I'm just going to be me.

First and foremost I want to start off by giving a big thank you to "B" for allowing me share my build, thoughts, and ideas here at AutoLife TV. Not very many people/places are willing to give you the opportunity to share your ideas without it costing you anything. I'm not looking for "insta fame" or anything along those lines. I only hope to inspire and encourage other enthusiast's, specifically female enthusiast's to step out of their shell and not be afraid to be seen. I'm not just some chick who likes cars and is sitting behind a computer. I have a 2008 Honda Fit that is slightly modified. I had hopes to one day have a sleeper K-swap but things have since then shifted. I also have a 1989 Nissan S13 which is my current project. I always wanted a project that was completely stock so that every aspect of it would be influenced by my taste. I can honestly say about 80% of the modifications on my cars have been done by me, so I can relate to fellow enthusiast 100% regardless of gender. Not to mention, I also work in the performance automotive industry, but we'll talk more about that later.

I became addicted to drifting not only by attempting to learn how to master a simple donut, but from watching D1 and Option videos.



Seeing D1 drivers in person smash on their cars is an experience like no other. All the drivers seem to be having so much fun and not taking it "too seriously". I immediately wanted in! I shared an s13 coupe with my boyfriend prior to purchasing my own S13. The sharing went fine until one track event at Willow Springs. He insisted I try the J-Turn... I didn't want to, but he kept bugging me about hitting the dang J-Turn so I said "screw it" and went for it. I may have given a bit too much gas and I may have hit a K-rail…

That's when I decided I needed my very own chassis and that is where I am now. I have a completely stock chassis. S-Chassis that aren't modified or been drifted are so difficult to find now a days. It only has a really ugly rear quarter panel which wasn't a drift accident. The previous owner who is a friend of mine confirmed it. Besides the rear quarter panel this S13 is everything I was looking for and more. I told myself I wasn't going to settle for anything I didn't want. Two tone S13's are pretty rare, people usually paint over them so when you see another two tone owner it's as though you instantly become best friends. I mean there is an entire Zilvia Thread on these unicorns. #twotonepreservationsociety 

Take a peek:

I know it's a little rough, I like to call it a diamond in the rough. Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

A ladies touch. New contributor providing us with a female enthusiasts perspective.

The car culture is dominated by male enthusiasts. So much we have to hire "models" to provide an overwhelming contrast to large groups of dudes standing around geeking out over horsepower, wheels specs, paint codes, and rare parts. Within those groups there are often female enthusiasts that have taken to this lifestyle for varying reasons we find hanging out in garages, shops, or behind the computer on a forum. More and more it's becoming apparent that girls can build respectable cars, or drive with the best of them. ALTV does not know as many female enthusiasts as we'd like, but we do know a few. Currently there appears to be a continued interest and they all have a unique perspective on the community.

For years now I've caught myself trying to explain that ALTV is not about making the creator famous. It's about telling everyones story, sharing styles and perspectives. We've been looking for content contributors who "get it" to come forward, unfortunately they only want to compete or claw for personal fame, and that's okay! There are cool car people everywhere, and frankly, they are the only ones we care to know. Along with the contributor issue, we had hopes of having a females presence on ALTV as well, the chances of having both happen seemed impossible. Until a conversation took place with a person that had been sitting in-front of me for almost two years. 

She would come into the office talking about how she had to zip tie her bumper back on, or her weekend at the track. I had seen "car girls" come and go, many of which go, but she listened to guidance and wanted to learn. Plus, she seemed to be sticking with it. One week she came in and told us about how she smacked a k-rail, some of the fellas laughed, I wanted to hand her an award. We had a true car enthusiast on our hands!

She's gearing up for some significant adventures in her budding automotive experience. We have a feeling they will influence her more than she knows. It will be our first time having another person putting in their two cents. We don't know what she's going to say, how she's going to say it, or how often, so put your seat belts on. Everyone please welcome "Liz G."!

Tired of researching online? Get this book!

ALTV likes to keep it real. "Keeping it real" also means being transparent, not just acting as if you know everything or run the show. Some people in the community have forgotten that and carry themselves as if they are a god in the industry. The fact is, everybody started somewhere and the coolest people never forget where they came from. One guy that knows how to keep it real is a man named Aaron Bonk.

Having the pleasure of not only working with Aaron Bonk, but also being taken under his wing has been both a blessing and a curse. He's seen and done a lot in the industry, much of which goes completely unknown or underrated. The guy has stories that go back to times when many of today's Honda/Acura enthusiasts were still in diapers. There are times he would be exchanging a story with Dr. Charles Madrid during lunch were ALTV would have to simple shut up and listen. He also has a way with words that made ALTV feel as if a trip back to English 101 was needed on more than one occasion. He epitomizes that old saying, "the pen is mightier than the sword".

Some older folks might remember when he owned and operated Holeshot for about 10 years, doing swaps and all sorts of Honda-related performance mods at a time when swapped Hondas were extremely rare. He wrote his first book on a whim; the professional author who was supposed to co-write it for him backed out at the last minute, leaving Aaron to attempt it himself—something Mr. Bonk had no desire to do at the time. Once he realized he could make money writing about cars, he began working for all sorts of different magazines and websites, like Sport Compact Car, Honda Tuning, Turbo, Super Street, Import Tuner, Modified, and many others. It's safe to say he probably holds the record for writing the most articles about Hondas than anybody else. Over the years he's had a couple of staff positions at some of those titles, a dozen or so Hondas, and the rest is history.

The first book he wrote was "Honda Engine Swaps", it was published in 2004 and remains one of the best-selling sport compact titles ever. In that book he took a lot of the knowledge he gained doing swaps starting in the early 1990s and put it all in one place. Many things have changed since that book was published. The introduction of the K-Series was a success and has proved it's abilities to Honda/Acura builder. Basically, the new book picks up where B-series and H-series swaps left off, covering every popular K-series swap. Yes, we all know finding K-series engine swap information online isn't hard, but knowing what's right and what's wrong can be tricky. "K-Series Engine Swaps" was written to eliminate that guesswork. Aaron also brings in a special guess, Brian Gillespie and Hasport, who provided a lot of the technical details for this book.

ALTV has known about the book for some time now. Unfortunately writing about somebody that you know a lot about and respect beyond words proved to be a bit of a tough task. Basically ALTV didn't want to screw it up… Whatever the case, the book is available for purchase now, so go grab a copy!

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