Tag: vw

Builder Spotlight – It’s Ben Modified [videos]

Hailing from our very own Build Threads Communal Garage is a very creative chap who runs a channel called It’s Ben Modified. The ‘about’ page says “Anything with Wheels and a Motor”, and to be honest I can’t think of a better way to describe the types of automobiles being pieced together in this shop. The projects range from (but aren’t limited to) 400 Hp V8 VW Truck, an electric conversion of a VW Bus, a pedal electric motorcycle and even an Autobianchi Bianchina being converted to bike-power. Long-term readers might remember one of these unique creations from a previous post, the Hayabusa Reverse Trike. Don’t forget to join the discussion group if you haven’t already, you never know what you might find or who you might meet in there!

Click here for more builder spotlights. Click here for more video posts. Click Here to follow It’s Ben Modified on Facebook.

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1962 Volksrod

I love a good Volksrod, and if previous posts are anything to go by, so do most of you! Each of the well-modified Beetles I’ve featured have always done well with readers and generated plenty of track-back links to the article. This particular one was only submitted to me very recently, but when I saw the quality of the work and the documentation I knew it had to go up on the site as soon as possible. The thread is only four pages but is jam packed with great imagery covering the whole modification process. What sets it off for me is the perfectly oldschool colour choice, I love it!

Thanks to Hunter for submitting. The build is actually by his dad and uncle! Click here for more Beetle builds.

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Smokin’ Hare MK1 Rabbit

Forgive me, Church of Build Threads, for I have sinned. It has been less than twelve weeks since my last Mk1 Golf feature, but I cannot resist the temptation put yet another one on the site. I knew I was going to love this build from the first time I saw it, for the sole reason that I’ve already featured a previous build from the same owner, the Mustang Pace Car. I am so jealous of people who manage to have multiple cool builds on the go at the same time, I struggle to even have one! I was very interested to see how the vinyl wrap turned out, as it’s not something I’m used to seeing on classic cars, but it looks great. The car is neat to start with, but becomes a whole lot better with additions and improvements to all the usual areas, such as body, interior, wheels, suspension, and plenty of fine detail work.

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MK1 VW Caddy R32 4-Motion

Things have been quieter than usual around here and on Facebook/Twitter lately, and while I do apologise for that, I promise I have a good reason! My wife and I welcomed our first child into the world just over a week ago, so things have been understandably busy at home. But believe me when I say that in the back of my mind I was always thinking about the site and how you guys would be hanging for a new build! So, here we go. This car has been on my radar for a while, a great example of a home-built concoction, all fabricated by the owner, mixing a MK1 Volkswagen Caddy body with a MKIV Bora 4-motion V6 AWD driveline, and plenty of welding to stick it all together.

Click here for more MK1 builds.

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Exclusive look: Peasnell Racing Designs

I know for the most part that Build-Threads.com is kind of a one-way thing. I post, you read, that type of deal. But the truth is that I love hearing from readers via email, Twitter, the Facebook page, and the new Facebook Discussion Group. Whilst everyone’s projects can’t be featured, I still love seeing what people are up to. Most of the time it’s regular guys like myself, tinkering away at their project in the garage, but every now and then something far beyond the reaches of us common folk greets me. Just the other day, Lewis from Peasnell Racing Designs sent me a Facebook message with a few images of his work, letting me know very politely that he’d love to see his work on the site if I ever had a ‘slow news day’. What I saw left me gobsmacked, and I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone and hopefully give Lewis a platform for his work via this humble website. Before we start salivating over the fabrication and design, I’ll leave you with this quote from Lewis to remind us that, although his work might be otherworldly, deep down he’s just a normal guy like you and me…

“Growing up I loved LEGO and drawing, this is just my grown up version, I’m sure.”

Visit Peasnell Racing Designs on Facebook and give them a like to stay in touch with their future work. I’d like to thank Lewis for allowing me the opportunity to share his work with the world on Build-Threads.com.

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’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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W12 powered VW Fridolin

What is this I don’t even? Apparently the VW Fridolin was designed as a postal service car, something I never knew (thank you Wikipedia). Somehow I think this particular one’s mail hauling days are over, especially considering it’s W12 (yes, W-freaking-twelve!) power-plant and Touareg rear end.

Thanks to Henning for submitting.

Click here for more VW builds.

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MKIV Golf Ute/Pickup conversion

What I love about the modifying game isn’t just the ability to improve on a car’s performance or looks, but those rare people who take it that step further and change the whole purpose of a car. I first laid eyes on this MKIV Golf Estate/Wagon turned ute on Racer86.com within some event coverage. After asking some VW friends from StanceWorks Australia about it, they brought the 1552 wheels to my attention. After a bit of digging around using some keywords I finally unearthed exactly what I was looking for, a build thread on UKMKIVs. Gotta love the wonders of the internet and what you can uncover if you try. Now I’m having bad ideas for my own MKIV, where did I leave my angle grinder?…

Click here for more ute/pickup conversions.

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Mk1 Golf Kamei Replica

I’ve got a fair few builds that have been sitting in my inbox for quite a while, so for this post I decided to go all the way back to my oldest submission from June 2010, 3 years ago! Looking at it now, I’m kicking myself for not featuring it sooner. You should know by now that I have a penchant for MK1 Golfs, and this one here is actually a Kamei replica created from what was already a clean street car. This build combines 3 of my loves: Mk1’s, retro liveries, and hill climb racers. If it was a Datsun I think my head would explode. For some history on Kamei, click here and here.

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4 struts, 17 inches, 2 switches: MKIII Jetta

I’ll admit it, when I first received a link to this thread, I thought “oh no, I can’t feature a car whose main purpose is to get as low as possible, the fans will destroy me in the comments!”, but then I dug a little deeper. As build thread aficionados, I think we all agree that the journey is more important than the destination, and this car takes one hell of a journey, regardless of it’s intended purpose. Among the many modifications, the owner/builder installs a front subframe into the rear of the car to achieve his ride height goals, and then custom fabricates a set of hydraulically controlled adjustable spring perches for his coilovers. There’s also plenty of milling, lathing, welding, general fabrication, bodywork, spray painting, lots of tool porn (I hope you like hammers!), and plenty of high quality details, like the ARP bolts being used for engine accessories. I mean, the guy even hammers out his own damn shoe-horn from a piece of 16ga stainless steel! Once the suspension is finalised, the car is torn down and it’s rebuild is currently in progress. This build has held my attention on-and-off for over a week now, and I’ve loved every page of it, plus the name of his blog is Wrinkle Red, and we all know I’m a fan of wrinkle red paint!

Submitted by one of the owners friends who wishes to remain anonymous. Click here for more MKIII builds.

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