Innehållsförteckning för No 134 July 2016 från NZV8

THIS MONTH The Motorhood is the online home of NZV8 and its sister publications NZ Performance Car and New Zealand Classic Car. It’s the hub for all things automotive, from news and reviews to event coverage and more. You can enjoy articles from the magazines on The Motorhood’s home page, themotorhood.com, or, if you want a purely V8-scene experience, just head to our old website address — v8.co.nz — to be redirected straight to NZV8’s part of the new site. JDM RAT ROD This’ll really get some people going — in the deep, dark depths of the interwebs, we stumbled across a bagged Model A ratty into which some industrious fellow had shoehorned a Toyota 2JZ straightsix with a 1000hp-capable turbo strapped to the side. We’ve got some videos up…

IF YOU HAVE A COOL DAILY-DRIVER AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT APPEAR IN DAILY GRIND, EMAIL EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ Hey, Terry. That’s a pretty unique choice of daily-driver. Why the Trans Am? Well, like a lot of kids growing up in the late ’70s, seeing Smokey and the Bandit — I was eight at the time — was a life-changer! I loved cars and had seen Mustangs, Falcons, Monaros, Statesmans, Broughams, Chargers, and Camaros; I had uncles with cool stuff, and their mates had cool or cooler stuff; I’d been to a few shows and the drags, and as a kid living in Auckland, had seen some mean machines … but seeing that Firebird [in the film] — black, gold, and with that bat kind of front and the chook on…

1970 PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD (REPLICA) ENGINE: 472ci Hemi, Mopar Performance Siamese-bore block, 4.250-inch bore, Scat 4340 forged 4.150-inch-stroke crankshaft, Scat 4340 H-beam rods, Diamond forged pistons, 10:1 static compression ratio, aluminium Hemi heads, 2.22-inch inlet valves, 1.94-inch exhaust valves, Mahle pushrods, Comp Cams hydraulic camshaft, Comp Cams roller rockers, doubleroller timing chain, Mopar oil pan, twin four-barrel manifold, twin 600cfm Holley carburettors, MSD 6AL ignition, twin threeinch exhausts, SpinTech mufflers, custom alloy radiator, electric water pump DRIVELINE: Tremec TKO 600 fivespeed gearbox, heavy-duty rebuilt internals, single-plate clutch, Strange Dana 60 diff, Truetrac LSD, 3.7:1 final-drive ratio SUSPENSION: Race torsion bars, race sway bar, modified upper arms, Koni adjustable shocks, Pro Stock rear leaves BRAKES: Wilwood six-piston front calipers, 12-inch front rotors, oversize rear drums, steel lines WHEELS/TYRES: 15x10-inch Aero race-spec wheels,…

Little did producers James Griffin, Rachel Lang, and Simon Bennett know when they started producing Outrageous Fortune back in 2005 that it would go on to become a global sensation, winning more than 50 awards. The show, set deep in the heart of West Auckland, featured a family of career criminals attempting to go straight, and was popular with young and old — so much so that after six years, when it came to an end, the decision was made to produce a prequel. That prequel showcases the West family in its prime, back when its members were always a step ahead of the law. With a well-known cast featuring names such as Antonia Prebble — known as Loretta West in Outrageous Fortune — now playing the role of Loretta’s…

Over the last few months we’d been hearing more and more about a company called FiTech, and the fuel injection systems they produce. One of the selling points of FiTech’s ‘Go EFI’ throttle-body set-ups is their OEM-level functionality and diagnostics, making them both complex enough to satisfy experienced tuners and simple enough for the home DIY enthusiast to use. All of the company’s electronic-fuel-injection (EFI) systems are throttle body–type fuel-injection systems that bolt to any four-barrel intake, making them just the thing for swapping any carburetted V8 engine to EFI. The system requires you to do a simple initial set-up through its supplied hand controller, from which the FiTech computer creates the base map required to get the engine running. Once running, the system makes continuous adjustments to self-tune the…

When Allan Norris debuted his ‘BAD EH’ Holden EH back in 2005, it blew people away. From the tubbed rear end through to the motor that was clean enough to eat off, the undercarriage in which you could see your own reflection, and the flawless leather that adorned the interior, it was a hell of an impressive machine. But there’s no doubt, even for the uninitiated, that it’d take a fairly decent chunk of cash to replicate it. So, when Allan got the itch to build another car, some six-odd years after having the EH on the road, he knew what could potentially happen. Ironically, it was the mint condition of the EH that was partly behind the drive to build something else — something a bit less precious, a…

CAMARO COMING TOGETHER With Brendan Neiman’s ’68 Camaro now away for wiring, the team at MRX has shifted its focus to the ‘69 Camaro of previous Group 1 champion Steve Ross. Like Neiman’s car, Ross’ car is also being built for Group 1, using only the best bits available. Currently, the fabrication and plumbing side of the car is the focus, with the goal of having it all assembled before being stripped down for powdercoating. Mechanically, the car will run a 358ci SB2 Nascar-style Chev engine along with G Force four-speed dog box and MRX-designed and -built three-link rear end. With Steve’s talents behind the wheel, the Camaro will certainly be one to watch on its completion. BATHURST RACE FORMAT CONFIRMED While it may seem like it’s all happening quickly,…

TORQUEBACK, NZV8 MAGAZINE, PO BOX 46,020, HERNE BAY, AUCKLAND 1147; EMAIL TORQUEBACK@V8.CO.NZ ANYONE SEEN DICK? Aloha, Todd, It’s been an eventful week, with heart surgery and seven days in the hospital. Home yesterday, and hats off to [the] nursing staff, knockout team, and carvers — thanks for the valve job on the ’58 pump! That gave me time to think about more funny memories. Anyone remember this big block from Lyall Bay? Here we are sitting on the old sea wall opposite the aquarium expo — which was the old picture theatre on Lyall Parade — and hearing this mighty roar from up the road, and all we could see was this front of white smoke getting closer and [hear was] noise getting louder. Heck sake! we thought; Well, blimmin’…

EMAIL YOUR BUILDS TO: EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ CUSTOM STUDE Well-known Studebaker whiz Trevor Halstead is never far from a cool project, and he’s working on something pretty special for a customer at the moment. It’s a 1950 Studebaker bullet-nose Tudor, rolling on a Holden HT front end with a fourinch Z’d chassis to get the ride height correct. The roof has also been subject to a four-inch haircut, and Trev’s shaved off all excess chrome — with the exception of the bullet nose, of course — and smoothed the gutters, among a number of other body modifications. The old Stude will run a ‘late model’ 259ci Studebaker V8 backed by a four-speed manual box, and will be finished in purple satin paint. It sure sounds like it’ll be one cool cruiser! SMOOTH…

It seems to be an unwritten law of the automotive world: the more radical the finished car, the more mundane it was to begin with. Perhaps it’s because there isn’t much of an incentive to rip into a car that’s already done, or perhaps it’s because it’s so easy to let the ‘small’ modifications on a stock vehicle spiral out of control. Whatever it is, it goes without saying that the wild Camaro owned by Stephen Lane and Paul Thomsen is worlds away from the boring old car that entered their lives around seven years ago. “My good friend purchased this car as pretty much a stock Camaro, with a 396 and TH350, and with just the paint and bodywork done,” Stephen tells us. “On his way home from Auckland,…

Sunday, June 19, 1966 was perhaps New Zealand’s most successful day in motor racing — apart, perhaps, from Denny Hulme winning the 1967 Formula 1 championship. That was the day on which three of the four drivers from the winning and second-placed cars in the Le Mans race were from this little country. The day had its roots much earlier on, in 1963, when Henry Ford’s grandson, Henry Ford II, (HF2) and Lee Iacocca had a passion for Ferraris, and the success that marque had in racing and selling high-performance motor cars. The Ford Motor Company did not have a true sports car, and, in fact, in the 1960s, only the Chevrolet Corvette could claim that mantra for US manufacturers. It was deemed near impossible to make a profit in…

There’s no denying that utes are the unsung heroes of the workforce. For most people who buy them, the prime consideration is how much they can fit in the back. That factor couldn’t have been further from Dean Scott’s mind when he was looking for a Holden ute to buy — he was more interested in how big the hole under the bonnet was. The HZ he found was more than sufficient for his needs; there was plenty of room between the factory chassis rails to slot in a big block Chevy — perfect! Dean’s relationship with the green HZ began some 14 years ago, when he picked up the bare shell and chassis locally, and embarked on what would become a long and somewhat complicated build, metamorphosizing into what…

“I started slot-car racing when I was 15. I would bike down to the local raceway and hire a car. Then my parents bought me a Cox Cheetah slot car — the best that money could buy. I’ve been fascinated ever since,” Nelson’s Tony Cook says, explaining how that one gift transformed, over the years, into the shrine to slotcar racing you see before you. In fact, to call it a shrine may be to do it a disservice — it’s more akin to a temple. With the good grace of his wife, Sue, Tony has amassed hundreds of slot cars from throughout the ages, in all manner of styles. This is so much more than an adult kid’s dream garage; Tony’s collection is one of a lifelong petrolhead who…

Having been going for a number of years, Ashburton’s iconic Wheels Week was originally held, as its name would suggest, over one week, but, over the years, the event has grown in both size and popularity to the point at which it has stretched out to two weeks — hence the name change to ‘Wheels Week Plus’. Centred around the mid-Canterbury town of Ashburton, some 90km south of Christchurch, 2016’s Wheels Week Plus saw the rural settlement come alive with a large number of events spread throughout the two weeks. If it had wheels, chances are that there was an event it could take part in. There was everything from street sprints and speedway to night car trials, vintage motocross, and TT racing. Without a doubt, one of the most…

WHERE IS IT NOW? 1957 CHEV BEL AIR — MARK PAINTON When we featured Mark Painton’s incredible Pro Street–style ’57 Chev Bel Air, it was, unquestionably, one of New Zealand’s toughest street cars. Face it — it doesn’t get much tougher than a tubbed and blown Tri-Five Chev. Mark tells us it’s been a bit of a long story between then and now, but a decade on, he’s got the ’57 fully stripped down to be rebuilt better and badder than ever before. The body has just returned from Rotorua, where Mark sent it for stripping, and the relatively new Art Morrison chassis has been given a bit of a cleanup. The next step involves the panel beater, who will hopefully be on it by next month. The pro-streeter is…

CHECK THEMOTORHOOD.COM FOR REGULAR NEWS UPDATES HSV’S FINAL LS3S HSV has announced that three limited-edition models are set to hit showroom floors later this year as a send-off for its legendary 340kW (460hp), 6.2-litre LS3 V8 power plant. The first of these limited-edition models is the SV Black, available in both ClubSport R8 and Maloo R8 guise. The SV Black edition will have unique satin black 20-inch alloy wheels, black AP Racing forged four-piston brake calipers, black door surrounds and lower door accenting, shadow-chrome exhaust tips, and distinctive black badging. Production is due to commence in June, and the cars will be available at an RRP of NZ$81,490 for the ClubSport R8 SV Black manual and NZ$78,990 for the Maloo R8 SV Black automatic. Only 18 ClubSports and two Maloos…

EMAIL YOUR NEWS TO: EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ JUMBO SIZE TOY SHED Rotorua’s well-known performance workshop, The Toy Shed, has recently moved to larger premises at 106/112 Riri Street, to be shared with parts supply business Proparts. With both businesses belonging to well-known Rotorua petrolhead and drag racer Russell Lowe, the move to combine them made sense and offered the opportunity to increase workshop size at the same time. Part of that increase in space was required due to Russell also acquiring Carburettor Motors, which has been incorporated into The Toy Shed. The result is a massive 1700-square-metre complex housing all three related businesses under the one roof. With more workshop space, a dedicated dyno area, and parts supply all at the same place, the business has become the perfect one-stop shop. To…

EMAIL YOUR INFO TO: EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ JUNE 5 WINTER DRAG WARS Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean your car’s gotta stay in the garage — the Winter Drag Wars series at Meremere Dragway kicks off on June 5, and promises to keep you entertained during the cold part of the year. The series is one of the few events in the country in which you can drive any street car — from your highhorsepower weapon through to the daily-driven shopping cart. The event is open to street-legal vehicles only, so a current WOF and rego are a must, and car drivers must have a helmet and at least a restricted licence. Racing is run on a dial-your-own (DYO) format, split between a car class and a motorbike class. Winter Drag Wars…

EMAIL YOUR INFO TO: EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ KICKARSE CAPRI When drag racing newcomer Brian Hughes purchased a Ford Capri that used to race at Thunderpark Raceway, he thought it was simply going to be a matter of dropping an engine in and hitting the strip. However, when he took the car to drag car–builder extraordinaire Gary Cawthra, he soon found that that was not going to be the case. Advancements in technology, and the performance offered by the 521ci engine Brian had sourced meant the chassis just wasn’t going to be up to the job. As such, Gary was tasked with creating a replacement chassis for the vehicle, which is now completed. The Jon Kaase–built 700hp motor is now backed by a Powerglide and nine-inch, which, in a well-built car like this,…

For many months, a mate in California had been telling me I had to add an IndyCar Grand Prix event to my bucket list. He’d been involved in racing in the States forever and kept saying what a thrill IndyCar was, so, when the opportunity finally presented itself to attend the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, I leapt at it. Making it even more appealing was knowing that Kiwi Scott Dixon was to be defending his win from last year. Ed Dellis, my mate on the ground there, is known as ‘The Steering Wheel Guy’, and has a long history in motorsport, so he knew what to expect. On the other hand, this was to be my first Grand Prix, and, as it was IndyCar — which doesn’t get…

Andrew Sinclair’s got a Central Muscle Cars (CMC) spec Commodre, and his Superbird is just about the coolest street driver imaginable. It’s hard to improve on perfection, so we were wondering how wild Andrew’s concept would have to be to qualify for entry into his garage. Well, here it is — a long-haul cruiser to load up with mates and brews. “I’d start with a Ford Falcon XC wagon,” Andrew begins — which makes sense, since he’s got the GM race car and Mopar cruiser — although the Falcon wouldn’t be staying stock for long. “I would chop the roof off from behind the C-pillar, keeping the middle row of seats, and effectively turn it into a king-cab ute. All the exterior bits would be smoothed and shaved, including the…

“I was diagnosed with cancer in April 2013, and that’s when I realized you’ve gotta do things now. You can’t keep putting things off for later, because there may not be a later,” Taupo’s Grant ‘Wal’ Wallace muses. It’s this solid philosophy that has seen Grant through the worst and out the other side. It’s also responsible for the incredible custom woody that he built in a mere three years, once he decided his plans weren’t going to draw themselves and the car wasn’t going to build itself. Considering the short build time and the incredible craftsmanship on display here, it may come as a surprise to learn that the woody began life as nothing more than an idea in Grant’s head and a ’39 DeSoto nose cone rusting on…

01 UNBELIEVABLE PERFORMANCE If you want a performance boost out of your LS-powered VT–VE Commodore, the Harrop HTV2300 supercharger kit is what you need. The HTV2300 blower pumps 140ci (2300cc) per rev. Pro-Street Performance provides the supercharger kit by means of a drive-in, drive-out fitment service, which includes an adaptor for throttlebody fitment, a Harrop water-to-air intercooler kit, high-flow injectors, and all the brackets, belts, and tensioners needed, as well as a full custom dyno tune — and, if you want your boost to be obvious, gilmer belt drives and overdrive pulley kits are also available. Pro-Street Performance also supplies upgrades for VF LSA set-ups. Get in touch with the team at Pro-Street Performance for pricing and further information, at 89B Manukau Road, Pukekohe, call 09 238 6324, or email…