Standalone Unit

They sure don't have this @ Ah Guan's.. :) This beast makes the four and five-pots at the shop look tame and timid.. :)

The size of this thing.. and the sound.. pure mechanical adrenaline.. and the thing's glowing PURPLE..!!! :O The exhaust headers are glowing purple... dunno whether it's some sort of blackbody radiation, or whether the heat generated is having an effect on this guy's camera...

whatever it is, this V10 is one internal combustion hell.. :)

Because engineering can be theoretically boring, but practically enthralling;

Strings of Thought

Indeed, arrogance, lust, and hatred, are the worst of diseases for the soul... And laziness is not far behind...


kerana berjayanya sesuatu bangsa itu adalah kerana akhlaknya...

WorkLog - 6/10/2011

Yesterday was a Thursday, and nothing much ever happens on a Thursday... U ever get the feeling, sorta like, 'hey, It's already Thursday, we're nearing the end of the week already, just one more lousy day to go thru, and the weekend's all yours, baby...! yepp, ahhhhhh, just gonna put my feet on the table, and ease up for Saturday..   !! What a malaise mentality...

At least that's what it feels like, anyway... only two cars came in... and just for oil changes... and one had a leaking coolant pump... not much to learn... Sunday's the best, though... jam-packed full of activity...

Can't help but notice that 80% or something of the cars that come in here have a golf club membership sticker on their windscreen *yawn*

Airbag out.

Is playing golf really that important for your work slash social image..? 

I skipped Wednesday.. woke up extra-late.. Wensday is my favourite day of the whole week.. maybe I'll skip Wensday and come in on Saturdays... yeah... that would fill up the weekend, conveniently avoiding malaise mentality...

Because I am against a malaise mentality;

Lazy Evenings...

Pretty ordinary evening... What better way to take my mind off a few things, relax after a tiring day, than to get some fresh air? Took the bike out for a spin 'round the neighbourhood... nice weather; grey and cool... just the way I like it... 

whizzed past my old school, and found the gate open, so whattheheck? 

It was rather pleasant... It's been 10 years, you know, since I last stepped foot into this place... God, where has all the time gone? 

the memories... it all suddenly came back... it was an unplanned personal moment of reflection, upon who I am, where it all began... where I am heading now... It was surreal... 

Awesome sunset by the field..

1999...

dah ada pondok pak gad.. :)

dulu ada sukaneka kat sini...

cikgu Zarina used to park her scooter back here...

the old parking spot...

still standing... dulu dalam kolam tu ada tortoise... :)

God, standard 1... ~

Used to run around these blocks all recess.. :D

Dulu dok main tiang ngan Alia kat sni.. :D

Bilik guru... tak berubah...

the good 'ol V-stairs...

Makmal komputer yang tak sempat rasa,
sebab pindah skolah, sebab result terok, sebab main banyak..
haha :D

Assembly ground...

Bila nak siap nii...??

Suddenly my mind took me back to when I was in Form 4, back in Kolej, during the Centenary Celebrations... Dr. M dropped by, and while he was touring the in-class exhibitions, I was fortunate enough to be near him at that moment, and I overheard him saying to Dr. Hasmah... "This used to be my class, you know.." And I was all like.. "holy shit, this was his class, back then.. where he used to sit and read and learn..." his classroom... 

I could imagine how all the old memories flood our minds, when we revisit our yesterdays... only when we accept our past, can we embrace our future...

and, God knows, someday, a long time from now, I'll be the one, walking by my old classroom, saying to that special someone beside me, "this used to be my class, you know.." .. 

Because I can achieve anything I set my mind to;

Volvo 245 2JZ by Björck

That must've been one hell of a shocked M5 owner..



Because even bricks can fly;

WorkLog - 4/10/2011

Ordinary day, nothing special. Although, typically, there is much to be done. Followed the progress of three cars today. One S70 and another 850 wagon needed a timing-belt and oil seal changes. The 850's situation was a mess; the oil seals behind the timing-belt gears had exhausted, and oil burst out between the gears, messing up the engine covers and timing-belt. It was really a sight not worth seeing..

A Mitsubishi Triton came in in the middle of the day, needing engine oil and oil filter replacement. Fairly easy job.

Two-tier air-cond..!!

this was very, very, very dirty.

A Vios also came in.. Got to see the underside of the Toyota. It's interesting to observe that the front-wheel-drive Toyota's underbody layout is, safe to say, 99% similar to the Volvo S70's underbody layout, of which I saw yesterday. I can easily recognise the transverse layout of the engine, the auto gearbox mounted to the left of the engine, the drive shafts connecting the gearbox to the front wheels.. These cars, apart from being two different marques, are nearly a decade apart, and yet there is little difference between the layout of the important mechanical bits.. Automotive technology seems not to have changed much over the years, and practicality, feasibility, and efficiency will always determine the design and advancement of any technology..

Because I get to play with other people's cars;

WorkLog - 3/10/2011

Should've started the WorkLog yesterday.. but then again, yesterday was kinda tiring.. Yes, I am now working in a top-secret automotive facility, which is located somewhere in Mergong, Kedah.. :)

I guess it's safe to say that transmission seems to be the trend of the week.. Yesterday I helped put together an old, longitudinally-mounted, 4-speed ZF automatic gearbox.. pretty decent unit.. ZF is an automotive drivetrain supplier based in Germany.. Learnt a new word along the way.. Getriebe is German for transmission.. and ZF Getriebe GmbH has their facilities in a place called Saarbrücken in Germany, where the particular gearbox unit handled yesterday was made..

After putting the unit together, we mounted and installed the gearbox to an old Volvo 940.. It's kinda, surreal, you know, having a look and feel of what makes a typical car run, after reading and wondering a lot for all these years.. you can't learn everything from a book..  Seeing and understanding is everything.. Even a simple gear-change requires hours upon hours of scrutinizing and assembling behind-the-scenes, and people often take the everyday, mundane, routine tasks for granted.. but when the crisp receipt with the just amount of zeros is handed over, they start to have a better sense of 'appreciation'.. :)

Came into shop in the morning today finding the 940 running good.. work and sweat duly paid-off.. :)

Today another car came in with a gearbox situation.. The coolant tank cracked, and, real-life-problem as it stands, coolant water got into the gearbox.. Took out the gearbox, which required roughly two hours of wrench-turning and sweat. It's a four-speed transversely mounted unit this time, and it's used to power the front wheels, as opposed to yesterday's longitudinally mounted ZF used to spin the rear wheels. And it's also a smaller unit, made by AISIN AW of Japan.. Not a very famous company, but I found out that AISIN makes the Toyota Prius' tranmission, which is pretty hype.. This relatively unknown establishment is on the Fortune Global 500 list (take that PETRONAS.. ) .. quite impressive..

Relatively unknown powerhouse

To take the front-wheel drive gearbox out of this unfortunate S70, we had to take the front wheels out and also disassemble the drive shafts connecting the gearbox to the front wheels. Long story short, a longitudinally-mounted 'box is easier to handle than a transverse 'box..

Torque-converter and everything

Drive shafts. Yeah.

I guess that's enough rambling for now. Sorry for wasting your time, but my hands are dirty, and I'm loving my mundanely-interesting job. I could live like this for three months. :)

Because you can't put a paycheck on experience;