Innehållsförteckning för July 2018 från Street Machine

WHILE it was a bummer that the Sydney Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo and Meguiar’s MotorEX fell on the same weekend, they were both cracking events. The highlight of the Sydney deal for us was the inclusion of the Nostalgia Lane exhibition. Organised by Outkasts CC members Andy Colalillo and Sean Hagerty, the Lane brought together trad-style rods, customs and race cars in an orgy of old-school goodness. One car in particular got our hearts pumping – Joe Kurtovic’s blown 202-powered dragster (pictured top). The car has been built to meet IHRA-specs but maintain the profile a classic 60s digger. Smith Concepts added wild custom paint, but this thing ain’t no show pony – expect to see it on the track chasing records soon. As a nice contrast, there…

JUST the good ol’ boys, never meanin’ no harm. These words from the theme tune to the legendary late-70s/early-80s TV show The Dukes of Hazzard pretty much sums up its premise, and this 2005 movie adaptation brings a fresh spin to the iconic show – unlike some less-than-successful ‘reunion’ flicks with the original cast. In fictional Hazzard County, Georgia, cousins Bo and Luke Duke (Scott and Knoxville, respectively), are ripping through life one sideways corner at a time, running moonshine for their uncle Jesse (Nelson) and sweet-cheeked cousin Daisy (Simpson). Bo dreams of becoming a big name on the national stock car circuit in his beloved 1969 Dodge Charger, The General Lee, following in the footsteps of fellow local-boy-made-good, Billy Prickett (Roday). Prickett is in town as a drawcard for…

SWAPSIES I’M SURE you get a few of these, and here’s another one: How about an article on engine swapability? Maybe with a chart with stats like weight and rough size, standard power and tuneability, and engines from standards to oddballs – from the normal small-blocks and big-blocks (Hemis!) to turbo Japanese motors, big Chev diesels, Rover V8s, local sixes, etc. Going further, maybe have a regular column where you cover a more common car and swap options for it, like, say, first-gen Commodores and you could cover 202s, RB motors, the 5.0L, LS, Barra, etc. Explain how it’d fit, be cooled, and how to get it all working together. I have an HZ panel van that’s coming together nicely. I was originally thinking of installing a LandCruiser diesel seeing…

I’M GOING to let you in on a little secret: my first car was a TC Cortina, a 2.0-litre/four-speed version that I purchased for $1500 – the sum total of my hard-earned cash from working at my parents’ car wash over the summer holidays. It had a brown interior and a bit of rust in the quarters, but what sold me was the graphic equaliser. Fancy! The stunning machine you see here started life in a similar fashion, the first car David Xuereb ever purchased, as a 14-year-old from a car yard on Sydney’s Parramatta Road. “I drove it home behind the old man, who was in the truck,” David recalls. “It was a 250 XL that was a tan colour, but we used to call it something else: baby-poo…

FOR once, the weather gods smiled on Melbourne and turned on a perfect weekend for this year’s Meguiar’s MotorEx. With close to 300 vehicles on display in the pavilions, the clear skies and sunny outlook dragged another 400 or so out of hiding to line the boulevard and main arena as part of the Rare Spares Real Street display. Officially there were 708 entrants; that’s a hell of a lot of cool things to look at, and only two days to do it! When it was announced that Out There Productions – the owners of Summernats – were taking over MotorEx, people wondered out loud on social media: would it turn into a burnout show? Well, no, not exactly, although there were a few tyres killed during the drift displays,…

SO YOU want to do a chop-top? Great! But be warned, it’s one of the most complicated processes in the craft of street machining. When viewed from above, a car’s A-, B- and C-pillars lean in toward the centre of the roof as well as backwards/forwards, so to bring the turret sheet-metal closer to the floor, the pillars’ angles must change. Some chopped cars can use a standard windscreen, with the car’s A-pillars laid back into the turret at a shallower angle. But in the case of an EK, the distinctive upright A-and B-pillars – and the door frames – remain vertical. No matter what the car, bringing the roof down and retaining good-looking proportions usually means the roof skin must be made wider. This can be achieved by adding…

THIS sweet S-Series Valiant was put together as a father/son effort by Phil and Mike Roycroft from Perth. They must know what they’re doing, as it went together pretty quickly, taking around a year from go to whoa. Of course, it helps if your son has inherited the Mopar madness and has an old Valiant or two lying around, and, as Mike was so involved in the build, who better to tell the car’s story? I’ll let him take it from here. “My dad has always had a fascination with this particular model, ever since he was young. He has owned lots of different Valiants as daily drivers over the years, but has never managed to own an S-Series. Once he retired, he decided it was time to buy himself…

JOHN BAGSHAW PUSHED FOR THE INCLUSION OF THE CHEV-SOURCED 327 V8 TO ENSURE THE MONARO WOULD BE COMPETITIVE AGAINST THE FALCON GT PRIOR to July 1964, the local GM-H design department existed in little more than a tin shed, with Detroit handling the bulk of the styling requirements. The opening of the Fishermans Bend Technical Centre changed all that; Holden design had a swank new home, headed by new Director of Design Joe Schemansky, fresh from Pontiac. Amongst the young blood to take up residency in Australia was Ed Taylor, who arrived in November 1964 having just finished styling the Oldsmobile Cutlass. Although Taylor was only at Holden for eight months, he left an indelible mark on its muscle car future. Leo Pruneau, still based in the USA, oversaw creation…

WORK on the HQ sedan, wagon and Statesman began in April 1968, with commercial and Monaro variants following soon after. The famous Leo Pruneau replaced project lead John Schinella in June 1969, while under them, Assistant Chief Designer Phil Zmood was replaced by Peter Nankervis after Zmood left to lead the LH Torana project. Peter Arcadipane, who went on to design Ford’s beloved Concorde show van, was also among the HQ styling team. With so much talent, is it any wonder the HQ was a success? Pruneau worked on the nose cone, settling on three variants; a simple design for the Belmont/Kingswood/ Monaro, quad-headlights for the Premier/Monaro LS, and a Pontiac-style split grille for the Statesman. With the Monaro’s front styling inextricably linked with that of the sedan, the team…

SOME FELT THE FINAL GTS SEDAN PALED IN COMPARISON TO THOSE THAT WORE THE FAMED BADGE PRIOR, BUT IT WAS A DIFFERENT BEAST FOR A CHANGING TIME THE HZ brought Holden’s final iteration of the Monaro, albeit with no products actually bearing the revered name, with the four-door sedan trading solely on the GTS moniker. It remained available with both the 4.2- and 5.0-litre V8s until June 1978, when Holden dropped the smaller engine. Budget was tight for revisions; money and time had been squandered on the stillborn WA project before it was canned and the business became preoccupied in de-Opel-ifying the VB Commodore, which was due for release in November 1978. The HZ did receive a couple of significant upgrades; including four-wheel disc brakes as standard, as well as…

ALICE Springs is going to rumble to the beat of some of Australia’s coolest and craziest cars this Father’s Day long weekend as the fourth Red CentreNATS takes over the outback city. Between Thursday 30 August and Sunday 2 September the Summernats crew, in association with the Northern Territory Government, is putting on a killer show packed with activities that allow entrants to use their cars in a fun environment, and give spectators the chance to see these amazing machines being cruised, raced and enjoyed. The whole event takes place in a 12km radius, between Lasseters Centre Of Entertainment (93 Barrett Drive) in Alice Springs itself, the Blatherskite Park facility (Len Kittle Drive, Ilparpa) 3km out of town, and Alice Springs Inland Dragway a further 8km down the Stuart Highway.…

I CAN’T BELIEVE I RAN 9.87@141MPH WITH A TRIMATIC, OFF THE FOOTBRAKE, AND WITH ONLY 5PSI OFF THE LINE! WHILE the VL Commodore is as Aussie as Hawkey slugging schooners at the cricket, the fact a Nissan 3.0-litre single-cam inline-six propelled them was controversial for many back in the day. However, over the past 30 years many have grown to love the insane power that can be extracted from these Japanese donks, while keeping everything under the bonnet and retaining good street manners. One such punter is Queenslander Nathan Dyson, who carries the keys to this sedate-looking VL Commodore SL. Don’t be fooled, though, as the Ice Blue machine has gone as quick as 9.87@141mph! “I had an R31 drift car that had a ’cage and was pretty quick, but…

OUR Aussie take on Hot Rod’s iconic Drag Week event will come of age this year, with 270 entrants set to roll into Calder Park Raceway in Victoria on 11 November for Street Machine Drag Challenge 2018. The event started with just 18 cars in 2014 and has grown each year, but this year’s field is simply massive. We’re not sure why this year’s entries have jumped so high – compared to 150-odd cars entered last year – but it may simply be that the car/family/finances planets have finally aligned for those who may have wanted to enter in the past, but couldn’t quite make it happen. In any case, we’re stoked that so many folks have made the commitment to enter Australia’s toughest street car event. Tough? We’re talking…

20 JUN, LEPPINGTON, NSW Old Farts & Shift Workers Midweek Rod Run, Lockies Hotel. Contact Ronnie on 0459 797 379. 23 JUN, MOORABBIN EAST, VIC Resto Country Open Day & Car Show, 45 Levanswell Road. Contact (03) 9532 5806. 23-24 JUN, WILLOWBANK, QLD Two Days Of Thunder, Queensland Raceway. Visit qldraceways.com.au. 24 JUN, CASTLE HILL, NSW Rattle ’n’ Hum Car Show, Castle Hill RSL. Contact Tony Outal on (02) 8865 5103. 24 JUN, ROWVILLE, VIC Rats, Tatts & Pinups, Stamford Hotel. Contact Stamford Hotel on (03) 9764 4488 or visit the Kingpin Kuztums Facebook page. 01 JUL, COFFS HARBOUR, NSW Show ‘n’ Shine for Blood Cancer, Coffs Harbour Leagues Club. Contact Sarah Hozack on (02) 9902 2222. 01 JUL, PRAIRIEWOOD, NSW Blacktown Swap Meet, Fairfield Showground. Contact Neville on 0403…

I WAS TOLD THAT 99 PER CENT OF THE PARTS WERE THERE, BUT WHEN I GOT THE CAR HOME A LOT OF THE HARD-TO-FIND PARTS HAD BEEN PILFERED! FEWER cars are dearer to the hearts of Australians than the Holden Monaro. The HK was the first two-door Aussie muscle car, and it was bold, brash and unequivocally gorgeous. It won Bathurst and Wheels Car of the Year in 1968 – 50 years ago now – and present-day values in excess of $300,000 are indicative of the strength and scope of the Monaro legend. Fortunately for Shaun Braybrook, he got hold of his HK GTS in 1997 – long before prices headed for the stratosphere. “I bought it from Canberra after a mate showed me the ad in the Trading Post,”…

MOST parents are against the idea of their offspring spending heaps of cash on cars. Not so with Scott Reeves; it was actually his dad’s suggestion to build the brutal XY Falcon street/strip weapon you see here. “Dad and I were wondering around Tuff Street at Summernats; I was focussing on the Capris as I wanted to get one to build into a tough street car,” Scott begins. “Dad suggested: ‘Instead of buying another car, why don’t we build up my ute instead?’” The ute in question was Scott’s dad Robert’s neat GS lookalike, complete with 351 Clevo, C4 and 12-slots. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Scott promptly took him up on his offer. Tough cars need plenty of rubber, a big engine, and loads…

PROPORTION. Profile. Stance. With teams of stylists and designers beavering away on those critical aspects of a new car’s appearance, most car makers usually get it right. Not always – but usually. A good Aussie example: Holden/GM style bloke Mike Simcoe can still take a bow for the V2 Monaro he outlined on his loungeroom wall. But when they get it wrong – well, Google ‘Pontiac Aztek’ to see what we mean. Ford’s AU Falcon Forte is a closer-to-home example. And some custom car builders – and we use that term loosely – have got it waaay wrong over the years! There’s nothing wrong with this EK Holden pano, though. Its slice-and-splice of a classic sedan delivery style is awesome, and with those squat windowless sides, it has a boldness…

HEATHCOTE PARK HOSTS 150 OF THE GENERAL’S FINEST FOR THE 2018 HOLDEN NATIONALS facility, including mowing the lawns and replacing any blown globes around the track and pits. All that hard yakka and careful planning paid off with an event that ran like clockwork. In fact, it ran so smoothly that even with a bingle and a couple of oil-downs on the Saturday, the show was still bang on schedule at the end of the night. Key to Todd’s smooth operation of the event was the class breakdown and the Dial-Your-Own rules used. Entrants were separated by engine configuration into four classes: Holden N/A, Holden Boosted, LS Boosted and Outlaw. Everyone got three qualifying passes then it was straight into eliminations, and most class winners ended up with four or…

THE HJ model introduced revised front sheet-metal, including vertical front indicators and a larger, rectangular grille at the insistence of former Holden boss Max Wilson, who was then director of the Asia-Pacific region. The new shape was intended to square off the rounded edges of the HQ, which were a cause for concern prior to release. Due to money and time constraints caused by the unfinished HV update, there was little left in the budget, meaning the Monaro coupe did not receive the revised tail treatment applied to the sedan. The base Monaro was dropped altogether, leaving the Monaro LS as the sole six-cylinder offering; with the 202 becoming the 3.3 in light of the national switch to metric measurements. The 253 and 308 V8s were rebranded as 4.2 and…

THE NEW COUPE RECEIVED TWO NEW MODEL NAMES; THE UNPOPULAR AND SHORT-LIVED CV6 FOR THE SUPERCHARGED V6, AND CV8 FOR THE SS-ALIGNED, LS-POWERED V8 THE birth of the next-generation Monaro is an oft-repeated tale that remains a recent memory for many enthusiasts. A small band of Holden designers, working in secret, conspired to create a coupe from the stylish VT Commodore. Peter Hughes doodled several coupes early in the sedan’s development, noting that the new Commodore’s shape leant itself naturally to the two-door treatment. Design boss Mike Simcoe felt the same. He created a realistic ‘tape’ drawing on his loungeroom wall then commissioned clay modeller Arthur Radziszewski to produce a scale model to ensure the proportions were right. The concept was convincing enough for Simcoe; he just needed support within…

SLEEPERS are the happening thing right now: A massive powerplant lurking beneath the veneer of a factory, potentially patina-covered body, usually rounded off with hubcapped stockies, venetians and a nanna rug for effect. Yet in a break from tradition, Simon Murran may have built the ultimate sleeper; a 1980s-spec VK Commodore police car with LS power up front! I’D ALWAYS FANCIED THE YELLOW EX-POLICE CARS AFTER OWNING ONE 20 YEARS AGO “Hardly anyone builds ex-cop cars,” Simon says of the unusual concept for his VK. “And I’d always fancied the yellow ex-police cars after owning one 20 years ago.” Not that Simon jumped to the full-blown, face-smacking livery straight off the bat; instead, he started with a more traditional approach. “I bought the VK SL BT1 as a rolling body…

THE CHRYSLER ROYAL FLASHING IS FROM MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER’S TIME WORKING AT THE CHRYSLER FACTORY. IT’S PART OF HIS HISTORY WITH THE CAR, SO WE DECIDED TO KEEP IT WE CAUGHT up with Cara Pearson on Holden’s final day of manufacturing in October last year. Throngs of enthusiasts gathered at the Holden factory in Elizabeth with their Lion-badged rides for a teary farewell to their maker. Parked in a prime position was Cara’s crisp FE, dubbed George after her late great-grandfather. Having taken out Best In Show at the one-off Holden Dream Cruise the weekend prior, Cara was still on a high and keen to share with us the remarkable story of her ’57. Tell us about your Dream Cruise win. I was quite surprised to be one of the 100…

CHRIS ROSSI HOLDEN LC TORANA “IT ALL started as a youngster. My dad was into early Holdens and he decided to take on an HR ute as a father/ son project. We completed a full restoration on it, and I drove it while I was on my Ps. Years later, the time had come for me to build my own car. I really liked the shape of the LC Toranas, so after months of searching I found what looked to be a solid shell. But when I started stripping it down I found it was full of bog and chicken wire hiding all the rust. But I decided to persist, so I taught myself how to weld and got into the metalwork, creating new front outer and inner guards, new…

AS A QUEENSLAND police constable first class in the mid-60s, the late Neville Parsons served his community walking the beat, conducting forensic mechanical inspections and training police cadets as a driving instructor. His prior trade background as a motor mechanic equipped him with the skills to conduct forensic mechanical inspections on cars, bikes and trucks throughout Brisbane and its surrounds. His passion for cars saw Neville collate hundreds of amazing inspection photographs into a large album that his wife, June, has kindly shared with SM. We appreciate that some of these pictures are graphic in nature, but they offer a true snapshot of early car design and an amazing insight into what cars filled our roads back in this era. 01: THIS Ford Prefect 105E was flipped on its side…

Story Dave Carey IT’S been 50 years since the Monaro blew the minds of conservative Aussie motorists. Developed from a few scrawls on the wall of Holden’s then-new Technical Centre, awards and accolades quickly followed its release, with the new coupe taking out Wheels magazine’s Car of the Year award in 1968, and winning Bathurst two years on the trot. Initially lean and lithe, the Monaro aged like Elvis, getting fatter as the years went on. The coupe bowed out in 1976 as a special-edition, Caprice-inspired luxury liner, with the Kingswood-based GTS sedan living on until 1978. The Monaro legend went from go to whoa in just over a decade, but a quarter of a century later, it returned, an automotive Lazarus, conquering the globe and garnering a new generation…

HOLDEN’S NEW TRI-MATIC THREE-SPEED AUTO SLID INTO THE RANGE LATE IN THE HT’S RUN THE HG Monaro range received the usual upgrades, including an ABS plastic grille and new tail-lights, but by 1970, the sheen was dulling from Holden’s hero coupe. Sales were flagging, and although John Bagshaw had a 360-horsepower Camaro Z28 V8 backed by a Muncie four-speed fitted to a test car, the performance focus within the company had shifted to the smaller, lighter Torana GTR XU-1. The focus on luxury meant the GTS received softer, Kingswood-spec spring rates underneath, while externally the stripe package remained available but became optional. Disc brakes became standard fitment on V8-optioned cars for the first time, although the NSW Government had made them a legislative requirement from 1969. Aside from the GTS…

THE coupe returned for its luxury-laden swan song, sans Monaro badging, with Caprice-spec burl walnut dashboard veneer and red plaid trim lifted from the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Deliberately evoking the candy apple red, Ferrari-powered Pontiac Pegasus concept car of 1971, Leo Pruneau required the LE be slathered in a metallic maroon hue mixed especially by paint stylist Don Frew, with contrasting gold pinstriping running atop the guards and doors, finishing in unique LE decals. Mixing luxury with sports, the LE received a GTS front air dam, rear spoiler and vents pressed into each guard. The sunroof, rear disc brakes and centre console-mounted power window switchgear of the original HJ prototype did not make production, but 14-inch gold polycast wheels, air con, power steering, full instrumentation and door-mounted power window switchgear…

THE final Monaro variant owed much to the US model it created, as many changes that had been made for the Pontiac GTO were directed back into the VZ Monaro range. A deeper front bumper and grille set-up better reflected the VZ sedan range, while the headlights and bonnet were pure GTO. Engineers aligned the Monaro’s fuel tank position with the Pontiac version. Although this was done for legislative purposes in the USA, the trickle-down benefit was that the Monaro could wear the GTO’s beefy new twin-exhaust system. The 2005 VZ CV8-Z became the Monaro’s theoretical swan song, packed with upgrades like sunroof and lairy stripes. Mike Simcoe’s autograph adorned the final example, which subsequently sold for charity for over $187,000. However, the Monaro lived on, if not in name,…

JASON Dillon drew a deep breath and hit the ‘Buy’ button on a 1969 Camaro. That’s when the anxiety set in. “Almost immediately, I started second-guessing the decision, even questioning if the car actually existed,” he says. “I bought it sight-unseen off Racing Junk. A local mechanic was selling it on behalf of a lady who had lost her husband several years earlier. I knew it needed a bit, but I got it at a great price.” WE JOKED THAT THE LIGHT LEAKING THROUGH ALL THE RUST HOLES WAS LIKE LOOKING UP AT THE NIGHT SKY! Much to Jason’s relief, a lime-green pony car eventually made its way across the big pond and landed in his driveway. Once it was safely parked in its new Canberra home, Jason gathered the…

WAYNE Lineker’s ’68 Chevy C10 will be one of the nicest full-size American pick-ups on Aussie roads once it is finished. Aside from the cammed-up, boosted LSA and six-speed auto, the short-bed commercial rocks a host of frame upgrades to make it ride sweet and handle sharply. THE ORIGINAL C10 CHASSIS IS NOW A THING OF BEAUTY THANKS TO PORTERBUILT LOWERED CROSSMEMBER ASSEMBLIES FRONT AND REAR The original C10 chassis is now a thing of beauty thanks to Porterbuilt Dropmember lowered crossmember assemblies front and rear, with their inner frame-strengthening members. These computer-designed parts can be ordered straight from the Porterbuilt website to three different potential ride heights and in a variety of formats: bolt-in or weld-in; to suit air suspension or coil springs; trailing arm or four-link; two-piece or…

“ I BUILT THE OLD 434CI SMALL-BLOCK MYSELF AND I THINK I SPENT $20K ON IT, BUT THIS LS COST ME AROUND $11K TO MAKE DOUBLE THE POWER! ” IT TAKES guts to cut up a genuine big-block, four-speed ’67 Chevy Camaro, but Queensland’s Ben Taylor wasn’t exactly blown away by the stock 396ci rat under the bonnet of his Butternut Yellow example. “Yeah, the old steam-powered big-block didn’t really cut it,” he says. “For a while it had a 434ci small-block that went 10.40s, but I just couldn’t ignore the power-per-dollar factor of a turbo LS.” The vinyl-roofed sleeper now packs a budget-built 6.0-litre LS2 from a VZ Commodore, inflated by a huge 88mm Turbonetics snail. On 18psi and with a gutful of E85, it has made 800rwhp, though…

01 COVER ART RACING Series accessories are the latest addition to Edelbrock’s line of engine dress-up gear. Made from heavy-gauge die-cast aluminium, these valve covers feature a sleek look, with textured matte black paint finish with diamond-cut raised racing stripe and Edelbrock Racing logo. They are available for small-block Chevys in both low and tall profiles, and also for small-block Ford applications. The tall profile valve covers are designed to clear most roller rockers and valvetrain components, while the low profile versions are designed to clear all air conditioning units, alternator brackets and aluminium rockers. Overall height is measured from gasket flange to top at the highest point. For more information, contact Eagle Auto Parts on 1300 432 453 or visit eagleautoparts.com.au. 02 FILTER UP VALVOLINE oil filters follow the…

GOOD BAIT A MAN’S wife goes missing while holidaying on the coast. He spends a terrible night wondering what could have happened to her. Next morning there’s a knock at the door and he is confronted by a couple of pretty miserable policemen, the old sergeant and a younger constable. The sergeant says: “Sir, we have some news for you – unfortunately some really bad news, but also some good news and some really good news.” “Okay,” says the man. “What’s the bad news?” The sergeant says: “I’m terribly sorry, sir, but your wife is dead. Young Bill here found her lying at a depth of about nine metres in a little cleft in the reef. He got a line around her and we pulled her up, but she was…

THIS 427ci fat-block started life as a GM ZZ427 crate motor, but when owner David Jones had Powerhouse Engines run it up on the engine dyno, he was somewhat disillusioned with the number it produced. “It made 500hp, and we thought: ‘Nah!’” David laughs. “The car was coming together really well, and 500hp wasn’t going to cut it, so John [Pilla of Powerhouse Engines] came up with a combo that he thought would make around the 700hp mark on pump gas.” Retaining the GM four-bolt block, crank, balancer and rocker covers, Johnny binned everything else in the hunt for grunt. In went a set of Callies Compstar rods and custom Diamond pistons, with compression bumped to 12:1. The camshaft is a Cam Motion tight-lash solid-roller, offering 0.750in of valve lift…