January - KT4 Performance

For the month of January, we are featuring Shane Puffe’s Volvo 142 Wide Body

Hey everyone, your friendly blackbndt here. Its already been over a year since made build of the month here at KT4 Performance. Honored to be here again, thank you KT4. Well, Lets hit it. SOOO much has changed. Many of you have witnessed the madness, if not I’ll do my best to give a little backstory.

The last time the Volvo 142 aka V142R was featured it was basically a done build. It got its name V142R becasue I took a 1999 V70R and a 1972 142 and body swapped them together. I built it to be a daily driver that I could take anywhere, and in style. She had it all. Weighing in at 3540 lbs. AWD, gobs of power, heated seats, cruise control, premium sound, AC, full v70R interior, no expense in weight. Ride in class while showing off my style. I would take it up in the mountains in the snow and go boarding, I’d take it mountain biking with the paddle board on top. It went everywhere.

The day it all changed… braaaping down the drag strip… braaaaping around autoX.

Its in my blood to go fast, if it has tires I will race it. Going fast, speed, just the thought of air across my face fully pegged as I pick the perfect line gives me goosebumps. Always loved building versions of race cars, with the V142R I wanted to build something different. I did. And I got bored with it. Then I got the itch. So anyway I started cutting away on a perfectly executed one off build. But without that mentality the car would never have came to be in the first place.

So after some straight line racing I was dissapointed in my et. So I took the old 2.3 I5 and starting tearing it down. Purchased Nitrous Express, Forged Rods, ARP Head Studs, precision 6266, picked up a half done tubular turbo mani and slowly just piecing it together for that go go juice we all love so much. It is all still work in progress.

I started installing the Nitrous, with the 142 front clip I had no room to effectively swap jets out at the track without extensive work. I swapped to a NA Mani to help with jet location of jets and TB but just didn’t like the outcome. In the backyard for almost a year I’ve had a 164 front clip minus hood. Now a 164 front clip is at least 6-8 inches longer in the front, so I ripped off the entire front clip of 142 and started slapping it on to see if I liked it… I’m all about being different, so I cut up the 164 fenders to accept flares. And sure enough the 164 clip is still on there and I love it. So we have a 142 thats been body swapped with a V70R with a 164 front conversion to make it a V162R! Thats a mouthful lol.

Now I still have the itch to go fast even after front end swap. This is when it gets fun! What is the cheapest best mod you can do?! My favorite mod, Weight reduction! I once took a S2000 from stock weight of 2800 lbs and weighed in at nationals 2190 lbs. So starting at 3540 lbs last time I weighed it I was at 2860 lbs!!! From full weight and all ammentities to no AC, no radio, no back seats, pulling rear diff, propshaft, cutting rear axles for sensors. From water to air to air to air for 47 lbs. Picked up a set of 18×10.5 +12 Wedsport TC105n wheels wrapped in 285 30 18 Hoosiers for 32 lbs of roational weight savings! Picked up a large CF Megan wing and installed it off back, cables, legit. Ripped out the floor padding. Now still alot left to save, race seats, manual swap, angle gear still bolted up.

I didn’t like the idea of making a rwd car into a awd car and then to fwd… live and learn, builds change. Going full race I knew the drivetrain would not hold up unless fwd, especially to power and my sticky hoosiers. With new developments of how light car is getting (I’ll get into that here shortly) and billet angle gear prototypes in the works it may once again see awd in 6 spd form. Time will tell, nothing to bolt diff, propshaft, axles in. Onward to the current phase in build.

It was the end of 2019. Christmas time. With all the weight reduction I was still not happy, waiting game. Why not start 2020 with a big bang! And so I did. A huge gamble, potentionaly destroying the car. The same type of gamble I took when I cut up two cars and sent it not knowing if I would succeed when I did the body swap. I cut the roof off! WHAT!? It was my most commented on picture via Instagram of all time via my page. Over 200 comments!!! Lets just skip the what in the heck is this guy doing and get to the facts. So much top weight removed, every single window is gone now, window mechanisms, ext. I got in the car and stood up with the roof on my back to remove it, its not light. I still have the entire heater assembly to remove, that will be a good chunk of weight. Car may see the 25xx lb mark. Over a thousand pounds less. I’ll be happy with 2699 lbs.

I’ve wanted and open top car for 8 years now, ever since I chickend out on cutting the windshield off my S2000 and ended up selling it. I have an 850R as a DD and the V162R is a project car so why be afraid. I can not wait to be driving it down the freeway wearing goggles and my hair flying like Nicolas Cage in Con-Air. Gives me goosebumps thinking about it.

The car is yellow, the 164 clip is white. I have everything to paint it white, so a free paint job essentially if I do it myself. I’ve never sprayed a car but like so much of this car I’ve never done before. Watched my dad spray cars back in the day as a kid out in the driveway, always been handy with a can of spray paint so I know I would descent with a single stage. But I’ve also wanted to go raw metal and clear for a long time. So over the last couple days I’ve been stripping the paint, which didn’t work. And sanding. Its been alot more work then expected. After I write this I’ll be out there sanding away.

Its going to be an exciting year indeed. Lots of goals, I’ve never sourced out work to be done before. I DIY everything. Already partnering up with a local garge that will be building a custom roll bar setup for the car in part sponsorship, I have a huge sponsorship oppurtunity here with KT4 Performance that I’m excited about. Looking forward to all the partnerships. It would be a dream to get the car to SEMA. The last two years I’ve seen whats a SEMA and my build has been better then alot. I’ve taken the car so far on my own. Its time to take it to another level. I can’t do that all on my own. All I can do is try my hardest, always. And the rest lines up. Whatever happens will happen. I’ll enjoy the car myself as I’m building it for myself. All smiles here, and I love to share every moment of it with all of you. Thank you for reading. Thank you KT4. Till next time Family! Shane Puffe AKA blackbndt.