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Toronto Lowriders Unite For the 10th Annual Majestics BBQ

By
DaveT
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1

A decade is a long time to dedicate to anything. So much can change in ten years that it takes a truly driven individual, or group of individuals to repeatedly devote both their time and energy year after year to a free event.

The Toronto chapter of the Majestics Car Club is a perfect example of a group that does what it can to support its lane of the automotive lifestyle. For ten years they’ve been giving back and showing love to not only Toronto Area ‘riders, but Ottawa, Montreal and Beyond.

Now, technically, 2022 would have marked the twelfth anniversary but Covid saw fit to tweak the numbers a bit. Making this the tenth event that took place twelve years after the first. Two plus two equals 6 here but it’s fine.

Miraculously I’ve been able to attend most of them along the way. They’re a favourite event of my son’s, so I don’t see that trend anytime soon either.

As always the BBQ was held at a park down by the Lakeshore, west of the City of Toronto. The Majestics were present, of course, alongside other notable local crews such as Luxurious, Rollerz Only and Affiliated.

There was also a great presence from Oldies, and Aftermath a club that was established fairly recently.

Many of the cars from Aftermath are fairly familiar. I’ve probably taken a very similar photo of this car every year I’ve seen it. It’s hard to resist though. Look up lowrider Impala in the dictionary and this car ticks off all the boxes. Chrome, wires, hydraulics, stereo. Done exquisitely.

On the other side of the lot “Oldies” parked something a little different alongside a few of their classic Bombs. Trackers in general are rare birds here in Ontario. Seeing them outside of an event is pretty much something that never happens.

I have no idea where they managed to find one so darn clean. As the plates stated; nothing too crazy was done to this one, they just kept it G. Maybe for the next event, they’ll bring out a green Foxbody drop on gold wires?

I can hear Computer Love playing now.

As I turned away from the Geo I was shocked to see just how many cars had filled the venue. It seemed like the roll-in of vehicles was non-stop throughout the day.

The group has never used this parking lot before and may have already outgrown it.

Many returning events have suffered from the after-effects of Covid with attendance numbers on the decline. This BBQ didn’t have this issue, far from it really. They actually had to start parking cars on the street in an attempt to keep everyone at least in the same vicinity.

I don’t have exact numbers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Majestics said it was one of the largest they’ve held thus far.

As a photographer and clear fan of lowriders, more cars mean more opportunities to capture the wealth of details owners pore into these cars. If anything I had a bit of an issue hyper-focusing on some cars at the sacrifice of bringing a broader coverage.

So if I did miss your car my bad, no intended slight, I’m just easily distracted by shiny things.

As you can see, there was an endless supply of shiny things.

Impalas and wires abound, which is more than ok by me.

This stroller was pretty rad too. I’ve wanted to build something cool for my son to go with my project, but let’s be honest by the time I finish I’m going to just have to build him a car.

You may have noticed that this post is fairly light on specifics pertaining to each car because quite honestly, I’ve broken down the science of these cars before, and it’s really not required.

With these cars, it’s just easier to let the photos do the talking and give those of you unable to attend the opportunity to take it all in.

Yes, taking it all in includes the fan favourite hopping. Hopping is one of those things that you either get you you don’t.

To me it’s like drifting, these cars are built for a purpose that’s a little different than their factory intended purpose.

From a functional and practical standpoint, it might not make a whole lot of sense, but it’s incredibly cool all the same. Life’s too short not to do what you love, even if some people will never get it.

There’s also a serious amount of time and dedication put into these cars to make them do what they do so well. As someone that appreciates fabrication, I love seeing cars hit bumper.

If you ever have a chance to see it first hand I suggest it.

So as always, my hats are tipped to the local lowrider community for their welcome and hospitality. See you at the next one.

Flat Rat: A Slammed1950 Ford COE Firetruck On Air

By
DaveT
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1

I know, I know, I said I’d post more of this 1950 Ford COE just over a week ago. My bad, I got a little distracted. I’ll reveal why soon. But, take these additional photos of my penance.

This truck, known as the Flat Rat hails from Keswick Ontario and was built by it’s owner Scott Badger (@keswickscott).

Scott has owned the truck cab about ten years now. Things really got going on the truck about five years ago, with significant progress being made during the pandemic.

From behind the tilt cab to where the custom four-link starts is most of a widened Chevy 3500 chassis. Forward of the front wheels is mostly factory Ford with signficant modifications done to make the steering work at the truck’s new height.

The motor is a 7.3L Powerstroke with a T4 turbo upgrade backed by an automatic transmission.

Scott managed to keep as much original as he could, but he did have to replace a bit of sheet metal here and on the cab. The new additions were sprayed by Scott in either white or red.

Scott and his son also made all 11 feet of the bed from scratch.

Nothing more than an English wheel and a Princess Auto bead roller was used in the bed construction.

In fact, the entire truck was built in a rather humble home garage. Proving once again that where there’s a will there’s a way when it comes to do-it-yourself fabrication. Something that certainly provided a bit of motivation for my own project.

The tailgate of the truck is actually a second COE front end that has been modified to create a tailgate. Scott filled the grill, made it hinge and took the Super Duty embossing from a late model ford.

“If this isn’t Super Duty I don’t know what is,” Scott said.

For the eagle-eyed, yes the tail lights are rotated versions from a 65 Ford Mustang, Pretty clever if you ask me.

 

Obviously, this truck is very much up my alley and I hope to see more of it again soon.

Ontario is back jamming again and I’m absolutely here for it!

Event Coverage: Toronto Hot Rod Kulture: Father’s Day 2022

By
DaveT
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0

Is there any better day to get out to a car event than Father’s Day? As a Father myself I have always used Father’s Day as a ‘get to a show’ free card.

Obviously, around here it’s assumed that I’ll be going to some sort of a car show anyway, but it’s still nice to have that ace up my sleeve one Sunday a year.

For 2022 my Father’s Day event of choice was the Toronto Hot Rod Kulture Season Opener. Some of you might remember I started attending these shows last year.

Host by the Road Reapers Car club these are charity events that take place typically one Sunday of each month, weather permitting.

The events are held at 75 Billy Bishop Way in North York which makes it a reasonable drive for most people in the Greater Toronto Area. However, some people do end up coming from pretty damn far.

As the name implies THRK is generally aimed toward Hot Rods. That’s fine by me because –as if you have not noticed– with each passing year I see to dive deeper and deeper into the local hot rod community.

Don’t worry Import guys, I’ll still make my way out to a few events. But, at least for Father’s day 2022 it was hot rods all the way.

The THRK events, much like Cars and Coffee, take place pretty early. Finishing up by 11 or so in the morning they leave plenty of daylight left for adult responsibilities.

Sure, you might have to wake up a little early, but the early bird gets the worm as they say.

Or perhaps in this case the early bird gets to see the Shelby Cobra? This was a seriously nice example of an authentic car.

One day I have to weasel my way into a ride in one of these cars. Real or Factory Five, I’m not too picky.

There were quite a few trucks in attendance, which is something I will never, ever, complain about. I’m not sure how many of you have been paying attention but the track market (I suppose like every other market) has gone absolutely mad.

Glad I picked up Project Why Wait when I did because I absolutely would not be able to afford it now.

Now I  just have to finish the damn thing so I can park up next to this killer Chevy.

Yes, I saw this truck last year, actually, I’ve probably taken photos of it at least 4 years in a row. Also, yes I am going to keep doing it as well. I’m sure you’re all fine with it.

Another car you can expect to see a lot of photos of is CJ’s turbo LS-powered Impala. I saw this car for the first time at Motorama.

My Motorama coverage was posted predominantly on Speedhunters and in that coverage, I mentioned he built the entire car in a single-car garage.

A single-car garage that lacks dedicated power.

That includes doing all the paintwork himself. Where there’s a will there’s a way as they say.

That’s probably my favourite part about Toronto Hot Rod Kulture events. Most of the vehicles have stories to tell.

If they don’t their owners do and most are more than willing to spend a few minutes chatting about what they’ve driven out to the event.

Or if they don’t have a real story they’re just plain cool.

Speaking of just plain cool, this COE was one of the coolest vehicles at the event.

It might be one of the coolest vehicles I’ll see all year. So much so that I’ll have a post up in a few days dedicated exclusively to it.

As I wrap this one up I need to give one more thanks to the guys at Toronto Hot Rod Kulture and the Road Reapers for doing what you do for the community.

If you want to catch the next Toronto Hot Rod Kulture event be sure to follow them on Instagram.

Turbo 13b Mini Clubman Estate

By
DaveT
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0

Mazda 13b power living under the hood of a classic Mini Clubman Estate is the perfect way to get Swaps Are Everything up and running again after an extremely long Hiatus.

This little weapon was spotted at Motorama 2022 —check out my complete coverage here on Speedhunters— and I honestly couldn’t get enough of it.

The car itself is quite tidy all around and sits on wide (at least for a Mini) Hoosier rubber out back.

This leads me to believe that the little 13b, with not so little Garrett turbo beside it, works rather well.

I’m told the car makes somewhere in the neighbourhood of 500 horsepower, but I wasn’t able to speak to the owner to clarify. Sadly it seems like both his website and Instagram are down at the time of writing this.

Hopefully, he brings the car out to a few more events because I’d love to chat a little bit more about how this project came together. Maybe even shoot it for a feature one day, what do you think?

Event Coverage: ImportExpo Toronto 2022

By
DaveT
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0

If you had told me in 2020 the next indoor event I would be writing about would be in 2022 I would have called you crazy.

However the last two years have been absolutely crazy, so I guess it all makes sense. For the out of towners, Ontario has been one of the most strict provinces in Canada with Covid-19 restrictions.

This meant that pretty well every indoor show was left to hurry up and wait. Saturday April 9th marked that wait as over with ImportExpo Toronto.

It’s not at all a secret that I’ve been to a lot of events, on both sides of the Canadian and US border. With that info I can honestly say without hyperbole that ImportExpo was one of the busiest shows I have ever been too.

I arrived two hours after doors opened and there was still a line up around the building. Inside people were everywhere.

As a fan of the local car community it was awesome to see the support for the first show in two years.

As a photographer, I had a tricky job ahead of me. People make very poor windows so I had to pick my shots carefully.

The best tactic in most cases was portrait photos, as I had less of a chance of catching someone walking through the frame.

This makes this round of coverage a little bit different than my typical, but I’m always down to make lemonade from lemons.

If the numbers ‘Expo is are indication, it should be a pretty eventful show season here in Ontario.

During Covid the natural thing for car people to do is build and wrench. All this time meant many were happy to show of their latest round of modifications.

Cars I became accustomed to looking at one way remerged with visual or mechanical overhauls. Or often both.

This helped keep the show from feeling too repetitive overall.

I already gavethe Prazis Air JP M45 some shine but there were quite a few that had a remixed vibe going on.

One such example is the Import Expo NSX. Brett has had this NSX for many years now and every year he gives it a bit of a makeover.

For reference, the last time it appeared on the site it looked like the above. Sitting on mag blue TE37s.

The changes this year are much more significant than a new finish on the wheels.

The car is now freshly twin charged. With a supercharger on one end of the motor and a turbocharger on the other.

I don’t know if the car is currently fully tuned in this configuration, but it was incredibly impressive to look at none the less.

It’s a heck of a lot, in not a lot of space. Might have to see if its possible to get a closer look at this car on another day.

While we’re talking Hondas, its always nice to see more than one clean EFs at an event. Frank Vitulli’s we’ve seen several times before but the teal one is new to me.

I can’t help but shake my head at how many of these cars got sent to early graves around here.

Tuned By Nick also had one of my favorite Honda-powered vehicles at the event. Yes, I said Honda powered.

Nick has swapped in a turbocharged Honda K motor.

It’s really stuffed in there, but the car does work rather well if his YouTube channel is to tell the tale.

You guys already know I love a good off brand swap, and this one really at the Porsche Purists wondering if anything is still sacred.

Being as busy as the show was, the time went fast as a I bobbed and weaved the people who remained.

On my way out there was one car I absolutely had to take another look at this stunning red mk3 Toyota Supra

I think I may have seen the car before, but as they say wheels can totally change a vehicle.

The 3 piece conversion donr to these factory Toyota wheels completely changes their look and honestly puts plenty of after market wheels to damn shame.

As the Import Expo trophies say, Saturday Night certainly was live. Hopefully for the next event they can get a bit more of the venue to allow for both more cars and more people.

Either way I’m excited to see what Ontario has to offer for 2022. We’re back, finally!

Remixed By Prazis Air Suspension

By
DaveT
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0

Import Expo took place almost exactly a week ago here in Toronto marking the first indoor show I have attended since the start of the pandemic in 2019.

To say the show was busy would be a gross understatement. It was absolutely packed.

In the sea of people and cars, one popped up as pretty familiar.

Sitting in the Prazis Air Suspension air booth was a notable previous feature car, a Junction Produce Equipped Infinity M45.

Years go by fast and quite honestly it’s probably been at least eight since I last saw this beautiful example of a VIP car. In that time it’s changed hands twice rather quietly.

It’s back out on the show circuit today than to Michael Cataluna who’s picked up the mantel for Prazis Air here In Ontario.

Prazis is a new air ride company in Canada, and in the back of the Infiniti was their P4-GS digital management system.

Like most modern digital management systems this one features presets, a wired control and wireless control.

The ‘P’ in the P4 stands for piano. Despite being a digital display it does operate rather uniquely, showcasing the operation of the valves right on top of the manifold.

Over the years I’ve become a bit of an air suspension technology nerd so it’s always cool to see what new companies are bringing to the table. From a wow factor perspective this manifold certainly stands out.

As for Import Expo, there will be a bit more from that show to come this week as I go through a few more photos. I’m stoked events have finally returned to Ontario!

Project Why Wait: Look Cool, Stay Cool With Proform Parts

By
DaveT
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4

Well, it’s been just a bit of time since my last update hasn’t it?

First, happy new year, second don’t worry. Work, a lot of it, in fact, has been going on while I’ve been away from the computer.

First thing’s first, as you may have seen on Instagram the truck is back from paint.

The professional paintwork was done by a local dealership painter (Al) here in Whitby that does custom work on the side at his home shop.

Al was recommended by Blair at Taylor’d Customs who’s been using him for his own personal project lately.

Considering what he started with Al did an absolutely phenomenal job on the firewall, inner fenders, doors, dash and roof.

Getting the truck back looking like a million bucks was the kick in the pants I needed to get back into the garage consistently.

Within days of the truck coming back, it didn’t take long for the urge to install the inner and outer fenders to become too great to ignore.

However, before the front end could go back on I had to figure out a rather important piece of the puzzle; the radiator.

Because of my front-end swap, a stock radiator was out of the picture. Similarly, because of my accessory drive, a mechanical fan was also out of the picture.

Thankfully, because I have Andy McJannett and Performance Improvements on my side, a solution wasn’t hard to find.

Andy suggested that I go with a ProForm Parts 1-2-3 series radiator set up for Projet Why Wait.

The 1-2-3 series or radiators are designed as a universal drop-in, save for a few minor trims that needed to be made to my already heavily modified radiator support.

The ProForm 1-2-3 kit also includes all the various relays, connectors and plugs to control the provided fan. I’ll be using my factory PCM to control my fan, but it’s nice that everything you need is included.

Just in case.

Clearly printed instructions are included as well, and it’s rated for 600hp. Quite a bit more than I need. For now.

Finally, as if everything else wasn’t enough, the radiator is also fitted with a steam port. An important feature for vehicles with LS V8 motors like mine.

Under the hood, the radiator is a snug fit, but there’s enough space for it all to work. And, being an all-in-one solution there’s no reason for me to fuss with it again.

Issyfab Speed & Engineering will be handling both the plumbing and wiring.

I’m very interested to see how Jeff (at IssyFab) manages to make it all work, but he assures me it “won’t be a problem”.

With the radiator selected and fit I could install the inner and outer fenders and loosely bolt everything together.

Because the rad will need to come in and out, I’ve left the grill off. For now.

After the front end was installed I had a local pinstriper, Stripes By Square, come by and line up the truck between the Mazda Rally White and patina blue paint.

The stripe really ties everything together. The Navy pulls from the darker blue found within my patina and provides great definition.

It’s great to see this render become closer and closer to reality.

As always, all that’s left is everything else but I’ve got a few things up my sleeve as the truck approaches road-worthy status this year.

That’s right. I said this year. I really want to drive this truck in 2022 and its foot to the floor to make it finally happen!

Thanks for the support so far and look forward to more in the land of Why Wait this year.

Event Coverage: Toronto Hot Rod Kulture 07/18/21

By
DaveT
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3

Wow. It’s been a ridiculously long time since I’ve been able to start a post with ‘Event Coverage‘. I feel like I’ve spent at least the last nine months living vicariously through others.

For the locals I’m preaching to the choir but to the out of towners; Ontario has been in some form of Covid-19 related lock down for a long time.

But all that is finally showing some sign of passing allowing local groups to hold small meets for now, and eventually larger shows later this summer.

Last Sunday, July 19th, I popped my head out of the sand to take in one of Toronto Hot Rod Kulture’s summer gatherings.

These events, which started las year, are similar to Toronto Cars And Coffee events but with more of a hot rod focus.

Held in Scarborough they’re also a little closer to home for east siders like myself.

Chill by nature, these meets bring out a nice variety of cars, bikes, and people. It’s the type of meet that reminds me why I like the Ontario scene so much.

While we have some non sensical cruft (Takeovers can go straight to hell) the majority of us just love cars, period.

We also want to be around similarly minded people without drama and don’t need any form of trophy or awards. Just a good few hours looking at cars.

For a father like myself events like this are perfect. A bunch of awesome in short order, leaving the rest of the day to wherever the wind may take me.

Living up to ‘awesome’ is this 67 Camaro. I am on a real pro street kick lately so I am certainly here for everything this car is about.

Mopar fans fret not, you were all well represented as well. This GTX pulled in as I was leaving so I’ll be sure to get more photos of it next time.

The Hemi did sound pretty damn serious if you’re wondering.
I’ve seen this truck progress over the years from the above to the below.

It currently features a rather tidy turbo setup stuffed into a relatively small engine room.

It’s nice to see a nearly ten year long commitment to iterating upon a vehicle. I’m sure it’s quite the ride now.

What would a meet like this be without a small amount of engine porn? I’m always looking for engine bay inspiration for my own project.

Speaking of inspiration. This truck is no stranger to the site. I’ve posted it numerous times before from Motorama to Cars ‘N Coffee.

The tidy engine bay and flawless interior are quite elegantly done.

However, the most recent stand out for me has to be the wheels. They are made by Augment Wheel Company.

Essentially they are bespoke aluminum wheels made to look like steel wheels. Previously the car stat on Detroit Steel Wheels in candy red.

The Detroit Steel hoops looked good too but there’s just no denying this new set completely transform the look of the truck.

The owner Richie was great to talk to about a few things I had questions on with my build and wildly enough he owned the e36 that was one of the first cars ever posted on this site.

Neat.

Toronto Hot Rod Kulture plans to do more of these events throughout the rest of the year so be sure to follow them on Instagram for the next one.

Theme Tuesday: LS Fabrication Firewall Fillers

By
DaveT
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0

If you’ve read the most recent Project Why Wait  update then you probably caught the not so subtle hint that the truck will see the inside of a paint booth rather soon.

At the body shop three major items will be painted; My roof, my dash, and my firewall. As you probably also know that firewall was shaved using LS Fabrication bead rolled firewall fillers.

This won’t be the first, or last, time I thank LS Fabrication for saving me hours of work shaving my firewall. Let’s be honest if I did it the traditional way –welding up each hole individually– I’d probably still be doing the job.

As a rookie, I’ve successfully taken the job to a reasonable end point. However, finishing it out to the level I want requires the expert touch of someone who enjoys sanding more than myself.

The most difficult part of sending anything out to paint has to be choosing a color. I’m currently torn between two options. The color of my chassis, which is gunmetal, or the white I plan to paint my roof.

Decisions, decisions. What better way to help with such a rough choice than looking at what others have done? Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery after all.

The owner of this truck, who’s using the same ‘Kalinda’ firewall fillers I am, opted to use panel bond for the installation. Additionally they left the fillers in their original brushed finish.

One of the best options with these panels is that there are several different methods that can be taken for installation.

@thejcates went with bed liner for his firewall instead of paint. I’d be lying if I said I had not considered this course of action. Bedliner provides excellent durability and would cover up any areas I didn’t get done 100% straight…

Kris Hauser set this whole trend off with the original Kalinda panels in his truck. Kris’ truck remains the test bed for many LS Fabrication products.

Including their 47-54 GMC Chevy Truck hood strut kit, which is the latest addition to LSFAB’s robust product catalog. @jjkleeman combined an LS, ‘Dee Dee’ fillers, and the hood struts for a proper show worthy engine bay.

@jakeadreon went with gloss black for his ‘Tracy’ bead rolled LS Fabrication firewall fillers.

@rustynutgarage also went gloss black for his fillers, which suits the patina black truck.

@cjohnson_21 is a man after my own heart with a color matched LS V8, smooth firewall and very tidy steering column passthrough.

@mars.patrickminiard has also gone LS. Like myself he is using a sheet metal intake manifold instead of a standard one. His progress so far almost makes me want to paint my truck entirely. Almost.

@midnightbodyshop is working toward a complete bronze respray with his build. The Chevrolet script filler looks great over top of the Kalinda panels.

@Prostreet81 is well on the way to knocking his Suburban engine bay straight out of the park. Similar to myself he used the firewall and upper cowl fillers.

I love how everything is color matched right down to the control arms.

Last but not least, one of the most unique takes on the firewall filler panels I’ve seen. As a fan of great paintwork I tip my hat to whoever is building this truck.

As for me, I think I have made my final decision. However you’ll all have to wait and see what it is. Keep following Project Why Wait for updates, and of course I’ve got a few more parts from LS Fabrication stashed away ready to install.

 

Project Why Wait: Coated By Red Tower Armoury

By
DaveT
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0

Can you believe we’re coming up on six years since I first started Project Why Wait? I hardly can and I’ve been the one doing it. But at the start of 2021 it’s felt like the end is finally coming into focus.

To help relight a fire within the project Jeff Wybrow and I hatched a plan to bring Project Why Wait to his shop IssyFab Speed & Engineering this June.

Jeff will finish off wiring and firing the truck along with a few other drivability concerns his shop specializes in. While the #siegmc is gone I will bring my bed in from the backyard and start the metal repair and refinishing needed there.

The truck will also take a little trip to the body shop while abroad, but we’ll get to those plans in a different post. Before the truck leaves however, I need to take care of the list you saw at the top of this post.

Despite looking pretty complete at times a lot of the truck has just been “put” together. Several items needed coating, torqueing, painting and so forth to really be ticked off as complete.

This includes the back half, which at last check looked like this:

Pretty ‘close’, but obviously the masking tape, protective plastic and uncoated Airlift Performance tanks had to go. I went back and forth on what color to do the tanks. I bated around a contrasting color, but the most

Simplest, but most obvious.

Color chosen, my next slight hurdle was coating. I wanted something that wasn’t too glossy or thick but a more natural finish to match the air compressors. After seeing a few items done in Cerakote at GT Custom Exhaust Oshawa I decided to give it a try.

If you’re not familiar, Cerakote is a ceramic finish. It’s much thinner than powder coat, but still provides abrasion/wear resistance, chemical protection, and it’s generally harder than paint.

Here in Durham Region Ontario Red Tower Armoury is the leader in Ceramic Coatings. If it needs coating they’ve likely done it. And if you’re not sure if it needs coating they’ll help you decided how and what it needs.

With my tanks being rather low on the complexity scale of work they’ve done they simply knocked it out of the park.

There’s also a few other items they did for me hanging in my garage. But, we’ll get to those later as I assemble the interior.

The tanks are black now, but the grain of the aluminum is still visible, as are the welds and all the craftsmanship Air Lift originally put into the pieces.

More importantly, it looks great next to all of the other black components. The RCI Fuel Cell, Viair compressors, and brake lines. Also, worth noting, in these photos the chassis is nearly completely wired.

The main rear chassis harness has been run through the frame, in addition to the Airlift main harness run in this post from 2018.

Since the photos above, I’ve been in the garage at least three nights a week sniping items from my list. Mid June is about thirty days away and I’ve got plenty of work to do!

As always follow me on Instagram for shorter updates on the progress as I move along.

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