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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

[COTM] June


This was purely a social experiment. I had noticed that every Camaro owner just loved their cars to death. Taking lots of pornographic pictures, and sharing them online. I had wanted to make this experience more meaningful. To have something for everyone to really take part in and have fun with. The idea was for you guys to submit your absolute best photos, and my judging committee and I were to choose the best photo for each month's calendar. Now, please realize, when I say best photo, I do not mean BEST CAR. Otherwise, whoever had more money to spend, would obviously be the winner, and that wouldn't be fair, and that is not how I do things.

Before I go on any further, let's congratulate Aaranzabal on the C5 forums for being chosen for the June edition Calendar! Yay, clap clap clap.

There was a total of 131 photos that were sent to me. At least 90 different cars. All of them were beautiful in their own right. The hardest thing was to come up with a way to go through all of the photos and have a non-biased review on which car would be the winner. Therefore, I selected 2 people to be on my judging committee. One of them was my close friend, and follow graphic designer. The other was my younger brother, who drives a Honda Prelude. At different times, and on individual computers, we selected 5 of our most favorite pictures. Then we cross reference the 15 total images. The idea was, if there were any overlaps, that would narrow down the images a great deal. The remainder of the overlapped photos would then be chosen solely by me.

So there you go guys! If there are any new submissions, please join the facebook page and post them there. Otherwise, I still have 130 photos to choose from for the next couple of months!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Porsche Club AutoX



The day had finally come and gone. This was my very first autocross event that I've attended. Though I did not actually drive my car on the road course, I did have an opportunity to ride in some of my friend's cars: Subaru STi, BMW M Coupe, and a BMW 135i. Each driver and each car handled very differently, and it was a very good experience for me to see that.

I fully understand that you can't learn to control your car, until you've lost control. Though cars classified as Muscle Cars usually don't take on corners, I firmly believe the Camaro will be alright. The suspension in modern muscle cars have been totally changed, and the independant front and rear suspension will do great wonders.

There were a lot of friendly people there, willing to give you tips and open to conversations. I did not engage in too many conversations, but I did learn a lot. I am looking at upcoming autocross events which I'll be taking part in the next time around. Time to see what this Camaro can do.

OH! I almost forgot. Some of you may be curious of which cars attended the event, lol. Well it was a Porsche event, so it was 50% Porsches. The rest were shared between Subaru Impreza WRX, Imprezas, Miatas, Mini Coopers, Corvettes, and Honda Civics. The car with the fastest time was a 90's Honda Civic Hatchback. O_o The Corvettes actually suffered a bit, they have too much power for their own good. Just goes to show you that power definately isn't everything.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Painting your Calipers



Interestingly, this mod is one of the cheapest, easiest, and best looking mods that I have done so far. For those of you who want professional looking paint jobs, powder coating is probably the best way to go. However, if you want a Do-It-Yourself paint job, something light on the wallet, and easy to do, then the G2 Caliper Paint kit is the best way to go. I bought this kit from R1 Concepts, it costed me around $40. They were having a sale on rotors and pads, so I just picked up a kit on the way to the check out.

You can buy these paint kits pretty much anywhere online. You can find them from $35-$40 on Ebay, or Amazon. You can check your local auto parts stores as well. I checked mine, and it costed $80, way too expensive. If you go straight to the G2 website, you can actually mix your own custom colors! Otherwise, it comes standard in Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White, Black, Silver, and some other ones.

Now, I understand painting calipers isn't for everyone. There are different ideologies when it comes to caliper paints. Some people think it's stupid, while others think it adds more flare, and a sense of speed. Personally, I'm going all out. Colored brake calipers just look super sexy when you can see them through some custom wheels. (Which I'll be getting to soon... but another day, another story)

I would advise you guys to give yourself a full two days to do this project. It technically took me 3 days to get the car out of the garage. However, I admit I slacked on day one, lol. There really isn't much to this DIY, and it almost feels silly for me to make such a long video for it. However, I know when I was doing research, a video like this would have helped me. Hopefully my tips and advice will help you guys do even better!

First, you need to remove all four of your wheels, which means you need four axle stands. I'd say an average house hold owns at least two axle stands. If you don't have four, borrow one from your neighbour =D. (I actually only own two, I 'borrowed' the other two from my neighbour and close friend)

Something I came across when I was removing my wheels, my rear wheels were seized onto the wheel hub. Since most of my DIY's so far have only required me to remove the front wheels, they were loosey goosey. However, the rear wheels have been on since it left the dealership a year ago. They don't anti-seize your wheels from the factory apparently, so my rear wheels were stuck on super tight. I tried to kick it, hammer it, no movement, nothing.

Here is what I learned on how to solve this issue, and a USEFUL TIP for you guys incase you run into the same problem: This will work 100%. First off, with your wheel lifted on the floor jack, loosen all lug nuts to halfway. IT IS CRITICAL THAT IT IS HALFWAY! Next, lower the car slowly so that the weight of the car pops the wheel off. You will hear a distinct pop. As soon as you hear it, stop lowering! Lift the car back up, and proceed in removing your wheels =). Obviously, I don't have to say why you needed the lugs on half way. You guys are smart enough ;)

With that issue out of the way. It was pretty much smooth sailing. Make sure you do a good job masking off everything that shouldn't be painted. If you didn't remove the calipers for painting, then I would say painting the underside of the caliper and the back side might get tricky. Here's another tip: Grab a small mirror to assist your vision in painting weird angles and tight corners. It's also a good way to spot any unpainted areas. Took me around 30 minutes to paint one coat on each caliper. Wait one or two hours before you apply another coat. You'll take around 6 hours to paint them all, and you'll need another 24 hours for the paint to dry. Don't forget to heat up those brakes after they dry.

That's pretty much it guys. You guys have now graduated, and are ready to paint your own calipers! Last word of advice, the final result for painting anything, has to do with preparation. Make sure you clean those brake calipers very thoroughly. Take your time, and have fun with it!



Sunday, May 22, 2011

Big Changes for SV6

What a week! I am currently waiting for my caliper paint to dry. They look super sexy by the way. Can't wait to show you guys. I've filmed a full DIY video for you guys who want to paint your own calipers. However, it will take a couple of days for me to edit and upload.

In the meantime, for those of you who are interested in the Team LLT T-shirts, I have some good news! I will be opening a Spades V6 online store very soon. You will see me wear the first Team LLT T-shirt in the caliper painting episode. I have to say, I am very happy with the quality, and I'm wearing that T-shirt proudly!

Jagan and Spades

When I mentioned that Spades V6 will be making a stronger comeback, I meant it. I've actually spent months upon months getting things done right. Finally, it seems that everything is coming together. I have two new cast members lined up, and ready to join Spades V6. My brother, PuYang and SV6's very own driver, Spades.

If it wasn't for you treasured viewers and readers, I wouldn't have gotten this far! Love you guys!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

More clothing options

Options available for black and white T-shirts.

Am I going crazy? Why has my auto blog become a t-shirt designing blog? It has been fun for me though, and frankly kind of therapeutic in a way. Making these designs sort of reminded me of when I was in elementary school. Every year, we would have this thing called a "Sports Day". The whole school, from grades 1 to 7, would be broken down into three teams. They vote on various parties, and choose an art committee for each team. The art committee would be responsible for choosing team colors, picking a mascot, designing team banners and team badges. Needless to say, I was on the art committee every year ever since grade 4. Ah... youth... fun times.

This project somewhat reminds me of "Sports Day". I mean, come on, Team LLT just sounds like an awesome team name. It surely doesn't help when you guys are all excited about this too! Makes me do crazy things!

Anyway, I've finished most of the requests. One member requested a front pocket for the t-shirt for putting reading glasses and such. He says he was getting up there, age-wise, what an honest guy lol. NO PROBLEMS SIR!

I'm opening an online shop for you guys! Don't have to feel obligated to buy. I won't be losing any money on this project. It's strictly a pay per order kind of deal. Therefore, I am keeping ALL the DESIGNS! NO MORE NEED TO VOTE! I am taking in more requests on design options, as well as clothing options. I think I can get hats, hoodies, even UNDERWEAR printed! O_o

Man, it would be so hot if I could get Team LLT panties printed for my lady friends... I'd give it to them as a gift, as long as I can take product shots. (Insert Innocent Grin Here)

As for pricing, I am trying to keep the cost down for you guys. Right now, they are looking to be 20 dollars per white shirt, printed on both sides. Black shirts might be more expensive, but I'll see what I can do there.

Like I have mentioned, I have ordered a shirt myself to check if the quality is worth 20 dollars. I'll let you guys know as soon as I get it. =) Stay tuned.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

More than I can Chew

Man oh man, I feel like I can't catch a breath! If you guys have been following the posts lately, I have started too many projects all at once. First off, the Calendar project is still going. I have a small judging commitee set up to review the submissions for the June Calendar.

Secondly, I seem to have started something exciting for the V6 owners! My T-shirt concepts are getting some major LOVE! THANKS GUYS!

Well, I have spent the day setting up an online shop for you guys. However, I will not open the shop until I have tested the quality first. So I have gone ahead and bought myself a Spades V6 Team LLT T-shirt. I'll review it and open the shop if the quality passes for the price.



In the meantime, some of you guys have been throwing some good ideas at me. Asking for different color options. DUH! Why didn't I think of that lol. Well, I went ahead and made the colors that correspond with our cars. =) And no, White, Black, Gray, and Silver are not colors... they are shades.

The weekend is near, I have to paint my calipers, and I have a few more reviews to do. I also have Vince's new Ghost Cam Tune video to edit. That's it for now. Thanks for reading!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Go Team LLT!

Alright, so the C5 Forums have this thing going on where the V8's seperate themselves into Team LS3, and Team L99. A couple of the V6 guys said, "Hey, let's be Team LLT!"

With the new LFX V6 engine just around the corner, everyone agrees that there should be a Team LLT. Especially with our very own member HDRS, being the first to run the quarter mile in 11.961 SECONDS!

Everyone has been changing up their signatures on the forums, plastering "Team LLT" across their designs. I thought to myself, "Hey! I'm proud of having an LLT too! Why not show it by wearing clothes that represent that!" (I'm such a nerd)

Version 1

Version 2

I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to be wearing this when I go to car meets, LOL. I think I like Version 1 better, but let me know what you guys think!

As you can see, I've gone ahead and made a concept for the women too. You are welcome ladies ;). Notice the design decisions I have made for the women. I placed the "Spades V6" on the back of the shirt across the bottom. Why? People read shirts, doesn't matter what it says, it's human nature. This leads the eye straight to the hips... Nice eh? ;)

Go Team LLT! =D

My Friend's Crazy World

To start off, I love this car, but I would be lying if I had said I don't occasionally eyeball a sexy car as it drives by. Not sure if this is a direct metaphor for how I see women, hopefully not.

In any case, some of my closest friends drive some of the coolest cars. Yesterday, I was chatting with one of my friends from overseas. He lives and works in Hong Kong now, and he's doing extremely well for himself. He drives a white V8 Maserati. However, for the life of me, I forgot which model it was. All I know is, it's expensive. He told me about all of the super expensive cars that are on the streets on Hong Kong. He even said that Maybach, Rolls-Royce, and Bentleys are like taxis there, lol. WTF?

Anyway, long story short, he sent me lots of photos taken around his neighbourhood and auto shop.









I think I'm going to visit Hong Kong sometime in the future LOL.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Shopping for stuff

I woke up at 8 AM today, and left at 9 AM to do some car shopping. I scouted out my local auto parts store for some supplies and did some research for some new modding projects. I went ahead and bought myself a set of axle stands. I thought it was pretty cheap, $20 for a pair.

2 Ton weight capacity each. Lift height of 16.25".

Anyway, these axle stands were actually a purchase that I should have made a year ago. The ones I've been using up to date have been my neighbours set, lol. I feel kind of bad for keeping them in my garage. However, I will need his set for another week or two. Since I am planning on filming the DIY Caliper Painting episode on May 20th. All four wheels will need to be off the ground, so you guys will see these puppies again soon =).

Interestingly enough, while looking around at other stuff, I came across this new Meguiar's Product. =D

Can anyone tell me what car this is? Looks mighty familiar. Hmmm...

Anyway, it seems that Meguiar's debadged this Camaro to keep it anonymous, or maybe it has something to do with copyright infringement. Whatever their reason, I don't think it's fooling anyone. However, I must say, the car still looks very sexy.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Another Jagan Story

You really just have to excuse my young at heart, guy fantasy story lol.
So yesterday, I took a friend out to check out an art show. I haven't seen her in a year, and she's been wanting a ride in my Camaro ever since. Our schedules just never really matched. Anyway, so when I picked her up, she and I were both a bit nervous I suppose, we've both changed, and so we interacted like strangers. She didn't really say much about the car at first, because she just got into the car so fast.

Alright, so whatever right? I start driving. We start talking about what's new and stuff... and on this one road, I had to pass this guy to get into the proper lane for the next turn, so I hit the throttle only ever so slightly, and she squeals in excitement.

Okay! Now I get into this state of euphoria, and I think to myself, "Does she get excited at speed? Because there is a lot more where that came from!"

She says, "Omg so fast."

I smile, and I say, "Really?"

She had broke all of my integrity, come on, she's just asking for it. What would you do? lol.

I would say that incident broke the ice. She ended up taking a lot of pictures of my car, interior and exterior, and told me how much she loved it. I had also re-tuned my car with Vince @ Trifecta's new found Horsepower tune, so I was really tempted to hit the pedal at any given moment.

On the way home, there was this empty straight, and she actually said, "GO GO GO!". ALRIGHT LITTLE LADY, YOU ASKED FOR IT. Floored it, I swore my little V6 reached 88MPH in around 8-9 seconds flat. Probably didn't, but it sure felt that fast. She was screaming the whole way lol.

Overall, an awesome night for my Camaro. I told her that she was my favorite passenger to date, and I would give her another ride anytime lol.



Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Camaro of the Month [COTM]

I have seen some exciting things in the last couple of months, some people have really changed their car drastically since they have bought it. Whether you are a die hard modding fan, or you are just taking it slow and steady, every ONE of you clearly love your cars!

Most of you may have started reading this blog because: You are interested in learning on how to do-it-yourself, like following my project, or just plainly find my writing and films entertaining? (lol). Whatever your reasons may be, I could not have continued to put so much effort into Spades V6 if it wasn't because of you guys, so I really thank you guys once again.

As a token of my gratitude, and because I love seeing other people's projects come to fruition, I am starting a new segment: Camaro of the Month. The title is obvious, I will pick and choose a worthy car every month, feature it on the blog, and make your car part of the Spades V6 CALENDAR PROJECT! =D

Click to enlarge! It's already May 11th, but my car will start off the Calendar Project. Spades as the month of May.

I am constantly on the lookout for really cool Camaros. Whether you drive a V6 or V8, please feel free to post some of your best vanity pictures on the Facebook page! It would help me pick your car if you've got something different from everyone else. Take pictures of the whole car, exterior, interior, and any special mod you think you could show off! Picture quality, image composition, scenery, and background ALL MATTERS! Think of it this way, pretend you are submitting your car to a magazine company, looking for cover cars to put on the Latest issue of Spades Magazine! =D Obviously you'd want to take the best pictures right? Make sure your images are larger than 1280 pixels by 800 pixels. This will be the format I will make the calendar at. If you name your Camaro, your name will be where 'Spades' is placed. If you don't have a name, I will leave it blank. I will take requests like changing the font of your Camaro's name, to give some more character to each car. I will also place the logos of the aftermarket parts you have installed on your Camaro.

Now, I understand not everyone is in the same budget margins. Like I have said before, some people can complete their project in less than a year, while some people may have their plans stretched out to 5 to 10 years! That does NOT matter when I select a car for COTM... even if you have a stock car with some rally stripes, you can still be chosen if you take some really nice pictures!

Here is how it's going to go down: You submit your pictures to me, I select the best for that month, and the chosen car will be on the following month's calendar spread! Obviously I can not guarantee that ANYONE will submit their pictures to Spades V6, but if there isn't any pictures by the end of May, then the June edition will be my car again. You wouldn't want to see my car every month! Right? C'mon guys ;)

Monday, May 9, 2011

Spades V6, modifying



I'm trying to enhance Spades V6 in multiple areas. When I have some time off from work, and when I'm not working on the Camaro, I like to edit videos, and think of expansion and areas of improvement. As the weeks/months go by, you may notice small changes.

I am trying to make this blog more "efficient" and "entertaining". This video is just the start. I am hoping everything falls into place in the next few months.

But like I have said, I am planning to FINALLY paint my calipers over the long weekend, and there is a Porsche club Autocross event being held on the 28th of May. I am going to attend it, whether or not I get to drive.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

With great Horsepower, comes great responsibility

Okay guys, story time. Yesterday, I was driving, and it was a good day to own a Camaro. My car had been recently washed, and looked really sharp on the road. It was sunny, and with the windows down, the temperature was perfect. My whole intention was to drive at a regular cruising pace, really soak in the scenery and weather you know?

For the life of me it seems like everytime I drive, there just has to be one or two douchebags on the road RUINING your perfect drive!

I'm on this road, and the traffic is sparse, everyone is driving at a very humble 35MPH. Then out of no where, this man in a minivan just weaves and cuts everyone off, driving at least at 55MPH. He cuts infront of me, and is really an inch from my nose. This really pissed me off, I didn't honk though. YOU'VE RUINED MY AWESOME DAY! NOW IT'S PERSONAL! At the red light, this guy is stopped on the left lane, and I pull up to him in the right. I'm not head to head with him though, he wouldn't be able to see my car unless he shoulder checked. Anyway, when the light turned green, I had my car set to Sport mode, and I was ready to make his car literally eat my dust. I let him leave first, to see his true intentions though. Sure enough, he was in a huge hurry, you can hear that little four banger working hard as he pretty much floored his car. This just gave me the go-juice I needed, I suppose I was a bit bored, and wanted some excuse for excitement... so I half floored my car. Easily climbed up to red line, and obviously left him with the rest of the traffic. At the next intersection, I made it through just when the yellow light lit up and he was stuck behind. That was the last time I saw him.

Let me tell you guys something, I felt terrible afterwards. Infact, halfway through that run, I had already let off my throttle completely and just left my car glide on idle, that's how bad I felt. I really don't like driving like a douchebag, and this one minivan made me weak, and made me succumb to using my Camaro's power. I'm telling you guys, this car, and every other sports car out there, can really work your buttons. Just because you have 300 HP under the hood, doesn't mean you should unleash it, though tempting almost at all hours of the day for me. To be honest, I shouldn't be so easily effected by this kind of thing though. I'm sure most of you are really good at controlling your 'speeding' urges. However, if you AREN'T, then you got to learn to keep calm, because I could have been pulled over! Or worse, gotten someone hurt. Just remember 300 HP, or anything higher, should be only unleashed on the track or in some sort of controlled environment.

Got similar stories? I'd love to hear them =) Share them in the comments below, or share on the Facebook page. Well, happy driving you guys, and may no douchebags cross your path. =D

Sunday, May 1, 2011

It's that time of the year!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it is that time of year where we use tons of the world's natural resources to make our rides look awesome. It was a perfect day today, the sun was out, and there was a slight spring breeze in the air, keeping the temperature at a very comfortable 55 degrees. My brother and I took this opportunity to really give our cars a nice wash.

Exhaust tip is cleaned with Adam's APC, and looks awesome!

I haven't cleaned my car this thoroughly since the Adam's Polishes detail post back in October, 2010. There is still much to do before it's 100% show room ready, but I would say todays car wash made my car look 90% perfect!  I made sure I washed every nook and cranny there was to clean on the car. I mean, I even brought out the big guns! (Adam's Polishes Products)

Tires cleaned with Adam's APC.

Tires with Adam's VRT applied.

Look at those wheels! The contrast looks Photoshopped, but it isn't! Just beautiful.

Ahem, forgive me for basking in my own glory. I am just too excited to see my car look so sexy after six months of rain, snow, salt, and, well, crap in general. The only upsetting thing was that after removing all of that dirt and grime, it revealed a lot of rock chips, and scratches produced from daily driving. =(

Oh well, nothing a little polishing and waxing can't fix =) I'll probably do that when I have more time in the summer. If you are a member on the Spades V6 facebook page, please don't hesitate to post some vanity pictures on there =D. Anyway, got some car porn for you car perverts ;) Shots are taken on a closed movie set.

Spades and Gimmick