Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
Some workshops build customer cars. Others end up becoming full-blown shrines to modified culture. Triple Eight Customs is definitely the latter. Tucked away inside this proper enthusiast man cave is a collection that swings wildly from a Pandem-kitted Suzuki Carry to an LS-swapped Nissan 180SX, a K24-powered S15, a widebody BMW 335i, a twin-supercharged Audi R8 and a Porsche 996 that got gloriously out of hand during lockdown. On paper, it sounds like chaos. In reality, it’s a perfect snapshot of what the modified scene is all about: family, graft, questionable financial decisions and the sort of ideas that only make sense once you’ve already committed. The best bit? These aren’t static garage ornaments. They’re built to be driven, used and, in some cases, properly abused. Just how we like them. Check out the full Build Masters video sponsored by Gtechniq aboove.
Welcome to the Triple Eight Customs man cave
Every now and then, you walk into a workshop and instantly know you’re among the right sort of people. Triple Eight Customs is exactly that kind of place. There’s no single house style, no rigid theme, and definitely no fear of doing something completely daft if it makes the car better, funnier or just more memorable.
That’s what makes this collection so strong. It isn’t built around one marque or one formula. It’s built around enthusiasm, family involvement and a very obvious inability to leave anything alone. The result is a line-up that jumps from JDM to German to kei truck absurdity without ever feeling random.
Because underneath all the variety, the philosophy stays the same: build cool stuff, use it properly and don’t be too precious about it.
The Pandem Suzuki Carry that became a workshop mascot
From gimmick import to everyday work van
If you want proof that Triple Eight Customs doesn’t take itself too seriously, the Suzuki Carry is a good place to start. Bought around four or five years ago as a bit of a gimmick, this 1994 kei truck somehow evolved into one of the workshop’s most recognisable vehicles.
The idea was sparked after seeing the Hoonigans run a Pandem-kitted version, which naturally led to a message being fired off asking if a kit could be made for one. It could, eventually — and so began the sort of build that makes no financial sense whatsoever but is all the better for it.
Why the kit cost more than the truck
In classic modified-car fashion, the body kit ended up costing more than the truck itself, and the wheels weren’t far behind. Sensible? Not remotely. Brilliant? Absolutely.
Better still, they didn’t turn it into some fragile showpiece. The Carry gets used as a genuine work van, collecting wheels and hauling bits around without anyone worrying too much about the odd scratch or scuff. It’s still standard underneath, which somehow makes the whole thing even funnier.
There’s also a nice bit of scene history there, with signatures on the front from names like Adam LZ and Colette Davis after a visit around the LZ Fest period. Which is exactly the sort of random detail that elevates a daft project into something properly memorable.
Craig’s LS-swapped Nissan 180SX is built to be abused
A Pandem version 3 widebody and custom tubs
If the Carry is the comic relief, Craig’s Nissan 180SX is the more serious face of the business — although “serious” is still relative when you’re talking about a Pandem version 3 widebody S13 built to get driven everywhere.
This one came together after Craig ended up with the kit originally intended for another car, then found a cheap 180SX on Facebook Marketplace and decided it made more sense to build a fresh shell than keep pouring money into the old project. Which, in project-car maths, is often exactly how these things go.
The shell itself has had a lot of work, including custom tubs and a bespoke front panel setup. It’s one of those builds where the flashy bits get all the attention, but the real effort is in the fabrication you don’t immediately notice.
Why the SR died and an LS1 took over
Originally the plan was to run an SR or maybe even a JZ, but after the existing engine let go earlier than expected, the project took a turn toward V8 power. Enter the LS1.
Of course, “budget-friendly” LS swaps have a habit of becoming decidedly not budget-friendly the second you start doing them properly, and that’s exactly what happened here. The plan now is for a cammed, better-breathing package with somewhere around 500bhp, which in a widebody 180SX with proper suspension is not exactly subtle.
Show car looks, track-day attitude
What makes Craig’s S13 interesting is that it isn’t being built as a fragile show pony. His attitude is very much that the car should look class, air out nicely and still be capable of getting used hard. Daily driving, track abuse, then parked up at a show the next day? That’s the vibe.
It runs Airlift Performance suspension over BC Racing coilovers, custom Strong wheels and an S15 dashboard conversion inside. The latter wasn’t done because it’s trendy — it was done because it gives you cup holders. Which, frankly, is the sort of grounded logic we can get behind.
The K24-swapped Nissan S15 that nearly broke its owner
Why a K-series swap isn’t always the cheap option
Over in the next bay sits Craig’s uncle David’s K24-swapped S15, and this one sounds like it’s had a proper hard life in the process of becoming what it is now. If you’ve ever heard someone say a K-series conversion is the cheap and easy route, this car would like a word.
The engine choice came from the usual modified-scene folklore: someone says a conversion can be done for a sensible budget, everyone nods enthusiastically, and a few years later you’re massively over that figure and deep into the sort of mechanical soul-searching that makes you question every life decision up to that point.
600bhp, turbo power and a lot of perseverance
This S15 is now a turbocharged, fully forged K24 making around 600bhp, and by the sounds of it, finally nearing the point where it behaves the way it always should have done. The journey to get there hasn’t been smooth. Vibration issues, repeated setbacks and endless development have all tested David’s patience pretty hard.
Still, the payoff should be a seriously capable car. It’s got the right sort of owner behind it too — someone who intends to use it properly, drive it regularly and take it on track rather than letting it hide from the world.
Visually, the car wears an Origin kit moulded into the factory metal arches, which is a nice touch. Rather than accepting the typical fibreglass-kit fitment compromises, the whole look has been integrated much more cleanly, giving the car a tidier and more finished feel.
The Pandem BMW 335i with proper sentimental value
A build that keeps coming back home
Then there’s the BMW 335i, which has one of those ownership stories that only happens in modified-car circles. Darren owned it, sold it, Craig bought it, drove it for a while, sold it, someone else sold it on again, then it eventually came back into the family because the price was too tempting to ignore.
That circular history is part of the appeal. Some cars become important not because they’re the most powerful or the rarest, but because they’re woven into family life and workshop memories. This BMW feels like one of those.
N54 power and old-build sentimental value
Originally Liberty Walk, later reworked with a Pandem look, the car sits in that sweet spot where it’s not trying to chase the newest trend because it doesn’t need to. It was one of the early big builds that Craig and Darren tackled together, and that gives it more emotional weight than a spec sheet ever could.
Under the bonnet it remains relatively sensible by comparison with some of the other cars here. It’s a 335i with the N54, running a basic map and putting out around 400bhp, which is hardly slow. But really, this one’s more about legacy than lap times.
Darren’s twin-supercharged Audi R8
From sensible daily to fully personalised supercar
Darren’s Audi R8 started, hilariously, as the sensible option. He wanted something nice, easy to park, road-friendly and straightforward to use alongside everything else in the collection. Naturally, that lasted all of about five minutes before the modding kicked in.
First came Airlift suspension, then wheels, then splitters, then a colour change idea, and then the car ended up stripped down far enough that paint made more sense than wrap. Which is how so many “mild” projects quietly snowball into something much bigger.
Custom wheels, cage and 700bhp potential
The wheel setup is especially tasty, with custom Forged wheels from Strong measuring 20-inch front and 21-inch rear. The calipers have been painted to match the evolving look of the car, and inside there’s now a cage by Vital Fabrication along with Gen 2 R8 seats.
But the real headline is under the rear glass. Darren found a pair of superchargers, bought them on impulse and now the car is running a twin-supercharger setup with an independent cooling arrangement built in-house to make the package more robust. Mapping is still pending, but the expectation is around 700bhp.
That’s quite a departure from “just wanted something easy to park”.
Still, that’s the beauty of this place. Even the supposedly sensible cars end up thoroughly infected.
The old & new Porsche 996 lockdown build
Why the 996 made the perfect base
If the R8 drifted into project territory by accident, Darren’s Porsche 996 charged into it headfirst. This was the lockdown build — the car that gave the workshop and everyone around it something creative to throw themselves into while the world was otherwise busy being weird.
The 996 made sense partly on budget. Darren didn’t want to chop up a 997, and at the time the earlier car was much cheaper to buy. In typical modified-car fashion, the actual car ended up costing far less than expected after a suspected head-gasket issue turned out to be something much less dramatic.
That left plenty of room in the budget for what came next: absolute nonsense, in the best possible way.
Work Meister wheels, Airlift and a properly wild interior
The old-new kit transformed the look of the 996 completely, and the Work Meister wheels built to suit it are outrageous in exactly the right way — especially the 13.5J rears, which tell you immediately this wasn’t built with moderation in mind.
As expected, the stance is handled by Airlift, while the interior has gone fully down the rabbit hole with carbon, retrimmed surfaces, a white cage and some properly serious seats. It’s one of those cabins where you instantly know the builder didn’t stop at “that’ll do”.
Straight-pipe valve and a future engine refresh
Then there’s the exhaust. A valve sits dead-centre, and when it opens the car effectively goes straight-piped. According to Darren, it sounds absolutely savage — proper track-car loud. That may or may not have contributed to the engine now needing attention, but in fairness, he’s taking it in good humour.
The plan now is to fix the motor and get it back to doing what it was built for: not sitting under a cover, but being enjoyed properly. Darren’s view is refreshingly simple — when he’s older, this is the car he sees himself still cruising around in. Fair enough. It’s got the right sort of drama for that.
Why Triple Eight Customs sums up modified car culture at its best
What makes Triple Eight Customs such a good feature isn’t just the car list, although that’s mad enough on its own. It’s the atmosphere behind it all. These aren’t cold, over-curated builds created for social-media applause and never used. They’re family projects, workshop stories and rolling bad ideas that somehow turned out brilliantly.
There’s a kei truck used as a parts van, a V8 180SX built to be driven hard, an S15 that’s fought every step of the way, a BMW with sentimental pull, an R8 that forgot how to stay sensible and a 996 that became a lockdown obsession. Different brands, different styles, same core energy.
That, really, is modified car culture in a nutshell.
And if this is what the Triple Eight Customs man cave looks like on an average day, we’d very happily move in.
Triple Eight Customs is a custom car workshop and enthusiast collection featured on Build Masters, showcasing a wide range of modified cars built and used by the family behind it.
The collection includes a Pandem Suzuki Carry, LS-swapped Nissan 180SX, K24-swapped Nissan S15, Pandem BMW 335i, twin-supercharged Audi R8 and a heavily modified Porsche 996.
No. Despite the Pandem kit and custom touches, it’s still used as a working van for collecting wheels and hauling parts.
Craig’s 180SX is being built with an LS1 V8 and a target of around 500bhp.
The car is described as a turbocharged, fully forged build making around 600bhp.
It features custom wheels, air suspension, a roll cage and a twin-supercharger setup with around 700bhp potential.
It was a major lockdown-era build and has strong sentimental value, combining an old-and-new body conversion, Work Meister wheels, air suspension and a heavily customised interior.
They are very much driven. A recurring theme throughout the workshop is building show-worthy cars that still get used properly on the road and, in some cases, on track.
