TheAutoBuilder.com

Cars

LIGHTEN UP

The new E46 BMW M3 comes equipped with some serious OE HID headlights, but what if you’re still not happy? You want something different; you want to add some spice to your headlight setup. Well, this story is just for you.

IN WITH THE GOOD AIR

When a B16A-equipped CRX EF came into the Rage Performance shop for a Skunk2 intake manifold install, the crew dove into the job with a fury. With cameras at hand to document the swap (’88-’91 CRX) for your personal pleasure, the job took no time at all and the owner of this Honda is deliriously happy with the results.

REMEMBERING KEN BLOCK

The automotive and racing world was rocked by the sudden passing of racing phenom, internet sensation, and master of all-things automotive Tom-foolery, Ken Block on January 2nd. Hoonigan, Block’s automotive lifestyle and clothing brand, reported that Block was riding snowmobiles at his Utah ranch, where a single snowmobile incident on a steep incline claimed the life of the 55 year old.

HOT STUFF

Everywhere we go, we hear people talking about how cool the new titanium stuff is. But do people even know what titanium is? Does it really make a difference? 

Observations From the Field

Call ’em tech tips, building tips, details or whatever you like, but this is the stuff we see at events and shows while shooting features or doing shop tours, not to mention things we’ve discovered while working in our own shops. It’s like when you’re foot-cruising an event with the boys and pointing things out to each other, or when you have a stroke of genius while working on your own project.

Bobby-Built

We always find it amusing when a bench racing session turns to building street rods. It seems there is a huge contingency of rodders and observers of street rodding who believe that every car in the fairgrounds area was built by a professional shop. We’re not about to argue the point that a lot of people now pay to have work done on their cars, whether it’s chassis work, bodywork or upholstery. However, there is still a large group of people who spend evenings and weekends out in the garage forming brackets, repairing rust, blocking panels and wiring hot rods. In short, they are building cars the old-fashioned way—at home with the help of a few friends.

Hot Rods Dirt Cheap

Jack Fuller has been at this hot rod game for a long time, and while he builds hot rods for a living, make no mistake—this is a man who loves his work. As a matter of fact, the mantra of the garage is, “When the fun stops, the doors close for good.” It’s pretty simple stuff, and oddly enough, that seems to be the specialty of the house—basic hot rods that look cool and work well. Jump in a Jack Fuller hot rod, and you’ll know it was designed to be driven. Jack’s own ’32 cabriolet has seen untold miles over the years, as have most of the other hot rods he has built.

CHECKING AND CONTAINING FLUIDS

Fluids are the lifeblood of the vehicle. We need to contain those fluids yet still be able to monitor the fluid levels. Our older readers can remember the days before aftermarket flexible dipsticks or silicone caulk were available. The only option in those days was to use an OEM dipstick and dipstick tube. If you needed to shorten the tube, a hacksaw was the tool of choice. If you cut 4 inches off the tube, you then cut 4 inches off the dipstick and ground a couple of notches in the side of the dipstick to note “full” and “add.” Gaskets could be sealed with Permatex, but they had to be used as there was no such option of placing a bead of silicone caulk on the mating surface and assembling the parts.

ROLL WITH IT

The name Cusco is synonymous with high-end, well-made performance parts. Even though we don’t often see Cusco parts on U.S. soil, when someone has them, people seem to recognize the parts immediately. Cusco specializes in many specific aftermarket automotive parts, but this month we’re going to get a firsthand look at the ins and outs of installing a six-point Cusco cage into a Nissan 240SX.

Scroll to Top