KILLERRides BRYAN SMILIE

Bryan Smilie bought a stock, 5-litre VK Calais when he turned 18. Three rebuilds and 16-years later, that Calais has gone from nice daily cruiser to blown, injected burnout pad bruiser!

1984 VK Calais

Initially purchased as an everyday driver, it wasn’t long before Bryan got the bug to change things up a bit, which saw the factory 5-litre Calais, increase its capacity to 355-cubes surrounded by a now smoothed out engine bay. The VK stayed this way for a little while before having mini-tubs installed to fit the 20x10-inch billet wheels. The third and most recent build saw the VK stripped down to its bare bones to have the entire floor pan removed and a three-quarter chassis fabricated and installed along with a recessed flat firewall and a much tougher driveline.

Externally, the VK is pretty much how the Holden engineers had signed off on. OK, the tubs weren’t a factory option and the smoothedout engine bay and custom radiator support panel were after thoughts, but the Spindrift colour with silver body mouldings is. To make the colour standout a little more, Jody Vincitorio at JV’s Paint & Panel added a little pearl to the mix before laying on a fresh coat or two of colour. The colour also extends into the interior where the original dash has made way for a custom metal version that now hosts a variety of AutoMeter dials and switches that sit alongside the Computech DataMaxx digital dash. An Intro billet steering wheel tops the Roadster column, which also holds an AutoMeter light and extra gauge. The front seats are Scheels that once lived in a VK Brock, with a pair of VS SS front buckets added to the rear after they were reshaped and retrimmed to match the fronts. Sitting between them is a fabricated tunnel that has been painted the body colour and holds the TCI Outlaw shifter.

THANKS TO: Cam at Hussin Auto Detailing for keeping the VK looking its best. Brett Niddrie at BNR Engines for building a bulletproof engine combo. Jody Vincitorio at JV’s Paint and Panel for always helping out when touch-ups are needed. Steve Edsall (SKDUTE) for all of his advice and help. Harry Seaman (HAZARD) for fixing up the quarter panel when I ran out of talent. And most importantly my wife for tolerating my passion for skids and late nights in the shed getting ready for comps and for being by my side everywhere!

When the original 308 was stroked to 355-cubes, Bryan probably thought that his new engine combo would suit him forever. Nope, not even close. The last build saw the Holden engine taken from its mounts and a new and much more improved small block Chev take its place. Built by BNR Engines, the Chev sports just 354-cubes, but makes in excess of 1100hp thanks in part to the 8/71 Blower Shop pump and mechanical alcohol injection forcing ample amounts of methanol through the small block. A pair of AFR heads top the Dart Little M block that features a billet Bryant crank swinging Carillo rods and forged JE pistons with Total Seal rings. The cam of choice came from the Comp Cam catalogue and gives the Chev an idle that screams performance. A custom billet alloy Dan Olsen sump caps the bottom end while plenty of oil gets pushed around the blown small block via a Peterson 5 stage dry sump system. When the MSD Digital 7-plus ignition fires the engine into life, the gases have a short trip down the fabricated headers. A Reid-cased Powerglide fronted with a custom TCE converter backs the engine and passes all those 1100-plus ponies down the line via a 3.5-inch chrome-moly tailshaft to the narrowed sheet-metal diff that uses 35-spline axles and a 3.15-geared 9-inch centre. The diff is located with a four-link, with the only brakes needed being the VT disc and caliper setup on the front being controlled by a Wilwood master cylinder. Now being used primarily for burnout competitions, no rear brakes are required. The wheels are now 20x8.5 and 20x13-inch Intro Twisted Vista 5s.

The VK has certainly come a long way from when that 18-year-old first flicked the key on to light the digital dash and hear that stock 5-litre idle as smoothly as a used car salesman. For the immediate future, Bryan has sentenced the Calais to a life of high revs and lots of tyre smoke, entertaining the crowds as best he can. And he does it well too, with a few wins under his belt including Top 10 at Summernats 2017, Top 20 at 2018 Burnout Allstars, 5th place UBC in 2019 and 4th place at the Brashernats the same year. He also scored the Biggest Tip in at the Brashernats too! After the smoke clears for the final time, Bryan may tame it down somewhat and turn it back into a tough streeter. Until then though, there will be a stock pile of tyres stacked up waiting to be blown to pieces…