At this point in time, most people would say, scrap that KA and put in an SR, RB, 1JZ, 2JZ, LS1, etc. That would’ve been the easy route, but knowing us, we’re all about refining pieces into greatness. We decided to pull out the KA and rebuild it for a more powerful setup.

Engine removal can be broken into three parts: electrical, exterior engine components and drain, and pull. Before the engine can be pulled, the ECU upper and lower harness must be disconnected. Likewise, positive lines from the alternator and starter must be removed as well. Along with the power lines, negative terminals (grounds) must be disconnected from the engine. Also before all these disconnects, make sure the battery is disconnected and removed! It’s no fun business blowing fuses or getting shocked!

Before removing components drain the radiator, engine, and transmission. Aside from the engine electrical, exterior engine components such as your intake plumbing, AC compressor, heater lines, coolant lines, and fuel lines must be disconnected and/or removed. Also, make sure you drain the fuel lines by disabling the fuel pump and running the motor until it dies. If you plan on keeping the AC, just disconnect the compressor off the engine and leave it off to the side. When removing the heater hoses and coolant lines such as the upper and lower radiator hoses, make sure there is a catch pan below! Lastly, the driveshaft should be removed from the transmission so you can pull the motor and tranny out the same time. You can also remove the transmission first and then pull the motor, but we didn’t have that much space to work with so we went with the engine+transmission pull setup. Lastly, make sure the shifter is removed for ease of removal.

After the electrical and exterior engine components have been dealt with, it’s time to prep the pull. Double check that the electrical harness (upper and lower) have been completely disconnected from the engine. Also, make sure all fuel/coolant/vacuum lines have been disconnected as well. Now here’s the tricky part. Support the transmission with a jack and remove the transmission support. The only reason I did this was to keep the tension off the motor until I chained it up. Once the transmission support is off, go ahead and unbolt the nuts from the motor mount. Now get your shop crane and guide the motor out of the car. Also as a tip, try to pull the motor out and swing it slightly counterclockwise. Swinging it CC will allow you to avoid damaging the condenser fins (if you have AC) or the front of the chassis. You’ll have so much space to play with on the right side of the engine bay (exhaust side).

The engine pull is straightforward, but it does require time, elbow grease, and patience. Make sure you take your time in documenting the process so remember how to put it all back together later. For reference I used the S13 KA24DE Engine Removal Guide which I highly recommend. There are some small differences between the S13 and S14, but it’s pretty much the same. Anyways, it’s back to garage for us. Keep it fitted!

As a kid, I remembered when the E30 was still running strong and proud. It was our Sunday car to drive to church with. The car was quick, stylish, and ahead of its time. Of course, as a child, these details didn’t necessarily come to mind, but what I do remember was that it was an enjoyable car to be in. Its presence would be one that I would shortly fall in love with.

As the years progressed and we were forced to place the car in storage due to my father’s job relocation status to Misawa, Japan. The BMW E30 sat hidden until we came to back the United States. Once we got back to California in 2005, we found it had developed problems such as the transmission giving up, AC compressor going bad, and sensors that went wacko. At that point in time we couldn’t afford to spend the money to get it fixed, so it sat at a local auto hobby shop gathering dust.

However in late 2012, the auto hobby shop that we left the bimmer with called us up and asked us if we were still going to fix it. We went ahead and decided to get the E30 fixed and after a week in the repair shop, the E30 was breathing again, not 100%, but just enough to spark up a family conversation of new ownership.

As most of you know, I’ve been working on a Nissan S14 since high school and pretty much that is the only car I’ve truly owned. So out of the blue, my parents pitched me the idea of passing down the BMW to me. I was truly grateful and I was extremely stoked about the opportunity. We did have a bit of misunderstanding when I mentioned how I was going to slam it to the ground and put some crazy ass wide wheels, but then it dawn on me, while I was rebuilding the S14, that I knew what I really wanted to do with the E30. I wanted to make the E30 a dependable and reliable car that looked good and could be driven hard. When I pitched the idea to my dad, he was still a bit hesitant, but eventually he gave in and told me to finish what he started. With his blessings, I went straight to work.

So here it is in stock form and I will leave you all with the suspense. At the moment, I’m currently working on a variety of pieces for the E30 that will give her a proper life, worthy of BMW descent. Stay tuned and for realtime updates, follow me on Instagram at @fitedlife and on Twitter at @fittedlife. Keep quality in tune.

Last time we checked in with the project S14, it was pretty much somewhat finished. It was equipped with D-MAX coilovers, HKS catback exhaust, interior details such as the classic Nardi 330mm wood grain steering wheel and accompanying Nardi shift knob, and other light performance mods. I wasn’t too comfortable with doing motor swaps since I lived in California and it would’ve been a huge hassle because I didn’t have the space. I felt this was pretty much it and I really needed to stay focused on saving up money for more important things in life…I guess.

But that all changed. I felt a sense of automotive revival pumping throughout my veins. Something just clicked inside of me. Maybe it was the constant nagging of my cousin that eventually lead me to revisit my love of cars. Or maybe, it was the people that I met along the way. They were the source of my inspiration and even maybe my competition. This was my gateway to reviving the S14 project once again and I was pumped.

To kick off the S14 project rebirth, I went ahead and ordered myself a set of KW Variant 3 Coilovers. These were a step up from my D-MAX coilovers and from the reviews, I was in for a major performance upgrade. Incorporating a 2-way pressure valve system and compression and rebound adjustability, this German grade state of the art coilover system was my pick of the crop. I wanted performance and I wasn’t going to settle for less.

With all KW Variant systems, they do not include a top hat as they are designed to adapt to the stock top hats or with an aftermarket camber plate/top mount. A few days before the install, I called KW to check out if they offer top mounts and they did for the Clubsport setup or if you wanted to, you could order the camber plates found on the Clubsports for around $500 a piece (wowzers). As much as I love baller parts and killer quality suspension, I couldn’t build myself to dish out another $2000 on top of this $2000 plus coilover system. Imagine that, I would’ve been running a $4000 system if I did! Crazy! Rather than going with the KW top mounts, I went ahead and picked myself up a set of Tein pillowball mounts for front and rear.

If you’ve ever had experience with changing out the stuts or springs on your car, then this install is a piece of cake. However, it did take me a hour or so, just to figure out a safe way to compress the coilovers to install the pillowball mounts. It took me so long, because I wanted to get the install right and I didn’t want to damage the coilovers in the process because that would be a $2000 mistake that I didn’t want to make.

I was a bit preoccupied during the install so I wasn’t able to take shots of the coilover plus top mount install, but I managed to snap pics of the before and after. As you can see the car is not anymore slammed, but at a moderate and fantastic stance. As much as I love the whole slammed and stance scene, I feel like I’m pretty much past that phase. I want to create a performance driven car that looks good, feels good, and performs well. So with the ride adjustability, I dropped the front to their lowest setting and kept the rears the stock KW height which gave me a slight California rake with 6″ front clearance and 6.5″ rear clearance from the sideskirts to the ground. It’s drivable. It’s tuned. It feels right.

After install wrapped up, it was time for the drive home. You’ve heard the stories about these epic coilovers and from my first drive with these coilovers, the KW Variant 3 system is brilliant. One of the biggest concern I had with my D-MAX coilovers was the rough ride at low speeds and over uneven surfaces. Unlike the D-MAX coilovers, the KW Variant 3s exceeded my expectations and they provided a very comfortable ride at low speeds and over uneven surfaces. They feel very comfortable, but firm, tight, and responsive. The high speed turning capabilities were also an amazing feel as I pushed my driving limit running a 45 mph corner at 80 mph comfortably. Due to the KW Variant 3 technology, during turn in speeds, variable suspension control due to the 2-way pressure valve system allows high performance cornering capabilities while retaining stability through the corner. Likewise, the suspension keeps the rubber on the tarmac and provides substantial traction. Bottom line is the KW Variant 3 coilover system is worth the hefty price tag.

I still need to break the coilovers in and I’m sure it’s going to get better. I’ve got big plans for the S14 this year so stay tuned. The sky is the limit.

A month ago I did a fun handmade print for Chrissy Costanza of Against the Current. The whole piece was illustrated with Copic Markers and was complete within 2 weeks. This print was challenging, but once I finished it, I felt quite happy about how it turned out. Hopefully you’re enjoying your print Chrissy and keep up with the music!

Life got busy and I didn’t know how to deal with it. It was like trying to jump into something that you haven’t done for years. It was that uneasy feeling of fear that held me back in doing more for Fitted Life. I just didn’t know what to do. Yet, as time passed, I experienced and met many influential individuals that spoke with truth, love, and passion. It was something that I relearned at my last visit to Socal’s finest speed shop MOONEYES.

Established back in the 50′s, Mooneyes carried a humble story of one car guy named Dean Moon, whose passion for mechanics, speed, and safety, launched him and his brand into the international spotlight. He started out wrenching and creating parts out of a garage behind his dad’s cafe known as Moon’s Cafe and later he relocated his shop from Norwalk to Sante Fe Springs. From his humble beginnings, he turned his life long passion into a successful brand that is world known for quality, aesthetics, and performance.

Though Dean has passed away, his enterprise was acquired by a longtime good friend and dealer from Japan named Shige Suganuma. Since acquisition, Suganuma san restarted the company name as MOONEYES USA and has kept up with the Yokohama Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show.

While visiting the shop, I ended up picking up a rad Mooneyes tee and some stickers that I’m still debating if I should just collect them, or post them on either my CB550, S14, or E30. Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Haha. I also ended up taking snapshots of the whole speed shop and ran into an awesome Mooneyes employee that showed us around the shop and their current build projects. We even got a chance to check out how their famous speed disc style hub caps were made!

There is a lot of memorabilia and history that resides at the MOONEYES headquarters as this was the original location of MOON Speed Equipment. We saw some old templates and castings of parts from eras ago. Likewise we ran into this crazy welder guy who actually builds some legit bikes that were displayed at the JCCS Mooneyes booth.

At the moment MOONEYES is working towards Bonneville and getting their dragster ready for the top speed showdown. Since I’ve never been to the flats, I asked our tour guide about his experience at Bonneville. He was thrilled to describe his experience there and I could feel how passionate he was about the MOONEYES culture and how much he loved his job. Yes, you read that right. He LOVES his day job! And that’s what I’m talking about. It’s all about that passion and doing more of what you love and continually pursuing what matters the most to you. That’s passion and that’s a fight worth fighting for.

Thank you MOONEYES for reminding of my own personal goals, dreams, and my ultimate passion. I’m feeling pumped to do more of what I love to do more. Keep life fitted. Keep it real.

“Living a positive lifestyle with a great mindset can really change your life, you don’t have to hate everything or be negative…” Marc says. How can you influence yourself and others by being negative when you can easily turn negative energy to positive? Trust me in my own experience it’s easier than you think it is. I was at a point in myself where I dug myself a hole, and after a year of building my own strength, I pulled myself up. Have goals, motivate yourself, take a walk, go to art shows, talk to strangers, be inspired. Be your own motivator. Marc is one the realest person I’ve ever met; he’s a true contributor within the community, “… some people tell me I’m too generous…” Marc adds. There’s no such thing as being too generous, continue doing what you love; love what you do.

We both believe in quality: quality at its finest and attention to detail. It’s the similarity to designers and barbers. Think about it, it makes sense right? You want to invest your time and money into quality products, spend your hard earned money to wait in line to get a limited print tee from your favorite brand; you want to invest your time and money into a barber who can cut your hair exactly the way you want it. It’s a true motivator to wear and support a brand that vibes the same lifestyle not only on your chest but your hairstyle as well [if you catch my drift]. Thank you Marc, It’s been real and I hope you all vibe where I’m coming from with this one on one conversation between gentlemen. Cheers all.

Be sure to check out Pappy’s Barber Shop whenever you’re in the San Diego area and check out his positive inspired clothing brand Posi Machine Apparel.