If you're like me and subscribe to the philosophy that real rides are built and not bought, chances are you've got something pretty cool kicking around your garage. So let's see them!! Post your ride, your plans, and progress.

Mine's kinda a long story sorry.


P1080408 by itsbudda, on Flickr
_{I hope to replace the hood very soon to get rid of that ridiculous scoop the previous owner installed. It's not even mounted correctly, and he cut a gaping hole under it, so it just rains all over the engine bay.}

My current project is a 1991 Dodge Spirit ES turbo. Codename, Zombie Curry, the named derived from the steering wheel's tendency to make a sexual moaning sound whenever turned.

The previous owners, and myself all have alot of work into this car. It came to me with a full 2.5 inch exhaust, front mount intercooler, new racing clutch and pressure plate, Stage 3 computer with +20% injectors. Back in 2009, I upgraded the turbo to a garrett, added the TurboXS RFL blow off valve, put a high flow Walbro fuel pump, and had it boosting at 12-14psi. The car was often a reliability nightmare, and popped the headgasket twice (later found to have a warped head i had to get shaved .08in) and developed some serious drivability issues around the fuel injector circuit that I was attempting to diagnose, until the headgasket and timing belt both ended up going within 2 weeks of each other. Spent the next few months working on it, put it back together only for it not to start. Completely out of money, I gave up and abandoned the car. It has very minimal rust for a car this age so I decided to hold onto it, just in case.


<sub>rebuilt Garrett T03 Turbo prior to installation


What the engine bay looked like circa 2009.


Fuck yeah luxury</sub>


P1080058 by itsbudda, on Flickr
_{Nice and clean somehow after 21
winters.}
Fast forward 2 years, my Taurus SHO died, leaving me with 2 dead cars, so once again it seemed fit to work my ass off on one of them, and the spirit was the one I have experience with, so I started tinkering with the timing, and managed to get the car to fire. With some fine tuning, I now had it running really well, and strangely all of the previous issues are just gone. Sadly it was puking oil from the turbo oil feed (got stripped) and the oil pan gasket had somehow been ripped into shreds. Fixed the gasket, and currently all I'm waiting on to have the engine running again is an oil line that should arrive probably tomorrow. Also waiting on some titlework to get done before I can plate it.


P1080056 by itsbudda, on Flickr
_{The engine bay now. Waiting to replace that silver line that's wrapped around all stupid and attach the intake.}

Meanwhile inside, I found a nest of dead mice in the air conditioning fan. Found out when I tested the fan. Blew a shit ton of fur and dust directly in my face. Fucking gross. I about had a panic attack. Wasn't fun to clean that up either.

_{If there's a hell, I imagine it looks similar to this.}

My current plans for it now are just to get it back on the road, see how it does, and keep the boost around 11psi, and later crank it back up to 14 Then probably start making it less shitty (fix the windows and such.)



P1080407 by itsbudda, on Flickr
_{After some sanding, painting some primer over it later this evening}

EDIT: TADA!!!! $12 Worth the rattlecan primer later


P1080409 by itsbudda, on Flickr


Anyway, post up your rides, share ideas and such

always giggled at the old chrysler joystick radios, buddy had one in an 88 fifth avenue, that thing had the interior decor of a casket

I actually like that. Should be a hell of a sleeper.

Right now, I have, sitting in my grandmother's garage, untouched for near on 2 years, a 1977 Jaguar XJ-6L named Elizabeth. I've got plenty of ideas, but no free time or spare money. So she sits, for now, but at least she's under a roof.

What she looked like the day I drug her home (for $200).

click to view

click to view

click to view

Pretty much everything is there...The only thing not included that I've found so far have been the front and back bumpers and the hood ornament. Stock Jag 6 cylinder, won't run, unknown electrical problems (surprise!).

About the only thing I've done so far has been what I can do for free. I've assembled the parts that came with the car, but weren't on it, just so I could see what it looked like, and started to get the engine ready to pull.



I'm not even messing with that. Eventually, it'll get the Chevy small-block swap (though hopefully with something a little different than every other 350, maybe a 327 or 400.) And, if I'm feeling particularly adventurous, I'd love to swap a stick shift into it, but I haven't found a kit for that so it would be a pain. We'll see.

Stock body and interior but sbc swapped Jags are dime a dozen, so I'm going to go full-on rat rod with this baby. Lowered a couple inches, stock steel rims powder coated gloss red with chrome bullet lug nuts. Satin black paint with gloss red, white pinstriped scallops coming off all 4 headlights, probably some red and white pinstriping elsewhere. Cherry bomb exhaust that exits just in front of the rear wheels. The inside of the hood will be painted red and white checkerboard...The engine will have old school Mickey Thompson valve covers. The interior will have bright red leather seats and a headliner made from these shirts. The dashboard is stock woodgrain, I'm debating whether to leave it as it is, refinish it, or make a new dashboard (perhaps out of used, ratty skateboard decks).

If it comes out looking anything like it does in my head, I'll be thrilled.

The garage it's stored in isn't heated (and has no way to be heated), so I haven't been touching it in the winters, hopefully this summer I'll have some free time to at least pull the engine and transmission, but I'll have no money as I'm saving for my wedding.

EDIT: coding

Lookin' good, Budda.

Although I will miss being able to hear the SHO.

Restoring a 1953 Dodge M37 right now. just got my frame and some other parts back from paint! Looking good, now to put it back together...

What I started with:


Freshly Sand blasted:




Frame in Paint!!!

I always have about 700 projects on the go.

The 2 current ones...

A '52 Beetle from the first shipment of VWs to Canada. Previous owner saved it from the crusher in 1967, and it's been sitting ever since. This is how I found it in his yard:




The barn it was stored in fell on it, hence the crushed in roof.

So far I have fixed the crushed in roof and got all 4 wheels turning... but I've only had it since mid April.







And the other project is a 2000 Golf which I'm making into a P2 class rally car.
Put a new engine in it, gutted it, etc.





Just waiting on my rollcage guy now. For about a year.

I have an awesome roll cage guy but its big bucks


That 2.0 needs moar neuspeed boltons

Posted by bandi I always have about 700 projects on the go. The 2 current ones... A '52 Beetle from the first shipment of VWs to Canada. Previous owner saved it from the crusher in 1967, and it's been sitting ever since. This is how I found it in his yard: http://i104.photob...shots/585dbbf4.jpg http://i104.photob...shots/30ae8f0c.jpg The barn it was stored in fell on it, hence the crushed in roof. So far I have fixed the crushed in roof and got all 4 wheels turning... but I've only had it since mid April. http://i104.photob...shots/3c4f0c20.jpg http://i104.photob...shots/a94ce919.jpg And the other project is a 2000 Golf which I'm making into a P2 class rally car. Put a new engine in it, gutted it, etc. http://i104.photob...shots/db0c2ece.jpg http://i104.photob...shots/4aa5b449.jpg Just waiting on my rollcage guy now. For about a year.

Your split window is called a Zwitter by collectors. It was the only model with an oval dash but still had the split window. Also the only split to use aluminum trim around the rear windows. March 10 1953 was the last split window beetle made. And the world was never the same. Great job on the roof.

After 35 years I let my '51 sunroof project go last year. It was not on the original pan. Got good money for it, rare sunroof model 11G. Needed massive resto, so it was the right thing to do.

I'm a big fan of Bandi's Golf rally car. Loving the stripes.

That's a surprisingly clean Beetle. How's the underbody?

Posted by yokes I'm a big fan of Bandi's Golf rally car. Loving the stripes.

Agreed. Can't wait 'till it's up and racing.

Posted by budda That's a surprisingly clean Beetle. How's the underbody?

When we dragged it out of the woods I thought it was losing bits of floor....turns out it was just the rust-proofing crumbling off....to reveal shiny floor pans!

That beetle needs a wood gasifier to clone it as a ww2 german car. It would certainly be unique...

Posted by A. Lien Your split window is called a Zwitter by collectors. It was the only model with an oval dash but still had the split window. Also the only split to use aluminum trim around the rear windows. March 10 1953 was the last split window beetle made. And the world was never the same. Great job on the roof.

Yep, it's German for hermaphrodite! Has a bunch of unique parts that are Zwitter only and luckily, most of them are there... even the very elusive dome light!

When I first looked at it 5 years ago I had no idea what a Zwitter was, but then when I looked at the car again in January I thought "wait... oval dash!"

The roof went way better than expected- I actually just laid down in the back seat and pushed up with my feet very slightly, then used a bodywork hammer and a piece of wood sanded to the curve of the roof and just dollyed it out ever so slightly.

Posted by bandi Yep, it's German for hermaphrodite! Has a bunch of unique parts that are Zwitter only and luckily, most of them are there... even the very elusive dome light! When I first looked at it 5 years ago I had no idea what a Zwitter was, but then when I looked at the car again in January I thought "wait... oval dash!" The roof went way better than expected- I actually just laid down in the back seat and pushed up with my feet very slightly, then used a bodywork hammer and a piece of wood sanded to the curve of the roof and just dollyed it out ever so slightly.

what is it with beetles and barns falling on them?
that was how my friends' 1972 Super Beetle left this universe... a barm fell on it during an abnormally bad winter.

it took an International Scout II with it.

Yes, I can't wait for Team Bandi to be in the 2015 Oregon Trail Rally

Posted by yokes I'm a big fan of Bandi's Golf rally car. Loving the stripes.

Maybe I'm mistakenly recalling this, but wasn't that Golf originally yours?

Posted by Samurai what is it with beetles and barns falling on them? that was how my friends' 1972 Super Beetle left this universe... a barm fell on it during an abnormally bad winter. it took an International Scout II with it.

Lol. I had a '66 Beetle in my possession that had a barn fall on it also.

Posted by budda That's a surprisingly clean Beetle. How's the underbody?

Underneath the undercoating- SHINY. I was in awe.

How did I miss like 120 messages in this thread after mine?