To take a break from the wild custom fabricated builds, here’s a loving restoration of a 1972 Trans Am, submitted by the owner of the car and Build Threads reader, Steve. The car is being restored to better-than-new condition after being on the receiving end of a small engine fire in the previous owner’s garage. Luckily for us, Steve is taking the time to document the process of his impressive detail work.
I’ve been wanting one of these grilles for a while now. Initially, when I first saw one, I hated them. The ’73 model Datsun 1600/510 was never sold in Australia (we only got the ’68-’72) so growing up as a Datsun obsessed tween/teenager I never actually saw one until a local car magazine featured an American 510 complete with the plastic grille and huge 18″ wheels. Even then I wasn’t sold, to me it looked out of place and ruined the face of the 510. It wasn’t until I saw completed pictures of a blue 2-door 510 (click here to view) that I became aware of the appeal. They tie-in really well with a jdm-styled datto, low ride height and smaller wheels. From that moment on I had to have one!
After casually browsing every now and then, one popped up on eBay Motors US, so I jumped on the chance and won it. Who else loves getting packages delivered to their work?
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.
As you all know, I recently bought some second hand wheels from the Yahoo Japan auctions for the Datsun. (click here to read the previous post)
Like most of you reading this, I can’t leave things alone, and I knew before I even bought them that I wanted the centers to be painted black with polished edges on the star outline. So I began the extremely long, tedious, and tiring process to make these wheels pop.
Come and see how it happened…
Another person who decided they don’t like FWD and set about to rectify the issue with some DIY. This time it’s a VW Lupo receiving twin VR6 engines. Yep, that’ll do it…
Following on from the Rusty Road-Trip post, here we have another guy trekking his car across the US of A. Thanks to Matt for sending this link my way.
All these road trip posts are making me want to plan my own highway escapade. Except I don’t think I could be bothered doing it in a modified car putting up with low ground clearance and dodging pot-holes, I’d prefer to hire a mini-bus and grab a few close friends to drive up the east coast of Australia, hitting up all the beaches in summer. But back to the topic, there’s just something nice about a guy and his car going on a long drive, seeing the sites and spending some real quality time behind the wheel. For some people, the height of their car ownership is taking it to the race track, hitting up their favourite windy roads, cruising around their local city, or parking at an outdoor show. For others, a long and well-planned road trip is what really appeals to them, as it gives you ample time to slow your thoughts, think clearly, really get to know your car, and see parts of your country that you’ve never seen before.
On with the show…
Is anyone else noticing a bit of a theme where people take front wheel drive cars and convert them to rear wheel drive, all wheel drive, or mid engine rear wheel drive? Some similarly themed Build Threads features that spring to mind are…
VW Polo RWD Rear Engine Drift Car
As for this feature, I’d like to thank Coolin-AE86from JDM Style Tuning for posting the link in the Integra Picture Thread. Cover image by Patrick Smith/pks prod. Continue reading “Mid-Engine RWD Honda Integra”
A number of people have been submitting build threads recently which is always encouraged. I’ve got a few features in the works for you guys, plus some builds that I’m holding off from posting until they progress a bit further. Thanks to Joshua for submitting this one, an in-depth build of a GC8 WRX race car by Team RD.
If you’ve been keeping up to date with all of the different automotive events happening around the world, then you’d know that Bonneville Speedweek has been and gone. Our friends over at My Ride Is Me have uploaded over 500 images to their gallery. Click the image to head over and enjoy the coverage.
Well whaddayaknow, the world isn’t down the toilet just yet. If anyone is in the mood for a feel-good story about cars & people, have a look at these guys.
Cliff notes:
– Lady has a 49 Chevy, needs new transmission, can’t afford to spend much.
– Guy from other side of the country sells her a working transmission for cheap.
– Punk kids attempt to install it unsuccessfully and take money from the owner anyway.
– Guy who sold the transmission asks forum for help
– Forum member/shop owner near the car owner offers his services.
– Forum members all band together, donate money & labour to install the transmission and fix a multitude of problems with the car.
– Decency, kindness & compassion are restored back into mankind.
