The Lab is a light engineering & automotive/repair fabrication company specializing in Nissan modifications, Nissan Navara V8 conversions & carrying out mild to wild modifications on almost anything owned by someone wanting special attention to detail & high quality workmanship.
Owned & operated by Glenn & Christine Hodges, Glenn has over 12yrs experience in the aircraft servicing & repair industry & has been working on cars & selling car parts professionally for over 30 years.
The Lab was founded in 2010 & we operated from a modest unit in Tawn place in Hamilton, we have since relocated for the short term while we try to enjoy the early years with our little girl.
One of the best things we offer is on the spot quick thinking & solutions to problems other places may struggle or not even be able to solve, This ability is demonstrated fairly well with our little Nissan march racecar that now holds ~650hp & AWD, a fairly serious upgrade from the factory layout!
TIG, MIG, arc & gas welding, lathe work (up to 320mm diameter max) & general fabrication done on site with access to virtually unlimited machinery via sub contracting.
From basic maintenance to complete engine rebuilds, making a letter box through to a full automotive restoration/rebuild, The Lab can help you.
Please feel free to check out our extensive albums on out Facebook page or view our brief descriptions of notable projects listed here (we will be adding more very soon!)
Contact Glenn directly on 027 2789691 
That E85 life!
Checked the injectors today and yip they absolutely needed cleaning!
This might explain why the engine didn't feel as smooth as normal the last time we hit the track.
There was a little more debris than what you can see in the bottom of the container spread across all six injectors.
All clean now 🙂
Water to air intercooler core
250mm by 120mm by 110
Has AN12 male fittings on custom water end tanks.
Air tanks are rough and should be considered as throw away items.
Chop off the air tanks, clean off the paint and custom build your own tanks to suit your build.
$50
Prefer pick up to avoid wasting time packing for courier.
It has been a little while but here's a video update for you all :)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6U0fDzkQdY
Yip them there things there definitely not doing the thing we need them to do!
Not saying they are faulty or a bad product or anything - we've simply put more pressure on them than they can hold.
Now we need to come up with something that will hold.......
EDIT: note I do have a plan thanks :)
I rekin I must have done at least three laps so must be time for a rebuild 🤣🙃😢🤣
Will see what we have when she is out and apart, 99% sure head gaskets gave up again.
Do have some ideas on a "permanent" fix but depends on what we find in there....
EV conversion?????
While the internet is abuzz with another Navara with an interesting drive line transplant we take a look back at when we first got our workhorse mobile.
She's still turning heads (and numbers at the fuel pumps) :)
themotorhood.com/themotorhood/2016/4/7/virtual-reality-scratch-built-v8-navara
Virtual reality: scratch-built V8 Navara — The Motorhood
themotorhood.com
It all started with a concept drawing of the proposed 2016 Australian v8 Ute series, which was looking to move to the likes of D40s, Holden Colorados, and Ford Rangers for the 2017 season. These slammed-out tradie trucks looked amazing sitting super low, with a big front splitter and roll cage. It wGtr Festival done!
The weather was not ideal - but could have been worse!
It dried up enough for one grip session later in the arvo.
I went out solo for about three laps, I think someone else joined in at the end of my little stint.
The good news: oil system sorted - back to what we had before with zero oil going into the catch can.
The bad news: we definitely have some work ahead of us sorting the cooling system.
There are various possibilities for the actual issue but it's blowing coolant out.
"Lifting the heads" bypassing the head gasket, a cracked bore or head - whatever it is needs sorting.
No I won't be lowering the boost 🤣
Pretty happy, I knew the coolant thing was lurking, have got some plans 🙂
Brodie Envied Geerlings managed to catch a couple of shots of the little beast before we whisked it away to see if we could figure out and resolve our little oil spill issue.
Plenty of great shots from the other machines running in NZ Superlap Series scroll through and check out the album!
Back to the track on Saturday for GTR Festival NZ where we might have a crack at some roll racing and a couple of track sessions :)
Some small changes in the engine bay to try and help with the side effects of 850hp from a VQ35DETT.
Details in yesterday's video.