lkdsditukqs magzus.org by Thomas Swift

More than just a part in your project

NOW IN STO CK

S T C U D O R NEW P

M39856

Front

M39859

Rear

XEFF46668AA

Mudflap Kit VN VG VQ VP VR VS

Front

DLK12

DLK13

Parcel Shelf Rear XF Sedan Masonite

Rear

Door Lock Slider VB VC VH VK VL Available as set (4 Doors) DLK1000

BFT2000

Indicator Assembly With Lens XP (Pair)

TC2016 Parcel Shelf Clip Kit

F2519 2 Piece Kit

F2520 4 Piece Kit

SK1105

Floor Pan Blanking Plate XR XT XW XY XA XB XC ZA ZB ZC ZD

RDS1101 Front

RDS1102

Sunvisor Bracket Kit Grey Pair VN VG VQ VP VR VS

BMC1303

Rear

Door Seal VT VU VX VY VZ WH WK WL

Bonnet & Boot Moulding Clip Kit VH Commodore

1(: 722/,1* Heater Tap Assembly

Engine Mounting Conversion Kit

EM2000A XR XT XW XY ZA ZB ZC ZD V8

EM2001A XA XB XC XD XE ZF - ZK V8

HT2000 XR XT ZA ZB

@RareSpares

HT2001A XW XY ZC ZD @RareSpares_official

RARESPARES.NET.AU/SM

Rare Spares are developing new products every day and releasing new and improved products on a weekly basis. Stay tuned and keep up to date with our vast growing range by signing up at rarespares.net.au or check out our Facebook page.

1(:

H1259

GS1008

Plenum Chamber Cover Air Deflector Assembly VN VG VQ VP VR VS

PP1021

Shifter Indicator Slide VN VQ VG VP VR VS Auto

Brake Pedal Pad Auto Disc HJ HX HZ

5($5 48$57(5 *$51,6+

92018356 VK Right

92018357 VK Left

92024598 VL Left

92024597 VL Right

Moulding Rear Quarter Light Garnish Commodore Sedan

48$57(5 9(17 :,1'2: 6($/

RQLF201 Left

RQLF202 Right

Great Fit!

Seal Quarter Vent Window XK XL XM XP Except Coupe

),77,1* .,7

%227 /,' 028/',1*

92020402

Moulding Boot Lid VK Sedan Except Calais

All New Product Tooling

FK2041

Front Indicator Fitting Kit Both Sides XB Falcon & Fairmont

FK2042

Fitting Kit Grille XF Falcon & Fairmont

NASCAR-POWERED LX

OLD-SCHOOL CRATE ENGINES

500CI VF HARDTOP

B ROADC AST

YEARBOOK 2022

$11.95 incl GST NZ $12.45 incl GST

ANDREW BROADLEY

streetmachine.com.au

WALKS!

428 CUBES OF BLOWN WINDSOR GRUNT! WILD THING!

SEMA 2022

2 JZ CORTY IS A RACE

THE NEWEST IN AUTOMOTIVE HOTNESS

CAR FOR THE ROAD

WEBSITE streetmachine.com.au EMAIL streetmachine@wheelsmedia.com.au

STREET MACHINE MERCH shop.streetmachine.com.au FACEBOOK streetmachinemagazine INSTAGRAM streetmachinemag YOUTUBE STREETMACHINETV MAIL Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES subscriptions@wheelsmedia.com.au (02) 8315 2092 9am-5pm (EST) Mon-Fri FREE NEWSLETTER! Scan the code:

ELCOME to the final issue of Street Machine for 2022! The past 12 months haven’t been without their challenges, with extreme weather and what is hopefully the tailend of the pandemic impacting several events. But with the Bureau of Meteorology now predicting that bastard La Niña will pack its bags and rack off in the not-too-distant future and governments now taking a more measured approach to managing the spicy cough situation, I’m confident that the ‘new normal’ will start to look a lot more like the ‘old normal’ going forward. Entrant passes to Street Machine Summernats 35 have sold out for the first time in the event’s history, and anticipation

season passes, and join the circus for a week as spectators. In fact, I can’t recommend it highly enough. This issue we’ve got a stellar feature car line-up, led by Grant Connor’s gorgeous blown XR Falcon. You probably recognise Grant as the owner of the Summernats Grand Champion-winning Bad Apple XR, and while it was a truly epic car, Grant reckons he’s got the recipe spot-on this time when it comes to the age-old toughness versus practicality equation. There’s also a mega-tough, tunnel-rammed fatty-powered Valiant hardtop; an Elite-level, NASCAR-powered LX hatchback; a lowrider built by one of Australia’s most prolific street machiners; a gorgeous resto-modded HK

OUR RESCHEDULED DRAG CHALLENGE WILL BE THE BIGGEST DRAG-AND-DRIVE EVENT AUSTRALIA HAS EVER SEEN is building ahead of our rescheduled Street Machine Drag Challenge event, which is all but guaranteed to be the biggest drag-anddrive event Australia has ever seen. So there’s plenty to look forward to in the first month of 2023 alone! After the big wet in Victoria put paid to the planned October running of Drag Challenge, we have now locked in Monday 30 January through to Saturday 4 February, starting and finishing at Heathcote Park Raceway. You can read more about the event on p.12 of this issue, or head to streetmachine.com.au/events/dragchallenge for all the info, but suffice to say it’s going to be a damn good time. And while DC entries might be sold out already, you’re more than welcome to pack the car full of mates, grab yourselves some

GTS; a staunch plastic-powered Blue Meanie tribute; and a 2JZ-powered Mk1 Cortina from Darwin that’s effectively a race car for the road. Talk about an eclectic bunch! And for those of you wondering why there’s not a 2023 Street Machine calendar anchored to this issue, the unfortunate truth is that costs associated with printing and distributing the calendar have skyrocketed, so we aren’t able to offer it for free as we have in years past. We know a lot of you look forward to the calendar every year, so we’re hoping to produce it and offer it for sale at streetmachine.com.au. We’ll revisit the idea of distributing it with the mag next year – fingers crossed! Cheers, Broads andrew.broadley@wheelsmedia.com.au

C O N T EN TS YEARBOOK 2022 | VOLUME 42 | ISSUE 13

042

> FEATURES SEMA SHOW 2022

42 64 PRO TOURING FABRICATION 82 HARRIGAN’S ROD & CUSTOM 100 OLD-SCHOOL CRATE ENGINES

The Las Vegas bonanza is back in full swing with an overload of primo show cars and new kit

We check out Pro Touring Fabrication’s Brisbane workshop, jam-packed with tough builds

064

090

MEAN STREAK

Mark Spiteri’s living the Group A dream with his 630hp Blue Meanie tribute

Around 500 cars turned out to soak up the Calypso Bay sun at SEQ’s biggest one-day show

What’s good in the world of traditional, carbyfed crate mills

106 DRAG CHALLENGE: XF GHIA

DC vet George Hatzi’s Barra-swapped XF is knocking on the eight-second door

082

100

> REGULARS 05 BROADCAST 10 NEWS FRONT 14 PEOPLE LIKE US 16 SNAPSHOTS 18 FANGING FLICK 21 YOUR STUFF 96 TIME MACHINE 100 TECH TORQUE 106 DRAG CHALLENGE 110 IN THE BUILD 114 YOUNG GUN 118 IRON MAIDEN 122 DIRTY STUFF 124 URBAN WARFARE 128 IN GEAR 132 READERS’ ROCKETS 140 LOL 142 SUNDAY TOO FAR AWAY 146 MILL OF THE MONTH

146

124

URBAN WARFARE

‘Dominator’ Joe Woods turned to Aussie suppliers to keep his ’67 Dart happy

106

EVIL TWIN

Grant Connor hits the street with his latest XR stunner

034 HATCHED CANARY

NASCAR power and Summernats Top 60 quality meet in Blake Evans’s ultimate Torana

There’s a sweet LSA tucked under Travis Oberg’s sleepy HK Monaro

Kaine Fiorenza’s third Valiant hardtop is a 500cube street brawler ready for Drag Challenge

052 058

UNDERCOVER AGENT

THE HARD STUFF

THE LOW ROAD

Known for his super-tough show cars, Mark Sullivan went the lowrider path with his ’67 Riviera

070 076

WIDE LOAD

A custom widebody, six gears and 700hp at the treads PDNH WKLV 0N &RUWLQD D FHUWLoHG VWUHHW ZHDSRQ

PHOTO: MARK BOXER EDITOR Andrew Broadley ART DIRECTOR Leah Gionis ADDITIONAL DESIGN Povi Pullinen SUB-EDITOR Brett Collingwood VIDEO & EVENTS PRODUCER Scott Taylor JOURNALISTS Kian Heagney, Jack Houlihan DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Mary Lee SOCIALS Paul Cronin EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Simon Telford KICK-ARSE CONTRIBUTORS Mark Arblaster, Troy Barker, Mark Boxer, Alastair Brook, Chez Images, Carly Dale, Simon Davidson, Ellen Dewar, Greg Forster, Mark Hayes, Mitch Hemming, Ben Hosking, Matt Hull, Iain Kelly, Steve Kelly, Jordan Leist, Simon Major, Pics By Chaddo, Lou Renova/405 Photo, Shaun Tanner, Chris Thorogood, Glenn Torrens, Noel Tuckey, Boris Viskovic, Ashleigh Wilson

008

S T RE E T M A C HI N E

COVER PHOTO Ellen Dewar COMMERCIAL MANAGER – ENTHUSIAST Joseph Lenthall (02) 8114 9421, joseph.lenthall@wheelsmedia.com.au NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR – AGENCY Jodie Smith jodie.smith@wheelsmedia.com.au VICTORIAN SALES MANAGER Kim Simonsen - (03) 9567 4311 QUEENSLAND SALES MANAGER Todd Anderson - 0409 630 733 NEWS EDITOR Kat Fisk NEWS DESK Jordan Hickey MARKETING SPECIALIST Katie Bastion PRODUCTION SERVICES Di McLarty FINANCE BUSINESS MANAGER Margaret Clantin ACCOUNTANT Sasha Wein

FINANCE DIRECTOR Marena Paul GENERAL MANAGER – TECHNOLOGY Tim Kenington PUBLISHING DIRECTOR – DIGITAL Mike Stevens PRODUCT & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Ben Barren CONTENT DIRECTOR – ENTHUSIAST Simon Telford CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Jez Spinks CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Joseph Lenthall CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Scott Davison CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Christian Clark

PORTABLE PRODUCTIVITY TRADE FOCUSED SYSTEM WIDE

PERFORMANCE DRIVEN TRADE FOCUSED SYSTEM WIDE

HAND TOOL SOLUTIONS

SEE HOW MILWAUKEE CAN IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY IN YOUR WORKSHOP

BOOK A TEST DRIVE WITH A TRANSPORTATION SPECIALIST milwaukeetool.com.au/jobsite-solutions milwaukeetool.co.nz/jobsite-solutions

ARN-1747

N E WS F RO N T

YE A R B O O K 2 0 22: A L L TH E N E W S TH AT M AT TE R S STORY JACK HOULIHAN PHOTOS ELLEN DEWAR & SM ARCHIVES

> THE BLOWN AUTO SALON HERO IS SET TO COME BACK BETTER THAN EVER AT SUMMERNATS 35

N ICON of the early 2000s show scene is being brought back to its former glory, as the ex-Jamie Kochaniewicz VS ute known as PSYCO undergoes restoration ahead of its return to Summernats. The VS was dominant in the early 2000s, claiming a King of Auto Salon gong, and a Top 60 spot plus Top Murals and Top Car Display at Summernats 15, not to mention haunting our March 2002 cover. The ute went to auction last year after changing hands a few times, soon making its way to a Perth car collector. The Vortech blower was refitted to the injected Holden V8 and retuned, before the car was sent back east for Darryl Harrington

STR EET M A CHIN E

of Automotive Installation Services to handle the rest. “I’ve been doing car stereos for probably 25 years, and I’m from Perth originally, so the owner and I had been in contact,” Darryl explains. “He runs a business that employs an auto sparky; he took one look and said, ‘This is way beyond me.’ But he knew that I also run a panel shop and could cover all the aspects of the rebuild.” While the heavily airbrushed exterior is in decent shape (which was mostly redesigned by original artist Wayne Harrison for the 2011 Flesh Air calendar), there’s plenty to be done to bring the ute back up to show spec. The tub fit-out had been removed and lost due

to water damage, and a considerable amount of stereo wiring had been cut or removed from the cab due to seeping water. “I managed to find the stuff that was binned on eBay, and we got that in to get it working again, but the rest of the speakers we’ve bought are brand new, because nobody’s going to see them anyway,” Darryl says. He says the rear amps were another lucky find. “The person I buy my stock off in Perth knew somebody with two restored ones,” Darryl says. “It will be [visually] pretty much identical to what it was, but the new stuff that’s hidden will be really beneficial for sound quality.” The original eyeball-emblazoned subwoofers were also missing, though Wayne Harrison has

> HOT GOSSIP TURBOSMART WINS BIG CONGRATULATIONS to our homies at Turbosmart, who dropped a gaggle of beaut new products at SEMA 2022, and continued their tradition of winning SEMA product awards in the process. The brand’s revolutionary new OPR turbocharger oil pressure regulator picked up the award for Best Performance Racing Product, while the pneumatic StraightGate50 external wastegate scored the SEMA Best Engineered Product for 2022. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

DESIGN TO DRIVEWAY SHANNONS has produced a new docuseries called Design to Driveway, chronicling the history of Australian car design as told by the designers who penned some of the most iconic Aussie cars ever built. Seven of Australia’s most influential car designers tell their stories and reveal exclusive images, designs and the original clay models. Each episode is hosted by motoring journo Warren Brown and features a different designer, including legends such as Leo Pruneau, Phil Zmood and Richard Ferlazzo. The series is underway now at shannons.com.au/club/videos.

now airbrushed a new set to rest behind the seats. The in-console screens and Nintendo 64 were mercifully left in place and have been revived by Darryl, and most of the custom interior panelwork will be used after some fibreglass repairs and airbrushing touch-ups. Sound deadening is another new addition, which Darryl says was sorely needed after an overwhelmingly hot and noisy test drive. “It won’t quite be a daily, but it will be a lot more functional, as the owner’s over six feet tall,” he says. “With the subs that were in the cab, you wouldn’t even fit if you were five foot, so everything that’s been upgraded is from a practical point of view.”

According to Darryl, sourcing a set of period-correct rims has proven the biggest challenge so far. “The Momo Status seems to be the go-to wheel for a Commodore of that era — that or AMEs, whichever we can source. [SM scribe] Liam Quirk’s got some gold ones he said I could borrow, but I don’t think gold’s really going to work and I don’t think he’d want me to rechrome them,” Darryl laughs. An engine bay smoothing is also on the cards, as per Jamie’s original plans if he’d kept the ute. Darryl’s now working to get PSYCO ready for the owner’s first Summernats, though there’s plenty of work to do before January. s

WE’RE kicking off 2023 with a bang, because the January issue of Street Machine promises to be an absolute belter. Feature cars will include a staunch pro street FB ute from WA, a screaming six-pot LC GTR Torana, and a Chevy Monza out of the Down Town Kustoms stable. We’ll also check out Adelaide Auto Expo and Chopped, and bring you a special feature on workshop safety. Last but by no means least, we’ll also present our time-honoured Street Machine Summernats Survival Guide, so you’ll know the who, what, when and where of Australia’s biggest horsepower party. The January 2023 issue of Street Machine goes on sale 29 December 2022. Get yours!

S T R E E T MA C HI N E

N E WS F RO N T

YE A R B O O K 2 0 22: A L L TH E N E W S TH AT M AT TE R S STORY KIAN HEAGNEY PHOTOS CHRIS THOROGOOD & SM ARCHIVES

NEW DRAG CHALLENGE DATES ANNOUNCED! > AFTER ANOTHER WEATHER-INDUCED DELAY, DRAG CHALLENGE 2022 IS FINALLY GOING AHEAD EARLY NEXT YEAR!

ET excited! After two postponements, we’re delighted to announce that our five-day Drag Challenge marathon will now take place between 30 January and 4 February next year! The unrelenting rain in Victoria forced us to postpone the 2022 edition of the drag-and-drive event, which was meant to take place 25-29 October, as neither the tracks, pits nor public roads could have coped with 300 cars and crew after the mass flooding events and threats of further precipitation. That followed the rescheduling of the 2021 event due to spicy cough restrictions. Happily, the move to the new dates allows us to bring Portland’s awesome eighth-mile track back into the schedule. It all kicks off on Monday 30 January with a registration day at Heathcote Park Raceway, before the first day of racing gets underway on Tuesday at the same venue. Wednesday sees the circus move to Portland for

STR E E T M A CHIN E

Day Two’s racing, while Mildura’s Sunset Strip will play host to the event on Thursday. We’ll return to Heathcote Park on Friday for some night racing, before the final day’s racing, also at Heathcote, brings the event to a close on Saturday 4 February. “The decision to postpone it again wasn’t an easy one, but we really had no choice,” says Scotty Taylor, the main man behind our DC events. “Both Heathcote and Mildura copped it bad just weeks out from the event, and with the forecast not looking any better for the dates and all the roads washed out, it wouldn’t have been safe or feasible to try and run it then.” Although having to postpone the event sucked, the flipside was that it brought out the awesome community spirit within drag racing. “Everyone was pretty understanding of the need to cancel, and I can’t thank our awesome sponsors enough for sticking by us and making it possible to put on great events like this,” Scotty says.

Entrants have already been contacted to inform them of their automatic rollover from the postponed October dates. With a packed field of 300-plus cars contesting a whopping nine classes, it’ll be the biggest DC yet. For starters, there’ll be a stack of six- and sevensecond belters lining up, including the SzabolicsMarchese Racing HQ Monaro, Frank Marchese in the 2018 DC-winning FAIRXW, and Luke Foley’s VH Commodore. The tracks will be open on all days (except registration day) for spectators to come along and watch, and we’ll have a limited supply of our smoking-hot, one-off Drag Challenge merch for sale at all the tracks as well. And don’t worry, this rescheduled 2022 running of DC won’t replace the 2023 version; we have every intention of running that in spring next year. So despite all the delays, 2023 is looking set to be an awesome year for Drag Challenge! s

PEOPLE LIKE US STORY & PHOTOS ASH LEI G H WI LSO N

SASHA SWENNEKER > PALM BEACH, QLD

S SOON as we spotted Sasha Swenneker’s slammed ’69 Dodge pick-up at the Harrigan’s Rod & Custom Show in Calypso Bay, Queensland (see p.82 for our full event feature), we had to know more about the turbocharged Hemi hiding under the bonnet. Sasha was more than happy to give us the lowdown. What sparked your love of cars? I’ve always had a soft spot for classics. My very first car was a 1963 Ford Falcon XL wagon. It was a full little surf wagon. I put whitewalls on the stock rims and slammed it to the ground, and cruised that for three years until I had to sell it to buy a work ute. I’ve had a love for old white steering wheels and 60s cars since! How did you come across the pick-up? I knew I wanted an Aussie stepside, but they’re near impossible to find; most Dodge trucks came out with the factory flatbed for the farmers. I was scouring Gumtree one Friday night and the AT4 popped up at a farm in

Esk. I messaged the owner straight away and handed him the money the next day. What condition was the truck in? It was a rolling death trap. I drove it 100m up the road before I turned around and called a tow truck! That’s when I realised it needed a complete overhaul. Did you have a plan for the build? I wanted it airbagged, with a restomod look. I took it to Rob from Rides By Kam and told him I was chasing a smooth cruiser with power on tap that can still spin the wheels. From there, they had the freedom to do what they wanted. The boys cut and notched the rear and boxed the original chassis. They also put in a new nine-inch and a four-ink to handle the power. We ’bagged it all ’round with the 3P AccuAir system, which I can preset to any height or air out when I get to a show. Tell us about the engine combo. Rob had a Hemi that he’d just taken out of a Chrysler 300C. We hit it with a performance tune and I drove it like that for two months. I decided it needed more power, so I took it to

one of my mates who’s in the drift world. He hand-fabricated a custom turbo system, all the lines and the exhaust. We thought the paint was a wrap when we first saw it. It’s real patina! It’s 20 years’ worth of bad paint and sunlight in a chook shed. The chick who owned it did a backyard spray job in 2002. Over time the red paint oxidised through the blue and created this cool contrast of colours. Rob convinced me to let him clearcoat it. How was Harrigan’s? It was really good. It was great to see other custom trucks and heaps of variety out there. It’s always a good feeling when you pop the bonnet and everyone stops to look and appreciate the build. I was chuffed to take home an award as well. Any future projects on the cards? I’d love to build another Dodge or an International as an open-wheel, F1-inspired rat rod. I want something that’s completely absurd and different! It’s just a matter of finding a truck with the right body shape.

IT WAS A ROLLING DEATH TRAP. I DROVE IT 100M UP THE ROAD BEFORE I TURNED AROUND AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK! LEFT: Sasha, his partner Jasmin Collins, and the Dodge at the 2022 Harrigan’s Rod & Custom Show

014

ST RE E T M AC HI N E

“NO ONE KNOWS YOUR P A S S I O N L I K E S H A N N O N S.”

Shannons Home and Comprehensive Car and Bike insurance is for motoring enthusiasts just like you, with features like: Choice of repairer Agreed value Multi-Vehicle & Multi-Policy discounts Limited Use & Club Plate cover Laid up cover One excess free windscreen claim per year Total loss salvage options Home & Contents Insurance including $10,000 enthusiast items cover for your collectables & tools Towing & storage costs as a result of loss or damage Pay by the month premiums at no extra cost Call Shannons on 13 46 46 for a quote on your special car, daily drive, bike or your home, and speak with a genuine enthusiast. Join the Shannons Club today! Get connected and share your passion - shannons.com.au/club

INSURANCE FOR MOTORING ENTHUSIASTS | CALL 13 46 46 FOR A QUOTE | SHANNONS.COM.AU 6KDQQRQV 3W\ /LPLWHG $%1 LV DQ DXWKRULVHG UHSUHVHQWDWLYH RI $$, /LPLWHG $%1 WKH SURGXFW LVVXHU 6RPH EHQHÀWV RQO\ DSSO\ WR FRPSUHKHQVLYH YHKLFOH FRYHU 6KDQQRQV KDV QRW WDNHQ DFFRXQW RI \RXU REMHFWLYHV ÀQDQFLDO VLWXDWLRQ RU QHHGV 5HDG WKH 3URGXFW 'LVFORVXUH 6WDWHPHQW EHIRUH EX\LQJ WKLV LQVXUDQFH DYDLODEOH DW VKDQQRQV FRP DX 7KH 7DUJHW 0DUNHW 'HWHUPLQDWLRQ LV DOVR DYDLODEOH 7HUPV FRQGLWLRQV OLPLWV DQG H[FOXVLRQV DSSO\ 7KH W\SH RI FRYHU PXVW EH VSHFLÀHG RQ \RXU FHUWLÀFDWH RI LQVXUDQFH ,I \RX GR QRW XVH \RXU YHKLFOH LQ DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK WKH YHKLFOH XVDJH VKRZQ RQ \RXU SROLF\ FHUWLÀFDWH \RX PD\ QRW EH FRYHUHG LQ WKH HYHQW RI D FODLP 'LVFRXQWV GR QRW DSSO\ WR WKH RSWLRQDO 6KDQQRQV 5RDGVLGH $VVLVW RU &73 6+)0$ $

S NA P S H OT S STORY SIMON MAJOR

MARCUS THOMAS > SYDNEY, NSW

AR ownership can be a funny old thing. Some people are all about crazy variety, punting an RX-3 coupe one week and some sort of 50s Yankee wagon the next. Then there are those with devout and outspoken brand allegiance who will never stray from their chosen manufacturer and have all the apparel to match. But there’s another group of car fans who mostly love that one particular model that’s seemingly entrenched in their DNA. Sydney’s Marcus Thomas falls into this latter category. A firm love of Holden’s HJ-HZ range has seen a number of them pass through his hands over the past quarter-century, with only the occasional ring-in along the way.

01: MARCUS bought this HZ sedan as his first car back in 1997, and soon hit the streets sporting thongslapper 253 V8 power backed by a Trimatic slushbox. A sunroof, two-tone paint

016

ST RE E T M A CH I NE

and rare factory-option Dunlop wire wheels added some class. As it turned out, this HZ planted the seed for Marcus’s vehicular future. “This is definitely where my love of owning Kingswoods started,” he says. “I even picked up my baby boy from the hospital in this car; he is now 23 years old and has the love for the trusty Kingswood too!”

02: FIVE years on, it was time for Marcus to mix things up a little, so the HZ was sold and replaced with this 308/Trimatic LH Torana that he bought out of Katoomba for a whopping $2500! “They were the days, weren’t they?” he laughs. “That $2500 got me a beast of a car, really; it would beat nearly everything away from the lights and had a full SL/R interior as well. Unfortunately, it went a little too well and I lost my licence, so I sold it to my cousin for $3000 in 2004.”

03: BY 2006, Marcus was back in the saddle and picked up this HJ Kingswood wagon for $1500, rolling on a set of old-school chrome Elstar wheels. The 253 V8 ran on both petrol and LPG, and was backed by a five-speed conversion for great highway running. A Premier front added some bling, and the wagon also sported plenty of GTS gear including the sports dash, guard flutes, steering wheel and badgework. “It may have looked a little ragged, but this was a great car that went everywhere, and even took bush trips to the Blue Mountains in its stride,” Marcus says. “I sold that a little later and moved on to my very first 4WD, which was probably a bit more appropriate to use for those kind of adventures!” 04: AS A young kid in the 80s, Marcus got to cruise around in the back of his uncle’s Chrysler Drifter panel van. “That was it; I was hooked on vans from that moment and dreamt of owning

8 7

one for years,” he says. “I finally got my own panel van back in 2011 – this windowless HX Kingswood running a dual-fuel 202 six-cylinder and three-speed column-shift, along with a bench seat. I found it in Victoria and shelled out $4500 for it, and I especially loved its look with the Premier front end.”

05: WHEN it comes to the question of his

The 308 was long gone, so Gary replaced it with a 327 Chev, while the missing custom Monza front was toned back with a Statesman front using the once-popular XC Fairmont/GXL headlight conversion. “It was a beautiful mild custom van under Gary’s ownership,” Marcus says. “The Deville Blue paint looked a treat, and it just screams iconic, period-perfect Australian panel van.”

favourite panel van, Marcus firmly acknowledges the legendary ‘XX308’ HJ Holden built by the late Stephen Ellis in the mid-late 1970s. It was featured in the very first issue of SM’s forerunner magazine, Van Wheels, and has been through a number of guises and owners over the past 40-plus years, but this version built by Gary Waghorn in the early 1980s is Marcus’s favourite. Gary bought XX308 after it had been stolen and recovered; it was badly damaged and missing many of its original identifying parts.

06: MARCUS still owns the HX panel van, and he and his partner, Jada, have done it up over the years. “We repainted it Impulse Blue and as a contrast blacked out the chromework,” he says. “We also redid the front interior, adding a yellow-needle GTS dash along with an original radio, and decked out the rear in true panel van style. It still runs a 202, but we removed the LPG, and it features a Stage Two camshaft and 350 Holley.”

07: JADA enjoyed working on the HX van, so Marcus bought her this Kingswood ute back in 2019 as an early wedding gift. “$8500 bought us a pretty tidy HJ, also running a 202 but this time backed by a four-speed,” Marcus explains. “We had the bench seat retrimmed in leather and fitted a set of Cragar rims, before selling it on in 2021. It was a sad day to see her go – the ute, that is; Jada stuck around!” 08: HERE is the pano doing wedding duties for Jada and Marcus’s nuptials in September this year. “It was held at the Winbourne Function Centre in Mulgoa, and we were honoured to have Karen Davis let us use her beautiful HX van too,” Marcus enthuses. “Karen’s van is a genuine Tuxedo Black Sandman, which is a rare colour combination for one of these, and made for a great pairing with ours.” s S TR E E T M A CHI N E

017

F A N G I N G F LI CK

COOL FLICK FACT: The shopping centre chase scenes were filmed at the Warringah Mall in Sydney, which was later used again for action sequences in TrenchardSmith’s 1983 flick BMX Bandits (left).

STORY SIMON MAJOR

DEATHCHEATERS 1976

> MEET STEVE AND ROD – STUNTMEN, SABOTEURS, HELLRAISERS!

BREAKDOWN VEHICLES: Custom ‘Buttercup’ dune buggy, 1966 HR Holden wagon, 1974 HJ Holden, 1964 Mercedes-Benz 600, 1962 EJ Holden speedway sedan, 1963 EJ Holden panel van, 1959 Wolseley 15/60, 1966 Toyota Crown utility STARS: John Hargreaves, Grant Page, Margaret Gerard, Ziggy the dog, Noel Ferrier, Judith Woodroffe, Annie Semler, Chris Haywood, Vincent Ball DIRECTOR: Brian TrenchardSmith ACTION: Cool dune buggy action evolves into a high-speed street chase, with shopping centre antics and a demolition derby thrown in for good measure PLOT: Two Vietnam veterans carve out a living as stuntmen, but their special range of skills is sought for a top-secret federal government mission AVAILABLE: DVD, Netflix

STR E E T M A CHIN E

WILL happily admit that ‘Ozploitation’ films are a guilty pleasure of mine, and 1976’s Deathcheaters is up there with the best of them. Steve (John Hargreaves) and Rod (Grant Page) become best mates during a military tour of Vietnam. Upon returning to civilian life, they settle back into domesticity with their respective loves – Steve with his spunky blonde partner, Julia (Margaret Gerard, director Brian Trenchard-Smith’s real-life spouse), and Rod with his beloved pooch, Bismark (Ziggy). The two friends quickly become a sought-after stunt duo dubbed The Cunning Stunts, working in television and movies. This career helps the pair scratch their ‘action’ itches, but their experiences during the war have left them craving more thrills. Their eagerness to assist with some local police operations brings Rod and Steve to the attention of government handler Culpepper (Noel Ferrier), who recruits the pair for a top-secret mission to the Philippines. Combining both their combat experience and stunt skills, Steve and Rod proceed to make light work of recovering the required classified documentation from a heavily armed power station, before returning to Oz via a commandeered Australian Navy submarine as heroes to the cause. This was the second collaboration between director Brian Trenchard-Smith and legendary Aussie stuntman Grant Page, following on from the famous The Man From Hong Kong in 1975 (Fanging Flick, SM, Aug ’21), and

they would team up again for the 1978 documentarystyle film Stunt Rock. As with The Man From Hong Kong, Deathcheaters feels like a showcase for Page’s stunt talents (Trenchard-Smith doubled as Page’s manager at the time), albeit wrapped around a workable storyline. This is not a bad thing by any means, as the stunts come thick and fast. Page exploding through the trees and hammering along in a tyre-smoking, open-headered V8 dune buggy is awesome; his signature car-hit stunt goes off without a hitch (unlike his infamous attempt on The Don Lane Show a few years later); and the demolition derby jammed full of early Holdens will surely get snowflakes everywhere rattling their keyboards.

VERDICT: 4/5 I TRULY enjoyed Deathcheaters. It never takes itself seriously, the onscreen chemistry between Hargreaves and Page feels really natural (indicative of their off-screen mateship), and there’s fun-filled adventure full of raw stunt action, hot babes, cool cars and plenty of laughs. It all combines to create a vivid snapshot of 1970s Australiana that deserves to be remembered fondly. s

YO U R S T U FF

Write to: Your Stuff, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email streetmachine@wheelsmedia.com.au. Make sure you include your address (not necessarily for publication). Keep it short and sweet!

> LETTER OF THE MONTH

A LIFE LESS ORDINARY

LOVED seeing the Porsche (bottom right) in the December issue, even though it’s something fairly different for SM. Say what you will about a Euro sports car appearing in this mag; it was a refreshing change to see something that handles better than your average dumpster on 24-inch Simmons rims and still has more than enough power to be a bloody good time. Maybe somebody should do a Porsche 928 V8 next and really stick it up the haters! The TSS EA Falcon (top right) was an interesting piece of kit too, one that makes me wonder how things could have been if Ford stayed on their game in the late 80s and early 90s. We all know the Windsor was pretty ancient tech when it came back in the EB Falcon, despite the obvious EFI change. Imagine if the head honchos saw the EA blower set-up and knocked out a blown or turbo six-cylinder S-Pack to complement the Windsor! There’d be a solid 10 years of extra development by the time we got to the Barra, and Ford wouldn’t have been hosed by the LS1 in the late 90s; they would’ve had much-needed VL Turbo status of their own. Alan Jackson, email

MILL FIRE

DEAR SM, that Mill of the Month for December (left) blew me away. It had a lot going for it and those coloured fittings really did it for me. They took me back to the early 90s, which is when I feel engine styling peaked. Blokes weren’t afraid to inject some colour into their engine bays, be it a cool colourmatch job or the sweet reds and silvers that make fittings pop. By the way, if anybody has a set of gold Moroso Cleveland rocker covers kicking around, hit me up! Frank Harding, email

PHOTO FINISH

SORRY for harassing you guys so much with my ideas (Your Stuff, SM, Dec ’22); feel free to stop printing them if you’re sick of me! Anyway, I’ve been looking through Facebook, Instagram, and even the Readers’ Rides section and was slightly disappointed by some of the car photography on show. Yeah, I know not everyone has a background in social media and/or photography; there’s still no real excuse when most people have a decent smartphone in their pocket. Perhaps a ‘how to photograph your car’ guide is in order? Jordan Pinkett, email S T RE E T M A CHI NE

021

GREEN IS NICE

of old-school cool, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Neil James’s amazing custom HQ Monaro, just as it was on the back of my 90s Street Machine issues. It warmed my heart to see a car like this when so many icons of the scene have either been lost, stolen, smashed, or worst of all converted back to stock! I really hope whoever buys the thing gives it no more than a quick tidy-up and hits the street. Rafael Zemblis, email

KEEP IT STREET

ELECTRICAL FIELD

HUGE congrats to Jasmine Green (above) on her SMOTY win (Legend, SM, Dec ’22)! It just goes to show that people appreciate a DIY attitude, and cars that aren’t traditional big-dollar muscle cars. It’s also more proof that girls can absolutely mix it with the big guys at the top end of our sport, and frankly put some of them to shame with talent, persistence and vision. David Lane, email

I WAS doing the usual aimless Gumtree browse the other day when something ridiculously cool jumped out at me. As a lover

> DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH IN LIKE FLYNN

HI, MY name is Flynn, and this is my Holden ute I want to build when I grow up. I love cars and Street Machine magazine! Flynn, 7, email

HEY, just wanted to throw you my unaskedfor two cents on SEMA. There’s lots of interesting stuff as usual, and I’ve been

particularly invested in people’s reactions to EV conversions of older and custom cars. Aside from the rad BRE-style Datto ute, Legacy EV’s chopped Ford hot rod caught my eye from a philosophical standpoint. Regardless of how ugly you reckon a crate EV motor might be, it fits nicely with the original hot rodding ethos of using what’s available. If I decided to build a hot rod tomorrow I probably wouldn’t be going electric, but I’m also not about to rubbish someone who does. After all, it’s hard to hear the sweet sounds of Brian Wilson and the boys over lakester pipes! Dennis Sanders, email

Contact Performance Wholesale Australia for off the shelf, or custom piston ring requirements for your application. 6 Cronulla Crt Slacks Creek QLD 4127 Performance Wholesale Australia W | performancewholesale.com.au E | sales@pwa-au.com

P | (07) 3808 1986

> IN YOUR FACEBOOK

IMPURE THOUGHTS

OTHING gets purists upset like cross-pollination between rival brands, so naturally the Barraswapped LC Torana built by Al McClure never fails to get a reaction on our socials. We recently re-shared our original feature story on the car from the August 2020 mag on our Facebook page, along with the news that Mark Whitla and Darby Hamilton now own the beast and plan to bring it to our next Drag Challenge. Here’s what you had to say about the Ford-shoved Torry. Brad Robinson – Oh no, is that a two-door Cortina? Marcus Stingray – It was common to see Ford nine-inch diffs and Top Loaders in GM cars back in the day, but not this. James Domenico – This is how smart Holden guys do it! Shane Galvin – NO! You just do NOT do that. Simon Hale – Why not? I’d rather an Aussie-made Barra than a Jap six; it’s not like a 202 will be up for it. Glenn Prince – The 202 is a Bathurstwinning engine! Can you tell me how the Barra went at Bathurst? Danny Bevan – When you need to go fast, go Ford! Matto Greyhome – #barratheworld. Aaron Bandy – Sacrilegious! Kieran Johnson – An Aussie six powering an Aussie-built Torana – nothing wrong with that. Richie Stalling – Kieran Johnson, disagree – if you love Ford so much, buy a Cortina. I personally think a 2JZ would be a better motor. Kieran Johnson – Richie Stalling, watch The Skid Factory and see what a mission fitting a JZ is to an early Torana. Graham Schild – Makes sense to use the Barra; it was common to put 265 Hemis in Toranas back in the 80s-90s.

024

S T RE E T M A CH I NE

Sam Effie – All you Holden owners can’t have a whinge; it’s the same feeling as when we see an LS swapped into a Ford. Lee Clarke – I love it! It’s exactly what street machining and hot rodding is all about. Mark Te Pou – What a stupid idea by a stupid person! Simon Visnjic – Cross-breeding is all the rage at the moment. Colin Penrose – Smart man – better than a boat-anchor LS. Pasqualino Mascaro – I had an LJ and now drive a Ford, so a sexy-looking Torana with the power of a Barra? Yes please! Daniel Librio – Impressive work. No opinion on the motor. It’s the dudes own car; if he likes it then it’s awesome. A purist can stick a 202 back in it if they buy it and care that much. Brian Dunell – Daniel Librio, should have kept it in original condition – the paint on that Barra is a non-standard colour! DEL Chappo – Meh. Honestly be more fun with a hot 202. Grump Peey – DEL Chappo, oh whatever. A ‘hot 202’ wouldn’t even touch a stock naturally aspirated Barra. DEL Chappo – Grump Peey, lol, are you even kidding me? Grump Peey – DEL Chappo, what’s there to kid about? Grab a $1000 low-kilometre Barra or spend $15K on a 202 to make the same horsepower with half the reliability. DEL Chappo – Grump Peey, did I say it would be free? You’d make 300hp fairly easily with a 202 with triples – a Barra doesn’t make 300hp standard. Mick James – Love it. Face facts – even a naturally aspirated Barra would smash anything a heavily worked red could turn out. No different to all those LS Falcons. I remember back in the day putting a Ford 221 crank with BMW rods into a red block for 235 cubes, along with a 12-port Yella Terra head and triple carbs. Awesome combo, but it ain’t going to touch a Barra.

VISION AUTO REPLACEMENT CARPET & VINYL FLOORINGS Fully heat moulded to each vehicle's floor shape, available for most vehicles in 14 carpet colours in loop, plush & super plush carpets and 9 hard wearing vinyl colours CUT LENGTHS ALSO AVAILABLE • • •

A RANGE OF UNDERLAY & INSULATION

Heavy Duty Felt 3UHPLXP 6RXQG SURRͤQJ Waterproof Underlay

SOUND INSULATION •

Australian Made

•

Premium automotive sound & Heat insulation Self adhesive

•

No toxic odors / allergy sufferers safe Used by leading truck and bus manufacturers

UNDER BONNET INSULATION Custom Moulded & Universal Under Bonnet Insulation

UNIQUE MATS CUSTOM SHAPE FLAT OR MOULDED MATS.

Protection mats perfectly made to suit a large range of vehicles from 1940’s to now. Custom embroidery available.

1 / 6 AIRLIE AVE, DANDENONG, VIC 3175 PH 03 9792 2333 INFO@TRUFITCARPETS.COM.AU

VISION AUTO PTY/LTD WWW.TRUFITCARPETS.COM.AU

ANOTHER KILLER XR, THIS TIME WITH MORE CUBES AND MORE POWER!

STORY JACK HOULIHAN

PHOTOS ELLEN DEWAR

S T R E E T M A CH I NE

027

T TAKES a special kind of person to build the same model of car several times, especially when you’ve already taken one to the dizzying heights of Summernats Grand Champion. Grant Connor is that person, and he’s back on the scene with another killer XR Falcon. “I’m obsessed with them,” the Orange, NSW bloke laughs. “It stems from when I was a little kid. My mate's brother had one out in a paddock, and the round tail-lights had me mesmerised. As I got older, I progressed through the Auto Salon stuff and then I got into V8s, but I always remembered the XR tail-lights.” This is the fourth XR Grant’s owned, following a stocker in his younger years, a 1000hp drag car, and of course the stunning ‘Bad Apple’ sedan that saw him hoist the sword at Street Machine Summernats 31. “Through COVID, I couldn’t race the drag car so I sold it,” he says. “I’d always wanted a blown XR Falcon; it was really hard to do that to Bad Apple, so I thought I’d build another one.” When Grant came across a well-restored XR GT tribute for sale in Melbourne, he took a gamble. “The guy was moving interstate and

028

S T RE E T M AC HI N E

had to get rid of it, so I said, ‘Mate, I’ll buy it,’ without even looking at it,” he says. “I jumped in my car two hours later and went down to pick it up. I’ve done that a few times, and you always expect the worst, but it was a really, really solid car. Whoever restored it did a really good job.” Ben and the team at John Zelukovic Smash Repairs smoothed and resprayed the engine bay in Glasurit silver to match the paint on the rest of the car, while Grant pays tribute to his childhood round tail-light obsession with a pair of billet buckets, custom-designed by SM Expression Session’s Aidan Donald. “We worked pretty hard to get them right,” Grant recounts, “and nine out of 10 people won’t notice they’re different, but I wanted them to be something a bit special.” With the body already super-straight and painted, Grant could focus on his big-ticket blown driveline. While Bad Apple packed a stroked Clevo, Adam Cope from ACM Engines & Dyno suggested a Windsor this time around. “I’d never owned a Windsor, funnily enough,” Grant says. “They just rev that hard; they’re a really solid

thing. Adam swears by them, and he’s been doing it for a long time.” The Dart Windsor block houses a Scat crank swinging JE pistons to displace 428 cubes. Heads are 220cc AFR Renegade units packed with Yella Terra lifters and Isky valve springs, all topped by a TBS 6/71 blower and twin Quick Fuel Brawler 750 carbs. A Melling oil pump keeps it slippery, and a Race Radiators rad with twin thermo fans and a CVR electric pump handle cooling duties. In proper streeter style, it’s tuned for pump 98, enabling a beefy 765hp at the crank. “A lot of people say blown cars are pigs to drive, but this is probably the most reliable and easiest car I’ve had,” Grant enthuses. Protrans built the tough C4 ’box, which is paired to a TCE 3800rpm converter, while a nine-inch with a Detroit Locker and 33-spline Strange axles fills out the rear end. The rear is still a leaf set-up, though a set of tubs and a four-link is on the horizon. The interior fit-out is a big departure from Bad Apple, which Grant enjoys. “I’m going to have Simon Judd redo the interior and it’ll have a few different pieces for a custom look, but I’ll keep it GT-style. It just never goes out of date.”

GRANT PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS CHILDHOOD XR TAILLIGHT OBSESSION WITH A PAIR OF BILLET BUCKETS CUSTOM-DESIGNED BY SM EXPRESSION SESSION’S AIDAN DONALD S T R E E T MA C H IN E

029

A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY BLOWN CARS ARE PIGS TO DRIVE, BUT THIS INTERIOR: The interior is a far cry from Bad Apple’s all-custom job, with the colour-matched Hurst shifter and VDO gauges meshing neatly with their GT surroundings

030

ST RE E T MA C HI N E

TAIL-LIGHTS: The subtle custom billet tail-light buckets were prototyped by Aidan Donald using a 3D printer, and test-fitted by the John Zelukovic Smash Repairs crew before being CNC machined and fitted with LED bulbs

IS PROBABLY THE MOST RELIABLE AND EASIEST CAR I’VE HAD EXTERIOR: “It was already painted, so I didn’t choose the colour, but it’s sort of grown on me and I really like it now,” Grant says of the Glasurit silver paint. The 20in Simmons rims are his own addition, chosen to complement the body colour

ENGINE BAY: The smoothed bay features a custom radiator support and deleted battery tray, directing all attention to the 428ci tower of power

S T R E E T MAC H I N E

031

DRIVEN, NOT HIDDEN: Unlike Bad Apple, Grant’s not afraid of getting this Falcon dirty. “Every time I get in it, it puts a smile on my face,” he says. “I’ve always had people try to buy it off me, but when I go for a drive the idea of selling it is gone from my mind”

It all comes together as a seriously presentable streeter, though it’s a conscious step down in detail from his show car of yore. “I couldn’t really drive Bad Apple; it was just too good of a car,” he says. “I loved it, but it just went above and beyond. Some people want that, but I’ve always loved driving cars. To be completely honest, even with all the achievements Bad Apple had, this is by far the most fun car I’ve ever had.” Having now sampled an XR Falcon in just about every form, Grant seems to have found a favourite. “I’ve brought it around full-circle in that it’s something I can just get in and enjoy,” he says. “I like being able to take it down to the local street meet, or the pub for lunch.” Street cruising aside, Grant took the unfinished car to Canberra

for a quiet Summernats 34, before taking a Top 10 spot at Bathurst Autofest 2022. Grant isn’t quite done tweaking the Falcon yet, with an XR GT gold respray planned alongside the interior renovation. “It'll be a modern version [of the colour] with some more candy in it,” he says. “In the meantime, I’ve just been driving it as much as I can, because when they’re off the road, they’re off for a fair while.” All the while, Grant’s had an XA hardtop on the go, now just a couple of months from completion. “It’ll be something special too; I think I’ll go a bit further with it,” he says. “It’ll be more of an Elite car with a ProCharged, 427 Arrow-block Cleveland, and it should be good for about 1200hp.”

HAVING NOW SAMPLED AN XR FALCON IN JUST ABOUT EVERY FORM, GRANT SEEMS TO HAVE FOUND A FAVOURITE

GRANT CONNOR 1967 XR FALCON Paint: Glasurit silver

ENGINE

Type: Dart 428ci Windsor Carbs: Twin Quick Fuel 750 Supercharger: TBS 6/71 Heads: AFR 220cc Cam: Howards Pistons: JE Crank & rods: Scat Fuel system: Bain Racing cell, Aeromotive pump Cooling: Race Radiators, twin thermo fans Exhaust: 17/8 in extractors, 3in system Ignition: MSD

TRANSMISSION

Gearbox: Protrans C4 Converter: TCE 3800rpm Diff: 9in, Detroit Locker, 33-spline axles

032

S T R E E T MA C HI NE

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

Front: King Springs, Koni shocks Rear: Leaf springs, Koni shocks Brakes: Stock (f & r) Master cylinder: Wilwood

WHEELS & TYRES

Rims: Simmons FR; 20x8 (f), 20x9.5 (r) Rubber: 245/30R20 (f), 265/30R20 (r)

THANKS

Ben, Bec, Darryl and Victor at Zelukovic Smash Repairs; Adam at ACM Bathurst; Lou for helping out with the engine; Bain Racing; Aidan Donald; Shaun’s Custom Alloy; all of my family and friends for supporting this addiction; my girlfriend for going on endless road trips to pick up cars and attend car shows

FORGED WHEELS / 17-24”

001 FORGED

003 FORGED

005 FORGED

007 FORGED

009 FORGED

011 FORGED

013 FORGED

013B FORGED

034

S T R E E T M AC H IN E

STORY BORIS VISKOVIC

PHOTOS JORDAN LEIST

KAINE FIORENZA’S LOVE OF VALIANT HARDTOPS BEGAN AS A 12-YEAR-OLD. NOW HE’S GOT THREE OF ’EM, INCLUDING THIS DRAG CHALLENGE-BOUND BIG-BLOCK VF S T R E E T MA C HI N E

035

AINE Fiorenza might be just into his 30s, but he’s had a passion for early Valiant hardtops for over half his life. In fact, he owns three of them! “I dropped out of school at 14 to buy my first one,” Kaine says. “The idea was to strip it and paint it, but I broke the [rear] window trying to remove it.” In his defence, Kaine was pretty young at the time and didn’t know that you shouldn’t try and lever a toughened screen out with a screwdriver! The rear window on Val hardtops is a pretty odd shape, and back then Kaine couldn’t find one for sale anywhere. Instead, he bought a whole car – the VF you see on these pages – which came with heaps of spare parts, all for $2200. “I popped the back window out, chucked [the car] in the shed and advertised it, but it never sold,” he recalls. At the time, Kaine was doing burnout competitions in a Calais, but when that blew up, he figured he would turn the spare hardtop into a burnout car. He got it to a point where the VF was fitted with a 245 Hemi and a single-rail and ready to be wired, but he never completed it. Work, house and kids got in the way for a while, but seeing Drag Challenge for the first time ripped Kaine away from the hamster wheel and got him excited about doing something with the hardtop. “That’s a challenge to a vehicle, having to do heaps of kilometres and go drag racing,” he says. “You can have all the power in the

036

S T RE E T M AC HI N E

world, but making it last is another thing. That’s why I went with a nitrous combo; I wanted something that was driveable on the street, but then when I wanted to play, I could open the bottle.” Kaine’s idea of “driveable” on the street is a 500ci big-block Chrysler. It started out as a 440 but has been stroked with a 4.25-inch forged crank, filled with Scat rods and Icon pistons, and topped with a whole bunch of aluminium goodness from Indy. The heads are CNC-ported Little EZ 295 items with massive 2.19-inch and 1.81-inch valves, fed by an Indy tunnel ram topped by twin APD carbs. Exhaust is handled by Hedman Husler fenderwell headers and a twin 3.5inch system. A Comp roller cam and Crower lifters round out the package, which was expertly assembled by Mainline Motors. The rest of the driveline is a mix of Mopar and Ford. A Ricky Wood-built 727 Torqueflite fitted with a transbrake and reverse-pattern valvebody handles the gears, while a nineinch with 35-spline axles, Strange nodulariron centre, full spool and 3.7:1 gears rounds out a bulletproof driveline. Koni adjustable shocks up front and Strange adjustables out back, combined with a set of CalTracs, help the old girl hook up on leaf springs. Kaine’s first hit-out on the drag strip netted a 10.80@127mph, but they ran out of time to get the suspension fully sorted. With the hardtop hooking up properly and a big hit of nitrous – Kaine’s thinking a 300-shot or more – it should be capable of low nines. He’s also taken it out roll racing and loves

I WENT WITH NITROUS BECAUSE I WANTED IT TO BE DRIVEABLE ON THE STREET, BUT THEN WHEN I WANTED TO PLAY, I COULD OPEN THE BOTTLE

EXTERIOR: From the front the car looks aggressive as all get-out, helped in no uncertain terms by the twin 750cfm APD carbs that poke through the bonnet. That sweet hue is New Maple Gold, a factory Valiant colour from 1969

The 440 Chrysler big-block has been punched out to 500 cubes, filled with forged internals and topped with all the Indy goodness Kaine could get his hands on. It makes 500hp at the wheels, plus whatever nitrous shot goes into it. Cast aluminium and black are the only finishes apart from the splash of red from the nitrous fittings

S T R E E T M A CH I NE

037

INTERIOR: The black Regal interior is original to the car, although Kaine had a Pacer dash kicking around, so he used that. It doesn’t do a whole lot though thanks to the addition of the MicroTech 7in display dash RIGHT: Tubbed to the rails and with springs moved inboard, the coupe easily swallows the Mickey Thompson ET 275 radials on 15x8s, while up front a set of 175/55R17 skinnies on 17x4.5 rims give it that classic pro street look

WITH THE HARDTOP HOOKING UP PROPERLY AND A BIG HIT OF NITROUS, IT SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF LOW NINES KAINE FIORENZA 1970 VF VALIANT HARDTOP

Paint: New Maple Gold Metallic

DONK

Type: 500ci big-block Chrysler Inlet: Indy tunnel ram Carb: Twin 750cfm APD Heads: Indy Little EZ 295 CNC Valves: Ferrea; 2.19in (in), 1.81in (ex)

038

S T R E E T MA C HI NE

Cam: Comp roller Pistons: Icon forged Crank: Forged steel Conrods: Scat forged Cooling: Alloy radiator with thermo fan Exhaust: Hedman Husler headers, twin 3.5in system Ignition: ICE

SHIFT

Gearbox: Ricky Wood 727 Torqueflite, transbrake, reverse-pattern Converter: SDE

Diff: 9in, 35-spline axles, Strange nodular-iron centre, full spool, 3.7:1 gears

BENEATH

Front: Sway Right torsion bars, Koni adjustable shocks Rear: Strange adjustable shocks, CalTracs Steering: Standard Brakes: Wilwood discs (f & r)

ROLLING STOCK

Rims: Weld V-Series 17x4.5

(f), Weld Vitesse 15x8 (r) Rubber: Achilles ATR-K Economist 175/55R17 (f), Mickey Thompson ET Street 275/60R15 (r)

THANKS

Mainline Motors; Jesse Murphy; Jye McCall; my dad and brother; Dan Vokes; Rod Brown; Pinjarra Tyrepower for the sponsorship; my wife Megan and kids Layla and Louie – the car wouldn’t exist without them

BELOW: Given the car’s potential to run deep into the nines, a six-point rollcage, JAZ race seats and five-point RPM harnesses were a must. You need to either be a gymnast or a small child to get in the back seat, but that’s why Kaine has another Val coupe just for cruising

how the big-block’s torque sees the Val easily pull away from the turbocharged cars he comes up against. That’s a pretty good result considering this car could have been turned into a skid pig instead. That would have been a real shame, as this hardtop had a very good body with very little rust. Someone had started fixing it up before Kaine got it, so it had mismatched doors, was a few different colours and had a bit of a hit in the quarter, but it was a pretty low-mileage car. The body and paint were sorted out by Dan Vokes, with the final colour choice, New Maple Gold, coming straight out of the VF Valiant brochure. Remember we mentioned that Kaine has three hardtops? We’ve only talked about two so far. That first one he bought is now an empty body awaiting its turn, but his third hardtop is a cruiser. “It’s white with a black roof, with a 318 and hubcaps,” Kaine says. “It’s my granddad-spec cruising car, but it’s still got forged pistons and a bit of a cam, so it’s still fun on the street. It sits pretty low as well. It was a slant-six car, but the 318 I put in it was paid for with the money I made on my paper round when I was 14. I bought the engine and trans for $2000 getting paid $40 a week.” Having this VF featured in Street Machine truly closes the circle on Kaine’s love of Valiant hardtops: “The reason why I first fell in love with these cars was because I went to Summernats at the age of 12 and one of the first cars I saw was Mark Arblaster’s WAR440. I was like, ‘I want one of these.’ I said, ‘What is that, Dad?’ and he said, ‘It’s a Valiant.’ Obviously my old man appreciated Mopar, even though he’s a Ford man.” Of course, being of Italian heritage, it’s not too much of a surprise that Kaine’s family has a Valiant-owning history. “We’ve got a VC Valiant as well, which was my nonno’s car that he brought brand new. We’ve still got that in the shed, and it’s a perfect, rust-free car. They’ve got big boots, too, so you can put heaps of vegies in there when you go and see the rellies!” While Kaine might not be hauling too many vegies in the VF, there will be plenty of cruising, and with Drag Challenge on the cards, he’ll definitely be hauling arse.

S T RE E T MA C HI N E

039

CR A Y JO N E TO IP TR S S A G E V E WE HIT TH

042

ST R E E T M A CHI NE

OS MARK BOXER JACK HOULIHAN PHOT & R E X O B K R A M Y R O T S

OF INCREDIBLE

OW H S A M E S 2 2 0 2 E TH T A T N E NEW BUILDS AND EQUIPM

S T R E E T MA CH I N E

043

T HAS been a couple of years since the Street Machine team has had a warm body on the ground at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. COVID caused the cancellation of the event in 2020, and with international travel still sketchy in 2021, editor Broads wisely opted to use a local journo to cover the event. This year, I got the guernsey, and not before time – I haven’t attended the world’s biggest aftermarket auto exhibition since 2005! And I sure made the most of it, packing in as much of the good stuff in and around the event as possible. While both exhibitor and attendee numbers at last year’s event were reportedly down on previous years, things had certainly rebounded in 2022, making this year’s SEMA the all-consuming stimulation overload that I remembered. One thing that has changed is that while SEMA is, strictly speaking, a trade show and only open to those in the business, access to the final day of the show is now open to anyone who

044

STR E E T M A C HIN E

A Major roof chop aside, the Maniacs Garage crew sliced 7in from the body of this 1949 shoebox Ford to plonk it atop a 2008 BMW 335i. Power comes from the factory N54 straight-six, with a Garrett G30 snail sitting proud. Much of the BMW’s functionality remains, from air con to the modern gauge and steering column set-up. Those massive flares (barely) hide 305- and 345-wide rubber on custom Hostile 20s

B It takes a major set of ’nads to restomod an original ’70 Plymouth Superbird, but that’s just what Salvaggio Design did to this Petty Blue stunner. It’s got a forged 370-cube Gen II Hemi by Gearhead Fabrications, topped by a Redeye supercharger, with Demon heads and a stock Demon cam. Power comes through an eight-speed ZF auto, and the whole shebang is bolted to a Detroit Speed chassis

C Ringbrothers unveiled arguably its wildest creation yet, a ’48 Chevy Loadmaster fused with an open-wheel racer. Chopped 5in and lengthened 2in, it packs a 510ci tall-deck LS with Kinsler injection, with a C6 ’Vette-style 4L80E transaxle. There’s also F1-type cantilever suspension, Brembo six-pot stoppers, an electromagnetically locked bonnet, and onboard air jacks

WHILE SEMA IS A TRADE-ONLY SHOW, TO EN OP W NO IS Y DA L NA FI E TH TO SS ACCE ANYONE WHO WANTS A TICKET

S T R E E T M A CH I NE

045

B wants to buy a ticket. This also gets you entry into the SEMA Ignited after-party. The other big innovation that impressed the pants off me was the new Las Vegas Convention Centre loop, a system of underground tunnels that allows visitors to traverse the giant campus in a fleet of Teslas. Given that it can take 45 minutes to cross the whole facility on foot, the loop is a boon for weary SEMA-goers. Nevertheless, the sheer scale of the event means that you’ll be clocking up a massive step count over its four days. The displays are well organised into different categories of interest, so it’s not hard to pick and choose the parts you’re most interested in. However, it’s always worth checking out the entire show if you can, even if it’s just to see some of the amazing car builds that lurk amongst the trader stands. With borders wide open again, it was great to see plenty of Aussie companies showing off their latest and greatest at SEMA. The crew from Turbosmart took home two SEMA new-

046

STR E E T M AC HI N E

N IO T N E V N O C S A G E V S A L E I LOVED TH UNNELS T F O M E T S Y S A , P O O L E CENTR RSE E V A R T O T S R O IT IS V S W THAT ALLO ESLAS T F O T E E L F A IN S U P M A THE C

A Pro-level drifter Ryan Tuerck joined forces

with TRD for this build, taking a 1966 Toyota Stout and turning it into a Formula Drift-spec slider. Awesome bits include a full tubular chassis, cantilever rear suspension, Holinger sequential six-speed and a Toyota 3SGE turbo four-pot

B Mike Jones from Exile Fabrications has been working on this epic bare-metal, tube-chassis ’63 Lincoln Continental for four years. The interior carries the raw theme in its entirety, with a custom-fabbed console and aluminium door cards. As for the driveline, so far there’s an LS with mirror-image NRE turbos, a sheet-metal 9in and a four-link rear. “I decided to use hydro over static cantilever suspension, so we can get it on the deck but with the advantage of full suspension tuning with the inboard coil-overs,” Mike said C Rick and Patty Bird’s 2022 Ridler Award-

winning ‘Sho Bird’ ’31 Chev was unmissable, thanks in no small part to its 72mm NRE snails and incredible pipework. Underneath it all is a 509ci Shafiroff big-block, and there’s a 5in chop and channelling job over Billet Specialties hoops

D The body may be somewhat familiar, but we’re tipping you’ve never seen a hydrogenburning, Coyote-powered 1964 Falcon Sprint before. The zero-emission Falc runs a crate motor converted to hydrogen with water injection, hooked to a TKX manual. According to Mike Copeland of Arrington Performance, power is 10 per cent higher than the petrol-burning Coyote’s 460 horses E There’s a lot going on under this Roadster Shop-built Buick Grand National, including 345-wide rear meats on custom factory-look 19x12 wheels by Greening Auto Company. Power comes from a Precision-boosted 427ci Dart LS, spitting out 1504hp. A custom digital dash uses 3D-printed bits, while Hurst Lightning Rod-style gear levers built by Kilduff Shifters work the 4L80 S T R E E T M ACH I N E

047

A B

product awards this year, winning Best Performance-Racing Product for their OPR turbocharger oil pressure regulator and Best Engineered Product for their pneumatic StraightGate50 external wastegate. Haltech chose SEMA as the place to debut its new Nexus R3 VCU. The R3 is the little brother of the much-vaunted Nexus R5. Both Nexus models act as a power distribution module, a datalogger, a wideband controller and an ECU all-in-one, with the R3 being the more budget-friendly option. Harrop also had new goodies to show off, namely its 3.1-litre, three-lobe TVS3100 blower range, based on the new Eaton X3100 internals. To begin with, the TVS3100 will be available for the Ford 7.3-litre Godzilla, as well as GM’s LS and LT range. But SEMA isn’t just about new products and static displays. This year’s program included a stack of live elements, the highlight of which was the Hoonigan Burnyard. During two daily shows, large crowds were entertained non-stop by all manner of vehicles shredding rubber. Although not the most

048

ST R E E T M A CHI NE

A From the tube chassis to the sheet-metal cab, Sean Puz’s ‘Excalibur’ truck is all hand-made, with a mid-mounted crate LS3 and 700R4 auto tucked under the acres of immaculately polished stainless steel and aluminium. The truck is Sean’s second tilt at a self-built body, while Frankland Racing supplied a quick-change rear end. Harley-Davidson Daymaker headlights and Viper tail-lights are just about the only OEM bits

B Known as a Datsun 1200 ute Down Under, this Nissan Sunny truck built by Timmy Pike is more than just an EV swap. Both the motor and batteries are from a Nissan Leaf; however, in an awesome twist, they’re still connected to the original four-cog manual ’box. The front end is taken from a Hakosuka Skyline, and the wheels are 17in one-off units from Rotiform

C How do you make the only Hellcat Redeye-swapped Dodge Durango SUV even more bad-arse? Just hand it off to drag racer Tom Bailey and the crew from Sick Co. What results is a completely fabricated race car with an SUV body draped over the top, powered by a screwblown Gen III Hemi that should easily go sevens

D Mike Boroughs’s Ferrari 308 is more than just a widebody and wing deal, unveiled with a K24 Honda four-pot swap in place of the original Italian V8. The grunt is fed through a five-speed sequential gearbox, and the car sits on hand-built suspension with AP Racing brakes. Fed by a Garrett G42, the little K24 is said to be capable of 1000rwhp!

ALTHOUGH NOT THE MOST POWERFUL OR IMPRESSIVE SKID-WISE, DENIM COX’S SLAMMED, 5.3L LS-POWERED ECONOLINE DUBBED ‘COVAN-19’ WAS A CROWD FAVOURITE

S T R E E T MA C HI N E

049

powerful or impressive skid-wise, Denim Cox’s slammed, 5.3litre LS-powered Econoline dubbed COVAN-19 was a crowd favourite. Other highlights action-wise included a Formula Drift display and Optima Ultimate Street Car autocross action. The event wrapped up with the SEMA Ignited after-party show held in one of the giant Convention Centre car parks. This featured a cruise of display cars, drifting, live music and more fun stuff. The general public had clearly been very receptive to the offer of Friday SEMA access – the joint was heaving! If you are planning your own trip to SEMA, it is worth looking at what other events are on in Las Vegas around that time. I opted to check out more Optima Street Car action at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as well as the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Some years, the NHRA Nevada Nationals also falls quite close to SEMA, so keep an eye on that and grab your tickets early if you’re keen – it is usually a sell-out.

A Tremec teamed up with Electric GT on this 1963 Corvette. Under the bonnet is an eGT-413 crate system rated at 275hp and 405lb-ft, backed by a Tremec TKX five-speed. Electric GT claims that the system is truly modular, with the motor, battery units and cooling system designed for drop-in installation, without needing heavy body or chassis mods for mounting B Built by Flat Out Autos in Arkansas, this ’68 International Travelall owned by Randy Wilcox offers old-school cool with all the new tech underneath. The skeleton is a Roadster Shop chassis, with a crate LT4 donk up front backed by a Bowler transmission. Baer brakes sit under the bigger Forgeline wheels, and it even has rear air con! C For many years, the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational competitors have been displayed at SEMA, with the event itself taking place in the days after. Last year, though, Optima moved two of the competitive segments of the event to the Convention Centre during SEMA itself, and this year added the autocross portion as well D Comedian Kevin Hart has just added this

050

STR E E T M A C HI NE

Caddy-powered ’87 Buick GNX to his stable. Dubbed ‘The Dark Knight’, this Dave Salvaggio build packs a turbocharged LF4 V6 (normally found in the Cadillac ATS-V), now good for about 650hp through an eight-speed auto. Other sweet touches include a four-linked rear, 19in HRE hoops and a carbonfibre and leather interior

052

ST RE E T M A C HI N E

STORY GLENN TORRENS

PHOTOS TROY BARKER

THIS NASCAR-MOTIVATED LX TORANA STREETER BLENDS BRAWN WITH BRIGHT FOR A SUMMERNATS TOP 60 FINISH

S T R E E T MA C HI N E

053

OLDEN’S Torana hatch wasn’t hugely popular. In fact, only around 8000 of them were made, so the ones that remain on roads today are a bit special. And with NASCAR power and a Summernats Top 60 berth to its credit, Blake Evans’s example is even more precious. This Canary Yellow LX is not the first of Blake’s builds to have achieved ’Nats success. “I had a lime-green LC Torana GTR that we took to Summernats 30,” he says. “It was a street-type car – stone chips included – but my aim was to get it into the Top 60. I gave it a bit of a tidy-up and fixed up a few things that I knew weren’t to the right standard.” The result? “Yep, Top 60! I was pretty happy with that!” After ticking that box with the GTR, Blake and his dad Paul threw themselves into this LX hatch, which they found in 2016 in Burra, rural South Oz. “The bloke we bought it from saved it from being turned into some sort of dirt circuit car,” Blake explains. “When we found it, it had been pulled apart and was sitting as a bare shell in a shed. It was one of those typical unfinished projects; you know – someone has a grand plan, the car gets pulled apart and then nothing.” As-bought, the bare-bones shell was in primer and showed some minor rust. “A week later, Dad was chasing parts on Gumtree and other places and we found an ad,” Blake says. “A bloke was selling hatch parts; it was the fella we’d bought the shell from! If he’d mentioned he had all these parts when we bought the body, we would have grabbed the lot!” Of course, they did grab the lot, which saved them the time and effort of having to track down hatch-only parts such as the rear seat and sill trims. As luck would have it, years ago they’d also bought a stash of NOS Torana spares such as tail-lights, indicator lenses and headlight

surrounds, which further eased their burden. From the start, Blake and Paul knew exactly how the completed car would look. “Dad and I had a theme in mind,” says Blake. “When I was a little kid, Mum had a Canary Yellow SS. We wanted one almost exactly the same, but we also really love that Tuff Street appearance, so we wanted to fit the biggest tyre we could under the rear. However, the pair were adamant that the hatch’s metal remain unmolested, which meant no cutting of the tubs: “We didn’t even want to lip the edge,” Blake says. That meant careful checking before ordering the Max Dumesny rims and an axle to fit the 255/60 Mickey Thompson ET Street tyres. All the bodywork and much of the paint was done at home in the back shed. “The outside of the shell was done in a booth, after we’d done the door jambs, engine bay and other parts here,” explains Blake. “A friend of ours, Steve, has a booth about 15 minutes away in Tanunda. Another mate, Shannon, helped Dad lay on the final colour.” The interior looks gloriously fresh thanks to new seat trim from Aussie company Winner Products. Knox provided the carpet, and fresh seatbelts went in, too. One deviation from the plan – and quite a good one, as it turns out – was the Torana’s engine. Paul and Blake had built a 383-cube small-block Chev V8, but they stumbled on something even more impressive – an ex-Winston Cup NASCAR engine for sale. “It came in under the bonnet of a Super Sedan-type of roundyroundy car,” Blake explains. “A bloke had plans to put it into a Torana he was building for Powercruise. His plans changed, so this was put up for sale.” Collecting the engine meant a road trip to Sydney and back. However, on the way home, Paul began suffering

REAR WHEELS: The big 255/60 rear Mickey Ts were able to be squeezed in without any metal mods, similar to what a young enthusiast on a budget might have done back in the day ENGINE BAY: The Torana’s high chassis rails offer a terrific frame for the NASCAR lump. Pure and simple colour and presentation – plus trad tricks such as a hidden wiper motor – makes this engine room a stand-out. The bonnet hinges are by Bliss Custom Machining EXTERIOR: Holden’s Canary Yellow is a direct gloss colour from the factory, but it hits harder here thanks to being flat-sanded and clear-coated after the Jet Black highlights were added. Otherwise, the lads have kept things close to stock, although the bumpers were smoothed and brought closer to the body. Oh yeah, and there is that 3in reverse-cowl bonnet, too!

WHEN I WAS A KID, MUM HAD A CANARY YELLOW SS. WE WANTED ONE ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME BUT WITH THE BIGGEST TYRE WE COULD FIT UNDER THE REAR

054

S T R E E T MA CH I NE

S T R E E T MA CH I N E

055

PAUL & BLAKE EVANS 1977 LX HOLDEN TORANA HATCH Paint: PPG Canary Yellow

ENGINE

Brand: NASCAR GM Bowtie Induction: GM Performance Carb: 1000cfm APD billet, set up for E85 Heads: GM Performance Camshaft: Comp Cams Conrods: Carrillo Pistons: JE Racing Crank: Bryant Oil pump: External Stock Car Products, Jeff Johnston’s Billet Fabrication race-spec pan, Clear View filter system Cooling: Trikab radiator Exhaust: Fabricated 17/8 in four-into-ones, dual pipes Ignition: MSD Power Grid

TRANSMISSION

Gearbox: TH400 three-speed auto by Jamie at KEAS Transmissions Converter: TCE 6000rpm Diff: 9in, 31-spline Moser axles, 4.11:1 Truetrac

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

Front: King Springs, Monroe shocks Rear: King Springs Super Low, modified shocks Brakes: Wilwood 320mm discs (f), HQ Holden drums (r) Master cylinder: Wilwood

WHEELS & TYRES

Rims: Billet Specialities Comp 5 15x3.5 (f), Max Dumesny 15x8 (r) Rubber: Nankang 165/80R15 (f), Mickey Thompson ET Street 255/60R15(r)

THANKS

Raceworks; Todd Foley at AFS Industries; John Ricca at Race Parts Melbourne; Nick Efthimiou at Racekrome Ceramic Coatings for pipes; Jamie and Paul at KEAS Group; Shannon for help with the paint; Matt Hendry for help with detailing; the women in our lives: my partner Lisa and my mother Diane for letting me and Dad spend endless hours in the shed doing what we do and sharing the bond together – priceless!

056

STR E E T M A C HI N E

I’D GUESS IT’S MAKING AROUND 750HP RIGHT NOW. EVENTUALLY, WE’RE GOING TO RUN IT DOWN THE STRIP; THE TIMESLIPS WILL TELL THE TRUE STORY UNDERNEATH: Blake handmade the exhaust system. Four-into-one primaries breathe into a dual 3in system that runs past that modified fuel tank. The floor is braced with connectors to hold that big-mumbo NASCAR motor BOOT: The battery in the spare wheelwell is a gee-whiz lithium number. “It’s nice and light and compact,” Blake says. “It holds its charge and pushes out 900 cranking amps” INTERIOR: Winner Products and Knox provided the terrific repro trim. After decades of street machiners lusting after custom trim, who’d have thought we’d again be impressed by ‘stock’? It’s quiet in the cabin, too, thanks to the Car Builders insulation under it all

chest pains. “We made it back home before he decided to go to hospital and get checked out,” Blake says. “The heart attack happened as he was going in the doors of Emergency!” That was a close call! Once Paul was back on deck, it was time to take a look at the newly purchased mill. “The engine was together, but we took off the sump,” Blake explains. “We checked everything, including the rockers and springs, and we installed a new belt drive for the cam, as we didn’t know its age.” The NASCAR donk’s set-up – including being converted from dry to wet sump – was terrific for Blake and Paul. “It had a Torana sump and pipes,” Blake says. “At this stage we’d already done most of the hard work and the engine bay was already painted. We hadn’t sliced back the chassis rails for big pipes, so we were concerned stuff might not fit. But when we dropped it in, it was an almost-perfect fit; it went in very easily.” Of course, the engine’s appearance was lifted to the same height of less-is-more quality as the rest of the car. A clean and simple display of silver, alloy and gloss-black offers a hint of menace and purpose that’s right in line with its racing heritage. A top touch underneath the car is the fuel tank, which has been modified to allow clearance for a second

exhaust pipe down the right-hand side. Sure, Toranas were designed to carry a V8, but they don’t easily accept a true dual exhaust system. “Some people chop the tank square, but it never looks right,” says Blake. “We made one tank from two; what we did makes it look factory and allows us to run a decent-sized tailpipe on the driver’s side.” So, how much mumbo does the thing have? “We haven’t confirmed it yet, but I’m happy to guess around 750hp right now,” Blake says. “Eventually, of course, we’re going to run it down the strip; the timeslips will tell the true story. Hopefully the new Tailem Bend strip will be ready by the end of the year so we can give it a run.” Given the car’s good shell to begin with, combined with the lads’ experience, the Torana went together without any frustration. In fact, Blake reckons the only real letdown was the early death of a new race-spec alternator in the weeks leading up to Summernats. Once at the ’Nats, though, the hatch continued Blake and Paul’s winning ways, making the Top 60 and scoring runner-up Top Tudor. But despite that success, Blake is adamant that the car is a driver. “I did 250km in one weekend a few weeks after Summernats,” he says. “The goal was to have the car built by Summernats; we’ve done that. Now we get to enjoy it.” S T R E E T M ACH I NE

057

058

ST RE E T M A C HI N E

NERS HI AC M ET RE ST IC IF OL PR T OS M S A’ LI RA WHEN ONE OF AUST LIFE. OW -L W LO E TH E OS CH HE , CE PA OF GE AN NEEDED A CH THIS ’67 BUICK RIVIERA IS THE RESULT STORY IAIN KELLY

PHOTOS BEN HOSKING S T RE E T MAC H IN E

059

ENGINE BAY: The 455 was Buick’s bigg est engine, and Mark’s example has been treated to an Edelbrock Performer intake and Hol ley 600cfm carb. Pistons are from Wiseco, the oil and fuel pumps are both high-volume, and the bum pstick is a Crow 232/244 hydraulic item. The exhaus t is a 2.5in system, while an MSD electronic coil lights the fire

MARK HAS DONE PLENTY OF SUSPENSION WORK TO HIS PREVIOUS PROJECTS, BUT HYDRAULICS PROVED TO BE A BRAVE NEW WORLD

ABOVE: In America, the Gucci move is to have 100-spoke Dayton wire wheels on you r ride, and this influences lowrider style trends worldwide. Mark’s Riv rocks 24-karat gold 14x7 s wrapped in 185/70 cheese-cutters, and these smaller wheels and tyres let the big Buick get low INTERIOR: CMAC Custom Upholstery knocked the cabin out of the park, with mod ified Commodore buckets up front redone in sandcoloured leather, and the rear bench trimmed to suit. The shifter is by Lokar, while the tiller is a half-leather-wrapped billet piec e. Dakota Digital provided the gauges

060

S T R E E T M A C HI N E

ARK Sullivan might have had mo re cars in Street Machine than Hawkey had frothies, but he’d never been in a car club – until he built this 1967 Bui ck Riviera. Taking a hard left turn awa y from his usual build style of ’bagged , angry streeters on big wheels, Ma rk chose to transform this Riv into a traditional low rider after falling in with the right crowd. “I star ted cruising with the guys from Fresh Stylz Lowrider Club, and then going out to dinner with them, and one thing led to another,” Mark laughs. “The more I cruised and went to shows with them, I realised I really liked how chilled-ou t the lowrider scene is. I joked with the Fresh Sty lz guys that I never thought I could own a car on 13s or 14s, but I decided to build a lowrider, and I wan ted to do something different.” Mark rarely builds the same car twic e, jumping

between Aussie and American iron of almost any manufacturer, based on a simple nee d to walk his own line. “I try to do my own thin g with cars, which can be hard,” he laughs. “There are a few iconic makes and models for lowride rs, but I like the shape of the Riviera. In the USA, there are a couple of Riviera lowriders, so I kno w they can really work.” Born from Hispanic youth cruising for girls in the 1940s, lowrider builds typically feat ure intricate custom paintwork with elite-level detailing. To accurately represent a traditional low rider, Mark had to get a bit cra zy with the Riv’s cur vy lines. “I painted it like all my cars,” he explain s. “I’ve never done any graphics on a car before, but I wanted to have a crack at it.” The muted tones of PPG Charcoal are offset by epic amounts of flake, multiple pan els and lace work. But the detail doesn’t stop the re, as Mark

also had the team at Biggie Scrolls han d-engrave a bunch of brightwork on the Riv, as is done on cars in America. Of course, Mark is a street machiner at heart, so the drivetrain was always going to get attention. Under the bonnet, he swapped in a rebuilt 455ci Buick V8 from a third-generation Riv iera he had from a previous project. “I put the 455 in from a Series III boat-tail Riv,” he explains. “I had one of them back in the day, so I had a spare 455 already built and that made this project muc h easier. It’s just a mild cam rebuild, so it’s nice and reliable.” While the rest of the drivetrain is bas ically stock late-60s Riviera, the suspension cer tainly isn’t. Mark has done plenty of suspension work to his previous projects, but hydraulics pro ved to be a brave new world. “I’ve done airbags, but I’ve never done hydraulics before, so I got Sam Burns from BLVD Customs around to help me get my head

ABOVE: These hand-engraved pieces from Matty at Biggie Scrolls show the level of detail a lowrider build will typically contain, with nearly every panel on the Riviera either copping similar treatment or custom paintwork S T RE E T M AC HI NE

061

I’M NOT DOING SUPER-DETAILED SHOW CARS ANYMORE, BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH MORE FUN TO GO CRUISING

BELOW: Lowrider plaques aren’t just ’t get given out in cereal boxes. “You don s take it y; your club plaque straight awa you w sho to just almost a year to get one Coffs fit in,” says Mark. “I got mine at the w” Harbour lowrider sho

brand ABOVE: Buick has never been a big too it find ’t didn k Mar but in Australia, e difficult to source parts. “There wer on n dow k trac to gs thin h a few toug for the Riviera, but they’re not too bad !” olns Linc to aftermarket parts compared

hydraulics mechanical pump MARK SULLIVAN hydraulics ling: Alloy radiator, twin Rear: Two-tonne 1967 BUICK RIVIERA Coo Brakes: Stock discs (f), fans mo ther l rcoa Cha t: PPG Pain

ENGINE

Brand: Buick 455ci Induction: Edelbrock Performer Carburettor: Holley 600cfm Camshaft: Crow 232/244 hydraulic Pistons: Wiseco Oil system: High-volume pump Fuel system: High-flow

062

S T R E E T M A C HI N E

Exhaust: 2.5in system Ignition: MSD electronic coil

stock finned drums (r) Master cylinder: Wilwood

TRANSMISSION

Rims: Wire wheels 14x7 (f & r) Rubber: 185/70R14 (f & r)

Gearbox: ST400 threespeed auto Converter: 2400rpm Diff: Spot 10-bolt LSD

SUSPENSION & BRAKES Front: Two-tonne

WHEELS & TYRES

THANKS

Sam Burns at BLVD Customs; Matty at Biggie Scrolls; all the guys in Fresh Stylz Lowrider Club

a bit more involved around setting it all up,” he says. “It’s to cut away the with the electrics and because I had weld it all back in towers. I kept all the plates so I can k to stock.” later on if I wanted to put the car bac ting on a show, Lowrider suspension is all about put s star ted using and it was in the 1960s that customiser ir vehicles. Using aircraft hydraulics to lift and lower the in of batteries, pumps in the boot powered by a cha ut electrics as it hydraulic suspension is as much abo is handling. teries, and there “I only run two pumps and four bat e guys who hop is so much weight in the boot, but som rk says. “This will their cars run eight or 12 batteries,” Ma t to hop.” hop a front wheel, but it isn’t really buil when leaving Mark learned this the hard way some hydraulics a lowrider show recently, with n-up. “Everyone shenanigans necessitating a big clea he laughs. “When asks me to hop it or make it bounce,” some kids asked we were leaving Lowrider Sunday, the braided lines me to bounce it, so I did and one of hydraulic line, so touched a battery post and blew a fluid went everywhere.” lly in the driving, Still, Mark is finding that the fun is rea life. “I’m not doing and has come to love the club way of undercarriages full show cars with super-detailed fun to go cruising anymore, because it is so much more s in the lowrider and go out to dinner,” he says. “The guy ily.” scene are really nice; it’s like a big fam building several It is great to know that, even after understands that dozen knockout street machines, Mark car scene. there’s always more to discover in the

Australia's

BIGGEST

dealer of Wilwood

disc brakes TO SUIT AUST AND USA VEHICLES

COMPLETE 9

DIFFERENTIALS

IFS FRONT ENDS

LS CONVERSION KITS

LS EXHAUST SYSTEM FOR HQ-WB, HK-HG HOLDEN AND VB-VL COMMODORES

1=;>:3B3 '{ 27443@3<B7/:A 6> 3<57<3 ;=C<BA 74A 4@=<B 3<2A :A 1=<D3@A7=<A 97BA /<2 4C::G 3<57<33@32 <3E 4@=<B ACA>3<A7=< 1:7>A

>6=<3( ! #"% &#! 3;/7:( A/:3A.@=2A6=> 1=; /C

EEE @=2A6=> 1=; /C

064

ST RE E T MA C HI N E

TOUR PRO TOURING FABRICATION IS EMERGING AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH IN THE AUSSIE CAR-CRAFTING SCENE STORY ANDREW BROADLEY PHOTOS MITCH HEMMING

S TR E E T M AC HI NE

065

The Pro Touring Fabrication team (L-R): Workshop manager Aki Kaddour, owner and head fabricator Dean Fono, mechanic/ fabricator Alex Pritchard and fabricator Andrew Hamence

HERE are plenty of long-established, highly decorated car crafters on the Aussie scene, but it’s fair to say that Brisbane-based workshop Pro Touring Fabrication ain’t one of them – not yet, anyway. In fact, you could be excused for never having heard of the business at all prior to Meguiar's MotorEx 2022. That event saw PTF roll a couple of bare metal works-in-progress out of the trailer – the TORI KNG Torana and THA GOAT Mazda RX-2 – and proceed to wow the masses with the creativity, craftsmanship and utter scope of work involved in both. Up until then, PTF owner/head fabricator Dean Fono and workshop manager Aki Kaddour had very much been flying under the radar. So we decided to pay their Tingalpa, Queensland workshop a visit to check out their handiwork up close and find out what they’re all about. When did Pro Touring Fabrication begin? AKI: We’ve been around for about two years, but we haven’t been taking on much in the way of customer work because we’ve had such a big push on the Torana and the RX-2. We’ve really had our hands full with those

066

ST RE E T M AC H I NE

WE WANT THE BIG BUILDS TO COME TO US. WE DON’T WANT TO DO BORING STUFF; WE WANT CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE VISION

two cars, so we’ve only just started taking on additional work in the past year. But now we have some pretty cool builds starting to come through the shop, including an HT Monaro, an XB coupe and a Datsun 1600 sedan. They’re all pretty full-on builds; chassis-up type stuff with lots of CAD design involved. Dean, from the looks of your work,

you’ve been in the trade a lot longer than two years! DEAN: I started panel beating in 2003, but I got out of that in 2012 and started doing lots of metal shaping and specialist restos. I worked at various other shops for a few years and got heavily into TIG welding and fabrication, and while I did learn on the job from other tradesmen, I’ve since learned that a lot of what I was taught was wrong [laughs]. So I’m largely self-taught. Do you build turn-key cars? AKI: Yeah, we can do complete, ground-up builds. The RX-3 and the Torana are both ground-up builds. We don’t do paint, wiring or trimming in-house, but we can organise that work to be done on cars we build. The Mazda and the Torana were both buckets of shit when they rolled into the shop. They’ve both come along leaps and bounds since then. That’s what we want, though; we want the big builds to come to us. We don’t want to do boring stuff; we want customers who have vision. It’s Dean’s favourite when someone says, “Oh, you can’t do that; that can’t be done.” You guys kind of came out of nowhere at MotorEx this year. AKI: We took the RX-2 to MotorEx in 2019,

This RX-3 coupe sat tucked away in the corner during our visit. It's another full-scale build, but the lads are not yet ready to share specifics on it

The Torana’s powerplant is a billet Noonan LS Edge supplied by Russ from Lamprecht Race Engines in Capalaba. Boosted by twin G57 turbos, the un-intercooled mill will run E85 on the street and methanol at the track. The turbo transition pipe was smashed over a sandbag and made by hand

The wheels on the RX-2 were CAD-designed in house, and are one-off copper-plated billet items with a carbon dish, wearing hefty 305/30R19 tyres on the rear

The Pro Touring Fabrication stand at MotorEx garnered plenty of attention from punters and judges alike, with the Torana earning the Best Fabrication award in the Pro Comp class. Photo: Ellen Dewar

S TR E E T MA CH I N E

067

The hand-formed sheet metal in the RX-2’s engine bay is exquisite, and almost fully encapsulates the full-billet four-rotor engine. Custom bellmouths deliver air to the twin Precision GEN2 83/85 turbos, while 60mm Turbosmart ’gates vent excess exhaust gases through bonnet-exiting screamer pipes. The top tank for the intercooler is also hand-formed, this time from 3mm aluminium

The Torana’s front tilts forward for ease of service at the track, but the bonnet also hinges open in the usual way for display and for quicker, easier jobs

The Torana’s rear quarter panels were cut off and remade by hand to accommodate the meaty 315/60R15 drag radials. They needed to be widened by an inch and significantly stretched, and are not unlike a Chevelle’s quarters in shape

The RX-2’s extensive cooling system begins with an engine oil cooler at the rear with intake louvres and two big SPAL fans, with the hot air exiting through billet ovals underneath the rear bar. In the middle of the car, a PWR transmission cooler and a heat exchanger for the electric air con have been mounted in removable false floor panels, under which runs all the car’s plumbing and wiring. The engine radiator and airto-air intercooler ride up front

068

S TR E E T M ACHI N E

when it had just been started. It was just a chassis and engine and wheels – there was no real fab work done. That was the first time we showcased what Dean could do, and we got a big response. Then we took the RX-2 and the Torana this year and got a crazy response. We’re trying not to copy absolutely anyone. Dean’s vision is second to none, and he brings that to life through his CAD, CNC and fab skills. We’re aiming to be the leaders in fabrication. What we’ve done to the Mazda I don’t think anyone has done before. There’s not a single panel that hasn’t been made from scratch or at least heavily modified. We’re trying to let the level of work speak for itself – it’s a lot more involved than just your standard tub job. But up until now we haven’t been promoting the shop or looking to take on work. It’s all been pretty low-key, operating on a closed-door basis. We wanted to make sure we were all set up and ready to go before we take on any additional customer work. Technology seems to be a huge part of any cutting-edge fab shop these days. DEAN: You just can’t beat the accuracy that comes with CAD design and CNC machining; it’s a big investment, but it takes the guesswork out of everything, and that saves the customer money at the end of the day. I use Fusion 360 software for the design side of things, and that allows us to run simulations and figure out bump steer and the like before we’ve made a single component. I bought a Haas VF-1 CNC machine last year, and I’ve spent every night grinding away mastering it, and here we are. I’ve used it to manufacture components like lower control

I RECKON THE RX-2 WILL MAKE 1500HP PRETTY COMFORTABLY, AND ONCE I’VE ENJOYED IT FOR A WHILE, I’LL PUSH IT TO MAKE 2000

arms, suspension bellcranks and brackets for our builds. I put every dollar the shop makes back into my tools, and it’s coming along really well. Let’s talk about your builds. Tell us about the RX-2. AKI: The RX-2 is actually my personal project car that’s turned into a shop car. I’ve mostly just let Dean run wild on it, and 9.5 times out of 10 we’re on the same page. It has a full billet four-rotor engine. Everything from front to back and top to bottom is billet except the rotors – the rotor housings, the crank, the dry sump tank, the plenums; everything – it’s a world first. It has twin GEN2 Precision 83/85 turbos, a Samsonas RS90 sequential

manual gearbox, and a Race Products floating rear end. Everything we’ve done to the car has been done with street use in mind, and it’ll be registered as THA GOAT and driven on the street. Sounds like it’ll go all right. AKI: I reckon it’ll make 1500hp pretty comfortably, and once I’ve enjoyed it for a while, I’ll push it to make 2000. I wanna do the show circuit and make sure it’s been seen, and then I’ll take it to the track. But I’m building it to enjoy it; it’s not going to sit in the trophy cabinet. I wanted people to see it in the metal so they understand that there’s nothing shonky about the way it’s been built. And the Torana? DEAN: That one’s a customer’s car, and while it’ll be registered, it’s a bit more competition-focused. It runs a billet Noonan LS Edge engine with twin G57 turbos, a two-speed Turbo 400 transmission and a Race Products floating 40-spline rear end. For registration purposes, we’ve had to keep the standard front rails in place, just plated and strengthened. From there back it’s all custom; it’s a three-quarter-chassis car. It runs 315/60R15s, and with it being a radial car, we’ve had to allow for big separation in the rear. The ’cage is just a bare-bones six-point for now, but it’ll need more barwork before we go racing. It has a tilt front end for ease of servicing at the track, but the bonnet still opens normally, too. What about the RX-3 coupe in the back? AKI: That one is staying on the down-low for now, but we’ve got big plans and it’s coming together really nicely. Watch this space! ST RE E T MA C H I NE

069

VIC RIS VISKO STORY BO

070

S T RE E T MAC HIN E

ST ORDAN LEI PHOTOS J

ORED T S E R Y L E IC N A E IK L LOOKS S T G K H ’S G R E B O IS YOU K IN H T E W ? E JOHN AND TRAV IN H C A EET M R T S IN IT IS Y H W O S ! T A H STOCKER – T O T R E W S N A E ALREADY KNOW TH S T RE E T MA C H I N E

071

The stock 14in hubcaps have been fitted to 15in front and rear rims, but with the HK putting out 555hp at the wheels, extra measures were taken to make sure the ’caps stay in place. There’s a mounting plate that bolts to the wheel nuts, and the hubcap is bolted to that

THE IDEA WAS TO FIT A KILLER ENGINE CONVERSION INTO A GRANDDAD-LOOKING HK MONARO – A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

OU might be wondering what a relatively stock-looking HK Monaro GTS is doing in the pages of Street Machine, but there’s a bit more going on with this car than first meets the eye. Father-and-son team John and Travis Oberg have worked together to build this stunning ride. Inspiration came from the elder Oberg; as a young bloke growing up in a small farming town just north of Esperance, WA, John saw a brandnew HK Monaro, and it has been stuck in his mind ever since. Many years later, that cherished memory has been channelled into the car you see before you. According to Travis, the build philosophy was pretty simple: “Fit a killer engine conversion into a granddad-looking HK Monaro that you would never pick was in there – a wolf in sheep’s clothing with the ability to comfortably drive all day and still smoke the tyres in top gear easily. Our aim was to fit an LSA into an HK with a standard front suspension and flat bonnet. No tubular crossmembers, no rack-and-pinion conversions and definitely no reverse cowls!” Sounds good to us! As you’re all well aware, the price of Monaros – in fact, any old car – has skyrocketed over the past few years, so the example that John and Travis

072

S T R E E T M ACHI NE

started with was less than pristine. It was found by a close friend, Dave Campbell, who saw the car advertised locally on Gumtree. “We went to have a look at it and when I saw the condition it was in, I wasn’t very interested,” Travis recalls. “We are mechanical and assembly guys; we don’t really do panel and rust repairs so much. Dave, who is a panel-beating miracle worker, was trying to tell us how good an opportunity it was, so we did a deal with him that if he would do the panel repairs and alignment for us, and get it to a point where a panel shop could prepare it for paint, we would go ahead with the project.” As you can see from the photos, the project did go ahead and is now a far cry from the rolling wreck they started with, thanks to the masterful work of both Dave and the team of Charlie and Erik Takacs, who finished off the bodywork and laid on the flawless paint. The end result is a breathtaking, beautifully finished car both inside and out. If you’ve looked at the engine bay pics already, you’ve no doubt noticed how neat and tidy it is, and it’s not just because they painted the inner guards and firewall body colour instead of satin black. “Normally the HKs have a bracket between the booster and the firewall,” Travis explains. “We took that out and sunk the booster flush against the firewall, which tidies it up heaps. HKs also have a

lot of little ripples in the engine bay; they were all taken out to tidy it up, and we tried to make it as symmetrical as possible as well.” Even the LSA engine cover was tweaked. They normally have holes for the intercooler hosing and the like, but Travis got another cover and plastic-welded filler pieces to tidy up all of the holes and cut-outs. The other body modification, which hardly anyone would ever pick, is the underside of the bonnet. Plenty of work went into grafting an HQ bonnet frame onto the HK bonnet to ensure the LSA would fit without any scoops, bulges or reverse cowls. “Charlie and Erik cut the HQ frame into about 38 pieces and then blended it in to look factory,” Travis says. Some modification to the front crossmember dropped the engine down about 20mm; changing the bonnet frame extended that clearance to 25mm, as there’s an open spot in the middle of the HQ bonnet where you’d usually find bracing on the HK version. “Also, with a small-block, the pipes hang down quite low, but with an LS the pipes sit a bit higher, so you can drop the engine down and you still have heaps of clearance,” Travis says. While the Obergs have built and raced plenty of cars with tough, cast-iron small- and big-block engines both aspirated and supercharged, lately Travis has gone with a bit of a pro tourer vibe,

ABOVE: A reverse cowl was never on the cards for John and Travis, so their clever solution to ensure the LSA could stay covered was to use HQ bonnet bracing, which gives extra room for the supercharger LEFT: The boot is just as nice as the rest of the car, with Voodoo Blue paint covering every surface. A Walbro 460 in-tank pump feeds the LSA, while a dry-cell battery

has been mounted below the parcel shelf BELOW: The relatively stock LSA runs Deatschwerks injectors and a pulley kit that have it making 18psi of boost for 555hp at the tyres. The engine bay has been smoothed out and painted in that gorgeous Voodoo Blue instead of satin black, and the Obergs worked hard to make the LSA fit while keeping all of the stock suspension and steering

S T R E E T M A CH I NE

073

JOHN AND TRAVIS OBERG 1968 HK HOLDEN MONARO

INTERIOR: The interior has been beautifully restored back to stock, with the only change being a B&M shifter to work the Paul Rogers-built Turbo 350

Paint: PPG Voodoo Blue

DONK

Type: LSA crate motor Inlet: Standard ECU: Cadillac CTS-V Blower: Eaton 1.9L Heads: Standard Valves: 2.16in (in), 1.59in (ex) Cam: 198/216 duration@.050, .492/.480 lift Pistons: Hypereutectic, 9.1:1 compression Crank: Standard forged Conrods: Standard Radiator: Custom aluminium, Mondeo fans Exhaust: 17/8 in primaries, four-intoone headers, twin 2.5in pipes Ignition: Standard

SHIFT

Gearbox: TH350 Converter: Dominator 3200rpm stall Diff: 9in, 3.55:1 gears, Truetrac

BENEATH

Front: King Springs, Koni adjustable shocks Rear: 3in-lowered leaf springs, Koni adjustable shocks Steering: Standard Brakes: VT Commodore discs (f), HQ drums (r)

ROLLING STOCK

Rims: Steelies; 15x7 (f), 15x8.5 (r), modified to fit 14in hubcaps Rubber: Maxxis 195/70R15 (f), Mastercraft 245/50R15 (r)

THANKS

Dave Campbell for ongoing assistance and advice; Charlie and Erik Takacs for body finishing and painting; Brad at All Class Re-wiring for wiring assistance; Rod Brown for the interior trim; Bruce at BMH Trikes for fabricating the one-off pieces; Dicker’s Speed Shoppe for fittings and parts; George and Simon at Blown Motorsports for tuning and blower mods; Castlemaine Auto Electrics for electrical and engine harness support; John’s wife Carolyn and Travis’s wife Bree and kids Marlee and Cruz for their ongoing support

074

S T REE T M A C HI N E

having just completed an HG panel van with an LS2, 4L60E and nine-inch. So the LSA crate engine was an easy choice for the HK, and was pretty cheap when they bought it a few years back. However, being racers at heart, John and Travis couldn’t just chuck it in bog-stock. Instead, the engine was sent off to Blown Motorpsorts, where George Separovich and Simon Giles gave it a bit of a tickle-up with some Deatschwerks injectors and a pulley kit that makes the blower pump 18psi into the engine, resulting in 555hp at the tyres. There’s a Paul Rogers Turbo 350 behind it, along with a nine-inch with a fabbed housing, 3.55 gears and a Truetrac, all trying their hardest to get the power to the ground. Unlike many builds, the paint choice for the HK was a no-brainer, as the car John remembered from his childhood was blue. “We chose Voodoo Blue, a VE Commodore colour, as an offshoot of the late-model engine choice,” Travis says. “We feel there are few latemodel metallic colours that suit the shape of a late-60s car, but this colour seems to suit it very well.” You won’t get any argument from me; the colour brings out the curves beautifully and looks stunning under any type of lighting.

When it came to the interior, there wasn’t much to start with – just a set of seat frames and not much else. Rod Brown Motor Trimmers fitted a Winner Products interior in the original black trim, and apart from the neatly fitted B&M shifter, it’s just as it would have been in 1968. The final touch was the wheels, and once again, while they might look like stockies, they’re actually 15x7 and 15x8.5 steelies modified to allow fitment of the original hubcaps. “With the worry of having to chase the rear hubcaps down the road when putting the power down, we built adapters that bolt to longer rear wheel studs,” Travis explains. “The steel wheel bolts on, and then a fabricated plate bolts on the outside of the wheel nuts, with studs taking the place of the dummy wheel nuts on the hubcap, meaning the hubcap is attached to the steel wheel and cannot fly off when getting into the throttle.” This is definitely one of those cars where the more you look, the more you see. With the current street machining trend of cars that look relatively stock while packing some punch in the driveline, it’s a good reminder to not judge a book by its cover. Take your time, soak in all the details – otherwise you might find yourself missing out on some really neat ideas.

FEW LATE-MODEL METALLIC COLOURS SUIT THE SHAPE OF A LATE-60S CAR, BUT VOODOO BLUE SEEMS TO SUIT THE HK VERY WELL Whether you’re a Holden fan or not, you’ve gotta admit they got it right with the HK Monaro. The paint colour chosen for Travis and John’s example is Voodoo Blue, a VE Commodore hue that adds a modern touch but suits the HK’s lines to perfection

STORY JACK HOULIHAN PHOTOS CHRIS THOROGOOD

076

S T RE E T M AC H I NE

THIS CORNER-CARVING, ALL-STEEL, 700HP WIDEBODY CORTINA MEANS BUSINESS

S T R E E T M ACH I N E

077

ITH its gorgeous custom widebody, 700rwhp turbo six and manual gearbox, this epic Mk1 Cortina practically screams ‘race car’. But don’t be fooled; it’s a proper street beast. Darwin bloke Mark stumbled across this Corty about 15 years ago. “I’d always wanted a Mk1 Cortina because I like the shape of them, but the only things I could find back then were Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts,” Mark says. “I was doing a job for a customer and saw there was something under a cover, and I asked, ‘Is that a Mk1 Cortina?’ He couldn’t believe I knew what the silhouette was, and it just went from there.” That base-model ‘jailbar’ 220 car came home with Mark, becoming his second serious project after his widebody Mk1 Esky. “I got some rough skills from that Escort, but this one was kind of off-again, on-again,” he says. The end result represents Mark’s ideal hot streeter. “All cars are a compromise in one way or another, and this one isn’t perfect,” he says. “But it’s allowed me to combine the most desirable attributes I want in a car.” Chief among those attributes was a wild custom widebody. With the level of modification involved in this and many other aspects of the car, Mark was braced for an uphill battle with the powers that be, but was pleasantly surprised by the NT’s rego rules. “I thought the whole approval and engineering process was going to be my biggest hurdle,” he says. “But as it turns out, Darwin isn’t a bad place for enthusiasts to build a car the way they want it.” Mark eventually nabbed a German Mk3 Capri after some wheeling and dealing. “Some people weren’t happy with me buying a donor vehicle for the front end and chopping it up, even though they let the thing rot to pieces anyway,” he says with a laugh. The Capri donated its front chassis rails, crossmember, MacPherson strut suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering.

BODY: Mark fabbed up the slimline spats himself, which are easily removable via a stainless coupling blade. There’s a vertically mounted muffler tucked above that side exhaust outlet

078

S T R E E T M ACHI NE

The chassis and body were in dire need of bracing, so Mark ran 45mm steel tubing from the rear end to the front struts, cleverly hidden in the sills. “There’s a tube that goes under the dash and joins the struts together, and then I actually cut the corners out of the roof and put tubing around the sides and top of the windscreen,” he explains. “It’s like a pseudo-rollcage; essentially an internal spaceframe.” The result is top-notch rigidity during hard cornering. “I can jack it up anywhere and there’s no flex in it,” Mark says. “A normal Cortina will flex and lift the front wheel on corners, but this thing is a rock.” Outwardly, the most obvious change is the custom steel widebody, which sees the front guards moved out about 90mm per side, and an impressive 120mm in the rear. The aluminium bonnet is also hand-made and runs a pair of Supra catches, while Mark also deleted the drip rails. He made a point of doing as much of this work as possible on his own, even heading back to uni for some welding courses and certification. “A lot of custom bits and pieces were made from different materials, as well as being made a few times over just to get a decent result,” he says. Mark then set about pillaging a Mk4 Supra for a driveline. The Supra’s 2JZ was one of the few parts of the build that Mark outsourced, with Goleby’s Parts transforming it into a tough turbo six. The Cortina’s firewall was shifted 200mm rearward to accommodate this new powerplant, which uses a new 2JZ-GTE crank hooked to Spool H-beam rods and Carrillo pistons for 10:1 compression. The head is also a new non-VVT-i unit, featuring 272-degree Camtech bumpsticks and Crower valves. Air is drawn in through a custom 4.5-litre pre-chamber intake manifold, which Mark describes as similar to what Audi runs on its R8 Le Mans racer. A Bosch 82mm electronic throttlebody and 2000cc injectors manage air and fuel, controlled by a Haltech 2500 ECU. Boost comes from a Garrett GTX3584RS snail on a custom high-mount steampipe manifold. An a/c compressor chills about 20

ENGINE BAY: Aside from that Toyota 2JZ six, cross-brand influence in the engine bay includes an R35 GT-R coil kit and a V8 Land Cruiser 130A alternator. The fuel system combines a Walbro 460 lift pump and crank-driven Kinsler 500 fuel pump up front. A Turbosmart FPR2000 sets fuel pressure, while a Bosch 2000 in-line pump with two check valves helps the mechanical pump purge the fuel rail on start-up

WHEN IT STARTS HAULING, IT JUST SPINS AND THE DYNO CAN’T HOLD IT NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU STRAP IT DOWN

INTERIOR: The Mk4 Supra dash is much wider than the original Cortina dash underneath, hence the driver’s-door cut-out. “One day I’ll do a new dash, as the current one was always meant to be a temporary setup,” Mark says. A Haltech CAN gauge offers info from the Elite 2500 ECU

S T RE E T MA C HI N E

079

MARK 1965 FORD CORTINA Paint: Protec Ice White

ENGINE

Type: Toyota 2JZ six-cylinder Induction: Custom 4.5L manifold, interchiller ECU: Haltech Elite 2500 Turbo: Garrett GTX3584RS Head: Toyota 2JZ-GTE Camshafts: Camtech 272-degree, 9.5mm lift Conrods: Spool H-beam

ABOVE: The front headlight trims are billet aluminium, and the rear tail-light surrounds and lenses are also custommade. Mark made the door surrounds from 316 stainless steel, which was mirror-polished and then glass beadblasted for a matte finish

080

S T R E E T M A CH INE

Pistons: Carrillo Crank: Toyota Fuel system: Walbro 460 lift pump, Kinsler 500 mechanical fuel pump Cooling: Custom radiator with PWR core, four 8in fans Exhaust: Custom 4in system

helical LSD Tailshaft: Custom one-piece

15x10 (r) Rubber: Toyo Proxes R888R 225/50R15 (f), Mickey SUSPENSION & BRAKES Thompson ET Street Front: Rack-and-pinion steering, 275/50R15 (r) MacPherson struts, King Springs Rear: IRS, Whiteline control THANKS arms, BC Racing coil-overs Rick and the crew at CB Racing Brakes: AU Falcon (f), Nissan for all the help and going out of 300ZX (r) their way to see this fever dream TRANSMISSION of mine get on the road again; Gearbox: Getrag V160 six-speed Master cylinder: Subaru 1in Goleby’s Parts for the engine manual build; my long-term sponsor Clutch: OS Giken triple-disc WHEELS & TYRES Diff: Nissan R230, 4.11:1 Rims: Minilite replica; 15x8 (f), Darwin Lock & Key

MIDDLE RIGHT: “I had a water-to-air intercooler set-up, but now the water is actually chilled by the a/c compressor,” explains Mark of this reservoir behind the seats. “The old set-up’s failure to cool effectively had nothing to do with the PWR product; I just couldn’t get enough air blasting over the heat exchanger to keep the water temp down”

FAR RIGHT: The functional dual filler necks are inspired by the race-bred Cortina GT500. Mark handmade the bronze-bushed, stainless-steel teardrop boot hinges himself

litres of water in a reservoir behind the front seats, feeding a PWR barrel water-to-air intercooler. “It keeps intake air temps low, provided I can get good airflow across the condenser,” Mark says. Up front is a double-pass radiator built around a custom-order PWR core, bolted to four eight-inch Davies Craig thermo fans, while a 16-row Setrab oil cooler is plumbed to a Mocal thermostat sandwich plate. Initially set up for premium unleaded, the car now runs E85 via a Kinsler mechanical pump. The remainder of the exhaust is a four-inch system, with a muffler tucked vertically above the side exhaust outlet. It features a removable bypass plate to improve flow on track days, though Mark points out it’s an extremely loud proposition. “It makes an easy 700rwhp, but it doesn’t stick to the dyno too well,” Mark says. “When it starts hauling, it just spins and the dyno can’t hold it no matter how much you strap it down. It would do 620 to 630hp and the dyno graph would go insane as the wheels broke loose with the hard, shitty rubber. There was 3000rpm left, but it’s in the meaty part of the turbo. It’s happy there and it just runs perfectly, so I don’t really care about the figure to be honest.” Mark stuck with the Supra’s Getrag V160 manual, with an OS Giken R3C triple-disc clutch and B&M billet short-shifter. Most of the rear end was pulled from a Nissan 300ZX, including the rear chassis and cradle. The R230 diff had its HICAS rear steering deleted, and packs 4.11 Richmond gears and a Quaife ATB helical LSD. The CV half-shafts

are machined from F100 axles with R33 GTR outer bearing hubs and 300ZX brakes. A Hoppers Stoppers kit up front uses 297mm AU Falcon discs and calipers, all helped along by a Subaru master cylinder and VE Commodore remote electronic vacuum pump. The interior is another neat melding of classic Ford kit and Toyota goodies, using the Capri’s vintage Recaro seats and Supra dash, the latter installed over the top of its original Cortina counterpart. The 300km/h gauge cluster and collapsible steering column are also Supra items, and Mark retrimmed the rest himself in Cordova Ultra black vinyl. While the super-rigid chassis, killer widebody, beefy coolers and sweet suspension might suggest a track beast, Mark’s keen to point out that the Cortina wasn’t built for competitive motorsport, as proven by the lap belts inside. The car has earned a few solid accolades since hitting the street about five years ago, including People’s Choice, Best Custom Engineered, Best Small Ford and President’s Choice across Darwin’s two most recent All Ford Days. And Mark’s not quite done yet. “I’ve got plenty of stuff left to do, like put it on a diet with painted carbonfibre doors, bonnet and bootlid, and maybe fit a Holinger sequential six-speed for flat-shifting, or even a DCT from a BMW,” he says. “A lot of quality-of-life adjustments could be made to it as well, but money, time and motivation aren’t always that easy to come by.” Good thing the car’s already such a ball-tearer, then!

CORT IN THE ACT: Lap belts and the lack of a traditional rollcage haven’t stopped Mark from having a go on the track. “I took it down to Hidden Valley Raceway and just held it open for laps and laps,” he enthuses

A NORMAL CORTINA WILL FLEX AND LIFT THE FRONT WHEEL ON CORNERS, BUT THIS THING IS A ROCK

S T R E E T MA CH I N E

081

ILSON ASHLEIGH W S O T O H P STORY &

082

S T RE E T M AC HI N E

WE HEAD TO HARRIGAN’S ROD & CUSTOM SHOW IN CALYPSO BAY TO ADMIRE SOME OF QUEENS LAND’S WILDEST AND TIDIEST BUILDS AT THE WATER’S EDGE

S T R E E T MA C HI N E

083

OTHER Nature has wreaked havoc on the car events calendar lately, so we were relieved to spot blue October skies peeking through the clouds at the annual Harrigan’s Rod & Custom Show. Around 500 cars cruised out to the water’s edge at Harrigan’s Drift Inn in Calypso Bay, midway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, to enjoy South-East Queensland’s largest one-day automotive show, now in its 14th year. More than 4000 spectators came through the gates, greeted on arrival by rows of bumper-scraping pick-ups, lowriders and big block-powered tanks overflowing from the first carpark. Sat amongst the impressive variety of custom rods was an astounding display of high-horsepower toughies and elite-level show cars, and the quality of many was worthy of the Summernats and MotorEx unveil halls. Last year’s show winner Charlie Harley returned in his stunning pro touring 1957 Chev (SM , Apr ’20), while Peter Sauer’s wild twin-turbo HG Brougham (SM , Oct ’22) also sat politely on display. The Rides By Kam crew drew a crowd with their necksnapping customer builds, including the tough-as-nails blown DRKNITE XA, while South Coast Customs Fabrication lined

up their pick-ups, showcasing the build process from concept through to final creation. The Sunday sesh started early with the pub doors open and the event’s first-ever beer garden serving up frosties and good vibes. A sprinkle of rain didn’t dampen spirits, with live music pumping from midday and a jumping castle and face painting to keep the kids entertained. The Pin-ups on the Peninsula show had contestants pulling a few crowd members into the antics, who earned their very own sash, while several stalls offered up automotive artwork, memorabilia and a variety of food and drinks. Dani Werner and Joel Rodriguez put their blood, sweat and tears into their second edition of the event as organisers, with a focus on adapting the traditional show ’n’ shine format to appeal to the new generation of car enthusiasts. “The turn-out really shows off everyone’s unique taste,” Dani said. “Hot rods and street machines have always been the main attraction, but it’s the Commodores and [other contemporary Aussie cars] that show younger people that they can modify a late-model car without spending a fortune. It’s the kids who are setting new trends and picking up on details that the older hot rodders might miss.” Dani speaks from experience, having

SPECTATORS WERE GREETED ON ARRIVAL BY ROWS OF BUMPERSCRAPING PICK-UPS, LOWRIDERS AND BIG BLOCK-POWERED TANKS

Drag Challenge contender Dallis Hertsch cruised out in his singleturbo LS-powered HZ Statesman

BELOW: Matt Olver’s mean ’34 Ford won Top Car of the Show. Since placing Top 20 in the Summernats 34 Elite Hall, the blown 383ci Chev-powered coupe has been on show all over the country, including Showcars Melbourne, Rockynats and Motor Madness

084

ST R E E T M A CHI NE

BELOW: We loved the new RC Components rims on Todd Sorensen’s Summernats 33 Grand Champion-winning ’67 Impala

RIGHT: Pick a lane and place your bets; Odin Gunn came ready to race his hottie!

ABOVE: This ’72 Camaro is a stone-cold stunner. Rob Zahabi and his crew at Rides By Kam are responsible for the custom ProCharger installation and EFI set-up on the 502ci big-block

idy ’34 ABOVE: Michael Connors’s super-t m Silver iniu Ford is a showstopper. The Alum els whe law Out paint and Billet Specialities lock ll-b sma ci really set the chopped, 383 wonder Chev-powered coupe apart. It’s no Rod, Hot Top ning win Michael cleaned up, 10 Top the in t spo a Best Pre-’48 and

ABOVE: We dig Mark Smith’s 1959 gasser-style FC ute! The street-registered Holden had a full rotisserie baremetal build, all done by Mark and his dad. Up front is a worked 202 with forged pistons, ARP studs and a 149 closed-chamber head. An HR front end, custom pipes and a set of custom-made Dragway wheels tie the gasser look together

LEFT: Chris Price drew plenty of attention with his 1936 Bedford truck. The rat rod sits on a strengthened Chev d chassis, Ford XD diff an HR disc brakes, and an r front end, making powe n lde from a worked Ho 308 motor

S T RE E T MA C HI N E

085

had a serious ’s tough XT Falcon has ABOVE: Danny Debono dal, Danny’s pe thrashing the power facelift. After 13 years of full nut-anda o int paint turned e rpl pu of k lic sh fre a ked rims plans for on a new set of beadloc low s sit XT e Th d. uil bolt reb 950hp, 8/71mini-tubs, and rocks a d an f dif ed en ort sh a with an E85 carby set-up blown 393ci Clevo with

BELOW: Scott Guy’s Kingswood is powered by a 405ci small-block pushing out 750hp on 10psi of boost from the 8/71 supercharger

086

S T R E E T M A C HI N E

ABOVE: The boys at South Coast Customs Fabrication and Muscle Car Imports are the brains and brawn behind this freshly built, slammed, LT1-powered ’53 Chevy pick-up

RIGHT: No corners were cut when Rod Chalker built his ’57 Chev. The Bel Air has had a full rotisserie restoration using only new-oldstock parts, and sits on an Art Morrison straight-rail chassis with triangulated four-link suspension and adjustable coil-overs all ’round

grown up helping her dad, Rick Werner – Summernats 32 Grand Champion, no less – wrench on his hot rods in their shed at home. “We want to keep the community interactive and hands-on in the car scene,” Dani’s partner Joel added. This practical approach was evidenced by the car care workshop that ran throughout the morning, teaching new drivers essential skills like how to read a car’s vitals or change a tyre. According to Joel, his and Dani’s training wheels well and truly came off this year after taking over as organisers for last year’s event. “We increased the show’s footprint and doubled our vendors to 40,” he said. “We wanted to utilise the whole venue rather than just the waterfront to give families a full day out.” The friendly banter and smiling faces spotted amongst the sea of cars were a good indication that the hard work had paid off.

The day wound down at 3pm, when a massive group of 42 drivers came forward to accept their awards and nearly $6500 in prize money during the trophy presentations. Tony Wilson took home Top Elite Show Car and Top Paint in his CHOODA ’32 Ford, Isabelle Harvey won Top Aussie in her HR, and Clint Wilkins’s HK Monaro took out Top Street Machine. The Car of the Show trophy went to Matt Olver’s ’34 Ford coupe, VENOM. Dani and Joel are honoured to keep the show’s legacy going, and they’re just as proud to be raising funds for four local charities, with the proceeds from the 2023 Pinups of Australia charity calendar going to the International Heart Spasms Alliance. They’d also like to extend thanks to everyone who came out in support, and their friends, family and volunteers whose help assured the show will be returning in 2023 for its 15th year, with even more on offer.

IT’S THE KIDS WHO ARE SETTING NEW TRENDS AND PICKING UP ON DETAILS THAT THE OLDER HOT RODDERS MIGHT MISS

Tim Hempenstall’s heavily chopped Model A tudor, BUCKSKN, is a real head-turner

lie Harley LEFT & BELOW: Char n, Top can add Top America place to Interior and a Top 10 ns for his extensive list of wi ev Ch his breathtaking ’57

BELOW: Wayne Turner spent three years building this eyepopping ’76 HX Holden panel van in his garage. The blown small-block Chev and candy orange duco are a killer combo

S T R E E T M A CHI NE

087

AWARDS TOP CAR OF THE SHOW Matt Olver – 1934 Ford coupe

, ABOVE: The whitewalls and o mb two-tone colour co roof the on rd matching surfboa ev Ch 58 19 ’s give Nigel Apps al Yeoman wagon bulk appe

TOP ELITE SHOW CAR

Tony Wilson – 1932 Ford tudor

TOP 10

Charlie Harley – 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Michael Connors – 1934 Ford coupe Dan Kilpatrick – 1956 Ford 5100 Rod Chalker – 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Dean Heidke – 1934 Chevrolet tudor Darren Cahill – 1934 Ford coupe Tony Cairns – 1970 VG Valiant Matt Maher – 1970 HT Holden Josh Cronin – 1932 Ford coupe Cameron Dewsbury – 1976 Holden Torana

ABOVE: Graeme Urquhart’s blown 1940 Ford Cabriolet is red-hot!

LEFT: Zak Hunter’s twinturbo Torana packs a punch, the LSX-powered Holden making a staunch 1215hp

088

S T REE T M A CH I NE

CUSTOM RADIATOR BUILDS > Three year warranty on all radiators.

> Over 500 performance radiators in stock

> LS conversion radiators in stock

> Same day world wide shipping for most orders placed before 12 noon.*

> Street and Strip range - high performance > Burnout King range - built to stand the abuse

> Custom radiator built within 48 hours in most cases

Aussie Desert Cooler has been a well known part of the modiﬁed car scene for over 20 years sponsoring events and appearing at major car events across Australia.

We have moved to: 351 Settlement Road, Thomastown 3074 norm@aussiedesertcooler.com.au

03 9465 8806

• www.aussiedesertcooler.com.au • www.aussiedesertcooler.shop

THIS 630HP, HOLDEN-POWERED BLUE MEANIE TRIBUTE 090

S T R E E T M AC HI N E

STORY KIAN HEAGNEY

PHOTOS ALASTAIR BROOK

IS MARK SPITERI’S DREAM STREET BE AST S T R E E T MA CH I N E

091

F YOU look back at peak 80s Holden muscle, HDT’s VK SS Group A – popularly known as the Blue Meanie – is bloody hard to top. Mark Spiteri certainly agrees, which is why his own VK weapon offers a blend of HDT originality, huge levels of howling Holden grunt, and a dash of modern luxury. “Growing up in the 80s and 90s when VK and VL Commodores ruled the streets and race tracks was a big influence for me,” Mark says. “I knew if I was ever to build a car it’d have to be a VK Commodore.”

First, the car was sent to Michael Sciberras from Street Cred Differentials & Fabrication, who minitubbed the car, fixed up the rust and fabricated the four-linked nine-inch rear end. While that was going on, Mark set about finding someone to build a donk, and his vision was pretty clear. “I never even considered doing an LS,” he laughs. “These things were Holden V8s, so that’s the only engine I wanted for this car.” He was put onto Damian and Mick from BG Engines, who came to the table with one seriously stout iron lion.

I HAD A VISION TO MAKE THIS DIFFERENT. I DIDN’T JUST WANT TO BUILD A REPLICA BUT ONE OF THE GREATEST TRIBUTES GOING AROUND When the time finally did come for Mark to create his dream machine, he managed to source a basic VK sedan as an unfinished project from wellknown Sydney street machiner Stephen Sherry. “There’d been plenty of Group A replicas done before, but I had a vision to make this different,” he says. “I didn’t just want to build a replica but one of the greatest tributes going around.” Stephen had already started converting the Berlina to an HDT special, but to do it Mark’s way, the whole project needed to start again.

092

S T R EE T M A C HI NE

The basic Holden mill was stroked to 350 cubes with a steel crank, I-beam rods and SRP pistons. Rounding out the bottom end is a solid-roller cam specced by BG Engines, and the long motor was completed with a pair of Yella Terra cylinder heads. Mark wasn’t interested in injection and wanted the air cleaners to poke out of the bonnet just enough to hint at the grunt he had available, so the induction system comprises a BG Engines custom billet tunnel ram topped by a pair of APD 650cfm carburettors wearing Aeroflow air filters.

ENGINE BAY: The smoothed engine bay was a big focus of the build, with both Mark and the Image Conversions team wanting a super-simple and neat place to house the 350cube lion AIR CLEANERS: Mark wanted the air cleaners poking out of the bonnet as a cheeky hint of the grunt hiding underneath, but he also has a cover he can throw on top when needed WHEELS: Nothing befits a beefed-up HDT replica like a set of correctly white HDT Aero alloys. Sized at 19x8 up front and 19x10 in the rear, they wear premium Pirelli P Zero rubber BOOT: The handmade 70L fuel cell has been painted body colour, and keeps the thirsty Holden fed with PULP 98 through the beautifully bent hardlines

S T RE E T MA C HI N E

093

Drinking PULP 98, the combo made a healthy 629hp at 7400rpm, and 502lb-ft of torque. All that power is being sent rearwards through a TKO 600 five-speed manual, so it makes for a pretty lairy machine to drive on the street. “Damian warned me it’d be like driving on wet grass with that much power through a manual, and he’s not wrong!” Mark says. “But I always wanted a manual. The real ones were all manual; it makes it way more fun on the street, and drag racing doesn’t really interest me.” The rest of the build was completed by Michael and Matt Ellard from Image Conversions. The boys finished off the bodywork, gave the VK its lick of Formula Blue and pieced it all together for Mark.

Astra power steering pump under the right front guard. “You look in the engine bay and you’d have no idea it has that stuff because it looks so basic,” Mark says. An important aspect of the build for the Image Conversions crew was the continual consultation with an engineer throughout the process to ensure all the modifications were legal. “We spent six months making the vehicle street-legal, taking all kinds of measures to make that happen,” says Michael. “We made a cover for the air filters, and the AP Racing brakes ensured it had the stopping power it needed.” The car was completed for its unveiling at the 2021 Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo, where it scored some silverware for Best Sedan. “The

DAMIAN WARNED ME IT’D BE LIKE DRIVING ON WET GRASS WITH THAT MUCH POWER THROUGH A MANUAL, AND HE’S NOT WRONG! “When Mark come to see us about finishing his project, we knew he had high expectations for the VK,” says Michael. “Every Commodore has uneven door gaps and plastics that never fit properly, so we spent a long time modifying panels and gaps to correct those issues.” Even with Mark’s brief of keeping the car as close to HDT spec as possible, the Image Conversions team still got to flex their customisation muscles with the supremely smoothed engine bay and sheet metal work in the boot. To keep said bay looking nice and neat, they took on the arduous task of hiding both the air conditioning compressor and

094

STRE E T M AC H IN E

build process took around five years all up, but I couldn’t be any happier with the results,” Mark enthuses. “It’s everything I dreamed of and more, and I can’t thank the people enough who were involved along the way.” Since the VK’s debut, Mark has taken it for the odd cruise, but he’s waiting until after Street Machine Summernats 35 before he really starts using it. “The aim is to get into the Top 60 there, and then once I’ve done that, I’ll look to use it a bit more and not be as precious,” he laughs. “We had it at MotorEx this year and that was really special, so I can’t wait to get it to the ’Nats.”

BELOW: Along with all the correct stickering and reproduction bodykit, the VK is wearing a super-crisp version of Formula Blue, the iconic hue that HDT sprayed on all the Blue Meanies in the 80s

LEFT: Mark’s wife Michelle did a lot of hard work finding the NOS and rare parts for the build, including the periodcorrect Eurovox radio/cassette player

MARK SPITERI 1985 VK HOLDEN COMMODORE Paint: Formula Blue

ENGINE

Brand: 350ci Holden V8 Induction: BG billet tunnel ram Carbs: APD billet 650cfm Heads: Yella Terra Camshaft: Custom-grind

BELOW: Mark was hellbent on keeping the interior as close to HDT spec as possible, with the trim work taken care of by Bill from Hy-Tone Motor Trimming

solid-roller Conrods: I-beam Pistons: SRP Crank: Steel 3.48in Oil pump: High-volume Cooling: PWR fans Exhaust: Dual 3in Ignition: ICE

DRIVELINE

Gearbox: Tremec TKO 600 Clutch: Mal Wood

Diff: 9in, Truetrac, 35-spline axles, 4.11:1 gears

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

Front: XYZ coil-overs Rear: Coil-overs Brakes: HSV AP Racing discs and six-piston calipers (f), HSV AP Racing discs and four-piston calipers (r)

BOTTOM RIGHT: A peek under the VK reveals a fully colour-matched belly, and the dual 3in exhaust is quiet enough for street duties – at least until you crack the loud pedal

Damian and Mick at BG Engines; Bill at Hy-Tone Motor Trimming; Chubby at Lowe Fabrications; Mick WHEELS & TYRES Sciberras at Street Cred; Rims: HDT Aero; 19x8 (f), Auto West Paint Supplies; 19x10 (r) Toast Graphics; Unigroup Rubber: Pirelli P Zero; nced 235/35R19 (f), 285/30R19 (r) Engineering; PWR Adva Cooling Technology; my wife Michelle and sons Josh and THANKS Liam; good mates Dave, Steve, Matt, Mick, Paul, Burnsy and Glen, Shaun and Rod Frank at Image Conversions;

Master cylinder: VT Commodore

S T RE E T M AC H IN E

095

T I M E M ACH I N E

STORY KIAN HEAGNEY & BORIS VISKOVIC PHOTOS SIMON DAVIDSON & SM ARCHIVES

> CRAIG MCKENZIE IS GIVING THE HR UTE MADE FAMOUS BY DITCH JONES A NEW LEASE ON LIFE

ITCH Jones’s HR ute (SM, Apr ’07) was one of those cars that you could call ‘polarising’. The two-tone paint, wild teal-coloured interior and welded-up tailgate definitely had tongues wagging when it debuted at Summernats 20, with people either loving or hating the styling. One thing that couldn’t be argued though was the level of detailing and build quality that went into the car, which Ditch had owned and showed since the late 80s. He took the HR off the road in the late 90s, as he recalled in our 2007 feature on the ute: “I wanted to take the car to the next level, as I kept coming up against better machinery.” By the look of the end result, Ditch skipped ‘next level’ and went straight to ‘boss level!’ To handle the extensive modifications, Ditch turned to Drago Ostric and his team at Sefton Concept Vehicles. Among the many highlights were the removable front clip,

ABOVE: The blown six was insanely smooth, featuring a stack of one-off billet pieces and stunning paint. The 4/71 pump was topped with a Garlits hat hiding a 700cfm Holley double-pumper

096

ST RE E T MAC HI N E

suicide doors, lengthened wheelbase, flush-fitting glass and the welded-up and reshaped tailgate. The interior was wild as well, with a custom steel dash and console that looked nothing like the original, and teal blue trim that, depending on who you talked to, either complemented or clashed with the silver-and-yellow paint scheme Ditch had chosen. One thing was certain: this ute stood out in a crowd. While many people at the time didn’t understand why Ditch didn’t, ahem, ditch the six-pot and stuff in a V8, everyone agreed that the detailing on the 4/71-blown 202 was second to none. Current custodian Craig McKenzie is now giving the HR a serious makeover in time for Street Machine Summernats 35, so we had to sit down with him for a chat to learn more about his plans for this iconic machine.

BODY: The body w rebuild was exte ork for Ditch’s big nsive. You’ve pr obably spotted the suic ide tailgate, but note doors and re-sculpted th fitting glass, and e extended sills, flushstretched bonnet to cover the deleted wiper cowl. The wheel base has also been st retched 100mm to ce ntre the front wheels in the guards

INTERIOR: The custom allsteel interior was fabricated by Sefton Concept Vehicles. The shortened Cobra race seats were covered in teal suede

AMONG THE MANY HIGHLIGHTS WERE THE REMOVABLE FRONT CLIP, SUICIDE DOORS, LENGTHENED WHEELBASE, FLUSH-FITTING GLASS AND THE WELDED-UP AND RESHAPED TAILGATE How did you come to buy the ute? I bought it back in 2018. I’ve got a Nissan Navara that has been in the build for years, and even though it’s been at shows before unfinished, it was just taking too long, so I started looking for a car to get me into the Elite Hall in the meantime. The ute was actually at a car dealer, and I remembered it from its era, so I paid for it over the phone and went and grabbed it. What condition was it in? It wasn’t the best. It’d been through a few hands before I got it and people just didn’t seem to care about these old show cars.

There was nothing really major wrong, but the interior was pretty dirty and gross, and the paint needed work. But I could see the potential. You got the HR sorted in time for Street Machine Summernats 32, where it made the Top 10 and won Top Pro Street. How much work did it take to get it to that point? A lot of painting and polishing, basically. Luckily, I’m a panel beater by trade, so the paint side wasn’t that hard to get done. But a lot of the car had to be pulled apart, cleaned and polished, with heaps of work that people

don’t see. It took around six months of work to resurrect it properly. You did a fair bit of the car show circuit after Summernats; how did that go? Really good; the car won a bunch of awards and the reaction to it being back was really positive. After Top 10 at the ’Nats, it did well at Red CentreNATS and the Adelaide Auto Expo, and its last show was Springnats, where it won six awards including Car of the Show before we pulled it apart. What instigated this current rebuild? It needed to be updated, and while I could’ve sold it, I wanted to take the next step with it. S TR E E T MA CH I N E

097

ABOVE: Ditch bought the car in the late 80s for $6500 from the origin al owner, Ross Allen. It was a tidy unit, with deep-dish US Racers, a hot red motor and Premier details

I’d also been asking the judges what areas I could improve on when I was at Summernats after its refresh. The interior in particular was a big one for me, so that’s getting done right now and will be a big change from the last version of the car. Heaps of people said the same thing to me about updating the car – even Ditch! He’s all for the changes I’m making, and even wanted me to make more than I’ve planned. Can you give us a hint about the nature of these updates? Like I said, the interior will be very different, and that’s getting done right now by Simon Judd at Elite Custom Interiors. I wanted to

keep the blown six like it was, so that engine has been out and refreshed and the car is already running and driving with it. It’ll be more white this time, with bronze with satin grey and a few other things throughout. How is it tracking for its unveiling in January? Once it’s back from the interior getting done, I’ll be full swing into the paintwork side of things to get it done in time for the show. The fact it already runs and drives is a big step, but there’ll still be quite a few late nights. This isn’t the first old show car you’ve resurrected, having recently revamped the GGHO5T Nissan Silvia (SM,

DITCH IS ALL FOR THE CHANGES I’M MAKING, AND EVEN WANTED ME TO MAKE MORE THAN I’VE PLANNED

098

S TR E E T M AC H IN E

May ’22). What is it about them that appeals to you? I always believe that with a bit of work and updating, cars like this can hold their own today, which is why I love bringing them back. People think I’m just looking to save money by buying cars that’ve already been built, but people don’t understand how much work still goes into bringing some of them back and taking them to the next level. This ute in particular has me really nervous, because it’s been in the Top 10 so many times that I don’t want this to be the time it misses – but with 30 cars being unveiled, it’s a big ask.

ABOVE: After givi ng the HR a big detail and a new set of rims, curren t owner Craig McK enzie was stoked to make the Elite Top 10 with it at Summernats 32

ABOVE: Craig is now in the midst of a massi ve re of the ute, includ build ing new trim by Simon Ju dd and a brand-new pain t scheme

w years, owing it for a fe p, sh er ft A : W O m BEL HR its first reva hics, Ditch gave the ap gr D ig B e 90s-styl an complete with ng d a gine bay detaili fluoro-pink en five-spokes set of Dragway

S T RE E T M A C HI N E

099

STORY IAIN KELLY

E R I F F O S L L A B E CRAT FACTORY FATTIES

> WE TAKE YOU THROUGH OUR PICK OF THE TOP OLD-SCHOOL SMALL- AND BIG-BLOCK CRATE ENGINE OPTIONS

AST issue, we looked at all the flash new direct-injected, supercharged hotness in the world of crate engines. That’s all well and good, but old-school donks are the foundation of our sport. While they don’t get as much press as their more contemporary counterparts, they can still provide bulk horsepower for minimal bucks. Buying carefully, you can put a brand-new engine in your project for under $10,000, without having to go through the delays and expense of having one built. Traditional small- and big-block Chevs, Fords and Mopars are all still available as fresh crate motors, from 290hp stockers to wild, race-ready, 800hp aftermarket

PHOTO: MATT HULL

100

ST RE E T M A CH IN E

jiggers. There are also options for fans of Holden’s all-Aussie iron lion, though most are available as long motors on an exchange basis rather than as fully dressed, ready-torun crateys. Most of the engines in this guide are based on 1960s designs but have been upgraded with modern niceties like alloy heads and hydraulic-roller camshafts. These mills generally won’t need complex break-in procedures or high-zinc oils, making ownership easier than ever before. And without the added complexity of having to upgrade your car to suit EFI fuel systems and ECUs, these old-style crate engines can present the best way to reliably repower a mild streeter.

CHEVROLET Performance has a stack of awesome big-block options on its website, but supply into Australia has been limited throughout the pandemic. From basic Vortec 454ci and 502ci plants up to the wild 720hp ZZ572/720R and 1004hp ZZ632/1000 mills, there’s a bigcube mill for all manner of project cars. The ZZ427/480 is a great option for a musclecar repower, packing the famous 7.0L capacity and 480hp. GM included plenty of updates to modernise the old L88 big-block thanks to a hydraulic-roller valvetrain, four-bolt main caps and an all-forged bottom end, but it is far from the company’s wildest BBC. Previously Chevrolet Performance’s angriest crate motor, the 572ci ZZ572/720R is a 9.4L alloy-headed brute packing 720hp. Built off a talldeck four-bolt block, it has all-forged internals, a solid-roller 272/282 cam and traditional bigblock rectangle-port alloy heads, topped by an 1150cfm Dominator. However, in 2021, GM upped the ante with the release of the 632ci BBC-LS hybrid ZZ632 (see p.105), which employs a high-compression big-block bottom end with deep-breathing alloy heads using many LS design cues, resulting in a 1004hp monster. It is GM’s most powerful and largest-capacity crate motor ever, but at over AU$50,000, it’s not for the thrifty of wallet.

GM 350 HO SMALL-BLOCK CHEV

SPECS

Capacity: 350ci Block material: Iron Compression: 9:1 Power: 330hp Torque: 380lb-ft

BLUEPRINT 383CI SMALL-BLOCK CHEV THERE are stacks of aftermarket small-block crate motors in all sorts of capacities up to 427ci, but this BluePrint 383 is a killer option for any street car that also likes to have a play once in a while. With 430hp and 443lb-ft on tap, one of these mills in a 1475kg streeter could run an 11 at over 120mph, according to drag calculators. The base is a refreshed iron 350ci SBC, which runs four-bolt mains and a BluePrint rotating assembly, including steel crank, OE Chevy rods and hypereutectic slugs for 10:1 compression and 383 cubes. Major bonuses with this engine include the 64cc aluminium BluePrint heads and the hydraulic-roller cam, which is much easier to live with compared to a flat-tappet cam. Amazingly, for $12,250 (at time of writing) this 430hp donk comes with an HEI distributor, a 750cfm four-barrel carburettor, valve and timing covers, and a sump. BluePrint engines also come drilled and tapped for clutch linkages and mechanical fuel pumps, and the one-piece rear main seal replaces the old, leaky rope seals. All BluePrint donks are dyno-tested before being shipped out, so you know they’ll make the snot they claim. GET IT: eagleautoparts.com.au

What’s Hot

• Perfect tough street/strip engine • Alloy heads and roller cam • Very cheap

FORGET LS swaps – the first-generation Chevy small-block is the original repower mill of choice from the 1950s, and today there’s a massive range of crate SBCs available. Chevrolet Performance sells various 350ci crate options, from 290hp up to 385hp, but they all benefit from the development GM has rolled into its most popular engine platform over the past 67 years. All SBC crates run iron blocks, with the 330hp HO scoring tough four-bolt mains, forged steel crank and 9:1 compression, which keeps the risk of detonation lower than a later-model option. While old timers rave about ‘camel hump’ fuelie heads, the Vortec heads found on almost all SBC crate motors offer much better breathing than older units. The alloy pistons and powder-metal rods won’t enjoy boost, and the mild hydraulic cam will require care. The old-school flat-tappet bumpsticks aren’t as low-maintenance as late-model hydraulic-rollers, and will require a careful break-in period to bed the lifters in, along with a high-zinc oil to prevent wiping lobes. However, if you’re after a fresh 330hp (246kW) V8 to suit a muscle car-era cruiser, the 350 HO offers bulk benefit for under $12,000 (at the time of writing). GET IT: vpw.com.au

What’s Hot

• Huge parts availability • Simple engineering • Cheap

What’s Not

• Flat-tappet cam requires care • Won’t wow at shows • Not a great base to make big power

SPECS

Capacity: 383ci Block material: Iron Compression:10.7:1 10:1 Compression: Power: 430hp 435hp 443lb-ft Torque: 425lb-ft

What’s Not

• Not ready for boost • Common swap • Not as street friendly as a 450hp LS

S T RE E T MA CH I N E

101

427CI SMALL-BLOCK CHEV

SPECS

Capacity: 427ci Block material: Iron Compression: 10.1:1 Power: 540hp Torque: 535lb-ft

WHEN it comes to small-blocks, this is about as spicy as you’ll find on the shelf in Australia. Packing a huge 427ci capacity and 540hp, this angry mouse motor is a seriously stout street engine option. It uses a 4.125in-bore World Products Motown iron block with four-bolt mains, Mahle 10:1 forged pistons, 6in Scat 4340 forged rods, and a 4.000in-stroke Scat 4340 forged crank. Brand-name accessories like a Moroso sump, Melling oil pump, PowerBond balancer and Cloyes double-row timing chain are used, while the cam is a meaty 240°/248° hydraulic-roller. The 64cc AFR aluminium heads feature straight-outlet sparkplug positioning, with Comp pushrods and rockers used internally. An MSD Pro Billet distributor, Edelbrock Super Victor manifold and an AED 850cfm carb round out the combo. Full of brand-name parts that can handle serious power, this type of motor is probably not what you’d put in a daily driver. However, the roller cam and 10:1 compression help improve street manners, so it isn’t an all-out race motor, although packaging could be an issue since you’d have to fit some decent primary headers. GET IT: rocketindustries.com.au

What’s Hot

• Seriously stout SBC • Huge aftermarket • Filled with good gear

What’s Not

• Possibly too cranky for regular street use • Expensive for an SBC • Limited supply

BLUEPRINT 632CI BIG-BLOCK CHEV IT REALLY doesn’t get much bigger in crate engines than 632ci of big-block Chevy. With over 10 litres of tall-deck, iron-block madness, this engine is not a drop-in fit to any car, and will require plenty of fabrication for the giant headers needed. BluePrint’s largest donk runs a 4.600in bore, with a 4.750in-stroke forged crank, 6.635in forged H-beam rods, and 11:1-compression forged slugs. Fitted with a 272°/282° roller cam with 110° LSA and BluePrint’s own PS8012 alloy heads, this mill needs custom headers to run, as the exhaust ports are raised 7.6mm over a standard-deck-height big-block Chev. The rest of the combo is all quality, with a 1250cfm carb, high-rise 4500 Dominator-pattern intake manifold and Pro Billet distributor, while the big dog also comes fitted with an oil pan, harmonic balancer, and valve and timing covers. A good benefit for ease of maintenance is the one-piece rear main seal, which shouldn’t leak like old-school rope seals. The BluePrint 632 also comes with a provision for a mechanical fuel pump, which some race-style blocks don’t carry. It’s closer in DNA to a traditional Chevy big-block, so there is a world of aftermarket support for it, too. GET IT: eagleautoparts.com.au

What’s Hot

• Mega cubes • Cheap compared to ZZ632 • Old-school cool

102

S TR E E T M A CH I N E

What’s Not

• Very heavy • Difficult to fit ancillaries • Not really a street engine

SPECS

Capacity: 632ci Block material: Iron Compression: 11:1 Power: 815hp Torque: 774lb-ft

FORD 302CI WINDSOR PRICED AT $8250 at the time of writing, this remanufactured 302 Windsor packs a huge amount of value into its meagre price, especially when you get to shortcut lead times at machine shops or parts supply delays. It is no tar-burning stroker monster, but it would be perfect for a mild cruiser. The engine has been completely stripped down and rebuilt with all-new parts inside, along with some tasty upgrades. Modern low-zinc oils risk wiping the lobes off a stock flat-tappet cam, but that won’t be an issue with this roller-cam 302, and the brand-spankers Holley 600 carb up top ensures this SBF is ready to be topped up with oil, fed the petrol and kicked in the guts. Despite the low price, the 5.0-litre comes fully dressed with a new water pump, distributor, leads, sparkplugs, harmonic balancer and even a chrome air filter. On top of this, there is a 12-month/20,000km warranty, which you certainly don’t get with to-order engine builds! Eagle Auto Parts also offers a crate remanufactured 351 Windsor package for $8500, which is another screaming deal for those wanting a little more spice on their burrito. GET IT: eagleautoparts.com.au

What’s Hot

• Very cheap • Small, light package • Suits a wide range of projects

SPECS

What’s Not

• Mild combo • Not ready for big power • 351 Windsor is only $250 more

Capacity: 302ci Block material: Iron Compression: 9:1 Power: 270hp Torque: 265lb-ft

BLUEPRINT 347CI WINDSOR

SPECS

Capacity: 347ci Block material: Iron Compression: 10:1 Power: 415hp Torque: 415lb-ft

THANKS to America’s love affair with Windsors, there are countless options for 347ci stroker packages for 302Ws, as the Yanks jam them in everything from Mustangs to F100s and countless classic Blue Oval cars both big and small. This means there is a 347ci combo out there to suit everyone, like this mid-range option from BluePrint. With a pump gas-friendly 10:1 compression, it has a meaty 415lb-ft of torque, making it great for regular drivers. The block is built from a used core but is honed and decked, while the crank is a cast steel item, the rods are forged I-beams, and the pistons are also forged units. BluePrint fits its own 60cc aluminium heads and a 218°/226° hydraulic-roller camshaft for improved driveability and longevity. The 347W turns up with a dyno sheet proving it makes 415hp, and is topped off with a new 600cfm four-barrel carburettor, double-row timing chain, brand-new distributor, timing cover and sump. There is also an EFI version of this engine available at a higher price, which includes a Holley Sniper throttlebody injection unit on top in place of the carburettor. GET IT: vpw.com.au

What’s Hot

• Great street package • Smaller than a Coyote • Cheaper than a Coyote

What’s Not

• Not as fast as a Coyote • Fairly expensive for the power • Limited further power potential

S TR E E T M AC HI NE

103

FORD PERFORMANCE 460CI SMALL-BLOCK FORD

SPECS

Capacity: 460ci Block material: Iron Compression: 10:1 Power: 575hp Torque: 575lb-ft

WHILE it packs the same cubes as Ford’s biggest production V8, this stretched small-block actually started life as a Ford Performance Boss 351 Windsor. This king of the Windsors also runs the same 1-3-7-2-65-4-8 firing order as the 351W and 5.0-litre HO engines. Packing a 9.5in deck-height and 4.150in bore, the 460 SBF runs a 4.250in-stroke Scat forged steel crank and forged 6.125in Scat rods. The Blue Oval engineers added Mahle forged slugs with floating wrist pins, while the cam is a 242°/248° hydraulicroller, so there is no stressful break-in period required on first fire-up. For heads, Ford Performance uses its alloy ‘Z’ casting with 2.02in intake and 1.60in exhaust valves. However, these heads have exhaust ports lifted 15.8mm, so expensive custom headers are going to be needed, and with its $25,000 price tag, this isn’t a cheap donk to begin with. The expenses don’t stop there, as the mill is sold as a long motor, so it misses many of the parts traditional crate motors come with like an intake manifold, carb, distributor and fuel pump. The mill is rated by Ford Performance at 575hp and 575lb-ft, which was achieved using a Victor Jr single-plane intake, Holley 850cfm carb and long-tube headers. GET IT: vpw.com.au

What’s Hot

• Mega-cube small-block • Huge power • Epic sound

What’s Not

• Expensive • Not supplied complete • Needs custom headers

FORD PERFORMANCE 572CI BIG-BLOCK FORD’S epic 385-series big-blocks helped the Blue Oval dominate motorsport through its Total Performance era, and Ford Performance is catering to this market with its 572ci big-block cratey. The block itself is a Ford Performance iron casting, which has then been filled full of good gear. The forged Scat crank throws a 4.5in stroke in a 4.5in bore, abetted by forged Scat H-beam rods, ARP fasteners and forged Diamond pistons. Compression is rated at 10:1, and a Ford Performance oil pan and John Kaase heavy-duty oil pump are also included. The heads are modern alloy versions of the legendary Super Cobra Jet units, breathing through 2.20in intake and 1.76in exhaust valves, with dual valve springs and Crower stainless rockers working on the mega 259°/263° hydraulic-roller cam. An Edelbrock Victor intake and Holley Street Avenger 870cfm four-barrel carb are also supplied, and the dizzy is an MSD unit. With 655hp and a colossal 710lb-ft of torque, the impressive hardware makes the 572ci a mighty engine for a streeter – if it fits. The size and weight of the BBF will require plenty of shoehorning even in a Falcon engine bay. GET IT: herrodperformance.com.au

What’s Hot

• Mega displacement • Epic torque • Huge motorsport history

104

ST RE E T M AC HI N E

What’s Not

• Heavy • Enormous • Rated for less power than other big-blocks

SPECS

Capacity: 572ci Block material: Iron Compression: 10:1 Power: 655hp Torque: 710lb-ft

BLUEPRINT 408CI LA MOPAR MOPAR’S LA Series 360 small-block doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, which is a shame, as there are plenty of awesome strokers sold as crate engines using the 5.9-litre Magnum as their base. This 408ci BluePrint crate boasts plenty of good gear, but it isn’t an all-out race motor. Though it only runs two-bolt mains, the 360ci Magnum block has been decked and honed to suit a cast 4in crank, while the pistons and Magnum rods are forged items. Compression is a street-friendly 10:1, and the cam is a 236°/242° roller unit with 110° LSA. With 58cc BluePrint alloy heads up top, it all adds up to a meaty 465hp and 495lb-ft, yet the mill can run pump fuel and regular synthetic oils. It comes fitted with sparkplugs and ignition leads, a mechanical fuel pump and fuel line, air filter, four-barrel carb, water pump, neck and thermostat, a harmonic balancer, and polished rocker covers, so it’s ready to go out of the box. On top of this, BluePrint offers a 30-month, 50,000-mile warranty on its crate motors for increased peace of mind. This 408 isn’t capable of having a blower or turbo strapped on and running four-digit power figures, but it makes more power than factory 426 Hemi muscle cars did back in their heyday, and is far easier and cheaper to fit to a classic Valiant today. GET IT: rocketindustries.com.au

What’s Hot

• Stout small-block • Ready to run • Perfect street set-up

SPECS

Capacity: 408ci Block material: Iron Compression: 10:1 Power: 465hp Torque: 495lb-ft

What’s Not

• Two-bolt mains • Expensive compared to Chevs or Fords • Cast crank

GM ZZ632/1000 BIG-BLOCK

SPECS

Capacity: 632ci Block material: Iron Compression: 12:1 Power: 1004hp Torque: 876lb-ft

CHEVROLET Performance broke the internet in 2021 when it pulled the covers off the most powerful and largest crate engine the company has ever offered. Spanning 632ci (or 10.3 litres in the new money), the ZZ632 is rated at 1004hp and 876lb-ft. The cast-iron, tall-deck Bowtie big-block has four-bolt mains and a giant 4.600in bore and 4.750in stroke. All the rotating assembly is forged, with a 4340 steel crank, H-beam rods and 2618-alloy slugs adding up to a spicy 12:1 compression ratio. A billet-steel hydraulic-roller cam measures 270°/287° duration, while the heads discard the traditional Mark IV or Vortec big-block design for a hybrid LS-style set-up. These items, coded RS-X, run huge 70cc chambers with 2.450in intake valves and 1.800in titanium exhaust valves, along with shaft-mount forged aluminium roller rockers in a gigantic 1.8 ratio. The 58-tooth crank triggering and coil-near-plug ignition also carries over from the LS architecture, as does the portstyle fuel injection. Up top is a high-rise single-plane manifold with a Dominator-style, 4500-pattern throttlebody. Sadly, supply of this awesome monster is sorely limited, and so far we haven’t found anyone who has actually imported one into the country to list for sale. GET IT: chevrolet.com/performance-parts

What’s Hot

• GM’s angriest crate engine • Over 1000hp •Best mix of LS and BBC engineering

What’s Not

• No supply in Australia • Large and heavy • Super expensive

S TR E E T M A C HI NE

105

D RA G CH A L L EN GE STORY KIAN HEAGNEY

PHOTOS C H R I S TH O R O G O O D & S H A U N TA N N E R

> GEORGE HATZI IS EYEING OFF AN EIGHT-SECOND TIMESLIP AT DRAG CHALLENGE IN HIS SWEET XF FAIRMONT

OU’LL struggle to find a happier face than George Hatzi’s in the Drag Challenge pits on any given day. He’s a top bloke who has contested our gruelling marathon a number of times in his super-slick XF Fairmont Ghia. In those earlier attempts, the XF was actually rocking a force-fed SOHC Intech six, a combo that’d had a long history with this car. “When I got it around seven years ago, it was actually a turbo single-cam on LPG,” George says. “I ran a best of 11.70 with the gas, and then we switched to E85 and it ran a PB of 10.20.”

106

ST RE E T M A CH I N E

As cool as the SOHC deal was, George knew it’d only get him so far. “It had its limitations, so we’d been planning a Barra swap for a couple of years, and then COVID hit, so we took that opportunity to finally do the swap,” he says. The FG-spec Barra was assembled by Glenn Wells, using a pretty basic recipe for some killer stonk. The block, crank, head, camshafts and lifters are all standard, the bottom end only sporting PPM I-beam rods, CP Bullet pistons, and billet gears in the original oil pump. The top end is standard apart from the Crow valve springs and

head studs. Hanging off the intake side is a Plazmaman manifold, with Siemens 2300cc injectors and an 85mm cable-driven throttlebody, while the hot side boasts a 6boost exhaust manifold and a Garrett GTX42 hairdryer. With a Haltech 2500 Elite for brains and E85 for good drinkin’, the combo made 831rwhp (620rwkW) on 30psi, tuned by George Chalikouras. “The conversion was easy because I already had everything we needed to do it,” says George. “I wired it in and did all that stuff, and with the Haltech it’s super easy to set up – plus the power is impossible to

MAIN: The XF’s silver hue is original, and George says the car was in quite good condition when he came across it. Proper Falcon nerds will also spot the ultra-rare SVO front grille

R O F L A O G IG B A O S , 9.001 F O B P A N U R E ’V E HAT W T G IN T T E G E B L IL DRAG CHALLENGE W R SURE EIGHT FO

argue with!” Supporting gear to help get the Barra’s power to the ground include the Powerglide transmission, which is home to an SDE converter stalling at around 3600rpm. As expected, the rear end is a nine-inch, and George recently managed to squeeze a 275 tyre under the factory tubs on the widened 15x9 XF Ghia rims he uses at the track. “That’ll be a big change for Drag Challenge; we managed to make just enough room so we’ll be on the 275 rather than the 255 I used to run,” he says. Because of the seemingly endless Victorian S TR E E T MA CHI N E

107

lockdowns during COVID-19’s peak, George didn’t debut the new package until December 2021 at the Ford-Powered Nationals, but it was well worth the wait. “The difference was immediate. We PB’d the car by over a full second at its first event!” he says. That PB was a 9.01@153mph, and rest assured, George is doing everything he can to bag an eight. “You won’t believe it, but since then we’ve run a 9.001, so a big goal for Drag Challenge will be getting that eight for sure!” he says. When the XF isn’t tearing up the track, it actually doubles as a really nice street car. “Off boost, it’s a really cruisy thing. I even let the wife drive it,” George laughs. “It’s obviously a pretty hairy thing if you get into it, but it’s super easy to drive normally, and being a Fairmont means it’s still really nice inside, so I love driving it on the road.” By the time this issue hits the stands, George will have already taken on the 2022 edition of Ford-Powered Nationals back at Heathcote Park Raceway, but you’ll still be able to see him and his XF in action at the rescheduled Drag Challenge 2022, 31 January to 4 February next year. ENGINE BAY: George says the process of fitting a Barra into the XF was pretty easy, and with all the black going on, it makes for a stealthy-looking 830rwhp

108

S TR E E T M A CH I N E

TOP RIGHT: The new Barra grunt has no problems getting the XF’s wheels up, and George is fractionally close to cracking the 8sec barrier

Crank: Standard Oil pump: Billet gears Fuel system: Bosch 044 pumps

GEORGE HATZI 1986 FORD XF FAIRMONT GHIA

TRANSMISSION

Class: Speed Pro Six-Cylinder

Gearbox: Powerglide Converter: SDE, 3600rpm Diff: 9in, 31-spline axles, 3.55:1 gears

ENGINE

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

Brand: Ford Barra six-cylinder Induction: Plazmaman ECU: Haltech Elite 2500 Turbo: Garrett GTX42 Head: Standard Camshafts: Standard Conrods: PPM I-beam Pistons: CP Bullet

Front: King Springs, Afco coil-overs Rear: Lovells springs, Koni shocks Brakes: XF discs (f), EA discs (r) Master cylinder: Standard XF

WHEELS & TYRES

Rims: XF Fairmont Ghia; 15x7 (f), 15x9 (r) Rubber: 205/60R15 (f), 275/60R15 (r)

TUFF MOUNTS SUPPORT YOU & THE AUSSIE CAR SCENE Support Local and Support those that Support You!

Tuff Mounts 2-4 Denis St, St Marys South Australia 08 8374 0011

www.tuffmounts.com.au

IN TH E BU ILD

THE BUS THAT DO ESN’ T STOP JA MI E HA GE VOLKSWAGEN BUS

is a custom build that I began by “MEET The Hooligan Drag Bus. This of the body from there. The engine building a chassis jig and then the rest the PAC valve springs. Bolted to it is is a stock LS1, the only goodie being using a water-to-air intercooler. The a second-hand Chinese GT42 turbo valvebody, reverse-pattern shift and gearbox is a Turbo 400 with a billet er. There’s a nine-inch out back with a transbrake with a high-stall convert floating hubs and 3.89:1 gearing. a full spool, 35-spline moly axles with for transport and dyno only; the The 35-inch tyres and steel rims are d Draglites with 32.5x14.5 Goodyear actual wheels it’ll have are 15x14 Wel ECU flash-tuned, and the result slicks for racing. I recently had the LS1 I safe tune to get it moving. This way was 392whp on 9psi, so it’s a great, e hav also and e chassis tuning don can get the rest of the suspension and g more power at it later. I built win thro re time to get used to the bus befo been a fun ride. The next job is to get 99 per cent of the car myself, and it’s inspection and have some fun. You the bodywork sorted so I can get a tech search for The Hooligan Drag Bus.” can find the build on social media; just

110

S T RE E T M ACH INE

GOT a sweet ride that’s currently in the build? Send photos of it along with some details to: In The Build, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email inthebuild@wheelsmedia.com.au. Please note: Send us copies of your prints as we are unable to return photos.

FIT FOR A KING LU KE EA STHA M HG KINGSWOOD

home. It has gswood from my shed at Kin HG my ing ild bu en custom IFS “I’VE be l rust repair, as well as a ful th wi to res l ful a ne ats. For undergo p to fit the 29x15s rear me cli r rea a s ha o als It . er nitrous installation ock Chev with a Pro Fogg -bl all sm i 7c 42 a s re’ al twogrunt, the be painted in the origin to e du It’s . ide ’Gl a by to be a kit, backed this year, and it’s set up er lat o mb co e hit r-w ve tone blue-o street car.”

X-FAC

TOR

M IC K NO UK AR IS XP FALCON UT E

“THIS is my XP Falcon ute pro ject, which has had all the fab work done by Psidup Fabrications in Melbourne. It has a South ern Chassis Works IFS front end, Wilwood brakes all ’round, and a custom rear end with one-off, 20x12 Intro Twisted Vista II Exposed 5 billet rims. It’ll also feature Kindig It door handles and wil l be powered by a stroked Windsor built by Con at Pro Race Engines. The paint will be handled by Polo Body Works.” S T R E E T MA C HI NE

111

IN T HE BU ILD

GIVE DA MI EN LO WE VB COMMODORE

JE S S E S C OTT 2 NAL AS16 IO T A N R E T IN ck around 6 tru 5 al 19 162 Internation a bit d I purchased this AS

“MY DAD an y something with ld off our XF ute to bu so e W . ar ye is th ne Ju The body is sitting on seemed to fit the bill. is th d 4 from an t, un gr re mo wer it has a Holden 30 po r fo d an , sis as ch ng an HQ One Tonner We ended up swappi th a Turbo 700 ’box. wi ng d te alo er o, nv alo co M o VS a e als s a lot less rusty. We’v the cab for one that wa d a baby cam and some extractors. The adde the 304 to carby and me SS Cragars, which ff, and she rolls on so di t ol -b 10 a is d en ar re ck!” est bit of the whole tru are definitely the shini

112

S T REE T M A CH IN E

DAD A

VB!

“HERE is my VB SL/E restoration that I’m in the middle of doing for my dad. It isn’t going to be a full nut-and-bolt resto to original specs, but it’ll look like it. The engine will be a hot 5.0litre, but the gearbox will be a T56. The diff is from a Crewman, and it’ll have VT brakes on all four corn ers. The interior will look mostly like a standard SL/E but with a few mod cons. So far I’ve sourced NOS quarter panels, front guards, bonnet, nosecone and one rear door. The roo f skin and floors were all unpicked and repaired. Arthur at Par allel Automotive is doing the bodywork; once he is done, I’ll get it back to my shop and start the assembly process. My hop e is that Dad can drive it to the ’Nats in 2024.”

GET TRUCKED

K ICK - A R S

E QUEY

JAR ROD HOW ELL HQ KINGSWOOD “THIS is my HQ Kingswood that I’m currently converting to turbo-LS with the help of some good mates. Before we started the engine conversion, the car was mini-tubbed and a nine-inch diff with 3.9:1 gears and 31-spline axles was added. The engine is a 6.0-litre L98, and my good mate Scott and I have given it a tickle with a VCM 16 cam, Manley pushrods, double valve springs, ARP head studs, Melling oil pump and 102mm throttlebody. My good mate James Mackie has donated a space in his shed to do the build, and right now we’ve just finished dropping the engine into the bay with the Turbo 400 ’box. It’s got a 3500rpm converter, and we just got our hands on the GJ Drivelines tailshaft. We’re in the middle of test-fitting turbo manifolds, and that’ll help us figure out the intercooler and radiator positioning. You’ll be able to see the whole build on James’s YouTube channel, XYYNOT DRIFTING.”

IE JA M E S M A C K A U F A L CO N

sic and ecome my ba , b to t u o b a history is pproved of Australian kicked off with a CAMS-a ce ie p g n zi a I m . h harnesses ING “THIS a med AUKIDD uilt by Ben at Driftcat, wit stalled a minia n r, ca ft ri d cheap ss bar b eeks, I’ve in ge and harne e past few w th In aust system . n so bolt-in rollca n a out of the exh fit the AU athan R N rs d le n ff e u g m le o e from th nd, cut tw and made it g with ad lying arou 50 race seat $ a p u d 8) for helpin e spool that I h ft k r1 ic D p I s . a e n ip w p o kn last like tow and made a b s to Jase (more commonly oodies to go into the car to ank lied a lot of g give big love rails – big th as also supp eel and so on. I’ve gotta T h s IF R rk D o w 13 e ce a lying th that. R p ring wh p e a e d st n , a p g ra in w gn ted a ust points, exha er Shawn McCann for desi ckshop Garage also dona s ph Ha isn’t far off it SM photogra xi stickers. Nathan from , and the car o d ta rb n x a tu o Fo ls g a r y ci ve ll e so tua and Sil r when I even YYNOT DRIFTING on all th fo ld o if n a m J-pipe e into X e sure to tun first outing. B the antics.” e YouTube to se

GET THE DRIFT

S T RE E T MA C HI N E

113

YO U N G G U N STORY JACK HOULIHAN

PHOTOS CHRIS THOROGOOD

TRAE BOUCHERE > 15, DARWIN, NT

E MIGHT be only 15, but Trae Bouchere is already establishing himself as a serious up-and-comer in the NT burnout scene behind the wheel of his neat, force-fed VP Commodore. We bumped into the Darwin lad at Gazzanats NT, and debriefed after his trip to Red CentreNATS. How did you wind up doing competitive burnouts? My stepfather started drag racing back in 1980 when Hidden Valley first opened, so it’s just kind of run down the family line since then. My brother’s got a blown VF ute called RAMPAGE, and my other brother has a blown E3 Clubby called LMFAO. I got the VP for my 12th birthday. It was just a V6, and we put nitrous on it. We skidded it like that at a couple of meetings, won one, and then decided to put the blown LS in it. We just used spare parts out of the shed and put it all together. It’s been good ever since,

114

S TR E E T MA C HI N E

touch wood. I’ve been competing since I was 13 with the blown set-up, so two years now. What’s the combo? It’s an LS1 that’s just got a cam and valve springs in it. The blower’s a 6/71 with an EFI set-up, running on methanol. It’s got a built Turbo 400 in it, a two-piece tailshaft, and a nine-inch with 31-spline billet axles, billet full spool and 3.0 diff gears. What was your Gazzanats experience like? The car was on-song all weekend, but Friday night’s skid was a bit sad. I didn’t get the tyres off, as I miscalculated where I put the car and couldn’t turn it around in time, so I got off the throttle and drove off the pad, which knocked off some score. And you headed down to Red CentreNATS a couple of weeks later? I got the Red CentreNATS ticket, but I was too young to compete, so I just had to watch from the sidelines. I was a bit sad, but it is what it is. It would be great to get insurance changed everywhere to get motorsport

Aged around 21 or younger and have a neat ride? Send some pics and info to: Young Guns, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email us at: readerscars@ wheelsmedia.com.au.

I DO DRIFTING AND FEW OTHER LITTLE BURNOUTS AND A TH TO GIVE DRAG RAC INGS, BUT I’D LOVE ING A CRACK TOO

S T RE E T M A C H IN E

115

out to a bigger base, and get the sport to a place where younger people can come in. How do people react when they see a 15-yearold with a blown burnout car? Some accept it, some don’t. I guess it’s just jealousy, really. “Dad’s car”, “brother’s car”, this and that – they don’t know the full story. Keyboard warriors, eh! My close mates understand where I’ve come from with the car and what I’ve done with it. They back me up; it’s good. My family’s all behind me. I’m sure you’ve got more plans for the car in the pipeline. I’ll go bigger and better in the future; a year or two

from now I want to be making more horsepower than 600. I’ll turn it up to 1000 and have some fun! I do drifting and burnouts and a few other little things, but I’d 100 per cent love to give drag racing a crack too. Anybody you want to shout out? I’d like to thank my brother Chaise Bouchere and Jay from Bouchere Fabrication for helping me put the car together and get it where it is today. I’d also like to thank my sponsors, Alvaro’s Auto Electrical and SKiD KiD — Threads with Tread. My sisters and my mum are always behind me, backing me up and giving me the confidence to go out and compete. s

ORE M G IN K A M BE TO T N A W I W O N M O A YEAR OR TWO FR ME FUN! SO E AV H D N A HP 00 10 TO UP IT N R POWER. I’LL TU

116

S TR EE T M A CH IN E

with Kool Wrap Heat Protection Products With exhaust systems and turbo housings exceeding 800oC in temperature, you need the best heat protection money can buy. Kool wrap uses aerospace technology to produce a range of heat protection products including turbo blankets, exhaust Wraps, heat Sleeves, and various sheet materials to protect your engine bay and to help you make even more power.

Turbo Blankets from a Hot $69,50 $149.50

V8 Exhaust Wrap Kit from a Scorching $69.95

Starter Motor Shield Kit $39.50

Jamie Knight’s Kool Wrap equipped HZ Premier ran low 10’s at 2019 Drag Challenge Heat Sleeves from $12.90

www.koolwrap.com.au | 1300 44 33 34

Embossed Aluminium Heat Shields $59.00

I RO N M AID E N S T O R Y C A R LY D A L E

PHOTOS GREG FORSTER

CHRISTINE CINI > MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

HRISTINE Cini may be a late-comer to the Aussie muscle car party, but she’s making up for it in style, having recently invested in a matchingnumbers LJ Torana GTR XU-1. Initially she just wanted to give it a quick respray, but things soon ramped up significantly, culminating in a showworthy nut-and-bolt resto. How’d you come to own an XU-1? When I was younger, there was an XU-1 a few streets away that would catch my eye whenever I saw it. While my family weren’t into cars, we still had the fun Ford-versus-Holden arguments, and I’ve always been a Holden girl. So, in 2016 when my husband Alan asked me, “If you were

118

ST RE E T MA C HI N E

to have any car, what would it be?”, I responded with, “A 1973 GTR XU-1 Torana, factory spec and matching numbers.” That conversation then triggered the search for one. Did you hunt for long? Only a few months. We found this one in Queensland. It’s a really good car and we’re technically the second owners. The original owner had painted it lime in the 80s, but other than that it was factory-spec. When he passed away, his daughter inherited the car. We bought it when she was moving house and had no room for it. What have you done to it? It’s a full nut-and-bolt restoration, though it wasn’t meant to be this extreme! I wanted it

ALAN ASKED ME, “IF YOU WERE TO HAVE ANY CAR, WHAT WOULD IT BE?” I SAID, “A GTR XU-1 TORANA, FACTORY SPEC AND MATCHING NUMBERS”

Girls — wanna be famous? Send pics, car details and contact details to: Iron Maiden, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166. Or email: streetmachine@ wheelsmedia.com.au.

S T R E E T M A CHI NE

119

painted Juniper Green, as that’s the factory colour, but the fresh paint saw us get carried away. We added new chrome, then rewired it while everything was apart, and it flowed on like that. Now everything has been rebuilt. Alan and I spent many hours researching everything to get it right. She’s true to factory specs – though maybe better than they built it back then! What’s the donk? She’s still got the original 202ci with triple SUs. She’s fun to drive and she runs so smoothly, though for the moment we’re

doing shows before we cruise it. MISS XU1 was unveiled in January 2020 just before COVID hit; now that everything is opening up again, we’re making the most of it and doing all the shows. How’s MISS XU1 been received? We’re proud of how she’s turned out and have had a lot of positive feedback; people really appreciate the car. Old guys come up to me at shows to tell me stories of their XU-1 V8 swaps, and most admit that they now regret the mods because if the car was original, they’d be currently sitting on a

goldmine. If I had a dollar for every story like that, I could probably buy another Torana! Any other examples of Aussie muscle in your garage? We have an HQ Monaro, and Alan just finished GRUMPY, our SL/R 5000 Torana. It’s become an addiction for us. I’d own more Aussie muscle if I could, though Alan said no more cars! It’s a lot of work building them, though. We enjoy going on cruises as well as runs with the Full Metal Jacket Muscle Car Club. I can’t wait to cruise MISS XU1! s

ALAN AND I SPENT MANY HOURS RESEARCHING EVERYTHING TO GET IT RIGHT. SHE’S TRUE TO FACTORY SPECS – THOUGH MAYBE BETTER THAN THEY BUILT IT BACK THEN!

120

S T R EE T M A C H IN E

With a wide and diverse range of camshafts to suit your LS series engine,

can help you get the most out of your engine...

From small camshafts to large, naturally aspirated to boosted, and everything in between we have the camshaft for you. All our camshafts are ground using quality billets in a 3 bolt pattern, excluding L98 camshaft. If you have any questions on what camshaft would work best in your application or do not see something on the list to suit your requirements, please give us a call (03) 9763 7599 or email our sales team sales@vcmperformance.com.au

www.vcmperformance.com.au

D I RTY S TU F F WILLIAM PORKER

F DONE by a professional, porting cylinder heads is an expensive business due to the many hours of work involved. But with basic cutters and grinding stones, plus either an air or electric die-grinder with a 6mm chuck, all you need is know-how, a good pair of protective goggles, and patience to do it all yourself. Although tungsten carbide cutters are expensive, they really are quick at chewing through cast iron and aluminium. For combustion chamber work, a combination of a TC cutter and a flathead grinding stone is mostly all you will need. However, make sure the cutter doesn’t bounce; these tools have a soft ceramic core overlaid by tungsten and ground to form sharp teeth, and if they bounce off a port wall at 20,000rpm, the head will shatter into small pieces. Also, don’t buy cheap-shit stones; they will only cut very slowly and wear out quickly. Specialist suppliers like engineering shops should have good-quality ones in stock. Don’t face the head before you begin work. It’s way too easy to slip with a stone while reshaping the chambers, usually right across the head gasket sealing line. Fit a used head gasket to outline the combustion chamber shape with a marking pen before you start, and leave a couple of millimetres from the chamber shape to the gasket line in case of accidents. If you are fitting oversize valves, a machine shop can open the valve throat with a 70-degree cutter to the inside diameter of the new valve seat. But don’t get them to cut the seats just yet; again, a slip with a TC cutter across a new valve seat will be a disaster.

And unless you are intending to fit bronze valve guides, don’t cut down the existing guides in both the inlet and exhaust ports – or at least think very carefully about doing that. Performance engines generate a huge amount of waste heat in the ports; if the guides are cut down too far, the valves will struggle to keep their stems cool, and at high rpm, heads will drop off and take out a piston or two. When enlarging ports, stay on the safe side of 3mm-deep cuts into the walls, spaced apart so that the trenches can be joined up later. That way, you don’t go too deep and the intended size is easily controlled – unless of course you want to chop up an old head to see how much thickness you have in the port walls. If you are not going up in valve size, a pair of old valves fitted into where they normally live will protect the seats when reshaping a chamber. To avoid valve pocketing when oversize valves are too close to a chamber wall and not enough critical gas flow is happening, it is possible to cut a trench into the side of the chamber in that area, leaving at least 4mm between the top of this indentation and the upper face of the cylinder head. Allow for any intended milling and later refacing, of course. You have a choice of high-speed die grinders. Purpose-built, stand-mounted high-speed motors that drive a flexible cable to a handpiece work quite well. However, although the small diameter of the handpiece is good for working in ports, they do heat up to unbearable levels, particularly if the wrong ball bearings are fitted. Operators tend to whack in normal shielded bearings when the originals die, but their plastic shields generate

too much friction, causing overheating. Bearing companies can supply the same bearings with no-friction steel shields, solving the problem. Air die grinders are the way to go if you can afford a large-enough compressor, and the tool stays cool, although the feed hose is a bit of a bother. As a notorious cheapskate, I use a carpenter’s laminate trimmer, which has the high rpm I need as well as both 6mm and quarter-inch collets to fit the carbide cutters and stones I require. Alloy head work is different; you can still use carbide cutters, but they need to be coated with dry soap, as the cutter teeth pick up molten aluminium, and the soap makes cleaning between teeth with a small flat-blade screwdriver a bit easier. Once all the cutting and grinding is done, it’s time to think about polishing. If it’s your own head, don’t bother; polishing is purely cosmetic and does nothing to increase horsepower. In fact, polished ports actually slow down critical gas flow speeds, as those inlet port walls are coated with unburnt fuel droplets, creating drag. However, if you do need to polish, a variety of low-speed polishing products are available from engineering supply shops, from multibladed emery mops to rubberised polishing heads that contain emery pieces. You can also make your own port polisher from a simple 6 or 9mm short shaft. Using a hacksaw, cut a slot of 25-30mm down the shaft so you can fit a contained roll of flexible emery cloth, and get into the port walls with that. Doesn’t last long at electric drill revs, but it works really well! s

WITH BASIC CUTTERS AND GRINDING STONES, PLUS A DIE-GRINDER WITH A 6MM CHUCK, ALL YOU NEED IS KNOWHOW, A GOOD PAIR OF PROTECTIVE GOGGLES, AND PATIENCE TO PORT CYLINDER HEADS YOURSELF 122

ST REE T M ACH IN E

h t i w t i e t Crea

SHRINK - STRETCH - SHAPE SQUARE JAWS

SHRINKER STRETCHERS

ROUND JAWS OVAL JAWS ROUND JAW DIE SET FOR ALUMINIUM Optional Shrinker & Stretcher Die Set for aluminium or soft metals, Reduce marking on material. Suit SHST-1.6HR

SQUARE JAWS SQUARE JAWS

ROUND JAWS

OVAL JAWS

Whether you are using these machines for automotive, aeronautical or any application where curved sheetmetal is required the Metalmaster shrinker stretcher range is up to the task. Their rugged construction and design allows you to shrink or stretch metal with ease. If you are looking to shape light or heavier material this range has you covered with multiple options to suit your needs. Available in hand or foot operated to leave both hands free to manipulate the work piece with a variety of throat depths & jaw types the Metalmaster range of shrinker stretchers gives you an option to suit your every need.

YOU CAN SHRINK, STRETCH & SHAPE WITH ANY OF THE METALMASTER JAW TypeS SQUARE JAWS Ideal for shaping gradual curves such as door panels & bonnets. OVAL JAWS ROUND JAWS

Ideal for shaping slightly deeper curves, such as motorcycle fenders & wheel arches. Ideal for shaping tight areas such as window frame edges & fuel tanks.

NSW (02) 9890 9111

QLD (07) 3715 2200

VIC (03) 9212 4422

WA (08) 9373 9999

1/2 Windsor Rd, Northmead

4 Abbotts Rd, Dandenong

625 Boundary Rd, Coopers Plains

11 Valentine Street Kewdale

11_SM_011222

VIEW OUR FULL RANGE AT WWW.MACHINERYHOUSE.COM.AU/SHRINKER-STRETCHERS

URBAN WARFARE

STORY MARK ARBLASTER PHOTOS LOU RENOVA/405 PHOTO & MARK ARBLASTER

124

S T R E E T M A CH I N E

> STREET OUTLAWS LEGEND ‘DOMINATOR’ JOE WOODS HAS PACKED HIS ’67 DART WITH TOPSHELF AUSSIE PERFORMANCE HARDWARE

HE name Dominator – Joe Woods to his mum – is synonymous with what I reckon is the most exciting reality TV racing series of the century so far: Street Outlaws. Essentially, it’s about a bunch of Oklahoma guys taking racing to the streets, and Joe has been a standout on the show from day one with his big-block Chev-powered 1967 Dodge Dart. Joe’s easy-going nature, the fact that he’s a budget battler trying to manage a family, business and racing commitments, and his skills under the hood and behind the wheel have all made him enormously popular among racers and fans. Joe and his brother Shane originally built the Dart in their back shed. The initial motor set-up was a tunnel-rammed big-block Chev with up to four kits of nitrous. Over time, Joe developed an online friendship with Sydney-based car builder and tuner Dale Heiler

of Castle Hill Performance. Dale, a prominent Haltech dealer, eventually headed over to the States and fitted Haltech EFI to a whole bunch of the Street Outlaws cars, with the promise that he would assist with remote tuning back in Australia. That new EFI/nitrous combination on Joe’s Dart quickly evolved into a nitrous-assisted twin-turbo affair, and then one with just all-out twin turbos. “When it comes to setting up the car with tuning, I owe every bit of my Haltech stuff and the ability to manage this system to Dale,” Joe says. Aside from the full Haltech Nexus vehicle management system, the big mover and shaker in the development of the car has been the new, full-billet, Aussie-made Noonan Hemi engine. “They are an amazing engine, essentially based on a Chrysler Hemi but with all the modern refinements,” Dale says.

IE S S U A E L G IN S A D A H T O I HAVE N ONAN O N E H T . E IK L T O N O D I PIECE THAT LESS, H C E E P S E M S E K A M T S HEMI JU TO BE HONEST

S TR E E T M AC H I N E

125

WHEN WE ARE NOT FILM ATTEMPT SOME DRAG-A ING, I’M GOING TO ND-DRIVE EVENTS LIKE ROCKY MOUNTAIN RACE WEEK AND DRAG WEEK

126

ST RE E T M AC HIN E

Joe has gone for a full water-jacketed engine over a solid block, which you’d think would have added a lot of extra work. Not so, according to him. “The only real work it created for me was getting the air out of the system when I first put the engine together,” he says. “My whole deal was, this is Street Outlaws and I want to street-drive my car. My goal is that when we are not filming, I’m going to attempt to survive some drag-and-drive events like Rocky Mountain Race Week, Drag Week and that kind of stuff, and I just can’t do that with a solid engine.” Joe’s even hoping to one day take part it our own Street Machine Drag Challenge! “We have discussed bringing the car to Australia to do Drag Challenge, and I’m 100 per cent in,” he says. “The hang-up is getting the car back in time to film. Getting there is no issue, as it’s the end of our season; your summer is our winter.” Joe’s current Dart is not the original car; it’s version two. He and Shane do most of the fab work themselves, and while they didn’t build the whole chassis, they did fit a double frame rail, moved the engine and transmission rearwards, remade the wheelie bars and four-link, and fabricated the new headers and turbo piping. The rear end is a sheet-metal nine inch with a 10.5 Quick Performance gearset, swinging rims clad in 35x13 rubber, which is essentially what is holding the car back. To run with the big dogs, Joe needs move to a 36x17 or thereabouts, which just won’t happen without fitting a new back-half in the car. Aside from the Haltech Nexus and the Noonan mill, other Aussie components in the Dart include Plazmaman clamps on plumbing joins, XX Racing injectors, a PWR electric water pump and Speedflow fittings. “I’ve got to tell you right off the bat, I have not had a single Aussie piece that I do not like,” Joe enthuses. “The Noonan Hemi just makes me speechless, to be honest. [Plus] the

Speedflow stuff, Plazmaman parts, and I’ve got a floater rear end housing that I don’t have set up yet from Race Products.” Joe has recently changed from running Precision turbos to a set of twin 88s from Harts Turbo. “At 66lb of boost, the turbos are pretty maxed-out, and the 521ci Noonan would be making every bit of 3800hp,” Dale Heiler says. The car has every conceivable sensor for data acquisition, from converter pressure to shock travel sensors, EGTs, wheel speed and many more. Dale is responsible for fuel and ignition tuning, while Joe does the power management based on track conditions. With the hectic race schedule taking Joe from one side of the country to the other on a weekly basis, maintenance on the Noonan mill rolls around pretty fast. The motor gets a new set of rods every 40 passes or with every big over-rev. Joe has managed two seasons out of a set of pistons, with big-end and main bearings changed at 20 passes and valves at 40. To date, the Dart has run a best of 3.89@200mph over the eighth, which is pretty impressive on a no-prep track. But there’s an overhaul in progress that should see it go even quicker. “We are in the middle of building a new car with a whole new chassis,” Joe says. ”Unfortunately we only get a small window to build the car from November to February, and we are just not quite finished. It will be a bit different insofar as it will be fitted with a Daytona rear wing and front end. ”The car has steel roof and quarters and will be a double framerail build with a funny car ’cage and the Race Products floater rear end. We will be getting a 36-inch tyre under the rear and have really focused on building a car that will be easy to work on.” We can’t wait to see Joe’s revamped Dart kicking arse both on the street and track. Here’s hoping those Drag Challenge plans become a reality!

S TR E E T M A C HI N E

127

To have your product featured here, call Joseph Lenthall on (02) 8114 9421 or email joseph.lenthall@wheelsmedia.com.au.

COVER STARS

GOT one of Holden’s trusty iron lions in need of a glow-up? Proflow has exactly what you need with these new valve covers to suit the 5.0-litre V8 in VN-VT Commodores. These come in either a raw or black powdercoated cast-aluminium finish with machined fins for extra heat dissipation – not to mention the correct Holden logo for that OEM feel. They are available both in OE style to clear all your stock engine bay components (such as the brake booster) or a taller performance style for your taller-valvetrain combos. They also come with thick gaskets, a screw-in billet oil cap and AN8 ORB breather ports. Grab a pair now from VPW Australia at vpw.com.au.

128

S TR EE T M A C HIN E

NEX-FACTOR 02 02

THE Aussie legends at Haltech dropped a ripper product at the SEMA Show in November. With eight injector and eight ignition outputs, the new Nexus R3 is firmly aimed at the Street Machine market. A baby version of the flagship Nexus R5, the R3 still combines the functionality of a power distribution module, a datalogger, a wideband controller and a state-of-the-art engine management system, but in a more compact yet powerful device. No word on pricing yet; we’ll know more when the R3 is released early next year, so keep an eye on haltech.com.

03 RELOCATING

BARRA conversions are all the rage right now, but one thing that isn’t so crash-hot about them is the standard power steering pump. These have a tendency to leak, and when they do they piss all over the alternator. Luckily, our friends at The Rod Shop have just updated their alternator/power steering relocation kit for Barras, and it’s particularly good for those of you rocking Barra conversions in your 4x4. Not only does it get the alternator out from under the PS pump, but it also keeps it further away from water and mud when you’re out bush. Grab a kit now from The Rod Shop on (03) 5472 2853 or by visiting rodshop.com.au.

S TR E E T M A CHI N E

129

04 05

04 TOTAL DOMINATION

06 DOORSLAMMERS

05 HO HO HO!

07 GATEKEEPERS

COMBINING old-school cool looks with new-school tech, the Dominator is the newest addition to the ever-popular Billet Specialties Race Series wheel range. With forged 6061-T6 aluminium centres and precision spun barrels, Dominator rims will take the hard yards both on the street and the track. They’re tested to SFI specification, will accept mag-shank lugs or 5/8-inch studs, and are in stock right now at Speed Pro! Order yours now on (03) 9794 5177 or by visiting speedpro.com.au.

THE XY Falcon GTHO Phase III is the king of Aussie muscle cars, and for most of us they’re simply unobtainium – even tribute Phase IIIs are being sold for telephone numbers these days. Luckily, Classic Carlectables has come to the rescue with this superb 1:18 diecast model of the famous fast Falcon for a fraction of the price, expected to retail at around $300. This striking Yellow Ochre version with black interior is limited to a run of 1150 units and was only launched last month, so there should still be time to secure yours – but you’ll have to be quick! The craftsmanship and attention to detail on the model is amazing; it’ll take you hours to drink in all the details. Check out classiccarlectables.com.au for stockists.

130

ST RE E T MA C HIN E

KEEP your early-model Commodore looking like it should with these brand-new reproduction stainless outer door moulds from Rare Spares. Each door mould includes the rubber seals and all the mounting clips, so installation is as easy as it was back in the factory in the 80s. The moulds are available for both the front and rear doors for VB, VC and VH Commodores, so restoring them has never been easier! They’re in stock now, so contact your local Rare Spares distributor or visit rarespares.net.au.

TURBOSMART is one of the kings of boost technology, so the fact that the company debuted even more award-winning gear at SEMA 2022 is like saying water is wet. One of those was the brand new Pneumatic StraightGate50 mechanical wastegate, which took out the Best Engineered award. The pneumatic gate can be had in both vacuum and boost-based types, and uses a zero-offset, self-balancing butterfly-style valve with a huge tuning window and enormous flow! The gate can hold five times the base spring pressure, with a fully clockable billet actuator and bracket to suit any engine bay set-up. It’s also 1300°C EGT safe. In a nutshell, this is the world’s highest-flowing external wastegate, and you can find out more at turbosmart.com.

TOTAL CONTROL  FULL FLEXIBILITY

• New Generation ECU • Power Distribution Module • Wi-Fi Module • Wideband Controller • Data Logger All controlled through one powerful software.

So much functionality squeezed into one compact, rugged unit!

For more information go to

www.haltech.com

EMPOWERING AUTOMOTIVE PASSION SINCE 1986

R E A D E RS ’ R O C K ETS

SEND photos of your car and a few details of what went into the build to Readers’ Rockets, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email readerscars@wheelsmedia.com.au. Please note: Send us copies of prints as we are unable to return your photos.

JOEL CHOYCE LX TORANA “HERE is my 1977 LX Torana hatch. The car had a stout Haddad-built Holden 355 stroker when I purchased it four years ago, but after many late nights in the garage at home over six weeks, and help from one of my good mates, Andrew Murray, it now runs a 430ci LSX paired with a Harrop TVS2650 blower. It’s shifting through a Shotgun Performance Powerglide and Ford nine-inch diff. The current tune is running 13.8psi of boost, making 910rwhp. I’ve now upgraded the injectors and added more boost, with the goal of making closer to 1100rwhp. The hatch gets driven everywhere as a daily or at the track. It’s taken a long time to get the car where I want it, but I’m stoked with the outcome. Big thanks to Andrew Murray from AIM Performance for the impeccable workmanship, being the mastermind behind the whole build, and all the help from start to finish. Thanks also to Adam Dudkowski for working his magic with the auto electrics over the whole car.” Photos: Steve Kelly

132

ST R E E T M AC HI N E

S TR E E T MA CHI N E

133

DOUG MILL FORD CAPRI “MY Mk1 started as a rusty wreck and needed plenty of rust and body repairs. I had a 1UZ V8 in the corner, so I decided to drop that in. The Cadillac blower was bought new from the US, and it’s all been made to fit under the bonnet. The Toyota A340 ’box runs to a HiLux diff.”

MICHAEL TIGANI XD FAIRMONT “THIS is my 1979 XD Fairmont. It’s a factory 302 V8/T-bar auto and still features its original factory Sandstone paint and brown vinyl interior trim. These days, the car still runs its matching-numbers block but with a 408 stroker kit backed by a C4 with a 2500rpm stall converter, and a driveline to suit. It’s lowered all-’round on ESP-style wheels, and it’s a nice cruiser with a bit of horsepower if needed!”

134

ST RE E T M AC HI N E

BRETT PAIGE ZA FAIRLANE “THIS 1967 ZA Fairlane is my first car. It was my daily driver during high school 15 years ago, and it’s had plenty of different engine combos. The biggest-cube combo was a 434 Clevor that ran 9.67@140mph in True Street APSA Racing. It’s currently got a blown and injected 340ci 8.2in-deck Windsor that’s yet to be drag-raced. It’s an all-’round car, able to tackle street duties, the track, or even be used as the wife’s wedding car. All of the Fairlane’s combos have been built at home in the shed.”

ADAM ROE VK COMMODORE “I’VE owned my ex-SA Police 1984 BT1 VK for 24 years. I purchased it when I was 18 from good ol’ Johnny Platten when he was at Newspot Motors. Back in the day I had the motor, trans and diff rebuilt. The motor had a tickle on the original heads, with new valves, springs, lifters and 286 Crane cam. I added a Stage 3 manual shift kit and 2600rpm stall, and rebuilt the 10-bolt 3.08 LSD. I then had kids, and the car was left out in the elements and forgotten about until 2020. I’d started taking my teenage boys to car

shows, and they got onto me about the “ex-police car”, so the kids, my mate Anthony and I stripped it and sent it off to my brother Pete, who did all the bodywork. It went back to bare metal and was painted in fresh 1B079D Police Blue. Last year, I did an overhaul on the interior parts and seats, as well as the motor, giving it all-new gaskets, paint and vapour-blasting on bits that needed it. I rebuilt the carby and got my original radiator re-cored. Anyway, here she is in all her glory, and I’m so proud of her.”

S TR E E T MA CHI N E

135

JORDAN MONAGHAN VZ UTE “HEY guys, this is my VZ SS-Z ute. It’s got diff gears, full exhaust, air intake and a tune, and has run 13.6 at Heathcote. I live in Portland, and it always gets driven to the race tracks. It’s been to Sydney and raced there, too, plus Warracknabeal and every race at Portland.”

136

S T R E E T M ACH I N E

SCOTT MILL HX HOLDEN “THIS is our 1976 50th Anniversary Holden, which we call NANSCAR. Mum purchased it in the early 80s and drove it ’til she could no longer drive; then it sat in her garage until we inherited it in 2015. It has so many memories for us, as it’s the car I got my licence in, and our kids grew up with their Nan taking them for drives in it. They once got pulled over by the police because they thought Mum was drunk, but no, she was a teetotaller and explained to them that it was just the way she drove! When we dragged it out of the garage, it was in a sorry state and Mum had left her mark on every panel, but it was a country car so it didn’t have any rust,

and the interior was in good shape as it was always garaged. We tidied it up and drove it for a while, but it just wasn’t fun to drive, so in 2017 we took it off the road and made it our own. Our eldest son Ricky (People Like Us, SM, Mar ’22) is a panel beater, so he removed all the dents and resprayed it in its original Contessa Gold and Anniversary Gold. Then our youngest son Jack (Young Gun, SM, Jun ’22) fitted a cammed 6.0-litre out of a VZ Commodore, a 4L60 trans, Castlemaine Rod Shop nine-inch, Wilwood brakes and Air Ride ’bags all’round. The interior is original apart from the Holley Terminator dash and Vintage Air a/c.”

JASON SMITH LJ TORANA “THIS is my LJ Torana that I purchased when I was 14 years old (I’m now in my early 30s). Back then it was painted gold, and had cut springs, a tired 173 and blown gearbox. I had the car painted in the original March 17th green and ran it with a 202 and VK five-speed for a few years before getting the urge for more power. These days it’s running a mild 308, Trimatic and nine-inch diff with mini-tubs to get some power to the ground. I could go on and on, but they’re the major things!”

MARTY NIEHOFF VY COMMODORE “HERE’S my 5.7-litre VY International wagon. It’s a stock engine bar the usual mods: extractors, exhaust, MAF tune and cold-air intake. It’s got the factory Pistachio leather interior and LSD, and

recently got an original-colour respray in WL Statesman two-tone. It runs a WK Stato front end with VE nostrils welded into the bonnet, plus SS guards and Stato chrome door handles.”

S TR E E T MA CH I N E

137

GASOLINE ALLEY Importer of High Performance Auto Parts For Over 20 Years Special Orders & Custom Cams Airfreighted Weekly

We deal direct with the US manufacturers and can offer service, backup and support that other resellers cannot.

Ph 08 8363 5566 sales@autopd.com.au www.autopd.com.au

YOUR ENGINE DRESS UP & BILLET SPECIALIST

EARL’S PERFORMANCE HAS MOVED New Address:

VB–VS, VT-VZ & TORANA FRONT END DOLLY

LOWEFABRICATIONS.COM.AU

Level 1/51 Sammut Street Smithfield NSW, 2164 Ph (02) 9748 6011 www.earls.com.au

CALL US FOR YOUR NEXT BUILD! Phone: 0417 768 143 5/127 LAHRS ROAD, ORMEAU

atomickustomfab

GASOLINE ALLEY

HQ-WB Torana

Commodore Tubular X-Members

FG Falcons V8 & Turbo

Chrysler TUFF MOUNTS

VB-VT Commodores 5 Litre V8

LS Conversion Mounts

P: 08 8374 0011 www.musclegarage.com.au

LOL

Send your favourite funnies to: LOL, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email them to: streetmachine@wheelsmedia.com.au.

> GAG OF THE MONTH MR RIGHT

MY GIRLFRIEND just dumped me. “I can’t take it anymore,” she said. “You’re so pedantic; everything has to be just so, and everything I do is wrong. I loved you so much, but it’ll never be enough for you. I’m leaving you. I’ve found someone else. Gary and me are driving north tonight and you’ll never hear from me again.” She was just about to leave when I yelled, “No, wait!” She turned back, tears in her eyes, a glimmer of hope still remaining. That was when I uttered those three magic words: “‘Gary and I’.” Gram Mernartsi, email

WELLNESS CHECK

A SWEET old lady telephoned the hospital. “Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?” she asked timidly. “Certainly,” the nurse on duty replied. “What’s the name and room number?” “Doreen Jacobs, room 604,” the old lady said weakly. “Let me place you on hold while I check,” said the nurse. A few minutes later, the nurse returned to the phone and said, “Oh, I have good news! Doreen is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal and her physician, Dr Ross, has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday.” “Thank you, that’s wonderful. I was so worried!” the old lady replied. “You’re more than welcome. Is Doreen your daughter?” The old lady replied, “No, I’m Doreen Jacobs in room 604. No one here tells me shit.” A Payshent, email

MEMORIAL SERVICE

SAM died and left $50,000 in his will for an elaborate funeral. As the last attendees left the funeral, Sam’s widow Rose turned to her oldest friend Sadie and said, “Well, I’m sure Sam would have been pleased.” “Oh, for sure,” Sadie replied, before leaning in close and whispering, “Tell me, how much of the 50 grand did you actually spend?” “All of it,” Rose said. “No way!” Sadie exclaimed. “I mean, it was a very nice service, but $50,000?” Rose nodded. “The funeral was $6500, I donated $500 to the church for the priest’s services, the food and drinks were another

140

ST RE E T M AC HI N E

> FUNNY FOTO

DIY operation!

$500, and the rest went towards the memorial stone.” Sadie added it all up in her head. “So, wait – that’s $42,500 for a memorial stone? Exactly how big is it?” Rose replied, “Seven-and-a-half carats.” Ivana Bigrock, email

QUICKER THAN AVERAGE

TWO blondes are sitting at the bar, obviously celebrating something. They wave over the bartender and tell him to pour two more shots. Once poured, the two blondes clink their glasses together and yell, “42! 42!” They then down their shots and immediately ask the bartender for another round. Same thing happens on this shot: they clink their glasses together and celebrate the number 42. “Bartender, another round!” The bartender walks over and says, “I’d be happy to pour you gals another shot, but first, I gotta know: what’s up with 42?” The blondes look at each other before proudly turning to the bartender and saying, “We just completed a jigsaw puzzle and it only took us 42 days! On the box, it said ‘4-12 years’!” Sally Brayshen, email

SHORT & CURLIES

I USED to play the triangle in a reggae band. But I had to quit; it was just one ting after another. I BOUGHT my daughter a refrigerator for her birthday. I can’t wait to see her face light up when she opens it. WHAT do you get if you mix human DNA and whale DNA? You get kicked out of Sea World. DID you hear about the incontinent woodworker? He specialised in staining chairs. LOSING my hair made me sad. So I bought a cheap wig. It was a small price toupée. I ASKED my wife what she wanted for an anniversary gift and she said, “Nothing would make me happier than a pair of diamond earrings!” So I got her nothing. WHAT’S the difference between a musician

and a pizza? A pizza can feed a family. MY BOYFRIEND made a save in a soccer game. That’s when I knew he was a keeper. I LIKE to tell dad jokes. Sometimes he laughs. Juan Liners, email

FLYING HIGH

MIKE and his wife Sara went to the fair every year, and each time, Mike would see a pilot there offering joyrides in his plane. Every year, he’d say to his wife, “Sara, I’d like to ride in that plane.” Sara would always reply, “I know, Mike, but that plane ride costs 50 bucks, and $50 is $50.” After many years of this, one year Mike and Sara went to the fair as usual, and Mike said, “Sara, I’m 85 years old. If I don’t ride in that plane now, I might never get another chance.” “Mike, that aeroplane ride costs 50 bucks,” Sara said, “and $50 is $50.” The pilot overheard them and said, “Guys, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take you both up for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say one word, I won’t charge you, but if you say one word, it’s $50.” Mike and Sara agreed, and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of twists and turns, rolls and dives, but not a word was spoken. He did all his tricks over again but still not a word. When they landed, the pilot turned to Mike and said, “Well, you certainly showed me! I did everything I could think of to get you to yell out, but you didn’t.” Mike replied, “Well, I was gonna say something when Sara fell out, but $50 is $50.” Sy Lent, email

> THOUGHT OF THE MONTH Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things – George Carlin

PERFORMANCE TAILSHAFTS MADE TO ORDER GJ Drivelines are the complete tailshaft specialists, boasting more than 50 years of combined experience. We manufacture, repair and balance tailshafts for all makes and models.

THE COMPLETE TAILSHIFT SPECIALISTS -Chromoly -Aluminium -Carbon Fibre Ph: 03 9706 3166 | gjdrivelines@live.com.au

www.gjdrivelines.com.au

FOR AUSSIE & AMERICAN MUSCLE CARSS – and even Volvos!

ALL OUR KITS ARE 100% ADR COMPLIANT

Whether it’s two, four or six-piston kits, from 290mm rotor size right up to 343mm, on almost any vehicle you can think of, Hoppers Stoppers has the brake upgrade package to suit you

EMAIL: Enquiries@hoppers.com.au 9 Nevada Court, Hoppers Crossing, Victoria 3029

GIVE US A CALL! (03) 9748 6950

SU N D AY TO O F A R A W AY

Send your photos of fun with cars to: Sunday Too Far Away, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166, or email high-resolution images (1mb+) to: sundaytoofaraway@wheelsmedia.com.au. Please send copies of prints as we are unable to return your photos.

ANDREW COUTTAS

SARAH CROSS

SHAUN WILDE

RHETT CORBETT

142

STR E E T M ACH I NE

MIKE BUTLER

CHEZ IMAGES

S T R E E T M A CH I N E

143

DANI GIGS

CHEZ IMAGES

PICS BY CHADDO

SCOTT MCKENZIE

144

STR E E T MA CHI NE

PHOT ARNIE’S AUTOMOTIVE

OGRAPHY

ANTHONY BURNS STEVEN

DIMITRI STOUMBOS

KID GAMBLE BARBERSHOP

STEPHEN GRINDLE

S T R E E T M AC H I NE

145

M I L L O F T HE M O NT H STORY ANDREW BROADLEY

PHOTOS MARK HAYES

UNDERCOVER

415CI SMALL-BLOCK CHEV

KEEN to see Carolyn’s 275NOS Torana in the flesh? Us too! Head to Street Machine Summernats 35, where it will be unveiled to the world as part of the Great Meguiar’s Uncover. But its show career will be short-lived – Drag Challenge is calling!

> CAROLYN HAYES, SYDNEY, NSW

HEN we last caught up with Carolyn Hayes (People Like Us, SM, Oct ’17), she was just getting started on her LH Torana Drag Challenge build with her then-partner (and now-husband), Aussie pro street legend Mark Hayes. The car is now nearing completion, and this 900hp small-block is what will power it. Carolyn was one of our OG Drag Challenge combatants back in 2014 in her previous Torana, which ran a staunch, naturally aspirated smallblock. But with Mark being a devout nitrous man, it should come as no surprise to learn that Carolyn’s new combo will be helped along by a healthy shot of the good stuff. The 415-cuber was assembled at home by Mark and Carolyn, with machining performed by Westend Performance. Starting with a Dart block, the rotating assembly comprises a Callies crank and rods and JE slugs, with Moroso and

146

S TR E E T M A C H IN E

Melling bits sharing the oiling duties. AFR 210 heads wearing Yella Terra Platinum Rockers are used up top, along with a Holley 750 carb and an Edelbrock Super Victor manifold. Sandwiched between those is an Induction Solutions billet nitrous plate to inject the special sauce. With hassle-free motoring at Drag Challenge the main priority for Carolyn, a Comp Cams hydraulic-roller keeps the top end happy, while the fire is lit by an MSD 6AL-2 with an MSD Power Grid controller. “That’s what we’ll use for power management; Carolyn knows how to use it because she does the data when we race,” Mark says. “We have the same system in my race car, as well as Rob Godfrey’s car. Say no to EFI!” What makes this combo so impressive is its simplicity: it’s a traditional small-block Chev with a hydraulic-roller camshaft, cast manifold, single

carby and a basic plate nitrous system, but it makes some lofty numbers regardless. “I also built the 383ci small-block in Alysha Teale’s Drag Challenge HQ, which has been really solid. This combo is very similar, just a little bigger,” Mark says. “Carolyn’s engine has more cubes, but the heads, carby and camshaft are all very similar between the two. Carolyn wanted a hassle-free engine; she wanted to be driving it, not working on it. There’s nothing at all exotic about it, and it makes peak power at only 6500rpm. With the gearing, converter, tyres and the weight of the car, it should be a very simple yet effective package.” The engine made 665hp naturally aspirated and 900hp on the bottle, and with tune-ups for both pump fuel and E85, the goal is nines on the motor and mid-eights with spray. Impressive numbers indeed for such a modestlooking, low-maintenance street engine! s

·Falcon

·Fairlane

·Mustang

·Cougar

D.I.Y. Bolt-In 5 Brake Packages Works with Stock Steering Height Adjustable

RRS Strut front End

The Best Ford Front End

RRS Under Dash Brake Booster

RRS Remote Electric Pump

• Ultra Compact • Ultra Quiet • Easy wiring

Responsive Electric Hydraulic

• Auto / Manual Systems • RHD / LHD

D.I.Y.

• Fast Ratio

• RHD / LHD

• Simple Bolt-In

RRS Rack & Pinion System

“Superior” Modern Ride

• Works with stock Suspension

• Corrects Steering Geometry

• Custom Made for your Car

02 9907 3755

Ask about our range of engine swap products

sales@rrs-online.com