Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i Street Machine

FROM strip stormers to show cars, subtle street sleepers, tough 4WDs and classic American cruisers, LS engines end up in the darndest places, and LSX Tuner magazine celebrates them all. The latest edition is out now and features a bumper crop of LS-powered beauties, including Street Machine’s own Carnage twin-turbo MX5.7 project. Reading about the trials and tribulations endured en route to its debut at Red CentreNATS is enough to bring a tear to Scotty’s eye! On the cover is Dave Guilfoyle’s gorgeous Purr-Pull HQ GTS Monaro, a former SM cover car (Dec ’15) that recently had its old 6/71-blown 502ci BBC swapped out for a Magnuson-blown 427ci LSX with thoroughly impressive results. Also representing the blown brigade among the feature cars is an LS3-powered HDT VK SS Commodore and…

BATHURST OR BUST THOUGHT I’d send through a couple of photos of the cars myself and my mate Jarryd drove to Bathurst this year from Bendigo. The XE was pulled from the corner of a shed and cleaned up by Jarryd over the last year or two, and the HG I bought from my dad after it sat in a paddock for about the last 20+ years. Unfortunately, due to us both being on P-plates, they’re pretty standard driveline-wise (apart from a cam and head work on the XE), but all that should change soon enough! The trip was unreal – made it to Bathurst without a sweat and then headed to WTAC in Sydney for a look, then trekked home. Cheers for the monthly mag to keep us motivated.…

AS THE XA STARTED TO COME TOGETHER, I REALISED THAT IT WAS COMING OUT TOO NICE AND IT SHOULD BE MORE THAN A DEDICATED DRAG CAR OFTEN when builds drag on for over a decade, the finished product can end up looking a little a little bit ‘off-trend’. That’s not the case with Lorenzo Capogna’s XA Fairmont, despite the fact that the build was a 15-year labour of love. “I wanted to build a pro street, mini-tubbed XA with twin four-barrel carbs out of the bonnet,” says Harley builder Lorenzo. “So I bought this in ’03 for $5500 as a one-owner, genuine V8 Fairmont with a complete service history and matching-numbers engine and chassis.” A drag-spec ride was always on the cards, as Lorenzo pilots an eight-second Harley in his…

IF YOU’RE NOT WILLING TO DO ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IT TAKES TO SURVIVE YOU MIGHT AS WELL STAY HOME DRAG Week is not for the faint of heart; it’s a serious commitment for every one of the entrants. For the Aussies at this year’s event, it was an even bigger undertaking; sending your car more than 14,000km to the American Midwest requires a confidence in your car, and yourself, that many just don’t have. Drag Week is tough, both physically and mentally, and if you’re not willing to do absolutely everything it takes to survive you might as well stay home. This year 398 cars rocked up for registration and some entrants were still finishing their rides as they waited in line. They came from all over the globe: England, Sweden,…

IT WAS NOTHING LIKE THE KIND OF FULL-PREP TRACK YOU’D FIND AT A NORMAL MEETING, AND THAT’S THE POINT WHEN it comes to street car events, Tunnel Vision’s King Of The Street is one of the most anticipated – at least in Victoria. Over the past four events, KOTS has remained true to its mission to bring street-style racing to a safe and legal environment, with the aim of determining who has the quickest street car around. The rules are pretty simple: The event is for road-registered cars in street trim, including full exhaust to the diff, and running on DOT-approved tyres. The racing is done heads-up style – first one across the line wins and loser is out of the comp. Last year’s event at Heathcote Park Raceway…

THAT’S RIGHT – THERE ARE PEOPLE CRAZY ENOUGH TO RACE FIRE-BREATHING, EAR-BURSTING NITRO RAILS ON SAND THE CARS ARE BUILT TO RACE ON LOOSE TERRAIN WITH GNARLY PADDLED TYRES, AND ARE A SIGHT TOSEE AS THEY SCREAM DOWN THE 300-FOOT TRACK THERE’S an empty backlot attached to the Soboba Casino, about two hours into the desert from Los Angeles. Once a year it plays host to a small but devout group of competitors armed with paddles and horsepower. The event is the Hammer Down Nationals, and these men and women are So-Cal’s sand drag racers. Now in its second year, the Hammer Down Nats are put on by the Southern California Sand Drag Association (SCSDA), and the event attracts a respectable field of competitors in classes ranging from two-stroke…

01 GIMME FUEL NEW from BG Engines are these CNC-machined billet fuel distribution blocks for hat and port injection. A conventional hat set-up has its distribution block up above the port nozzles, so once you shut the engine off, fuel drains back into the blower. With the distribution block mounted on the side of the engine, the problem is solved, minimising the chance of a hydraulic lock. It also keeps your line lengths even and thus your port nozzles the same size, aiding tuning and assisting you in making even horsepower per cylinder. It comes with a nice CNC-machined dogbone bracket that will mount straight to the side of everything from a 6/71 up to a 14/71 blower. Head to bgengines.com.au for more information. 02 ELITISM FOR those looking to…

I’M WELL AWARE OF HOW FAST BARRAS CAN BE, AND HOW RELIABLE AND SMOOTH THEY ARE. I LIKE HAVING A FORD-POWERED FORD! FEW things in life are better than blowing someone’s doors off with a car that looks like granny’s grocery getter. Anthony Burns knows a bit about sleepers – his 6.0-litre LS-powered XD wagon ran 11.4 at Street Machine Drag Challenge in 2016. The wagon is only a set of heads or a few psi away from running 10s, but having to ’cage the car would ruin its family-friendly aspect. Anthony decided to build something new for this year’s event, and he found the ideal candidate in this ’84 XE ute. It didn’t have any real rust issues and, shopping trolley dings aside, was reasonably straight. The engine…

MODERN-DAY SORCERY JOHN ZEIGLER’S MAD MAX UTE, THE SORCERER, IS COMING BACK TO BLOW MINDS ALL OVER AGAIN SPLASHING across silver screens in Mad Max, John Zeigler’s custom HJ Holden ute, known as The Sorcerer, is now a firm part of Ozploitation movie folklore. Parked up at Fat Nancy’s cafe with its Mercedes headlamps and custom green paint, in the ensuing decades it has been dubbed the ‘Mad Max ute’ by many. But the story of The Sorcerer stretches well beyond its five seconds of screen fame. It’s a journey spanning more than 40 years, and now a new chapter is being written. In 1975, John Zeigler plonked down the readies for a new HJ Holden ute as a workshop hack for his Shell garage. John, a seasoned hot rodder,…

17 NOV, RESERVOIR, VIC Holy Name Classic Car Show, 12 Robb St. Contact Celia on 0411 543 940. 18 NOV, ARCADIA, NSW Old Skool at School Car Show, Arcadia Public School. Contact Geoff on 0408 600 422. 18 NOV, WISEMAN’S FERRY, NSW Wiseman’s Ferry Community Man’s Shed Mania, 5565 Old Northern Road. Contact Adam on 0429 693 444. 18 NOV, BLACKTOWN, NSW Back to the Drive-In, Blacktown Drive-In, Cricketers Arms Rd. Contact Mario on 0412 088 824. 19 NOV, BROADMEADOWS, VIC 9th Annual Heart Kids Car & Bike Show, Penola Catholic College. Contact Luisa on 0409 383 354. 19 NOV, MEREDITH, VIC Meredith Car Show & Family Day, Meredith Cricket Club. Contact Leon on 0407 871 151. 19 NOV, RINGWOOD, VIC American Breed 2017, The Manhattan. Visit 60samcc.com. 19 NOV,…

THE vanning boom of the 70s and 80s was a massive scene, bolstered by numerous passionate van clubs. These groups normally drew members from specific regions, in the process linking smaller local scenes together to create the greater web of street and show van action. Now based in Perth, Nick Cockinos was living in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire when he became a founding member of Renegade Vanners – a group of friends who built a dedicated club on the values of mateship and a shared passion for all things panel van. 01: NICK started his vanning career with a white MkI Escort panel van that he later replaced with this bronze version, dubbed Dreamweaver. “I bought it as a 19-year-old in 1981,” Nick says. “It came with the flared guards, but…

LION SHARES STREET Machine road-tripped to the Holden plant in Elizabeth, South Australia, on the final day of production (see page 50), where hundreds of enthusiasts had gathered to pay their respects to the fallen lion. Our live Facebook video prompted an outpouring of your comments. Marty Miller – Thank you, Street Machine, for doing this for the people that couldn’t make it there. Paying my respects to everyone involved at Holden. Mark Mason – Dude, this is heartbreaking. Adam Helgeson – Sad day for all car lovers. I’m a Ford man but have so many fond memories as a kid in the back of my dad’s EH wagon and Monaros. So sad for SA and all the workers right down the line. Terry Lee – SA’s biggest funeral gathering.…

HOLDEN FACTORIES KEPT FOOD ON THE TABLE FOR THOUSANDSOF AUSSIE FAMILIES FOR DECADES, THE COMPANY PEAKINGWITH NEARLY 25,000 EMPLOYEES IN THE 1960S IT’S DIFFICULT to believe it’s come to this. Our once-proud industrial nation now no longer makes cars. We’ve been doing it, all by ourselves, for almost 70 years, since Holden dropped the sheets on what was announced as ‘Australia’s Own Car’, the 48-215 Holden sedan, in November 1948. Before that, Australia assembled kits of cars – Ford began doing that in Geelong pretty much with its Model T – and put locally built bodies on imported chassis. For around half that time we’ve been exporting our Aussie-made cars to other countries, too. Holden and Toyota, especially, sent tens of thousands of cars overseas each year. But on 20…

THE STEAM-PIPE HEADERS WEIGH 12KG A SIDE AND THE TURBOS ARE ANOTHER 15KG, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S WHAT HAULS YOU DOWN THE TRACK BODY This car looks tough from any angle. Aaron fabbed up some wedge-shaped lower sills to hide the exhaust and eliminate the unsightly seam. Yes, those plates are legit, as are the low-9sec timeslips INTERIOR Inside it’s all business, with a hefty rollcage, a couple of race buckets and a fibreglass dash that Aaron cut up to fit. It’s filled with Auto Meter gauges, and a collapsible steering column has been fitted. Safety first! WHEELS Yes, that’s a 14in-wide rim with 18.5in rubber on it, and it’s perfectly legal in NZ. Where’s my passport? I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT A TURBO LOOKED LIKE…

POWER-WISE, THE CAR HAS ENOUGH TO PUNCH HARD WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT, BUT WITH PERFECT STREET MANNERS A FEW months ago, a tilt-tray dropped off a heavily weathered 1969 Mach 1 Mustang at the Street Machine studios. We were told that the car barely ran and that we might have to push it. However, 1969 Mustangs are heavy, so to save us some sweat Scotty jumped in and got the car fired up with some judicious application of choke and throttle – sealing the deal with the obligatory car-park burnout. This was Sidchrome’s latest project, and, while we knew we wouldn’t be able to keep it, Scotty and I had that same sense of wonder we always get when we buy a car and start the getting-to-know-you phase. With…

NO BUS ever looked as flash as what is now known as the Silver Fox. Part 1936 Chevrolet Maple Leaf truck, part Mazda Parkway bus, this thing has ‘wow’ factor! It shimmers and gleams in silver, it’s luxurious inside, and is beautifully engineered. Some guys build street cars to show, some build ’em just to cruise or to get dirty in a burnout or mud run. Others sell to the first passing admirer. But for Queenslander Graeme Collins, it is about engineering his amazing ideas into reality and adding to his collection of spectacular builds. Graeme’s V6 Morris J-type van was featured in Street Machine in July 2015; this was a project he’d coveted for 30 years. This latest build took far less time, but it once again proves his…

MATTHEW BRODIE LC TORANA “I BOUGHT my LC in May 2008. I had a VN Commodore 3.8-litre Buick V6 engine conversion done, engineered through OG Speed Shop. But a niggling oil leak turned into a full rebuild in late 2015. A Hurst Pro Rachet shifter now operates a shift-kitted Turbo 700 trans, which runs back to a BorgWarner LSD with 3.9:1 gears. Brakes are discs all ’round, pulling up the Dragway Indy 15x6.5 and 15x7 wheels. The paint is Ruby Red Metallic. I have now replaced just about every part on the car, but rather than doing a full resto the focus has been on keeping it off the road for as little time as possible; plus stumbling into a sum of money big enough to fund such a venture…

I WAS truly hoping to witness a cult classic in the making when I bunkered down with a big-arse Coke and pack of Twisties to watch Baby Driver. Sure, the title didn’t have the same tough edge of classic car-chase films likeBullittorCannonball, but I kept an open mind and found the first 15 minutes to be ripping in the right direction. The WRX chase was fresh and action-packed, and as far as cars go, the ‘Rex’ has a strong following that makes it worthy of this type of role and appropriate for the younger target audience. After all, the cars in the old-school chases we all love were fairly new when they became legends. Unfortunately, the film’s wheels fall off once the characters stop riding in cars and begin to…

I STARTED OFF BUILDING THE CAR TO SUIT 15-INCH MICKEY THOMPSON BIGS ’N’ LITTLIES BUT I DECIDED TO CHANGE THINGS UP AND GO THE BILLETS WITH its striking two-tone paint scheme, slick panelwork, slammed stance and monstrous wheels, Ben Judd’s PRO EH was always going to be a full-blooded people magnet. But it’s only after being drawn in by those big-ticket items that you get blown away by the clever marriage of old-school 202 six, the incredible attention to detail, and the innovative interior – all of which set tongues wagging at MotorEx 2017. Mixing wildly different styles often results in an awkward-looking street machine. Not Ben’s EH – it pulls it off with cheerful nonchalance. One reason the wagon combines such varied styles is that the build took 12…

I ORIGINALLY STARTED RACING SPRINTCARS, BUT MY CIRCUIT RACING CAREER STARTED IN A HQ WHEN I WAS 14 WHEN it comes to getting the most out of an HQ Holden, Layton Crambrook knows a thing or two. He won the 2006 Australian HQ Holden Championship, after all. In fact, Layton has been racing cars all his life, and was at one point the youngest-ever person to race a V8 Supercar. “I originally started racing sprintcars, but my circuit racing career started in an HQ when I was 14,” Layton says. “I went from racing an HQ to a V8 Supercar – not your typical motorsport transition!” After finishing his time in Supercars, Layton built an HQ race car. “It was basically a show car underneath; it would have fitted in…

EXTERIOR The team at Exclusive Customs laid on the wonderfully bright custom-mixed paint, called Dannik Blue, along with orange GT stripes, which help Australianise the look. The fuel filler has been shaved but the body is otherwise standard, right down to the unique Sports Coupe badging on the C-pillars STRAIGHT OFF THE TRAILER, THE COUPE CAME DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO REALISING NICK’S GOAL OF A LOW 10 ON THE FIRST PASS ENGINE BAY The Feneck Race Engines-built 427ci Windsor sits in a superbly presented engine bay, surrounded by a flat firewall, oodles of colour-coding and a neat set of billet bonnet hinges. It’s good for around 450rwhp on pump fuel, and it’ll make significantly more than that once the nitrous plate goes on STANCE The coupe was already tubbed when Nick…

 MARK Sullivan seems to be able to build awesome street machines as easily as my nanna could whip up an epic spaghetti bolognese. He gets the wheels, paint colour, style and mechanicals bang-on, and always turns them out quickly but impeccably finished. THE NEW JAG FRONT END MADE IT EASIER TO FIT A 350 CHEV. YES, MARK HAS BOLTED THE HEARTBEAT OF AMERICA INTO HIS FORD WORKHORSE We’ve run a stack of his handiwork over the years, including ’69 and ’72 Pontiac Firebirds, a sweet ’bagged ’60 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, plus the BADHQ Monaro coupe and the 2007 SMOTY-winning 1BADHK Monaro. You’ll note Mark’s feature cars are nearly always from General Motors brands, but this time it comes from the Blue Oval boys in Dearborn, Michigan. Yep, while you…

AT STREET Machine Drag Challenge 2016, Paul Hamilton’s monstrous 598ci XA Fairmont was put out of contention on Day One with a dud roller lifter. The angry carby combo wasn’t street-friendly at all and had a habit of damaging valvetrain components. But Paul vowed he’d be back at DC in 2017, and suggested that he might just add a pair of turbos to his big-block in the hope of making it more streetable while also producing even more grunt. And here it is! It’s the same basic IDT big-block Ford, but now equipped with twin turbos and a host of other supporting upgrades that have seen this combo making north of 2000hp. Paul enlisted the help of Zoran, Bobby and the team at Competition Engines, who have gone right through…

MICK Arnold is no stranger to making big power with V8s and turbos, and while his sights have been set firmly on being the quickest IRS car Down Under, and having run a 4.90 over the eighth-mile, he has struggled for traction in his stunning HSV VE Maloo. The car has run a best of 7.60@192mph over the quarter with the beefed-up IRS, but has continued to blow the tyres off in the front half of the track. With the goal of running sixes, Mick has decided it’s time to move on. The VE is powered by a near-identical engine combination as his HT Holden ute, which has run the quarter-mile at 197mph with a single 94mm turbo on a 400ci small-block Chev and 315 radial. “I realised that the…

“WE’LL NEVER SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN IN OUR COUNTRY.IF YOU OWN AN AUSSIE-BUILT HOLDEN, CHERISH IT AND LOOK AFTER IT WELL, FOR IT WILL BE A GOOD CAR. AND, IN TIME, IRREPLACEABLE” LADIES and gentlemen, as you read this, be aware that we have reached ‘peak Holden’. I guarantee there will never be more genuine Aussie Holdens on our roads than there is right now. For the last Aussie-built Holden has rolled off the production line. It’s a bloody tragedy what’s happened to our nation’s manufacturing sector. People can fire off on social media or fire up over a frothy, thinking they know the secret to how this all happened, but it really was death by a thousand cuts. Politically, the right-wingers are keen to blame the union-heavy left.…

I WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT – I’D RARELY SEE ANY VALIANTS, LET ALONE AP5S, SO IT WAS THE PERFECT FIT FREELANCE make-up artist Holly Giddings built her ’63 AP5 Valiant Regal as a home-school tech job, tutored by her revhead dad, Dave. The four-year labour of love taught the now 22-year-old a heap of skills and patience, the pay-off being this rad cruiser. You must’ve been a teenager when you bought the Val. Yeah, I was 16 years old and I had hoped to learn to drive in it. Little did I know it would take so long to complete! I always wanted something different, and as I’d rarely see any Valiants, let alone AP5s, it was the perfect fit. Easy to find? I was young and my budget was small,…