I bought some patriot stage 2 heads, comp cams, and scorpion rods while i was at the meet; a dude from washington drove them down, so i figured i’d add them to the pile of shit i had bought that day.

I grabbed a beer and a BLT and drove down to the central eastside to pick up some LS parts and shoot the cars…

Every sunday, enthusiasts and spectators alike assemble under the morrison bridge at 6:30 PM for the RED DOOR MEET; a rad grassroots tuner meet hosted by Jonathon and some good buddies..

I had some decals lying around at the house so I took them down to pass them out; thanks to everyone who’s rocking a sticker and next sunday I’ll be bringing more for anyone interested.

Tons of sick cars and great people; an attempt at a harlem shake video was done, and there was even a kei van that came here by container that showed up at the end of the night. As the weather improves, I will be here every sunday, looking forward to the larger turnouts and wild rides.

My homie branden stopped by se a couple hours before the red door meet to shoot his car and cruise with me to go pick up some ssr’s in east portland. Branden reportedly bought this car from pick n pull for about 2 grand; getting rid of a dealership-bought chrysler 300 to fund the project. 

Here’s a list of mods he sent over to me:

“specter intake, full Black interior swap, enkei ev5 4x100 wheels, magnaflow exhaust, fk coilovers, sony explode deck and kicker comp sub”

Branden started the FRESH SOCIETY car club here in the Portland/Vancouver area and is seen all over at events in the area; snag a fresh decal from him next time he’s in your hood…

BUSYSCISSORS@EASTEND

Alexa’s band is playing a lot; and at cooler and cooler spots; here’s a few from the show last night.

https://www.facebook.com/busyscissorsband

There was such a diverse group of cars out today; VIP, fwd, drift, lots of subarus and turbo cars; hondas, euro cars, and a little bit of something to please just about everyone. Not too many classics, and I think I had the only FC out there today.

I cruised down despite the rain to the Filthiest Fitment meet today out on the west side…. Lots of sick cars; I stayed and shot some until my feet got wet and I soaked through. Thanks to FF for organizing this one, dope to see this many built cars in one place: especially here in portland.

https://www.facebook.com/CascadeCarsAndCoffee?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/CascadeCarsAndCoffee?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/CascadeCarsAndCoffee?fref=ts

I went down to cascade cars and coffee (https://www.facebook.com/CascadeCarsAndCoffee?fref=ts) for a couple hours this morning to check out the local rides and snag a few shots.

Thanks to greg for organizing, and despite the misty air there were still lots of friendly faces and vicious motors….

My boy Marcus stopped by today; so I dusted off the camera and took it out for a few shots of the cars. I was in the process of plastidipping my turbo ii aluminum hood when he rolled up (i couldn’t handle having a blue hood any longer); he wanted to borrow a sander to do an extra hachi trunk lid he had at home.

I have been resisting the urge to shoot my FC until it’s finished: (paint, coils, widebody, etc), but there is one sneak preview shot in there…

But, today was all about Marcus’ heavily driven 1987 Toyota AE86.

Obtained in a trade in 06’, Marcus has owned this car since the day I met him, over 7 years ago. It’s gone through countless transformations, upgrades, and repairs; and needs no verbal description to inform you that this car gets DRIVEN.

A dyed-in-the-wool hachi lover; Marcus has parts from all over the world on this weathered Toyota; rumor has it he’s running used suspension parts from the actual initial D car; bought and sourced in japan, where the car is stored; during a trip a few years ago…

With over 360,000 miles on the chassis, there’s not a lot that hasn’t been replaced; Marcus attended a mechanics institute a few years ago, where he perfected how to repair, tune, and maintain this purpose-built daily driver.

If there ever were such a thing as a classic drift car, than the AE86 would surely take the cake as the prime example; and if a drift car could be a rat rod, Marcus’ 86 would be exactly that. Marcus’ car is the type you circle around a few times; finding something new and interesting around every corner, and not because it’s drenched in chrome..The staggered hoshinos (14x8.5 -20 in the rear, and 14x7 +0 up front), give just the perfect amount of flair, while still paying homage to the roots of the car..

Marcus has laid eyes on every inch of this vehicle during the time he’s owned it, and has done every repair or modification on the car himself.

Here’s a list of mods that Marcus sent over to me:

“head gasket replaced, head cleaned, surfaced - mr2 distributor rebuilt with new wires and plugs replaced repeatedly - all engine seals replaced - all sensors checked/replaced - fuel injector spray pattern’s taken after motorvac - new oem alternator and belt - new battery - new thermostat and samco red hoses - radiator replaced and new oem cap - custom built 2.25” under-diff exhaust - new oem clutch with new TO and pilot bearing - HKS purple timing belt - full new manual steering conversion with NST steering lock spacer - all new slotted brake rotors with hawk hp plus pads - NST brake master cylinder stopper + custom brake master heat shield - rotors slotted/drilled - rear end completely rebuilt with all new bearings, seals, even a new companion flange with a TRD4.778 gear and a stock kouki LSD with a t3 rebuild - TRD springs 8/6Kg’s - AGX front SS shocks/Trd rear yellow SS shocks(bought from carland personally in kyoto, japan) - all new prothane bushings - t3 RCA’s - t3 shifter rebuild - Aspec front strut tower bar - NRG Ueo style Bomber bar - Cusco Camber Plates - Moog Ball Joints complete Black/grey interior STOCK - “Initial D” cup holder - reclinable Recaro bucket seat - Sparco steering wheel with T3 hub extender - TRD shift knob - Drift Ebrake button - cd deck with ipod through aux with new speakers 6x9’s in back and 4.5’s in the front - custom headlight motor switches (infinite sleepy angles or winking)faded ass old oem red paint with body damage on the rear left quarter covered by bondo - jdm smoke corners - h4 headlights and cases - yellow/white h4 bulbs - many different art trunk’s - hella good wipers - 20% tinted windows - solex locks “

A stock-looking, lowered 86 on hoshino wheels might have been the norm to see in Japan in the 80’s; but the little red coupe couldn’t stand out more; here in Portland. A town filled with euro cars, wagons, and the occasional WRX… Don’t let it’s exterior fool you; the hours spent tuning and driving this car outweigh hundreds seen on the road with fresh paint and a body kit.

Look out for Marcus on the streets of Portland: and in an upcoming video short, featuring him and his ride. Thanks man!

(also; check out Marcus’ car build/blog: http://ae86love.blogspot.com/)

I didn’t get nearly enough time with the camera while I was there; and now I’m back in portland, where things are the same…

Soon, things will be different; and I’ll be shooting again.