I even took the photo myself for this one

Don’t forget to download it as the quality is better and you don’t have to stream it again next time
I’ll update the Archive too once I have it uploaded on the other server.

Yeah ok the star thing is gay but I cant be bothered working the 3D in photoshop again…

Anyway, here it is!

Simons Selection 12 by coupekiwi

Tracklist:

1. Martire pres X&Y – New Beginnings (Solid Stone Remix)
2. Arty Feat Tania Zygar – The Wall (Arty Remode Mix)
3. W & W – Impact (MaRLo Remix)
4. Adam K & BT – Tomahawk
5. The Blizzard & Yuri Kane Feat Relyk – Everything About You (Original Mix)
6. Alex M.O.R.P.H. feat. Sylvia Tosun – An Angel’s Love (Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Chriss Ortega Remix)
7. Heatbeat – Roses Never Cry (Original Mix)
8. Kyau & Albert – A Night Like This (Original Mix)
9. Hannah – Falling Away (Armin van Buuren Remix)
10. Arty – Around the World (Original Mix)
11. Armin Van Buuren Feat Laura V – Drowning (Avicii Remix)

It’s a recently acquired RT141. The independent rear suspension from this will be going into the bagged one and the W55 gearbox + swaybar will be going into the race one. The 18R-GE will be going on Trademe.

This is bump stop height. I needs to go about 45mm lower when in the other car.

I found the amount of rust hilarious. Soo much rust. The boot floor is basically not there at all and I took one of the windows out the bottom of the door!

Car will be fully stripped within the next couple of weeks. I will cut it in half and send the front to the scrap. Will keep the bum for the mount points etc of the rear sub frame.

Got an empty W55 gearbox and my bell housing and will try get a empty block tomorrow for dummy fitting the v8.

Also finished the dreaded patch that I had been putting off for a long time because it’s so tedious. Thanks to a mate for helping with the hard part.

At least I know if I fail uni I could be a panel beater!

I would like to get this car rust free (enough for the race track) and back together within the next 2 weeks.

Heres the first proper photo from it I took today.

I have a bit of time off over the break so hopefully I can get a heap of car stuff done and I gotta do some filming for uni.
Got some new ideas and more stuff for cars but I will keep it quiet as it possibly won’t happen haha.

Finally I have uploaded and put together all the Simon’s Selection mixes for download.

If this is the first time you have heard of this selection stuff it’s basically a 30-50 min continuous mix of some good Trance / House (and things inbetween) that I pluck from the scene and smash together.

If you really need tracklists I can make them for the missing ones.

Please click a link which will open it in a new tab or window. Then right click anywhere and download / “save as” then close the tab / window and it should keep downloading and stop playing. They are hosted on a buddys server in the Netherlands and I want to minimise his traffic.

I would start with the later ones if you haven’t already got them. The first ones are somewhat rubbish mixing but the tracks are ok if you can bare it

As for the future, the frequency of me doing mixes is probably going to ruduce as I have less time to both listen and intern create. Insaying that, quality over quantity and I’m intemitantly playing with production and have a track or two in the pipe line, don’t hold hopes though

Anyway, enjoy!

Simon’s Selection 01

(I didn’t keep them, but will go through and remember them soon)

Simon’s Selection 02

Tracklist:

1. Felix Da Housecat – Ready 2 Wear (Benny Benassi Remix)
2. Planet Funk – Lemonade (Benny Benassi Remix Edit)
3. Benassi Vs. Bowie – D.J. (Original Vocal Mix)
4. Benny Benassi – Happiness Factory (Coca-Cola Theme) (Pump-Kin Remix)
5. Benassi Vs. Iggy Pop – Electro Sixteen (Original Mix)

Simon’s Selection 03

Tracklist:

1. Pryda – Melo (Original Mix)
2. Talla 2XLC – Salvation (Tnr Remix)
3. Cressida – Onyric (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)
4. Oceania – Never Forget
5. Talla 2XLC Feat Susana – I Know (Dirty Freqs Dub Mix)
6. Ashley Wallbridge – Faces
7. Mat Zo – The Fractal Universe

Simon’s Selection 04

Tracklist:

1. Nic Chagall Featuring Jonathan Mendelsohn – This Moment (Original Edit)
2. TyDi and Dennis Sheperd feat. Marcie – Somehow (Sebastian Brandt remix)
3. Starchaser feat Lo-Fi Sugar – So high (Martin Roth remix)
4. Mr Sam Feat clAud9 – Cygnes
5. C Systems – Close My Eyes (Lemon and Einar K remix)
6. Elevation – Biscayne (Original Mix)
7. Artento Divini – Biding My Time (Original Mix)

Simon’s Selection 05

Tracklist:

1. Cressida – Two-O-Ten (Radio Edit)
2. Cressida – Wormhole Adventures (Original Mix)
3. Kyau & Albert – Once in A Life (Club Mix)
4. Giuseppe Ottaviani feat. Faith – Angel (Mark Eteson & Ben Nicky Remix)
5. Filo & Peri Feat. Aruna – Ashley (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix)
6. Armin van Buuren feat VanVelzen – Broken Tonight (Original Mix)
7. Marcel Woods – Everything (Dub Mix)

Simon’s Selection 06

Tracklist:

1. Lange Feat Emma Hewitt – Live Forever (Steve Brian Remix)
2. Orjan Nilsen – Lovers Lane (Original Mix)
3. Shogun Feat Emma Lock – Save Me (Original Mix)
4. Ron Hagen & Alexander – Last Minute (Beat Service Remix)
5. Alpha 9 – Come Home (Original Mix)
6. Lange feat. Alexander Klaus – Strong Believer (Original Mix)
7. George Acosta feat Fisher – Beautiful
8. Dinka – Scarlet (Original Mix)
9. Dinka, Lizzie Curious – Green Leaf (Extended Vocal Mix)

Simon’s Selection 07

Tracklist:

1. Armin van Buuren – Youtopia
2. Shogun Feat Emma Lock – Imprisoned
3. Will Dukster Feat Solncè – Im Reaching (Mike Danis Remix)
4. Chicane – Middledistancerunner
5. 4 Strings Feat Ellie Lawson – Safe From Harm
6. Ashley Wallbridge Feat Elleah – Walk On Water (Original Mix)
7. Armin van Buuren vs. Sophie Ellis Bextor – Not Giving Up On Love
8. Aruna with Mark Eteson – Let Go (Radio Edit)
9. Chicane – From where I stand

Simon’s Selection 08

Tracklist:

1. Nadia Ali – Fantasy (Tritonal Air Up There Intro Mix)
2. Shogun Feat Emma Lock – Run To My Rescue (Original Mix)
3. Martin Solveig & Dragonette – Hello (Michael Woods Remix)
4. Jo Micali – Shine On (C-Systems Vocal Mix)
5. Activa Pres Solar Movement – Indigo (Original Mix)
6. Gareth Emery – Citadel
7. Dash Berlin – Never Cry Again (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix)
8. Bag Raiders – Sunlight

Simon’s Selection 09

Tracklist:

1. Tritonal Feat Cristina Soto – Lifted (Mat Zo Remix)
2. Stoneface & Terminal – Here To Stay
3. Cressida feat. Roxanne Barton – Heart On My Sleeve (Kyau & Albert Remix)
4. Dash Berlin – Never Cry Again (Dash Berlin 4 AM Remix)
5. Manuel Le Saux – Javelin (Original Mix)
6. Aly and Fila – Lost Language (Origional Mix)
7. Cressida – 6AM (Kyau & Albert Remix)
8. Orjan Nilsen – La Guitarra (Orginal Mix)
9. Porter Robinson – The Wildcat – Original Mix

Simon’s Selection 10

Tracklist: 

1. Ferry Tayle And Static Blue – Trapeze (Arty ‘Digitally Enhanced’ Intro Mix)
2. Stoneface & Terminal – Time To Wait
3. Mat Zo – Superman (Original Mix)
4. Arty & Mat Zo – Rebound
5. Cressida pres. Callisto – Origami (Original Mix)
6. Ashley Wallbridge – Liquid (Original Mix)
7. Above & Beyond Feat Richard Bedford – Sun & Moon (Club Mix)
8. Estiva – Next Level (Original Mix)
9. Cosmic Gate – Barra (New Edit)
10. Steve Brian & Noel Gitman – Luna System (Tritonal Remix)
11. Pendulum – The Island (Madeon Remix)
12. Mord Fustang – Super Meat Freeze

Simon’s Selection 11

Tracklist:

1. BT and Kirsty Hawkshaw – A Million Stars Feat. Kirsty Hawksha
2. Above & Beyond Feat Richard Be – Thing Called Love (Extended Radio Edit)
3. Sultan, BT, Morgan Page, Ned Shepard – In The Air feat. Angela McCluskey
4. ATB Feat. Christina Soto – One More
5. Shogun – Skyfire (Original Mix)
6. ATB – My Saving Grace
7. Giuseppe Ottaviani feat. Faith – Angel (Club Mix)
8. Above & Beyond – Black Room Boy
9. Moonbeam Feat. Avis Vox – About You (Original Mix)
10. Chicane – What am I doing here? (Part 2)

Simon’s Selection 12

Tracklist:

1. Martire pres X&Y – New Beginnings (Solid Stone Remix)
2. Arty Feat Tania Zygar – The Wall (Arty Remode Mix)
3. W & W – Impact (MaRLo Remix)
4. Adam K & BT – Tomahawk
5. The Blizzard & Yuri Kane Feat Relyk – Everything About You (Original Mix)
6. Alex M.O.R.P.H. feat. Sylvia Tosun – An Angel’s Love (Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Chriss Ortega Remix)
7. Heatbeat – Roses Never Cry (Original Mix)
8. Kyau & Albert – A Night Like This (Original Mix)
9. Hannah – Falling Away (Armin van Buuren Remix)
10. Arty – Around the World (Original Mix)
11. Armin Van Buuren Feat Laura V – Drowning (Avicii Remix)

Simon’s Selection – Study Sessions

Track List:

1. Twentyeight – The Beginning
2. Carbon Based Lifeforms – MOS 6581 (Album Version)
3. Bt -Flaming June (Orchestral Version)
4. Symphonix – Drops in your Eyes
5. Blank & Jones – Morning Sun
6. Blank & Jones – Morning Sun (Cruisin’)
7. BT – Ferris Wheel (Love Theme)
8. Sunlounger – Mediterranean Flower
9. Binary Finary – 1998 (Orchestral Version)
10. Wild At Heart – Get Related
11. Young Empires – Glory Of The Night
12. Koan – The Last Samurai

Oh, can’t forget a random picture now!

Unfortunately the market of counterfeiting is bigger now than it has ever been. Due to the advances in technology and the availability of cheap labour in certain countries the possibility of mass production is made increasingly easy. To make matters worse, a large number of the genuine products are being produced in these countries therefore giving a counterfeiter exclusive access to the intellectual property of the original manufacturer! Some fake goods are even being traced back to the same factory making the original equipment which may not seem like a big deal, but the faked items are not quality checked and are usually made with processes, equipment, tooling or material that is not of an acceptable quality. According to the International Anti Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC), 5 to 7 percent of the global trade today is in fake goods and is worth around $800 billion annually.

So how is it affecting us in the automotive world? The answer is greatly. A fake Justin Bieber dole is not really a huge concern to us (at least I hope it’s not) but when we are driving our mates and families round in our vehicles it’s a different story. The most counterfeited car parts by statistic are suspension components, brake components, wheels and maintenance parts such as seals, clutches, bearings and filters. This is a huge safety risk not only on the road but on the track. Recently a friend had the brake lining come unstuck from the metal backing on a new set of pads in an AE101 Corolla race car at Manfeild. The pad consequently fell out of the calliper and the pedal went to the floor at the 200m mark on the front straight putting him front first into a tyre wall.

Detecting fake products can be difficult. If the deal is too good to be true, it usually is. A company I work with had a piece of test equipment arrive supposedly from a German manufacturer. The machine was identical to the genuine one even down to the fake German cardboard it came in. It was not until the part numbers were run after a fault occurred that the situation was realised.

A good example that most of you probably don’t give much thought – fake wheels. While most are not counterfeit they are still fake. Everyone will be familiar with names like Enkei, BBS, Rays, and OZ Racing. These companies have poured billions of dollars and incredible amounts of time into the proper research, development, testing, safety, and production of their wheels. The wheels produced by those companies are designed for optimal function and performance. Then there are companies like Drag, Konig, Tenzo, Sportmaxx/XXR, Motegi, and the notorious Rota. These companies take the most popular and best selling designs from the reputable manufacturers then reproduce them at the lowest possible price, using sub-quality production methods, and sell them for as little as possible in an effort to appeal to people who only care about price and looks. Absolutely no R&D, testing or quality assurance goes into making these wheels, which is reflected in the cost. Some even go as far as selling the wheel in specifications not offered by the original manufacturer which can be dangerous because combined with the substandard product, when you increase width, reduce offset and change the PCD the stresses on the wheel increase.

When people buy a set of Rota or Drag wheels, you hurt the hard working companies that originally designed the wheel. You may think, “Why pay thousands for a set of TE-37’s when you can get a set that looks just as good from Rota?” As I mentioned in one of my previous articles, original companies often stop production of their parts simply because they don’t want their name to be confused with the myriad of fakes that are out there. In doing this the real JDM companies are slowly being suffocated of a market. Their prices have to increase to cover costs making it harder for us to buy the product.

The production of counterfeit goods is completely driven by consumer demand. The only way to stop the damage being done to the industry is to stop buying fake or counterfeit parts when you can recognise them and buying “the real McCoy”. After all, they say your car is an extension of you.

This 3SGTE needed to come out as yet another car finds it’s way to the crusher.

Conveniently it will mechanically bolt up to the gearbox and mounts in Coupe B which was intended for a daily driver but is now not really needed due to having my diesel Corolla wagon (dream daily tbh). So I’m going to test fit this in the hole. It’s easy in theory, but I have been told that it can be a big drama. So I will chuck it in an empty engine bay that I have lying round and see!

If it actually looks like it works I would say that Coupe B will have no hope of getting back on the road. A track car with cage sounds quite nice to me right now!

Here is a quick pictorial guide on how to remove a motor in 35 mins

Like anywhere, an exotic car will always turn heads so it’s not uncommon to see a Ferrari or Aston cruising the streets of Japan. Although we never hear about it in NZ, the lowrider scene has been strong in Japan since the late 80s and early 90s. While the Japanese automakers have been exporting new cars by the boatload to countries around the world, those same boats have been returning with a precious cargo of heavy Chevys, Lincolns and Caddys. It’s interesting to see how their style slightly differs from America, just like New Zealand has its own subtly different take on JDM.

The Americans are known for their favour of quantity over quality which is apparent in many of their classic restorations; however the Japanese attention to detail gives a fresh new feel to these classics.

They’ve embraced the “Chicano” style, which uses a lot of intricate patterned paint jobs. Most lines on these vehicles represent an individual paint session. The painter will lay down the design with tape and then spray the area, let dry, remask, respray, let dry and repeat.

The passion here is incredible and literally reflects in the cars. I think I’ll stop now and leave some space for pictures!