add a roll cage, and you’ve actually created a car that is more lethal for you if you’re not driving with a helmet on. So, if you attempt to maintain one of these cars as a daily driver, it’s always going to be a compromise.

After being bitten by the track bug, I quickly came to the conclusion that I need a track car. The Z with the sport package was the perfect choice, as it’s already fairly well sorted for it out of the box. It’s also barely tolerable on the street: it’s poorly insulated & damped (lots of road noise), the clutch has a bizarre feel to it thanks to the dual-mass flywheel and concentric slave cylinder, and the throttle map in first and second gear is completely nonsensical (it’s throttle-by-wire, so the computer actually determines the throttle level). With only an oil cooler, an electrical switch for the VDC/ABLS, and some new brake pads, it was already set for beginner track duty.

But taking it to the next level is going to take some doing. I’d like to spend this year (and maybe 2020) becoming a competent driver, and tweaking the Z for the track along the way. That’s going to mean exhaust, aerodynamics, suspension, and safety gear. Luckily, I have a reference for what to do:

Sparrow Speed Z

Eventually, I believe I’m going to find myself jonesing for wheel-to-wheel racing…and that’s going to mean following up with a roll cage. That’s when I’ll have to pull her off the street and start towing her around.

As an experiment, I’ve decided to document the whole thing on YouTube and Instagram. I can use my mechanical engineering background to analyze the manufacturing quality of the parts that I purchase, and show the installation and track the improvements. I’ve never quite put myself out there in that fashion before, but I’m willing to take a chance on it. I’m sure I’ll learn a few things along the way, and I’m certain I’ll make some new pals.

I’ve already gotten a start on this path. I purchased a Y-pipe for the exhaust, and I’ve already taped a review that I’ll be posting in the next few days.

Here’s to the new thing of 2019.