WTF Friday: Project 2005

By

-

Nov 13, 2015

Quick hit today once again courtesy of Kijiji, visually this car is a most of a Pontiac Firefly mated to a long, ant-eater like, front end one can only assume is a custom piece.

Mechanically the car uses a Beetle air-cooled power plant that “wouldn’t take much to fire up” according to the owner. The pan might come from a beetle as well but it isn’t really stated.

It’s place of origin, builder, or even a price are also not mentioned in the ad and interesting trades are considered.

Maybe this guy and the owner of the Geo Metro from a few weeks back should swap?

Theme Tuesdays: Rest In Peace George Barris

By

DaveT

-

Nov 10, 2015

0

The automotive community suffered a great loss last week with the passing of the King of the Kustomizers, George Barris. Like many my first introduction to his work came by way of the original Batmobile, but since further diving into car culture I’ve seen, and become a fan off, a lot of his other creations.

Today as sort of salute I’m going to post up a varied collection of a fraction of the cars he built, designed, or his shop had a part in creating.

I feel honored to have met him a few years ago at the Fleetwood Country Cruise In and to have seen him there again this year.

megaspeed_2013_van_super_van_1 — Start things off with the restored ‘Supervan’

megaspeed_2013_van_super_van_3 — If this van’s a rockin’…

The 'Ala Kart' is a 29 Model cab and 27 Model T bed that Barris heavily modified for Richard Peters, it won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Trophy twice and more info on it is here — The ‘Ala Kart’ is a 29 Model cab and 27 Model T bed that Barris heavily modified for Richard Peters, it won the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Trophy twice and more info on it is here

theme_rod_bathtub_buggy — As some of you well know I have a small obsession with show rods and The George Barris Bathtub buggy is one of the wildest

Until this very day I had no idea that Redd Foxx and George Barris had any connection but apparently George built this for Foxx

surfwoody — The ‘Surf Woody’ is one of several more show rods George did

munsterkoach — Several years too young to have ever watched the Munster’s I’ve only be told of the impact the Munster Coach had on-screen, many citing it as the best part of the show George didn’t design or build this or the Dragula below but they were both produced at his facility

george-barris-kitt — I wasn’t too young to watch Knight Rider (in syndication) which I did quite a bit of growing up, ridiculous show now but cool as heck when I was a kid

Sorry for the Instagram-esque picture of the rear, by the way I have instagram now @stanceiseverythingcom — I’ve seen a few interesting takes on KITT as well….

barris-kustom — Not all of George’s work was over the top, George and his brother Sam built the ‘Hirohata Merc’ cited as one of the most important customs at the time, beautiful car

gb-snakepit — The snake pit has 6 (!) Cobra Ford V8s, 2 transmissions, and 2 rear ends, it took four years to build, and theoretically makes 2000hp. It also kind of looks like a vehicle from Star Wars

This video goes through a number of his builds as well, from show rods, to the Flintsones, The Car, and a number of clean Kustoms in-between.

Obviously can’t end this post without a shot of the original Batmobile, and the man himself posing beside it, rest in peace

Humble Elegance: Ken’s Toyota Celsior

By

DaveT

-

Nov 9, 2015

0

There are some people who make building a car a very public spectacle. I’m not talking about those who share their builds in order to benefit others and get help along the way, I’m talking about people who tease endlessly and boisterously make claims that their project is going to ‘kill the game’ and ‘set the standard’.

Then there are enthusiasts who humbly put together cars outside of the public eye, and when the car is complete they don’t shy away from the spotlight but at the same time they don’t beg for it, or worse expect it.

Ken falls in the latter category. He’s been quietly building this car for the past two years and while he’s always down to talk about it –and any other car for that matter– he does so in only the humblest manner.

Born in Japan, but a Canadian resident from ten on, Ken has been a car enthusiast for most of his life.

Much like myself his passion for cars was instilled in him by his father who, despite not owning the most exotic of vehicles, thoroughly enjoyed the cars he did have and drove them in a manner we will just call ‘spiritedly’.

Once his family moved to Canada Ken’s passion shifted from four wheels to two, and for eight years he honed his flatland BMX skills to the point where he became a semi pro rider for SE Bikes Canada.

However once Ken got his licence and entered university memories of Japan, and his dad driving the Shuto kosuku, came flooding back and the 20″ was parked for an extended period of time.

Prior to the Celsior Ken owned a Civic EF, a BA Prelude, an EK Civic, very briefly a Nissan Altima and then finally a 2004 Acura TSX. After such a wide assortment of front wheel drive Japanese cars Ken felt the allure of a big body rear wheel drive sedan and decided to shift gears.

After being disappointed with the local high mileage and rust riddled Infiniti Q45 and Lexus LS400 selection a friend suggested he look abroad. Soon after looking at what his home country had to offer a 1997.5 UCF20 “eR” (euro tuned) model was on its way from Japan with less than 50,000km on the odometer and Ken’s name on the ownership.

Rolling off the Right Drive container bone stock Ken’s original plans were the infamous “wheels and a drop” we have all at one point tried to limit ourselves to.

One ride in his friends bagged Honda Accord and that all changed, UAS Aerosport bags were then fit over BC coilovers paired with Accuair Switchspeed management.

Drawn to unique modifications over go fast parts Ken took an approach similar to a traditional hot rodder when piecing the rest of the car together.

Where a traditional ‘rodder would attend local swap meets hunting for that special era correct part Ken spent his time on Yahoo Auctions and Up Garage looking for just the right period correct accessories.

His treasure hunting skills are clearly well-developed because the interior of this car is one of the most unique ever featured on Stance Is Everything.

Garson DAD accessories exist throughout including but not limited to; dash mat, cup holders, rear seat console, cushions, slippers, and pillows.

For the classic VIP touch a Garson DAD table has been installed up front and Jaguar table has been retrofitted for the rear.

Putting the car over the top is Ken’s use of accessories from the OEM Toyota catalog. Did you know that rear ottomans were a factory option for this car? Neither did I, but Ken has them in addition to illuminated Celsior door sills and a factory accessory seat hanger.

The lace seat covers are also, almost unbelievably, a rare factory option as well.

Despite the fact that he literally steps on them every time he drives Ken also paid mind to the cars pedals.

Lorinser pieces cover the dead, gas, brake pedals and a Pittura unit covers the foot actuated e brake.

On the outside of the car Ken maintained the factory two-tone but updated it a bit with a Silkblaze front lip.

An Aimgain front grill removes the Toyota emblem and really lets the front end speak for itself.

TOM’s side skirts join the party along with a TOM’s rear bumper. A parking pole has also been installed to truly complete the imported from Japan look.

Ken admits he’s a bit of a wheel fanatic with his last car seeing ten sets, and this one on its fourth already.

With every set of wheels Ken has paid careful attention not to go too aggressive despite the numbers game going on in some parts of the VIP and LS400/Celsior communities.

Opting not to run the risk of distorting the factory body lines, or worse creating the dreaded bacon fender, Ken only selects wheels that will play nice with his flawless bodywork.

Looking at how well the current 19 x8.5 +26 and 19×9.5 +34 Autocouture Crescent wheels fit it’s impossible to argue with his selection criteria, even when he does admit that he is looking to make the set square at some point in the future.

With the suspension, wheels, bumpers, and interior all upgraded the last thing to do on Ken’s list was upgrade the factory lighting.

Previously being a local retrofit source these lighting upgrades came easy and in no time flat HID projectors were fit into the factory housings along with extremely bright angel eyes paired with LED RGB demon eyes.

The front turn signals are now also LED units as are the rear tail lights which have the ability to dance when given the right beat.

Never one to stop collecting, or tinkering Ken is looking to get a new front lip for the car before this season is done in addition to the aforementioned pair of slightly more aggressive wheels.

However of late the itch to work on a Toyota Century has made itself known. Will this car soon make way for another iconic VIP platform? Only time will tell!

Modification List

Suspension:

BC Racing Coilovers & UAS Aero Sport bags
Megan rear camber kit
Accuair Switchspeed management
Accuair VU4 manifold
Air Zenith OB2 compressors
Air Zenith 5 gallon tank
SMC water traps
Zaetech Digigauge
Zaetech TouchBox

Lighting:

Custom retrofitted projector head lights with angel eyes & RGB LED demon eyes
Custom retrofitted LED front turn signal
Custom retrofitted LED tail lights with dancing mode
Philips licence plate LEDs
OEM Toyota Celsior front corner bumper pole

Exterior:

Aimgain front grille
Silkblaze front lip
TOM’s side skirts
TOM’s rear bumper
Roof spoiler

Interior:

Garson DAD Dash mat
Garson DAD Cup holder
Garson DAD Front table
Garson DAD Potato holders
Garson DAD Rear seat console
Garson DAD Opera lights
Garson DAD Blanket
Garson DAD Cushion
Garson DAD Slippers
Garson DAD Trunk box
Garson DAD Floor mats
Retrofitted Jaguar rear tables
OEM Toyota Celsior lace seat covers
OEM Toyota Celsior seat hanger
OEM Toyota rear ottomans
Illuminating Celsior door sills
Silkblaze sport steering wheel
Lorinser gas / brake / dead pedal covers
Pittura parking brake pedal cover

Wheels:

Autocouture Crescent wheels 19 x8.5 +26 / 19×9.5 +34 with 235/35/19 & 245/35/19

***stock front & rear fenders with no roll / shave / pull***

WTF Friday: Scrapratlou

By

DaveT

-

Nov 6, 2015

1

In a recent cruise by S10 Forum for some WTF Friday content I came across a link to @scrapratlou’s instagram account and was instantly amazed at just how far outside the lines Lou has coloured building this truck.

Starting with a $200 C10 ‘Scrap Rat’ quickly chopped the top fairly significantly, and crafted a visor made from the leading edge of a what I assume to be a different c10 hood.

With similar ingenuity he made a grill out of what looks like the centre of a tailgate section from yet another c10.

The creative thinking doesn’t stop there, the floor is made up entirely of license plates, literal bench seats are used as seating, wrenches are used as pedals, and a light switch controls the headlights.

View this post on Instagram

@mikeybenevides

A post shared by Scrapratlou (@scrapratlou) on Aug 7, 2015 at 2:15pm PDT

I’m sure you also noticed the protrusion from the hood in the second photo that pushes a turbo right in the view of the driver.

View this post on Instagram

#turbo #ratrod #c10 #chevy #squarebody #rattruck #scraprat getting closer

A post shared by Scrapratlou (@scrapratlou) on Dec 16, 2014 at 5:48am PST

The kit which was apparently originally for a small block runs through a quadrajet carb that Lou claims isn’t exactly happy about the idea of boost but does work overall.

The plumbing seems to be a mis-mash of oem (flipped headers) and custom made components and incase of emergancy there’s a telephone under hood.

View this post on Instagram

Working on the #exhaust system on the #turbo #rattruck #ratrod #c10 #squarebody #chevy #scraprat #truck

A post shared by Scrapratlou (@scrapratlou) on Dec 23, 2014 at 3:51pm PST

The truck really is one of the oddest, craziest, and most peculiar builds I have ever seen, but the owner seems to be having a lot of fun with it so it is hard to fault him.

View this post on Instagram

#turbo #chevy #c10 #squarebody #rattruck #ratrod #scraprat #burnout

A post shared by Scrapratlou (@scrapratlou) on Aug 12, 2015 at 4:15am PDT

I will say however that I have absolutely no idea how this car is registered to drive on the street but I’ll leave that problem in the hands of the Connecticut Police Department.

Dark Shadow: Gary Donker’s ’95 Ranger

By

DaveT

-

Nov 5, 2015

1

Being one of the most well-known Rangers to come out of Ontario Gary’s truck really needs no introduction. It’s appeared here in event coverage several times over, and been featured by a few other noteworthy media outlets.

About a week ago Rob Anzit, of Basic Builds, got some one-on-one time with the truck and produced the photos posted today.

Though it may be hard to believe looking at this truck completed, originally Gary didn’t plan to take his Ranger to the level you see today.

At CSCS a few years ago he mentioned that the truck was purchased “finished” as something to drive while he worked on a different project.

But, like most of us once he started making changes the desire to keep going took over and one thing led into another, which led into yet another, until he ended up with the truck he has today.

That truck is of course a bagged, bodied, suicide door equipped beauty.

Underneath the face lifted 2011 body work sits a Ford Racing engine that in addition to generating mean burn outs sends this truck down the quarter-mile in and around 14 seconds.

Under the motor sits an s10 front clip mated to a custom chassis that is capped off with a very unique, and very custom 3 link.

The deep, immaculately maintained black paint is contrasted by billet Intro Vista 22×8 and 22×10 wheels and a custom red interior.

The interior features a smoothed dash, a billet wheel, Classic Instruments gauges and the prerequisite ample stereo.

The pinstriping you see on the door jabs, inner fenders, and tailgate was handled by the talented, and previously spotlighted, Christian Melchoir.

To round out this photo set Rob shot a few pictures with model Chelsea Spina along with a short video.

As always be sure to follow Basic Builds on Facebook and Instagram.

Theme Tuesdays: Paint Ain’t Dead Pt. 1

By

DaveT

-

Nov 3, 2015

2

The popularity of rubberzied coating (aka plastidip) and vinyl wraps has given birth to the widely used hash tag #paintisdead. While I don’t take as much offence to this hash-tag as some others I will say that I truly to disagree.

Vinyl and dip are fine, and often do look good, but paint isn’t dead. To prove this here are some of the best paint jobs I’ve seen in person and found on-line.

2014-reunited-car-show-chilango-64-2 — No post about paint is truly complete without mentioning Ruben’s Chilango ’64 and it’s Kandy and Chrome paint job

chilango_under_carriage_1 — From firewall to frame this car is a piece of art

rollerz-only-autumn-bbq-2015-chilango-2 — The roof is perhaps my favourite part, you really only know how incredible it is when you get close

majestics-luxurious-2015-bbq-17 — Flake, droplets, shadowing, does it really get any better?

northern-showdown-2015-cover-truck-1 — Minitruckers have been known to have wild paint for years and this truck from Northern Showdown 2015 has some of the craziest I’ve seen

northern-showdown-2015-cover-truck-2 — My favourite thing about this truck and Ruben’s car is that they both get driven regularly

BATB_2014-356 — Even more mini truck style airbrushing can be seen on this truck from Battle At The Bridge

BATB_2014-513 — From Marvel characters to Johnny Cash this truck has a bit of everything, and it is everywhere

BATB_2014-361 — An art canvas on wheels really

BATB_2014-425 — Mike and Jesse did an absolutely killer job on the roof of the Dub Dynasty Ghia and they did it all with rattle cans!

1969-vw-karmann-ghia-ghia-subaru-swap-16 — Turned out damn near perfect too

1964-karmann-ghia — Another Ghia with a wicked colour palette and great roof treatment

motorama-2015-elta-instigator-pymouth-comet-1-dt — The Plymouth Coment known as “The Instigator” really caught my eye at Motorama

motorama-2015-elta-instigator-pymouth-comet-2-dn — Funny at the time I had no idea what the East London Timing Association was

motorama-2015-elta-instigator-pymouth-comet-4-dt — I think this car is actually up for sale currently, or was

bloodymary2_1 — Moving on from cars myself or contributors have seen in person here’s the Bloody Mary II. Perfect era correct marble paint that emulates the original

paint2watson — Speaking of era correct here’s a Larry Watson inspired number

paint8 — K-Daddyz Kustomz paint jobs can only be described in one word, insane

paint10 — Japan, everything we do to the extreme

paint3 — I kind of really like split bumper Camaro lowriders

paint4 — It’s far from the normal approach for these cars which is probably why I like it

paint7 — I’ve been this particular Camaro build on and off on Los Boulevardos for the past year or so, he’s been doing everything right

paint6 — It also very recently got an awesome paint job, which you can see a walk around of below

jae — Los Boulevardos also produced this gem for today’s post

paint12 — Vango is an amazing piece of work with incredible paint work and an awesome wood interior

paint13 — The subtle use of colour while still being really “kustom” is what sells this car for me

paint1 — This post simply wouldn’t be complete without a Winfield fade and that’s where I’ll end Part 1, because this theme is sure to be back again

Event Coverage: Canibeat’s First Class Fitment 2015

By

DaveT

-

Oct 29, 2015

2

Founded in 2010 Canibeat’s First Class Fitment has become of the most highly anticipated shows among the aggressive fitment community. Some events use “Quality over quantity” as almost a cliché excuse for a small turnout, at a small venue, but at First Class Fitment quality is indeed priority number one.

Weeks leading up to the event social media is flooded with the #fcfprep hash tag as people ready their cars for the show after making it past the stringent acceptance processes.

While the show car field is limited, and curated, First Class Fitment is by no means a small show.

Looking at the aerial shot above you have to wonder if that many people made it in, how many people applied in total?

I by no means to I envy those who are tasked with whittling down the field.

Even the parking lot surrounding the show could be considered an event in and of itself.

The journey to FCF is a bit of a haul for Greater Toronto Area residents but those who have gone once typically return year after year and Michael Branco of MB Fotografi –aka the man behind the lens of today’s post– is one such example. He has been going to the show the last few years without fail.

He wasn’t the only Canadian in attendance fellow Canadians from Quebec joined along with Stance Is Everything familiar faces Mathew Barrada and Steve Luangpakdy.

The crew from StillSteezy.com also ventured forth along with the Fitted Lifestyle staff and local Ruckus shop Mini Moto Lab.

Not being there myself, during the weekend of October 17th I found myself creeping the #fcf2015 hashtag throughout the day and I was seriously impressed by a number of builds at the show.

Especially those that were less than common platforms, luckily Mike has an eye for those as well.

Like any other event the last few years FCF was full of widebody equipped cars in several different flavors.

Some with off the shelf kits and others with custom one-off renditions.

This BMW had to be one of the widest and wildest at the show. I highly suspect barrels as lips here!

Those who like their camber in excess need not look far at FCF because there was camber in abundance.

While this look isn’t for everyone, there’s something to be said for those dedicated enough to pull it off. Also I feel that it looks infinitely better when the front and rear camber match and the camber flows with the body lines.

The RX-8 on VIP Modular wheels below is a great example of what I’m talking about.

For wheel aficionados FCF was the place to be. Classic and refinished or brand spankin’ new there were plenty of high quality wheels at the show, often sitting in front of equal quality big brake kits.

Despite the cold weather a few models (or at least one model) braved the cold and swirling winds throughout the air field.

The European crowd was very well represented at FCF, first with a variety of Porsche models both new and old.

As well as a BMW offerings too.

And of course their were plenty of cars bearing the four Audi rings or Volkswagen badge.

The Audi TT below particularly caught my eye in Mike’s photos, the exterior is fairly simply executed, slammed on gorgeous BBS RS wheels.

The interor was also stand out with the unique green leather, wood grain nardi, and dialed air management set-up.

My personal favorite euro of the show however had to be the Sinisbuilt MKI Rabbit.

I’ve been following Tom Clark (@Sinisbuilt) for sometime now –his bagged Foxbody Mustang Pacecar is one of favorite Mustangs of all time– and watching his MKI Rabbit build come together the last year has been a real treat.

Similar to his Mustang the car is incredibly clean bumper to bumper, and has an engine bay you could eat from.

He also expertly refinished these 15″ Elipson wheels, and made custom center caps for them since his were missing and they are long out of production.

Switching away from euro cars another one of my favorite builds at the show, and one extremely popular non social media, was Matt Begley (@__SQUUAAD__)’s turbo LSX C10.

This truck doesn’t just look good, it makes over 1000 horsepower and works very, very well.

View this post on Instagram

Probably the best way to end the week at h2oi with all my homies? Always a good time seeing everyone from all over the globe and meeting more awesome people. Until next year OCMD✌️#h2oi #h2oi2015 #turbolsx #bodydropped #bagged #c10 #1000hpclub #thegovernorsclub #videobyLJ #gnarkill #syckphat

A post shared by Renegade Hot Rods (@__squuaad__) on Oct 5, 2015 at 9:39am PDT

While I’m going to wind down the text here you can find more of Mike’s First Class Fitment coverage below and on his Facebook page.

Maybe next year I’ll be more kind to my wallet and save some money near the end of the season to make the trip out!

Theme Tuesdays: Uncommon Subarus

By

DaveT

-

Oct 27, 2015

5

The matte green SVX I posted on Facebook (and below) as a teaser for upcoming coverage from Canibeat’s First Class Fitment lit the torch for this week’s Theme Tuesday that sent me to all corners of the internet.

This week’s post isn’t as deep as some, but hopefully the obscure variety of Subarus in this post that are not that are not Legacys, Outbacks, or Imprezas makes up for it.

oddballsubaru14 — Picking a starting point for a post like this is a little hard so how about a render of an early first generation Subaru

This '75 isn't all that low but Imagine it were? — This ’75 isn’t all that low but Imagine it were?

oddballsubaru16 — From what I can gather these rusted out something fierce which would explain why they were hard to find modified

oddballsubaru17 — They look pretty damn cool though…

oddballsubaru5 — The only Justy I ever saw in person was fairly unsafe, but a heck of a fun beater, this one looks safe and pretty neat actually

oddballsubaru13 — And this particular Justy was a salt flat racer, it managed 123.224, and it did so on a 1L motor due to class requirements

oddballsubaru12 — This Brat was featured on Speedhunters and it wears its battle scars with pride

oddballsubaru15 — Couldn’t resist including this one… even if it is lifted, that flex!

oddballsubaru3 — A subject of a magazine feature a few years back this Subaru 360 Van is fairly well-known

oddballsubaru6 — I can’t for the life of me remember what’s in this 360 Van but I know it isn’t stock

Here's another 360, or perhaps even the same one at an earlier stage? — Here’s another 360, bit of a ’70s custom van vibe here, and wheelie bars out back suggest something with some power

Japan Delivering like only Japan can with this 360 hot rod built by Soul Art N Rod

Here's a rear shot courtesy of Speedhunters — Here’s a rear shot courtesy of Speedhunters

oddballsubaru4 — Pocket Rocket 360, again from Japan and again from Speedhunters

oddities_15_360 — Can’t recall where I grabbed this one from, some obscure post about Japanese cars no doubt

oddballsubaru8 — One last bit of fun from Japan in the form of a Kei truck

oddballsubaru11 — And now an SVX onslaught

oddballsubaru10 — This is actually a drift car, and a very good-looking one at that

oddballsubaru9 — In the event you didn’t believe me

oddballsubaru1 — I believe this was the worlds first bagged SVX

FCF15-subaru-svx — Whether or not this is the same one I’ve yet to determine

oddballsubaru2 — Close things out with this awesome Baja owned by @wheelandtorque

WTF Friday: Triked Out

By

DaveT

-

Oct 23, 2015

1

Trikes and WTF Friday posts are a match made in heaven, but it’s been quite some time since the last (2JZ powered) trike was posted. Today’s isn’t as creatively powered but it is equally strange.

The Geo Metro shell that serves as the body for this motorized tricycle has been chopped, channelled, shortened and narrowed to make an interesting looking one seater.

Fabrication wise the work looks to be done fairly well, and powering this little three-wheeler is a 1999 Harley Davidson V twin EV80 motor mated to a Subaru Transmission.

This combination suggests the builder was pretty knowledgeable and perhaps this wasn’t his first time doing such a thing.

Before the project was abandoned it received a somewhat questionable paint job, but again it appears to be well done.

It’s never been ridden (driven?) because it isn’t quite done but apparently all the parts needed for completion are there. If you’d like to take a stab at completing the project is currently up for sale for $4000 in Redding CA

The People’s Champ: Taylor’d Customs ’59 Beetle

By

DaveT

-

Oct 21, 2015

4

It’s been two years since both the last time a Volkswagen Beetle was featured on the Stance Is Everything, and the last time a Taylor’d Customs build was featured, which is far too long for either.

The “People’s Car” is no stranger to the Taylor stable with at least two —and sometimes three— kicking around the shop at any one time. Near constant exposure to bugs is what birthed the idea for this particular car which Blair admits he has been wanting to build for a while.

This German model was found in Colorado by Blair’s dad and originally the plan was a quick refresh and a mild drop.

However with the car being as clean as it was things snowballed slightly to the point where ‘mild drop’ is perhaps the most inappropriate combination of words that can be used to describe the ride height of this car.

To bring the rust free pan closer to the ground first an adjustable 4″ narrowed beam was installed and set at its lowest position. In the rear new notched spring plates were used, again set to be the lowest possible.

Riding low is nothing new to Blair, but riding low static was a bit of an adjustment and ironically the only place he’s high sided the car is his own driveway.

Since that day air shocks have been installed and a hand pump has come along for the ride just in case.

The unique, pea soup reminiscent color on the car was actually chosen by the previous owner and instead of sanding it down and getting it sprayed something more traditional Blair had the guys at Royalty Auto Spa polish it out to its current luster.

The first time I saw the car under the shop lights I wasn’t quite sure about the color myself, but Blair always had faith so he had the trunk and hood painted to match before choosing the white and green color palate for the interior.

Along with the fresh Wolfsburg West interior the ’59 received a new headliner and exterior brightwork.

New window seals and highly coveted pop out windows where also added and the car also features working semaphore signals. Rare items that die-hard Beetle fans are sure to be jealous about.

The front bumper was retained but in the rear Blair left the bumper in the shop. The smooth rear end helps emphasize perhaps the major talking point of this build, the rear camber.

The -9.5 degrees per wheel is necessary to tuck the 8″ wide steel wheels bolted to the back of the car. These wheels are a combination of factory centers and aftermarket hoops welded together by Blair with the help of Stony at Oddball Kustoms.

The front wheels are currently stock width but plans to widen them are set for the not too distant future.

With so much rear camber the toe is, as you would expect, quite a bit out of factory spec but with tires being a very moderate $50 a piece Blair isn’t too fussed about tread-ware.

Besides with the factory 36 horsepower 1100cc motor urging the car along from the rear it isn’t exactly a tire roaster.

Still despite the sub 40 horsepower rating the car is still very drive-able and does manage to get up to and maintain highway speed just fine, it just takes a bit of time to get there.

Though it’s the newest build in the Taylor’d Customs fleet this Beetle has already become quite the favorite.

It’s said that everything is for sale, and the ’57s recent trip overseas proves that, I don’t see this car going anywhere few a few years. Or at least not until a few more of his ideas roll out of the shop…

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: Project 2005

Theme Tuesdays: Rest In Peace George Barris

Humble Elegance: Ken’s Toyota Celsior

Modification List

Suspension:

Lighting:

Exterior:

Interior:

Wheels:

WTF Friday: Scrapratlou

Dark Shadow: Gary Donker’s ’95 Ranger

Theme Tuesdays: Paint Ain’t Dead Pt. 1

Event Coverage: Canibeat’s First Class Fitment 2015

Theme Tuesdays: Uncommon Subarus

WTF Friday: Triked Out

The People’s Champ: Taylor’d Customs ’59 Beetle