Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i Street Machine

26 DEC, MODBURY, SA Jaf’s Last Cruise Of The Year, Westfield Tea Tree Plaza, North East Road. Visit facebook.com/JafsLastCruise/. 04-07 JAN, CANBERRA, ACT Street Machine Summernats, Exhibition Park In Canberra. Visit summernats.com.au. 05-07 JAN, PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC 16th Kustom Nationals, Phillip Island Circuit. Visit kustoms.com.au/kustom-nationals.html. 06 JAN, KWINANA BEACH, WA Ute Muster, Kwinana Motorplex.Visit motorplex.com.au. 06 JAN, DRYSDALE, VIC Cruisin’ the Bellarine Peninsula, Drysdale Reserve. Contact 0439 282 964. 07 JAN, DRYSDALE, VIC Classic Car & Bike Show, Drysdale Reserve. Contact 0439 282 964. 14 JAN, BALLINA, NSW North Coast Street Machines Inc. Show ’n’ Shine, Ballina Rugby League Grounds. Contact Noel on 0422 065 899. 19-21 JAN, MOUNT GAMBIER, SA Mount Gambier Autofest, Mount Gambier Showgrounds.Visit autofest.com.au. 20 JAN, KATOOMBA, NSW Lady Luck Festival, Carrington Hotel.Visit ladyluckfestival.com.au. 21 JAN,…

LAST issue we were treated to the early vanning memories of Nick Cockinos and his mates in Renegade Vanners. This month we meet some of the vans and characters that shaped their journey through the panel van heyday. Nick’s collection of photos from old-school vanning shows are a goldmine, so let’s tuck in and take a look. “They were great times,” he says, “and I’d like give a special thanks to the Renegade crew: Scott Wilson (RIP), Peter Mordue, Dave Peterson, Stuart Flood and John Strachan for their support and inspiration.” 01: INNERVISIONS is one of Nick’s all-time favourite vans, with its unmistakeable custom nosecone and a heap of other cool body mods. “I really liked the vents grafted into each front guard, and the blown small-block Chev and undercarriage…

JUST wanted to say thank you to Street Machine and Glenn Torrens for interviewing me for the Monday Mourning sidebar in your Holden production line yarn (SM, Dec ’17). It was a privilege to be able to tell my working life story from among the thousands that have worked for Holden. Building cool cars like the Monaro, GTO, SS, HSV – and the not-so-cool, like Toyota Lexcen – is only part of the story. It’s the people I worked with over the years that made Holden the best place to work, and turned a ‘I’m just staying a year or two to make some money and I’m going’ gig into what I thought of as a job for life. From the management down to the casuals, I’ve worked with some…

PEOPLE SCRATCH THEIR HEADS, AND THEN WHEN YOU TELL THEM IT’S AN LS, THEY’RE LIKE: “OH YEAH, I SEE IT” B EN Leat, the owner of this VH Vacationer wagon, planned to build his car to be a summer cruiser and then flip it when the time was right. Like most car builds, they always begin with the best of intentions. But the old ‘Yeah, nah, I’ll just do a few things to make it a cruiser’ spiel you sell yourself; that never lasts. If you think you’ve seen the number plates before, you’d be right. Ben used to own a red VH (SM, Jun ’16) that sported a mean Holden 355. Ben tells us it wasn’t long after the red car was featured that he sold it off as…

FINDING THE DRIVE TO WORK ON THE CAR EVERY SINGLE NIGHT FOR NINE MONTHS WAS THE HARDEST PART OF THE BUILD LOTS of cruising. Those three words will bring a grin to the face of just about anyone who loves cars, and for Canberran Steve Santos, they represent a reward for building this frosty silver XY Falcon in an almost unbelievable nine months. “Yeah, she was hectic,” Steve says of the experience. “Finding the drive to go work on the car every single night for nine months was the hardest part of the build. We’d knock off work [Steve is a builder] at 4.45pm and then work on the car until 10 or 11 at night.” The XY was bought in Newcastle, five hours’ tow north of Canberra. “It looked…

 BUYING a car from the USA is a huge gamble, and one that plays on your emotions for months as you wait for your investment to cross the Pacific Ocean on the slow boat out of Long Beach. I’ve done it, and so has fellow Central Coast resident Ben Brown with this ’72 Chevelle – although back then it was nothing like the candy-coated elite-level show car it is now! IT TURNED UP AND IT DIDN’T START, NONE OF THE ELECTRICS WORKED, AND THE INTERIOR WAS HELD TOGETHER BY A FEW SCREWS “I wanted something different,” Ben says. “I love the fat rear end of a Chevelle, so I began my search in the USA and ended up buying this car, which was on the show Car Warriors.” While that…

 THE motivation for Stephen Barrie’s LX Torana build was pure and simple. “I built the car in memory of my brother-in-law, Robert, who was a mechanic as well as an enthusiastic and creative inventor, and manufacturer. We were always going to do a project together, but he passed away from cancer. It was devastating. So, I said to my wife Helen: ‘Life’s too short; we need to start that project.’” THE RUST WAS SO BAD I PROBABLY SHOULD’VE FOUND ANOTHER SHELL AND STARTED AGAIN, BUT BEING FACTORY BLACK I PERSISTED With that, Stephen set his sights on an LX SS Torana hatchback – the same model he had as his first car. It took yonks to find the right one, though it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.…

“AS YOU SURVEY THE CURRENT FIELD OF SUMMERNATS 31 BURNOUT MASTERS QUALIFIERS, IT’S CLEAR THE EVENT WILL BE HARDER TO PICK THAN A BROKEN NOSE” THE Summernats Burnout Masters has certainly turned into an event of epic proportions. Even if you don’t like burnouts, it’s one hell of a spectacle, and the growing crowds at Summernats are evidence that it’s what the punters want. The event was initiated to provide a forum for the very best tyre-shredders in the business, allowing the up-and-comers to fight it out on a more level playing field in the regular Burnout Championship. The list of competitors for the Summernats 31 Burnout Masters is made up of the top five cars from the previous year’s final, along with the top three cars from the Summernats…

“THE OWNER MENTIONED IT WAS FOR SALE.I QUICKLY RESPONDED WITH: “IT’S SOLD!”I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH HE WANTED!” HER late father used to race them, so it was almost predestined that Danni Miller would one day own a Mustang. It took a few years, but she’s finally found her true love in this 1970 Mach 1. Have you always been into cars? Dad raced Mustangs, though he died when I was quite young so unfortunately I don’t know which models or his racing history. Yet it left me with an emotional tie to Mustangs; I just love them. Though I was into 4WDs and bush-bashing at first. I had a beloved Nissan Patrol 2000 GU, with the jacking kit, bullbars and all. I had to sell that to buy…

TOP SHOP CASTLEMAINE ROD SHOP PUTS ON ANOTHER CRACKER OF AN EVENT FOR ITS 2017 OPEN DAY THE crew at Castlemaine Rod Shop sure know their way around the spanners, but they also know how to put on an awesome show. Their annual Open Day, held on Saturday 18 November, featured top-level burnout demos every hour, workshop tours showcasing current builds, live music, a bar and barbeque area, and all topped off with a show ’n’ shine. The 2017 Open Day built on the popularity of last year’s event, with crowd numbers up significantly. “The show was massive; we’re really happy,” said Rod Shop co-owner Marc Waddington. The burnout demonstrations were extremely popular. Every hour patrons were entertained by two cars disposing of tyres in double-quick time on the Rod…

A FEEL-good vibe and some funny moments make Six Pack the perfect all-rounder for the whole family. Country singer Kenny Rogers – when he still looked like Kenny Rogers – plays Brewster Baker, a kind-hearted race car driver looking to navigate his way back to the professional circuit following a serious crash. Living out of a motorhome with his race car in tow, Brewster makes a short stop at a small-town servo only to return and find that his Camaro stock car has been quickly stripped. Out of luck and low on cash, he spots the thieves and chases them down to discover he’s been ripped off by a bunch of kids: five brothers and one sister. Orphaned after both parents were killed in a car crash, this light-fingered sibling…

DC DISCOURSE THE Street Machine Drag Challenge Members group was buzzing after the completion of this year’s event. Group member Robbie Lelliott asked previous DC participants: ‘What’s all of your thoughts on the week, people involved, rated experiences, etc?’ The response was emphatic! Laura Pendlebury – Best week ever; when you don’t break your car. Rob Thorpe – The people you meet, the challenge of the event, the pride in completing it, the places you go. There’s nothing else you will do in your car like it. Elvio Gonzalez – Better than sex! Clive Polidano – The best car event I’ve ever been involved in; an experience that every car enthusiast would love. Kris Allan – Was the best event I’ve ever attended and to my amazement was the best…

FOR FORD FANS, NOT MANY BATHURST MOMENTS RANK AS HIGHLY AS THE MOFFAT FORD DEALERS TEAM 1-2 WIN IN 1977 IF YOU’RE a car guy or girl, odds are that your world stops for one weekend each year for the Bathurst 1000. It’s a time for hanging with mates and sinking a few cold ones in front of the TV – or better yet, on the Mountain itself. For Ford fans, not many Bathurst moments rank as highly, or burn as brightly in the memory as the Moffat Ford Dealers team 1-2 win in 1977 in their XC Falcon hardtops. It was a decisive victory, with the third-placed Torana of privateer Peter Janson a lap behind. But the win wasn’t without a little controversy, thanks to Allan Moffat pulling rank…

STAN SAINTY SEEMED UNCONQUERABLE. HE WAS BIG AND STRONG, WITH THE HANDS OF A MAN WHO MADE HIS LIVING BY HARD WORK MAKING a new race car run the way you want is never easy, and new engines and experimentation only add to the complexity. Add to that the traumatic sudden loss of your race team’s inspirational leader, and the hurdles seem even higher. So it came as little surprise that the debut of the Sainty team’s new Top Fuel car at Sydney Dragway in early November was fraught with difficulties, with the crew still deeply emotional from their chief’s funeral the previous day. In life, Stan Sainty seemed unconquerable. He was big and strong, with the hands of a man who made his living by hard work. He was…

MOST OF THE ENTRANTS WE SPOKE TO CITED THE CRUISESESSIONS AS THEIR FAVOURITE ELEMENT OF SUPERNATS TWENTY-three years is a long time for an annual event to continue. Talking to spectators and entrants around the pits and in the grandstands at this year’s Street Machine Supernats, many claim to have been coming to the event since they were kids; no doubt a few readers of this fine magazine weren’t even born when the first Supernats was held way back in 1994! The performance car show landscape has grown and changed a lot over the ensuing two decades, with greater competition for punters’ attention, but Supernats has retained an enthusiastic and loyal core audience – no small feat. For 2017, hundreds of entrant vehicles poured through the gates of Sydney Motorsport…

THERE’S nothing more boring than talking about the weather, but in the case of Drag Challenge 2017, it’s unavoidable. The shocking conditions that competitors endured throughout the week are a big part of the narrative. Apparently Mother Nature had gotten wind that Scotty Taylor had devised a rigorous course of strip racing and street driving through South Australia and Victoria to determine who has Australia’s quickest street car in 2017, and she just had to get in on the action. Nature was an absolute bitch all week, throwing down scorching heat, plagues of flies, buckets of rain, and we’ll blame her for all the potholes too! Starting and finishing in Adelaide meant most competitors had to drive or trailer their cars over great distances before the real challenge had even…

NOEL CARPENTER LX TORANA “MY FATHER bought this 1977 Torana brand new and it was our family car when I was a kid. He sold the car 17 years ago but I kept an eye on where it was and managed to get the bare shell from Cowra in October 2016. With only five weeks to go until my father turned 80, we decided it would be a great idea to pick him up on his birthday in his old pride and joy. We stripped the body down to bare metal, repaired all dents and got the body primed and sent to Frank Myers at Custom Colours panel shop. By the time he had the body painted we had the panels primed and ready. We swapped them with him for…

WHEN ANDREW BEALE’S ACCOUNTANT SAID HE SHOULD INVEST IN SUPERANNUATION, HE CHOSE MUSCLE CARS INSTEAD THE ACCOUNTANT KEPT TELLING ME TO DO SUPER, BUT I DON’T LIKE IT, SO I BOUGHT THE CARS INSTEAD. IT’S PAID OFF PRETTY GOOD AFTER retiring from a successful career in earthmoving and transport, Andrew Beale decided to invest his money wisely – in muscle cars. They’re mostly Holdens ranging from the 70s to the 2000s – with a couple of Yankee GM classics thrown in for good measure – plus one very rare and desirable Charger. Oh, and that white Torana? Yeah, that’s the one Street Machine gave away back in 1987, and it looks like it’s in very good hands. So, you didn’t like the idea of throwing all of your…

AFTER 27 years at the centre of Australia’s show scene, judging supremo Owen Webb OAM recently announced he’s winding back his car show commitments – which includes standing down as chief steward at the Street Machine Summernats and Meguiar’s MotorEx. During his phenomenal career, few have matched the passion, drive and ability to motivate and inspire car builders as the man they call Webby. With this ending of an era, we asked Owen to reflect on how the sport has evolved over the years and for his take on his remarkable contribution to the world of automotive show judging. How did this all come about? As a panel beater and spray painter with my own restoration business, I built a few cars in the 80s and 90s that did well…

WHAT A BEAUTY EH? ABSOLUTELY devastated reading about the closure of Holden (Blowin’ Gaskets, SM, Dec ’17) but gee whiz, how good is the EH Holden on the cover? There’s people that change things to be different and then there’s people like Ben Judd who only change things to make it better. In an age where show cars have blacked-out chrome, matte-finish paint and airbag suspension, it’s so refreshing to see an EH with a hot six with Webers, bench seats and leaf springs that’s just put together perfectly! The interior is so well designed (the floating bench seats are amazing) the colour is fantastic, and the wheels finish it off perfectly. It’s the best wagon I’ve ever seen and probably the best EH I’ve ever seen. I honestly can’t…

STEVE SET ABOUT FULFILLING HIS LONG-TERM DREAM OF OWNING A MEGA-TOUGH FOMOCO STREETER LOOK closely at any square inch of Steve Bellia’s ultra-sanitary XB Falcon and you’ll quickly realise that nothing is what it seems. Everything is modified (even if only subtly), re-engineered or fabricated from scratch to be smoother, slicker and a whole lot neater. “Nothing’s off the shelf on this car,” says proud builder Steve. “Maybe the bonnet hinges. Even then, I machined up new pins to neaten them up.” Steve inherited this GS sedan off his father (see breakout, p42), and promptly set about fulfilling his longterm dream of owning a mega-tough FoMoCo streeter. “It’s my brother Tony’s fault,” Steve says. “He’s got a tough XY Falcon that he’s owned for 20 years and I’ve always wanted…

SCOTT KELLY HAS GONE ONE BETTER AND BUILT HIMSELF A ‘ONE OF ZERO’ AUSSIE MUSCLE CAR CLASSIC ONE of the things I find most amusing about the whole muscle car scene is how some owners always find a way to make their car ‘one of one’. You know how it goes – this colour paint with that colour trim; those wheels; painted on a Wednesday by a left-handed genius with an upside-down spray gun. Well, Scott Kelly has gone one better and built himself a ‘one of zero’ Aussie muscle car classic. Huh? Yep, for some reason, Chrysler Australia Limited (CAL) never built a hot version of the two-door hardtop Valiants in the VH-VJ model series. Most likely it’s because they didn’t want to take the focus – and perhaps…

I HAD THE VISION OF THIS STEALTH LOOK, WITH BLACK AND GREY COMPLEMENTED BY LITTLE BITS OF CHROME EVERYBODY loves an HK-T-G Monaro; even Ford guys will admit they’re pretty tough. That popularity is reflected in current values; if your Kingswood has two doors, start adding zeroes, because people are lining up to own one. But there’s a negative side to the high esteem in which these rigs are held: What if you’ve got a pearler and want to start modifying it? George Stathopoulos certainly copped it when he told people his genuine HK GTS 307 needed more grunt. It was too good to chop up, too nice to modify, apparently. Some would give the appropriate salute, fire up the angle grinder and begin attacking those narrow rear wheel wells…

RICK FIXED HIS POWER WOES BY DROPPING IN A 327-CUBE SMALL-BLOCK CHEV OUT OF A ’68 IMPALA THE LOCAL custom scene was blessed with a number of cool big vans back in the day, but there aren’t many that can hold a candle to this iconic Bedford known as The Judge. The Judge’s history spans 40 years and was the brainchild of Victorian vanner Rick Hall. Rick picked up this ex-postie, 1971 sliding-door model in the mid 70s to use as his weekly work hack and weekend party bus. It wasn’t long before Rick got sucked into the van scene and the Beddy was taken off the road for a full build. Custom bodywork was the order of the day and the Bedford was treated to a healthy set of…

01 POWER UP BRING power wherever you may roam with the SP Tools range of inverter petrol-powered generators. The SP Tools SPGi3300E 7hp four-stroke inverter generator powered our Street Machine Drag Challenge Facebook Live stream all through the week and performed flawlessly, allowing us to run our camera gear and internet connection in some of the remote areas we raced at. This quiet generator gets the job done and is perfect for powering your campsite this holiday season. Information is power, visit sptools.com. 02 REGULATION NEXT TURBOSMART has gone back to the drawing board to develop their new range of fuel pressure regulators. Designed from the ground up to be as compact and light as possible while delivering stable pressures under all conditions, the valve is now ‘bedded in’ at…

CAR parks. They’re the culmination of everything that is wrong with the world, a place where mobile phones, social media, dashcams, road rage, selfishness, automation, bad drivers, over-optioned soundproof cars and objects-inthis-mirror-being-closer-than-they-appear all converge in one location to test the patience and temper of anyone trying to live a normal life. Recently, a morning out with my better half seemed like a good call to unwind on a Sunday, so we chose to grab a hot breakfast at a favourite haunt that is tacked on to the local shopping centre. There’s no smashed avo and crumbled feta served by a barista with a top-knot here; it’s just good, normal, honest everyday food. The obligatory Bunnings run was also on the cards, so we decided to take our Mr Juicy Valiant…

 WHEN a meek-looking, beige HX wags rocks up at Street Machine Drag Challenge, then proceeds to aggressively lift its left front paw on consistent 10-second passes – well, you know then and there we have a true sleeper, folks! “It was an impulse purchase off one of my employees,” Will Baker says of the factory six-banger wagon, which at the time sported a rooted 308 but was otherwise in mint condition. “I haven’t touched the paint; I just kept it the way it is for the sleeper look.” WHAT’S BETTER THAN A NINE-SECOND GRANDPA-SPEC WAGON? Will owns and runs Huskisson Automotive, and therefore built his own rig. “I binned the 308 and built a D1SC ProCharged 383ci LS1,” he explains. “It runs CNCed Higgins Race Heads with 11:1 comp, VCM…

> FUNNY FOTO NAME DROPPER A MAN’S children were curious about their names. The man’s daughter asked him: “Dad, how did I get my name?” “Well, you were lying down under a tree and a rose fell on your head, so I named you Rose,” the father replied. The second daughter asked: “Dad, how did I get my name?” “Well, you were lying down under a tree and a lily fell on your head, so I named you Lily,” the father replied. All of a sudden, the man’s son ran into the room with a stupid look on his face and yelled: “Urrrrrhhhhhggggrrrr!” The father replied: “Shut up, Brick!” Fallon Meehead, email FEATHERED FRIEND A MAN walks into a restaurant with an ostrich behind him. The waitress asks for their…