Behind the Lens – Grand Mighty

In the Neighborhood

Eric — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 04:33:25 +0000

I went on an encompassing tour of the Bay Area with Mike last Saturday, with the drive culminating in a last minute destination to Alice’s in Woodside. By the time we left and reached arrived back to my neighborhood, the sun was starting to set… which meant that the Golden Hour was upon us and I didn’t want to let such an optimal setting of light go to waste. I quickly grabbed and dusted off my trusty Canon 5D Classic and took these shots. This was the first time I used a real camera in over a year.

80s Style

Eric — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 08:17:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve played around with Photoshop and today I developed an itch to get a little creative. I gave one of the pictures of my RX-7 an 80s inspired vaporwave / distorted VHS effect.

Taking a Detour

Eric — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 07:46:09 +0000

I started taking a back road to my gym in order to avoid crossing through the plaza’s expansive parking lot. Last week, while on this detour, I made a right instead of a left to explore the area. The road quickly ended in a dead end, but I used the location as a quick photo opportunity. I pulled out my iPhone 6s Plus and snapped these shots. Incidentally, the car is still filthy.

Getting Wavy

Eric — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 06:14:27 +0000

This past weekend, I met up with the homie Albert who dusted off his camera gear and hooked it up with an awesome set of photos. He also maintains a blog about his life and uniquely envisioned 240sx build here: unknown/tangent Make sure to check it out, his car is nearing the final phases and will hopefully be roadworthy soon. Then, all he needs to do is paint his car black, and we have ourselves a crew.

These photos were taken on a side street near a neighborhood park. Nothing too fancy about the backdrop, but the timing of day was just right and gave the type of natural light you hope for when shooting a black car.

It’s great to have updated photos of the car in its current, complete state. The plan is to use these as media in an upcoming editorial I’m writing. Thanks again Albert.

At the Marina

Eric — Sun, 24 Apr 2016 06:35:22 +0000

I caught word of a small get together at the San Leandro Marina and decided to roll through with a few buddies in the AM. I cherish the extra sleeping hours I can potentially get on weekends, so it’s rare for me to wake up “early” for something car related, especially a parking lot shindig like this. And even though I only stayed for about 30 minutes before heading back home, I’m glad I made the trip… because I essentially received a free, professional photoshoot out of it!

I noticed one of the people taking pictures during the event had a serious looking Canon 1D, so I inquired about his photography and was introduced to his blog. I looked it up later in the afternoon and he had already posted everything, including an awesome set of photos of my car.

All photo credits go to Albert Facultad, check out his blog at AFImages.net

And for kicks… here’s a picture that I took.

Nothing validates a job well done than being able to draw attention. Granted, I’m not the best at feeding off that kind of flamboyancy, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any guilty pleasures from it.

I know the whole parking lot pimping stuff gets a bad rep for being lame, but they provide an easy destination to get out to. Driving around aimlessly is only fun to a degree. My goal is not only to put more testing miles on the car, but also garner it more public exposure. We are lucky to have a relatively thriving car culture here in the Bay Area, and California in general, so that’s a niche I need to target and tap into more. Secludedly working on the RX-7 in my garage for close to the past 4 years has been fun, but it’s time to step out from the shadows.

Sunday Cruising

Eric — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 03:36:35 +0000

Without a moment’s hesitation, I started taking the RX-7 out for spins practically the minute after I buttoned up the Miracle Cross Bar. It’s helpful, too, that Mike and his Porsche are just down the street from me. He just got his car, I am eager to start driving my car, and another buddy just picked up a new camera.

This leads to a great recipe for a Sunday afternoon of driving around the neighboring cities and disturbing the peace.

First, here are a few pictures I took with my phone.

The plan was to give the car a wash at the end of the afternoon, on the way back home. Unfortunately this meant that in all the pictures my friend took with his legitimate camera, the car was filthy. Oh well.

Since my car primarily collects dust and not dirt or grime, I’ve found that the coin operated self-wash places to be quite handy. I only use the pressure washer to soap up and rinse down. This is a great and easy way to “touchlessly” wash the car and I find it preferable to doing the whole soap-and-bucket method at home. Afterwards, I immediately drive home and into the garage, where I finish drying off with my waffle-weave towel. This leaves the exterior spotless and ready for detailing.

Here are the pictures that my friend Justin took with his newly acquired Nikon D600 and 50mm f/1.4 setup. I took the liberty to edit the rolling shots myself.

It’s too bad this shot came out blurry. I was able to salvage it decently by cloning out spots and trash on the freeway, and then downsizing the resolution.

An interesting side profile. The FD and 993 are similarly sized cars.

Lastly, a short video edit that another friend compiled with his phone during the day.

It was refreshing to experience the car lifestyle for that brief afternoon again. I’ve been so focused on other aspects of life and only dedicated time to wrenching, rather than getting out there. Hopefully there will be more opportunities like this soon with more content. After all, it is Spring.

Photos with Kace

Eric — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 04:41:49 +0000

A combination of laziness and a lack of free time these days is restricting my flow of updates. The frequency of posts have dramatically decreased over the last couple of years as I have steadily become busier with other aspects of life. I will still try to keep things going, but I foresee that these efforts will be more spread out.

Going back to the main subject of this post, which I should have gotten to a week ago, the photos of the RX-7 I had taken by Kace are now published: http://fatlace.com/lacedup/2014/11/ls-swap-all-the-things/

I first bumped into Kace back during the Wekfest back in 2013. Since then, we have been meaning to get this photoshoot going. Typical to my ways, one thing led to another and the car was down for an interior overhaul… and then it was down for the LS3 swap.

I have mirrored the photos here:

Mod list thus far:

1994 Mazda RX-7 R2

ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN

6.2L LS3 V8
Tremec TR6060 Transmission
Samberg Subframe and Mounting
Samberg Radiator w/ Dual SPAL fans
Spoolin 1-3/4″ Long Tube Headers, Ceramic Coated
Custom SS 3″-3.5″-4″ Full V-Band Exhaust
Aluminum Driveshaft Shop Driveshaft w/ Billet CV
Driveshaft Shop Upgraded Axles w/ Billet 8.8 Adapter
Ford Cobra 8.8 Differential w/ LSD
Delrin Differential Bushings
In-Tank Bosch 044 Fuel Pump
Hyperion Fuel Surge Cover
XRP HS-79 Machine Crimped Kevlar Fuel Line
-6AN SS Hard Fuel Line Under Chassis
MGW Short Shifter
Vented Crankcase Lines w/ Catch Can
Katech Idler Pulley
MSD Super Conductor Spark Plug Wires
Hard Line ABS Delete w/ Wilwood Proportioning Valve
Mazda 929 1″ Brake Master Cylinder
Wilwood 7/8″ Clutch Master Cylinder
Chips Motorsport Manual Steering Rack
Improved Racing Racing Oil Pan Baffle
Improved Racing Crank Scraper
Custom Rear Mounted Dual 6V Battery Box

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

Ohlins DFV Coilovers
Brembo GranTurismo Big Brake Kit
RacingBrake 2-Piece Rear Rotors
M2 Rear Trailing Arms
Racing Beat Front Sway Bar
Racing Beat Sway Bar Brace
ARP Extended Studs

EXTERIOR

Full 2-Stage PPG Brilliant Black Repaint
OEM ’99 Front Bumper
OEM ’99 Rear Spoiler w/ CF Odula Insert
OEM ’99 Turn Lamps
OEM ’99 Tail Lights
OEM Mudguards
Custom Molded FEED Hood

INTERIOR

OEM Spirit-R Carbon Kevlar Recaro Seats, Upholstered in Red Suede
Alcantara Upholstered Dash & Glovebox
Alcantara Upholstered Center Console
Alcantara Shift and E-Brake Boots
Custom Painted Interior Trim in Porsche Meteor Grey
Custom Lathed Titanium Shift Knob
OEM RZ Floor Mats
SakeBomb Garage Rear Halon Fire Extinguisher
AutoPower Race Roll Bar in 2-Stage Powder Coat
Morel Maximo Speakers
Pioneer AVH-P8400BH Head Unit
Works Bell Short Boss Hub
Rothsport Quick Release
Sparco Ring Steering Wheel

WHEELS

Advan RS / RZ Dark Gunmetal Wheels
Advan A048 Tires
Project Kics R40 NeoChro Lugnuts

In the Wild

Eric — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 08:31:17 +0000

I’ve been gradually driving the car around and putting it through its paces. There are a few more details that need to be finished up before I can deem the swap to be finalized. Namely, a tune is mandatory. When temperatures are cold or the engine is not fully warm, it has the tendency to stall out when idling. Otherwise, drivability is mostly fine except for some low-speed bucking once the car is moving.

When the rain stopped yesterday, I met up with a local photographer named Kace to do a quick feature shoot. More on that later once his pictures are ready. While on location, I had my camera with me as well and grabbed a couple pictures of my own.

Bright Colors in the West

Eric — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 03:51:26 +0000

An Ode to the Masters

Eric — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 05:46:25 +0000

People armed with high-end DSLR’s were abundant during Wekfest. There was even a duo pulling around a large, steel videography crane… which I thought was a bit ridiculous given how packed the venue was.

Of course, after the show, I waited a couple of days for the media to percolate and was able to pick out a couple nice photos of my car.

The RegaMasters certainly worked well and served their time, however brief it may have been. They are technically for sale at the moment, but I will most likely keep them around in storage.