Projects

Wrenching in public

Every car here arrived needing something. These are the logs: what was planned, what got done, what's still on the lift. Costs stay in the spreadsheet. Lessons are free.

Project 01 · Live

1981 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40

Bought in November 2020 in the middle of a lockdown, negotiated by a friend over the phone, towed to a shop near Dupont and Bathurst. The goal is simple: safety certificate, then trail, then the Icefields Parkway one day.

Red BJ40 Land Cruiser on stands in a workshop with the hood raised

Recovery

Two tows in December 2020. It did not drive onto the flatbed on its own, which told us most of what we needed to know.

Brakes, fluids, safety

Full brake job with OEM parts, every fluid changed, and the safety inspection list worked top to bottom.

Engine refresh

The 3B diesel gets filters, injectors checked, glow plugs, timing, and every rubber line it was born with replaced.

Body and underside

Hot-water pressure wash of the frame, then paint. Door skins and the rear quarter need attention. The hardtop stays.

ARB lift, wheels, tires

Modest lift, proper all-terrains on the factory steelies. The look is stock-plus, not mall crawler.

3B diesel engine bay of a BJ40 — 3B diesel, four cylinders, no electronics to speak of.

New fuel and oil filters sitting on the fender of the BJ40 — Filters on the fender, the universal sign that things are happening.

Driver door and rocker panel of the red BJ40 — Door skins and rockers, the honest part of the inspection.

Open passenger door of the BJ40 showing the bare metal door card — Bare-metal door cards. Sound deadening was not a 1981 priority.

Orange BJ40 parked at night beside a brick wall — Home for the night, before the tow.

BJ40 under fresh snow — First winter. It sat like this and did not complain.

Project 02 · Complete, sold 2023

2003 Subaru WRX "Spec R1"

A Sonic Yellow bugeye, owned July 2019 to January 2023. Bought from a local shop, built with a mix of JDM imports, Kijiji finds and a good tuner, then repainted. This is the full list of what went on it.

Sonic Yellow Subaru WRX bugeye, front three-quarter

Power: Turbo and boost solenoid from Japan Direct, 440 cc injectors, top-mount intercooler, Mishimoto silicone and radiator, Cobb Accessport with a shop tune, steel braided lines.
Chassis: Coilovers, STI struts, JDM front and rear STI sway bars with fresh links, Cusco front and rear strut bars, rear trailing arms, front control arms, new subframe, four-pot front and two-pot rear brake upgrade.
Exhaust: STI Genome muffler. Loud enough. Not obnoxious.
Body: Left and right JDM front fenders, full respray in 2019, rust proofing, Killer B skid plate, OZ Prodrive wheels for summer and steel wheels for winter.
Never got to: STI intake manifold (unnecessary), oil catch can, ram-air intake, Brembo swap, headlights and tail lights. The next owner's list.

Project 03 · Planned

2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS (GC8)

Owned since May 2020. The coupe came with Speedlines sourced in Montreal and a whole parts car towed in on a trade. The plan is a proper restoration, not a quick flip.

Body

Rust first

Floors, rear quarters, trunk, roof and rockers. Fix it all, rust-proof it, then paint. Colour is World Rally Blue and always was.

Interior

STI inside

STI front seats, STI dash, rear seats, belts, door cards, shifter bushings and a short shifter. Cup holders, because it's still a car.

Mechanical

Sort, then decide

Power steering pump leak, camber kit and suspension rebuild, brake pads on the already-upgraded brakes, all fluids to synthetic. Engine and gearbox upgrades are an open question mark.

From the parts car

Harvest list

Front and rear bumpers, headlights and tail lights, wing, trunk, hood, vents, panels, wheels, exhaust, manifold, pulleys, handles, switches, wiring and the ECU.

Safety

Pink roll bar

An STI-pink roll bar is on the list. Partly for track days, mostly because it looks right through a GC8's rear glass.

Status

Waiting on a booth

Body quote is in. Parts car is stripped. When the paint slot opens, this becomes project 01.

Project 04 · Live

2015 Subaru WRX STI engine rebuild

The EJ257 did what EJ257s do. The decision was between a built short block and a factory long block, with the transmission quote sitting in the same folder for moral support.

Option	What you get	Why you'd pick it
IAG built short block	Forged internals, closed-deck options, a warranty from people who only do Subarus.	You plan to turn up the boost and want to do this once.
Crawford	Built short block, with a head package available on top.	Reputation from the rally side. Good middle ground.
Outfront Motorsports	Built block with a long track record in the Subaru scene.	You want proven rather than fashionable.
OEM short block	Factory parts, factory tolerances, factory weak points.	You're keeping it stock and want the cheapest sound sleep.
OEM long block	Complete factory engine, heads and all.	Time matters more than the extra cost, and the heads were suspect anyway.

Order placed December 2024. Work completed and the car released with a receipt and a waiver, which is how you know it's a real shop.

Project 05 · Closed

1978 Pontiac Grand Prix

Acquired in August 2020 in a straight trade for a 1981 Doral bowrider and its trailer. A burgundy G-body personal luxury coupe that did not stay luxurious for long.

Grand Prix on a lift with its automatic transmission on the shop floor, a Land Rover in the background — Transmission out, on the floor, next to a Series Land Rover that was also having a day.

Underside of the Grand Prix showing the exhaust and rear axle — Rear axle and exhaust, honest as the day it left Pontiac.

Steel wheels and tires in the bed of a pickup — Wheels and rubber in the truck bed. Everything moves by pickup.

Rear three-quarter view of the burgundy Grand Prix on the street — Rear three-quarter, opera window and all.

Grand Prix parked between two Land Rover Series trucks and a sedan outside a transmission shop — In good company outside the transmission shop.

Grand Prix alone on the top deck of a parking garage — Top deck, golden hour, nobody else around.

Project 00 · Sold 2017

1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40

The first Cruiser. Bought out of Ottawa on a day trip with two friends, a Jeep and a U-Haul trailer. The worklist got written before the truck got sold to one of those friends. The list is still a good template for any 40-series.

Body

Door locks and handles, passenger and driver glass, rear lower half, fibreglass roof repair, rear door replacement, rear quarter panel, front windscreen, door regulators.

Chassis

Bushings, leaf spring bushings, tie rod kit, steering linkage, front and rear suspension.

Brakes

Drums, lines, shoes, parking brake and cable, hardware kit.

Electrical and misc

Rear lights, headlight wiring, interior lights, turn signals, reverse light. Then paint, remove the bull bar, fix the winch, and figure out the seats, wheels and bearings.

Community

Got a car, a road, or a rusty project? You're in.

JCru Moto is a crew of car people. Send us your builds, your favourite stretch of tarmac, or the thing in your garage that almost runs.

Join the Cru