This was probably the most significant change in the ae86 build. The car had sat in that strange maroon colour for so long in various shades, paired with primer and glimpses of restoration work; the car was essentially a patchwork quilt of misery. After years of tackling this without seeing any significant visual change, sanding the entire body down to bare metal and seeing the whole car uniform in silver was a moral boost.
Some photos from the ultimate distraction night, when we got a call to see some action with an NZ-imported Corona on Star Sharks. This was happening near the shed, so we couldn’t resist the offer.
Here are a few overdue photos from the first few days we took the 86 up to its new home, where the car still lives, as we begin to wrap up the paint process. This was a scenario I had anticipated since the start of the build, and honestly, I almost felt like this moment would never come. The car had a few lull periods, and I was worried it would never pull out of it. It sat as a bare shell for a little too long, and then we had a string of events that set things back. Thankfully, things came together at the start of 2022, and the progress car ramped up. It finally felt like we were on the home stretch.
In the quest for AE86 perfection, Jackie spends insane hours straightening the bodywork.
We unearth a hidden K20 Honda-powered Cortina build and grab a bargain 4A-GE 20valve
A massive moment for the AE86 build, the first coat of primer is applied to the Trueno!
We organise cars and coffee, check out an ITB Altezza and do some rings in a 4A-GE Daihatsu
We prep the AE86 shell for primer using rust treatment and prepare it for the first coat of Epoxy.
We strip away 36 years of paint on the AE86. This is a long time coming!
We visit a hidden collection of rare Japanese cars in the Irish Midlands.
I thought this day would never come, the 86 was sitting in the shed for so long that it felt like I bit off more than I could chew, a few hours after this photoshoot the car would finally be leaving to go for paint. I decided to bring it around the corner to the place where we did the original photoshoot before the tear down, just to get one last up close and personal photo set before this look would change forever.
These photos are from the night before the car went for paint, I threw on the Longchamps to give some inspiration and threw it out into the ring arena. Not much to say here ill let the photos do most of it but this was a really good look into the overall stance and look I wanted for the car. It kills me just how much I’m obsessed with these wheels!
The Day has come! The AE86 leaves the shed after five years and goes to the paint shop.
I love unexpected nights like this, this stuff is always going on I just never want to shed too much heat onto lads who are out letting off some steam using their pride and joy. I think I’ve been documenting various lads and groups going night drifting for a long time, it’s well planned out, and low-key, the lads are out there to let off some steam usually on a dead-end road which we have been blessed to call a local area, it’s a quick burst of skids and then its time to go.
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Nothing to see here but more AE86 photo spam with cool parts. A Power Craft manifold, something I had lusted after since 2009, it only took about 12 years to get my hands on one.