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Scandanavian Slug

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I’m pretty sure I can count the number of Volvo P1800s I’ve seen in person on one hand, perhaps even two fingers, and zero of those two have been on air.

Thankfully the internet seems capable of producing darn near anything on air ride including the P1800.

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@3dprintuk
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@3dprintuk

Known as the Mustard Mouse this particular P1800 is a ’76 shooting brake model that the owner Nick is using as a project car for his company 3dprintuk

Being such a unique car Nick has opted to only modify it in ways that are reversible, which means the body has stayed stock including the original golden color it rolled off the assembly line with.

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Image original posted on SuperFly-Auto

There’s no denying that the resulting “wheels and a drop” aesthetic works with this car, being so unique, and with it closer to the ground it looks as though the roof has been chopped even though its standard height.

The relaxed pillars all around give the car a real laid back look about it and I bet it looks pretty cool riding Cali (nose up).

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Image originally posted on: Suck Squeeze Bang Blow

The wheels tucked up in the wheels are indeed fake splits, but before you nay-sayers take away points keep in mind that it probably isn’t all that easy to find wheels that would suit this car.

Additionally the owner says in his feature on Superfly-autos.com that he did try to get some original design wire wheels but it didn’t pan out (I’d love to see this on wires!) .

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Image original posted on SuperFly-Auto

The Mustard Mouse is a cool little car and if you want to read more about it checkout the aforementioned feature on Superfly Autos and this quick post on Suck Squeeze Bang Blow.

Be sure to give @3dprintuk a follow as well.

 

WTF Friday: F20 All The Things!

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F20 –or F22s I am not great at telling them apart admittedly– motors have made their way into quite a few different vehicles (see this Theme Tuesday and it’s follow-up for proof) but this is, as far as I know, the first domestic truck to get the high reving 4 cylinder Honda Motor.

Spotted on Facebook via Rob Webster, this truck apparently resides somewhere in New York.

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As you can see from the photo there isn’t just a motor swap going on, a honking turbo has been thrown into the mix, positioned significantly above the motor.

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With the hood closed and the turbo sitting in it’s mailbox like enclosure its hard to notice anything else but if you look at the rest of the truck you’ll see a Colorado bumper swap and what might be early Nissan 370z wheels as well.

I have no further information on the s10, but I’d love some, so if you recognize it or better yer own it, hit me up!

Theme Tuesdays: Impalas

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Sometimes the most obvious cars are the ones that get overlooked for Theme Tuesdays and that is certainly the case with Impalas.

Heavily featured in Boyz N The Hood, and rap videos I had on repeat growing up I quickly became a fan of the classic ’64 on wires. As I got more into cars as a whole I also began to enjoy pro touring and drag prepped Impalas as well.

One of the most iconic, and well-known American cars ever built, the almighty Impala was long overdue for a Theme Tuesday.

Would this classify as a low-rod?
Spinning the clock back to my first SEMA experience this car, black, on what looks to be black Supremes still does it for me

Here it is last year right before sale
These are actually two different cars, with this one being sold, but close enough for a before and afer
I love resto mods, one day... one day..
Before Megaspeed and Motorama there was Performance World where I saw this RPM Motors build
And one of the builds that the more you look the more you notice, for example I didn't notice the wind-shield in person
I’ve never seen this car again but it was a very, very different Impala (see: Windshield frame or lack there of)
It was a great looking build
These pictures don’t really do it justice in hindsight…
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A lot of this post (naturally) centers around mid 60s Impalas, but all generations seem to handle wires and low quite well
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This even includes the later models
I find I don't see these nearly enough
If wire wheels are not your thing don’t fret, simple five spokes also work quite well
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Dale’s Impala was one of the first features on this site, it’s a great looking summer cruiser I see fairly often
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…and if the car above were a wagon
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If memory serves this wagon belongs to the late Jae Bueno’s Wife
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This photo, via Howard Gribble, is the original Bloody Mary car
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and this one via Wheels Are Everything is a mighty fine tribute
Thing's were looking pretty good
This car,broke very shortly after this photo was taken
Who doesn't love a good all metal drag car?
Who doesn’t love a good all metal drag car?
This is the Impalasaurus video of it can be seen below, it runs 8s
This is the Impalasaurus video of it can be seen below, it runs 8s and weighs 3400lbs

Being x-framed cars Impalas do lots of funky things given the right amount of torque
Being x-framed cars Impalas do lots of funky things given the right amount of torque

This video is a whopping eight years old!

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Going to end this one with more Impalas on wires just because honestly it is just the right thing to do
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Lil chippin’ ain’t hurt anyone

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Event Preview: Lexus High Performance Driving Program

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Lexus Canada has been an active participant in the Toronto enthusiast space for the past few years having done a number of collaborations with Stance Is Everything partner Importfest, as well as a number of other shows in the area and Vossen wheels.

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A few months ago they reached out to wanting to bounce some ideas around on how the Stance Is Everything brand and Lexus Canada brand could work together.

While I would love to tell you we are collaborating on a new luxury sports car build, reality set in and that wasn’t exactly going to happen, at least not this time around.

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However Lexus Canada is offering me the next best thing by sending me on their high performance driving program.

Taking place in the winter at venues in Quebec, Ontario and Edmonton (Mecaglisse, Minden Fairgrounds, Castrol Raceway respectively) this course is designed to get Lexus car owners more familiar with the performance and safety capabilities of their cars.

lexus-canada-2It features slalom activities, defensive collision avoidance, and cornering techniques, all great skills to have here in Ontario during the colder months, but more importantly a fun way to spend a day on the track in the dead of winter.

lexus-canada-3So with all that said on February 9th of 2017 I’ll be spending a day behind the wheel of a Lexus with my foot to the floor and a driving instructor at my side.

lexus-canada-1As always you can expect lots of pictures both here and on instagram so check back in February, while I’m not in the market for a Lexus just yet I must admit it’s pretty cool of Lexus Canada to give me an opportunity.

If you own a Lexus and would like to join in on the fun visit lexushighperformancedrivingprogram.ca and register to reserve your spot.

Theme Tuesdays: Mazda Cosmos

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Theme Tuesdays are getting difficult, I’m not complaining don’t get me wrong, but finding new vehicle to post after seven years is a bit of a challenge. Especially since of late I like to keep things a little a-typical to keep things fresh.

For today’s selection I’ve settled on the Mazda Eunos Cosmo, a car that before this year I had never seen in person.

For those not familar the Cosmo is a grand tourer Mazda produced from ’67 to 95. It was a rotary powered car that was known for its luxury and technological features more than blazing speed.

A Japanese market vehicle these cars are rare birds in North America but more than deserving of a Theme Tuesday.

Note: apologies for the small sizes and lack of credit for many of these photos, several came from long since abandoned forums/forum threads.

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I’m fairly confident that this is a model of a first gen Cosmo, but it is an amazing “what if?” build
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This is a second generation model very tastefully modified in Japan – via Japanese Nostalgic Car
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This Bosokou styled one also comes from Japanese Nostalgic Car
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This a third generation Cosmo that (81-89) and the angular lines and flip-up headlights are perfect styling cues from that era – Via Rad Racer Blog
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It’s always interesting how different a car looks with its ‘eyes open’ – Via Wheel Warriors
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The fourth generation models, available with a 13 or 20b are the ones I am most familiar with
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It looks like there were a variety of interesting kits available for the car in its heyday
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The rear tuck on this car makes me think of dtm racers
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I’d gladly run those LMs
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Like any rotary, people have stuck turbos on them. This photo (via SE photography) looks to be from Australia and we all know they love their rotaries in Australia
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As far as I’m aware this is the only Cosmo in the Gta and perhaps even all of Canada
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Miraculously everything works as it should
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*Obvious Seinfeld reference goes here*

The 929 and the Cosmo are pretty closely related so perhaps I should look at the 929 for a Theme Tuesday in the not so distant future?

Someone Finally Did It

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As some of you may or may not know much of my formative years as a car enthusiast were spent getting intimately familiar with the Pontiac Fiero. In auto-shop we complete making one look like a Countach and made significant progress on converting a second to a Ferrari kit before I graduated.

Through that entire process one thing that stuck with me is that Fieros don’t like to get really low for a variety of reasons, with awkwardly placed cooling tubes being high on the list.

Never the less I’ve still wanted to see a low clean example and Josh Mawdesley aka @slammedfiero87 has delivered.

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Josh actually owns three Fieros (and a Pontiac GTP) which makes him the perfect person to get the job done.

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On 1320video’s instagram, where I first saw the car, a surprising number of people asked what it was or assumed it was an import. As someone who saw a lot of them growing up it seems bizarre to think that people might not know anything about Pontiac’s quirky mid engine car but perhaps that’s just the old curmudgeon on me talking.

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Regardless Josh has put a fine-looking example and I’m curious to see what he does with the other two, hopefully his progress doesn’t get lost among Instagram algorithms and I can post some more here.

WTF Friday: Hard To Earn

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Tough week at the office for WTF Friday content this week, found three really weird looking vehicles but couldn’t get any further info thanks to expired for sale ads on Kijiji and Craigslist.

Usually this would mean I shelve the photos until more information becomes available but this week I’ve decided to post them anyway in the hopes that one of you might recognize them.

First up this interesting stretched Jeep that I think might be a Willys. It’s low, long, and has some hot rod styling thrown into the mix. It was for sale in Chicago if I recall but that ad is long gone.

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The Ford below is also quite the head scratcher.

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Usually when people build something they want it lifted, or, lowered not both.

I wonder if the aim here is to skirt some sort of road legality laws?

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It has Lamborghini doors as well because at this point why the hell not.

Closing this week’s eclectic mix is this Ford Explorer with a 1953 body work grafted on.

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A strange endeavor to embark on the owner of this one did give it the old college try before putting it up for sale.

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It’s certainly not pretty and I imagine whomever bought it did so only for the fifties metal, which hopefully it wasn’t too damaged in the ‘conversion’.

So any takers on more info on this mysterious trio?

Theme Tuesdays: Truck Conversions

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SEMA coverage put Theme Tuesdays on a bit of a hiatus, so to welcome them back I’ve decided to go with a new topic versus continuing something I’ve previously touched on.

I’ve been on a bit of a truck kick on Instagram lately, but I’ve posted plenty of trucks before, so I decided cars turned into trucks would be a great compromise.

Pick up (or ‘ute’ if you’re outside of North America) conversions have been attempted on many a platform but surprisingly BMWs and Nissans seem to be some of the most common, with many winding up as drift vehicles.

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This is actually one of the first build’s I posted to the site (the e30 not the Unimog) and I completely forgot about it. The owner still has it and actually recently started working on it again

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This 2002 (well 1600) has a lot of good things going for it, and a little lower with wheels a little wider (or smaller overall diameter with fatter sidewalls) would be perfect on it
An M20 motor powers this custom creation
An M20 motor powers this custom creation
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I like the rear of the car, though I’m not actually sure if there’s any back glass. The exhaust isn’t my favorite but that’s a fairly easy fix
The vaders inside are a nice touch and I'm actually surprised they fit in the 2002 so well! More info on this 2002 can be found in it's for sale listing
The vaders inside are a nice touch and I’m actually surprised they fit in the 2002 so well! More info on this 2002 can be found in its for sale listing
From what looks to be arond 2008 or sooner this is one of the oldest selections for this entire post
Based on the looks of the cars in the background I’d put this photo around 2007/8 making it one of the oldest selections of this post
This is another farily old one from Japan
Japan has never really been afraid of any sort of modification so it totally makes sense truck conversions are popular there
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Speaking of old this M5 conversion has been around for a while
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This was a real deal, undamaged M5 that became one of the most well executed, and great looking over all ute conversions ever. Also note the plate, ‘Muted’ pretty slick! A build thread is here many of the pictures are down
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This E36 came together after the owner wrecked his M3 but wanted to use the power plant in something else and a cheap e36 shell came along
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s38 powered initially, the now truck sports an LS motor
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A lot of BMX riders end up as e36 owners so I was not entirely surprised to find a few BMX references in the build thread (shadow half link chain bed chain for example)
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Not just for show this car gets driven. Photo via: Driver Mod Industries

Bouchard racing built a m60 powered e30 drift truck that’s pretty darn good at sliding around

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I know very, very, little about Micras but I know enough to say a flared, uted, slammed Micra on SSRs and Wats is pretty cool
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More about this home-built project can be read here on Minty. Fresh
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Photos of this car are somewhat scattered across the internet
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Motormavens had the most photos in my Google search but the associated article 404’d 
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However Build-threads has a bit of info on this car if you’re looking for more
Remember when I said these truck conversions were popular among drifters? This is another one, and the source is again Build-Threads.com
Remember when I said these truck conversions were popular among drifters? This is another one, and the source is again Build-Threads.com
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Going back in time I picked up this conversion from the H.A.M.B
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And this wicked combo came from pinterest, I’d love to see more of it if anyone has some links
This Nomad gives me bad (good) ideas for a Nomad scale model I have sitting around...
This Nomad gives me bad (good) ideas for a Nomad scale model I have sitting around…
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Going to end this first ute conversion Theme Tuesday off with photos of the ‘Siltruck’ taken by Team Bushido
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I actually follow the owner (@siltruck) on instagram and have always found the car pretty cool, as you can imagine it gets driven hard as well
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The side profile of this really demonstrates just now much the rear of a car changes its look. The sloped pillars here were a nice way to transition into the very flat new bed addition

I’m sure I missed a wicked conversion or two so feel free to add your favorites in the comments below!

Taylor’d Time

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Last week, before making my way to Taylor’d Customs to put in some wrench time on Project Why Wait, my morning went a little pear-shaped after waking up to a flat and subsequently a de-bead.

After a haste wheel swap I grabbed my tools and rushed out the door forgetting my camera on the stairs.

Usually I’d only half kick myself for that but on this particular day the Taylor’d 1970 Chevelle greeted me at the entrance aired out.
taylordchevelle-front-three-quartertaylordchevelle-wheel-1A Taylor’d Customs flagship build, this 454 powered Chevy usually sits inside, last week however it was out for some sun while the showroom was getting cleaned.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to snap a few photos outside of a show setting I did what I could with my phone.

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Of course these photos don’t really do a build of this magnitude justice and I really ought to get it out on a warmer day next year for some photos.

Blair is currently cracking away at a variertyy of projects so be sure to follow shop progress on Facebook and instagram.

WTF Friday: Special Delivery

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Nothing marks the return WTF Friday‘s to Stance Is Everything better than an american powered, Japanese, mid engine truck built to rip down the drag strip.

Similar to the infamous —and rolled over— stretchy truck the owner of this ’87 Toyota opted to toss the motor behind the cab, instead of between the fenders, in his hunt for lower E/Ts.

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The motor of choice for this 87 ‘yota is a rear mounted 4.3L v6. Using a V6 instead of an 8, is an interesting move since clearly space isn’t that much of an issue, but I’m sure the builder had good reason at the time.

Or he just happened to have a 4.3 sitting around.

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The 4.3 has had several modifications done to it including a roller cam, upgraded heads, intake manifold, Holly carb and upgraded MSD ignition system.

The exhaust is more or less an open header and backing up the motor is a Powerglide two-speed transmission with a hilariously short 9″ drive shaft.

 

toyota6toyota7toyota8The truck is caged, the rear has been back halfed, and Dana rear end sits suspended by the 4 link coil-over based rear suspension.

The truck isn’t street legal but it does have a title and on eBay, where this truck was spotted, the owner’s advertise it as a turn key twelve second truck.

 

toyota1If it were mine I’d probably tweak a few things to bring it back to streetable condition so I could turn a few heads on the street in addition to having some fun at the track.

Unfortunately I don’t have just under 9k USD readily available to have a few laughs on the street. However if you do it is currently still for sale.