I always bang on about the elements that make a good build thread, and having nice photos is usually top of the list. But another key element to a great thread is using it as a platform to tell a story, as a reader you want to get lost in the journey and feel like you’re along for the ride. That’s how I felt when I read both of Laurence’s threads a few years ago, first about his S14 and the other about his S13. I remember briefly reading about some of his exploits on another forum – including being busted, interrogated and fined by Japanese cops for street drifting – so I was excited to see he took the time to write his stories in full on JDMST.
Tag: japan
1967 Mitsubishi 360
This next project belongs to Build Threads reader, David, who resides in Nagoya, Japan. David decided to restore one of the more obscure cars previously available to the Japanese domestic market, a Mitsubishi 360. After saving it from the clutches of mother nature, he set about restoring the nostalgic kei car one step at a time, but things took a turn for the worse when it was time to give it a fresh coat of paint. After returning home with a substandard paint job, mismatched colour, over-spray, and sections of rust merely hidden under body filler and fiberglass, David made the gut-wrenching decision to tear the car down a second time and have it repainted at a better shop. It all paid off in the end, since he is now the proud owner of one minty-fresh Mitusbishi 360 (with custom iPod connectivity), and not many people can lay claim to that!
Japan
I’m sure by now you all are well aware of the different ways you can donate, but I will still urge you to contact your countries branch of the Red Cross and help in any way you can. I have added a link on the side panel to the relief project being held by the Heartbreaker car club, it’s a great way to score a cool sticker for your ride while helping out those in need.
Upon seeing the recent devastation that the truly amazing country has been subjected to, it made me realise that I never shared any of my photos from the time I spent there last year. In August I traveled to Tokyo, Fuji, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Osaka, back when we described Japan by using words such as culture, structure, respect, engineering, perfection, and efficiency, instead of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear. So think of this as my pictorial tribute, and I hope you enjoy some of my captures of this stunning part of the world prior to the terrible events of 2011, click for slightly larger versions.
Continue reading “Japan”
Drag-spec Datsun 510 Coupe
I just saw this link get posted on Ratsun a moment ago and knew I had to tee it up for a feature. A Datsun 510/Bluebird coupe gets the full drag treatment over in Japan, with a tube frame chassis, massive slicks taking up the whole rear end, and a potent straight 6 L-series finished off with some amazing titanium headers. It’s interesting to see the engine choice after fabricating such an elaborate chassis. In western countries a big V8 or a turbocharged 4cyl/6cyl would have been a no-brainer choice, but in this case the Japanese builders have stuck with N/A straight 6 power.