So here is my story. I have been building/working on cars since I was college back in the late 90's. I started off with Nissans (1991 Nissan 300ZX and 1992 Nissan NX 1600), then a Toyota (1991 MR2 Turbo) from there I had a slew of Hondas. It wasn't till I had been married and was looking at a baby on the way that I decided to part with my last Honda. A Subaru STI was in the future for me. A 600 WHP Subaru to say the least - lol.
After a while I noticed that the baby didn't really ride with me much so I looked at a E46 M3 (I always wanted a German car). Now this was an amazing car and I really had no plans to get rid of it. That is until someone steps up with an offer you cant refuse. I sold the M3, paid off two credit cards and convinced my wife that I should have a fun car again.
Here are some pics of the cars I have owned and built over the past 10 years.
My 1991 MR2: It was technically the first car I took down to a rolling shell and built from the ground up. This picture was one taken for the magazine Super Street. In later years I was able to be featured on cover of HCI Magazine as well.
My 1991 Honda Civic: This was the car I built back before the economy took a dive and money was everywhere to do what you wanted. This car was a modest 250 FWHP but was designed to be a fun, quick road car that I could enjoy as a go cart.
My PRIDE AND JOY Honda Integra: This car nearly drove me over the edge. I purchased a RHD vehicle and was not able to title the car. I then had to buy a US Acura Integra and swap everything I could into the new chassis. I removed every piece of seam sealer on this car and stich welded (my buddy did this and most of the help came from him) the whole thing. I removed the existing firewall by drilling out the factory welds and replacing it with the RHD version. This car was one of the firsts in my area with the now popular K20 engine swap that I had rebuilt and ended up with 234FWHP. I had a vintage set of Recaros in the car and a set of BBS that I redid to mimic Prima Donnas.
The STI: Well the baby was here and I needed a four door. The motor had a bad thermostat and I took it upon my self to make the excuse in my head that I needed a complete short block with forged pistons and a rotated turbo kit. In the end this car drove like a daily but had just shy of 600WHP.
The E46 M3: Its one of those cars that you had on a poster as a kid hanging in your room. This one, a Porsche 911 and a Lamborghini Countach. This was nothing like anything else I had ever done. I was actually scared of messing with this car because of the most part it was perfect. I ended up adding a AA exhaust and chip, a set of BC coilovers and a set of ADV.1 Wheels.
Now this is where I am.... I sold the E46 and bought a 1991 BMW 318is! The car was very clean in my opinion. It had the things I was looking for: A/C, Power Steering, suspension had been gone through and bushings had been replaced, etc... A lot of things I would have done my self but from the build thread he had done things very much the same way I would have done them. I will admit I paid top dollar for the car but the money was there. I have a couple of things in mind to clean up on the exterior and then my only other plan is doing a S52 swap with cams or a S52 swap with a blower.
Well I just wanted to say hello and thank all of you that took the time to read this. I am excited to be on my way to another build!
Phil
After a while I noticed that the baby didn't really ride with me much so I looked at a E46 M3 (I always wanted a German car). Now this was an amazing car and I really had no plans to get rid of it. That is until someone steps up with an offer you cant refuse. I sold the M3, paid off two credit cards and convinced my wife that I should have a fun car again.
Here are some pics of the cars I have owned and built over the past 10 years.
My 1991 MR2: It was technically the first car I took down to a rolling shell and built from the ground up. This picture was one taken for the magazine Super Street. In later years I was able to be featured on cover of HCI Magazine as well.
My 1991 Honda Civic: This was the car I built back before the economy took a dive and money was everywhere to do what you wanted. This car was a modest 250 FWHP but was designed to be a fun, quick road car that I could enjoy as a go cart.
My PRIDE AND JOY Honda Integra: This car nearly drove me over the edge. I purchased a RHD vehicle and was not able to title the car. I then had to buy a US Acura Integra and swap everything I could into the new chassis. I removed every piece of seam sealer on this car and stich welded (my buddy did this and most of the help came from him) the whole thing. I removed the existing firewall by drilling out the factory welds and replacing it with the RHD version. This car was one of the firsts in my area with the now popular K20 engine swap that I had rebuilt and ended up with 234FWHP. I had a vintage set of Recaros in the car and a set of BBS that I redid to mimic Prima Donnas.
The STI: Well the baby was here and I needed a four door. The motor had a bad thermostat and I took it upon my self to make the excuse in my head that I needed a complete short block with forged pistons and a rotated turbo kit. In the end this car drove like a daily but had just shy of 600WHP.
The E46 M3: Its one of those cars that you had on a poster as a kid hanging in your room. This one, a Porsche 911 and a Lamborghini Countach. This was nothing like anything else I had ever done. I was actually scared of messing with this car because of the most part it was perfect. I ended up adding a AA exhaust and chip, a set of BC coilovers and a set of ADV.1 Wheels.
Now this is where I am.... I sold the E46 and bought a 1991 BMW 318is! The car was very clean in my opinion. It had the things I was looking for: A/C, Power Steering, suspension had been gone through and bushings had been replaced, etc... A lot of things I would have done my self but from the build thread he had done things very much the same way I would have done them. I will admit I paid top dollar for the car but the money was there. I have a couple of things in mind to clean up on the exterior and then my only other plan is doing a S52 swap with cams or a S52 swap with a blower.
Well I just wanted to say hello and thank all of you that took the time to read this. I am excited to be on my way to another build!
Phil
DREWLIENTE
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