8th Annual Norm Reeves Car Show

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You just can’t help but to enjoy the first day of Summer in beautiful Southern California. It also happened be on the day of the 8th Annual Norm Reeves Car Show. And as you guys must surely know by now…“DaYUUM” never misses out on this kind of stuff!!! (LOL)The success of the NRH Car Shows and events can be directly traced to Chris Pinedo. He works in Performance Parts for the Norm Reeves Honda Super Store. This is not just some once-a-year thing with him. Chris actively looks for the sweetest Honda’s all year long. He even has monthly events and parts specials that continually promote the dealership. Chris is also part of the local car scene and he’s currently building a ’99 Civic Hatch. We personally think that Chris is doing a “DaYUUM” fine job!!!Needless to say, I rolled in with the “5*2 Squad” and the “Elemental Motorsports Crew” and everyone’s ride was washed, polished, shined and ready for their ‘close ups!’. Jeff Smith’s “Bento Box,” a 2005 Element EX had just paid a visit to Show Car Detailing and was looking especially nice. Hector Consuegra, Matt Porter and Jose Aviles have three of the nicest Element SC’s around. Glen Villanueva from Long Beach Auto-Tech was also ‘in the house’ with his beautiful red convertible S2K., as well as, Luis Ibarra’s ‘Silver Satin’ S2000.After getting set up, the very first thing on my agenda was to check out the other whips in the show. I am an unabashed fan of hot rides and I love hearing owners tell me about their builds and what went into them. Not only do you learn a lot, but most of these guys give you the kind of tips that can only come from trial and error. Stock rides are like a blank canvas and seeing each person’s interpretation of the same model is nothing short of amazing!!!One of the first people that I ran into was Matt ‘Rodrez’ Rodriquez, the Editor of Honda Tuning Magazine. He was there with his adorable little boy who I could tell was already excited about cars. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree! (LOL) I also complimented Matt on the very successful 2013 Eibach Meet a couple of weeks ago in Lake Elsinore.After catching up with Matt, I had the good fortune to bump into Bisi Ezerioha of Bisimoto Engineering in Ontario. What a fine gentleman he is and an virtual encyclopedia of performance knowledge. It’s always great to see his 724 whp Civic Wagovan which is engineering awesomeness at its very best!It was also great to see Fred Vuong again from VIS Racing Sports. FYI…they were one of the original sponsors of the very first “Fast and Furious” movie back in 2001.I then found myself seriously admiring a 2011 Honda Accord HFP Super Coupe with peddle shifter, that looked like it was ready for both ‘show and go!’ The very proud owner turned out to be Amber Hardin, who absolutely loves racing. After meeting her, you would have to be dead not to feel the enthusiasm and passion that she has for motorsports! She told me that there are four or five videos on Vimeo where you can check out her Accord in action! “Good luck Amber!”From there I turned around and bumped into Big Mike, who happens to be one of the ‘real deal’ car guys here in SoCal. In fact, just when you think that his award winning Prelude is the most perfect Honda around, he surprises you by telling about the new plans for it. We’re talking about a ride that has twice graced the cover of Honda Tuning Magazine, let alone all of the other awards it’s won. Yet he continues to set the bar so “DaYUUM” high, that I just can’t see anyone catching him. And I always enjoy talking with him because he’s so multifaceted and genuinely thinks before he speaks. That alone is an endearing quality that I wish was a lot more contagious! (LOL)Right around the next corner I spotted a right hand drive JDM Honda Odyssey. But I then found out it was a 1997 Odyssey with a RHD conversion done by New Era Customs and is owned by Eddie Hernandez. This is some really fine work! And don’t think for one minute that I didn’t catch that “DaYUUM” sticker on the back window! Thanks for representing Eddie!!!And speaking of Ody’s, there was a white 1995 Odyssey there that looks like it would get you to the super market in ‘quarter-mile’ record time.’ It even had a 5-speed manual transmission conversion which is the first time I’ve seen one on an Odyssey. And I was lucky enough to meet the owner and builders…Kevin “Fast Eddie” Thomas and his business partner Tommy “Fitz” Fitzgibbon of Fast Eddie’s Racing in Torrance. There are not a lot of people who have hung out in the SoCal car scene as long as I have, but I was totally amazed at how many people, places and scenes that ‘K-Dogg’ and I shared from a mutual past history. It was so much fun rapping with him and taking such an enjoyable stroll down Memory Lane. I can’t wait to drive over to Torrance and totally check out their shop. That’s going to be real “DaYUUM” soon!!!Moving away from there I got to chat a little bit with Joey Lee. I don’t have to tell you that his well-known eye to detail and his camera were in full exposure! I can’t wait to read ‘The Chronicles’ coverage on the show and who knows, Joey might have discovered his next magazine star!I have always been proud of the fact that from the first day I bought my car, I’ve always used Mobil 1 Synthetic and thought that it was the best! So when I met Tony Matter from Torco Advanced Lubricants, I was blown away by the on-the-spot education he gave me on their product line. Now I can’t wait to change over to the Torco Synthetic Oil and switch to a different grade to gain the highest performance from my engine. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!!!Now it wouldn’t be a proper Honda meet without hooking up with my buddy Chris Pham and his 8th and 9th Gen Accord Crew. Chris’ deep gray 2013 Accord Coupe is on Air Runner suspension is real easy to fall in love with. All of these guys are serious and by far have some of the most beautiful Accords around. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when Trang Tran walked away with the “BEST ACCORD” trophy for her gorgeous blue Accord coupe!!!They awarded some seriously nice trophies and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Michael Mao walked away with “BEST NSX.” I was able to grab a little face time with Michael and let me be the first to tell you that he has some new tricks up his sleeves. He plans to shut it down after the season and come back even bigger and better. I can’t wait for that one!!!Glen Villanueva picked up the “BEST FITMENT” trophy for the show and looking at the way his ride sits and the way his wheels fit, it was a great choice!!!Your humble scribe was awarded the “BEST ELEMENT” trophy and I was totally blown away. I don’t really put my ride in a lot of shows, so when it does get recognized I always feel humbled and I am always extremely grateful for the honor.Closing on that note and on behalf of “DaYUUM.com,” I want to again thank Chris and his crew at the Norm Reeves Honda Super Store. It was a great show, with good food and even better raffle prizes. It really does get better and better each and every year and we’re always proud to cover it! As usual I tried my best to get around and talk to as many of you as possible. And if I missed you, then I hope that we can hook up the next time around! Without you guys there is no “DaYUUM” and we sure as hell don’t ever want that to happen! (LOL)So please stay tuned and always remember that…”I’ll see you out on the streets!!!Chief DéMarks