Barry is back to hack out some surprise rust under the AE86 arches. We also launched Patreon and Discord!
Here is a rather sizable photo dump from AE86 fest back in 2021. This event is one of the best days out in Ireland and attracts much more than the 86 chassis. Every year it grows a little further thanks to the organisers and the overall love for this car in Ireland and beyond, with people making the trip from all over the world as in the last few years. You’ll see what I mean when you scroll through the images.
Another shot of the car with panels on. This was a weekend where we had a BBQ at the shed, and with the setting, I drove the windowless machine out into the yard to photograph its various twenty shades of pain.
I plan to make much more trips like this in the future. Ireland is filled with pockets of families and friends who have their stuff going on with car builds. These two brothers live and breathe 86s, and it was a pleasure to showcase a slice of their life on the channel. They have great taste in cars, and between the both of them, they’ve had more 86s than anyone I know.
A few photos from our little night drive in the summer of 2021; right after all the misery of covid had lifted, we decided to get together for a meet-up and appreciate the joy these rusty Japanese cars bring. A route was mapped to drive for some spirited driving, but we got some food beforehand. Far too many of our vehicles are sitting in sheds these days, never getting the use they deserve, so it was great to get them out for a blast. Finally, everyone went home smiling, reminding us why we got into these things in the first place. In Ireland, as the years progress, you tend to see fewer and fewer of these cars on the road; they live their lives in the shed as our climate isn’t the best for cheap steel Japanese machines.
Sometimes you have to drop everything when an invitation comes along. I got a message from Conor Browne a few months back, and he asked if I wanted to tour his stash of Toyotas and beyond. I had heard about the collection for years, but he was looking to downsize the load and asked if we could showcase the cars to shed some light on the stuff he had for sale. This worked perfectly for me as I wanted to see this stuff in person, showcase the unexpected treasure hiding in the unassuming Irish countryside and get some excellent content out of it all.
Out in the frosty depths of an Irish winter. Our shed never gets sunlight this time of year, so the front is permanently frozen. This was such a massive milestone for the build; looking back, being able to roll the car out under its weight and just looking at something that sat as a shell for so long reminded me the misery was worth the wait. What I find hilarious is the trusty Prius in the background, a car I expected very little out of but it’s literally my lifeline to work, 1300k a week, and it just keeps chugging, yet it received very little love. Here is a Trueno, a car I obsess over, which gives me nothing but grief and misery, yet I keep plugging along. Im pretty sure most of you can relate to your daily driver and the more enormous money pits we “love”.
We partner with a local Cars and Coffee event and gather for a night cruise in this one. A somewhat raw collection of footage.
This is a photo of the absolute madness I ended up handing over cash last year. I had seen the post on Facebook for a job lot of old Japanese radios, and I knew id love to own them. Why I’m not sure, I love old head units. If you are a viewer of the youtube channel, you’ve probably seen the episode by now where we call up to MR X, and I come home with a tray full of gauges and about 30 head units, some of them still had mini discs, tapes and CDs in them.
An Update on the AE86 and other projects in the shed after some time away from it all.
The never-ending selection was such a great moment the day we brought the Goodline bumper down from the distro to the shed; I had bought both the hood and bumper from Rob in Osaka two years previous, and it was a mission to get both of them home. Once I got the bumper, I would probably end up hanging it on the wall as Rob had painted his car black, and the bumper was the last remaining part of the car’s original look. I can see myself getting another good line bumper to use for track use, driving on the road, and mixing it up with the OEM front bumper and early spec lip for times I want to switch the lookup.
We visit a couple of die-hard AE86 brothers to check out their projects, drive a 3.5 gearbox 86 and talk about rusty Corollas.
We visit a couple of die-hard AE86 brothers to check out their projects, drive a 3.5 gearbox 86 and talk about rusty Corollas.
I bolt doors and wings onto the Trueno and take it for a drive. I also ramble and bring people up to speed on what is happening with the AE86.
New flared wings for the AE86 and a starting issue resolved. We also get a visitor to try out some potential looks for my Trueno.