Tag: engine conversion

’69 Karmann Ghia, powered by Subaru.

This feature has been a long time coming, and to be honest I’m not sure why I didn’t do it sooner. You see, Mike is one of the few people that liked to share updates of his build on the Build Threads Facebook page, and every time he’d post an image, readers would love it. Just last week I posted an image of his, and again, people flocked to it in droves, so I thought it was time to share it with the whole audience on the website. Mike is obviously great at taking photos, and the fact that he is stuffing a Subaru engine into a naturally patina’d Karmann Ghia doesn’t hurt. If you have your own build thread, then you know the struggle of wanting to get your work done versus picking up your camera and documenting your steps. Sometimes – and I’m guilty of this too – you just forget about taking photos to git-er-done, but not Mike, he’s turned his thread into a virtual gallery of awesome images filled with playful use of light and shadows.

Click here for more VW builds. Click here for more Subaru builds.

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Triumph TR6…or Z06?

Firstly, I feel I need to apologise for the amount of LSx builds on the front page, as I generally like to aim for a bit of variety on the site. But hey, if people keep stuffing them into cars in interesting ways, I have to keep featuring them! This one is a bit more than just an engine swap, though, because the owner has transplanted a lot of the underpinnings of a Z06 Corvette into his unsuspecting Triumph TR6. The most significant part of this build is that we learn the owner and builder is actually wheelchair bound, yet this proves no boundary to him as his enthusiasm and dedication to his car shines through, making the most of his situation and enjoying his passion to the fullest. So next time you’re feeling lazy or making excuses about your own project, have a read of this thread. My hat is tipped to you, Sir.

Thanks to Peter for submitting.

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AWD Ford Fiesta Cosworth

It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these completely bonkers builds. You know the type; pedestrian fwd hatch, completely gutted, filled with a skeleton of tubing, a north/south facing engine conversion, race-quality suspension and a change of driveline orientation? Yeah, one of those! While I could make up some story about how this car changed my life and waffle on for 1000 words about it, you know I leave that fluffy stuff up to the other blogs, so here’s the stats: MK6 Fiesta, formerly turbo diesel, now Cosworth powered all wheel drive, JWRC wide body kit, WRC rear cradle, full cage and tube front and rear ends, and heaps more. I think the pictures will speak for themselves, enjoy!

Fun fact: This is the 5th time I’ve used the word ‘bonkers‘ to describe a car (yes, I checked). Click here for more Ford builds.

Thanks to Maarten for submitting. Continue reading “AWD Ford Fiesta Cosworth”

LSx powered E36 BMW

Ahh, the humble LSx swap. Some people might think that LS-swaps are overdone, played out, or whatever your buzzword of choice is. But I guess if you provide a range of compact, affordable, reliable, and easy to tune engines, people are going to use them! Personally, I’m all for them, they look great and appear more than willing to accept power additions, either naturally or artificially aspirated. The LSx in this build is being used to power an E36 BMW, and while the swap itself is interesting enough, it was a small detail of the build that drew me in, and by small I mean one little accelerator bracket. Yep, that’s all it takes! It’s a small part but it was done so neatly that it gave me a feel for the rest of the build and made me want to read more, and I was rewarded with a whole lot of attention to detail.

Click here for more BMW builds. Click here for more LS-powered builds (there’s over 10 of them!). Continue reading “LSx powered E36 BMW”

1975 BMW 2002

Do you guys even read these intros? Probably not! I mean how many times can you hear me say that this is one of my favourite types of builds, that the owner/builder is a craftsman, that the photos are great, etc etc? Well, you’ll have to hear it again, because this is one of those builds. What I really love about this BMW 2002 is that it was originally purchased as a daily driver, so the owner could keep his E46 in good condition, but the ’02 ended up being the main project and the E46 used to haul parts for it! Make sure you check out the custom solution the builder creates for adjusting the dampers in the front struts, it’s on page 25,+ very clever.

Click here for more BMW 2002 builds. Thanks to Archie for submitting.

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Audi S1 V8 TT

Does anyone build normal retro Audi’s? Or are they all completely bonkers? For a car company that emits a rather subdued tone, churning out understated luxury cars with a few sports models in between, their fan-base sure do like to turn up the wick on their own 4-ringed vehicles. This S1 comes courtesy of Dave at EPS Motorsport, an Australian living in the UK, who saw fit to put his Quattro atop a a space frame chassis, with early Formula 1 control arms, composite body panels, and a twin turbo V8 thrown in for good measure.

Click here for more Audi builds.

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1UZFE 1986 MKII Supra

What can I say about builds like these? High quality mods, high quality images, and high quality documentation, everything we all love in a thread, steered by my favourite kind of builder; one with OCD! Another thing I love about this particular build is watching the owner’s skills progress and improve as time goes on. The choice of car is something we haven’t seen on the site before, we’ve had Supra’s, but never a MKII, so it’s refreshing to read about a platform that can sometimes go unnoticed within the nostalgic Japanese community. There’s so much quality here, from fiberglassing, wiring, welding and CAD design – and over 50 pages of it – so get comfortable!

Thank to Zac for submitting.

Click here for more Toyota builds. Click here for more of the best builds on the site.

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1969 Porsche 911 GT3 Restomod

When multiple people submit the same build to you, it’s probably time to get it up on the site. This build is only a few pages long, but what it lacks in length it makes up for with content. While the whole world seems to be on an air-cooled Porsche buzz, this particular long-nose receives a water-cooled 2006 GT3 Cup motor, not to mention a carbon fiber wide body and plenty of one-off parts and fabrication, culminating in one very fast and good looking ’69.

Thanks to Edwin and Areitu for submitting. Click here for more Porsche builds. Image credits: jameslipman.com

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LSX E39 BMW Wagon

Every now and then I’ll waffle on about what makes a good build thread. My list of requirements usually includes nice photography, good writing, quality modifications, and the ability to tell a story. Well this is one of those threads, and I can always tell when I really like one because reading it isn’t a chore, it’s a pleasure that I never want to end, no matter how many pages I click through. The owner, Brandon, says goodbye to his very clean M52 turbo powered E34 525i and then sets out to build a manual LSX powered E39 wagon, documenting the build with images that look like they’ve been plucked straight out of a catalogue. When you see his collection of previous rides, you realise he’s one of those people who have a kind of midas touch when it comes to cars, knowing how to show restraint and refine a car with carefully chosen improvements, no matter what the make, model or era.

Thanks to Pearson for submitting. Click here for more BMW builds, or here for more engine conversions.

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VH41 V8 airbagged Cedric

There’s really no introduction I can type up for this car that will do it justice, so I’m just going to give you the facts, because they’re way more impressive than anything I could muster up. Nissan/Datsun Cedric, VH41 V8 conversion, custom-made cast ITB’s with carbon velocity stacks, airbags on all 4 corners with tubular crossmembers and arms, 4 link rear end, and some of my favourite oldschool JDM rims; August Feroce’s. Oh man, I’m getting a cold sweat just thinking about it. It’s also gracing the cover of the June 2013 issue of NZ Performance Car Magazine.

Thanks to Nils for submitting, who also submitted the K20 1st Gen Civic.

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