F20C TA22

As far as cross breeding goes, I’d say this is pretty subtle. An F20C 2.0L from a Honda S2000 gets transplanted into a 1973 TA22 Toyota Celica. That classic Japanese shape reflects the golden years of JDM styling, while the contemporary heart hailing from a different manufacturer – yet the same country of origin – showcases just how far 4cylinder technology has developed. The owner has managed to capture the best of both worlds, old and new, without going so far as to make a Frankenstein out of the car.

Submitted by Jimmy, a fellow ex-S15 owner from MelbS15.com.

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VIP Previa

Back from Japan and back to reality, and what better way to kick things off than with a very Japanese styled build (even though it resides in America). I’ve had my eye on this Previa build since I first saw it on Stanceworks, and I can definitely say it’s come together in the end to be a very special and unique car. It’s great to see people straying away from the norm and succeeding.

Final images by mikegilbertphotography.com

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AMS 280Z 2JZ

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you had/have a great day and all the best for the holiday season, be safe on the roads.

Remember the AMS EVO X? Well the same workshop is now turning their attention to a Nissan 280Z in the form of a 2JZ transplant. The build isn’t finished yet but it’s just too good to wait. It’s being pieced together with the incredible quality of work that you can only expect from a top quality builder such as AMS Performance.

Thanks to Kyusha Kai for submiting, make sure you head over and check out his blog, it’s full of oldschool jdm goodness.

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KE70 ground up restoration

Here’s a great DIY ground-up build of a neat little JDM styled KE70 Corolla, complete with 4AGE power. I admire people who do ground-up builds at home without any major help from workshops. I’d love to do this one day to a 2-door USDM 510 shell, making everything clean and as-new from top to bottom.

Thanks to Sebatian for the submit.

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1UZ-FE V8 JZA80 Supra

I can’t help but imagine how some of the more modern Japanese sports cars would be so well suited to having a naturally aspirated V-configuration motor instead of their straight turbo’d powerplants. For example, I always thought my old S15 would be perfectly suited to having a VQ35DE with individual throttle bodies in the engine bay. I think it would bring them closer to the sportscars of yesteryear, before we were obsessed with big turbo’s and high power outputs and the sound of highly strung engines with roaring induction filled the air.

This build sort of touches on the above subject, where a home-grown Aussie slips a 1UZ V8 into a JZA80 Supra. In a world where so many people are putting 2JZ’s in to anything and everything, this guy pulls one out of a car that comes equipped with one as standard. To me that proves that people just have that unexplainable urge to modify anything and everything. Thanks to Stoney for submitting this one, a great technical build with heaps of detailed information, diagrams, and step-by-step photography. Plenty of good stuff in here for you tech-heads.

Note: You will be required to sign up to v-eight.com to view the full build thread.

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1972 Pontiac LeMans 7MGTE

A short time ago, Ralf emailed me all the way from Hamburg to show me his car. I love finding out about the distant places this blog reaches.

Ralf is the Editor-In-Chief of Chromjuwelen.com and he drives a tasty concoction of automotive parts. How’s this for unique, a 1972 Pontiac LeMans with a Toyota 7MGTE engine swap humbly known as the LeSupra.

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2JZ DeLorean

No need for a flux capacitor here! It seems that people will put a 2JZ into just about anything, even collectibles. Chances are you’ll see this build everywhere over the next couple of weeks, I spotted it on a post by Stanley Ku on The Real JDM but an anonymous Build Threads reader also submitted it here, so thank you whoever you are.

On with the show…

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1:10 Scale sunRISE AE86 RC Car

Here’s a build thread on a smaller scale, literally! I’ve gotten a few hits in the past from OneTen.co.za so I hope they get a kick out of seeing this build here. Philchrome wanted to create a 1:10 scale replica of the sunRISE AE86 drift car, but instead of stopping at paint & decals, he went 10 steps further and created an engine bay and interior too. This is taking RC car building to the next level, just look at all the little details.

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Racer86, project car extraordinaire

I’ve been following the Racer86 blog for a while now, ever since I first saw pictures of his KP30 Starlet which gave me the inspiration to fit a MK1 Rabbit front lip to my Datsun.

Rob is a prominent figure in the retro car scene in the UK due to his multiple project cars and his affiliation with the team at Retro Cars Magazine. Not content with one ballin’ old school ride, he also owns a dumped & flush NA MX5 and recently acquired a Vauxhall Chevette which he wasted no time in modifying. To check out his 3 projects and get a fix of general automotive shenanigans head over to Racer86.com

UPDATE! Since this post was first published, Rob has since moved on to even more projects, buying and modding an assortment of oldschool rides such as; a MK1 Cavalier, W123 Benz, Triumph Herald, an E28 BMW, a 924 Porsche, an E30 BMW, and another Mazda Roadster! Does anyone else live the retro car lifestyle as much as this guy? I doubt it!

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