12 minute read
WHAT’S HAPPENING News, views and things of interest
Got something to say? Send it to paul@pscmag.com.au or message us from the Performance Street Car Facebook page.
A VALIANT EFFORT
G’day Paul, WOW, how cool is that Valiant you put on the cover this month? It’s so refreshing to see something that’s not a Torana, Monaro or XY Falcon. Congrats to Leo for not only thinking outside the square, but for also doing something out of the box. On behalf of all Mopar guys and girls, thank you for showcasing this brilliant car! Simon G Via Email
Hi Paul, Stunning! That’s the only word I can use to describe Leo’s amazing Valiant coupe. The colour scheme, engine combo, wheel choice and interior style is something else. And although some of my mates hated the bonnet treatment, I love it. It certainly makes a statement! Issue #38 was just a great issue all round. Keep it up! Ryan S Via Messenger. Hi Paul, Thanks for showcasing the US Street Machine Nationals and the Pro-Street event in Issue #38. I love the US scene and the variety of cars they have. Imagine how cool it would be to be able to cruise that wild stuff here! I also love the fact that the American’s take pride in doing something out of the ordinary! One day soon I hope to get there… Benny G Via Email
G’day Benny, You and me both mate…
PSC ROAD TRIP – WHO IS ALLOWED TO CRUISE?
G’day Paul, I was alerted about your Road Trip event in October next year by a friend of mine and I jumped on the website to take a look. This is going to be great. I do have a question though, is it only for highly modified cars or can anyone come along? I have a 2018 Mustang GT and although its mainly stock – with the exception of the bigger wheels, I’d still like to cruise the whole distance. Would that be OK? Peter M Via Email
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
Hi Paul, Thanks for featuring some oddball cars like George’s Monte Carlo. I saw this cruising the streets near Miranda a few Sunday’s ago and loved the look, sound and attitude the car has on the street. And its hard to miss being as big as it is. I love the fact that George decided to build something so unique. There should be more of it happening in Australia. Clare W Via Messenger
G’day Peter, The whole idea for the cruise was to have car enthusiasts cruising together to raise money and awareness for Men’s Mental Health issues through GOTCHA4LIFE. Your Mustang will be fine to cruise along. We just didn’t want to see a heap of stock, family cars cruising. It’s all about “special interest cars”. Thanks for your interest. Paul. Hi Clare, You may have seen George cruising to or from the photo shoot as it was done around that area. Yes it’s tough, yes its different and yes, it’s very, very big! And I agree, we should see more odd-ball stuff like this being built. Paul
Hi Guys, Thanks for the feedback on Leo’s Valiant. When I first saw this in all its glory at the Sydney Show, I was gobsmacked. The colour was glowing under the venue’s lights and after I battled through the crowd surrounding it, I was loving the styling of the build. This is certainly one of the most unique Mopar’s featured in PSC Mag. Paul
NICK RISTEVSKI - 1970 HT KINGSWOOD WORDS / PICS - PAUL BECK WORKSHOP - PRO-STREET INDUSTRIES
Nick Ristevski delivered the Kingswood to Matt at Pro-Street Industries as a roller with a long list of requests. Nick wanted his HT to be one of the toughest on the streets of Wollongong and when it makes the transition to the track, he didn’t wanted to be embarrassed by an ET that simply didn’t cut it. Matt knows exactly what it takes to build a killer street and strip runner. It may have started life as a stock 6-pack HT NOT THEKingswood!
Kingswood with white walls, hubcaps and a venetian blind, but when it returns to the street, it will have more power, more rubber and much more attitude!
DRY-SUMP. DART BLOCK SINGLE TURBO 427CI LS WITH POWERGLIDE!
SHEET-METAL DIFF 35-SPLINE FLOATERS DOUBLE BEADLOCK WELD WHEELS BOLT-IN CHROME-MOLY ROLL CAGE VELO SEATS COMMODORE RACK & PINION STEERING ADAPTED TO HT FRONT END
Starting with the rear-end, Matt too the grinder to the factory wheel tubs, removing them from the factory appointed spots, replacing them with wider versions to minitub the HT to allow enough room to fit the 15x10 double-beadlock Weld wheels and appropriate sized rubber. The work didn’t end there though, with the Holden diff assembly being given the flick in favour of a sheet-metal housing with Race Products 35-spline floaters. The back half of the HT also scored a host of Gazzard Bros gear including springs, shocks, traction bars and anti-roll bars.
Inside, there a PSI-fabricated bolt-in chrome-moly roll cage that encompasses the interior space, with one of the Velo race seats added to mock up the fitment. At this stage, that is as far as Nick has progressed with the interior makeover.
The Holden straight-six is long gone, and in its place will sit a much more impressive LScombo that will be sure to put those big rear tyres to the test. With 427-cubes coming from the Dart-block inspired build, the LS will also feature a dry sump set-up, Higgins heads and for induction, a big single turbo. Yep, this HT is going to be making plenty of power, yet be totally streetable. Backing the big cube small block will be a purpose-built Powerglide with all the fruit that will send all that power through to the unbreakable rear-end. The motor will sit over a factory HT front end that is getting a Commodore rack adapted to it.
There’s no hint of colour combinations as yet, but we will bring you an update when the boys mock the engine up into the HT’s bay to start work on the pipes etc. Stay tuned…
READY TO
Rumble!
Where would a car guy be without his like-minded mates? Probably still sitting in the shed, alone and trying to work out where to start on the project car! With just weeks before Summernats 31, the boys were sitting around with no completed car between them, and that’s when Jason suggested they pool their combined talents and get his LC Torana finished and on its way to Canberra for the annual car festival. Jason had purchased the LC some 15 years earlier after longing for the model since his school days. The LC was a partially completed project, but was finished enough for Jason to cruise home. The intention was to build it straight away, but as is usually the case, he either had the time and no money or money and no time to spend it. Jason did have a firm plan of what he eventually wanted to Torana be, he just needed all the planets to align to make it happen. Which they did – just replace the word planets with mates!
With the help of some close mates, Jason McGrath transformed his neglected LC Torana project into a Summernats Top 20 standout.
Or Jason, there was always only one engine choice – the humble 308. The Torana had already been approved for a Holden V8, so it was an easy choice to keep it that way. Though now stroked to 355ci, the Holden ‘big block’ was pieced together by Vince Macri at Macri Motors. The goal was for around five-hundred streetable horsepower. Vince added a Scat stroker crank and rod combo to the prepped VK-spec block along with a solid roller cam and lifter kit that produces an angry-than-thou idle. Massaged VN Commodore heads soon joined the party but not before the Manley valves, better springs and rockers were added. Jason wanted to keep the Torana as a reliable street car, so he opted for a single 750cfm AED carb mounted to the coated Torque Power dual-plane hi-rise intake manifold. Custom headers and a dual to single 2.5-inch exhaust system dump the gases after the MSD ignition lights the fire. On the dyno, the big-inch small block produced 548hp – better than what they expected so it was smiles all round.
Getting all those ponies to the narrowed 9-inch diff isn’t what you’d expect to find. Turbo 350? Nope! Turbo 400? Wrong. Oh, so it must be a Powerglide then? Guess again… Jason wanted to change gears himself and added an old-school Ford Top-Loader four-speed box complete with a 10.5-inch clutch and billet flywheel. The beauty of keeping the manual ox in place is that Jason spends his days as owner of Gear Exchange, so fixing the Top Loader and diff would never prove an issue. The rear end is suspended via adjustable arms and uses a 3.89-geared, 31-spline True-Trak Strange alloy centre to get the power to the tyres. Other notable underside upgrades include Monroe shocks on the front and Viking coil-overs on the rear, with the braking duties handled easily by the Wilwood disc and XY Ford drum combo. The wheels of choice are Weld Aluma Star measuring 15x3.5-inch on the from and 5-inches wider on the bead-locked rears. The 275/50/15 tyre fits nicely in the mini-tubs.
So, Jason’s choice of colour may not be for everyone, but that’s why he chose it! Being different to everyone else is why we modify our cars in the first place. As the Torana’s body shell wasn’t a bad starting point, so he had the guys at Exclusive Customs massage out any imperfections so it was ready for colour. Aside from the cowl bonnet and the obvious lack of mouldings and badges, the Torana’s sheet metal is just how the factory had intended. With the stripped-out shell in primer, it was time for David O’Brien at Merv Shippe Smash Repairs to lay on the VF HSV-inspired Spitfire Green that has had gold pearl added for that extra pop when in the right light. The colour looks spot on against the polished grille and chrome bumpers! If nothing else, you’ll never miss this one on the road!
Transforming the insides of the Torana was left up to Steve at All Trim. The original LC low-back front seats are now just a memory and have been replaced by a pair of stylish VF Maloo buckets that have been trimmed in beige leather. The re-worked Torana rear seat (to work around the mini-tubs) has been stitched to match, as have the door trims, dash pad, headlining and inside the boot area. Steve even retrimmed the baby seat so Jason’s youngest son can cruise in comfort and style too! A MOMO steering wheel replaces the larger Torana item and sits just forward of the AutoMeter filled GTR dash. Jason has incorporated a small amount of billet alloy into the trim to offset the hides in the form of window winders and internal door handles and shifter knob.
With the car complete, the crew headed to Summernats 32, with Jason just hoping to make the Top 60 elite Hall. The boys knew that was a given and wanted to see just how far their combined efforts could take the LC. At the trophy presentation, Jason couldn’t believe his Torana had scored Top Elite Tudor! He had a grin from ear to ear with that one, so he was beside himself when they announced his homebuilt Torana had made it into the prestigious Top 20 Elite! Now as the Summernats rules state, those making the Top 20 can then nominate to go for Grand Champion. History shows that Jason and is Torana didn’t score the top honour, but he was in the Top 3 Finalists for the Grand Champion Sword! That certainly topped off a big Summernats debut for Jason and is many helpers that dedicated their time and expertise to help Jason realise a dream. It’s great to see that a car that obviously gets used, can perform at such a high level.
