The More We Grow Up, The More We Stay The Same
For so many that have the carcane addiction, building and creating things with our hands isn’t just about the finished product. Solving problems as they arise, crossing things off our list, and getting incrementally closer to achieving our goals makes the final product that much sweeter. The journey from idea generation to execution and all the little details are what make building cars so fulfilling.
The inspiration for creation can come from anywhere, whether it be out of necessity, the pursuit of pleasure, or honest fun. For Seth, the passion to create started long before he could drive. He grew up around machinist tools, fabricators, a motorsport spirit, and people that knew how to build something out of nothing. Learning things by getting your hands dirty isn’t something that’s taught in schools. It’s a lesson written in the metal shavings on the ground and the well-used hammers hanging neatly in Seth’s workshop.
From a young age, Seth quickly became enamored with anything that would get the adrenaline pumping. His background in motorsports like dirt biking, jet skiing, go karting, drifting, and dirt track oval racing inspires his unique function over form approach towards modifying his cars— everything needs to have a the right type of reliability and serviceability that’s easy to work on, even with limited tools.
Eh… What’s up Doc?
As the 60’s gave way to the 70’s, Volkswagen was looking to capitalize on the success of “the people’s car”: the Beetle, which had been adopted all around the world, from hippies to taxi drivers. With the oil crisis on the horizon and companies like Ford and Opal looking to encroach on their share of the market, VW needed something that captured the Beetle’s essence, but could be produced more efficiently and was more practical than its predecessor.
In 1974 the Mark 1 Golf was born, dubbed the Rabbit here in the states. Offered with a water-cooled front wheel drive 4 cylinder gas engine, and later a diesel option as well, the original Golf produced a whopping 50 pferdestärke, German for horsepower. On paper this isn’t the most astounding number, but power figures alone aren’t what give a car its character. The real beauty of the Mk 1’s is its lightweight, unibody construction and its hatchback design making it extremely practical and fun to drive.
This agility and nimbleness is what attracted Seth to the Rabbit in the first place. As his first project car and his daily driver in high school, serviceability and parts availability were key in making the Mk 1 the perfect starting platform for a young petrol head. While still in school, Seth was already swapping motors, building turbo kits, and adding fender flares. The Rabbit became a constant fabrication project for him, and every new mechanical skill he learned would be used to develop the vehicle you see today.
Eh… What’s up Doc? (Cont.)
After going through gas and diesel engines from various generations of VW’s catalog, Seth landed on a turbocharged 4 cylinder that came out of the Mk 4 platform. Retrofitting all the computers and a high pressure fuel system was no easy task, but it has brought his VW into the modern era. Pair that with a manual transmission controlled by an epic Cross Fab shifter and custom linkage, and you get the feeling that this car is an extension of Seth himself, a window into the mechanical inner workings of how he thinks.
Everything, and I truly mean everything, down to the smallest detail has been touched. Every broken bolt has led to a new understanding of how things should work versus how things actually work in the real world. Every weld, every wire, every hose was a lesson in reality that has led to the creation of an extremely provocative and inspirational build.
Turned Up to Eleven
Seth wasn’t content only building the Golf his younger self dreamed about. No, he needed something to scratch that itch for both motorsports and fabrication. That’s what his Caddy, the truck variant of the Mk 1 Volkswagen, is all about. A new challenge for any occasion, the Caddy combines his love for many different disciplines of driving.
The original idea for this project came from Seth’s love for sliding cars. While front wheel drive, FWD, has its place in motorsports, there’s just nothing like getting a car sideways. By growing up watching oval dirt track cars, Seth understood oversteering long before drifting became a popular sport in the US. And so the idea for what is essentially a tube frame, outlaw-style racecar with a roaring V8 for the streets was born.
This creation is entirely unique, dreamt up by the imagination of someone that demands a lot out of their vehicles. Seth’s stated goals for the Caddy is, “it’s got to tuck 14’s and still be the most obnoxious drift truck ever seen”. It couldn’t just be fast in a straight line or take a corner at high speeds, it also needs to turn heads at car shows. To achieve this, Seth has constructed a custom frame to house a Chevrolet V8 LS engine and convert it to rear wheel drive; modifying this once-practical mini truck into something only seen in video games.
Turned Up to Eleven (Cont.)
Seth’s understanding of the importance of track-side serviceability is evident throughout the build. The body, a mismatch of salvageable Caddy parts from other projects, is securely attached with custom bracketry to allow it to come off without needing to drop subframes or remove the engine. The suspension is mostly Mazda Miata bits sourced from a local Miata part-out shop near his house. Each step in the design process is derived from the idea of how he can have the most fun possible with as few things slowing him down.
Conclusion
Automobiles are an ingrained part of the American psyche and our daily lives. They can be used for transportation, a tool of the modern world, but they can also excite us. Given the right tools, they can become an outlet for artistic expression or heart-pounding adrenaline.
There isn’t just one way to build or enjoy a car. There are a lot of facets to life, and having the right skills and parts to embark on new adventures is the best part. Take it from Seth, picking up the tools and doing it yourself is how you grow as a human and a mechanic, and truly help you to and experience those moments of ingenuity that can lead to the next great idea.
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Website – https://nivkmedia.myportfolio.com/
Car Owner – @thatmk1guy
