What I’m Watching: Tom is back!

It’s already been four years since Tom brought us the perfectly documented Project Thunderbolt LS3 Miata build. While he’s been keeping busy with his Figaro and AZ-1 projects, the time has finally come for the Turbo Garage to start another full build, this time an LS-turbo powered Toyota Tacoma. I can’t wait to see this one unfold with Tom’s token humour and build quality.

FrankenFerrari – V12 Ferrari 308

Well this one is waaaay over my head, so I’m just going to spit out some facts from the build thread:

  • 1984 Ferrari 308GTS qv
  • 5.4l V12 swap from a Ferrari 400i
  • Testarossa 4-valve heads
  • Head stud locations, water passage location, oil passage locations, all welded/modified
  • Custom made cams from 8620 billet
  • 54mm Ducati 999 TBs
  • + a whole lot more (I should also mention that OP made hovercraft from a disused lawnmower engine when he was 11 or 12, make sure you check out the build thread to see the amazing picture!)

If you’re an engineering genius, or a mere mortal like myself who looks up to said geniuses, you’ll enjoy what you’re about to see..

Thanks to Jerome for sharing the link to this build in the Build Threads Communal Garage discussion group. Feel free to join if you’d like to connect with like-minded individuals!

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The Justang (Subaru Justy/Ford Mustang)

A few minutes ago, I don’t even know what a Subaru Justy was. But now I can tell you that it’s a small, light hatchback and would be a pretty great recipient to have the innards of a 4.6L Mustang Cobra stuffed into it. Wait…what?

Thanks to Robert for commenting on the last post and adding a link to this project. The Justang was built by Circuit Motorsports.

Want to read about more projects like this? Try One Very Swift Lemon, the V8 tube frame Pontiac Firefly or the Chevy Lumina/Pontiac G6

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V8 tube frame Pontiac Firefly (Suzuki Swift)

I’ve said this before, but it’s the humble yet amazing DIY garage builds that truly encompass the mantra of this website, and it’s a sentiment that Greg, the owner of this Swift, agrees with. His words: “1987 Pontiac Firefly (That’s a Canadian-Market Suzuki Swift or Chevy Sprint), with a full tube-frame, full cage, small-block Chevy, converted to front-engine-rear-wheel-drive. It all fits under the body work, and looks a sleeper.” The best part? The total cost came in at $3200CDN (roughly $2500US), an exercise in true DIY (see: transmission tunnel sheetmetal pillaged from dead freezer).

Click here for more engine conversions. Click here for more tube frame builds.

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Tube Frame VQ35HR 240Z

The remnants of a Datsun 240Z, a late-model engine swap, a whole lot of tubing, and a slathering of carbon fibre thrown in for good measure. This is a complete ground-up build if I’ve ever seen one. The thread actually started in 2009, so there are a few dead links, but all the oily bits are still there for us to enjoy.

You can check out the owner’s website here: Z-car. Thanks to Geoff for submitting (waaay back in 2014!).

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BMW V10 powered Lotus Exige

What do you do with yourself after building a V10-powered E30? You do it all over again, this time with a slightly more exotic subject. This Lotus Exige gets stretched and widened in order to fit the M5-sourced 10-cylinder power-plant, culminating in a very sleek and capable supercar-fighter that gets put through it’s paces at the track.

Thanks to Maarten for submitting. Click here for more Lotus builds. Click here for more BMW builds.

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4G63 EVO 8-Powered MX5

On this site alone, we’ve seen more than a few different types of MX5 engine swaps, including a 13B turbo, 20B PP, 2x LS3 V8s (here and here), and of course the standard engine converted to turbo (here, here and here) and even supercharged. More often than not, though, it’s the MX5 that becomes the donor vehicle, with many vintage chassis swaps using venerable Miata’s for their drivetrains. This build there, though, is one of the first times I can honestly say I’ve seen something entirely different applied to a Mazda roadster, in the way of a Mitsubishi Evolution 8 engine converted to rear wheel drive. Along with the very interesting engine choice comes a stack of gorgeous home-built fabrication work to set off the rest of the car, transforming it into a formidable track beast.

Click here for more Mazda builds. Click here for more MX5 builds. Click here for more engine conversions.

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Bagged, Body Dropped, Rotary powered Datsun 510

When I posted a small update about my own Datsun the other day, it reminded me of a build that I’ve been meaning to post for a while. This car may share a model name and basic shape with my own, but that’s where the similarities end. This 510 has been cut, chopped, grinded and welded to within an inch of it’s life, now sitting on airbagged Toyota truck suspension with an angry rotary engine on tyre smoking duties. It may look rusty on the outside, but underneath that wonderful patina are some surgical-grade underpinnings.

Click here for more Datsun builds. Click here for more rotary builds.

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VQ35-powered Mk1 Escort drifter

Hailing from Bristol in the UK, this unorthodox drift car starts out as a Mk1 Ford Escort estate. Soon enough the guts of the car are unceremoniously removed and everything that goes back in is custom built by a very talented owner/builder. The finishing touch is the ex-350Z V6 that finds itself in front of the firewall. The most impressive part about this build (well, the whole damn thing is impressive) is just how fast the progress takes place. With the shell currently in undercoat, I don’t think it will be too long before we see it completed.

Thanks to Alan for submitting. Click here for more drift builds.

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Firebug Subaru 360

It’s time for another memory test. Who remembers the rear-engine V6-swapped Geo Metro Lemons racer that was featured almost 5 years ago? Well, the same guys are back again with a new death trap, this time a Subaru 360 micro-car packing a Honda Fireblade bike engine (sadly no longer eligible due to new rules implemented mid-build). I present to you, the Firebug!

Click here for more engine conversion builds.

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