Subaru Leone EJ22T AWD

Sure, you could buy yourself an STi Impreza, but where’s the fun in that? What about taking an all original, low-milage 1986 Subaru Leone, converted to AWD thanks to an XT6 (Vortex) donor, with an engine consisting of a built EJ22T bottom end and STi Version 8 Type RA heads? Yeah, I’d choose the Leone too. The initial build is done and dusted quite quickly, but the car continues to evolve throughout the thread. Unfortunately it meets a guard rail towards the end, but is thankfully repaired swiftly and with OEM parts back to better than new condition.

Thanks to Rodd and Tom for both submitting separately. Click here for more Subaru builds.

Continue reading “Subaru Leone EJ22T AWD”

Subaru Impreza 5.0 RWD

Let’s take it waaaay back to the start of 2011 (that’s over four and half years ago, wow!). That’s when, at the end of my Speedhunters guest post, I posted a teaser image of an upcoming build. That image was a GC Impreza with an SR20 sitting neatly between the strut towers. Rob is the owner of that car, and he and I have been in contact since well before then, waiting for the perfect moment to feature his car. Well, things change, like engine swap choices, and that same Impreza now finds itself with double the cylinders and 100% less turbochargers. It’s been a long road for Rob and his Subaru, but the time is finally here to share his build with the rest of the world.

Click here for more Subaru builds. Click here for more engine conversions.

Continue reading “Subaru Impreza 5.0 RWD”

Honda N600 – VFR800 swap!

This build came to my attention via it’s eBay auction, of all places. A friend linked it to me and within the description was a build thread link. Now who of us here would be stupid enough to NOT click that link? What I found was an obscure little 70’s Honda whose body shape I was not familiar with. Reading a little further into it, I was delighted to see fabricated parts, various body modifications, a motorbike engine conversion and a narrowed Mazda Miata/MX5 rear end to top it off (there’s also a funky transmission setup that goes way over my head, so I’ll let you read about it yourself). It’s been a while since I’ve featured something bike powered, and this just might be the best one yet.

Click here for more engine conversion builds.

Continue reading “Honda N600 – VFR800 swap!”

Triumph GT6 with Jaguar V12 power

Here’s some real home-grown fabrication for you. A V12 converted to twin 4-barrel carbs, shortened Jaguar rear end, BMW front end, endless amounts of body work, chassis fabrication, flat floor and wooden bucks to custom make sheet-metal panels. This is backyard ingenuity at it’s best. Edit: I should probably mention that the thread is over 350 pages long, so yeah, have fun with that!

Thanks to Brian for submitting. Click here for more Triumph builds.

Continue reading “Triumph GT6 with Jaguar V12 power”

’72 BMW E9 3.0 CSL restomod

After club racing his S54 powered 1979 e12 BMW for years, Brendan decided he’d like to try something a bit different. So with that in mind, he picked himself up an E9 to build into his vision of a resto-modded club racer. For powering duties, he chose a s38b36 straight-6 out of an E34 M5, and added other goodies such as a full roll cage, side-exit exhaust tunnel, steering rack conversion, and a bunch of hand made suspension components. The car is transformed from a clapped out bare shell (and I mean BARE!) to a smooth green retro track toy, something that I think any one of us wouldn’t mind punting around a race track.
Click here for more BMW builds.

Volvo 242 with BMW V10 Power

I love how Volvos are the domestic “do it all” cars of the Scandinavian region. They get pulled apart and re-built in a host of different ways that the rest of the world would never dare. This 242 begins it’s build thread with a BMW v10 already nestled in the engine bay, and things only get more serious from there on in. I wish there was some more technical imagery to go with this one, but it’s still a great build and won’t take you too long to get through.

More images and words available via this Speedhunters feature: click.

Submitted by Harald. Click here for more Volvo builds. Click here for more Scandinavian builds.

Continue reading “Volvo 242 with BMW V10 Power”

Porsche 911 V8 RSR

You have to give it to Hal, he sure is sticking it to the man! Not only does he shove a V8 into the rear of his Porsche, he actually cuts up his own fenders and fits his own wide body kit without having to fly someone half way around the world to do it for him. But in all seriousness, this is a great looking car with an engine that many won’t approve of, but makes a lot of sense if you want some affordable and reliable power in your P-car. Purists look away now.

Click here for more Porsche builds.

Continue reading “Porsche 911 V8 RSR”

EG Civic / S15 Silvia – Stage 1 Complete

It’s been almost a year since we caught up with the Impossible Fabrications / Nulon EG Civic crossed with an S15 Silvia.

The good news is, this little beast is now considered complete as far as stage one goes, and has been tearing up the streets and the track, turning rear tyres to dust. Now the team are looking to screw more power into this formerlly unasumming hatch, and I can’t wait to see how that goes! Don’t forget to check out the video exposé by Motive DVD at the bottom of the post.

Click here for the Nulon Civic / S15 build index.

Continue reading “EG Civic / S15 Silvia – Stage 1 Complete”

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 2.0L 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.

Continue reading “Vauxhall-powered Turbo Mini”

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.

Continue reading “1962 Ford Falcon 2.3 Turbo”