We unravel a story about an AE86 part while prepping the Trueno for paint.
The TRD wing idea worked out perfectly; it all spawned from having Barry over to gap the panels before we permanently added the hinges and how we would try to make the TRD wing look like it was added from the factory, bonding it on to make the perfect fit was exceptional. These photos are from the excellent weather we had in June last year. It killed me driving up and down to Jdmdistro and then on to work on this, but looking back, Im delighted I committed to the mission; it is all the little things that take forever, but as always, I trusted the process with Barry and Jackie who were always enthusiastic about things related to this car.
Enjoy some photos from that month: Tip led, filling the gaps on the roof, collecting the Goodline bumper and painting the hinges, figuring out the perfect fit for the wing, and Dylan’s virgin S13 purchase; this was a good month!
We get carried away trying to create the perfect TRD wing for the back of the AE86 and Barry Gaps the 86.
The quarter panel repair was one of the most deflating parts of the 86 build. I knew I was in great hands with the lads, but it felt like a massive step back; we had got the car into the primer, and progress was chugging along, but it was utterly overwhelming to see the entire side of the vehicle hacked off. As much as it bummed me out knowing this needed tackling, I didn’t let it get to me.
The AE86 progress takes a step backwards as we replace the rear 1/4 panel.
Here is a little photo dump from our Nightride trip in December. This was a random mission, but it was such a blast. Seeing the Nightride set up and hanging out with the guys for a few days was incredible. It was nice to see a different perspective on things. The journey was a mission and a half, and the Essen Motor Show was a little treat. I made new friends out of this and memories that will last forever. I can’t wait to return to Poland. Im sure you have all seen the video, so I’ll let this little photo dump do the rest.
After helping Sam buy his Dream AE86, I hung out with the Nightride guys in Poland for a week to see their slice of the car world.
This was such a fun experience. Sam from Nightride reached out and asked me to help him find an AE86. He told me it had been his dream car for a long time and that they were scarce in Poland, so naturally, I had to help out. I, too, share the love for these cars and know what it’s like to chase the dream, so I went looking, and this popped up for the right price, exceptionally cheaper than the market value.
You’ve probably seen the videos by now as Im playing catch-up with the content, but I did this little shoot after we cleaned it up as photos I could send to Sam to get him excited about the purchase. On a rare winter sunny day, I took the car to the end of our business park and grabbed these photos, which I’ll leave below. The Trueno is such a charming little car, and this thing inspired me to get cracking with my build.
We buy an AE86 Trueno for Sam from Nightride and join them on a European road trip.
This stuff doesn’t happen enough anymore, not with my generation of friends. Back in 2010 ish, this was an every weekend occupancy; we were surrounded by the best of cars, which we 100% took for granted at the time. We were all parked up with the best chassis, and the country was flooded with high-quality imports; it wasn’t uncommon to see a sight like this in every town up and down Ireland. Unfortunately, the recession came, and so did the end of days like this; cars were broken for parts, most people emigrated, and whatever was left was locked away in sheds.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to make it to last year’s AE86 festival. A close friend was getting married, and there was no way out. Instead, our friend Adam Osborne was there to capture the day with Flip and Josh on the video camera. I wish I could’ve been, as it’s probably one of the best days out, and that’s not being biased toward my favourite chassis; it’s just a decent day filled with a very high percentage of good machines. I’ll let Adams Photo Gallery do much of the talking here, as there are plenty of really nice photos for the eyes. We are fortunate to have such a vibrant AE86 scene here in Ireland.
I am screaming at a few hundred people to let them know the burgers are ready. This was a lovely day out, the JUicebox BBQ, which is essentially a day of thanking everyone we have met over the years for keeping the Irish car scene going and all the friends and acquaintances we got to know through this car stuff. Our friend Adam Osborne was kind enough to shoot all these photos from the day, as we have a million things going on, so it’s hard to document and organise the event. I hope you enjoy his selection of snaps below; he has an excellent eye for capturing delicious images. I’ll let the rest of the photos do the talking.
For some reason, I didn’t take as many photos of the car in this state as expected. I was mainly shocked to see it look like this after so many years of looking the same. It felt like it wasn’t mine; the only indication was the dented eyelid covers with the original paint. I had waited years to see the car in this silhouette, and when it finally happened, it was like I wasn’t ready for it.
Jackie bolted all the panels on because he reckoned it the safest place for them; you can see the 1/4 looking a little crumpled in this picture, but looking past this, the beautiful silhouette of the car was finally revealed, the arches the simplistic look of the car, finally things were starting to take shape. I took the same photo four or five times from each angle, but I didn’t have much to say that night; I just stood back to admire one of my all-time favourite shapes. I love the trueno version of the hatch as I feel that’s the best balance for these cars. Don’t get me wrong, I love a Levin hatch, but something about that Trueno hatch does it for me.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, delaying this content slightly is excellent for the brain, even if it is a year later. Im always living in the moment with this resto, and it takes looking back at these photos to see how far we have come. These photos are from this time last year, November 2022, when Jackie was deep in trying to chase the straightest panels on this car.
I had every faith in him; we have been friends for many years, and he has been at this craft for 18-plus years since he was 16 years old. I was fascinated to see the techniques he had picked up since the last time I had seen him in action: a light skim of filler on the panel, followed by large sanding blocks to block the car essentially; the big block would find all the high and low spots to try to give the straightest panels possible, probably better than how this thing rolled out of the factory.