The build from factory to show car.
DFROST is a show car i started to build back in the 90s, back then it was loud and in your face mods, lol. I got this car in 1998 it was my first car that wasn’t a hand me down. i researched and found this car was what i wanted for the cash money i had to spend. I was obsessed with 4wd traction at the time and even though i wanted an EVO III (GSR was as good as it got in Australia), this was as close as i could get.
The 1990 Ford Laser TX3 Turbo 4WD. Sporting a 1.8 litre BPT motor that is commonly found in the Mazda 323 factory. basically this whole vehicle is a re branded Mazda 323. Below are the basic specs attained from automobile catalog and some photos of the factory vehicle
Ford Laser TX3 Turbo 4WD, manufactured or sold in 1990, version for Australia (since March), 3-door hatchback body type, 4WD (four-wheel drive, 4x4), manual 5-speed gearbox, displacement: 1840 cm3 / 112.5 cui, advertised power: 117 kW / 157 hp / 159 PS ( DIN ), torque: 206 Nm / 152 lb-ft. characteristic dimensions: outside length: 4270 mm / 168.1 in, width: 1695 mm / 66.7 in, wheelbase: 2500 mm / 98.4 in. reference weights: base curb weight: 1180 kg / 2601 lbs
1990 Ford Laser TX3 Turbo 4WD front
1990 Ford Laser TX3 Turbo 4WD rear
After owning the car for a few months i started modifying my TX3 exhaust front mount intercooler and BOV were the first things to be done. Then it was time to get some bodywork sorted as the looks of the vehicle were somewhat lacking for my tastes. a set of chrome wheels and the first rendition of the car was underway, but it would not be the end of the build, not by a long shot.
My TX3 in its first form.
From here the mods started coming thick and fast engine work wise the list stood like this. VG30DET T3 turbo, turbo back 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust and manifold, custom intercooler, Blitz blow off valve. 14-15psi boost with a cabin controlled boost switch, Unichip computer mod, Bosch in-tank fuel pump, malpassi fuel pressure regulator, surge tank, K&N filter and cold air induction.
Body work and taken a leap forward with the addition of an EVO 5 wing custom fitted with chrome dipped crossbars. sideskirts, custom down force lip extensions, Custom round taillights and Mazda Austina indicators. chrome detailing, and a butt load of airbrushing inside and out, featuring iceman (xmen) on the bonnet to go with the frosty theme. the interior was treated to some themed trimming also.
DFROST spec front
DFROST spec front side angle
DFROST spec rear side angle
Interior 1
Interior 2
Interior 3
While i liked the look of the car at the time it still needed something else, it was missing something i wanted... round headlights. After a bit of mucking about i managed to fit and customize a set of R32 GTR headlight converters to fit
All of this was done by 2001 and then the car started the car show scene which was quite big back then. from Auto salon, GLOW, small car sunday and many more shows, this car hit most of them grabbing a few trophies along the way. There were plenty of over the top cars at these events, it was a great time to be into cars. This was all before the harsh crack down on modified vehicles in Australia.
GLOW 1
GLOW 2
We headed down to the snow one year with DFROST so we could view her in her natural environment and hit the slopes for a bit of a snowboard.
Throughout this build i had been chasing the cover of cars magazines HOT 4s, Fast fours and rotaries, etc. Every time i got close to being worthy of gracing the cover the bar would be raised. I needed to do something extreme to gain the stamp of approval. The plan was devised to make the car full wide body, custom everything even more than it was, i was determined to do what it would take to make that cover of the magazines. The car was pulled off the road and about 8 months later it emerged as this, the final rendition of DFROST.
Along with the new Wheels which are 18" Custom painted 6 spoke rims, the bodywork included shaved door handles and door strips, mirror operated door handles, Customised front bar with round headlight conversion, full custom 3" wide body modifying almost every panel including front gaurds, skirts, rear gaurds, and rear pods and a race fuel filler.
Did the car make the cover? Nope. The bar was raised yet again, so back to the lab again for DFROST. I was preparing to make this TX3 a targa top and modify the bodywork again…. But then I asked myself is this all worth it? I had already sunk way too much money into this vehicle and it just kept breaking gearboxes with the amount of power it had going to the wheels. The gearboxes are synonymous with breaking in these and many 4WD cars. I thought enough was enough and decided to retire the car from the scene completely and focus on a new drift AE86 project, but more on that later.
For now DFROST lies in a cryogenic state awaiting a cure for weak gearboxes and my want to restore her to roadworthy condition or possibly selling her off. Until any of these things happen she will stay asleep in storage.
