My SRT Update #2

I apologize that I did not post any more info on that gasket the other night. This was do to putting as many hours in at work to pay the bills and of course to pay for the goodies I hope to put under my hood.

I plan to install this gasket on my next day off and I will actually post a third and final update on the product but for now here is more information.


The gasket was produced by an ebay company called PX3 Auto. I spend just under $27 on this gasket and it looks very similar to the Boomba gasket that is a little more. Material wise they both look the same they feel the same and well they almost are the same. The thickness is even the same. So far I do recommend this as far as quality goes but we will see the moment it is installed and we get to see how long it lasts.

Upate on my car (2005 SRT4)

I have fallen in love with my car after seeing it on craigslist. I wasn't particularly fond of SRT-4s until I have seen what they can look like.  Just like everyone I simply saw it as another Neon and nothing special.

What made me fall in love with my car was the color. I  have never seen a stone white srt before so I had to have it. To be honest that was the only thing that drew me to the car.  One day I will go into depth about the car as far as modifications go but just now that for right now it is just enough power for me.

After owning the car I had changed my intake manifold gasket after hearing the famous tea kettle sound. I had replaced it with an OEM gasket and let me tell you the stock cardboard like material didn't stand a chance. Just 3 months after installing it blew again. So this time I decided to go with a intake manifold spacer. I found an off brand one on ebay that looked similar to those made by Hondata and I have yet to install it. The reason I purchased the product off ebay wasn't due to me being cheap it was to simply test the waters on ebay products. The product looks very good and it was just $10 less than top of the line brands. I will post a picture tonight of the gasket.

But here is a pic of the srt when I bought her.

And how she sits now....

Brian's 2005 VW GTI

I have been involved with a web forum called www.vwforum.com for a few years now. I have joined when I had my first VW and I am still on there even though I no longer have a VW anymore. The people on the site are dedicated and are very down to earth. One person specific is Brian Nichols.

The first time I have seen his car he had C4 Corvette wheels and was the lowest on the forum. Over the years I have seen him go from bronze wheels to green, from c4 to c5 wheels and now he has another set of shoes . Honestly he has had quite a few combos all very different and all clean. Here is his story.

Me: What made you want to build the car?

Brian: I have always been into cars, trucks, motorcycles, really anything with an engine. since I bought my first car at the age of 15, which happened to be a 1972 chevy nova with a 350. I was hooked on modifying and customizing vehicles. I went through alot of beater cars and trucks. I was really never set on one specific make until I bought my first vw from a friend of mine in 2006. A 1986 Scirocco 8v. i didnt know much about european cars or even vw's. I began spending late nights browsing the internet. finally I found vwvortex and vwforum. I saw how big the vw following was and saw how amazing vw cars can look with time, hard work and of course, money.

Me: Are there any cars that inspired you through out the build? 

Brian: Honestly I can not say one single car or cars have had a huge influence on how the car has been put together. I never saw another mk4 and thought to myself "I want mine to look JUST like that." It is kinda like plagiarism to me. Sure there are some modifications on the car that have been done way before I have done it, thats part of the game. I just try and tweek it to put my personal touch on it.

Me: Can you share some of the history on the build?

Brian: After owning the Scirocco for a year, I began looking for another vw. I looked at Corrados, mk2's, mk3's, golfs, jettas, gti's. I couldn't find anything used for a reasonable price. So in 2007 I went to my local vw dealership to look at a new mk5 gti. After looking over a new mk5 I went out to see the used section. There sat a mk4 silverstone gti. I had to check it out farther. I was in love with the color, the wheel arches, and how luxurious the interior looked. I then asked to go for a test drive...wow! I had never driven a turbocharged car before. It won me over and I bought it that day. I had no clue what journey the car would take me on. 

 I wanted to make the car "different". I wanted people to look at it and appreciate it and maybe those who were not a vw fan, it could change their minds.

Past and present mods:

Engine:

Unitronic Stage 2 Flash

Emissions Delete

Race N75

K&N SRI

Forge 007 DV

42 Draft Designs 3in. Turbo Back Exhaust

Shaved OEM Valve Cover

Poly Dogbone Bushings

DEI Ignition wire wrap

injector wires tuck

Custom Engine Belly Pan

Exterior:

R32 Replica Skirts Textured Black

Tuxtured Mirrors

Joey Modded OEM Headlights

Smoked OEM Bumber and Fender Markers

Smoked OEM Tail Lights

OEM Roof Rack with removable wood rack.

Custom 8mm Stubby Antenna

Rear Wiper Delete

Pulled Rear Fenders

Rolled Front Fenders

Interior:

Custom Boost Gauge Location with VDO Boost Gauge

Camo wrapped headliner

Brushed Door Pulls

Brushed Steering wheel Badge

.380 Door Pins

Textured Rear View Mirror

Polished C-Pillar Bar with Camera Mount

Chopped Shifter With Shortened Boot

Kenwood Headunit

Audiobahn 10in. Sub in false floor

Audiobahn 400w amp

Suspension:

FK Highsport Coilovers

Koni Sport Rear Shocks

Swaybar removed

Frame Notch

Poly Control Arm Bushings

Brakes:

All OEM

Wheels:

KESKIN KT1 KLASSICS

Custom Stainless Hardware
Front: 17x8.5 215/45-17 ET30
Rear: 17x10 245/40-17 ET30
Falken 912's
5mm Spacers all around.
Previous wheels:
C5 Wagon Wheels
C4 Sawblades
OEM Ariettas
15in. Steelies
16in. Beetle Steelies

Future mods:

FMIC or Upgraded SMIC

Evap and SAI delete

Wire Tuck

Rewrap Headliner

Glass Headlight lenses

Euro Bumper with 4 motion valence

20th/R32 Hatch Spoiler

TT/R32 Swaybar

Live or Drive

My name is Nate and I am just your average Joe.  I have a passion that is shared by people around the world whether your poor or rich, a boy or girl, young or old and athletic or fat as can be. This passion is cars. I have been around cars my whole life and I have seen just about everything that can possibly be done to them.

I am sick and tired of reading magazines and seeing cars that either can't be built by the average person or cars that just aren't built by the owners at all. What I would like to see are cars that are built out of passion, cars that are in the process of being built and hell even cars that won't ever be finished. This is why I made this blog. This blog is to show cars that were built or are being built by enthusiasts just like you.