Part 3, here we go. To quickly re-cap, Part 1 was all about relocating the alternator with custom mounts, and Part 2 saw the intercooler and radiator bolted into place, and the intercooler piping tacked together. Now we’re getting down to the finer details.
Category: Build Threads
Project 510: FMIC + more (pt 2)
When we left off from the last update, I had successfully relocated the alternator and had the crank pulley machined down to one single groove, with a smaller belt fitted to suit. I was now ready to get back to the original task at hand; fitting the intercooler, radiator, and modifying the intake manifold.
Project 510: FMIC + more (pt 1)
Well, where do I start? This is going to be easily the biggest update I’ve ever posted about the car, as I’ve just completed 8 months of on/off work under the bonnet in my spare time. During those 8 months I also sadly lost two of my beloved grandparents, went a holiday to Europe, and have attended 4 weddings, so things may have taken a little bit longer than usual.
Suzuki GT750
A man on a mission, that’s how I’d describe Rassie, the guy behind this latest build. After owning no less than 4 of these bikes over the years, he decides to give it another crack and build his idea of the ultimate GT750. To achieve this he rectifies the handling issues of this older model by bolting on a set of Hayabusa front forks/brakes and a modified Katana swingarm. All of these improvements to the underpinnings are paired with a delectable oldschool exterior. I love the idea of buying a model of car or bike you used to own and then creating the ultimate version that you always wanted, I often have ideas like this about all of my previous cars.
Thanks to Jake for the link. Click here for more bike builds.
Another WRX powered Porsche 914?
You might recall in July of last year I featured a tube framed Porsche 914 with a WRX engine transplant. While title of this post may have you thinking this is a similar build, they’re actually quite different. This particular car starts out as an already competent Auto-X car, with the owner, Britain, wanting to ditch his Porsche powerplant in favour of a turbo flat four from the Subaru stables. The build thread closely details the process of the engine conversion, followed by the tear-down and re-work of the suspension using Lotus geometry, with a lot of home-grown fabrication from Britain (the owner, not the country).
Click here for more Porsche builds.
Greengoon – retro afficionado
Since I’m a regular Ratsun browser from way back, I became very familiar with a certain green 510 wagon belonging to Greengoon, aka Duane. This wagon was always a bit different from the others, especially with it’s folding ragtop. I always looked forward to updates over the past few years, especially enjoying his DIY solutions to getting the ‘goon sitting closer to the ground and various tyre size testing on later-model OEM wheels. Heading over to the Non-Datsun section of the forum made me realise Duane’s penchant for old cars wasn’t restricted to just Datsuns, as he had another 2 project cars under his belt from the Toyota stable, including one very charismatic ’71 Hilux. I’m not the only one to sit up and take note of Duane’s skills, he was even the subject of his own Depth of Speed video, arguably the best series of automotive videos on the net (if you ask me). Head below to familiarise yourself with this trio of vintage vehicles.
Click here for more builder spotlights.
47 Chevy AutoX Truck
Here’s another car that’s already done the internet rounds, so there’s a good chance you might have already seen it, but I don’t care, it needs to be on the site. Retrieve a half-burried ’47 Chevy pickup from a farm (after a tree has fallen on it), mate it to a modded ’84 S-10 frame, throw in a bunch of free and/or cheap parts, and create one very unlikely Auto-X car.
Thanks to Carl for submitting. Click here for more Chevrolet builds.
Daily grind (and weld) – Fluid MotorUnion
Just west of Chicago in Plainfield, Illinois, resides an automotive workshop named Fluid MotorUnion. What sets this shop apart from others isn’t just the diverse range of cars they work on, nor is it the fact they do everything from minor servicing to bespoke fabrication, bodywork, engine conversions and tuning under the one roof. No, what sets them apart is the fact that they have a full-time web guru on the payroll who constantly updates their blog with the daily goings-on of the shop, taking sharp DSLR photos of all their work, including their gorgeous TIG welded exhausts. I don’t know of any other workshop that posts this frequently and in such detail about what they do behind closed (or open) doors. If you do, then let me know.
I’ve been following their frequent and witty-titled updates on Stanceworks for years now, and always like what I see, so I thought I’d share this source of automotive indulgence with you all. In fact, I have previously featured one of their builds, the FMU BMW X5, where I briefly touched on my penchant for these guys. Let me be clear, this is not an advertisement, I just really like what they do and how they do it. Head below to see what I’m talking about.
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Peugeot 205 Hillclimber
A few months ago I took a step forward in this little hobby of ours and bought myself a Mig welder. Since then I’ve made a few custom parts and brackets, added some new metal to my radiator support panel, and even helped a mate plug up some holes in his engine bay. I was starting to feel pretty proud of my accomplishments; then I received an email from Cameron about his Peugeot 205 build and I came crashing back down to reality. You see, Cameron studied Motorsport Engineering and now works for Ford in the UK as a suspension systems engineer, so he knows a thing or two about how cars work, especially his Peugeot 205. The plan for this little hatch is a space-frame chassis with double wishbone and push-rod suspension, front engine (ish), rear wheel drive, ~350bhp and carbon panels for a target weight of 600kg including the driver. Be sure to keep an eye out for an update in the future when the car is closer to completion.
Aluminium ’71 Cuda Scale Model
The last scale model I featured was the insanely detailed scratch-built XE Falcon, but we’re going to go one step further this time. This scale model, instead of using plastic and resin, is actually built using aluminium and brass using the a mill. In the words of Bart Simpson; “fellow students, prepare to be dazzled!”
Thanks to Tim for submitting. Click here for more scale model builds.