First post after six years...

My last post was six years ago, when I bought the new hub cap. It was a set of Full Moon Hub Cap, which I got from a hotrod store in the US via eBay.
Within those times, I had a problem to find tyres with 55 profiles without a rim guard feature. I couldn't place the whitewall rubber if the tyres have rim guard. I still could get it with Bridgestone Potenza series tyres, though. But it's too expensive. So I take out the whitewall, and paint my rims in white. Fortunately, the new hub cap were not covering the whole rim. It left space abiut an inch outside, so my wheel still looks like have a whitewall a little bit...

New Hub Cap...!!!

It's been some times since my last post, eh? hehehehe... sorry...
Well... the last stuffs I bought for my Retro was a set of new full moon hub cap. Got it from e-Bay, cost me more than a hundred bucks... but it's cool isn't it?
It's different from my existing full moon hub caps which I have to weld a bolt on my rims and set the hub cap with nuts. This new hub cap is a real hub cap. Just need to snap it into the rims.
But the problem was that now my rims still have bolts welded on it. I need to remove it first. The second problem was that I'm having my house totally renovated now, and I'm temporarily living in my parent-in-law's, which doesn't have enough room for the Retro in their garage. Just my Toyota Rush can go in.
So I let my Retro staying at neighbor's garage until my house renovation finished. So it seems like going to be next month... hehehehe...
But this is the picture of the new hub cap. Bought it from a hotrod specialist store in the US. Cool, eh?

Lebaran 2011 - Jogja Trip

Last Lebaran holiday I went for a trip to Jogja, my hometown. Initially I planned to drive my other vehicle, but since it was involved in an accident just about a week before Lebaran, then I decided to drive the Retro, even though it was just overhauled. Well, in fact my wife and my daughter said that they actually prefer to go with the Retro than other. Do you know why...??? Here's some reasons why it was really fun to drive Karimun with your family....

I folded both rear seats upward, then I would get a huge space for everything.

I put some mattresses, pillows, and bolsters, along side with all the luggage. 
Look at the big smiles of my wife and daughter... :-)

 

 Quite spacious, eh..???

Then I installed a 500 Watt DC-to-AC inverter so that I would have more than enough electricity to power up a 3G Router and all phone chargers and my daughter's laptop.

Voila... my daughter was really enjoying the trip since she could always be connected to the internet along the way to Jogja... hehehehe...

The trip was so enjoyable. Even when I got tired driving, I could take some rest while my wife driving the Retro. I can tell you that it was really spacious that I could lay down and get relaxed.

Here's some pictures of Retro while it was in Jogja...

at Wijilan - Jogjakarta

had a lunch - somewhere between Purworejo to Kebumen in my way back to Jakarta

Everything should wait a little bit longer...

Sh*t happens... sigh...
At August 20, 2011, the Rustanti, my other car (a Toyota Rush), was involved in a group crash. A pickup car hit my car from behind. I was stopped in JORR toll road while the traffic was jammed for a road works, but the pickup driver seems lost his mind and his brakes that it hit me so hard.

The worst thing was that every body repair workshop was stopping to accept new work until after the Lebaran. Damn... So that the repair works can only be started by September 5.

It took three weeks for the body repair works. But when it finished a week ago, I found some details were not satisfactory so I planned to send it back to the workshop.

The consequences is that I have to delay all of my plan to my Retro... *sigh*

Land of Confusion

Hehehe... I quoted one of my favorite Genesis song... Land of Confusion...
Even I haven't started the EFI conversion project, I played around with the MegaSquirt.
Damn... it's complicated for such an EFI nubie like me.
Even since this is a completely open-sourced standalone ECU, and I was about to work on to such a small engine like Karimun's, I found almost nothing I could take as references in any forums discussing about EFI conversion projects.... *sigh*

For example, I have to put in the exact specification of the Suzuki Carry stock injectors I would use in my project. Where the hell I could get those kind of data???

Well, let's forget about it for a second. Now I'm playing with the MegaSquirt, connecting it to the MegaStim. It's a stimulator which will simulating signals coming from engines and the sensors. I could play with the rev, the temperature sensors, the O2 sensor, and even the Throttle Position Sensor. The MS is also connected to a laptop running the MegaTune tuning software. Simulating the VE tables, etc. Fun, indeed... hehehe...

MegaSquirt, MegaStim, MegaTune, and Marlboro... what a nice combination... :-D

Injection Project - Final Shipment

Finally, today I got everything I need shipped out.
The MegaSquirt ECU package has arrived. It consist of :

1. MegaSquirt MS-1 V2.2 ECU unit
2. Stimulator
3. 12" Wiring Harness

and as 'bonus' I also bought a book written by the founder of DIYAutoTune.com and also contributors in MegaSquirt's community, Matt Cramer & Jerry Hoffman. It's titled "Performance Fuel Injection Systems". I think I would really need this book as I might had enough experiences in carbureted engine, but kinda newbie in EFI world. In fact, when I flashy read this book just now, I think this is really everything I need. Really great readings for EFI rookies. Just like I am.... hehehe...

Now, I have everything ready. So many things to do. I have to do the engine overhaul first. Then starts the Carb-to-EFI project, then move to direct igntion project.

But I just realized what I actually don't have much is.... the time...
I would be very busy at work in the next few weeks until Lebaran. My daughter is going to an extra curriculum activities so my wife would need the Retro to pick her up twice a week.... hmmm... seems like I should start all of my projects after Lebaran.... well, let's see what I can do...

Other stuff is coming.... - The EDIS kit

Today I got a package on my desk. Wow, I thought it's the MegaSquirt, but it was not...

Actually this stuff is for my last project. Once I finished the overhaul and then carb-to-EFI conversion project, I will continue with direct ignition project. By installing a trigger wheel and camshaft sensor, and feeding the signal up to the MegaSquirt, it capables to drive a direct ignition system. In this case, I would not need a distributor anymore, making my engine to be a distributorless system.... hehehehe....

Based on some discussions by modification masters in some forums, including MS-forum and even 'modcom', I got a Ford EDIS kit on e-Bay for US$ 51.
It consist is of :

1. Ford EDIS 4 Module w/Pigtail and Mounting Plate
2. Coil Pack
3. 36-1 Trigger Wheel
4. Crank/VR Sensor
5.Plug Wires

Here's the stuff :

Ford EDIS-4 Module Kit

I don't know whether I could use the trigger wheel to fit to the crank pulley or not. But if it's not, I saw somebody replaced it with a motorcycle's sprocket, anyway... and it works...!! hehehe... so, no worries about it...

Injection Project - Engine Overhaul

I forgot to tell about overhauling the Retro's engine before the carb-to-EFI conversion really started. This morning I went to DTMF, Duta Mas Fatmawati, the spare parts center in South Jakarta. Went straight to my favorite shop, Abadi Jaya, to purchase the parts needed for the overhaul.

I don't know, it's just my day or Oom Joni, the shop owner, got a little bit drunk, or what. He gave a such crazy prices for the parts I ask.

Here's the part list :

1. The packing set. SGP Japan for cylinder head and SGP local for the rest.
2. Piston set. SGP local.
3. Piston Ring set. SGP local
4. Connecting Rod and Crankshaft Bearing Set. All SGP Japan.

For all those parts, Oom Joni gave me for only about one million rupiah.. hehehe... lucky me...

Injection Project - One down, many more to go...

Today, I got a letter from the Postal Service. There's a shipment from the USA coming for me... Ahaaa.... too bad it was not telling me which parts has been coming... hmmm... the import tax was Rp 195k. Had my staff collected the stuff up to the post office.

Hey... it's MegaSquirt's Relay Board... hmmm... why this stuff was arrived earlier than the ECU, while I ordered this a couple of days after I ordered the ECU.

Well, anyway I'm happy coz the shipment was quite fast. It took 7 days only to ship from the USA up to my door. Great...!!!

This is the stuff :

Merapi Charity Trip

It was in January 2011. Karimun Club held a charity event. The event was to give some donation to the victims of Mt. Merapi erruption. Five KC Jakarta members took off to Jogjakarta. They're Imam, Anton, QQ, Fahmi, and me. In Jogja we met up at local Suzuki Dealer with some other KC Jogja, and KC Semarang members who also came down to this event.

Here's the KC Jakarta team at the hotel. A zillion thanks to Sigit, a KC Jakarta member who has facilitated this fabulous accomodation during our trip in Jogja.

KC Jakarta Team

This is where we met up with the rest KC Jogja, Semarang, and Magelang members. We took some pictures a while before we started to konvoy to Merapi.

  

The konvoy :

We dropped by to one of evacuation and rescue center to hand over the donation. Took a picture for documentation.

All the way up to the "ground zero" at Mt. Merapi, the view was so terrible. The view of burnt trees and houses were everywhere. I've been living in Jogja when I was a kid, and I've been to this area. I stil remember how this surrounding was so green and beautiful. But now there's nothing left. It's all burnt black or grey covered by the volcanic ashes.

  

Finally we reached the highest ground we can get. The rest path was closed by erruption materials. It was only about 500 meters from Mbah Marijan's house. The road was totally covered by volcanic sand. Need to drive carefully to avoid our small cars being stuck in the sand.

Here we are. The small city cars in Merapi for charity....