Felly Magic Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 An old mate of mine back in the early 1990s had over £3000 worth of audio in his utterly rotten Rover 213, his Mrs found out, and she twatted him with a frying pan, and kicked him out, as he always played the 'i'm skint love' whenever she wanted to go on holiday or needed stuff for the house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kringle Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Some things are best left in the past... Jungle is massive. Dick Longbridge, uk_senator, wrenchvolt and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 This scene was my entire fucking life back then. I had all the magazines, traveled the length of the country to go to all the big shows, was a regular at the local cruises, spaffed every single spare penny I had and later a fucking fortune I didnt have thanks to credit on hot mods and tunez, gave myself tinnitus from the bass and/or exhaust noises, I was a fucking master of handbrake turns outside Mcdonalds and the trafficlight drag race.Its what made me the person I am today (a loser? yeah, probably) I started out as a total benny with zero mechanical skills, zero tools and zero knowledge and just got stuck in and taught myself. Scrapyard upgrades were the cheapest way to start....cars were like Lego back then and it was all just bolt-off and bolt-on to upgrade brakes, suspension, trim, even engine stuff. The breakers were full of plenty crashed cars to choose from....you could stroll into Persley Quarry and pick up a set of Recaros from an RS Turbo for twenty quid. An afternoon of fucking about with dads power drill and some big penny washers from B&Q soon had them bolted into my Mini which was one of the first proper mods I ever did....and that was me properly bitten by the modifying bug and it wasnt all that much later before I was swapping engines and fitting lowering kits to every car I owned. I have lost so many photos over the years....fuck knows where all the old print photos have gone from the early stuff....The Minis....RC40s, HiLos, MG Metro engines, the entire back seat area boxed off with MDF and rocking 2x 18 inch subs and enough amps to stall the motor when the bass kicked. the Orions....RS kits, XR3 wheels, 6x9s, The Corsas....Koni, Janspeed, all the good stuff....I have lost loads of digital pics too from computer deaths. The Calibra was a regular at Billing and Doncaster shows.convoy down the night before showday and sleep in the cars...The astra took over when the Cally diedredtop forever...Well, until you replace it with a V6early arrival at another showgroundand I have hundreds of pics like these but I wont bore you all with them.... I am a forty year old fat man now and the only way I could get some girly to bend over my bonnet and show her pants would be to pay a hooker, I would imagine.I still find myself occasionally looking up under-car neons or drainpipe exhausts on ebay every now and then. I am seriously tempted to Barry the Metro to the fullest of my abilities....still got a massive pile of subs and amps and stuff in the garage....a few months back I sacrificed the rear footwell of the pickup to fit a sub box and amplifier so now I can once again make the mirrors vibrate so much you cant see anything in them with my Ministry Of Sound albums. fuck, the late 90s and early 00s were the peak and life has been shit ever since. Now I am sad again. egg, Faker, Exiled_Tat_Gatherer and 28 others 31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faker Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Part of the reason the scene ended was the fact that none of the fibreglass body kits and rivet/bonded crap body kits wouldn't wear or last very well. The shite quality products (that never fitted well and took ages to make fit), would show signs of aging quite quickly and crack, stress fracture, peel, etc. Cheap base model cars with £1000's spent on kits, paint, wheels and installs went in favour of finance and factory kit. Show cars are one thing... but the folk who featured heavily in the scene were using their chod as daily drivers... and as such they generally fell apart. The whole scene changed to colour coding, huge rims, and lowering. Bad boy bonnets and shite fibreglass went out the window.. egg and wrenchvolt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordperv Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Omg omg omg the alien escort van I loved that back in the day Here's a pic of the first car I fully modified everything else was mods here and there (the red one) it was my dad's, It had the sapphire cosworth front bumper, modified 3 door cosworth archs and skirts, an rs500 whaletail, a 92 spec rear bumper, late spec rear lights, a peco big bore 4, 15" fox 5 alloys, the only thing he wouldn't let me do is lower it, it had the obligatory loud stereo, we put a modified 2.0 pinto in it as well mat_the_cat, Burnside and dave21478 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 I am a forty year old fat man now Isn't that the median demographic for this forum? Describes me perfectly! And the photographed classy ladies bints in pic above will also be in their 40s, probably looking back at what they did 15/20 years ago and thinking "what the fuck was I thinking???". Faker, egg and uk_senator 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiperCub Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Part of the reason the scene ended was the fact that none of the fibreglass body kits and rivet/bonded crap body kits wouldn't wear or last very well. The shite quality products (that never fitted well and took ages to make fit), would show signs of aging quite quickly and crack, stress fracture, peel, etc. Cheap base model cars with £1000's spent on kits, paint, wheels and installs went in favour of finance and factory kit. Show cars are one thing... but the folk who featured heavily in the scene were using their chod as daily drivers... and as such they generally fell apart. The whole scene changed to colour coding, huge rims, and lowering. Bad boy bonnets and shite fibreglass went out the window.. Recall a good deal of this. When 'crusing' by, they might have looked OK (-ish) but they were almost always very shoddy upclose. It was a combination of cheapo kits, poorly fitted with lots of filler in the gaps (which fell out!) and crap paint either DIY or by someones mate who had a mate who worked at a backstreet bodyshop who'd do it for £50 all in. The scene largely died off (not completely) due to a variety of things, from insurance costs for the young skyrocketing (less £ for crap to put on your car), police crackdowns on 'cruises' (due to the number of idiots and associated bell-endery that ensued), cars becoming less mod-able overall (less bolt-on/scrapyard swappery) and also the need to own something that was nice and new along with peoples increasing dislike of actually getting dirty meant the rise of PCP/Lease type action that was aimed at the youngsters. The whole scene passed me by as I was slightly too old when hit properly. I grew up in the 80's when I didn't have the money to spend on making a car look fancy with big wheels, spoilers etc., it was spent making the car go and handle better, looks were down the list when you were in my position (as many of us were). I like modding if it's done properly with taste and is preferably under the skin, with the emphasis on performance/handling etc rather than all the 'Look-at-me' shit but then as I said, the scene wasn't aimed at my age demographic so I missed the point! For all it's faults and critics, at least it got kids spannering cars and hopefully they learned something along the way. Modding as such never really goes away, it just changes/evolves with time. Faker and Lord Sterling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillock Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Citroen are deffo to blame, I think they were the ones that started doing free insurance for 18+ on slightly warm hatches. Why have a five year old car when you can have a new one and probably pay less overall because your insurance is so expensive? Only thing is it's got to remain absolutely stock, they won't insure it if you even put so much as a Fido Dido sticker in the back window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Citroen are deffo to blame, I think they were the ones that started doing free insurance for 18+ on slightly warm hatches. Renault pushed that very hard, and I saw a lot of renners of that age sold based on the included insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiperCub Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 There were fuck-tonnes of 1.0/1.1 Saxo's & low-spec Clio's around my area at the turn of the century due to this. Ghosty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 Yeah a lot of these cars were absolute bodge jobs, a gust of wind and a speed hump and they'd fall to bits. Some were done with some skill though, especially engine swaps. In a way though buying an old crap car and doing it up was a rite of passage for many. You just don't get that with some soulless appliance you pay £50 a week for. Probably another aspect was the mentality and useless nature of a lot of people these days. I'm not suggesting everyone is like that but a lot of people now are just passengers in life, they don't know anything beyond operation a phone or an iPad and have no inclination to learn anything practical. It is still pleasing when you see someone 'having a go' and learning and actually doing something other than waiting to die in front of Love Island. Tenmil Socket, Faker, uk_senator and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 The nostalgia is kicking on on this scene so it won't be long until it starts to make a comeback in one form or another. Looking at the daftness of the 50s Americana stuff and how all in people go for that, though their interpretation of 'historically accurate' is about as accurate as one might expect. I do wonder how a new generation will see and interpret the Max Power era, a generation who never experienced it firsthand. egg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillock Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Well if anyone's got a vinyl cutter, you could start knocking out some retro decals and test the water. Anyone for a zebra-striped MK3 Fiesta on TSW Hockenheims? dave21478, Ghosty, Lord Sterling and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Judging by the response even just on this thread, I bet you'd have a market there for retrobarrying kit. The market for 8-hole multifit alloys is clearly bigger than anyone thought! dave21478 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacquer Peel Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Barrying still seems popular in countries where used car prices are high and you're stuck with what you've got. sierraman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 .... police crackdowns on 'cruises' (due to the number of idiots and associated bell-endery that ensued), ..... Yyyyeaah.....you know that knobber that was going round and round and round and round the carpark "drifting" his Nova with Mcdonalds plastic trays under the back wheels while Robert Miles blasted out of the boot install loud enough to hurt, with a couple of tipsy 5th year schoolgirls in the back seat? That was me. Sorry. Talbot, Lord Sterling, Rusty_Rocket and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave21478 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Barrying still seems popular in countries where used car prices are high and you're stuck with what you've got. Lots of barrying in France because 99.9% of mechanical mods are not homologated so not allowed. Messing with bodykits and stuff is about all that can be done, really. Its especially amusing to see them rolling in to the CT test station with the standard wee steel wheels on, engulfed by huge wide arch kits. Lacquer Peel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordperv Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Anyone for a zebra-striped MK3 Fiesta on TSW Hockenheims?Ford tiger stripes never went out of fashion Pillock, cort1977 and blakey79 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordperv Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Yyyyeaah.....you know that knobber that was going round and round and round and round the carpark "drifting" his Nova with Mcdonalds plastic trays under the back wheels while Robert Miles blasted out of the boot install loud enough to hurt, with a couple of tipsy 5th year schoolgirls in the back seat? That was me. Sorry.And me mate but mostly I had rwd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiperCub Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Yeah a lot of these cars were absolute bodge jobs, a gust of wind and a speed hump and they'd fall to bits. Some were done with some skill though, especially engine swaps. In a way though buying an old crap car and doing it up was a rite of passage for many. You just don't get that with some soulless appliance you pay £50 a week for. Probably another aspect was the mentality and useless nature of a lot of people these days. I'm not suggesting everyone is like that but a lot of people now are just passengers in life, they don't know anything beyond operation a phone or an iPad and have no inclination to learn anything practical. It is still pleasing when you see someone 'having a go' and learning and actually doing something other than waiting to die in front of Love Island. Yes, my point exactly, whether they were a laughable PoS or a true right of passage doesn't matter, it got people doing things and as you say, 'Having a go' which counts for alot in my book, it don't care if the outcome wasn't great, the fact you made the effort does count. Maybe this does need a revival in some form to get this generation of rather practically-challenged people outside with tools in their hands, making mistakes and learning like most of us did. Faker and cort1977 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnside Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 My first memories of modified cars was in the early 90's as a 7/8 year old seeing a couple of Mk1 Astra's either GTE's or lookalikes with twin light grilles was told they were used from the MK3 Fiat Strada like my parents had? An half and half metallic paint jobs remember them? One turned up years later parked up on a driveway and left to sadly rot before disappearing. My first memories of Max Power magazine was reading secondhand early 90's copies my friend brought with his dad from a carboot sale back in the late 90's. I started to buy the odd copy around that time when I was 15 not because of the topless women. My lasting memories of Max Power are: TITS TSW 3 spokes Tiger stripes Gutman Grilles Nova Dose Bodykits F40 Rieger Bodykits Dimma Bodykits TSW Hockenheims TITS Hormann Bodykits Momo Arrow Alloys Tinted Windows Smoked / Clear Tinted Lights and Indicators Massive Meccano Style Wings. Subwoofer and Boot installs. PS1 and Fold out DVD players installs. Sony, Kenwood and Alpine CD players. TITS. There is a few Max Power Cars that survive the one's I've read about are Project 2000. A Pink Ford Escort that was a Max Power Project Car and over on Migweb there a Lime Green MK2 Astra GTE with 4X4 Floor pan that was crudely welded in undergoing a resto now, stiil 4X4 but had all the wide kit binned and gone for a more stock look and has now been painted Black. Was from a 1996 feature. I never had the money myself to really Modify a Car back in 2001 when I started driving but my second car was a £95 1989 G reg Fiat Uno MK1 45S that gained a set of Uno Turbo Alloys. A badly wired in Sony CD player from Halfords and some Kenwood front door speakers also badly lashed in and finished off with a cheap chrome end on the standard tailpipe. Use to thrash it around going nowhere sometimes just on my own for the fun of it or now and again racing a few people and mates when I wasn't out down the clubs getting pissed and surprisingly not attracting any ladies there either. uk_senator and Faker 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiperCub Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 There is a few Max Power Cars that survive the one's I've read about are Project 2000. A Pink Ford Escort that was a Max Power Project Car and over on Migweb there a Lime Green MK2 Astra GTE with 4X4 Floor pan that was crudely welded in undergoing a resto now, stiil 4X4 but had all the wide kit binned and gone for a more stock look and has now been painted Black. Interesting - I always wonder what happens to these cars that have literally tonnes of money & time spent on them, where do they end up? (Aside from those that get smashed up). There was a thread some time ago in a similar vein about what happened to 1970's custom cars/Hot rods that were featured in magazines (& shows) at the time. It's kind of nice to see some have managed to survive, maybe as a reminder of past times. Burnside 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainagain Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Yes! The Rallye look for those on a budget! Also Laguna splitters on EVERYTHING.I remember a mate and I would regularly rake though the skip of a local body shop looking for splitters, etc from other cars so we could badly attach them to ours. I’ve still got a corsa B grill from the skip hanging on the wall in dad’s garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainagain Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Ford badges with a red rather than blue background.I sanded the blue paint off the back of my Ford badge and then painted it yellow. Who also remembers carefully cutting a beer can to fit round your ignition coil? With extra points if it was some sort of strange brew you can’t easily buy. HMC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillock Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 I don't think the current crop of teenagers could do anything like the same sort of mods that they were doing in 1994. For a start, insurance. Secondly, what car? You're either going for a car that was fashionable back then which is going to be rare and expensive (a £400 XR3i isn't £400 any more, and if it is it's no more than a rusty shell) or you're going for the logical extension.... So if they were using Mk4 Escorts and Novas in 1994 they were, what, 6-8 years old? You're looking at a 10 or 12 plate Corsa or Focus, filled with ECUs and CANBUS. Start swapping parts and you'll need an electronics degree to sort it all out. That's not intended to be a rosy tinted look at the olden days, but I honestly think it's harder to "mod" a car these days so they just spend the money on a PCP'ed already-fast car, tint the windows, Chinese coilovers and done. uk_senator, RoadworkUK and dave21478 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
They_all_do_that_sir Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 I would wager its probably a damn sight harder to hand back the car at the end of the lease period if its covered in fibreglass and expanding foam.... Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk uk_senator and Tadhg Tiogar 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainagain Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 I suppose moderns kicked in yo! also helped kill it. I had a knackered mk1 fiesta base. An xr2 turned up at the local scrappy, and it was simple bolt on to stick in the dash, interior, bigger brakes etc. To get the instruments to work I just cut the donor's multiplug off and matched the wire colours, green wire left over to the coil and it all worked. You can't even swap bits from the same model now without reprogramming stuff.We used to go to the scrappies and get whatever parts were missing on our base models from the sporting ones and bolt them on. Adding front and rear anti-roll bars to my Nova really made a big difference to how it handled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiperCub Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Start swapping parts and you'll need an electronics degree to sort it all out. I've actually got an electronics degree (a B.Sc(Hons) Electronic Engineering) and I still find the systems in modern cars bleeding hard work! Pillock, uk_senator and spartacus 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort1977 Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 This thread is making me feel simultaneously happy and old. They_all_do_that_sir, Burnside, jakebullet and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiperCub Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 ^^ Same here! Faker, Burnside and They_all_do_that_sir 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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