Project Scrap Metal: 5.7 Liters of Organized Chaos

Well I know a lot of people didn't think I would actually finish it this year but here is the LS240 Vert in all its glory. Project scrap metal has come a long way since we last saw it here. Last time I explained what I did and didn't like about the build and well... instead of bailing on the project I did something about it. I really wanted to build a car to tandem with and not have to worry about too much. There was only one answer, a 240sx. I had huge plans at first and picked up an LQ4 block but at the time I really didn't have the cash to finish it that way. I sold that block and built a KA, which was a big mistake. So I sold the KA and picked up an LS1 to do it right, and here is that build!. Click read more to check it out!!

Formula 1 returns to the United States!

Christian here, racefriv didnt have any of their usual crew going to the US Grand Prix, so I agreed to take some pictures and write about it!  The first Formula 1 race I attended was at Indianapolis in 2006.  This was the year after the Michelin fiasco, so tickets were subsidized and affordable for a college intern.  The experience was incredible.  I had been to ALMS races before, but it did not prepare me for the noise of an F1 car.  Sitting on the front straight during the start still stands as one of my favorite motorsport moments ever.  When the FIA announced that F1 was returning to the US, I knew I had to find a way to the race.  I traveled to Austin, Texas, with my friend Ian to celebrate F1 coming to the first purpose built Formula 1 track in the United States.

Yaer does Irwindale

Wow, Yaer always does a fantastic job with there videos but this one is just heart touching. I love it and wanted to share. Cant wait for next year!!!!!



FD - Irwindale Final 2012 YAER Productions from Ryan Davis on Vimeo.

Better late than never, ALMS Petite Le Mans.

Whats up everybody this is racefriv Ish, and we're finally back in action and ready to post like normal, Project Scrap Metal is pretty much done and can get back to all the internets we have been missing out on. So now on to Petit Le Mans, yea sure we're like two months late, deal with it. Didn't go? Have no idea what it is? Well don't worry racefriv was there to watch all the racing and drink all the Jack Daniels you didn't get to. So off to some racing!... click read more for some race care fun.

Apologies for Slacking and Whats to Come

So I wanted to write a little on the blog here to note that racefriv hasnt slowed down one bit, we have just taken a little break from the interwebs to get things done in the real world. Half of racefriv is of course the blog, the pictures etc.. and the other half is going to events, building cars and ruining them in a explosive fashion. Its that time of the year for Phil to actually be making money off his photography skills so some photos are going to have to wait so Phil can make his moneys to buy the equipment were planning on using next year. (looking at some new heros etc for video) While Phil has been making money Ive been blowing money like its going out of style on the money pit of doom you see below.

So yes Ive been steadily working on the vert still and its about a day or two away from dropping in the LS1, then I still have a TON of work to do, and it doesnt help my welder died a few days ago( the machine not a person). Dont worry Ive been taking pictures along the way and there will be a full write up on this build. Its full steam ahead and dont worry itll be done this year to be ready for the next, in fact im hoping I can get it drive-able by the nest KMS/S2 event in November. Speaking of which...

NOPI: The Revival

The NOPI Nationals... It's an event we've all either been to or heard a lot of wether it be good or bad. NOPI, as everyone knows it, started its shows in 1988. Unfortunately the show peaked in 2008 when the economy went down. Now in 2012 NOPI is hoping to make its big come back. This past weekend Joel and Jose Lopez were able to attended the two day event in Commerce GA. To say the event was great would be a huge understatement.

Joel brought his camera along to grab a couple shots of some of the cars that caught our eyes. Although we were only able to get Sunday morning coverage of the event, the cars definitely didn't disappoint. This slammed Lexus GS300 showed up really early in the morning and drew so much attention, it had a photo shoot with it's own model that evening.

Editors note: For those wondering, Joel and Jose are two new guest contributors for the racefriv blog! They are the owners of these beautiful cars here  and we want to thank them for joining us. Welcome to the blog hope you have a lot of time on your hands!


Click Read more for some pics of the event!!!

KMS@AMS Drift event!!

The first few times I went to the KMS events at AMS I have to admit I really didn't like them, they seemed unorganized and not really into drifting. But this last time it was really fun! Like really really fun. I didn't drive in the event with the 'rolla as this was a competition which involved some tandem and I really didnt want to put the rolla into a wall. That's what project scrap metal is getting built for. I have to say though it was really nice for once just to sit back and watch the mayhem unfold in front of you. Instead of swapping tires, fixing things, and waiting around in the car I got to sit  back, relax, and let the event sink in. Click read more for some of the funnest grassroots drifting I've seen in a while. 

Photography Corner - cleaning

Hi friv fans, Phil Ball here with a little photography tip.  I spent some time today trying to organize my photography equipment and on my last shoot I noticed that one of my polarizing filters was dirty.  Its not good to find a mess while out on a shoot so I vowed to look over all my gear and clean it all.

While I was busy cleaning I realized that some folks may not even be aware of how to clean their equipment.  DSLRs are now so popular I see them everywhere and unlike a point and shoot you need to know some things about how to care for them.  The lenses and filters are coated with chemicals that can be damaged by rough handling or powerful solvents, so I made a video to explain my process.

Hit the jump for the vid and some details on where to get the tools.

Love, Hate and Slammed: A Tale of Two Brothers

As an only child I always wanted a brother, a brother to blame things on, a brother to help me keep my sanity on family vacations, and now..........I really wish I had a brother to build baller cars with. The Lopez brothers make me jealous, but not for their brotherly love, but for the awesome S2000 and 350Z they have built over the past year or so. So click read more and let me take you on a journey of Love, Hate and Slammed...

The Great Debate.

V8 vs. the Turbo....Yaer comes out with a great production and fun little video about the issue.



Formula D VEGAS 2012 V8 vs TURBO! THE DEBATE STOPS HERE! featuring Jarod Deanda and Ryan Tuerck - YAER Productions from Ryan Davis on Vimeo.

Tim's Slammed and Welded 350 Zed

Pleasant surprise time! My AE86 friend Devin popped by the other day to weld up the open GTS diff he had laying around, and usually he drives down in his old 86. This time however he somehow convinced his friend Tim to drive him down and showed up in this! Woot! Click read more for some pics!

Internet Love: Say Howdy! To Chelsea DeNofas New Ride

So  everyone that reads racefriv from time to time knows that Im a big Chelsea DeNofa fan, theres no hiding that. I was super saddened by the destruction of the E36 he was drifting, but hey thats drifting for you. Even though I was sad it opened up a great door for Chelsea to take over the Nitto RX-8 for the rest of the year. Below I found an awesome video of Chelsea explaining the transition from running his own team to joining a pro team and explains a little about his new car for next year. Good Luck in Vegas man!!



Say Howdy! Get Rowdy! EP 5 Chelsea DeNofa at Formula Drift Seattle from BC RACING NA on Vimeo.

^Make sure to check out the rest of the Say Howdy videos!

Go-Pro Vs Contour comparison

Go-Pro or Contour? what should I get?  That was a question Kevin Lu one of our Racefriv contributors asked me.  Actually he specifically needed to know about underwater usage to compare to just getting a dive housing for his Canon S100.  He texted me, but i'm not the sort of person who can answer a photographic related question in 150 characters.  So Kevin, instead of just answering you alone, in a series of badly written texts, here's the long James May answer!  Hit the jump for more.

Import Alliance 2012 Summer Meet-Dreams Do Come True

July 28, 2012 marks another much anticipated Import Alliance summer meet. Car guys wait all year for this event. After all it is arguably the largest gathering of imports on the east coast. This year IA summer meet was held at a new venue which many were against. It was held at ZMAX dragway in Charlotte, NC and after being held in Nashville for so many years, many didn't want to make the long haul out there. From Atlanta to Charlotte, it's only about a 5 hour drive so I didn't really have a problem driving out there. The only thing I was worried about was the dreadful NC and SC roads. Every year I look forward to this event, not because of the cars, but because I get to catch up with all my old friends. Once a year my friends from Atlanta, Huntsville, Birmingham, Nashville, Memphis, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan all meet in the same spot.

Anyways on to the pictures...Click read more, you know you want to...

AMS Auto X with the Porsche Club!

Our racefriv Stig impersonator Christian Retterer recently hit up a Porsche Autocross event at AMS and invited me out to take some pics. We don't usually do Autocross events here on racefriv but I think we're going to do a lot more in future. Click read more to check out the pics!

Shenanigans with Jeeps!

Every once in a while when the racefriv crew isnt working on drift cars, street cars, or on the blog we like to take a little time off for shenanigans. It just so happens our favorite type of shenanigans is the off roading type. As some of you know I recently sold the suby and purchased myself the all around vehicle, it started with looking for a tow vehicle and ended with an Jeep Rubicon. Of course I wasn't going to purchase something like this and not break it in. So me and our racefriv friend Audet went for a little drive on top of a mountain! Check out the pics!

The 86 Life! Happy 86 day!

 The 86 brotherhood is an odd thing, its something that's hard to explain. The bond between 86 owners are instant and timeless, its strange to have a connection with so many people with out ever knowing them. To an outsider it may seem weird, even foolish, but once you drive one you get the idea. The car personifies fun, it embraces driving like a high schooler, and (almost) never lets you down. So today we celebrate this car, today is 86 day!!! I've gathered a ton of photos from the racefriv site over the past year or so of AE86's we have come across and placed them here for your enjoyment. So what are you waiting for?  Click read more and go enjoy them!

Germany Road Trip!

We have already posted our Nurburgring part of our Germany trip here but I wanted to show you the rest of the Germany Road Trip as well so everyone could check out some car related stuff that you just dont see everyday, like this badass DTM Audi below! Click read more to check out what we happened to run into on our journey!.

Two of a Kind... Black Skyline.

So in the S2 @ AMS post I introduced you to the R33 you see before you. However it wasn't the only Skyline to grace our presence, an R32 came along as well! We decided before these guys split we needed to get a few pics and here they are in all their skyline glory.

S2 @ AMS!!

So after being dealt a blow by the city of Atlanta Howard Smith finally brought the S2 drift events back, and I for one thank him! I know everyone one out there misses the blue lot but this event brought S2 back with a bang! Two tracks to chose from, indoor pit area, and laps around the banked AMS walls made this one of the more memorable drift events I've ever drifted in. Click read more for all the pictures and insight into the new S2 track!