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Writer's pictureVAD Admin
Mar 152 min read

V8 Engine Installations

We have been wanting to put this post together for a while, we have written then re-written so many times, it’s been frustrating one for us as a company as we speak from experience when it comes to handing over lots of cash on a dream car build, only to find out what you have paid for is complete and utter garbage and you have to start again spending more to rectify the bad workmanship and crud work, so let’s get into it.


There are V8 conversions carried out every day in the UK by quite a few so call “Specialist” a couple are the “self-confessed” best in the business, when in reality there are only a handful of companies that you could trust in the UK , but only one that we would hand over our hard earned cash to, our choice being LSX performance in Market Drayton, we personally wouldn’t go anywhere else, simply put you get what you pay for and these guys know their craft, everything is done in-house from the engine builds, V8 installs, electrics and full exhaust systems, the skill set is next level and these are the skills that you have to pay especially when you consider the prices these builds cost and what is being charged for appalling work elsewhere, if its cheap there are usually reasons why.

 

Porsche 997 LSX Performance LS7 V8 GT3R
Porsche 997 GT3R 680HP LS7 V8 AWD
 

On our visits to our conversion partners LSX Performance over the last few months we have seen first-hand all of the work they are having to correct from other business from around the UK, companies that are charging big money for this work, we have seen terrible wiring, exhaust botch up badly designed gearbox and engine mounts, they have one very well-known LS Powered Mazda RX7 in that has had an engine bay fire and just looking at the wiring we can see why.

 

Electrics, wiring and ECU all terribly converted by a well known V8 installer, that resulted in a fire


"This is terrible work" Mild steel mixed with stainless, different manufacturers back boxes for the exhaust, different headers, terrible welding, all this from a well known UK V8 engine installer and professional builder ... allegedly


 

Kyle and Ashley from LSX Performance are just finishing up their 680hp V8 LS7 Powered Porsche 997 C4S GT3R kitted beauty and its an absolute work of art and this is what we mean by levels, all built in-house, from GT3R kit installation to V8 engine installation, bespoke exhaust, custom adjustable arms, all wiring and ECU installed, it’s such a tidy install to OEM quality standards and this is what sets them apart from anyone else we have worked with and we are happy to call these guys our conversion partners.  


LSX Performance
High Quality ECU & Wiring Installation by LSX Performance

It’s worth doing your due diligence before you hand your hard earned cash, installing a V8 is not cheap and if its screams cheap it means someone’s cutting corners, look at previous work and talk to the people in the know, quality is everything but safety is paramount.  


 
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Writer's pictureVAD Admin
Mar 10, 20234 min read

Porsche Cayman RSR Wide Body

This build has been a while in the making, but Matt has been working under the radar with Pav AKA Pure customs, to say they have built something special is a bit of an understatement.

We first got to know Matt by working with him on his Porsche 997 Project, Many of you will know the Old & New slant nose with the Rothmans livery, and contrary to popular belief that the build was the complete brainchild of Matt Clifford, in our humble opinion he didn’t get the credit he deserved for that build, He may not Have put the kit on and he may not have painted it, but the building of that 997 and every detail in that build, which came after he saw we were the importer at the time for the Old & New product and after a discussion with a mutual friend the Kyza, who decided to draw up Matts vision, the rest, as they say, is history and since that day we have become good friends.

 
Porsche Cayman Carbon Fibre Wide Body
 

As we have come to know Matt over the last few years, we seen first-hand that he is a stickler for the attention to detail, and he has carried this through every build, you can just tell he thinks meticulously about each build and the finished look and there is no doubt this car in its build one stage is pretty special, his wheel, suspension and spoiler choice just made the stock Cayman look pretty boring, but Matt had taken the Cayman as far as he could with this look, air suspension, re-barrelled 19” O.Z 5 spoke Futura’s to make them super wide and super aggressive and certainly the widest set up we have seen on a stock body 981, but as Matt was privy to what we had been up to over the last couple of years and a couple of things we had been working on and getting into manufacturing process caught his eye, he had the countries best looking 981 Cayman’s, “well if there is a better one we would love to see it” and he fell in love with our RSR wide body aero pack that we had brought to market, one of our first aero kits went to Japan which you can read about in an earlier blog but that was modified and fitted to a Cayman718 chassis, but that build got Matts creative juices flowing as he knew his ideas with our aero kit had to be built and the kit was put into production.

Whilst the kit was being made Matt made the first addition to his new build, and what a start finding a pair of carbon seats that originally sat in a McLaren SLR these raw carbon seats which he scooped up for a very small fee, we would say the bargain of the decade, but it wasn’t long before they were all trimmed and fitted in the Cayman and they look factory as they just integrate into the interior so well.

 
 

With the aero pack manufactured and delivered it didn’t take long for Matt and Pav AKA Pure Customs to get stuck in with the build, mounting and mocking the kit up before sending it out for paint or in Matts case the clear coat with a hint of black to match the main body of the car, it’s something you have to see up-close and personal to appreciate the quality of the work Greg Howell gets full credit for bringing the raw carbon to life, the finish breath-taking in person.


With the kit in Greg’s hands, Matt and Pav turned their attention to the wheels, as with this kit the Futura wheels needed a bit of help, Matt did toy with the idea of changing the wheels, but most wheel manufacturers these days are not interested in anything but selling volume, and as Matt said why fix something that isn’t broken and the famous and sought after O.Z Futura would be one hard act to follow so with new outer lips sourced they we sent to the extremely talented Mr. Carbon AKA, C6Carbon, who set to work on applying his skill set and carbon to the outer lips and they look incredible and just add another bit of meticulous detail to this build, as we have already said every detail of this build is so well thought out, then executed to perfection.

 
 

Matt will have the car on display at Ultimate Dubs Uk, so you can get to view the car in person. We are very proud of what Matt has achieved with his vision, we have always said there are levels to the aftermarket tuning industry and Matt is very much at the top in the Uk, he has set the bar level extremely high, which is a joy to be involved with, as always we love working with Matt and we have already had discussions on what the future holds for our continued collaborations and they just get even crazier, but that’s for another time,

For now, enjoy the Photoshoot from Shout about it Media which is Matts's main business, yep that’s right he’s a badass photographer too and a man for hire, so if you like what you see give him a shout, we promise you will not be disappointed, the gallery of his work speaks volumes, go light up the internet Matt

 

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Writer's pictureVAD Admin
Nov 11, 20223 min read

SEMA 2022

So SEMA 2022 comes to a close and although we weren’t there in person this year we were as a brand, so let’s look at how we were represented this year.

If you’re into the Scene most people know that we work with our good friend Iby distributing his Speedwells Mk4 Supra wide body aero kit all over the world and this year we were approached by the Throtl boys and what a build that has been, Its seems that Rickie Fernandez was the crew member that brought the kit to the attention of the others for the SEMA build and we are so happy he did as the end result is mind blowing.

 
 

If you haven’t seen the Videos of this build we suggest you grab your favourite beverage sit down and enjoy the 4 week process of this Toyota Supra being turned into a modern day 1200BHP road and drag strip beauty with a throwback to the Fast & Furious world famous Supra and they did themselves proud, nothing was left out of this build and the levels of sponsorship was insane, you name it and the brands were lining up to supply the best goods the market has to offer, the added bonus is watching Micky, Ricky, Quinn & Will have the banter putting this car together, absolute professionals and such a joy to watch, guys you did us proud and we are so happy we got to watch how you went about this build, you built an absolute stunner.


Here is a quick link to the Supra build straight from their YouTube Channel

 

Another build to represent us was our good friend Faruk Kugay and his DevSpeed Porsche 997 GT3 R13 EJ Subaru powered GT3R, but this engine has had a fully tuning overhaul with its full custom exhaust system, BorgWarner turbocharger, Vibrant Performance intercooler, and a comprehensive fuel system upgrade courtesy of Deatschwerks and Nuke Performance, this gives a heathy 550 hp. Which is some 170 pounds less than the original Mezger 997 engine, all this in a RWD GT3 chassis mated to a Subaru gearbox, makes for a very lively package.

 

We love how this has all come together, the livery is sublime and the wheel choice of the Rotiform 917 Which is a modern take and such an iconic Porsche wheel design makes it a bit more special, we just love the nostalgic when old meets new vibe.

 

he last to fly the VAD flag at SEMA and the one that tugged on our heart strings mainly because it’s so deserved is our good Friend Chris Phan and his amazing GTR that has gone from paper vison to a full reality GTR GT3 Street car, Chris even drove his car from California to Vegas rather than the usual option of trailering, we love this guy and we just adore the build so much.

We have posted about Chris’s beautiful build a few times but for SEMA 2022 his GT3 had the most Beautiful wrap make over which JUST blew us away, gone was the Blue Motul Livery that always had our mouth-watering, replaced by the traditional red, black and white Motul Nismo race livery and it looks bloody sensational, gone are the gold L97 Forged centre locks and in their place a set of Yokohama Advan Racing TC4’S which have transformed the look of this car.

All 3 of these builds have been amazing to follow as well as supply our parts to and watch the builds come to life, even tho Chris built his 12 months ago it was like a fresh new build when he launched his newly wrapped GTR to the world, we are super proud to be associated with all of these epic show stoppers … roll on SEMA 2023


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