Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Street Machine

MAY 2021: ALL THE NEWS THAT MATTERS FOR the first time ever, Street Machine Drag Challenge entries sold out on the day they opened – in just six hours! There are 250 entrants on the list, plus rollovers from 2019 – and another 100 cars on the waiting list. Huge! We’ll have the entry list online soon, but rest assured it contains the toughest cars from every state and territory. And the competition is set to be red-hot. Daniel Szabolics (third overall in 2019) has already fired a warning shot in his HQ Monaro (bottom right, at right of pic), running a 6.98@204mph in testing at Sydney Dragway! Wanna watch? From Monday 18 October to Thursday 21 October, spectator admission is $20, while Friday at Calder Park is $25. Kids…

SOME shops have a signature look. For Sydney’s ProFlo Performance, that means worm-burning ride heights, steamroller meats out back and metal skyscrapers jutting out of engine bays, all finished to Summernats Elite-level quality. Owner Paul Sant first came to Street Machine’s attention with a tasty blown Torana hatchback that we featured way back in our March 1996 issue. “I wasn’t ProFlo back when that car was featured,” says Paul, sitting in his office at the new, much larger shop he moved ProFlo Performance into a little over a year ago. “Jeez, when was the start? I don’t even know!” You can’t fault the street machining legend for not recalling the exact date his empire began (it was 1998), given the hundreds of top-shelf street machines and off-tap engine combos he’s…

TUNNEL Vision’s King Of The Street made a triumphant return to Heathcote Park Raceway for its sixth and largestever running, with nearly 100 of Australia’s quickest roadgoing cars facing off for top honours over an early-March weekend. Organised by Tunnel Vision Turbocharging in partnership with Mustang racer John Colaidis, King Of The Street was conceived as a way to crown Australia’s swiftest proper street cars. All vehicles entered must be road-registered, have a full interior and a complete exhaust system. All fuel types are accepted, as is nitrous. The last KOTS event was held at Ballarat Airport back in 2018, where cars fought for traction on an unforgiving no-prep airstrip. “A lot of people wanted more of a prepped track,” says John. “It’s more interesting when both cars can hook…

W ITH the recent COVID scare behind them, the West Aussies came out in force to watch the 50th annual Westernationals over the last weekend of February. Premier Mark McGowan even let a few foreigners in, but only if they had really cool and really fast cars. I’m glad he did; it’s always great to see some different rides on the west coast, and I’m sure those from interstate love coming across to the amazing facility that is the Perth Motorplex. The Westernationals saw a successful return to the Motorplex for ANDR A, with the event running smoothly over 1274 passes. The mood among the competitors seemed high, and the vibe felt more like the glory days of a decade or so ago. Crowd numbers were healthy, too, as confirmed…

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PLENTY of quick turbo-Barra cars have tackled Street Machine Drag Challenge over the years, but few are as clean as Daniel Howe’s XE Falcon ute. The 24-year-old mechanic from Melbourne spent his formative years hanging out around some properly fast cars and the characters who drive them, including Drag Challenge winner, Summernats Horsepower Hero and All Race Fabrications owner Brenden ‘Bubba’ Medlyn. “I’ve been friends with the boys since I was young, doing powerskids down the straight at Winton in Bubba’s VH Commodore,” says Danny, who now spends his spare time helping out around All Race. With a bloke like Bubba in his ear, Danny was never going to settle for a sedate weekend cruiser. “As a kid, I always wanted something with 1000rwhp, but something I could drive whenever…

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@aremedia.com.au. AT 80 years young, it’s fair to say Lorraine ‘Nan’ Tuckett is a bit of a latecomer to the burnout scene. After a couple of years riding shotgun in her grandson Guy Tuckett’s skid car, Nan recently hopped into the driver’s seat of their shared VY SS ute, ‘Nan’s Dream’, and now just can’t get enough of smashing tyres herself. What got you into doing burnouts? It all started a couple of years ago when my grandson Guy asked me to come with him out to the burnouts and be his passenger at the Brobenah Speedway pad here in Leeton. I’d never done anything…

01 THE GOOD OIL THOUGH we’ve chronicled many Valvoline products in these pages over the years, it’s worth remembering that the company built its name on good old engine oil. Valvoline Professional 5W-30 is a full-synthetic oil formulated for use in workshop environments. It’s suitable for modern petrol engines, as well as diesels with and without DPFs. Of course, Valvoline also makes plenty of additives to keep your donk clean. So whether you’re keeping your weekend cruiser in tip-top shape or just staying on top of maintenance on your daily driver, Valvoline Professional is worth checking out. You’ll find more information at valvoline.com. 02 REACH THE SUMMIT WHEN the Detroit Muscle boys needed a stout 350 for their ’69 Camaro project, they got Engine Power’s Pat Topolinski and Mike Galley…

MAY 2021: ALL THE NEWS THAT MATTERS THE inaugural Rare Spares Rockynats was a massive success, with three days of action including street drags, drifting, burnouts and cruising. All of which was set against amazing Rockhampton backdrops, including the Fitzroy River and the majestic Berserker Range. Just under 1200 cars and 400 bikes entered, but only one could be named Grand Champion – the highest of honours, as it takes into consideration each contender’s performances in Elite show judging, People’s Choice voting and on the go-to-whoa track. There were some stout cars in the mix, including Billy Shelton’s brand-new SICKEST VL, Niko Prommnitz’s HK Monaro and Robert Downing’s wild, Roth-esque Fiat Topolino. But the very surprised winner was Paul Hart and his 1967 XR Fairmont sedan (above). “I had no…

Write to: Your Stuff, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email streetmachine@aremedia.com.au. Make sure you include your address (not necessarily for publication). Keep it short and sweet! STREET SMART HEY guys, thought you might like to see my Street Machine magazine collection. I have every bi-monthly/monthly issue since the first Van Wheels, including the Best of Van Wheels, the issues when it became Van Wheels & Street Machine, and right up to the current April issue of SM. Mark Allen, email SESSION AILMENT HEY guys, can you tell me how I can get hold of a copy of the old Expression Session mag? Ashley Eastcott, email HEY mate, they are super-rare; I think we only have one copy ourselves! There’s a couple of Facebook groups that might…

IF YOU WANT A FORMULA FOR A BUILDING A TOUGH TORANA, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN LOUIS YOUNIS’S BLOWN, BLACKED-OUT AND POSITIVELY BAD-ARSE LJ A LOT OF THIS OBSESSION STARTED FROM DAD. HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO PUT IN OUR HEADS THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE BADDEST, CRAZIEST CAR ON THE STREET I DON’T need a crystal ball to foresee the influx of readers’ letters, angrily proclaiming that Louis Younis’s blown, tubbed, ’caged and outrageously tough LJ Torana coupe is not a street car. But whether you like it or not, ours has been an outlaw counterculture ever since hot rodding evolved from moonshine-running almost a century ago, and the reality is that this car has been built in equal parts for street and strip duties. That’s going to…

THE impetus for Charlton Sherry’s super-sweet ’56 Chev came from a motorcycle accident that left him thanking his lucky stars and re-evaluating his choice of transport. “I lost an argument with the Armco while riding my motorbike up the Putty Road,” says Charlton. “My family and I decided that it was time to end my bike days and go the four-wheel option.” Other than it having an extra two wheels, Charlton was unsure of what make, model or year he wanted. Relentless ‘suggestions’ from his son Ray to buy a Chev eventually swayed him. “In reality, it was a no-brainer,” says Charlton. “I’ve always loved Paul Souma’s ’56 [SM, Jan ’13]; this whole car was inspired by ATTACK.” While searching for a suitable donor car, Charlton came across a potential…

“THE F-TRUCK NEEDS BIG WHEELS TO FILL IT OUT. THEREFORE, IT NEEDED TUBS” IT’S not like Alan Robson is an F-truck fanatic. He’s had a V8 HK Premier wagon, an XA Falcon GT, a V8 Fairlane, a Gemini, some Eurotrash and no less than a dozen Beetles. So how does a man who simply doesn’t mind an Effie get fanatical about building the cleanest F100 shop truck around? We decided to visit Lonsdale Autoshop in Seaford, SA to get the lowdown from the bossman Jason Riding and Alan himself. “I’d seen a few cool F-trucks on those American build shows,” Alan begins. “So I thought: ‘Let’s build a nice, shop-style truck’, even though I don’t have a shop.” Buying a 1975 F100 sight-unseen out of Queensland around June 2018, Alan…

FOR Matthew Cerantola, his HJ ute is more than just a 765rwhp, nine-second turbo-LS monster. It’s a member of the family, the very car that seeded his love affair for four wheels when he was barely out of nappies. “My uncle Peter bought it as a shell during the 90s, and originally he didn’t have anywhere to put it, so it was stored at our house,” says Matt. “He finished it around ’99 when I was six years old, turning it into a nice 308 cruiser. I would always hear it coming up the road from our joint and go cruising in it; I loved the thing!” Matt spent his teenage years messing around with old Geminis, but eventually the opportunity finally arose to get the car he’d always wanted.…

WHEN Jeff Briffa’s radical VL Commodore exploded off the July/August 1999 cover of Street Machine, it was a revelation, demonstrating that it was possible to turn a late-model car into a head-turning showstopper. Keep in mind that the VL was still a comparatively new car back then; Jeff’s 1986 V8 Calais was only 13 years old. Sure, others had built Commodores by the late 90s – Anthony Fabris’s screaming, Horsepower Heroeswinning Walkinshaw comes to mind – but what set Jeff’s car apart was the show-quality level of detail involved. This was a groundbreaking achievement on such a new car. Jeff is a spray painter by trade, which explains why the body and paint were easily the Commodore’s most eye-catching feature. If you’re thinking the colour is HSV Tiger Mica, you’d…

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@aremedia.com.au. Please note: Send us copies of prints as we are unable to return your photos. PETER MITROVSKI 1968 CHEVROLET CAMARO “THIS ’68 Camaro was my dad’s first car in Australia. He was the first Aussie owner in 1975-ish. Being a revhead, he tells stories of the Cherry Lane days of racing Monaros, Toranas and even motorbikes. Back then he did all the old-school mods. He eventually tucked it away when I was born in 1985. One day, a mate of mine recognised the car for what it was – a 60s V8 GM muscle car; at the time I had no…

I MAGINE a magical time when awesome street machine fodder was both plentiful and cheap! Mark Parsons lived this reality as a young Sydneysider in the late 1970s and 80s. Now 57 and residing in Queensland, Mark has photo albums full of cool rides that any of us would proudly own. He’s built literally dozens of cars to date, but his automotive journey is far from over. Let’s take a look at some of his favourites, with more to come next issue. 01: MARK’S first car was this cool HR pano that he bought while still at school: “I was a trolley boy and sold newspapers to save the $900 to buy this off my brother-in-law. That was a lot of money for a 16-year-old to save back in 1979,”…

IN OUR April issue, we broke the story of XBOSS owner Chris Bitmead’s fight with the WA State Government over a stamp duty claim. Chris originally purchased his Falcon coupe (which he would then make into a stunning SMOTY winner) for $8990, and paid the highest listed RedBook value of $15,500 in stamp duty. The WA Office of State Revenue subsequently accused Chris of undervaluing the car, hitting him with a bill of almost $34,000. After appealing the ruling, he clawed around $25,000 back. Here’s what you had to say about the situation on our Facebook page. Colin Daw – Stamp duty should only ever be paid once – that’s when it is first bought new. End of story. Rohan Mclachlan – Good work Chris. There is definitely an issue…

JASON Schembri is riding around in the car of his dreams – this fully pumped-up, Candy Apple Red, 427-powered XT Fairmont. But it wasn’t the dream he started off with. “I was actually looking for an XR,” he says. “My brother Darren has an XY (SM, Apr ’21), so I thought I’d get something different to him.” That noble plan took a detour when a well-kept, original Burgundy, 351-powered XT Fairmont came up for sale for $12K. Jason jumped on it, and the two brothers wheeled the stocker sedan into Darren’s shed, where the work then began. “We built Darren’s car up 12 or 13 years ago,” Jason says. “We’re always helping each other; we’re very close, always in each other’s pockets, y’know.” Key to the XT’s worthiness was its…

WHILE he already carries the keys to a blue, 700rwhp, turbo-LS1 Torana hatch (Street Machine LSX Tuner #7), Queensland’s Marc Palmer couldn’t shake the memories of his first car, a Mint Julep LX sedan. However, that fourdoor P-plate chariot was a world away from the 900rwhp, mini-tubbed and ProCharged brute Marc has just finished building. “I have a huge thing for Toranas,” he says. “I found this one advertised online as a painted roller, and because my first Torana was green, I just had to have it! “I picked it up from a bloke in Gympie who’d lost interest, and he was the second owner; he’d got it from his aunty who’d had it from new. The car was last registered in 1992 with a full rotisserie paint and panel…

BLACK plus red plus big-block. It’s a winning combination for any hot car build, but Luke Croft’s razor-sharp VF Valiant hardtop really perfects the recipe. The finished product might make it look easy, but it took five years of yakka for this 47-year-old Brisbane-based real estate agent to turn a worn-out daily driver into a tough street/strip runner. “I felt sorry for it,” says Luke of his initial feelings towards the car. “I kept walking past it at an inner-Brisbane unit block and it was always parked under trees, covered in shit. By chance, I was later the listing agent for the owner’s apartment, and I said to them if they were ever keen to sell the car to please let me know.” That fateful call came a year later,…

A WHILE back, I was chatting to Ryan Carter from United Speed Shop and Aaron Gregory, the Valvoline 2020 Street Machine Of The Year winner, about getting together to go for a cruise with all the crew. While we’ve done runs down to the Queenscliff Rod Run, out to Mendooran, or up to Cooly Rocks On, we realised we wanted to stay within an easy day’s travel of Sydney and also wanted to inject a bit of cash back into the regional economy after a tough few years for them. The lads agreed it was a great idea, and we thought it would be beaut to invite a bunch of people from the automotive industry who otherwise might not have a reason to hang out together. Bench racing is always…

WHEN it comes to performance fuel systems, too much is never enough. We’re not talking about running your engine fat and lazy in the tune-up, but we are talking about fuel system capacity, and take it from us, more is definitely better. Of course, there are limits to everything. After all, there’s no need to run four big EFI pumps on a naturally aspirated smallblock, but generally you will want more fuel capacity than your engine needs. We ran into this issue with the Carnage Trolvo recently. For those who aren’t familiar, the Trolvo is a 1983 Volvo 240 sedan that we bought cheap as an unfinished project. It came with a few bits and pieces, such as an intercooler and new-in-box fuel pump, but the part we liked best…