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.
F1-67
I’m not really into motor racing. I mean, I love cars, that’s obvious, but racing tends to bore me after a while. I’d much prefer to watch a race car getting built than watch it drive around a track for hours. That being said, there’s something about vintage and retro race cars (and bikes) that really do it for me, maybe it’s the way they aren’t permanently glued to the track, or the fact that they look 1000x cooler than anything available today. So what if I told you that you could by a late ’60s styled F1 car, built brand new, to race for yourself in all it’s wingless, rear-engined and fat-tyred glory? Well, you can. It’s called the F1-67, read on to find out more…
Thanks to Geoff for submitting.
Swallowtail MK1 Golf
About a year ago I featured an Audi A3 turbo belonging to a very talented man by the name of Alex. He was the driving force behind my idea for creating a post tag called People Who Get It, for those special build threads belonging to people who take the time to take nice photos and keep their threads updated. Well, that A3 was just a daily driver, something to tinker with while his real project was being worked on in the background. This is that project.
VW Bug Pickup
1967 Volkswagen Beetle + roof chop + 1950 Chevy pickup = Bugtruck!
Thanks to Geoff for submitting.
Click here for more ute/pickup conversions. Click here for more VW builds.
KP60 Starlet
I think I’ve just stumbled across what is potentially the best idea ever in regards to car forums and build threads. Oldschool.co.nz is a New Zealand-based oldschool car forum, and while it’s full of awesome cars and a thriving motorised bicycle racing series, I’d have to say the defining feature for me is that their build threads are strictly author-only content, with a duplicate thread located in a different section for any discussion with other members. That means no more sifting through 10s or 100s of pages of chatter when all you want to see is pics and info about the build, genius!
The build in question is a KP60 Toyota Starlet, evolving over time in the garage with plenty of home made fabrication that has me both a little bit jealous and all warm and fuzzy at the same time. Thanks to Zac for submitting.
4-cylinder Turbo ’68 Mustang
Wait…what? Yep, a 1968 Ford Mustang on any automotive website (or magazine for that matter) would have you assuming that a stove-hot V8 would be hiding under the bonnet, and 99% of the time you’d be right. When Beau submitted me his ’68 Stang, he pointed me to a certain page on his build thread, and when I got to it I knew why it had to be featured. Beau neglected the 302ci V8 he had waiting to drop into the car and instead opted to go down an unorthordox route, slotting in a 2.3lt turbo 4 cylinder from a Ford Merkur (Sierra). Make no mistake though, this car is more than just an engine swap, with attention paid to suspension, brakes, and interior, stereo, and many other details.
Retromod Toyota Tacoma
Well here’s a first, I cant’ say I’ve ever featured an expedition truck before, nor have I read a build with the words “can be loaded safely in a 20-foot container with one or two NATO crates of supplies behind it”. The owner of this rig had gotten the most out of his trusty FJ Cruiser, so he decided to create a new expedition vehicle with some retro flavour. Instead of scouring the classifieds for a well-worn 70’s-80’s truck and having to go through the whole restoration process before even beginning to modify it for his needs (including a shortened bed), he began this build with a brand new 2012 Toyota Tacoma and proceeded to turn back the clock aesthetically to create what he cleverly calls a “retromod”.
Click here for more off-road builds.
1JZ Mini
Yes, you read that correctly, a 1JZ in a Mini. A 1JZ…in a Mini. I don’t know what is causing the recent influx of Mini’s here lately, but this is the 3rd one I’ve featured in as many months. To be honest I don’t like featuring similar cars in close succession, and this build is still a fair way off completion, but there just wasn’t any way I could hold off on showing you this one any longer (plus the only thing ‘similar’ to the other ones is what’s left of the body shell!). Did I mention this Mini has a 1JZ in it?
Thanks to Matt for submitting.
Forgotten Builds: ’70 VW Notch
I’ve lost track of how long this build has been sitting in my drafts, but I look at it every time I access the back-end of the site and check it’s link for updates but sadly come up empty handed. It’s one of the many threads out there that sit forever in cyber limbo, forgotten or neglected by their owners for whatever reason, the prospect of another update dwindling, sustaining life only by the few readers who bump the thread periodically with an optimistic “any updates?”, or “what ever happened to this?”. Well, I don’t care if it isn’t finished, or if it ever will be, because I think it’s cool enough for everyone to check out, even if only for the amount of awesome garage photos there are.
Stickers now available!
After numerous people asking me over the years when the hell I’m going to have stickers made, the time has finally come. I’ve set up a store over at buildthreads.bigcartel.com which is stocked up with white, silver, and gold vinyl cut decals (200mm long). So head on over and get ordering!