First i did this...
Then i went up against this...
The full feature should be in the July issue, out in june, so take a look. The results might suprise you!
SO sneaky
Here's a sneaky look at what i got upto last wednesday with Redline magazine.
First i did this...
The full feature should be in the July issue, out in june, so take a look. The results might suprise you!
First i did this...
The full feature should be in the July issue, out in june, so take a look. The results might suprise you!
What really grinds my gears
After getting back from the never lift drift day to find this all over the back of my car......
I knew something was abit, erm, broken.
So up she goes and I'm greeted with this nice big hole in my diff casing!
The crown wheel was badly scoured to, but as it was just around the edge its fine for now.
The worst part was cleaning the diff out to find this nice little hand full!
So with the diff cleaned out and the damaged double checked I had to fix it fast. I'd been invited to the Redline magazine performance test day in two days time. I managed to find another gearbox and diff combo, as they are one unit on the Volvo 340/360 range, but I didn't have time to collect and fit it.
That left only one option. Chemical metal. It wasn't an ideal fix but it held the oil and when the diff was rebuilt it span fine with no bearing damage and would last the Redline magazine day and give me enough time to collect the new gearbox and diff.
So with the car back in one piece I was ready for for an early start and a day at Santa Pod driving the handing course and running the strip.
I knew something was abit, erm, broken.
So up she goes and I'm greeted with this nice big hole in my diff casing!
The crown wheel was badly scoured to, but as it was just around the edge its fine for now.
The worst part was cleaning the diff out to find this nice little hand full!
So with the diff cleaned out and the damaged double checked I had to fix it fast. I'd been invited to the Redline magazine performance test day in two days time. I managed to find another gearbox and diff combo, as they are one unit on the Volvo 340/360 range, but I didn't have time to collect and fit it.
That left only one option. Chemical metal. It wasn't an ideal fix but it held the oil and when the diff was rebuilt it span fine with no bearing damage and would last the Redline magazine day and give me enough time to collect the new gearbox and diff.
So with the car back in one piece I was ready for for an early start and a day at Santa Pod driving the handing course and running the strip.
Never Lift
I got a call from my friend Mike last week to say he had arranged a new and regular drift practice day to be run through his new website, Never Lift. These days are set up to be fun for anyone, in any kind of car, to come along and drift. No bullshit, no pressure, just plenty of seat time, a cheap price, good people and a good time. The track is in Birmingham, at the stock car stadium in the Birmingham Wheels complex. This track is a place a lot of people won't drift because of the high wall and no run off but its wide enough for anyone one to come and have fun without to much fear of crashing. The perfect day for my first drift day of the year!
So early the next morning i swung by to pick up a new face in Dtown but an old hand in the drift scene, Oscar. Oscar has just started the same motorsport course I'm just finishing in Derby and also has few super swedes of his own.
Keep an eye out for a full feature on both his 16v powered sleeper and his 200bhp turbo drift 360 soon.
When we arrive the day is already up and running, with a slammed E36 setting the bar high from the off.
After getting into the inner track, I was met by Matt, who's in charge of the track, and told to make myself at home. So before sorting the car, I had a walk around to check out the other cars.
These two super slammed E36's have to be the lowest road cars in the UK. Both converted to 2.5l, these cars look tatty but get driven hard everyday.
This E36 compact was joined by the drivers wife's daily because it was his first track day and he wanted a way of getting home in case he hit the wall.
The last two cars were this E36 325 and a Vauxhall Carlton, with its 3 ltr straight six engine.
After passing the basic skills figure of 8 test, which everyone does to prove they are safe to head out on track without an instructor, I saddled up ready for my first few laps.
This track is all about line in order to link to two corners, taking a nice wide line as far down the straight as possible to manji into the next corner with no need to straighten up.
In the Volvo, you cant ever lift because it'll bog down and lose angle. So with the throttle pinned and no hand break, momentum is key. Momentum and big balls.
After this shot was taken i went into the next corner a bit fast and clipped the curbs on the inside and bent a wheel. Not much damage and I kinda like the way you can see the blue and white curb paint around the rim.
In the afternoon, the track was run in reverse and mike raised the bar by saying we should have a wall scraping comp. I was game so decided to try and clip it on the was in and out.
I managed to get within a few inches but never managed to touched the wall. Having to manji in, facing the wall the wrong way until the last minute was some of the most exciting drifting I've ever done!
Next time the wall is mine!!
Mike did manage to tag the wall.
Celebrating by posing for the crowd.
We wear wall scrape dents like medals.
Overall this was one of my most fun drift days, and at only £20 it was a bargain! Hopefully these days will be regular and more and more people will come along. I'll keep the blog up to date with Never Lift website progress.
After dropping Oscar off and parking the car up, I noticed something stinky on the back of the car.
Damn. Transmission oil.
So early the next morning i swung by to pick up a new face in Dtown but an old hand in the drift scene, Oscar. Oscar has just started the same motorsport course I'm just finishing in Derby and also has few super swedes of his own.
Keep an eye out for a full feature on both his 16v powered sleeper and his 200bhp turbo drift 360 soon.
When we arrive the day is already up and running, with a slammed E36 setting the bar high from the off.
After getting into the inner track, I was met by Matt, who's in charge of the track, and told to make myself at home. So before sorting the car, I had a walk around to check out the other cars.
These two super slammed E36's have to be the lowest road cars in the UK. Both converted to 2.5l, these cars look tatty but get driven hard everyday.
This E36 compact was joined by the drivers wife's daily because it was his first track day and he wanted a way of getting home in case he hit the wall.
The last two cars were this E36 325 and a Vauxhall Carlton, with its 3 ltr straight six engine.
After passing the basic skills figure of 8 test, which everyone does to prove they are safe to head out on track without an instructor, I saddled up ready for my first few laps.
This track is all about line in order to link to two corners, taking a nice wide line as far down the straight as possible to manji into the next corner with no need to straighten up.
In the Volvo, you cant ever lift because it'll bog down and lose angle. So with the throttle pinned and no hand break, momentum is key. Momentum and big balls.
After this shot was taken i went into the next corner a bit fast and clipped the curbs on the inside and bent a wheel. Not much damage and I kinda like the way you can see the blue and white curb paint around the rim.
In the afternoon, the track was run in reverse and mike raised the bar by saying we should have a wall scraping comp. I was game so decided to try and clip it on the was in and out.
I managed to get within a few inches but never managed to touched the wall. Having to manji in, facing the wall the wrong way until the last minute was some of the most exciting drifting I've ever done!
Next time the wall is mine!!
Mike did manage to tag the wall.
Celebrating by posing for the crowd.
We wear wall scrape dents like medals.
Overall this was one of my most fun drift days, and at only £20 it was a bargain! Hopefully these days will be regular and more and more people will come along. I'll keep the blog up to date with Never Lift website progress.
After dropping Oscar off and parking the car up, I noticed something stinky on the back of the car.
Damn. Transmission oil.
SO Mint!
Time for a refresh. I thought the previous identity design wasn't quite capturing the feel of Sweet Oblivion. As some of you may or may not know, by day well.. by most of the night too, I'm a (final year) graphic design student. The previous logo was a mash up of various fonts. The new logo is my own completely bespoke design. The idea behind the design is to capture the very essence of some of the silly things we all like to do with cars. The swooping elements of the letter forms echo the shapes of a well executed driving line just clipping the apex of a corner, or the perfect drift a hairs breath from the track wall. I have always had massive love and respect for Japanese tuning styles. It has certainly been a constant inspiration for myself and friends. So I also wanted to capture the feel of old school Japanese street team stickers, not just in the style but, the did they mean that to sound kinda rude? wording too. Oh, and the green is now a minty fresh one too.
Limited run, vinyl stickers are now available from
The NEW Sweet Shop.
And I have some T Shirt designs on the way too :)
Limited run, vinyl stickers are now available from
The NEW Sweet Shop.
And I have some T Shirt designs on the way too :)
One step forwards, two steps back
Its been a long time coming.
For some time now, the Dtown kids have been out in the wilderness. Entering comps cost us all dear; building comp spec cars took the fun from it as we didn’t really have the money. Everyone's been through massive changes in their lives, be it finishing uni, changing jobs, waiting for driving bans to end, having to move from the area, buying a house or just having no money, drifting has taken a forced back seat. For me, finishing uni has taken over everything. I've owned some cool cars in the last three years but in the end they had to go to fund my education.
The time has come though, the gangs all here and we've taken it back a few years. Back to when drifting was fun.
A few years ago, we rolled in simple cars and enjoyed them to the full most nights out on the hills around derby. Everyone had simple, slammed, street tuned cars that were used hard. These cars were underpowered and taught us lots, like not to use the wand. Ever. To drive above and beyond. We'd meet up at night and not be home until the sun rose. Sometimes we even had a support van.
Well, we're going back to these simpler times.
With the rest of the Dtown kids back in E36 BMW's, Ford Sierra's and E30 BMW's, it was about time I went back to my battle weapon of choice.
So, let me introduce the murdered out swede.
Lowered on 2" lowering blocks and cut front springs, the suspension is getting over hauled in two weeks. New custom front springs, new thicker damper oil, 3" lowering blocks and uprated rear dampers. Rolling on weller steels, 13 x 8, -10 offset with 165/55/13 tyres and a welded diff.
A MK1 golf splitter is waiting to go on.
After the suspension is on, the plan is to use it as much as possible and fit a 2.3 turbo engine from a 940 over the winter.
This car is in great condition. On the inside is a bucket seat, harness, steering wheel, with the rear stripped and the sound deadening removed and a bang up-to date tape player.
The kids are back, and with whispers that the old streeto sessions are restarting, Dtown is back to it's best.
For some time now, the Dtown kids have been out in the wilderness. Entering comps cost us all dear; building comp spec cars took the fun from it as we didn’t really have the money. Everyone's been through massive changes in their lives, be it finishing uni, changing jobs, waiting for driving bans to end, having to move from the area, buying a house or just having no money, drifting has taken a forced back seat. For me, finishing uni has taken over everything. I've owned some cool cars in the last three years but in the end they had to go to fund my education.
The time has come though, the gangs all here and we've taken it back a few years. Back to when drifting was fun.
A few years ago, we rolled in simple cars and enjoyed them to the full most nights out on the hills around derby. Everyone had simple, slammed, street tuned cars that were used hard. These cars were underpowered and taught us lots, like not to use the wand. Ever. To drive above and beyond. We'd meet up at night and not be home until the sun rose. Sometimes we even had a support van.
Well, we're going back to these simpler times.
With the rest of the Dtown kids back in E36 BMW's, Ford Sierra's and E30 BMW's, it was about time I went back to my battle weapon of choice.
So, let me introduce the murdered out swede.
Lowered on 2" lowering blocks and cut front springs, the suspension is getting over hauled in two weeks. New custom front springs, new thicker damper oil, 3" lowering blocks and uprated rear dampers. Rolling on weller steels, 13 x 8, -10 offset with 165/55/13 tyres and a welded diff.
A MK1 golf splitter is waiting to go on.
After the suspension is on, the plan is to use it as much as possible and fit a 2.3 turbo engine from a 940 over the winter.
This car is in great condition. On the inside is a bucket seat, harness, steering wheel, with the rear stripped and the sound deadening removed and a bang up-to date tape player.
The kids are back, and with whispers that the old streeto sessions are restarting, Dtown is back to it's best.
A new beau
It's no secret, and is even something of an inside joke with some of my friends, about how much of a fan I was of Matt Powers and his now infamous S14. Everyone has their opinion on the new look of his car. In a nutshell, this is mine..
It's just no where near as cool as it used to be.
I loved the old school JDM street styling of the car. I loved the fact he was the home-built underdog in a crowd of big money machines. That was so much a part of it for me. So what if you're not winning every event!? Just to be there, having fun, mixing it up with the big boys, that was what it was all about for me. I can't relate to Rhys Millen and his über engined, Hyundai. I could relate to Matt and his father and son built Nissan, making the most of the KA24DE. I guess the never compromising with style massively always appeals to the graphic designer in me too. All things very much at the heart of the ideals of Sweet Oblivion.
It's here I take a pause to think how ridiculous it is that the specific arrangement of a few bits of metal and rubber can stir up such equally ridiculous thoughts and feelings in myself and other people haha! Most people get in a flap when the phrase "sell-out" pops up. I don't believe this phrase applies to Matt in any shape or form. Yes sponsorship is progress, there's no denying that if you're taking part in competition. More than anything he just compromised. I guess it makes no difference with someone who doesn't have anything to say or have any integrity in the first place. He and the car did for me. Matt made a real positive impact on the drift world. He's made some decisions about what he wanted to do this season and went with it. Fair play to him! Makes no difference to me and my life. I just don't think his computer game advert car is cool. Same as John Lydon, lead singer of the Sex Pistols, now advertising butter and Iggy Pop selling car insurance with a bloody puppet.
However, I'm not about to shed a tear about it haha! I'm sure he won't loose any sleep over it and neither will I. Instead, I find myself on the rebound already. With my eyeballs firmly set in the direction of the R32 of Ian Fournier from Drift Safari, a new privateer who was taking part in the last round of Formula D at Long Beach.
And the balance of the (my) universe is restored :)
It's just no where near as cool as it used to be.
I loved the old school JDM street styling of the car. I loved the fact he was the home-built underdog in a crowd of big money machines. That was so much a part of it for me. So what if you're not winning every event!? Just to be there, having fun, mixing it up with the big boys, that was what it was all about for me. I can't relate to Rhys Millen and his über engined, Hyundai. I could relate to Matt and his father and son built Nissan, making the most of the KA24DE. I guess the never compromising with style massively always appeals to the graphic designer in me too. All things very much at the heart of the ideals of Sweet Oblivion.
It's here I take a pause to think how ridiculous it is that the specific arrangement of a few bits of metal and rubber can stir up such equally ridiculous thoughts and feelings in myself and other people haha! Most people get in a flap when the phrase "sell-out" pops up. I don't believe this phrase applies to Matt in any shape or form. Yes sponsorship is progress, there's no denying that if you're taking part in competition. More than anything he just compromised. I guess it makes no difference with someone who doesn't have anything to say or have any integrity in the first place. He and the car did for me. Matt made a real positive impact on the drift world. He's made some decisions about what he wanted to do this season and went with it. Fair play to him! Makes no difference to me and my life. I just don't think his computer game advert car is cool. Same as John Lydon, lead singer of the Sex Pistols, now advertising butter and Iggy Pop selling car insurance with a bloody puppet.
However, I'm not about to shed a tear about it haha! I'm sure he won't loose any sleep over it and neither will I. Instead, I find myself on the rebound already. With my eyeballs firmly set in the direction of the R32 of Ian Fournier from Drift Safari, a new privateer who was taking part in the last round of Formula D at Long Beach.
And the balance of the (my) universe is restored :)
Medicine make better
Got lock?!
I'm loving the huge dose of old school taking part in BDC this season.
Photography by Ross of DORISTARS
Garage peekaloo
Cars in their build spaces. Without realising I've accumulated a lot of pictures like this. There must be something to them that I like so much. Anyway, I just thought I'd share a few of the good ones. Some old, some new, exciting cars lurking. Some happy sitting done, some almost there, about to be unleashed.
