In this episode, we update you on the AE86, enjoy some misery with the March, and have fun with a Rusty Micra.
Jumping over 4A-GE’s and the Trueno wiring begins. There is plenty of immature action in this episode, with some interesting information about AE86 production numbers.
Let’s take a closer look at Kevin’s AE86 from the last video. We were lucky the sun came out that day to show off its incredible blue paint. Kevin had been building this car for over seven years and had just picked it up a couple of days before we called out to visit. He was very eager to show me the Levin. Continue Reading
A Hidden shed Tour! We take a look at a freshly built AE86 Levin and a shed full of Japanese classics.
I’m very fortunate to work in a place that imports parts from Japan. It’s as much a blessing as it is a curse. Most of our monthly wages never really leave JDM Distro but working here has enabled me to source some of the best parts for my AE86 build over the last few years.
Being able to drop parts at the depot in Japan was once in a lifetime stuff. Here was a Goodline 86 hood, which I had listed after for many, many years. We barely snugged it into the back of the Alphard and drove halfway across Japan to drop it off just outside of Tokyo.
YES! Parts and magazines Arrive at JDM Distro from our Japan in a Van trip, making it one of the best days ever at work.
Here are some photos from the time we drove down to Group D. Group D is the brainchild of Darren McNamara, a well-known legend in the Drift scene. Darren has been tinkering with Corollas for a long time, and he developed a rear coil-over suspension for the AE86 with a company from the UK called AVO. You have probably seen the vlog episode from this day, with the old legend and his lovely little starlet. I had a mega backlog of photos from older episodes that I will throw up on the site every Friday. Enjoy the images of the day below.
We go AE86 parts hunting at MR X’s stash to find the missing bits for the Trueno build. We also get a quick look at MR X’s private collection.
We are back at it in our shed with the Trueno progress and updates on where to go next, with a few surprised along the way.
The AE86 shell is finally back on the ground, rolling on all four wheels, a big step forward in this build. It’s finally starting to feel like a car again.
A big moment! We finally start assembling the AE86 shell. This weekend was probably the most exciting part of the build. The plan was to get it rolling in Flips after paint and wheel it back to our shed.
Fitting new parts onto the shell was one of the greatest feelings. Everyone was buzzing to help, which made for a hilarious weekend of assembly craic with the lads. It was a huge milestone, it felt like we had reached the peak, and everything was going to be easier from here on in. After looking at the 86 as a bare shell for so long, I was starting to wonder if we would ever get to this stage. Out of nowhere, the body went from looking more or less the same for two-plus years into pretty much a rolling chassis in the space of two nights. It all happened so quick that it took a week or two for my brain to catch up.
I’m playing catchup, editing these photos and chucking them up on the site, but I’m enjoying the process of looking back at the progress so far. You’d miss build threads on old forums. These days it’s youtube for that sort of stuff. Regardless of the vlogs, I’ve still been snap-happy shooting as many photos as possible of the progress.
It’s incredible looking back over these photos the past few months, seeing how far we have come with the build as I’m writing this, its just over four years of owning this project. Time has flown by.
This photo set is from the weekend where I conned Josh into helping build the spit, something we should have done at the very start of the build and not toward the end of the metalwork!
Jackie was calling down to seal the bottom of the car, the 86 didn’t even receive any treatment like this from the factory, so it should last a little longer. The idea was to brush sealer into the seams on the bottom, and the entire base of the car would eventually get a spray sealer to ensure the Trueno can withstand miserable Irish weather.
I love the other side of the Irish car culture, the lads that came before us, before the influx of Japanese cars on the Emerald Isle.
I always try to make sure I make my way to New Ross every July to check out Bolands Ford gathering. Long before the black hole of Japanese cars, I was obsessed with Sierra and Escort Cosworths; these cars will always have a special place in my heart.
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