Midnight Mechanic, Jason Murray, at the Queensland Raceway Morning Sesh
After two years of building and countless struggles to get the tune right, this Wednesday past Jason Murray finally justified all his hard work with a full day of drifting his beige 4agte Ae86 dubbed ‘Latte Lasis’ at the November Queensland Raceway Morning Session.
The Long Road To Matsuri – Midnight Mechanics
For 200 drifters in South-East Queensland the next two weeks will possibly be the busiest two weeks of their entire year. For the Midnight Mechanics drift team, there is no exception, and the roll will be called for all four of us on Saturday the 6th of October. Each and every one of us have a list of things we need to check, build and ready before this event as there will be no other track day this year that will put as much strain on our cars.
Midnight Mechanics Morning Session
A bit of a Midnight Mechanics video for you guys today. I finally edited my GoPro footage from the March 9th Queensland Raceway Morning Session. I seriously love these events for the people that turn up and the time we get on track. I’m really happy with some of the tandems Jason and I go on the day, I can’t wait for us to get back out there asap!
E!CM
Midnight Mechanic Rendezvous
We had a small rendezvous this week with fellow Midnight Mechanic; Cass. His blacktop 20v ae86 that you see here on the right hasn’t been running for some time now but after finally fixing it he dusted it off and came down to see us. Considering Jason’s Ae86 is nearing completion with its new body work and paint it seemed perfect timing to get some quick photos of the two cars.
Hammer Time
Now that I no longer have a daily driver that requires the same amount of attention as a new born child, I have found myself a hell of a lot more time to spend the car I want to work on. The Corolla has been in dire need of attention lately, particularly on the panel damage that I caused early last year.
This week I have been getting quite stuck into it, and as you can see there is still a fair way to go. Panel beating and painting of cars has never been my strong point, but it’s definitely not my first time doing it. I’m slowly going through the process of hammering out as many dents as I can before the large amounts of bog that previous graced this car are replaced.
I’ll be sure to keep you guys updated how it is looking.
E!CM
Jason Murray | Almost Painted
Jason has been hard at work panel beating his Ae86 and is almost at the point where the car is ready for paint. A serious amount of effort has gone into the body work and it has been just recently primed up!
E!CM
Excitement! Car Magazine | 2011 Wrap Up
Having only been in operation for half of the year, 2011 has been an incredible year for all of us at Excitement! Car Magazine!
In a very short time we have gained some very significant contributors who have been invaluable towards the success of the magazine. However, one of the greatest things that has helped us to point the magazine in the correct direction has been the feedback from you guys; the readers. We love to hear constructive criticism about the site so be sure to keep letting us know what you like and especially what you don’t like!
Pulling Apart Jason’s 4agze
It’s a good feeling being near the good end of an engine conversion, isn’t it? I have been showing you guys a lot of the work Jason has been up to recently with his 4agze, but today I thought it might be good to show you where he has come from. As many of you would know; the 4age series of motors are getting quite old now with some of them getting around the 25 year mark. The 4agze that was sitting in Jason’s car when he bought it was quite tired and never really ran too well. Eventually it just gave up. These are some of the photos I took on the day we took it apart.
Camera Geeking | Telephoto Lenses
Being a passionate photographer is very hard sometimes. Many of you reading this would know the prices that you can pay for good quality gear, not to mention the financial stress that already comes with a drifter’s budget. With that in mind the strategy for me has quite often been to make sure that money is well spent. For the past few months I have been very painfully saving for a new Camera, however I have come to the conclusion that it will be a far better choice to buy a new telephoto lens; a 70-200mm f/2.8. With that in mind, as well as the fact I have had no new photos for you guys of my Corolla lately, I thought I would show you some photos I took a few years back when I borrowed the exact lens from a friend.
Midnight Mechanics | Cass’s Daily Datsun
Daily drivers are a necessary part of any drifter’s life. There seems to be three ways you can go about it; one way is to go practical and cheap so that maximum funding can go towards the track car. Another option is to purchase a larger car such as a 4wd that can tow the track car. Failing that you can do exactly what my good friend and fellow Midnight Mechanic, Cass has done; buy something that will be fun on the road as well as hopefully get you in less trouble than the track car would… Maybe.
Jason Murray | Ae86 Work
Jason has been very hard at work on his Ae86 in order to bring it back sporting his new 4agte setup. The car has had some very serious modifications since it was last on the track. The motor aside, Jason has been busy sorting out a w55 gearbox conversion as well as an F series rear end with 4.6 crown gears to make the car fourth gear friendly. The car has recently come back from a workshop where a large amount of fabrication work has been completed.
Midnight Mechanics | Cassian Finnerty
I’d like to introduce you to our long lost Midnight Mechanics; Cassian Finnerty. Cass first started skidding with us around 2005 in his Blacktop 20v Ae86. As you will have seen from our coverage of the Queensland Raceway 24 hour drift Matsuri he’s back on board and up to usual tricks.
Retrospective | Jason’s Ae86 – A Look Back
It could certainly be said that not much is happening with Jason’s 4agte Ae86 these days, and people who say this would be right. Anyone that has been through the turmoil of owning their own track car would know that there are always the ups and downs. At times you will get a clean streak and be consistently hitting up track days. More often than not though, you will be held back by money, work, and social issues not to mention mechanical problems.
Jason’s Ae86 is currently undergoing some freshening up by our painter; Lee Hunter, who will have the car looking better than ever. For now I thought it would be fitting to show some of the photos we took when the car was painted last time.
Queensland Raceway 24 Hour Drift Matsuri | Josh Dobrik
Continuing on with our coverage of Queensland’s first ever 24-hour drift Matsuri.
The 24 Hour Drift Obsession | Jason Murray
It takes a certain kind of obsession to take part in drift events, some people have it, others think they do and very soon find out they don’t. A matsuri event will push you to that obsession’s breaking point better than any other.
Teaser! | Queensland Raceway 24 Hour Drift Matsuri
Wow! What an amazing weekend! The Queensland Raceway 24 hour drift Matsuri was a fantastic event. There were some amazing cars to watch at the event, but the most amazing thing to watch were the people working overnight to ensure they had a functional drift car in the morning. Unfortunately for myself, I was having clutch problems all weekend and it finally decided to let go about 10am this morning. Having just finished pulling the clutch out now, I can safely say there is no coming back for it. Luckily though, it meant that I was able to troll around and get some great photos for you guys to see!
Check back soon coverage of the entire weekend from Josh and Myself!
- Grant
Grant Scott | Published In PI Retro Auto
Thanks to a buddy of mine, Anthony Bryant, I got the heads up that Performance Imports magazine has a new sub-magazine called Retro Auto. It looks to be a great read especially with cars such as the Hakosuka, a boso Ta22 and a rad S30z sporting the pages.
Midnight Mechanics Hill Run
How good is it to just go for a drive some times? Not to skid, not to drive fast, but just to get the car out of the garage and feel what you have created tackle those hills. A couple of weeks ago, Josh Young, Nick, Robo and I took our cars for a bit of a slap up our local mountain.
Freeworks X Streetkarnage Meet
For car lovers like myself Sunday afternoons are the perfect time for a car meet up. Blue skies and that beautiful winter sun makes a perfect combination for checking out some of the more interesting cars floating around on our streets. Just this Sunday past I took the corolla up to the first invite only Freeworks X Streetkarnage meet up that was held at Macarthor Drive in Hamilton.
MotorFIX 1uz Corolla In-Car Footage
Hey guys, Here is my in-car footage from the MotorFIX 1uz ke70 during my visit to YZ circuit on the 18th of June!
Read further on to check out MotorFIX’s footage from the day!
Midnight Mechanics Adventure To Meet MotorFIX
Anyone who has any interest in drifting and E model corollas will have heard of MotorFIX.
For the last 6 years of building my Corolla, MotorFIX has been a constant and ever increasing inspiration for myself. I have always been in awe of every car that has had this workshop’s name associated with it. Whether it be a rusty corolla wagon or immaculate sedan that has been built by this crew.
Jason’s 4agte build
Jason has been incredibly busy over the past few months turning his tired out 4agze into an immaculately built 4agte. For most people good enough is good enough but for Jason’s engine builder, Mark, perfection is key.
Jason’s Ae86 In The Glory Days
Jason has had this Ae86 for a long time; much longer than I have had my Corolla, and before that it was owned by his dad. So this thing has seen a lot of change over the years. A few years back I got some shots of both of our cars just after they had been painted. Jason’s car has gone back in for a new paint job recently so I will be getting a lot of photos when it is done. After that, the car is for sale, so if you’re interested call Jason on 0411 105 527.
