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Chevrolet 5.3L LS Swapped Audi V8 Quattro

By
DaveT
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0

YouTube famous creative mechanicsDeboss Garage built their 1990 Audi V8 to be different and competitive.

The factory 3.6L DOHC V8 was pictured, replaced with a destroked 5.3L L33. Mounted ot the LS are four turbos pulled from a Power Stroke. The all wheel drive system has been retained through complex magic outline in their YouTube channel, that’s been channeled through a Audi RS2 six speed Advanced Automation built transmission.

The car has gone through a few teething issues, keeping Audi all wheel drive system in a project like this is no easy task, but it’s managed to do a few hoots at the track.



Honda K20 Swapped Suzuki Swift

By
DaveT
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0

Rotrex supercharged K20 power in an unsuspecting package. A long term project this Swift is a competitive time attack car that lives on the track.

The builder(s) Kevin and Andrew Stittle removed the built 1.3 L G13B motor that was previously in this car and replaced it with a Honda K20. Then of course they added the aformentioned Rotrex supercharger.

All this in a car that weights less than 1600lbs fitted with a serious suspension package and extremely sticky rubber. According to Sped Academy this car is stupid fast.

All Wheel Terror

By
DaveT
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1

2019 has not been the greatest year for me to be track-side. An increasingly busy schedule, combined with spending most of the summer a bit hobbled meant that static shows were the more logical choice.

That said, I’ve missed out on the Speed Academy open lapping day two years in a row and I wasn’t about to make it a third.

I’d heard great things about the caliber of cars that show up to the open-to-anyone event at Toronto Motorsports Park Cayuga, so I was anticipating several unique projects. Especially since they opened this event up to several local YouTube content creators as well.

What I wasn’t expecting to see was an all wheel drive DC Integra time attack car.

I suppose in reality I’ve never gone anywhere and expected to see an all wheel drive Integra time attack car. The owner Luigi Montanez picked up on my shocked look and offered to walk me through the car.

Afterward I was seriously impressed at how sane the entire thing actually seemed once he broke it down.

The components for the all wheel drive conversion come from two main sources. S1 Built and the OEM Honda catalog.

S1 covered the billet pieces you see above, as part of there AWDHONDA kit. These component sets were originally developed for drag cars but time attack drivers like Lugi have found success using them on the circuit to aid in acceleration out of corners.

Power comes from a turbo K20, which has been swapped into the car for a few seasons now and has provided the team with a lot of success. It makes 700whp and sounds pretty damn good while doing it.

The motor is backed by a pretty well bone stock CR-V transmission and Element rear differential. For the most part the eclectic mix of Honda parts is doing pretty well.

Though Luigi has had slight issues twisting the rear half shafts due to the power put down by the K.

If you consider the fact this car rocks 275 section width Hankooks all around, then it makes sense all that traction would find the nearest weak spot and exploit it.

Following this track day Luigi took the car to Gridlife where it got 3rd place in the Track modified class… in it’s first official competitive outing.

It’s awesome to see a time attack car as wild of this built right in the ‘backyard’ as it were a Foreign Speed a shop that’s only a few exits away from where I live. I just might need to check up on this car for a closer look over the winter…

Some more coverage from the Speed Academy track day is up on Speedhunters as well as the SIE instagram account.

Saturday Cruisin’

By
DaveT
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0

It’s Saturday morning, I don’t particularly have much to do and my son doesn’t have a BMX race to go to. Summer might be slipping away, but on this particular day the weather was perfect.

Hot enough to be enjoyable, but not so hot that air conditioning is required. On a day such as this what else would I do but check out a car show?

Or perhaps maybe two?

Ash has been racing his bike a lot this year which has meant we’ve missed every lowrider show thus far.

I was worried Ash wouldn’t get to see a single “up down” car in 2019, but thankfully Rollerz Only likes to host their BBQ late in the summer and as I said before, we were both free.

This was my first Rollerz Only shindig, but, like every other Lowrider BBQ I’ve been to the three most important things remained great; the music, the food, and the cars.

The only downside to this venue, perhaps, was the space. It was pretty tight quarters, but you know how it is, get in where you fit in.

The two Cadillacs above were a treat to see, and I actually ran into them a second time later that day at the second show we ended up going to.

But we’ll get to that in just a second, first there’s a few more lowriders to let shine.

The Lowrider community in Ontario never ceases to impress me, even essentially eight years on from when I first discovered it.

Builds that have been “finished” for years still look stunning, and the new cars on the block have only raised the bar.

I’d really love to attend a lowrider event stateside and see how Canada stacks up in comparison.

After firing a few more shots at the Rollerz BBQ Ash and I headed about fifteen minutes down the road to the Road Agents Fourth Annual Car show.

The event was winding down when I arrived but there were still a number of pretty cool builds around. Including the 2.0T swapped MK1 above and below this text.

I also couldn’t help take a picture of this super clean Golf. Having not been to any Euro-centric shows this year I hadn’t seen many Golfs in 2019.

Beside the Golf was Alan’s absolutely beautiful S52 swapped E30. Alan has had this car for close to, if not, two decades and he’s done a tremendous job with it. If you want to learn a little bit more about this car I wrote a feature on it for Speedhunters a few months ago.

That’s all for this little Saturday romp, but here’s a couple more photos.


Style Reigns Supreme: Fred Bottcher’s 57 Cadillac

By
DaveT
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1

The first time I came across Fred Bottcher’s 59 Gold Cadillac was a few years ago at the Jalopy Jam Up.

Low and clean I obviously snapped a photo of it and stuck it in the coverage along with a cheeky little caption underneath about the figurine he’s got in the back. See cool car, photography cool car, post cool car it’s something I do all the time.

Little did I know at the time Fred and his wife Jil would be someone I’d soon start to see pretty consistently. Fred is a man who’s nowhere and everywhere all at once. If there’s cars around chances are Fred is already there or on his way.

I’ve seen the car all over Ontario; at the Jam Up, Autofest, Northern Showdown, and simple weeknight cruise ins.

Heck one winter Fred even flew the car to California simply to be able to cruise it when the weather here was too damn crappy here in Ontario.

When it comes to custom cars –building, appreciating, and enjoying– I’d say that few people locally “get it” more than Fred.

He’s also equally happy just cruising with no destination as he is at any event. Fred built his car, to his standards and he’s going to enjoy it at any setting he deems suitable.

Lucky for us he figures pretty much any venue is suitable.

Even out in the sunny state of California Fred mentioned people were a bit taken a back at how willing he was to actually drive his car.

Media makes California out to be a much smaller state than it is. Going to the event son his hit list often required Fred to drive his Cadillac severl hours through grueling California traffic.

But Fred, having built this car to be a proper cruiser, wasn’t ever deterred. Put the key in the ignition and hit the gas. Cars are meant to be driven.

Fred’s the type that if there’s something he wants to do, he’s going to do it. And if all the details are not filled in, heck he’ll figure them out along the way.

That’s part of the fun of it all, isn’t it? Know this little bit of information Makes what Fred’s done to his Cadillac make a whole lot more sense.

First things first, the more observant of you have probably already noticed that this ’57 Cadillac has quite a few Mopar parts. The seats are from a 1964 Chrysler, as is the steering wheel, which is amazingly new old stock.

By some ridiculously awesome coincidence that steering wheel faded to the color it is today which matches the car’s Futurua Yellow Volkswagen Gold Paint damn near perfectly.

The car’s also got a  Mopar 440 Six Pack under the hood. Basically the holy grail of Mopar motors. But, Fred wanted some power, so he got some power.

Remember there are no rules when it comes to building a custom.

An ’82 Camaro clip replaces the Cadillac front end, and a tidy two pump hydraulic set up rides in place of the factory springs. Fred clipped the car in such a way that the cradle actually sits under the oil pan.

This means that Fred can drive the car pretty much flat on the ground if he so pleases. The Astro Supremes, which are authentic N.O.S. models, are the perfect choice of wheel for a car with a proper good flaked roof.

Fred’s owned this car about as long as I’ve walked this earth and this look is the cars second, and final rendition. Previously it was teal, after stock of course, and he originally took it off the road to do a pro street styled build.

Somewhere along the line the urge to build a Kustom bit and after eleven years of construction here we are.

After absolutely drooling over the car for years I’m glad Fred and I were able to connect to do this shoot. To be honest I don’t think it will be the last time I take photos of the car because Fred live’s just down the street from me and the beers are always cold in his garage.

 

 

Big Cat In The Big City: An XJ220s Comes To Toronto

By
DaveT
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2

A crazy thing happened about a month ago here in Toronto. A Jaguar XJ220s was spotted on a transport truck with plates from the United Kindgom.

Photos of the car spread pretty quickly via social media and everyone began to wonder what the back story behind the car was.

Somewhat surprisingly the Jag began to get spotted quite frequently all of the GTA. Yorkville, Pickering, Mississauga, not only did the owner bring this car into the city, he was intent on actually driving it.

Without knowing it he did quite a service to mid 80s/90s born enthusiasts who lusted after this car but never saw one.

The car and I played a bit of a game of “Polkaroo” as it and I were never in the same place at the same time. I began to think that everyone would see the car but myself.

Thankfully at last weekend’s Oblivion II Show it was parked in front of the Hagerty Insurance booth.

The car is a mighty impressive beast in person and the owner was kind enough to give me a bit of a rundown. First, to settle some debate it is an XJ220S 100%. However it is not one of the original TWR produced cars, but rather a later one build by Don Law Racing.

Don Law is basically they guy for XJ220’s at this point so having one of his S models is as good as having one of the originals. Don adds the new front and rear fascias, replaces the turbos, and re-tunes the motor.

Said and done it’s quite a step up over the factory spec cars.

According to the owner, it’s actually a fairly drive-able car, now. He had to get a bit of work done to the car prior to shipping it over but at this point it’s very road going.

He actually also said that it surprisingly has pretty civil road going manners. His exact words were pretty close to “it’s not like commuting in a Civic but it isn’t unhappy to be driven around”.

Given that many who own cars like this would rather opt to keep the car locked away allowing it to appreciate while it mechanically deteriorates, I’m happy this one not only enjoys the car, but brings it out to venues where the general public can enjoy it as well.

Hat tip to the owner for being a true enthusiast with great taste.

 

Chasing Light At The 2019 Jalopy Jam Up

By
DaveT
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1

I messed up. Yep, I’m not too proud to admit it when I make an mistake. I messed up and missed what many have said was the best Jalopy Jam Up ever. I know that statement seems a little weird, given here I am writing about the Jalopy Jam Up but it’s true.

After covering the morning and early afternoon events of the show consecutively the past few years this go round I wanted to approach things a little differently. The plan was to arrive later in the day, and stay on into the night to catch some of the better lighting and passionate night life.

My reasoning for this is quite honestly I’ve taken enough shots in harsh light, and I’ve become quite fond of golden hour. I’ve also heard good things about the Jam Up party so the idea seemed sound.

Unfortunately my day leading up to the festivities didn’t go quite to plan and I arrived to the Rockton Fairgrounds nearly two hours later than intended. The last scheduled event ended around three, so, as you can imagine a lot of people had left, or were planning on leaving by the time I strolled in at half past 5.

While many had left, or were in the process of leaving there were still a fair number of people who hadn’t pointed there vehicle toward the exit.

Some were saying for the night, others just until then felt like leaving, either way instead of continuing to kick myself I focused my lens on the vehicles that remained.

So while I can’t exactly present this as all encompassing coverage of the sixth annual jalopy Jam Up I can at least present it as something.

Which is better than nothing.

One of my favorite cars of the event sat right near the entrance and made the trek from across the border.

Joe Siclari’s ’61 Olds was stunning. I can’t recall the last time I was so blindsided by a car.

There was not single unnecessary modification done. It was spotless everywhere you looked, the paint was phenomenal and it was driven.

I could have stared at this car for hours.

Speaking of cars I never tire of, Keith brought out the Binbrook Coupe which always looks good no matter the conditions or light.

My friend Mark brought his shovel head to the show. He built the bike in his garage and had been riding it as much as possible.

Don’t post a lot of bikes on the site but it’s too good not to.

One of the best parts of the Jam Up is that it caters to both hot rods and customs. As someone who likes both, it’s really the perfect show.

Even though I missed most of it, I could tell it was a good one even based on the few cars that were left.

As day continued to rapidly progress to night I took advantage of this custom Shoebox sitting all by its lonesome.

Chopped, slammed, frenched headlights painted in a deep black with razor straight body lines it was a pretty easy car to shoot as it really didn’t have a single bad angle.

Eventually the light got a bit too difficult to shoot in and I put my camera gear away.

That was pretty short lived as shortly afterward a couple cars equipped with flame throwers opted to put down a little heat.

Having never shot flames before I didn’t miss the opportunity.

All and all I had a great time at the Jam Up (as always) and can’t wait for next year, where I’ll hopefully have a watch that keeps me honest and gets me there on time.

Enjoy a few more photos from the day below.

Goals.

By
DaveT
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2

C10s are super popular right now. Actually, they are arguably the most popular ‘classic’ GM truck to modify in 2019. I mean I’m sure some could argue the OBS (old body style) trucks are gunning for the throne, but roll with me

Last year at the Jalopy Jam Up I saw a particularly good looking one.

Side exit exhaust, GM Transport wheels, laying in the grass it wasn’t a truck I could exactly ignore. The owner actually has a history of cars I like as this Marauder from a few years ago was also his handy work.

Unfortunately the Marauder ended up on the losing end of an accident and the C10 is its replacement.

This year Jay (the owner) has tossed a bike rack in the back along with a pair of cult BMX bikes for him and his son.

If I didn’t love the truck before I certainly do now. Clean, low and practical? What is not to love.

Nothing that’s what.

Motivation to get my truck into an operable vehicle seems to never quit… soon I say, soon!

(Well if soon is measured in years, then yeah soon)

Rise Of The Thunderchicken

By
DaveT
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3

A couple weeks ago I stopped by Ground Rules in Oshawa for abut an hour. For the most part it was cars I had seen before, but the event was so close to my house I couldn’t really miss it.

Ground Rules is a fairly diverse show that hosts plenty lot of cars I didn’t expect to see. Of the group, the least expected was this Thunderbird.

As it pulled through the parking lot, the sun reflecting off the Chrome Niche Bellas caught my eye. At one point these were the wheels to have if you wanted to be a baller.

After backing in, beside a rather nice Viper, the owner laid the bird out and my jaw hit the floor. I wasn’t at all expecting this bird to be on air.

So naturally I had to take a better look.

The car was clean, incredibly clean in fact with the side moldings removed and handles shaved. I since learned that the owner has owned this Ford over twenty years. The air was done over fifteen years ago.

Ground Rules hosts a DB drag event and this car is fit with a formidable wall, hence this car’s appearance. The car is capable of delivering just over 153 DB, that’s about the volume in which it becomes hard to breath.

I had to chuckle at the 5 disc changer installed in the dash. I imagine anywhere near the rear end it would skip as soon as the bass dropped.

If you want to know more about the build @testtones812 is the owner. I have it on good authority the man builds a mean sub box.

Project Why Wait: Walk Don’t Run

By
DaveT
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12

Project Why Wait started off the year with what I thought was a serious head of steam. My goal was to do religious updates and make some real progress before spring hit.

Then, I thought it would be smart to enter a 30+ BMX contest. One unintentional 360 to flat later and I was left with a ruptured Achilles Tendon. Shit. If you’ve ever recovered from a significant, disabling, injury then you know how much it changes, well, everything.

Not only could I not go in the garage physically, mentally, I had to focus a serious amount of time on recovery. But with every gray cloud there’s a silver lining.

Once I was finally able to drop the crutches, and sort out how to work without setting my walking boot on fire, I actually wound up in the garage more than I would have had I been on two good working legs.

Thank god for stools. I can walk now, but still can’t ride so working on the truck is what has kept me sane.

The last time I showed the cab I had just wrapped up zapping in the panels for the passenger side of the vehicle. That post was pretty in-depth so I’ll spare you the detailed play-by-play this time around.

My approach for the driver’s side was slightly different second time through. This time around I used as much of the replacement floor panel as possible rather than retain most of the OEM floor.

However when it came to external panels I tried my hardest to preserve as much original metal as possible. The upper panel above was a pretty good candidate for an entire panel replacement.

But, as good as these replacement panels are they are not perfect. They’re made in China based on some truck that isn’t my truck. Ergo the fitment leaves some to be desired.

Because I want the cowl vent to seal as much as possible when closed, leaving the factory door and opening in place made the most sense.

Scabbing around the vent was a little tricky, but I think I got it licked. We’ll know for sure down the road when I test fit the front end. If not I’ll cut it out and start again…

Rotten areas squared away, I turned my attention back to the firewall. If you recall the firewall is where I cut my teeth on panel replacement. I opted to follow up the LS Fabrication firewall fillers with their matching upper cowl filler.

Much like the firewall fillers the installation of this piece wasn’t too complicated. Test fitting, welding, grinding, all things I’m well familiar with at this point.

I also took the opportunity to fill the holes for the original main harness, and a few other odds and ends while I had the welding torch out. I was able to use a lot of my off cuts from various other panels for this which was great.

After tidying up the firewall I needed to address the now haggard area where the factory column came out. This meant I had to grab my Ididit steering column and whip up a lower mount. I’ll hop back in time and document that process at a later date but it all shook out fairly well.

Happy –more or less– with my work thus far I decided to try my hand at some metal finishing. Make no mistake this firewall will see it’s fair of filler, but using as little as necessary is the goal.

In a previous update I mentioned my garage is fairly humble and lacking what some might consider essential tooling. One of the things the SIE garage lacks is a proper sized air compressor.

I only mention the lack of compressor because die grinders seem to be they way to go for metal finishing. But, I don’t have the space nor cash for a compressor to power an air powered grinder, and electric ones are pretty pricey, so I had to improvise.

In the end I used grinding discs attached to both a drill and a Dremel to knock down the welds and blend things together.

It was a bit slow and tedious but it worked in the end. Most of the visible transitions from original metal to new metal are at an acceptable level.

My plan of attack, outside, is to use short strand filler initially to level out the low spots, then move on to traditional lighter weight filler. I’ve run this idea by a few panel beaters I know and it seems like a reasonable enough approach.

Inside the truck, I’ll be a little less picky about how far down I knock down the welds because I plan to cover them in seam sealer before coating the floor with rust encapsulator then hitting in in rocker guard. The floor will also eventually be carpeted to hide my sins.

Before all of that I am going to seal up my work in epoxy primer to ensure that rust can’t form underneath the bodywork.

Progress is such a hard thing to see while you’re head down but take a look at the before and after above. I’d say I did plenty right by the truck wouldn’t you?

Happy…ish… with the outside I took to cleaning up the inside. I’ve knocked down most of the scale everywhere I could fit a wire wheel and ground down a few areas I wasn’t quite happy with.

Then I pulled everything from the dash. I won’t be painting the dash myself, but it was something I could do while I waited for the humidity to break before I could paint.

My goal this week is to finish cleaning up a few niggling items before I lay the primer down and work towards getting the floor properly squared away.

Until the next update, and as an apology for the lack of 2019 updates so far, I’m doing a giveaway.

The first person to accurately guess the weight of this box of rusty sheet metal in the comments below will win a prize pack from Stance Is Everything and Project Why Wait sponsors.

The box represents everything cut out and replaced in this post, and the one previous to it. That includes what was left of two outer cowls, inner cowls, firewall, and floor.

Guesses can be made within the half pound and the contest will run until July 15th 2019. Good Luck!

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