WTF Friday: Tons Of Potential Or Tons Of Junk?

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Jan 22, 2016

Craigslist can be full of deals, but often there are a lot of projects on there you really should stay away from if you value the contents of your wallet. The truck I am posting today just might be one of those.

The ad is long dead now but this extended Toyota Hilux was available in Greensboro North Carolina.

The idea of an extended cab dually isn’t new, and can look pretty damn good, but the execution here leaves a little to be desired. Yes it does have a lot of positives like the body drop and finished suspension (presuming they are done correctly).

But the cowl hood, abrupt angles, and curiously proportioned rear doors lead me to believe a lot would need to be done if your vision doesn’t line up exactly with the owners.

However maybe I just can’t see the diamond in the rough. What do you guys think, is the juice worth the squeeze in this case?

Winter Wednesdays: Sludge Face

By

DaveT

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Jan 20, 2016

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It’s not uncommon to see people on the internet generally up in arms when people do anything to a Subaru that is unbecoming of their rally heritage, as if every Subaru to roll off the lot is destined to be a rally car, and their owners rally drivers.

As we all know this often isn’t the case but today I have a peace-offering for all the die-hard Subaru fans I’ve ‘offended’ with lower than low Subarus.

Spotted over on ra64Freddy this muck faced Subaru should tick all the right boxes for function and form fans with the OZ wheels and what looks to perhaps be a slightly lowered stance.

The wing my split the jury but overall it looks like good fun all around.

Theme Tuesdays: Nissan Maximas

By

DaveT

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Jan 19, 2016

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I received an email from reader Christian the other day asking if I could do a Theme Tuesday post on Nissan Maximas a car which oddly enough I have yet to do.

I say oddly because my dad had a 97 model that I often used as a parts runner for my e30 so I have a lot of exposure to the car.

For the big automatic sedan that it was the car could move pretty well and its size made it pretty great for picking up anything that I might need. With such fond memories of that car it’s a shame it took me this long to dedicate a Tuesday to them.

maxima8 — This is a great looking fourth gen, clean, simple, and looks like it would drive very well

maxima7 — I do believe this is the same car at perhaps a different stage

maxima18 — This car was actually a local one built by So Fresh Automotive who is known for their unique builds

So Fresh Automotive Maxima — It was supercharged near the end of its run

maxima15 — Not sure if it ended up under new ownership or parted out

maxima17 — BBS RS wheels work on anything…anything

2014-reunited-car-show-nissan-maxima-1 — This car is fairly well-known around here….

2014-reunited-car-show-nissan-maxima-2 — It might be hard to tell now but this car did start as a Maxima

maxima3 — If I’m not mistaken these are Mustang (or Mustang style) wheels on this Maxima

maxima2 — Looks like many Maxima fans prefer a more aggressive tire size

maxima5 — I believe these were something like 10.5″ wheels all around which is impressive

maxima10 — While not my personal favorite generation the owner of this car has done a nice job of making this one look good

maxima11 — The thread I found this car in billed it as the only Maxima with a shaved and tucked bay

maxima12 — The wheel selection and fitment is on point as well

maxima9 — Bit of VIP style never hurt anyone

maxima14 — Air seemed quite rare in the earlier models but as you get newer a few examples exist

maxima16 — It’s funny how much air suits them the bigger they get as the generations become later

maxima6 — The only third gen to make this list if this was RWD it would be a great runner-up to a Toyota Cressida

Motorama Or Bust: Part 2

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DaveT

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Jan 18, 2016

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With a deadline looming there’s literally no time to waste with the Taylor’d Customs ’33 Dodge project and significant progress has been made since the last update two weeks ago.

In the introductory post many details were left vague because many of decisions are being made as the metal is shaped, but the general idea for the car has always been a fairly minimalist end product.

That said Blair has never had any intentions of leaving it ‘ratty’ which means the car is going to see the inside of a paint booth.

Despite its 83 years of age the car is in pretty good shape but, in addition to smoothing out the evidence of the roof chop there are a few areas of the car that need to be completely reconstructed thanks to mother nature and the fingerprints of time.

Looking at the photo above, and working back from the March 11th deadline, it’s not hard to figure out that the car needs to get over the body shop as soon as possible if it is going to see the inside of the International Center floor in a properly finished state.

During my last trip to the shop there was a big push to get the body off the frame so that final preparations could be made for it to go to Smallwood Custom Paint.

Blair’s dad was tasked with figuring out exactly how the pedals were going to mount in the relatively narrow driver’s side foot well and since given enough time with a marker and cardboard he seems to be able to figure out anything the pedal box took shape very quickly.

John Weatherbie was busy helping cut a few things off the body that didn’t fit with Blair’s final vision for the car. Here he carefully removes the grill mounts from the firewall (which is in remarkable condition hence the care) so they can be replaced with something a little more becoming later down the road.

Blair himself has of course been extremely busy since part one spending nearly every waking hour outside of work at the shop behind a welding mask.

The floor, which was little more than the beginnings of a transmission tunnel at last check, has really come along with roughly 90% of it complete at the time these pictures were taken.

Building the floor has been done largely using ‘by seat of your pants engineering’ because though Blair did rebuild a lot of the floor of the Montbomb this is his first floor he’s done entirely from scratch.

Through the processes he’s become pretty in tune with how 16 gauge metal contours which means each panel becomes a bit easier to shape than the one before it.

In addition to the floor covers for the four link have been fabricated along with most of a rear deck and a cozy spot for rear seats because lets face it what’s a four door without rear seating.

For rigidity and style sake bead rolls have been pressed into most of the panels which really helps give the entire bare metal floor a more finished look that will still be present once the floor is covered in a lick of paint.

The rear deck is one of the final pieces that need to be completed before the car goes to paint but since the remaining piece is fairly straight forward Blair spent most of his time buttoning up the firewall.

With the shop full of people he was keen to get help taking the body off the frame rather than fighting with it alone later along side and engine hoist and some jacks.

With lots of work to be done I didn’t hesitate to put down the camera and help out, and in a bit of a role reversal Blair managed to capture John and I yielding power tools.

Here I smooth out the firewall after the grill tab removal while John trims the four link cover out of the inner fender.

With things more or less finished we each grabbed a corner and lifted the body off the frame and carried it to the waiting dolly.

As of this past Saturday the body now in the hands of the Ryan Gibson and the chassis will be the focus of attention, aimed to be completed, plumbed, and painted before the motor comes back from rebuild and roughly the same time the body comes back.

Once again lots to be done, but the progress thus far has been steady and things are looking good. Stay tuned for part three!

WTF Friday: Twin Motor Yugo

By

DaveT

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Jan 15, 2016

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Most of my usual sources didn’t provide much in the way of crazy cars this week so I took a look over on bangshift.com and boy did I find something that caught my attention; a twin motor Yugo.

Jim, the owner, says he likes big motors in small cars and decided since he was already starting with an uncommon platform he might as well further diffentiate himself further from the pack by running two power plants.

In the video below Jim explains a lot of the intricies of the car quite well.

Each motor can run independently of one another, s10 control arms are used with RideTech shocks front and rear and the wide body was actually created using all the factory panels pushed out roughly eight inches.

The motors are 500ci Cadillac v8s that weigh 1600 pounds resulting in a car that weighs 4100 pounds in total and makes a combined 900 HP.

Prior to the Cadillac motor being installed up front a Chrysler motor found residence under the hood.

I’m not quite sure when the switch to twin v8s was done, but presumably it was tackled when Brian Hoover did the final body work.

Unlike many twin engine cars this wasn’t built as just a talking piece, Jim drives the car competitively at Good Guys Autocross events, though he admits he ususally just uses the rear motor, especially when it is hot.

I can’t say I’ve ever wanted a Hugo before but I just might take the keys to this one!

How I Almost Went Broke at The Motor City Swap Meet

By

DaveT

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Jan 14, 2016

4

The idea behind the autmotive swap meet, or sometimes called flea market, is pretty simple; bring a large group of people together who have an excessive amount of automotive related wares to sell. I had never been to one before because parts for my previous cars vehicles were fairly easy to find and quite frankly not the target demographic of most swap meets.

With the acquisition of Project ‘Why Wait?’ that all changed. Now I have a vehicle that is exactly the target market of most of the automotive swap meets in the area.

Late last year I caught wind of a swap meet held by Oshawa’s Motor City Car Club at the International Centre in Mississauga and decided to make my first swap meet experience a father son event.

The plan was simple, my wallet was in pretty rough shape from buying a house and purchasing a chassis so my main goal was to find a new hood emblem. A small not very exciting part of the overall puzzle but important none the less.

Ash is currently at the age where anything with wheels interests him, and in hindsight I should have considered this because almost as soon as we arrived he started motioning enthusiastically at all of the toys and model cars.

Now usually when myself or my wife take Ash out we don’t buy him toys simply because he demands them but since this was a special occasion, or perhaps because it was just he and I, I decided to let him get a little something namely a slightly used Gravedigger pullback toy.

He was immediately captivated by its awesomeness and spent the next half hour or so making engine noises and jumping the truck from one side of the stroller to the other while I looked at toys for myself.

I had wrongly assumed this show would strictly 1:1 cars and car parts, in reality it was a bit of everything from vintage tools to quite a variety of toys and memorabilia. I never really grew out of toys (just out of the money for toys) so the urge to drop significant amounts of money on things I didn’t really need was pretty high.

Thankfully I thought ahead and only brought a fixed amount of cash into the venue with me and left my cards in the car. This turned out to be a rare example of great forethought because almost instantly something completely unexpected caught my eye. Can you see it?

No it’s not the grill shell, hub caps, tail lights, or GMC only parking sign.

What stopped me in my tracks was this Valterra Alley Cat Skateboard. My first board was a hand me down Jinn Demon model from the same company but my best friend at the time had an Alley Cat and this took me way back to when we were both rolling down my parents driveway with not a clue how to turn or stop.

Considering its age the board was in great condition and not overly expensive. I spent more time than I should probably admit contemplating purchase but ultimately I passed.

Proud of myself for resisting the temptation of nostalgia I made my way through the rest of the show snapping a few photos here and there while telling Ash details of a few of the more interesting items on some of the sellers tables.

The Holly Super charger belowseemed to be in pretty good shape and was priced low enough for me to mentally calculate if I had enough time to go home and come back to buy it.

Sure I don’t have a motor to bolt it to but a good deal is a good deal right?

These vintage oil cans would probably look great on a shelf for decoration but I doubted my wife would have been thrilled when I put them on the mantle over the fireplace.

While taking the picture above the two gentleman struck up conversation and once I started talking about Project Why Wait we became instant friends.

As true to pretty much anyone I’ve met in the classic car community they were intently interested in a younger person taking interest in the car hobby, and more importantly classic vehicles, because they realize if the passion doesn’t get passed down it will simply die.

After chatting at length about suspension and power plant options Ash got a little antsy and we moved on, but we only moved on about ten feet or so before a collection of Tamiya models again had me regretting only bringing such a small amount of money in with me.

All of the cars looked appealing but I’ve never assembled a rally car model before so the Fiat was calling my name. However my inner nanny reminded me that I have five unopened models sitting in the closet so I pushed on and kept looking for the emblem I came for.

Amidst a pretty random table three isles away from the Tamiya collection was a near perfect condition Advance design GMC emblem, sure it’s painted and the one on my truck should be chrome but for the $25 I paid beggars can’t be choosers and I can deal with that later.

Despite lots of temptation I managed to get exactly what I needed from the swap meet and not end up with say six more models, a supercharger and skateboard from the 80s.

I’d consider that a trip well worth it and considering how much Ash enjoyed it its safe to say this swap meet won’t be my last. I hear the outdoor ones are even better as well so next time I might have to loosen the reins on my wallet just a little bit more.

Winter Wednesday: Ghost Lake

By

DaveT

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Jan 13, 2016

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Old man winter popped his head up right in time for the morning commute yesterday frustrating Ontario drivers everywhere.

The one solace we can take from an extended commute due to snow is that it means there will be a Winter Wednesday post here, and this week I’ll be sharing photos of the Dub Dynasty‘s experience with Mike McConnell’s Subaru powered Ghia in the snow.

The ‘Dynasty dudes are still shaking this car down to get it ready for a road trip to California and what better way to do that than sideways full throttle over a frozen lake?

Almost unbelievably the car didn’t get stuck once and performed flawlessly. California ain’t ready!

Theme Tuesdays: Recently Viewed – January ’16

By

DaveT

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Jan 12, 2016

0

Time to keep the Recently Viewed series rolling on into 2016. This month we’ve got a Harley Davidson Knuckle head powered car, a radial motor made of Volkswagen parts and an Aussie terror that can’t seem to keep all four wheels on the ground or make a lick of traction.

I also discovered Danny Popp’s Corvette for the first time and it’s shot up to damn near the top of my own personal list of ‘best Corvettes ever’.

WTF Friday: The Tobacco King’s Ford Galaxie 500

By

DaveT

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Jan 8, 2016

2

As I’m sure you all know I’ve had a mild obsession with Turbonique rocket pods ever since I first spotted two strapped to a vintage Fox go-kart in 2010.

It would also be fair to say that ever since I first laid eyes on the Latham ‘Axial Flow’ Supercharger going into Blair’s dodge I’ve had a similar obsession. I guess when it comes down to it I have a bit of a thing for rare, unique, unpredictable, and possibly troublesome power adders. However I never imagined my research about the two would ever intertwine.

However one night googling Latham I soon found a photo with of a Ford with a very familiar rocket pod strapped to the rear axle.

The owner of the car was Zach “Tobacco King” Reynolds, who was an heir to R.j. Reynolds tobacco money which made him wealthier beyond most of our dreams.

Like most playboys he liked to go fast, and the Turbonique method of going fast was seemingly right up his alley so he replaced the standard Galaxie differential with the 850 horsepower Rocket Drag differential from the 1967 Turbonique catalog.

To double down on ridiculous he pulled the original 390 V8 and replaced it with a 425 horse power 427 big block with a Latham supercharger on top. Rumors are this motor was good for roughly 750 horse power but there are no dyno sheets to prove these claims.

Zach died in 1967 in a plane crash (a true playboy’s death perhaps) and only about 3,700 miles were put on the car before it went into storage for quite some time.

Bouncing around the auction circuit for a brief spell as far as I can tell the car has still never been dynoed or run down the strip using the Turbonique set up so we will never quite know its full potential.

But it does look very mid sixties drag car era correct and the unique components used to build it make it one of a kind even if the rocket pod has never fired up.

More info on the car can be found here on mecumauctions.com and here on turbonique.com. There’s also this short video below:

If you want to join me down the Latham Supercharger rabbit hole the h.a.m.b is a great place to start.

Theme Tuesdays: My 10 Favourite Local Cars of 2015

By

DaveT

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Jan 5, 2016

0

Traditionally I’ve avoided doing a post like this –especially after the new year has started– because of I’ve been worried about the potential backlash that might come as a result of not including shop x’s build or so and so’s car.

But at this point in my blogging career I feel pretty comfortable that people will give me a pass or two because of the sheer variety of local cars I see in a season. Choosing ten of hundreds, isn’t at all an easy task but I think I’ve pulled together a good mix that represents most of the events I went to in 2015.

This list is of course in no particular order, and not to be too biased I’ve left feature cars past and present off the list.

Francesco’s Acura EL

In a world filled with universal flares (Clinched in particular made a killing this year) there’s something to be said for those who go the distance and use metal to widen the body of their vehicle.

Frankie’s EL has always been a very well put together build but this year the addition of a few inches of fender and quarter combined with the CCW wheels (the only of this size in Canada if I recall) really took it to the next level.

Using a combination of OEM panels and custom pieces Co-Up Autobody did a great job giving this EL some hips, and they managed to keep the negative camber event and to a minimum while doing so which plays a big part in this car looking so clean overall.

Lancia Delta Integrale HF Evo

Rare cars for 1000 Alex…

Prior to seeing this example at Cars and Coffee the Delta Integrale HF EVO is a car I’ve only ever observed through video and print. Now that I’ve seen one in person I can say that the car is in no way a let down and a perfect example of when cars were flat-out awesome straight from the factory.

The owner of this car stayed for maybe 15 minutes after I arrived so I didn’t get a chance to meet him, or chat about the car, but the expression hate to see you leave but love to see you walk away really works here.

I’m told there are a few of these in the city so this year I might have to seek them out.

Tim’s 240Z

I’m not deep into the local Datsun community by any means but I feel like Tim’s 240z popped up almost out of nowhere and quickly became everyone’s favourite car of Fitted Toronto 2015 even though it wasn’t officially entered.

Tim also did a mid-season wheel swap from the SSR wheels above and RS Wantabes below.

Choosing between two iconic wheels is very difficult but I think my preference sways a little more towards the Wats, how about you?

NV Autos 2JZ Subaru

The 2JZ could be considered the Japanese LS for its effectiveness in a variety of cars and its ability to put down tons of power without skipping a beat.

Thus this motor finds its way under the hood of many a drift car but when I heard NV Auto was putting one into a Subaru they had my full attention.

Piloted by Riley Sexsmith (one of my favourite local drivers but that is a whole separate list entirely) this car looks great, works well and sounds fantastic.

Keith’s El Camino

When I saw this ’59 El Camino at the ELTA Summer Bash I thought I was transported to California for a second. I took as many photos as I could then circled back twice more to take more because I was that enamored.

I seriously couldn’t get enough of this car and through the power of the internet the owner and I are in talks to do a feature this year.

Rob’s Pontiac Laurentian

I’ve been a fan of this car since I first saw it in 2010 which is evident by the fact that it has been the subject of two separate posts. Still I don’t think enough people get to see or appreciate this car.

Built the Canadian only designation of the Pontiac Catalina this car is a unique kustom that much like the El Camino above would look just at home in California as it does here in Canada.

Like many people on this list Rob is super talented and very humble which as trivial as it sounds goes a long way in my appreciating someones build

Phuong’s RA21 Toyota Celeica

This might not be the only RA21 Celica in Ontario (but there’s a chance it could be the only one) but it’s the only one sporting a 2UZ V8 swap under the hood.

Built by Dynamotorsports, who’s know for putting out serious turbo powerhouses, I don’t think this car was every fully finished in 2015.

Still though it is a great example of a resto modded Japanese classic and I have no doubts that it will be done next year. If the past is any indication of the future it might be a quadruple digit horse power car as well.

Brad’s Mazda Miata

Lets face it, you all knew this was going to be on this list. I am a huge LS motor fan, and like most enthusiasts a pretty big Miata fan, and this car is perhaps one of the best combinations of both to ever be put together, never mind Ontario.

I was lucky enough to see this car twice throughout the season. The first time at Importfest then a week later at Northern Showdown.

Drake then saw it at CSCS after that and shortly after appearing track side the car was taken on track where it should spend a lot of next season.

An extremely detailed oriented car for both the street and track there’s no way this car could have been left off the list.

Steve’s BMW e46

Watching Steve transition from being the owner of a great SR20 powered e30 street car to a professional level driver has been awesome and the fact that this e46 looked and performed as well as it did in its first season is incredible.

Steve is really a no half measures kind of guy and for his debut year he put everything on the table and with a dedicated group behind him he really turned a lot of heads.

Like most driver’s he’ll be making improvements to his car during the off seasons which means next year it should be an even better tire slayer.

The competition should be worried.

Mike Livia’s 1936 Ford Pick Up

I was lucky enough to see Mike’s ’36 Ford Pickup at a few shows and each time I swear it got better. The black and copper color palette works exceptionally well with the traditional styling and the flat head has all the right period correct trimmings.

The recipient of a great many accolades this year Mike is as humble as ever about his truck and always willing to talk about it, or just cars in general.

He’s also not afraid to take it to shows far and wide heck he even took it to Vanfest, a venue I totally didn’t expect to see it.

For those of you in the Detroit area he will be showing it at this year’s Autorama.

That’s the list for 2015, and the last look back Theme Tuesday for roughly 360 days, looking forward to another great year as soon as this little thing called winter blows by.

Stance Is Everything

Style Reigns Supreme: Fred Bottcher’s 57 Cadillac

Kustoms Never Die: The ’49 Ford Thunderball

The Appeal Of A Fairlady: Tim’s ’72 G Nose Datsun 240

Not Just Another LS Swap: Brad Ruiter’s Wicked Miata

Not Your Dad’s Camaro: Miro’s 1970 z28 Is Built For War

Toronto Lowriders Unite For the 10th Annual Majestics BBQ

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

Event Coverage: ImportExpo Toronto 2022

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

WTF Friday: Tons Of Potential Or Tons Of Junk?

Winter Wednesdays: Sludge Face

Theme Tuesdays: Nissan Maximas

Motorama Or Bust: Part 2

WTF Friday: Twin Motor Yugo

How I Almost Went Broke at The Motor City Swap Meet

Winter Wednesday: Ghost Lake

Theme Tuesdays: Recently Viewed – January ’16

WTF Friday: The Tobacco King’s Ford Galaxie 500

Theme Tuesdays: My 10 Favourite Local Cars of 2015

Francesco’s Acura EL

Lancia Delta Integrale HF Evo

Tim’s 240Z

NV Autos 2JZ Subaru

Keith’s El Camino

Rob’s Pontiac Laurentian

Phuong’s RA21 Toyota Celeica

Brad’s Mazda Miata

Steve’s BMW e46

Mike Livia’s 1936 Ford Pick Up