So after many hours and frustrations in regards to the 1992 ACS BMW I finally got it out in time to participate in a local forums opening cruise! Shortly after the Performance World Show in March I noticed that the engine all of a sudden would make a horrible sound resulting in loss of power and misfire above 2500rpm. At first I thought perhaps the cams were out of sync so I re-timed them yet again, this did not solve the issue. After that, I changed the DME, Fuel Filter, Plugs and anything that would cause such an issue under Load. Finally, after advice from some BMW shops, it was concluded that the chain guides were most likely damaged.

Lucky for me, a good friend (Boots) was kind enough to give me his old M50 motor from his 1992 BMW. He recently had an S52 swap into his car and offered me his motor as a good gesture. Needless to say, I did not waste any time. Friday night at 7pm I started working on the car and by 12am the replacement engine was in place and bolted down. It would have been sooner however, I swapped over some key parts like my: Turner Motorsports Lightweight Flywheel, Clutch, UUC Pullies, Changed the Plugs, Oil, Tightened the oil pan bolts, Installed the OBD2 headers etc.

The car sat for Saturday and Sunday morning me and my buddy flushed and bled the coolant and got the front end of the car bolted back on in efforts to catch up with the 2010 opening cruise for MaxBimmer . We were running a little late and unfortunately no one was able to provide us with route information as it is always kept a secret until the cruise starts. All we knew is that the cruise was to come through my town of Peterborough later in the day. Me and my buddy set out to start driving to key points to figure out where we might intercept them but had no luck. We drove approximately 100kms and just as we gave up and were heading towards home we intersected the cruise right in the middle! What Luck.

The weather was absolutely beautiful and my arm is burnt to prove it. There was about 50+ BMWs that were on the cruise and although a few bad apples that don’t know the difference between a race track and a cruise made things a little stressful, there were no tickets given. Near the end we were confronted by the O.P.P (State Police) and they pulled us all over on the side of the highway. No tickets were given, just an hour wasted.

The car never skipped a beat and ran beautifully. Approximately 4000rpms most of the time due to the 3:91 LSD. With the fan delete mod and no back up cooling the car performed amazing and never overheated or gave any issues. We ended up travelling a total of ~400kms (250miles) and only used just shy of 1/2 tank of fuel. I was very impressed.  Below are a few more shots from the cruise.

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Well it was an extremely long weekend, not to mention a long 10 weeks! It has taken me the past week of trying to relax around my full time job to adapt to my new found extra time! The weather has been beautiful and it has been nice to be able to take a break for once. As for the show, everything was a great success. Thursday morning of March 11th, we were on the road by 9:30am and had a nice easy ride all the way to the International Center in Toronto. I ended up driving my 2000 Lightning and the ACS and Mustang followed on car trailers.

The rest of the day was spent detailing and setting up at the show. It was nice that all 3 cars managed to be positioned next to each other to make set-up and sharing of detailing products very easy! I had a few friends help me out, so big thanks to: Mike, Chuck, Andrew, Jordan and my Wife! Everything went smoothly, just took up a lot of time. Had to jack up the cars once they were inside to adjust the coil overs and of course the detailing took forever! The cars had collected quite a bit of dirt, dust etc. I would like to give a huge thanks to Carpolish.CA for providing the ZAINO products used to detail the cars. The instructions were intense but WOW does it ever work great!

Friday was the first day of the show and it was great to meet people and answer questions to those who had been following the project along. It was also my Birthday so I managed to take full advantage of free meals at local restaurants. Saturday and Sunday were some long days but friends, family and fans kept me busy. Here you can see a few pictures taken by myself, friends and others who have been kind enough to send over their pics.

Sunday was the awards day and I am pleased to say that the 1992 BMW ACS and the 2000 Ford SVT Lightning came Runner-Up in their respected classes. Unfortunately the Mustang was up against some pretty fierce competition and did not bring home any awards. I am very proud to have not come home empty handed, it’s been a long few months but I feel great knowing I had finished this project and possibly look forward to another in the future!

I want to personally thank everyone who has sponsored, contributed and/or followed along fun. You all definitely made this project worth while and kept me motivated to work on these cars every night after my full time job! TIP2?

A big thanks goes out to HID Canada! Jason, was simply awesome to work with and he kindly sponsored TIP with a full 6000k H1 HID kit. I was impressed when opening the box that their kits comes with a spare bulb! That’s right, 3 bulbs in total. Great concept, as it allows you to have one on hand in case one burns out and you can warranty the other instead of having to drive around with a burnt out light!

Installation of this kit is super simple and the hardest part is finding a good spot to mount the Ballasts. They are what provide the power needed to properly power the lights. With the headlights out I found a great spot on the actual bumper re-bar to mount them. I had to file out the mounting hole of the ballast just enough to get the bolt used to go through the hole I found on each side of the bumper!

The picture above shows the hole I used. Using this hides the ballast and keeps it away from all the elements! I did not need to extend any of the harnesses, it was completely plug and play! I did have to modify my headlight housings some to allow the wires to pass through the housings and connect to the bulbs. As shown in the picture below.

As you can see, the results are fantastic and a good alignment will light up the road wonderfully! Again a big thanks to HID Canada! These are definitely stand up kits and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade their lighting.

Well I knew it was coming but wow does it all come fast… I am not even 24 hours away from getting to the show yet and I fear all the things I am going to have to do and get ready etc. I have not filmed the past 2 days as I am trying to stay focused on all the million other things I need to do. Tomorrow will be a long day and most likely night trying to get the cars cleaned up as much as possible prior to taking them to the show. I will be filming so be sure to watch out for that!

My plans were to drive both my Lightning and the BMW and trailer the Mustang, however due to insurance issues I will be having to trailer the BMW. It seems that State Farm has finally pulled the plug on my modified vehicles and its only a matter of time before my Lightning gets denied as well. Needless to say I will be insurance shopping next week as the weather is just awesome and it’s time to be driving something nice again.

Well I am running out of time so I better get back to work. I hope see you guys at the show! Be sure to come check the cars out in person! Parking is free too. www.performanceworldcarshow.com

I still can’t believe there is only 2 weeks left until I will be scrambling to get the cars ready for transportation to the show! I am really hoping the weather is agreeable as driving the cars not only shows success of the projects, but it makes it easier than having to deal with trailers. I am confident the project will complete successfully. There have been a few delays on parts but other little things have managed to help pass that time.  The Mustang is coming out great and I have managed to tuck all the wiring away in the inner fenders. (Don’t mind the strut not being installed and the coil wires)

Nick from Peterborough Powdercoating came by tonight to lend a hand and brought the part I have been waiting for! The GT-40 intake manifold. He was kind enough to stick around and help install the intake and the piping for the supercharger. I must say it looks great!

The master cylinder and proportioning valve have been delayed but should arrive for tomorrow as promised from the parts guy! We managed to start the car up momentarily just to check that all the wiring, fuel, ignition was connected properly. The belts and tensioners still need to be installed. Finally some final suspension pieces are needed to bolt the DECH Grabbers in place properly with the correct bolts and to try and raise the front of the car up by an inch. Unfortunately I will need to be able to steer the car.

So as the last few weeks pass I truly can’t believe how fast it went and the persistence and dedication I have had to this project. I am hoping to be able to bring the BMW back into the shop for the weekend to finalize a few things such as; Custom Chip from Mark D, Strut Tower Brace, Mirrors, Stereo and Clean up. After that will be a few days dedicated to the Lightning.

As I get ready for bed I just want to say thank you to all who have followed along, contributed in any way shape or form, and finally to my sponsors who have been so great throughout these builds. I look forward to being able to show these cars and perhaps a TIP2 is in order? Here is a quick pic of the engine bay as it was tonight before leaving!

Well today was a nice treat, my friend Andrew got into town after picking up a bunch of packages from the UPS store in NY. Since it is cheaper to ship within the USA and brokerage fees can cost so much, it only makes sense to make the trip. We had the pleasure of opening a few boxes up today of some very nice parts!

The boxes consisted of the following parts:

• 6 piece smoked headlight kit to replace the old kit which had the 1st generation purple corners
• Turner Motorsports adjustable sway bar kit for the BMW with upgraded end links and bushings
• Racecraft Inc. 2″ drop spindles (Don’t miss this installation on Feb 20th!)
• North Racecars complete Cobra rear disc brake kit for the Mustang

I am excited to be installing these brand new parts! The one side of the headlight kit is installed as the other side needs a new housing bracket for the headlight as the old one broke during removal. The Drop Spindles will be installed on Feb 20th so be sure to watch that! You can see the feature of T.I.P on Racecrafts website as well! The Cobra rear disc brake kit from North Racecars will be installed next week so be sure to catch that installation as well as these will be great guides for those wanting to know how to do it themselves.

Here is a shot of the engine bay as of tonight, some powder-coated goodies have been installed and a few things painted and cleaned up! Looking good, I can’t wait to get the rest of the brackets back from Peterborough Powdercoating so we can get the supercharger and accessories bolted back on!!

I am writing more of a Rant than anything this evening. After a long weeks work while I was waiting for my truck to warm up, I decided to follow up on a potential sponsor call. I had called ABC Exclusive to inquire if they would be interested in perhaps sponsoring or helping out with the shipping costs over a Style Bar for the Mustang. Having bought several of their products in the past (2 style bars, 2 GT Free Air bumpers and 1 SR-347 Saleen Style spoiler) I figured my returning business was worth at least a discount.

When I called yesterday a Lady answered the phone and I introduced myself explained what I was doing and needing. She encouraged me to email her the info as she said “I am sure we’d be able to help out your project somehow”. Now with no expectations of FREE merchandise, all I am looking for is a discount, free shipping, whatever. So I call back today and the same Lady answered the phone and passed me to the Gentlemen who was in charge of such business. His name was Nicholas. I explained who I was and that I was just following up on the email and he quickly said “I am not interested, people like you call me everyday, CLICK”.

I bet he didn’t even read my email! I clearly explained the project, the concept, and that I would be willing to provide a recorded installation and documentation of his product. I would think that would be worth something more than a HANG UP! He clearly does not even want my business. All I know is that 2 of their products are on the Mustang already and the rear bumper I customized so it no longer looks like theirs. However, the wing I believe is only replicated by them and I want nothing more to put a different one on and free this car of their products.

Every business I have contacted in regards to this project, large and small, have been kind enough to listen/read and respond to me professionally. Whether the companies I have approached were able to help or not they were all very supportive of my idea and concept and I have had nothing but positive experiences. There have been a few frustrating ones such as Cervinis who expressed great interest then later informed me they cannot sponsor Fox Bodies anymore as they are too old.

Either way I would just like to thank all the companies and sponsors who have treated me with respect as I believe I have approached them the same way. From sponsorship proposals, to cross marketing and promotion, discounts to full blown donated parts and products The Infamous Project has been very successful with its First Show! It is not easy designing and maintaining your own website, doing your own marketing and promotions, finding sponsors, updating forums, working full time, working on the project and trying to live a normal life with my Wife!

Thank you again to all my supporters, and ABC, I may not be worth your business but one day I could be the guy that has the power to tell a large part of your customer base to not buy your products and they’ll listen.  Be sure to visit the Sponsors page to see all the great support T.I.P has received

So we’re 1 month in! Lots of hours, lots of dedication, lots of persistence but I am managing to stay focused and on track. As some know, the project has changed slightly to accommodate the official entry of 3 vehicles into Performance World now. There will be the 1992 ACS BMW which we have almost completed. The car will be brought in at the end of February for clean up and finalization of some parts, installs, fluid change etc! The 89 Mustang has been exchanged for my old 87 Mustang convertible now owned by a close friend who has never had the opportunity to make the car what it is capable of being… a fast, sleek, street chewing show piece. Finally, my 2000 SVT Lightning will be entered in the show which a few days will be spent on it in order to get it ready for the show. Here is a picture of the ACS car “chilling” outside:

As I was working 7 days a week on the project I have decided that I will now only work 6 days and leave Sunday as an “unscheduled” day, meaning I may or may not work on the cars that day. Working full time and managing the project is a lot of work.  The Mustang is coming along nicely as most of the body work is now done and paint will be soon to come. Have had to wait until the custom fuel door was installed behind the license plate area and to complete the Power Pipe install for the Vortech Supercharger in the inner fender well of the engine bay.

I am awaiting the arrival of the Racecraft 2″ drop spindles so that we can get SLAMMING this car even more to the ground, complete the 5 bolt conversion and 4 wheel disc upgrade so we can get the 18″  Saleen wheels installed. I am really looking forward to the outcome of this car. All the progress pictures of the Mustang can be seen in the Photo Gallery page.

I hope you have all been enjoying the Project so far and again, please inform all your friends and I encourage feedback and comments If you have missed an episode be sure to check out the Previously Recorded page for all the broadcasts.

I am really sorry to all who were expecting the Mustang to arrive today. Between mother nature and tricky starting of some Ford’s it was just not possible to deliver the car this evening. I plan to have it transported first thing tomorrow morning! Bare with me, I guess I needed a night off between cars?

Well it’s been just over 3 weeks since the start of the project and I am very confident about the rest of the project to come. Although the Mustang was suppose to arrive today, the lack of help that was suppose to come by today allowed me to finish up most tasks on my own. The exhaust is done, the brakes are bled and the car is back on the ground running! Things left to do as we come closer to the show include:

• HID Install of kit provided by HID Canada.
• Complete Stereo Install (RCA cable and amp hookup)
• Research headlight glass options (crack in lens)
• Paint and install mirrors
• Consider corner light options
• Oil change etc of fluids provided by Bimmersport.

On that note, I have yet to hear the exhaust note myself aside from this clip i took with my digital camera tonight. I am pretty confident it’s going to sound perfect!  Have a listen for yourself.

On a sponsor note, there have been some updates to my Sponsors page. I have added some banners of key sponsors and you will also notice there are a few more. We have officially received Racecraft Inc. as a sponsor for the Mustang, they have shipped T.I.P a set of SN95 style 2″ drop spindles! In addition, we have received a detailing sponsor from Carpolish.Ca who are a supplier of the oh so great ZAINO detailing products. Finally, there is workings of a custom chip being made by the great MARK D for the BMW to tune it for it’s new performance upgrades and 94 octane. I will be sure to post once confirmation of this is made.

The 1987 Mustang GT Convertible/Stalker will be arriving tomorrow and I know many people have been patiently awaiting it! The time has come for Project number 2 to begin! Be sure to follow along and see this awesome car become even more stunning over the next few weeks!