Build Threads

Volvo 480 RWD

Fredrik, from the build-thread-rich forum known as Zatzy, emailed me his project late last year. A Volvo 480 is a car I’ve never seen or heard of before, but after learning that this specific car was converted from FWD to RWD with a B234 engine and BMW ZF gearbox, I was more than interested. For [...]

Project 510 goes offline!

I arrived home from vacation yesterday (apologies for the lack of posts) to find a nice surprise waiting for me. Late last year I was contacted by Fast Fours magazine in the form of a feature offer, which I excitedly agreed to, and the finished product is now in my hands…

Model A Coupe

We haven’t had a good ol’ hot rod on the site for a little while, so here’s one that’s been patiently waiting in my archives. A classic looking Model A, low to the ground, in a gorgeous combination of blue and gold, stunning in it’s simplicity. Notice the distinct lack of rust, skulls, or goofy [...]

Area 52

To follow on from the last post about his MX5, I thought it was only fitting to continue with another creation from the hands of Bruce. But this time it’s not a car, it’s a place where car guys come together and work on their projects as a community, forging bonds that are thicker than [...]

Teenage Dirtbag – NA MX5

If there’s a person who embodies the spirit/mantra/black magic of Build Threads and the people who get it post tag, it’s definitely Bruce aka Mystery Machine from the Retro Rides forum. He’s someone who lives and breathes cars while also enjoying the challenge of taking cracking photos whilst wrenching, and documenting his actions as clearly [...]

RWD VW Golf MkIII

October 21st, 2011

From the same forum that brought you the Viper powered Saab 93 Wagon comes another frankenstein build. Function-over-form readers will be pleased to notice the absence hectic stance, bags vs static arguments, ground clearance measurements or rusted body panels. This Golf is different…very different. I’ve featured a few MKIII Golfs before, each with their own impressive qualities, but none as all-out as this one with it’s Volvo T5 power, a change in driveline direction from FWD to RWD, and a whole lot of one-off fabricated goodness. I think I’ve made up my mind, when I die I want to be reincarnated as a Scandinavian car builder. Race quality fabrication, bodywork, carbon fiber…is there anything they can’t do?

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Hand-built LS1 MR track car

October 17th, 2011

Attention tech-heads, here’s one for you. If you like CAD drawings, stress-tests, loading simulations, suspension pickup point design, and a whole bunch of other stuff that’s way over my head, then you’ll enjoy this build. This is one mans quest to design and build his own mid-mounted turbo LS1 powered track car over in Germany, reminding me a bit of the previously featured Bentley Speed 8 replica build.

Thanks to James from carthrottle.com for submitting.

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VR6 MK1 Cabby 16-day build

October 13th, 2011

Remember the Eurowise AWD R32 powered Mk1 rabbit? Well it’s still in progress, but the team responsible for the build decided they wanted a sweet ride of their own to debut at the recent H20 show. So with that in mind they locked themselves in the Eurowise compound and built a VR6 powered Mk1 Cabby in 16 days. That’s an engine swap, bodywork, paint, interior, suspension…all in just over a couple of weeks. Anyone else feeling very lazy and incompetent at the moment?

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Layed-out Datsun 620

October 10th, 2011

I need to be careful about what I post on the Facebook page, I seem to have created more work for myself! Today I found a picture of a car I thought looked pretty cool, edited it slightly, then posted it up. I didn’t realise it would prompt a handful of the 1700+ followers to request a full build thread. Well, who am I to decline such a request? Although, I’d hate to imagine what would happen if I couldn’t provide a thread to go with an image in the future, I’m imagining an angry mob with home-made TIG’d pitch forks and high-octane gas powered torches.

So, by poplular demand, here’s a Datsun 620 pickup with a very funky oldschool paint job, having it’s undergarments torn out and replaced with fresh metal and airbag suspension.

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73 Plymouth Cuda

October 7th, 2011

Aaron Beck is a concept designer and die-hard car guy from New Zealand, and if you’ve ‘liked’ the Build Threads Facebook page you would have seen me post a link to his amazing E-body photoshops a while back. Aaron contacted me to tell me all about his Cuda project that he’s been documenting, so I’ll let his words give you a quick rundown:

I’m currently building up my ’73 Plymouth ‘Cuda into a tough street/track car.
It’s old-school mopar through and through, with a 440 big block and 4 speed.
It’s my first car, first build, and I’m doing all the work myself.
Here’s a bit of detail about the plans:
- Fully stitch welded body, lots of custom bracing, including 8 point half cage.
- Fiberglass fenders and hood.
- Hotchkis suspension.
- Lots of custom touches, including steering quickener, hood tach, handbrake, camera mounts etc…

Interested? Read on…

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LS3 S13

October 2nd, 2011

What happens when you work for a major car magazine and share a fully equipped communal garage with your sister titles? You build a badass car, that’s what. Fresh black paint, OEM aero, all the good bits underneath, and an LS3 V8 swap to supply the power makes for one very tasteful and effortlessly powerful S13. And what better way to test the limits of your freshly built and swapped car than with a 2400 mile road trip?

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MK2 Golf GTI

September 26th, 2011

Imagine my delight when Canadian photographer, Matt, emailed me to inform me he’s been shooting a local MK2 Golf build for a friend of his. A photographer, documenting a build? Sounds like a match made in heaven to me, I only just managed to refrain from squealing like a schoolgirl. The build is a mixture of the owners images and Matt’s, showcasing the 2-door Golf’s transformation from almost stock and problem-ridden into a (yet to be run-in and re-tuned) 300fwhp animal.

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MX5 Comic Book build

September 21st, 2011

Recently I created a new post tag called “People who get it”, for those occasions where an owner or builder will put extra effort into their threads to make for an enjoyable and informative read. But where to from there? Is that as good as it gets? Is it possible to take it a step further than slick photos and well-structured posts? Yes, my friends, yes it is. Let me introduce you to Wil and his foray into the roadster life. Wil decided to document his new found obsession in a light-hearted comic-book style format, much to the delight of his audience. Is this the future of build threads? I can’t wait to see what other ideas people come up with, the bar has been set!

More MX5 builds here.

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Project 510: Engine bay v1

September 18th, 2011

For a long, long time, I’ve wanted to clean up the Datsun’s engine bay. It definitely isn’t up to par in the aesthetics department compared to the rest of the car, and makes me hesitate to open the bonnet when people ask to take a look. I’ve always had specific plans for the look I want to achieve, but it would require removing the engine for a full do-over, hence the task being constantly shifted to the “too hard basket”. But the longer I left it, the longer it irritated me, so I came to a compromise; do a quick refresh with the engine still in place, removing all the parts that are easy to detach. Here’s how it went…

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Honda CB350 “The Brat”

September 14th, 2011

Not only does Rex Havoc have an insanely cool name, he also makes up one half of the bike building duo Garage Project Motorcycles. Just yesterday he sent me a link to a bike they call “The Brat”, which was completed a in a few short months at the beginning of the year. An accidental eBay bid saw a standard CB350 fall into their possession, so the only ethical thing to do is strip it down and build it back up to be 1000% cooler than it ever could have dreamed, right? Every time I see a stunning classic-styled bike like this, it fuels the fire inside me that burns for one of these two-wheeled pieces of art. One day…

Click here for more bike builds.

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