Kai Hei Tai, the resident team from the Combat Center representing the Marine Corps for the Scion: Battle of the Builds, received a visit from Toyota representatives who came to check on the progress of their custom Scion xB Wednesday at the installation's Auto Skills Center.
The team has hit a few speed bumps during their custom build, but they are using the famous Marine trait of adapting and overcoming to make their dream a four-wheeled reality.
"We've been putting in a lot of time on this car," said Lance Cpl. Joshua Harrison, a ground communications organizational repairman with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. "I'm working on the body right now, but there's been a lot of custom fabrication all over this thing."
Harrison, an Austin, Texas, native, said aside from the body modifications, the crew has also modified the drive train, and many suspension components, and will be adding a far beefier set of 33-inch tires. The team used a turbo kit from Precision Turbo Works, which is not yet on the commercial market.
Although the team's progress is admittedly slow, with their new parts coming in and pulls from the junkyard, Kai Hei Tai said they are sure they will meet their Oct. 5 deadline to finish the xB Assault.
The team is one of three military finalists chosen by the vehicle manufacturer. Each team received a basic Scion xB and $15,000 to build their winning designs. The grand prize winners are scheduled to be announced, Oct. 18.