Top Mount Intercooler Removal

Most of Machine Zealots Season 3 has been a whole lot of videos that had nothing to do with our Project Impulse, the 2006 Subaru WRX STI. I know what you must have been thinking, "Hey! Where are the STI how-to videos?"
Well, I'm pleased to tell you guys that the rest of Season 3 will consist of more STI episodes! If you have seen our "Next Stage" video, sponsored by Apex Performance, you will know that the STI will have many more episodes to come. To start off this mini series, we remove the top mount intercooler. (TMIC)
Why?
Simple. Many of the modifications to come require the removal of the TMIC. In fact, we'll be doing our best to gear up for Season 4 from this point on. Some of the episodes you will see in Season 4 may consist of many things that require the removal of the TMIC: Clutch fluid change, transmission fluid change, wrapping the TMIC with Reflect-A-Gold tape, downpipe install, turbo blanket wrapping, turbo heat shield install, and installing the Crawford AOS. If all goes according to plan, Season 4 will be based heavily on modification.
Okay, let's get into the removal of the TMIC. It's pretty straight forward. The only pain is getting the intercooler back onto the car. I highly recommend removing the black support bracket for more clearance; an extra helping hand wouldn't hurt either to be honest.
Puyang is gearing up in his modding game as well. We are currently waiting for a particular upgrade in the mail, proudly sponsored by Apex Performance of course. We'll have more information on that later.
Stay tuned!

Old Pedal, Dead Pedal

When I first bought this 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, I was definitely happy with it. I mean, it's an STI! More importantly, it's my STI. When I talk about the STI, I hardly ever bring up the negatives, it's always the positives that stick out. However, when I first took the seat of the car, I had noticed right away that the dead pedal was this cheap plastic looking slab. I couldn't let that go.
Enter the Autospeed Dead Pedal.
It's quite expensive for something so small, around $40, but it was worth it to me. If you are thinking of upgrading your dead pedal, I would stay away from eBay ones. The eBay ones I've seen do not have raised rubber grips, but instead have painted black holes. To each their own, but that still isn't good enough for me.
I think you guys have seen enough of my videos, read enough of my blog posts to know that I'm meticulous in many aspects. So can you blame me for wanting this dead pedal? I mean take a good look at the STI's after the Hawkeyes, from 2008+, they have a HUGE dead pedal that matches the rest of the pedals. It would turn out, even Subaru felt that it was necessary to upgrade it!
So what to you guys think? Am I a bit crazy for spending money on this upgrade? Or would you yourself do the same?
Since the installation, I have driven the car for several months, and the dead pedal shows no signs of deterioration so far. I would definitely recommend this product, and I give this product a solid 9/10.

Turbocharged Timeline

I didn't make a post about this episode specifically because I was sort of ashamed of it. It was one of the most boring videos I have ever edited and uploaded. It was neither entertaining, nor informative, and frankly I had felt that this was a sinking ship. However, I had realized this after finishing the video, and because I had worked on it for a couple of weeks, I just had to upload it for the sake of hard work. If you'd actually enjoyed this video, you are too kind. If not, then you know I hate it too, lol.

In other news, I am working with Tracy from RevXtreme on a bracket solution for the Subaru STI RX Oil Catch Can. More information about this when there is something else to report, but I am very excited about this.

I also went ahead and purchased a Cobb AccessPORT for my 2006 Subaru WRX STI. For people who know what this does, yeah, I was smiling when I got it. For people who don't know what this does, I'll have a video about the Cobb AccessPORT in the weeks to come.

I also got to spend a lot of time with my car. I've been driving around late at night for the past couple of weekends. Going to car meets, cruising with friends, and just really enjoying the car and getting to know Subarus.

There are also some other packages coming in the mail, I can't wait! Very exciting. A new DIY Episode will be uploaded on Friday, so stay tuned ladies and gents. ;)

RevXtreme sponsors Machine Zealots' new Project

Although this is mostly a personal automotive blog, I can't help but wonder how big a part serendipity has played in my automotive journey. There was the whole deal with Hurst Shifters and B&M Racing, where our negotiations to beta test a product for the 2010 Camaro had spanned across seven months. Then there is RevXtreme, a company focused on building race cars. I got to install some RevXtreme products on my 2010 Camaro for the short time I had owned it. Even to this day I vouche for their products, simply because they work, quality built, and as always, the human aspect. I have said this time and time again, customer service is what makes customers loyal, and RevXtreme has excellent customer service.

The Jet Black painted RX Oil Catch Can looks incredibly handsome.

Well, serendipity has come into play again, RevXtreme has sponsored a beautifully made forced induction application oil catch can for my 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. However, because RX is supplying this catch can remotely, there is a bracket we need to tweak to make it work for this car. I don't foresee this to be a huge problem though. I should be able to install this in a couple of weeks, and obviously shoot an awesome MZ style video! =D Thanks Tracy!

MZ Promo Trailer

This is a promotional trailer that I made over the past couple of days. I've been trying to establish more viewers, creating better content and videos. It's been hard since I've changed over to the STI though. However, I've turned over a new leaf and I'm approaching Machine Zealots a bit differently than SpadesV6. I've been aggressively contacting companies for sponsorships, most of them are nice enough to actually reply my e-mails, lol. However, other than that, nothing substantial has taken place... yet. However, one company and I are in the works of bringing a brand new, never before released product into the Subaru community. If my old Camaro readers are reading this, you would know this company quite well, since I've praised their products. Hopefully the package will come in the mail in a week or two. More updates on this later.

As of now, I am in the works of editing more videos, and will be online in the weeks to follow.