Other peoples influences can do interesting things to people. In primary school I was pressured into getting the cool hair cut of the time — an undercut. Looking back now, it wasn’t the best move, especially when embarrassing family photos come out. But at the time you were nobody if you didn’t have long hair hanging over number two shaven sides.

For New Plymouth’s Matt Lind, growing up with a brother who was always modifying cars ensured he really had no choice. Either do up his car, or get the beat down from big bro Tony.

Unfortunately, at this time Matt was kicking round the streets of New Plymouth in a lowly 1989 Ford Laser station wagon. Not one to be deterred by such a small technicality, a build of epic proportions was spawned. The stock steel wheels were sent to Never-neverland and replaced by a set of 17-inch chrome DTM’s. Matt then fitted Lovell’s springs and oversized sway bars all round to drop the front to the level of the now sagging rear end and assist with handling.

The vehicle’s ageing 1600cc engine kept Matt happy for a short time, but constant hassling from his mates and big brother forced him to look for an alternative. The obvious donor engine for the conversion was the 1600cc DOHC turbo B6T from the BFMR series of Mazda Familias since they share many common parts with the Laser motor, making the conversion a fairly simple one. Making it even easier was the fact that the standard wagon gearbox can be retained during the swap.

Matt decided a thorough rebuild should be undertaken before the engine was dropped in. Heavy-duty bearings were fitted, along with gapless piston rings. Before the head could be re-attached to the freshened bottom end, Matt ensured it was ported and polished before being attached with O-rings and a heavy-duty head gasket. The stock valves now take orders from a set of reground cams which have been dialled in with a set of adjustable cam gears.

The miniature BFMR turbo was not deemed up to the task of providing enough extra power, so a TD05 turbo was sourced from a Mitsubishi Evo II. The custom manifold required for the turbo also houses a 35mm external wastegate, which was plumbed back into the three-inch exhaust. Silencing the combination of exhaust gasses and wastegate gasses are a pair of RPS mufflers. 2.5-inch piping on the intake side of the turbo sends charged air to a VR-4 sourced front-mount intercooler and on to a unique twin throttle body setup. Most Familia modifiers tend to adapt the front-mounted throttle body to side-mounted, but Matt has chosen to add another standard one to the front and split the piping accordingly. The only escape from the intake system is through the GReddy blow off valve, or by being mixed with fuel sent through an MSD pump and Evo 510cc injectors and sparked by an MSD Digital Six ignition. An MSD coil and Eagle 7mm leads have also been fitted to allow perfect spark regardless of the level the GReddy boost controller is set at.

Mazda engineers were very clever in 1986, but they never intended for this much power to be made from the B6T motor. As such, the brain of the operation is now a Link Plus ECU complete with hidden wiring loom. With the engine bay starting to look the part, Matt took his big brother’s advice and polished the piping and the tappet cover and fitted braided lines throughout.

A polished gearbox casing and stainless steel covers makes the engine bay stand out more than usual. Now residing in the gearbox is a heavy-duty kevlar paddle clutch, which ensures the tyres are the only thing to slip when power is applied.

Since the wagon now creates far more power than was originally intended, Matt did the clever thing and fitted BFMR brake callipers and heavy duty pads both front and rear.

The car was now a true performer, but still didn’t look the part. So, a mix of body kit parts were sourced and modified to fit the Laser’s square frame. The front end now consists of a Tommy Kiara bumper from a Subaru WRX combined with some of the stock laser bumper and an Evo grill. Sticking to the theme, a set of Evo III side skirts were modified to fit. And curvaceous Veilside-style end caps designed for a Nissan 300ZX complete the rare end look surprisingly well. Roadrash Composites were the company behind all the fibreglass magic, and Matt was understandably impressed with the quality of the finish.

Once the vehicle was back in Matt’s possession, The Paintshop in New Plymouth were given the task of painting the now multi-coloured body. Matt had previously sprayed the entire vehicle black, so the plan was kept simple with a choice of deep blue pearl to go over the top.

Now that the vehicle was both running sweet and looking the part, the interior was next on the list. After all, it would be a shame to get the ladies interested in going for a ride only to have them laugh at the brown interior.

When purchasing Racetech 100 seats for the front of the vehicle, Matt had the idea of fitting buckets to the rear. So, in a fit of Kiwi ingenuity, Matt had the covers stripped off the Racetechs and a mould taken of both as well as a custom centre console. Once happy with the new one-piece rear seat, it and the fronts were sent to Normanby Upholstery to be covered in blue and white vinyl. Along with the seats, the door trims, dashboard, roof lining and custom sub box were also given the Smurf treatment. Any items that couldn’t be covered were hit with matching blue or white paint, and a custom carpet was also installed. Auto Meter gauges were fitted to the custom dashboard to replace all the standard items. Three more gauges measuring oil pressure, boost and air/fuel ratio have been mounted to the A-pillar. Rounding out the interior package is a Momo steering wheel, pedals and a Trust gear knob.

A decent audio system was the only thing the vehicle needed before it could hit the mean streets of New Plymouth. Luckily, Matt planned ahead and had the sub box pre-upholstered. Now filling the gaps in the box are a pair of 12-inch Lanzar dual voice coil sub woofers powered by a Lanzar 1800W D-class amp. The source unit for the install is a Pioneer DVD/CD player with built in seven-inch screen. This all-in-one unit is responsible for powering a set of six-inch Pioneer components in the front doors and a pair of two-way speakers in the rear. For maximum boom, a second battery has been mounted below the armrest in the rear seat and a one-farad fusion capacitor was wired into the amplifier.

Sure, Matt may have been forced into starting the build, now it’s more of a labour of love. Matt has exceeded all expectations with the car. Because the vehicle has spent so much time off the road, he picked himself up a new daily drive, a (previous NZPC-featured) turbocharged Mitsubishi RVR. But there is no pressure to rebuild the vehicle, besides that which he inflicts upon himself. So, with mods taking place on the Mitsi, it’s time for the Laser to move on. We’ve seen what he can do with a work hack, so I’m sure we’ll see the soon-to-be extensively modified RVR on these pages in the future.

1999 Ford Laser S/W – Specifcations

Engine: B6T 1600cc turbo, gapless rings, O-ringed head, heavy duty bearings, reground cams, ported head, adjustable cam gears, K&N filter, TD05H turbo, VR4 intercooler, GReddy blow off valve, 35mm external wastegate, custom exhaust manifold, MSD pump, Evo 510cc injectors, custom twin throttle bodies, Malpassi fuel pressure regulator, MSD digital Six ignition, Eagle 70mm leads, three-inch exhaust, RPS mufflers, Link Plus ECU, GReddy dual stage boost controller, MSD coil
Driveline: Polished gearbox, Kevlar clutch
Suspension: Lovell’s low springs and oversize swaybars
Brakes: BFMR callipers, heavy duty pads
Wheels/tyres: 17-inch DTM chromes, 205/40R17 tyres
Exterior: Tommy Kaira front bumper, Evo III side skirts, 300ZX Veilside end caps, black paint with blue pearl, 35 per cent tints
Interior: Racetech 100 seats, full retrim, Momo steering wheel, Trust gear knob, Autometer gauges
ICE: Two 12-inch Lanzar subs, Pioneer TV/DVD head unit, Lanzar 1000W amp, Fusion Capacitor, Pioneer six-inch components
Performance: Untested

Matthew Lind- Driver Profile

Age: 20
Occupation: Instrument technician
Previously owned cars: Skyline GTS, Honda Accord, Toyota Starlet, RVR Turbo (Current)
Dream car: Aston Martin DB9
Why the wagon? Stupidity, peer pressure and jealousy of my
brother’s cars
Build time: Three years, off and on
Length of ownership: Four years
Matt thanks: Roadrash Composites, The Paintshop, TMR, Steve Hildred Motors, Normanby Upholstery, Dimension D, Tint Magic, my brother for good ideas and advice, Ex-girlfriends for putting up with s**t, Mum and Dad, all of my mates for support and ideas and everyone else who I’ve forgotten.

Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Clutch