Back in December I made a What I’m Watching post about Jay Leno’s Garage and their projects that were currently in-progress. It was a great opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes at Big Dog Garage, and catch a glimpse of the cars in various states of undress, learning interesting tidbits about them along the way. Well it appears this could be a regular thing, as His Holy Denimness has just released another one of these interesting videos.
Lotus Europa barn find restoration
I have this list of attainable vintage sports cars that I like to think I’ll be able to buy as mid-life crisis project, and the Lotus Europa is firmly planted on that list. Every time I see an article or post about these cars, I can’t help but read every word and obsess over every picture. But the owner of this particular Lotus, Serge, is no where near middle age. In fact he’s still a dental student, yet he’s attacking this restoration from the ground up all on his own. His Europa is a special one, being the oldest chassis in existence (Chassis number 2 – #460002) that he’s slowly restoring back to as-new condition. Serge not only documents the whole process on his blog, but also starts a YouTube channel with periodic videos of the work he does. These videos are some of the most informative that I’ve ever seen, he really goes into full detail about what he’s doing, how he’s doing it, and why he’s doing it.
Click here for more Lotus builds.
Vauxhall-powered Turbo Mini
Can’t wait for your Project Binky fix? Well it’s not the only Mini build out there! A talented chap emailed me his build at the start of the year, and I’ve only just had a chance to have a proper read of it, and boy am I feeling stupid for waiting so long! The car is purchased with a 2.0LÂ Vauxhall motor already swapped into it (which is quite large for a car this size), with a plan for a quick tidy up that soon spirals into a full build. While the car is in pieces, he decides to add a turbo, because, why not? Apart from the quality home-built fabrication (like the tube front subframe with pushrod suspension) and wiring that goes on, the car also goes on an intricate diet, with grams shaved from parts wherever possible. This is going to be one fast little Mini when it’s completed, so keep your eyes peeled for updates in the near future.
Click here for more Mini builds.
Social-Media Round-up v6
Catch up with the recent postings from the Build Threads social media feed… (now with video!)
Source: Iron Hydroxide
Source: The Escape Road – Facebook / Instagram
Source: Build Threads Store
Source: Fox Body Mustangs Tumblr
Source: Zen Garage
Source: Roadkill – Facebook / Youtube
Source: Seongbae Kim
Source: Holographic Hammer – Facebook / Webstore / BikeEXIF Feature
Unknown Source
Source: Team Lovetap – Facebook
Source: Killer Fabrications – Facebook
Source: Motordaily – Facebook
Source: Import Bible
Source: Nori Yaro
Mind blowing hot-wheels collection… but then you see his real hot-wheels… what… ***Video courtesy of David Uhl Studios
Posted by Dallas Karting Complex on Friday, June 26, 2015
Source: Dallas Karting Complex
What I’m Watching: Jeff Zwart – Pikes Peak 2015
No introduction necessary, just turn your speakers up and enjoy…
Project 510: Short Shifting
It’s been a hell of a long time since any real work was done to Project 510. In fact, looking back at the archives, it’s been around 2 and a half years since I ripped it apart and fitted my FMIC and supporting mods! In that time I have driven the car plenty of times (including a track day and skid pan), which is what it’s built for, so I can’t complain about that. Let’s not forget I also built a garage recently, so that counts for something, too! (I should probably also mention at this point that my wife gave birth to our first child at the end of March)
Project Thunderbolt Completed!
The 12th installment of the Toms Turbo Garage Project Thunderbolt has just been released, which means this build is now complete!
CLICK HERE to view the original post with all 12 videos embedded.
Smokin’ Hare MK1 Rabbit
Forgive me, Church of Build Threads, for I have sinned. It has been less than twelve weeks since my last Mk1 Golf feature, but I cannot resist the temptation put yet another one on the site. I knew I was going to love this build from the first time I saw it, for the sole reason that I’ve already featured a previous build from the same owner, the Mustang Pace Car. I am so jealous of people who manage to have multiple cool builds on the go at the same time, I struggle to even have one! I was very interested to see how the vinyl wrap turned out, as it’s not something I’m used to seeing on classic cars, but it looks great. The car is neat to start with, but becomes a whole lot better with additions and improvements to all the usual areas, such as body, interior, wheels, suspension, and plenty of fine detail work.
1962 Ford Falcon 2.3 Turbo
One of the drawbacks of running this site is that I don’t really get to enjoy reading builds as much as I used to. Before I started Build-Threads.com in 2009, I would have my bookmarks filled with build threads of all types, to enjoy at my own leisure. These days, I have you guys to think about! That means less time reading builds, and more time critiquing, collecting, and posting; which leaves less time for my own enjoyment (cue violin). But every now and then I find a build that makes me stop and force myself to devote enough time to really take it in, which is what happened last Sunday. Over the space of a few hours I read Jesse’s 1962 Ford Falcon build, and I loved every minute of it, as it reminded me why I started this site in the first place. Not only is he building a cool car, but it’s the stories that he tells and the way he tells them that make this such a good read, as I found myself chuckling out loud on more than one occasion thanks to his great writing and humour. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Click here for more engine conversions.
RB26 Alfa Romeo 147
Here’s one of my oldest drafts, it’s been gathering dust for many, many years. I pretty much convinced myself I’d never feature it, because the thread stopped receiving updates a long time ago. But I have a desire to purge all of my draft posts, and well, this one is just crazy enough to warrant a feature in it’s unfinished state. If anyone out there knows what happened to this car, if it was ever completed, please let me know! The car starts out as an Alfa 147 Cup Car, it was then stripped down and fitted with GTR underpinnings, before heading to an unknown fate.
Thanks to Jamel for submitting. Click here for more RB26 builds. Click here for more Alfa Romeo builds.