Old school – Gripshiftslide

The bird is the word :: Bluebird U

Grant — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 12:31:00 +0000

In the early 1960’s there was not a great variety of small cars available for the Australian market until the influx of Japanese imports that is. Datsun really lead the way at the time and for good reason! Their cars were ahead of the time in design and reliability. Launched in the 70’s the 610 Bluebird-U was a stand out model with all the ‘mod cons’ of the time.

This classic Bluebird has only been in Mitch’s hands for three and a half years. Lovingly restored bit by bit, Mitch knows every nut and bolt on this car. Taking just under two and a half years to fully restore Mitch has spent countless hours in the shed putting this car together night after night, weekend after weekend.

Why did Mitch get into Datsuns? “My mate had a Datsun Stanza and then a 1600 rally car I liked them and it just went from there”
Mitch had caught the bug. Datsuns are more than just a brand they are a style of their own.
An unloved Datsun can use as much oil as it does petrol! That’s not the case with Mitch’s Bluebird. The engine has received considerable attention and not only does it look immaculate but it also runs like a dream.

This L18 is putting out more than 110 horsepower at the flywheel. This standard engine is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. Rather than go for cheap power like an “SR20 for example” Mitch decided to keep the car original.

The engine bay is ridiculously clean and not a spot of oil or grime can be seen. You could almost perform surgery on metal like this. Mitch always makes sure the bay is looking fantastic and when it does get dirty he cleans it straight away.

Rebuilding this Bluebird from the ground up has cost some serious dough but to have something classic looking this good is totally worth every penny. The satisfaction that comes from building your own car is second to none. Mitch has done the majority of work in restoring this car! He knows every curve and every bolt in this machine.

Mitch did not simply buy a car and be done with it. He knew what he wanted and within a month or two he had found the right car! The Bluebird he had found was in what most would consider “good condition for its age” but Mitch saw more potential in this little Datsun.

The one surprising part of this build is its gearbox. With the standard box the car would be screaming down the highway at 4 to 5k but with new 6 speed s15 gearbox it purrs like a kitten.

Changing a gearbox in a car this old is no joke! It takes a lot of planning, research and dedication. Matching the 6 speed Nissan S15 SR20 gearbox up to the original bellhousing wasn’t a walk in the park but with some gentle persuasion and patience it all came together.

One of the major things that initially attracted Mitch to this car is its shape which takes many cues from different cars of the time. The Nissan Bluebird U 610 combines the best features from models like the 180b, 240z and many other memorable Datsuns.

This car is basically a Japanese car enthusiasts wet dream. The paint the wheels, the black interior, the entire package is just awesome!

One of the most striking aspects of the Bluebird is it’s unique paint job. It really helps set this car apart from the boring standard colours of the era. This particular colour blue comes from Fiat but it suits this car perfectly! If only Nissan had offered such a colour in the seventies.

Mitch wasn’t really into Datsuns until five years ago when the shape of the 610 Bluebird inspired him to go on a journey that till this day has not stopped. Originally he had planned for the car to be a daily driver but it soon turned out to a whole lot more special and soon became a weekend only car.

It’s quite obvious that Mitch takes a lot of pride in his vehicle. Not only does it get cleaned before it is taken out but it also gets a light clean when the car is bought home.

The interior of the car was kept relatively stock however some things had to change to keep up with the times like moving from the imperial to metric system. The ‘speedo’ had to be changed to work with the new gearbox along with the added benefit of being able to now read what speed you are doing without converting MPH to KMH .

One of the biggest problems with the restoration was a giant rusted out section in the parcel self that was almost the size of a human head! Mitch was thinking of patching it with scraps but the shelf had so many weird angles to recreate that it made the job almost impossible. Lucky Mitch soon found a donor parcel shelf from a Datsun of the same era.

The Nardi steering wheel adds a nice touch to the interior; giving it a sporty feel while being relatively period correct. As Mitch said “Sometimes I do wish I had a more modern project car but the hard work always pays off and I love the classics.”

Things on the outside haven’t been left untouched. There has been a fair bit of re-chroming and re-glossing of original plastics.

It is good to see that Mitch hasn’t stanced or slammed this classic Nissan; and has instead kept it clean sitting on 15×7 performance wheels all round. With just enough offset to give the car a traditional vintage look these wheels really help to add an extra hint of class and sophistication.

Shortly after this photo shoot Mitch’s diff let go and in true spirit he rebuilt it himself! The car was back on the road just in time for the Classic Japan Car Show where his car received plenty of praise from the the public. Mitch never stops working on the car and there is plenty more to come for this spunky blue Datsun.

Hanging Rock :: Classic Spectacular

Grant — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:56:40 +0000

Its that time of year again, the hanging rock classic car show has one of the biggest car shows of the year, the amount of cars on display is incredible.
knowing that so many cars would be attending i decided to arrive at hanging rock early, even before i got there a mini car show of its own had sprung up, the main BP truck stop before hanging rock was absolutely full of car clubs pre-meeting before the event.

What is a car show without a classic Holden Ute, this one had a fair bit of custom work, the bonnet boob wasn’t to everyone’s liking but most people did admire the immaculate paint work!

With the rising popularity of Magnus Walker the old porsches are showing up everywhere! there was at least 15 of these beauty’s on display.

The Porsche 356 is one of those cars that just has so much character and presence, the shape is so unique and bold.

This car looks like it is straight out of that old english TV show Heartbeat, the Austin A30’s where very popular back in the mid fiftys.

Mercedes never built a ute for the australian market, but this one of a kind W114 Mercedes-Benz really impressed a lot of people. The custom fabricated back window looks factory because it is so well engineered. Sitting nice and low on airbags, this is one ute that definitely shows the mini-truck kids how it is done.

Would the DeLorean have been forgotten if it weren’t for the movie back to the future? Im glad that this is a car that will not fall into the shadows and be forgotten. Being loosely based off the Lotus Esprit, it is a shame that the company never got to make any other models than the DeLorean.

So fresh So Clean Clean, i just cant believe how immaculate this engine bay is its ridiculous!

Dafaq! yeah that’s right its rabbit man, some of you may know of this guy and some will not! He is often seen at ford shows and other classic car shows with his pimp rabbit. Who brings a full spit on a total fireban? Im not sure but the CFA told them off several times, until the no BBQ rule was enforced later in the day!

This thing is so rare! Its the first time i have ever seen one, i just cant believe they made a coupe version of the toyota crown!

Your not an aussie car lover if you don’t like the SLR 5000! pick a colour any colour!

Not all the classics are standard, check out this custom extra large front intake on this Shelby.

So many Shelby Cobras! in one place!

The Viper, such a strange car in person the curves and lines are very odd, it is a truly massive car!

Probably the cleanest Ford Roadster Hot Rod at Hanging rock, simple and not super flashy. Its a shame that there where not many Rat Rods at the show but we hope to see some next year.

The 1970’s Torino is not the type of car you normally see on the road that’s because its an import from america, why didn’t we get such things in Australia? maybe its because Crysler was to much competition at the time and the charger was so damn popular.

This is one of the only Ford Roadster Hot Rods i have seen with a cool old school racing paint job complete with period correct stickers.

You many have seen this at other hot rod shows, its is one unbelievable piece of machinery and it has airbrushing that actually suits the car.

Ok im going to be honest i do not know what type of car this is but it is very unique and cool.

The 80’s saw allot of sports cars, one of the more affordable ones is the corvette, with is sensible clean look it was the choice of many middle class business men.

This car just has so many bold lines! its a second gen Ford Fairlane from america, just look at all the exterior detail, cars these days do not come with any crazy trims like this!

The Toyota 800, this thing is awesome, its kinda like a mini 2000GT. Very ahead of its time and only a very limited amount where made, the main competition for this car was the honda s500, im a big fan of the toyota 800 because i have a strange liking for kei cars.

The interior of old cars have so much more class than cars of this current generation.

Corolla GT E70 that’s right its pretty much a two door version of the ke70! i wish they made more of these to take pressure off the ae86.

The First generation Ford Fairlane, just as magnificent as it was back in the day.

Inside its nothing but a buffet of chrome and style.

This was not the only GT40 in attendance we counted at least 3 around the place and all had there own individual character.

This third gen Toyota Corona looks tough, with its bright white wall tyres, these small sedans from the 60’s are great!

Sneaky sneaky, 90% of the cars are pre 1986, how did this get under the radar? it ok because we love skylines!

Yeah i bet you all know what this is? but did you know this is one of 5 cars built for Gone in 60 seconds, yes that right they built 5 and on the day chose one to film. Originally purchased from america for $70k the owner has been offered over $200k for this car!

Yes i climbed the rock! yet by the time i got around the whole show and then made my way to the top, half of the cars where gone! Every year this show just gets bigger and bigger, there are so many cars it becomes a bit of a blur by the end, but there is always two or three stand out cars that you remember after the show. Another year and another hanging rock show, still the years biggest car show to date, with over 1400+ cars!
Big thanks to our Guest photographer Brendan from BlackTop Images, http://www.facebook.com/BlacktopImages
Thanks for looking,
-Grant

Motorclassica 2012 :: Where Super Rare Cars Come To Play

Grant — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 04:19:17 +0000

Yes it’s that time of year again, Motorclassica is back and bigger than ever! My plan was to get in early and avoid the crowd! but the crowd beat me.
The first thing to WOW me was this Australian built land speed jet car from the seventys, unfortunately it was never run to its full potential because of flooding on the salt lake but it still holds unofficial high speed records within Australia.

The usual cars were out on show, plenty of MG’s and e-type jags, yet the thing that caught my eye was this Citoren chaperon convertible, the same legendary DS goddess but with no roof.. love this!

What a killer project car / investment, imagine finding this in a garage and scoring it for a low price.

Even the classic Lamborghini’s have big bums! it seems to run in the family, when you have a v12 in the trunk you need all the space you can get.

Styling! all car manufacturers take note! this is how it is done! every part of this dash is its own work of art! plastic sure did kill the stylish look.

I can honestly say i have never heard or seen one of these before, get this a “V8 VL Commodore” known as the Brock HDT Commodore VL Director. This is one of 12 ever made! it’s the last model Brock made with HDT.

I’m not even going to try to identify what car this is! because i know i will get it wrong, the unique shape of it is what attracted me to this crazy little red car.

The royal exhibition building is one of the most grand looking buildings in Melbourne and there is no better place to host such a classic car show.

Formula 2 is where it is at! light aerodynamic and nimble. This 1960 type 18 Lotus is one exciting little machine.

1960 Lotus Elite Series II Super 95 looks very square from the back but up the front it very similar to the e-type jag.

Seems legit! road registered ! why not, i think they should remake these and only allow them in the city! this will fix Melbournes traffic wows.

Simple yet effective ! with a steering wheel from a bus and a bench seat this old MG would be really fun to drive in the mountains!

I never realized how crazy the doors on the GT40 really are, they are massive and have half the roof attached to them.

This has to be my favourite car of the show! Holden why didn’t you produce this? Torana Coupe concept.

Bold yet sharp, with body curves like a Swedish tennis player this concept car truly has style and an elegance that no Holden before has ever possessed. I just cant believe they have had this locked away in a warehouse of failed concept cars never to see the light of day, well im glad this one has relived its moment in the spotlight.

The show was not all inside there were twice as many cars on display around the royal exhibition building as there were inside.

The fiat Abarth, “what a crazy little scorpion of a car” imagine owning one of these back in the day, probably the fastest 500cc car of its time.

What is this you may ask? a Lamborghini Jarama the sportier version of the Espada and the much pretty looking version.

A big crowd gathered to admire the huge amount of cars on display outside of Motorclassica.

The Lamborghini Aventador, love it or hate it, it is a true piece of art and completely pushes the boundary’s on car design, like a supermodel it is both beautiful and ugly at the same time.

Nothing better embodies 70’s car design like Dodge, gone are the days of big heavy tuff cars with large loud engines.

Lambos for days! each model has a style of its own, it’s just hard to pick which one to go with!

The classic Ford Cortina, these things are just plain cool, lots of style, compact and fun to drive.

Factory fresh! look at this paint! this Ferrari looks like it has just rolled of the line.

So many prancing horses! so much red! so much money!

The classic 911 the car that i think really made Porshce stand out at the time and today it still looks and exudes speed.

I can’t go past this Austin Healey 3000, it is the ultimate sunday driving car! 11 seconds to 100kph and it was built-in the 60’s, there are modern hatch backs that are meant to be sporty” that struggle to hit the same speed in 11 seconds.

Why so much positive camber? i don’t think i will ever know the answer to this question!
With such a huge range of cars from many different eras it is not hard to appreciate this event and the amount of work that goes into it. Year after year the show just keeps getting better! i only hope that next year they bring along more old school concept cars.
Thanks for looking,
Grant

OTR Motorsport :: JDMST Meet Vs. Toyota MX73 Twins

Grant — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 07:22:11 +0000

It seems the shaky Melbourne car scene is on the mend after a successful and relaxed JDMST end of month meet last weekend, held at the On The Run Motorsport workshop in Melbourne’s south east.
With the day kicking of bright and early at 9am and continuing until the early afternoon cars came and went all day long, with around 50+ cars mixing it up over the duration of the day.

The OTR workshop filled the front car park with their own demo cars and customers cars, with some inspiring time attack prepped Evo’s to this clean G35 Skyline.

The owner of this Evo took some time out to talk and chat with some of the JDMST members about the car and it’s current setup.

The first two cars that caught my attention while parking were these two MX73 Toyota Cressida’s, It was love at first sight so I knew I couldn’t leave with out getting some proper pictures. (Scroll down for more!)

Some more of the OTR line up complete with show plates, these boys present them selves very well with one of the most amazing showrooms I have ever visited here in Melbourne!

The service lane outside the workshop when I first arrived in the morning, with only a hand full of cars present it was definitely a case of quality over quantity here.

Geordie’s little blue Fiat turns heads everywhere it goes, it takes some serious dedication to not only maintain but to then modify an older chassis like this let alone on your ‘P’ plates!

Inside is a relatively standard affair, but who can pass up the charm of an older car. With a wood grain steering wheel and large dials there is just a certain character that newer cars simply do not have.

The G35 Skyline was sitting on OTR’s latest wheels, Concave Concept wheels. Currently only available in 18″ they do however come in a range of offsets and colours and start from just $1200 a set!!

The cars, the shop… Everything just screamed Japan! Once I stepped foot in the shop it was like I had stepped through a mini gateway into the back of a tiny Japanese performance workshop.

In the small space available top brands and performance parts were scattered everywhere, I was in awe!
With carbon body panels and quality wheels down one side, suspension, inter coolers and other performance parts down the other.
There was even a huge display of Japanese car magazines!

This is truly an oasis for any self confessed Japanese car enthusiasts, to see a display of products like this brought a big smile to my face.

Stepping out into the workshop the wheel display continued and stepped up a notch with a full display taking up both walls!

PCD 1… Because race car!!
With the afternoon quickly approaching I decided to take the opportunity to shoot both of those Cressida’s I saw coming into the meet first thing in the morning.
Both owners were happy to oblige so here’s what happened next…

What you see here is two extremely cool examples of old school done right, Brandon and Dave have both owned their Toyota Cressida’s for less than 12 months!
Brandon has owned his silver Cressida for 10 months.
Dave has owned his gold Cressida for just 6 months!!

Both cars have been heavily influenced by the Japanese car scene with countless ‘JDM’ inspired mods to both of these Australian delivered rides, what the boys have done is build the cars to look the way they wanted, not to please anyone else in the process.
For instance the wheels…

… Both cars run replica wheels and who cares when the cars look this good?!
I wish I knew more when I first got into modifying cars 10 years ago.
Brandon’s silver MX73 Cressida runs Kota AE Teks wheels in 15×8 0 offset, with a 25mm spacer to add some character to the older Toyota sedan.

Dave’s MX73 sits stupid low on a set of Rota Aleica’s in 15×9 with a staggering -10 offset!
Both the cars run original suspension with modified springs, both cars have some new coil overs in the mail to help get the perfect ride height and to try and gain some much needed comfort where possible.

Inside is any classic Toyota lovers dream, full electrics in a mid 80’s car and even a factory optional CD player available from the showroom when new!!

Both cars turn heads where ever they go with a simple no care given attitude that comes with the territory of driving an older modified car, especially one’s that get driven this low!

The boys have given both cars a little bit of added flair here and there, both now have yellow fog lights and KE70 Corolla fender mirrors to finish off the JDM inspired look.

No matter how many people comment and say this is not an original/unique look it is certainly something we want to see more of on this side of the world.
I struggle to think of any other car that would look as good on the same budget and get as much attention as I saw both of these Cressida’s getting last Saturday.

A back seat fit for a… Domo?
These boys really get into the whole Japanese theme.

A close up view of Dave’s rear wheel fitment and ride height, not a bad effort also considering these cars drove over an hour each way to get to the meet on the day!

Brandon’s car had a touch of VIP goodness thanks to some Junction Produce rear curtains, only the best for the passengers in this car.

Both the boys have big plans for the cars as funds allow, in the near future the guys want to go down the manual gearbox and supercharged SC14 path.
Later in life they would love to look at putting something a bit beefy under the hood, can you say 1Jz conversion?!

Dave also wants to track down a bobtail spoiler for his gold Cressida and for all those haters out there yes… The boys would love to be able afford some genuine rims down the track.

Given what these guys have achieved in less than 12 short months we’re extremely excited to see what will come of these two Toyota’s in the future.
We had a blast meeting up with these guys and enjoyed spending some alone time with their mint cars.
Until the next meet/feature, Thanks for reading.
– Gwyn.

TYP901 :: FedSquare Porsche Display

Grant — Tue, 29 May 2012 02:20:38 +0000

The 911 is one of the most iconic cars going around and on this cold day in Melbourne, about 25 nicely preserved 911’s turned up for a display that was 3 years in the making, because when you book a spot at Federation Square, be prepared to wait up to 3 years for it!

There was a wide assortment of cars on display on the day but this was the only Carrera RS, the subtle differences made this car completely stand out amongst the crowd.

Keeping cars like this in immaculate condition is no easy feat and when you consider that these cars are 40+ years old, it makes you really appreciate them even more.

it was good to see that many of these cars were road registered and are not just hidden in garages and only driven on the occasional weekend.

Only a nice set of Simmons wheels can make a porsche look even better!

The shape that started it all! Its no wonder the 911 Porsche is so popular to this day.

I don’t know what it is about these old school stickers but I think they add a lot of character.

The amount of people I saw taking photos in front of the Porsche’s was staggering, It is almost like these cars are the thing of boyhood dreams and that the only way people can live out those dreams is through displays like this.

The rare badges and fine details are something you don’t see on the cars of today.

i love the brass springs and bolts on the throttle bodies, they show the type of quality and prestige this legendary car is known for.

Even the club stickers are classic and well designed.

This looks to have seen some track action in its day.

Nothing says race like a fuel filler right in the center of the bonnet.

Although this my look like a toy cars interior it is not! Just the bare basics is all that was needed back in the early 1970s.

This isnt the place you would expect to find good fitment and stance-like ride height but this Carrera RS was doing it very nicely.

A rainbow of Porsche’s!

Targa top! Looking at this makes me think of the Audi A1 silver highlights and whether this was the inspiration for it.

This colour probably started the frog label for Porsche, but damn it looks good.

With these wheels the car almost looks like the 356 Porsche!

just another cool badge!

This is one of two cars sporting funky little fog lights.

Even children where getting a kick out of seeing these cars.

Engine stickers! These should be remade for all types of cars! They are great and make it much easier to identify the engines in these Porsche’s.
The TYP901 club put on a great display and really showed the public how beautiful these classic cars really are.
If you want to check out more info on the TYP901 club forum, http://www.typ901.org/
Thanks for looking,
– Grant

Spotted :: Civic First Gen

Grant — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:23:50 +0000

It’s not everyday that you see a classic like this on the road but I was lucky enough to spot this car and chase it down to grab some very quick snaps of this well preserved Civic.

Gauges for days! The interior had been fully re-trimmed in cream leather, custom dash and some incredible attention to detail has gone into this car.

Turbo! 1.2L, with colour coded rocker cover and blow off valve, plus many more goodies.

The chrome and the paintwork on this little beast is impeccable, some serious money has been spent restoring this car.

From the back you can see the adjustable tie rods and other nice shiny parts.

Talk about a solid build, this car has been driven from Sydney to Melbourne and was about to embark on a return trip. I hope to do a proper photo-shoot of this car in the future when we are up in Sydney for WTAC.
Thanks for looking.
– Grant

Classic Japan :: Best On Show

Grant — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:06:29 +0000

November saw Melbourne’s 1st annual classic Japanese car show, hosted by the Toyota Car Club
of Australia, Victoria. The event’s proceeds went to BeyondBlue to help fight depression, with 120+ cars on display the show was a massive success!

All the cars attending were manufactured before 1986, some of the ‘modern’ classics had some interesting cosmetic mods…

The true classic of our generation, the Toyota Sprinter.

Nardi’s seemed to be the wheel of choice.

Cressida wagon with functional roof racks, does it get much better?

A few rides had some wild engine conversions…

Like this Datsun’s SR20DET engine swap.

Mustang design cues?

Some cars didn’t have much in the way of looks from the factory to attract the younger enthusiasts…

Carefully choose some wheels and some accessories and bam! your car suddenly stands out from the crowd.

While this is not everyone’s cup of tea, I think the owner did a great job fusing the classic and current styles together.

One of the more modified cars at the event was this orange KE70 Corolla, I think someone stole it’s suspension tho.

I kind of miss all the chrome trims of yesteryear.

The R30 Skylines are increasing in popularity with young modifiers, thanks to some beautiful examples popping up on the net.

There were more pride building cars in those days, unfortunately most Japanese car makers have lost their way…

With quirky cars and loads of character, becoming a thing of the past.

The interior of this Toyota Century stole the show, complete with a TV and electric windows – all factory fitted!

And it’s official now… every car is at least 11% better with fender mirrors!

Now a Trueno coupe is truly a rare sight here in Australia.

One of the few Mazda’s at the event, this Rx-7 may have been a bit too wild for most. We liked it a lot!

Rear facing back seat in a wagon… no wonder people stopped going to the drive-in movies, they stopped making the right cars to go in!

One of the most tastefully modded cars at the show.

This Datsun killed it with a perfect wheel choice and ride height.

A very subtle and clean Levin hatch, I hope some 90’s cars will be kept this clean over the next 10-2o years.

This may have been lost on some of the older show goers…

I wish there were more tough utes like this, a little rat rod influence goes a long way.

Just like the FJ Holden this Isuzu shares a large detailed red horn, this type of detail is just not seen anymore.

All I can say is nice paint!

“Dad can I have one?” This looks like an advert from the late 70s.

With so many cars fighting for attention, it was hard to concentrate on one car

Seat belts, who needs them? Wait, what?! They can save my life! I better read this manual to see how.

Datsun, the car of the 80s, 180b’s were so common! This was the first time I had seen one in the last 7 years.

This clean datsun 1600 was in show room condition!

Classic Japanese cars always pull the chicks!

The crown, what more can you say.. its awesome!

One of the most beautiful cars ever designed by Mazda.

If only cars came like this from factory!
Thanks for reading,
– The Grip Shift Crew.