This is a guide based on my experience of rebuilding an S50B30 vanos using the Beisan System kit.
Tastes Like Petrol
These are one of those things that you tend to forget about, but changing the old and worn out ones for new ones can do wonders to uplift the interior. Its cheap and easy.
Im slowly but surely adding more work ive done on my cars to the Projects page. Check it out.
This is the one thing that all E36 coupes should have come with. An Armrest.
Today’s useless info.
I haven’t got one here to measure to 100% confirm, but according to some info, the afterburner tail lights on the R33 aren’t actually completely round, but actually slightly oval (iirc taller than they are wide). Apparently this is because the designers deemed that from afar perfectly circular lights don’t look circular at all, making them oval resolved this issue.
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Welcome
Welcome to Tastes Like Petrol, the home of my automotive adventures.
These are the ramblings of someone obsessed with cars. I’ve owned a lot of them, and worked on most of them. Some have been good, some have been super terrible.
I’ll be updating this site at random, with various somewhat interesting articles. Come be nosy.
I’ve started populating the Cars page, all 45 cars that i have owned…. both detail and photos of each. Will be a long job to do all of them. But for now, its time for sleep.
And here we are, current.
So after the Golf I decided i still wanted something fun to drive, but cheap. Scouring Trademe i came across Alton, high KM but has a mechanical warranty, and was forsale by its only NZ owner since import. I went and took a look and what i saw, i enjoyed.
Its a 2006 Suzuki Swift Sport, in Champion Yellow. Its manual, has the M16A 1.6L engine, Recaro interior, and HID headlights.
It also had some mods, aftermarket 17″ wheels, it was lowered and had an intake and exhaust. What a later found was the suspension, intake and exhaust were all Suzuki Sport Racing gear, and the wheels are Direzza RSC. Pretty top end stuff for a Swift.
It makes some really addictive noises from the intake and exhaust, and loves to rev. The little M16A engine is a heck of an upgrade over the standard ones, with high compression, high lift cams and variable valve timing. Cheap on gas, and fun to rev. The gearbox is a mixed bag, great feel, solid but easy shifts and from 2nd onwards its close ratio…. the weird thing is that first is too long, and the gap from 1st to 2nd is too big so the engine falls out of its power band and bogs down even when changed at redline. It also doesnt have any sort of LSD, so can be a bit messy in the wet.
So after that damn fiasco with the Integra i decided to be more sensible and get another German car, because im really a fanboy for German cars.
Had a look around, test drove some more cars, just the usual, and then stumbled on this MK5 Golf GTI. Took it for a drive, and wow, much like the R32 Golf it instantly left an impression on me. Not quite as good as the R32, but the combo of the turbo power and the DSG trans is a lot of fun to drive.
So silly.
After selling the Skyline I was hanging out for something fun and exciting to drive. I decided something simple, like an Integra Type R would do it. So I went on the trademes and had a look around.
What i found, is what i should’ve ran far far away from. A DC2 Integra Type R, with a turbo. Now, this isnt my first rodeo, i have had a turbo ITR before and it was a great car. Drove like a normal ITR but it was stupid fast and made choo choo noises.
This one on trademe, well, it had moderate KM, a stack of receipts, and a lovely Milano Pink paint job. I decided to contact the owner as it was within my spending range, and sure enough the owner convinced me the car was in good shape, drove well, didnt use or leak anything and only smoked “a little at high RPM”.
I should’ve ran, but instead I was silly. I paid the man, booked the truck, and organised for delivery, all without seeing it myself.