We’re kicking off our member feature series with one of our most bubbly, free- spirited butterfly, fun-sized snicker full of joy. Vibrant fella and a yes-man. Don’t let his stalky demeanor intimidate you, he’s one of the most intelligent and kindest creatures in the northern hemisphere. “Chung” is a mechanic by trade, pickleball meister, and amateur firearms instructor. He also requested to be regarded as “author” and we told him “yeah that’s not happening”.
Now above all, the focus here is him as an automotive enthusiast. Chung wanted to have a “cool” car after many years with a Honda Accord and Audi A4. He was looking for 5th gen mustangs at the time, but after test-driving so many and couldn’t find the right one, the G37 platform was brought to his attention. His flagship Kimoji vehicle now is his 2008 G37-S, 6MT. He actually learned how to drive manual in it, and it all spiraled downwards from there. One of our guys. who’s closer to him, introduced him to the group and kickstarted the itch to build the car in his vision. He learned how to wrench all from his home garage. Youtube University, late nights and group support is what brought this machine into it's current unique configuration.
Like many car enthusiasts, he’s gone through a couple suspension and exhaust setups. He ran entry level Tein Street Basis Z coilovers at first but later he discovered he wanted more. He wanted stiffer spring rates, and to ride lower. So then he upgraded to BC extreme lows to achieve that. Now he’s got a set of Airlift struts sitting at home for a few years waiting to be installed. It’s a shame he hasn’t put these on since he’s been too busy taking on side jobs and playing pickleball. He went from muffler and resonator deletes to a full Motordyne exhaust and ARK test pipes. Point is, he’s just like any one of us at home. Fastforward to today, he’s gone through multiple body color changes and has replaced multiple parts with those that fit his quirky taste better.
Later he wanted to purchase another vehicle for daily use. He ended up with a 1994 Miata, since it’s always the correct answer. One thing led to another, and eventually some screws in his brain came loose and he decided he wanted to build it to have a female IG influencer persona. Cheetah pink wrap, heart steering wheel, teddy bear wheels, LED heart tail lights, strawberry milk floor mats, pink fuzzy dice and Pink NRG Prisma seats. He rides top down in it all summer long with a smile as wide as the equator. It’s no slouch either, it’s riding on a set of KW coilovers. And yes, before y’all say anything. He needed a daily, for his daily. Who would’ve thought!
Aside from all that, Chung has spent countless hours and time planning group activities, running our booth at events and improving our team dynamic. If you see him at an event, please say hi and ask him when he will install his airlift suspension! We promise he’s not as scary as he looks!