Creative Release of a Techie Geek - Personal Blog

One Vehicle, Four Different Tires?

Posted on June 29, 2021

I confirmed that I currently have four different tires on my car from three different countries. This is nuts. Passenger side rear: Cordovan Velozza ZXV4, 225/40ZR18 92W XL, Manufactured 2016 ($109.99) (USA)Passenger side front: Keter KT757 225/40ZR18 92W XL, Manufactured 2016 (China)Driver’s side front: Kumho Solus TA31, 225/40R18 88V, Manufactured 2017 ($171.00) (Korea)Driver’s side rear: BFGOODRICH g-Force Comp-2 A/S, 225/40ZR18 92W XL, Manufactured 2015 (USA, model subsequently replaced with A/S Plus) The driver’s.. Read More

Project CELICA – Performance Clutch and Flywheel

Posted on June 25, 2021

I just wanted to update after a busy couple of weeks. Three out of four motor mounts have been replaced (save for the one with the nut that is free in the frame on the passenger side). The clutch kit, flywheel, and rear main seal have finally been replaced. The shaking of the motor is gone, and the previous (worn) clutch assembly and flywheel was in desperately poor shape as I expected. Now.. Read More

Moving And Shaking! Update on Project CELICA

Posted on June 10, 2021

So I managed to crawl out of my slump. In retrospect I think my low spirits were relevant to the old saying “one step forward, two steps back” meaning that essentially every time I try to reach my goals I inadvertently set myself back further from said goals. Over time, experiencing this type of frustration just leads to you not wanting to even try to work towards the goals–the textbook definition for lack.. Read More

Let’s Talk About Motivation

Posted on May 19, 2021

The concept of motivation is quite powerful. It’s not just the name of a TI song which resonated with me back in 2004. Motivation is the force that pushes. Motivation causes action–you can liken it as the potential energy behind the kinetic energy. It is your fire within. In its essence, motivation is the reason most of us get up every morning. It’s the reason why we strive for our goals and reach.. Read More

Something About It Pouring When It Rains…

Posted on May 16, 2021

So a few weeks back, the garage door opened in the afternoon. Nothing out of the usual–I assumed my wife got home from work early. My wife was not home. I checked my Nest camera and she never came back, yet sure enough, the garage door opened. It proceeded to close and open a few more times. Clearly, shenanigans were afoot. First thing I thought, there must be bad wire connections between my.. Read More

TFW Your Dryer Breaks

Posted on May 15, 2021

So, let’s talk about laundry. Laundry is a chore, meaning there is never really a good time for it. You have to do it, so you make time for it. In my case, I made time before work as I have the privilege of working at home. So I shove my full load of laundry in my washer and wait for the alert that it finishes so I can migrate the load to.. Read More

Project CELICA – Even More Motor Mounts?

Posted on May 3, 2021

So after watching Sebastian (2zzlow on YouTube) and yet another of his videos, my Dad and I think it useful to replace another motor mount under the battery support in the engine bay. This part ID is 12372-22020 and is called several names, the left mount, driver’s side mount, or transmission mount. I still don’t have the rear engine mount I ordered last week, but it usually does take a couple weeks with.. Read More

Project CELICA – A Minor Slump

Posted on April 28, 2021

So as of this past week I have a new issue–the car violently shakes when engaging first gear (or reverse). My Dad convinced me it’s a motor mount issue. I worry that this may have happened when I pushed the car off of the scissor jack while trying to work on the audio system. The car ended up falling on the driver’s side front (left front) rotor rather abruptly so it may have.. Read More

Project CELICA – Weather delays…

Posted on April 20, 2021

Weather has caused delay in more ways than one. The weather this past weekend was bleak and wet. My original plan was to use wheel cleaner to try to restore what is left of the aluminum alloy Motegi RT5 18 inch wheels I inherited with this project. I did play with the idea of ordering new 17s but I simply did not want to invest in the wheels yet. It certainly is not.. Read More

Project CELICA – Car Audio and Acoustics

Posted on April 13, 2021

Something that my older brother got me into in my teen years was car audio, namely in the realm of bass/subwoofers. Back in the early 90s, cars were manufactured from the dealerships with crappy paper cone woofers. It is insane how terrible these speakers really were–it was like the manufacturers made speakers out of construction paper. In my experience, bass in automobiles just didn’t happen off the lot–it was all aftermarket. I seem.. Read More