Most of us know about the famous car Youtubers from Mighty Car Mods (MCM). Their show has grown into a massive, yet humble, global show, with a cast of fun recurring characters spearheaded by hosts Marty and Moog. Those of us who have watched MCM for a while remember the Super Gramps turbo Subaru build, or the turbocharging a Miata series. The steel-eyed, soft-spoken expert turbocharging guru affectionately known as “Turbo Yoda” was the mentor to the turbo journey of Marty and Moog, but things have changed since then. Beginning in January of 2019, Turbo Yoda, real name Alan Butler, started his own show called The Skid Factory.
Turbo Yoda is personally my favorite expert that was ever on MCM. His quiet knowledge, skill, and demeanor made him instantly interesting and cool. He gives off the “forgotten more about cars than I have ever known” sort of vibes and has the accurate knowledge tidbits to back it up. With the help of MCM, The Skid Factory branched off from Mighty Car Mods in Australia and has accumulated 224,000 subscribers as of this writing.
The show is a series of low-key builds done in a style that appeals to my modified JDM car tastes very well, along with some off-roading, dirt biking, and domestic Australian big-body sedans. Alan and close friend Ben Wood, known as Woody, mess around with Toyota V8s, diesel Nissan inline-sixes, and some turbo LS stuff, all while keeping it engineered and balanced for street use. He doesn’t chase huge horsepower or ridiculous Youtube algorithm-topping builds. He knows how to build a car to drive, with a no-bullshit attitude to wrenching and modifying cars. I almost forgot about this insane Toyota V12 FJ40 Land Cruiser build that he executed.
My favorite parts of every build series are the casual 24-karat gold nuggets of knowledge dropped throughout. Because of Alan and Woody, I’ve learned more random things about Toyota engines than I could have ever dreamed. With a healthy sprinkle of Subaru EJ engine hate, it feels like the show is made for me. Detailed engine teardowns, rebuilds, and modifications make up a good bit of the show, along with detailed methods for mounting and plumbing a custom turbo setup. The most valuable knowledge that the show contributes is certainly the expertise Alan has in wiring, with multiple videos dedicated to the topic. I especially love that Alan is a huge champion of the Subaru EZ30 flat-six and manual swapped Legacy (Liberty in Australia) wagons.
If you want nerd deep while being entertained with dry humor, check The Skid Factory out on Youtube. Click here for their channel, and maybe one of you can tell me just exactly what a lemon squash is.
