Tag: DIY

BMW 2002 restoration

I’m noticing more and more BMW 2002’s popping up on forums and blogs lately, and I finally got to see two fine examples in the flesh at the recent Stance|Works Melbourne meet. To say I’m a fan would be an understatement, I love these little things, so maybe the increased exposure is all in my head because I want to see more of them. Regardless, I was fishing through my submissions folder and became disgusted with myself after noticing this build just sitting there, waiting to be featured. This build is just that little bit more special considering it was the owners first car. After being in storage for 10 years, he dusts off the cobwebs and begins a very detailed restoration, bringing it back to better than factory condition. I’m really in awe over just how much work the owner takes on himself, dabbling in just about every aspect of the build, my hat is tipped!

Thanks to Sebastian for the link.

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V12 MGB-GT

When you’re sick of autocrossing your stock Porsche Boxster and you have an MGB and a Jaguar V12 sitting in the garage, you’d do what any sane and rational human being would do and throw the V12 in the MGB, right? Well that’s what Mark from Canada did, creating a custom chassis & rollcage to hold both the Jag powerplant and the severely lightened MGB body. A Ford 9″ diff get’s the power to the 13″ wide slicks, while pushrod coilover suspension and a 4-link rear end help with cornering. I think it might just be a bit more fun than his Porsche, just maybe.

Thanks to David for submitting.

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Bentley EXP Speed ​​8 replica

One very dedicated Swedish builder has been spending the last 3 years creating his own Bentley Speed 8 replica. By taking a 1:18 scale model and having it scanned in 3D, he was able to recreate the body shape in full-size and drape it over a hand fabricated tube-frame chassis. With a 4.2lt Audi V8 sitting behind the two lucky occupants, this home-made creation will surely have the performance to back up supercar looks. At the start of the thread there appears to be a twin-turbo setup in the works, but sadly it disappears later in the thread, so let’s hope it makes a return somewhere down the track. After you see the home-made CNC machine & plasma cutting table, you’ll agree with me when I say “chalk up another build to the crazy Scandinavians!”

Thanks to Ger from Ireland for the submission.

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Sharka NA Miata v2.0

From the ashes of a past flame rises a new love. Adam’s pride and joy was a ’97 Miata that met its maker after being rammed up the backside by an inconsiderate truck on the freeway. Instead of packing up and going home, a stock ’95 was purchased with the promise of rebuilding the vision of the original car, only better.

You know those kinds of build threads that are full of great photography, well-written narratives, and lots of DIY mods? This is one of those threads, I think I’ve read it front-to-back about 3 times now.

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Fiat 850

I’m posting this for the simple reason that I love these little cars. Always having been a fan of the Fiat 500, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I saw one of these slightly larger models on Speedhunters while browsing through their Cars & Coffee coverage from late August. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with the little Italian sedans, and they have a prominent place very high up on my wish-list.

During my routine browsing on the Retro Rides forum, I was excited find this build along my travels. Lots of great DIY in this one, including a turbo conversion and some liberal use of motorbike parts.

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Q:How do you spell quality? A:Broadfield

Jeff has submitted a few builds to the site lately, and while going back and forth over emails he pointed me in the direction of a blog run by his buddy, Toby. Jeff had only the highest opinion of the custom work that Toby churns out, and after clicking the link and having a snoop around, I didn’t have to look hard to see why. Toby does the sort of work that we all wish we were capable of doing, if only we possessed greater volumes of two key ingredients: skill, and patience.

From imports to exotics, cars to boats, interior or engine bay, everything is done with the utmost quality and attention to detail. Click more to find the link.

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Opel Kadett C

So I got a very excited email from James at Car Throttle telling me about an amazing build he’d just read up on. He was so excited in fact, that he forgot to include the link in his email!

This is the build he was telling me about. A ’78 Kadett with a turbo setup, E30 BMW IRS rear end, custom fibreglass front clip, and a whole bunch of DIY mods done at home on a student budget with a $100 welder. A true home-build, complete with a work related injury.

You’ll find the link at the bottom of the post…unless I forget, haha. Thanks again James.

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More DIY Casting

If the last DIY metal casting thread wasn’t enough for you, Jesse from Driven Daily emailed me another link that was doing the rounds a few years ago. This time it’s a home made EFI intake manifold being created for an L-series powered 240Z. There sure are some talented people out there. Click here to find the thread.

Sliding throttle bodies + DIY metal casting

I’m pretty sure this is the most extreme and creative use of DIY I’ve ever seen. Sure, some people have access to CNC machines, or they might be handy with a lathe, but have you ever seen someone CAST their own parts? The owner is even creating his own 16V head and a sliding throttle body setup, everything from the linkages to the carbon fiber plenum, all done by hand. Not enough, well what about a scratch-built head-skimming machine? I think you get the point, and I didn’t even mention the carbon fiber spoon…wait, what?

If anyone has the right to call themselves a “builder”, it’s this guy. The tech-savvy and fans of home-built cars will love this one. All of the hard work is being put into a MK2 Golf, but this is more about the work and parts than the car itself. If you’re a bit like me and found yourself scratching your head when you heard the term “sliding throttle bodies”, check out this link for a bit of information. Update: Or you can click here to see a Youtube video of some sliding throttle bodies in action. Fast forward to around 1:35 (Thanks Tilman)

Thanks to “Chester Rumble” from my favourite Honda forum, NWP4LIFE for bringing this build to my attention.

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