Wheel Swap! TE37 x VS-XX

September 12, 2015September 12, 2015 / jasonhoang / 1 Comment

The guys came over last night to chill – something I haven’t really had time to do in a long long time so that was nice. While we were waiting for Punit to come, JC and I swapped wheels really quick since he’s been wanting to switch up his wheel game for next year. We’ve been talking about doing it but every time we meet up, we either forget or we’re too lazy. Part of the reason we did it was because Justin did all of the work for JC lol. So I guess that just means JC is lazy…

Anyway, just some quick shots – we may end up switching wheels on Sunday for a week or so just to see what it’s like…

Haven’t had my car jacked up for a while. It’s been so meh lately lol

JC and Justin outside with Gopesh in the back there. Justin happened to have a low pro jack with him lol.

Taking the wheel off…

JC’s 215 vs my 245 lol.

Justin putting the TE’s on the CT…

The VS-XX’s on the car…

The TE’s on JC’s car looks surprisingly good. I did photoshop it a few weeks ago but it doesn’t ever look as good as it does in person. JC’s going for the “sport” look next year so we’ll see how that goes. I do dig the TE look though… In any other color than red, I think this would be killer.

Lowered the FRS back to the ground

I kinda dig the look. I don’t think I’d rock a multi-piece wheel on the FRS but it looks cool. I still love the faded gold on JC’s wheels – it makes it look like rose gold in the light.

Dopeeee

A quick shot of Justin’s S2

I liked this shot – good shadows and check that concave. So dope.

Up close! TE’s look good on everything!

Keepin’ it OG: Jimmy’s Datsun 240Z

September 8, 2014September 8, 2014 / jasonhoang / 4 Comments

Back logged on the posts – mainly on purpose because I don’t have much time to shoot this weekend so I gotta make sure I spread them apart… I was also trying to get to the write up on the weekend but we had awesome weather so I was in the garage mudding, sanding, and painting trying to get it finished before winter. Took a little longer than I expected, but I should be done by next week! I’ll post pics – it’s nothing special cause it’s got absolutely nothing in there but it’ll get there.

JC and I got the chance to go out and shoot Jimmy’s 240Z last weekend and what a great shoot it turned out to be. It’s a little different because it’s so old school, yet so modern at the same time. The combination of the classic Japanese body mixed with Work wheels that also have that oldschool JDM flavour makes this a very fun shoot. One thing that stands out about a lot of the classic Japanese tuner cars is that their body design has truly become iconic and timeless. Even in today’s design standards with fancy body kits, GT wings, big and wide wheels, these cars – much like Jimmy’s 240Z – stand the test of time and still really don’t need much to turn heads. Even today, this car is considered a gem and what many people fail to realize is that although it is a car that is older than a majority of the readers (myself included), there is nothing like sitting in a car so simple yet so matured – even by today’s standards – and just driving.

For those of you that have been around for the last year or so – you might remember the shot I took of Jimmy’s 240Z in his garage the day we went out to shoot all his Lexus’s. He had just acquired it at the time and he was working on getting it up and running smoothly and reliably. Fast forward to today and it’s definitely running like a beaut and there are just a few things that Jimmy wants to finish up… But only time will tell.

The best thing about this shoot (from my photography perspective) is that it’s an awesome colour. If you look at most of my shoots, the cars are almost always black, white, or a colour bordering close enough to black or white that it’s not much different. Albeit, this is not the original paint – it was repainted by the previous owner – but even the original orange underneath this would still be an awesome colour to shoot.

But that’s enough talk from me… Onto the pics!

One of my favourites from the shoot… Dem curves. A nice roller as an appetizer!

When we rolled up, Jimmy was just getting the car ready to go.

Out on the sidewalk, Jimmy’s VIP Lexus LS430 sitting on new step-lipped WORK VS-XX’s and gold hardware. Much better than the Work Gnosis HS203’s IMO. These wheels make the car pop way more.

Peep that shoot I did last year here: https://lifewithjson.com/2013/10/17/poorform-jimmys-lexus-ls430/

En route! Typical cockpit in JC’s car that you see from our photoshoots.

First stop was at a construction-type area. The car would truthfully pop anywhere though.

It was when I was shooting the car here that JC and I both said that this car is just so timeless (like mentioned above). The design – although very retro – still has lines and design features that any car lover would have trouble resisting.

A nice shot of the Work Meister CR01’s in the custom finish.

The profile shot shows more of the awesome lines of the 240Z. Because the car has no specific aftermarket coilover option, the suspension has to be put together using a lot of custom work. Jimmy does a lot, if not most of the work himself and like his LS430, the pick and quality of his parts do not get overlooked.

His suspension consists of custom Zeal function T coilovers that were made to fit the 240Z, paired with Whiteline poly bushings, ST suspensions sway bar kit, and TTT Roll center adjusters to get it sitting how you see it today.

PoorForm Car Club that Jimmy founded in 2009.

A few detail shots of the car show a lot of things many of the modern cars don’t have nowadays. It’s the details the matter!

A better shot of the wheels up front and the Fairlady badging. Behind that sits Endless ME20 brake pads and Project Mu brake shoes. And getting everything going is an OS Giken TS2A extreme lightened clutch. No jokes here.

A close up shot of the BRE spoiler adding a little more aggressiveness to the back end.

I wanted to get a closer shot of the wheel’s custom finish. The anodized bronze is amazing in person and it’s really something pictures don’t do justice. Paired with the gold bolt hardware and the silver face, it all just glimmers so perfectly.

Perfection.

That paint!!!

Jimmy was gracious enough to take me for a ride to our next location… I’ve ridden in my fair share of older vehicles, and can now add this one to that list. The interior has a nice feel to it – classic, simple, refined – really all that you need in a car like this. No fancy gadgets, no blinking lights all over the place – just the feel of a raw car.

The 240Z is fitted with a custom 6-2-1 header, custom exhaust system and an A’pexi-i N1 Evolution-R muffler to end it off the back. One of the things that modern day cars will NEVER get back (In my humble opinion) is the raw sound and feel that you get from a car like this. The L24 engine just purrs and growls at the same time – the closest we ever get to that most of the time is a fart can and we can thank cherry bombs and Canadian tire for that.

A classic “Work Wheels” shot from down low… *cough* Work Wheels look here *cough* 🙂

A shot of the interior. Like I said – simple and everything you actually need in a sports car.

A wooden Nardi wheel to go along with the OG theme.

Check out that classic radio. Not even a cassette player.

A closer look at the heart of the 240Z – the L24.

Tomei oil cap. Shiny shiny.

An overhead. Some other details of the engine, for those that are interested:

Dela camshaft

Mikuni 44mm triple carbs

Mikuni intake manifold

Koyo race radiator

Tomei oil pimp

Tomei valve springs

Nismo fuel pump

… All courtesy of Jimmy’s informative text message 🙂

Just looks so mean from the front.

A shot of the rear. Although it’s not as wide as today’s car, it’s just as good. Everybody is about stance and wide shit these days, that it’s nice to see something so simple put together so nicely.

Closer shot of the Meister CR01’s – 16×8 and 16×9.

And one last one to finish it off. That front end is just so elongated giving it a more sporty look and feel. I love it.

Boom! Happy Monday!

Ketchup & Mustard: Bill & Mario’s Performance Ford Magazine Photoshoot

August 25, 2014August 25, 2014 / jasonhoang / 3 Comments

I’m stoked because I finally get to post these!

A few weeks back, Bill had approached me to shoot his car along with Mario’s for Performance Ford Magazine – it’s a magazine that is more prominent and known in the UK – but still a great opportunity. Being able to shoot and support print is a great thing. Reading it online is one thing, but there’s just something different about print that is significantly more gratifying and worth purchasing… Especially if it’s your own car or your photographs.

However, one of the pains for shooting for a magazine is the fact that you actually have to wait for it to go to print. It’s like waiting for Christmas – you get anxious, excited, antsy – all of the things you feel when you’re waiting for something you just know is going to be good. Along with that comes the second pain of me having to wait before I can showcase the photos online – we’re lucky because it went to print probably a month or two later so the wait time was minimal.

Anyway, I wanted to make sure that the photos were extra super-duper superb for the magazine and wanted something a little different from the downtown, urban scene or the warehouse-look. We decided to take on nature and I’m glad we did – the combination of the greenery, blue skies, and vibrant red and yellow cars made for awesome looking photos that really just looked good on their own without much work.

A little more about Bill and Mario – I originally met Bill when he had his Grand Prix, which he babied like no tomorrow, and while it was not a typical choice for someone like you (who may be reading this blog), Bill proudly brought it to each meet and just wanted to hang with a group of people that shared the same interests: cars. It’s as simple as that, and when you really just get over the fact that some people are not necessarily going to be driving what you like or modding things the way you think they should be modded – we can all get along. Bill loved everything from Domestics to the crazy riced out Japanese GT-winged Batmobiles and I say it all the time, but we need more appreciation for everything and less opinions on what isn’t ideal. I’ve known about Mario a few years ago when he had his GE8 Fit and his S2000. He moved onto the new Ford Focus ST – which was a totally different direction from the Japanese cars he used to be in and he quickly made it quite an eye-catcher in a really short amount of time. Together, the both of them helped each other build their cars into what you see today.

Congratulations to the both of you guys for making it into Performance Ford Magazine, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to shoot your cars for the feature. Can’t wait to see the print copy!

JC and I of course, tag-teamed this shoot (and killed it btw). We’re rolling out to the location…

On the way there, we only had two lanes and three cars so for about a KM or so, JC pulled off into the shoulder while we got both of the cars together to get a roller.

We ended up finding an absolutely perfect location for the shoot that gave us everything we needed, so we didn’t need to go anywhere else. The location was pretty much dead and the scenery worked so well.

The red just pops.

Another shot of the winding road and Mario’s ST.

A dual shot of them together was a must. For those of you that have seen the digital copy or are going to pick it up, this is the shot they used on the front cover.

White wheels always have a spot in my heart.

One thing that you might have noticed is that Bill’s front is in-fact off of an ST – one of the few (or only) that have the ST front end conversion – and in my opinion, looks 100x better. Much more aggressive looking especially with his added “winglets” and custom lip.

Another shot of Bill’s car. Noticeably more different than the last time I shot it and for all the right reasons.

One thing I noticed about Bill is that he likes to incorporate Japanese influence in his builds here and there – a more noticeable one is the blue Spoon Sports banner with his ThreeTwenty brand on it.

A little attention to detail shows a Mario-inspired ST badge.

Side note: I also had the opportunity to shoot with new glass that day which was perfect – the Canon 35mm F1.4L – which gave birth to these awesome shots with very shallow depth of field. Only camera nerds will know what I mean, but I love the shots that came of it.

Peep that fitment.

Mario’s carbon-wrapped roof.

A close up…

New lug nuts that he just put on before the shoot…

Can’t forget about JC’s car – the chase car, the utility car, you name it and he’s there. #killingit

Moving onto Bill’s car. His headlights have actually changed since this shoot with a retrofit and blacked out housing.

A shot of Bill’s fitment on coilovers – again, a lot lower than when I had originally shot it…

Some front end shots of the two…

Another shot of Mario’s fitment

Engine bay shots.

The interior of Bill’s SE

Mario’s Accuair controller – sorry, forgot to mention it’s on air.

JC instagrammed a photo while I was shooting and when we got back into the car, I went to check it out and liked it. The reason I posted this was because Diana liked it before me and only the two of us showed up. It’s funny because she was in Mexico during this shoot for her Stagette – when she should be partying, she’s on IG liking shit.

Some solo rollers to end the shoot.

And that’s a wrap!

Once again – thanks to Bill and Mario for letting me take photos of the cars for the mag! Hope you enjoyed!

Down and Out: Justin Kan’s Acura TSX

May 25, 2014 / jasonhoang / Leave a comment

There’s nothing better than a last minute shoot that turns into an excellent set of pictures…

After unsuccessful visits to Subaru and Toyota/Scion this whole week, I’m over trying to trade the LS. Instead, I’ll just sit on it and see if it sells privately. I’ve gotten a few bites here and there but nothing solid yet… But to be fair, I’ve only had the ad up for a week. I’m just an impatient dude trying to get into a new car! A big reason for me not just going to trade it in is because we still got a wedding to pay for and I’d rather not take a huge loss on the car if I can help it. If the car doesn’t sell, I’ll just wait on it until next year and start fresh.

Didn’t have many plans yesterday, but JC messaged me in the morning asking me what I was up to – I only had some errands to run otherwise I was free all day. Next thing you know, we’re shooting Justin’s slammed TSX and we got nothing but good shots. I don’t think I know anyone personally or locally for that matter that rides as low as Justin does without wrecking their shit. Hell, Justin can barely turn his car around a full 180 without doing a 10 point turn but it looks damn good while he’s doing it. He drives straight and still scrapes – I’m not even exaggerating lol!

The weather was perfect yesterday morning for the shoot. Just enough overcast and not too much sun. I thought that this would be a great shot to start off this post – rollers always makes panties wet. I dub this the Windows XP desktop shot. It so closely resembles it with the colours haha

Now we rewind back to the beginning of the shoot. We met in front of Royal Oak Audi. Like always – JC was the chase car and chauffeured us around.

“Can we trade this in for that white A7?”

Justin arrived shortly after. He doesn’t have an exhaust but we knew he was coming because there was that uncanny noise of scraping we are all too familiar with… Except like I said – it’s all the time lol

Justin wiping it down quickly before we headed out.

And we begin… A familiar place from last year.

Love these wheels. I mentioned in my post about the beyond meet that these were originally my wheels from my Civic, which was then passed onto Corey for his Civic, then finally moved onto Justin’s TSX today. Still mint and still one of the best wheels ever.

That roll call.

So timeless looking.

Snapped a quick shot of the crew chillin while I do my thing. They were actually in the way for this shot…

After I got them to move out of the way LOL

The wheels fit so good!!

Diana and JC making a cameo appearance again on the blog. I’m all about the behind the scenes shots… You’ll probably see more of these jabronis during my shoots.

Love the front end of Justin’s TSX. He recently purchased the JDM bumper for that grill and headlights. Worth it.

Back to front…

Another shot of his grill.

Shot of the back.

And a shot of the front. That’s like bagged height. lol

En route to the next spot.

A quick shot from shot gun.

Always gotta get an in-car shot lol

Another one of my favourite angles of Justin’s car. Just too good.

Perfect fitment – not too crazy, but just enough.

Another shot that I ended up loving. The TSX just has such a timeless look to it and it looks good from all angles.

Rear quarter shot. Love it.

This is where the magic starts and happens…

The shot from Instagram – I love the way Justin’s car looks rolling. It’s just way too good.

A side profile shot of him rolling static.

And here we say farewell. This shoot took probably about an hour or less – probably the quickest photoshoot we’ve done in a long time (or ever). And each and every shot turned out great – I needed something to inspire me to shoot again and thanks to JC for pulling us out and for Justin for coming out! Gives me some good content.

I might have some extra shots laying around that I’ll edit during the week if I have time and post those up too.