Battle Magazine — March 1997
An archive project by Flock MFGNew issue alerts →
About this issue
116 available scans from Battle Magazine — March 1997, in rtl reading order. Original scans with English draft translations and searchable page text. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.All 59 provided PDF pages retained as 116 reader pages; completeness against a physical printed copy has not been independently established.
Page 65 — English draft translation
Expert OZ, a shop frequented by the Running Free team, had just moved to a new location in December last year. It is well known for its original parts and engine overhauls. The shop mainly works on engine rebuilds, especially for AE86s. Rather than extreme tuning, its focus is on restoring an engine’s performance to something close to stock. Many customers run drift cars, but there are also grip and gymkhana drivers, including a driver in the All-Japan series. Some customers even ship in bare engines from far away for rebuilding—that shows how much trust they place in the shop.
“If the car is running well, it’s better to leave it alone and only work on it when something is wrong. High oil consumption is a good sign that an overhaul may be due.” Mr. Ozawa used to compete in gymkhana and loves driving circuits and mountain roads. The shop plans to develop AE86 parts and release aero components. Engine overhauls start at ¥130,000. The shop is in a residential neighborhood, so please observe proper visiting etiquette.
Captions and page details
Team Battles
Supercharged, built for lightning-fast runs!! Tomoko Hagiwara
Shops nationwide, invite Team Battles! The editors are waiting for your call!!
Hachioji, Tokyo
(1987 model)
AE86 Trueno
Toyota. This pink AE86 was displayed at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon as one of the drift cars from around the country. It belongs to Ms. Hagiwara, a member of Expert OZ’s staff, and Mr. Yamashita is expected to drive it with her from now on. (They really do have wonderful smiles!)
The engine is fitted with an HKS supercharger,
▲ The interior has the distinctive street-racing style of an AE86
so it should be quite a sight on the circuit.
▲ President Ozawa of Expert OZ
Popular items at the shop include differentials and clutches—Nismo for Nissan, TRD for Toyota. When customers are troubled by mechanical problems or want to learn about their cars, we hope we can help. We’d like owners to learn to do the work themselves, so when possible we lend them our equipment…
A shop full of useful information for anyone who wants to learn about cars!!
Expert OZ
On the Road
▲ Team stickers really give it a street-racer look. ▲ The wheels are the popular Presedio…
▲ Type II front bumper spoiler for the 180SX: ¥58,000
Zama, Kanagawa
Koichi Yamashita Nissan RPS13 180SX (1992 model) Mr. Yamashita of Running Free is a familiar face in the magazine and at competitions. He is known for his Expert OZ full-aero 180SX, but from now on he plans to drive the pink AE86 shown above. “I guess I’ve come back to the AE86 after all,” he says…
(President Ozawa)
▲ The rear spoiler for the 180SX is ¥30,000
▲ It is also a demo car for Expert OZ
¥7,000
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Expert OZ 2664-1 Kamiyochi, Atsugi, Kanagawa Tel. 0462 (45) 3120 Hours: 10:00–20:00 (closed Tuesdays)
90-model exhaust…
2
(00 yen)
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