Jalopnik: Mods

What Happens When A Mopar Makes Sweet Love To A Ford?

Travis Hudson — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

The result is what the Avenger should have looked like. It's also the closest thing possible to the Centaur of motor vehicles — a pony car with a Ram-headed Charger front end. [CarScoop] [Carscoop]

We'd Question The Legality Of A 15-inch Windshield LCD

Travis Hudson — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Any AutoX'er can testify that the Nissan 300zx is one heck of a fun car to drive. With that being said, we're baffled that one particular Boston 1991 Nissan 300zx owner would feel the need to install a 15-inch LCD screen right in the view of the windshield. Sure, there's space to the left and right to, you know, see the road and all, but in some states hanging cardboard pine trees from the rear-view mirror is deemed illegal and we'd hate to see what the police had to say about this ridiculous mod. Nevertheless, it could be yours for $5,000.

After doing some more digging, and by digging I mean looking at the seller's MySpace page, it seems the gothastic owner has an affinity for Slipknot, bad tattoos, stars, and appears to have created a brand called "Super F*ck." The logo also adorns the door panel of the 300zx. This guy needs some help. [Craigslist via Carscoop]

Unmoddable GT-R ECU Cracked, Bye-Bye Speed Limiter

Travis Hudson — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:45:00 EDT

Remember the ECU in the Godzilla-like 2009 Nissan GT-R? Yeah, it was supposedly uncrackable and unmoddable and we'd been told would even brick the car if tampered with. That's apparently not the case for at least one set of Japanese tuners who've cracked the JDM version of the new Nissan GT-R's already infamous ECU and removed that nasty 112 mph speed limiter.

That 112mph limiter was imposed on the JDM version by the ECU whenever the GPS sensed the GT-R wasn't on a racetrack. The team that cracked the ECU will continue to tweak the system until the GT-R is officially released in the United States and will have documentation ready to present to tuners happy to remove the speed limiter and otherwise tune their new Godzilla toys. Better luck next time, Nissan. [COBB]

"Spitzer" My Ride Decks Out El Camino With Propane Grill

Travis Hudson — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:30:00 EDT

What is a Maximum El Camino Day without a scene from everyone's ~~favorite~~ car customization show? This episode from season five has the gang from Galpin Auto Sports converting an El Camino into a tailgating machine complete with a propane grill and condiment dispenser. Yes, propane.

If things couldn't get worse, the owner of the El Camino is reportedly a Raiders fan. Putting a propane tank in the back is just asking for an El Caminocide to occur. R.I.P. you ugly Camino and damn the assholes that did this to you. [MTV; LA Times]

Half-Circle Roll Cage Makes Quad Semi-Crash Proof

Travis Hudson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:15:00 EDT

A little bit of metalworking knowhow has converted a perfectly functional quad into a perfectly functional quad that can do forwards and backward rolls. You're still out of luck if you rolls the quad on its side, but I'm sure the creators of this vehicle are working on putting a quad in a hamster ball next. Overall, it's a pretty creative idea, but at some point one would expect these kids to just learn how to ride a quad rather than having to worry about constantly rolling it. [DV]

110cc Toolbox Quad: Lazy or Creative?

Travis Hudson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:30:00 EDT

We've seen some pretty interesting mods around these parts, but this 110cc quad toolbox has to be one of the more peculiar. I hate to jump to conclusions or make assumptions, but this is really just a 110cc miniature quad sawed in half and welded back to a pretty standard toolbox. The owner says it is used in the pits to easily get the tools around. Yeah, I'll go ahead and say the creators are lazy and creative. [Red Ferret]

Volkswagen T3 Retrofitted For Wilderness Espionage

Travis Hudson — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:30:00 EDT

You should think twice about your off-roading outdoors adventure vehicle, because it would seem that an old VW T3 is all you really need. This T3 has been outfitted with off-roading wheels (compared to the inflatable inner tubes on the stock T3), a safety-jacket orange paint job to distinguish the van from a bear for hunters and enough gadgets and gear to do damn near anything.

It's loaded with gadgets of all types including multiple computers, cameras everywhere, flat panel displays, DVD players, 600-watt surround sound system, GPS gear and more. The roof of the T3 has a couple solar panels to provide some juice alongside large supplemental batteries.
This T3's original lawnmower-esque engine has been updated with a 1.9-liter TDI. All of this hotness comes at a price, as well. This VW T3 van is valued at approximately $152,000. [AutoBild]

Welding Two School Buses Together Makes A Fine Political Statement

Travis Hudson — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:15:00 EST

Introducing the Topsy-Turvy School Bus. This, um... unique vehicle is the work of Tom Kennedy and Haideen Anderson, who managed to weld together two school buses with the purpose of delivering a political message. One has to be batshit-crazy to want to weld two school buses together, right? Not necessarily. This project was commissioned by Ben Cohen, who is better known for being one half of the Ben & Jerry ice-cream-empire duo. Ben wanted to demonstrate how topsy-turvy the U.S. budget is, by...wait for it...creating a....topsy-turvy bus!

The bus took three months to construct and then traveled across the United States to educate individuals, including kids, about problems with the U.S. budget. Even the stop sign on the bus was replaced with a pie chart that became the emblem for the tour demonstrating where the U.S. budget spending goes. The entire project is a little wonky, but to a man that cares this deeply about his country, this bus means everything. [Topsy-Turvy Bus; Topsy-Turvy Tour; SF Chronicle Story; via boj]

Volkswagen PC Mod Makes PC More Respectable

Travis Hudson — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EST

If may not be quite as Hasselhoff-cool as the KITT PC casemod, but If anything can be said about this VW Beetle PC mod, it's that the craftsmanship is absolutely beautiful. Someone took a scale Beetle model and crammed a fully functioning PC inside of it. The front bumper has a slotted laptop-style CD drive, and the rear bumper flips up to unveil the necessary ports for PC operation.

The craftsmanship may be primo, but I would recommend a window tint to at least conceal the PC components. [Newlaunches]

How Do You Increase The Coolness Of A Vespa?

Travis Hudson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:00:00 EST

Put a computer in it, of course! Sure, this Vespa GTS 250 still has a 250cc, four-stroke engine capable of propelling the scooter to more than 60 mph. But the real shine comes with the integrated PC. I'm not entirely sure why anyone would want a PC in a Vespa, especially in the area of the two-wheeler this one was placed, but it doesn't matter because nobody will question a Vespa with a high-end computer.

If you're really curious, it's a Windows XP-powered PC that includes a large touchscreen. The back of the Vespa still includes its famed spare tire. This model also won an award for the "Best Modern Vespa," at the Amerivespa contest. There'd better be enough room for two on that ride because the owner will be taking someone home every night. I wonder if it can play World of Warcraft? [Gizmowatch

KITT PC Casemod is Hasselhoff-Approved

Travis Hudson — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:45:00 EST

Last year's Transformers is this year's Knight Rider if you couldn't already tell from all of the news including the first photos, trailers and more. Now we have something a bit astray from the new Knight Rider Shelby GT500KR, but equally as cool, at least in my techie book—a KITT PC casemod! The casemod features somewhat authentic lights and sounds of the older KITT. It even has a remote starter and pretty gauges that may or may not function.

Now while this mod doesn't have the ability to converse with you, it does include the ability to wow all of the ladies, leaving you a busy man this Valentine's Day. Thomas Fan is the mastermind behind this work of art. [Wired]

Honda Goldwing Jet Mod Can Fly, Maybe...

Travis Hudson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:45:00 EST

Don't let this slow-speaking man confuse you. He did the impossible and turned a Honda Goldwing, which was previously only a good towing machine, into a freaking fighter jet. The video may be a little long and drawn out, but near the end the inventor lets us into a little secret: he thinks it can fly. He says if you take it up to 80 or 85 on the highway and get in a sticky situation steering, it can get airborne.

The purpose of the patriotic Honda Goldwing jet fighter is to supposedly inspire community service. Sorry, but after seeing this I want to go buy a Goldwing, not volunteer at the animal shelter. [GeekAlerts]

Name That Mod: DIY Red Green Edition

Travis Hudson — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:15:00 EST

Okay, here's what we do know. Whatever this is, it uses an ironing board, a ladder, tons of duct tape, a flower pot sawed in half, paddles and what appears to be a canoe. All of it seems to be strapped onto a Ford Tempo, or maybe a Mercury Topaz, which happen to be two vehicles very worthy of some do-it-yourself modding. What we don't know is what the hell Red Green was looking to do with this contraption. Any ideas? My vote is catfish wrangling. Surely, this is amphibious. Surely.[MAKE]

The G-Wiz Electric Car Crumples Like A Tin Can

Ray Wert — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 07:00:00 EST

After Top Gear took the G-Wiz to the heights of what you can do with a remote control last Sunday night, we wanted to remind folks why the British boys dislike the G-Wiz 'lectric so much. We feel like maybe it has something to do with the way the "Aww" G-Wiz crumples like a tin can when it hits anything at pretty much any speed. Like here, in what we're told is a 40 MPH offset head-on crash. The end result is nothing short of epicly bad. Hey, is the driver door supposed to flop open and forward like that? Oh, it's not?

Scrapping a Porsche? Build a PC!

Travis Hudson — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:45:00 EST

Heaven forbid a Porsche Cayenne would ever have to be parted out, but if so, here's one way to make use of the 18-inch wheel shell. The creation was made as part of hardware manufacturer NVIDIA's computer case modding contest for Top Mods, a computer modding publication.

A custom-made acrylic disc brake is also used to give NVIDIA's SLI branding a little love and the two exhaust pipes do function for the PC's radiator, which assists in the water cooling. The green glow is a bit too teenage-tuner for our likes, but maybe if the wheel shell was from a 1999 Honda CRX. [Gizmodo]

Pneumatic Garden Stool

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:30:00 EST

The modern postal mailbox is a dreary affair. There is but one gem that shows up occasionally among the usual pile of bills, credit card offers, carpet cleaning discount coupons, and sporadic check. The Harbor Freight Tools catalog! In honor of President's Day they sent along an extra thick version, which contained this fine Pneumatic Garden Stool. This thing looks pretty sporty. Supports 220 lbs. PVC Wheels. Adjustable seat. Take a bunch of chairs, add a long grassy hill, and some fearless or just plain stupid individuals might be encouraged to have a race. Rig up some footpegs, a two-stroke engine, and chain drive to one of the wheels and things could get stupid even faster. – Mike Bumbeck

Pneumatic Garden Stool [Harborfreight.com]

Leaning Tower Of Power Gets Blown For $400

Murilee Martin — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:53:55 EST

The Mopar Slant Six is one of the undisputed marvels of the engineering world; when the Sun goes supernova and the entire planet has been reduced to ionized hydrogen, a '67 Valiant will still be chugging along in the debris field (I once saw a Slant Six that had been completely filled with water- due to the owner's confusion about which cap to remove in order to add coolant- and had driven that way for weeks; the unpleasant noises and brown foam spewing out the tailpipe were apparently not regarded as meaningful). So it goes without saying that you can turbocharge the living hell out of one with no ill effects. Here's a nice article by a guy who put together a blown Dart for $400 with all-junkyard parts and a fair helping of ingenuity; sure, he's only running low 16s now, but that's probably about four seconds better than stock. – Murilee Martin

$400 Slant Six Turbo Setup [Slantsix.org]

Related:
If Slant 6 Were 9: A Mopar-Powered Bug Rod [internal]

Question of the Day: Baby's First Mods?

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 09:30:00 EST

So, n00b, you've been staring out the window at a patently stock vehicle, getting all itchy in that special place car freaks call "the wallet." You'd love to imbue your assembly-line queen with a semblance of sporting trim, but the aftermarket is so vast, you have no freaking clue where to start. Thankfully, you have Los Jalopniks to guide your hand. That's the segue, kids. How should someone starting down the Path of Lost Wages spend their add-on bucks, and what products should they avoid like sparklers on crepe-paper day? Don't hold back. – Mike Spinelli