Another build that has been doing the rounds on the net for a while is this crazy custom Morris Minor from Northampton, UK. Basically the owner has cut up a Nissan 180sx doner car until just the bare lower frame and strut towers remained, then shortened it enough to drop a Morris Minor body on top of it. Usually a build like this would take place by using two cars that utilise a separate body & chassis, like most hot rods and early custom cars. What makes this concoction unique is that it uses a unibody car for the chassis. Very trick!
Project 510 – Grille & Headlight Surrounds
Okay, so the first area to be attacked is the front end.
Firstly, here’s some detailed pictures of the state of the bumpers, not very pretty, especially the rear one.
Continue reading “Project 510 – Grille & Headlight Surrounds”
Mk3 VW Golf – Roxy
The VW scene is one i truly admire. The haters can hate all they want, but I’m always browsing v-dub sites for inspiration and ideas. People who modify VW’s tend to try new things first without caring what other people think, and they also strive to be different and think outside the square. I see their culture as being closer to hot-rodding then “tuning” (hate that word), as their rides have a real emphasis on character.
One such ride is Roxy the Mk3 Golf, a themed build with a vintage racing/bobber Harley feel, the real highlights are in the details. Check out the seats, custom fuel-cell, hinged in-dash gauge pods, hand-made badge, vintage cloth wrapped spark leads, etc etc.
Roxy is built by jkrate, graphic designers from Virginia. Graphic Designers make the best car builders, and I’m not saying that just because I am one, but because I know that they see their car as a complete composition, not just a bunch of parts thrown together. I love builds like this, and I can honestly say it has inspired me.
Thanks to Ray for the heads-up on this one.
Homemade Hummer H150
Take one 1987 Ford F150 chassis and mate it to a custom H1 Hummer body and what do you get? a H150 of course.
Here we have another DIY home-made build. This particular creation resides in Montreal, and is the mastermind of Francois. Thanks to Raiss (aka CEPAT) from JDM Style Tuning for the tip-off. The full build thread is up to 47 pages and counting, so I’ll get straight to business. Here’s some teasers;
Foose Design & Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters Shop Tour
Chip Foose, a true legend in the world of car craftsmanship. If you’ve seen the TV show Rides or Overhaulin’ then you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t seen them, go out and buy all of them. Chip has built multiple Autorama Riddler award winners, first learning his craft from his father Sam Foose, also a highly decorated car builder. Not only can he build a flawless car from scratch, he can also draw like no one else.
The following link from Jalopnik takes us on a tour of Foose Design headquarters and then the Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters shop. I’ll link you to the gallery because the main link doesn’t load all the pictures. Here’s a sample;
Continue reading “Foose Design & Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters Shop Tour”
Sillbeer S13 Silvia
One word that gets thrown around way too much these days on the internet when describing cars is “clean”. Someone bolts a set of rims on their car, lowers it, and apparently its “clean”. Well the following car is the true definition of clean, no fan-boy-isms here. Pick any surface on this car and chances are you could eat off it. Owned by Brendan and built with the assistance of C-Red over in Perth, Western Australia, this S13 has been rebuilt down to every last nut and bolt.
I like to think of this car as a special edition that Nissan Japan would have built if they had to re-release the S13 Silvia using carefully selected after market parts. Brendan’s blog dates back to August 2004, and the car has only recently been completed. If you want to see what 5 years of hard work gets you when you let loose on an S13, keep reading…
Midnight Mechanics AE71
Up north in the sunshine state of Queensland, Australia, Grant has built one of the sweetest looking AE71 Corollas to grace the pages of many a car site on the internet, even going as far as getting a feature on Speedhunters. Not only does it look the part, but it gets thrashed around race tracks regularly.
Most AE71s tend to be modified for power, handling, and drifting abilities first and foremost without paying attention to the bodywork, but this one has all the bases covered.
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Rebuilding 3-Piece Wheels
Like i said in the Garage Re-Vamp post, it’s not just cars that get build threads. Another example of a non-car build thread is this guide on refurbishing a set of BBS RS Wheels on the Wheel-Whores Forum. If you have a keen interest in wheels (especially the multi-piece variety), make sure you head over and have a look around, you’ll find all the info you need and then some.
S13 Silvia, built to perfection
Another DIY masterpiece, Nigel has hand fabricated his S13 Silvia in such detail that puts most “show cars” to shame. Built to slide, this is a car that is universally admired in the S-Chassis scene. Created in an understated Japanese street-drift style, it works to a simple formula that is easy to replicate, yet so many people still manage to get it wrong: Subtle factory bodykit, low offset wheels, slammed ride height.
In a world where many people only go as far as bolt-on mods will allow them, its refreshing to see a late model Japanese car with some hardcore custom modifications, all done by the owner too.
Take notes…