Innehållsförteckning för January 2016 från Street Machine

HEY guys! Telfo’s away in Japan for Mooneyes, so I’m sitting in the big chair this month, and with 77 pages of Street Machine Drag Challenge coverage in this bumper 244-page issue, I want to talk about how our epic drag racing adventure started. When Hot Rod magazine in the States came up with the Drag Week concept back in 2005, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Driving from track to track and living off the land; it was like the movie Two-Lane Blacktop brought to life. But then, driving long distances to drag strips and racing has never been a foreign concept to me. Back in the 90s I used to my daily-driver V8 Valiant from Sydney up to the old Performance Street Car Shootouts at Willowbank,…

20 DEC, NEWCASTLE, NSW Lost in the 50s Open Day, Cameron Park. Contact Glen (02) 4955 2445. 20 DEC, SPRINGVALE, VIC Tigersoft Performance Custom Cars & Coffee, Sandown Racecourse. Contact 0438 022 288. 28 DEC, CLAREMONT, TAS Day For Dave 2015, Rumblers Clubrooms, 99 Main Road. Contact Andrew 0417 526 698. 31 DEC, DUBBO, NSW Cars Under the Stars Motorshow, Caltex Park, Cobra Street. Contact Charlie 0428 683 301. 03 JAN, DRYSDALE, VIC Drysdale Autopro Classic Car Show, Drysdale Recreation Reserve. Contact 0439 282 964. 07-10 JAN, CANBERRA, ACT Summernats 29, Exhibition Park. Contact (02) 6241 8111. 08-10 JAN, PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC 14th Annual Kustom Nationals 2016, Phillip Island Circuit. Contact Chopper (03) 9796 2251. 10 JAN, BALLINA, NSW North Coast Street Machines 26th Annual Show ’n’ Shine, Ballina Rugby…

HERO OR HERETIC? IN THE December mag we featured Jon Freni’s XW Fairmont. With its low-down stance, tasty Lime Frost paintjob, white GS stripe and Cortina hubcaps, it’s definitely a cool thing, but it’s under the bonnet where things get really interesting. Look away now, Blue Oval fans – Jonni’s gone to the dark side and powered his XW with an LS1. Talk about stirring up a hornets’ nest! Lee Hill – I like it, but at least mine is still powered by a stout Windsor. Richard Stalling – I’m sorry guys; this guy has just ruined a lovely car. What a dickhead for putting an LS in it. I read the article and the reason behind it was he wanted to save on fuel – well you would have…

SINCE the launch of the FX Holden in 1948, General Motors-Holden had built a reputation for producing solid, reliable but rather dull family cars. That all changed in June 1968 with the launch of the HK Holden range, which included a new two-door coupe that set pulses racing. The new Monaro, as it was called, was a stunner, even in base-model six-cylinder trim, but the high-performance GTS 327 added menacing intent. And beneath those special badges and racy stripes beat the heart and soul of an American V8 muscle car with a fully imported engine/transmission package designed with Bathurst in mind. Other high-performance Monaros followed and continued the breed’s success, writing their own chapters in the long competition history of this local muscle car legend. THE GTS 327 was powered…

WHEN THE SMOKE AND RED DUST SETTLED IT WAS AN ALL-WEST AUSSIE PODIUM, WITH JUSTEN BROWN TAKING THE WIN A FL Grand Final day may not have been the best time to put on a burnout comp in Western Australia, especially when one of the local teams – the West Coast Eagles – was playing. Fortunately, a lot of people don’t really give a shit about the footy, so they made the trek up to Bindoon Extreme Park to see some of the best guys in the tyre-killing business put on a show. Bindoon is a little over an hour north of Perth. The last time I was up there was in 1987 for the second Bindoon Rock Festival – I’ve still got the T-shirt to prove it. The place…

THIS car has been reborn more than once. It started life as a white VK Calais V8 – the luxury model favoured by well-to-do retirees. At some stage it was reborn as a racer, with a solid-cam, nitrous-sniffing heart transplant. And then it was given the Brocky replica look with a bodykit and Formula Blue paint. That’s the state it was in when James England got hold of it five years ago. “It was a 308 ‘Blue Meanie’ replica that I bought off a guy that used to race it” the West Australian says. “I just buffed it up and made it look pretty – lowered it, put some wheels and tint on it, and drove it every weekend.” The catalyst for this latest incarnation started with a very public…

01 INJECTION PERFECTION GONE are the complications of upgrading to EFI. Now, using Quick Fuel Technology’s self-tuning QFI system, anyone can install an EFI in a single arvo. At the heart of the QFI system is an innovative throttlebody assembly that bolts on to any 4150-style intake manifold. Enjoying the driveability, fuel mileage, and cold-start benefits of EFI has never been easier. For a detailed explanation of how the system works, call APD on (08) 8363 5566. 02 BOOST JUICE GIVE your rig the performance edge it needs by picking up a Turbosmart e-BoostHP, a self-contained electronic boost controller capable of handling up to 120psi of boost. It can also control water spray, methanol or nitrous injection, manage shift/warning lights and read/monitor revs. 120psi? Hells yeah! Give Turbosmart a buzz…

WIN! WIN one of three Eagle One gift packs, including Wax-As-U-Wash, 20/20 Glass Cleaner, Wax-As-U-Dry, Nevr-Dull Wadding Polish and Wipe & Shine Detailer. See www.eagleone.com.au for info! MIKE REILLY HOLDEN HR PANEL VAN READERS with long memories will recall Mike Reilly as the owner of a white LJ Torana that was featured as an 11-Second Street Animal way back in SM, Dec ’81/Jan ’82. The car later dipped into the 10s in street trim, but these days Mike gets around in something a little more sedate. “A year ago I bought this ’67 HR van as a ground-up resto, so I could use it for the occasional swap meet and car cruise. It runs a 186 six-banger, with a four-speed Opel gearbox and LSD rear end. The van is basically…

IT’S TIME to crank up the horsepower again. Welcome to your Summernats 29 survival guide. We had a quick chat to Summernats co-owner Andy Lopez about what’s planned this year. What’s new for this year? Well, the burnout pad cruise session is back on Thursday and Friday. That’ll give non-burnout entrants a chance to stretch their legs on the Summernats burnout pad; but it’s not for big burnouts. We don’t want guys who haven’t passed inspection for burnout competition going too hard. Safety first, that’s fair enough. We hear there are more cars for the Summernats City Cruise this year? That’s right. We’ve got 300 cars in the city cruise this time and the ACT Government is really getting behind it this year. We’re going to see some wilder blown…

RUN your eyes down the APSA Top 10 lists and you’ll see that Anthony Visintin currently sits in True Street’s number five spot, but he’s looking to move up the list real soon. His wheelstanding XE Falcon has been one of the most spectacular cars in the class over the past year or so, but the engine you see here isn’t the blue Falcon’s latest donk; it’s one Anthony built for a mate. “I actually work for Burson Auto Parts” Anthony says. “I just do a few engines on the side. I’m not interested in slinging stockies together; I like to do the nicer stuff – top-shelf engines. “This one is a 423ci small-block Ford for Jimmy Stojkoski’s XA sedan. It was always designed to be a nitrous engine, so…

IT HAS been a busy couple of months for the lads at Castlemaine Rod Shop in Victoria. First we brought 50 of Australia’s toughest street cars down to their joint as part of Street Machine Drag Challenge. Then a few weeks later, they threw their doors open for their annual open day. Now, this wasn’t your average workshop open day. The event included mental burnout demos, workshop tours and a non-stop flow of cool cars arriving to take part in the show ’n’ shine in the church car park opposite. The current in-house projects on display included a Holden Rodeo fitted with an LS1 using a Rod Shop conversion kit, as well as a long-term project of CRS’s Heath Waddington: a bare-metal, full-chassis, twin-supercharged LS-powered LC Torana. It gets pulled…

BREAKDOWN VEHICLES: 1969 VF Valiant hardtop, 1970 VG Valiant hardtop, 1976 Alfa Romeo, 1960 Fiat 600, 1996 Ford LTD limousine, 1985 Ford Fairlane STARS: Nick Giannopoulos, Lucy Bell, Vince Colosimo, Geraldine Turner, Trent Huen, Hung Le, John Barresi, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Costas Kilias, Derryn Hinch DIRECTOR: Aleksi Vellis ACTION: Street cruising mixed with a line-locking game of chicken is about the extent of it, but Steve’s Valiant hardtop nonetheless takes a leading role PLOT: Likeable ‘wog boy’ Steve Karamitsis has his comfortable, stereotypical Greek life thrown into turmoil after being labelled a dole-bludger on national TV FOLLOWING the success of the TV sitcom Acropolis Now and stage shows Wog-ARama and Wogs Out Of Work, actor Nick Giannopoulos took his ‘wog’ franchise to the big screen with The Wog Boy, which he…

LOOK up ‘pro tourer’ in your Funk & Wagnalls Street Machine Edition and you’ll see a picture of Graham Laity’s Camaro. For anyone seeking further clarification as to REEMED’s pro touring credentials, let’s look at its stats: re-engineered and fully adjustable suspension; 500hp drysumped Z06 Corvette mill; Tremec Magnum six-speed gearbox; mile-wide rubber; Rushforth wheels; full-floater nine-inch; monster Wilwood brakes; deep Corbeau GTS buckets – get the gist? “I always wanted a Camaro since I saw a brand new one at the local Holden dealers in ’67 or ’68” says Graham, who resides in Bendigo, Victoria. “It was only a matter of time.” Via the magic of the interweb, Graham imported what was supposed to be a pretty reasonable ’69 SS. “For the money I paid, it wasn’t very good”…

LIKE SO MANY LONG-DISTANCE PURCHASES, NOT ALL WAS AS IT SEEMED; THE FUN AND GAMES STARTED WHEN THE CAR LANDED HAYDEN Ivers was on the lookout for a unique machine when he stumbled across this Wimbledon White Fairlane Thunderbolt reproduction online. He already had a Hertz Shelby Mustang replica, but it had lost its sheen. “It was fine to begin with, but it didn’t stand out any more” he explains. “I thought I’d better get something different – and tougher!” Hitting up Mr Google, Hayden found out that only around 100 Thunderbolts were made, specifically for homologation in the Super Stock drag racing class, and, importantly for him, it appeared that not many people were into replicating them – certainly not here in Oz. A few phone calls and a…

JIM Shack caught the bug relatively late. He was 20 years old before he saw his first hot rod in the metal. “I wanted to buy it but they were asking £800 and I was only earning £1.17s.6d. a week!” laughs Jim, a plumber by trade and Blue through and through. “I’ve always loved Fords” the West Australian enthuses. “I’m part-way through an XR GT, a project Mustang and have almost finished a 460-powered ’34 coupe – boy does that percolate!” Jim got sold on the idea of building his own replica of Ford’s 1960s Le Mans-winning hero car, the GT40, after taking a ride in one owned by mate Murray Buchan. It turned out that owning one was as easy as dial-a-pizza, thanks to Roaring Forties in Victoria, which…

WELL, it looks pretty darn good in the photos, but this stunning turquoise 1956 Ford Thunderbird very nearly didn’t happen. “It wasn’t much of a car when I got it” owner Vince Santoro says. “I was ready to send it to the tip on a tow truck” Vince has been into cars since he got a panel-beating apprenticeship nearly 40 years ago. In the time since, he’s owned a long list of muscle cars, all of them Fords. Until now, it was the Aussie stuff that caught his fancy, but he figured it was time to get into some American metal. He wasn’t particularly fussed which model, but then this ’56 T-bird popped up on eBay. “I just like to find something that’s worth building, as long as it’s a…

DAY ONE: CALDER PARK THE IDEA behind Street Machine Drag Challenge is pretty simple: Find Australia’s quickest true street car by getting a bunch of them to drive 1500km over average roads and race at five tracks along the way over five consecutive days. Last year was the first time we’d attempted anything so massive, with four tracks in four days and 1000km, and it was invite-only. This year we went all out, with more tracks, more driving and threw the entries open to anyone with a car quick enough. Over 140 people registered their interest, but when push came to shove only 49 had the guts to enter. Throw in Scotty with a borrowed VF HSV GTS and that made the entry list an even 50 cars. Of course,…

SEMANTICS A LAWYER runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a police officer. The officer asks for his licence. The lawyer asks: “What for?” “You didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign” the officer replies. “I slowed down, and no one was coming” the lawyer protests. “You still didn’t come to a complete stop. Licence please” says the officer impatiently. By now the lawyer is angry. “If you can show me the legal difference between slow down and stop, I’ll give you my licence and you can give me the ticket. If not, I don’t get a ticket and you let me go.” The officer says: “That sounds fair. Please exit your vehicle.” The lawyer steps out and the officer immediately takes out his nightstick…

SHIRTFRONT THIS year’s official Summernats T-shirt is a cracker, starring Bob Gallo’s XC coupe, Nathan Borg’s Datsun ute and Jody Vincitorio’s chopped HQ Monaro. This year’s Street Machine shirt is also pretty neat and features a blown and injected LS-based tower of power, with the artwork performed by Brett Jackson – the same dude who knocked up our rad Drag Challenge shirts this year. TICKETS ’NATS tickets are still the best-value car festival tickets in Australia, with all the good stuff included in the price. You can buy daily or season passes online through the Nats Club at www.summernats.com.au or rock up to the ticket boxes at Gate 2 or Gate 7. Tickets are always cheaper online than at the gates, so get in early. Online ticket holders also get…

GEORGE Barris passed away peacefully at home in California just a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday. Just a few months earlier he made the long trek to Australia to be guest of honour at MotorEx alongside tributes to many of his ‘Star Cars’, the TV and movie cars that most people knew him for: the Batmobile, Munster Koach and Drag-U-La, to name just a few. Those of us with a deeper interest in automotive history knew that George’s influence started well before then; in fact it went right back to the mid-40s. George’s older brother Sam served with the navy during WWII and once he was discharged, George pitched the idea to him that they start their own custom shop. While Sam became known as the master craftsman…

IT’S HARD to justify calling an XW Falcon a sleeper these days. Particularly if it’s painted Silver Fox and has a bright orange stripe down the side. Although this old bird isn’t meant to replicate the Bathurst brawlers of yore, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that it’s not exactly slow. But if we tell you this car seats six and runs a sub-10sec quarter with a full street exhaust and nothing poking out of the bonnet, you might begin to appreciate just how stealthy this combo really is. Marcus Howe is a mechanic by trade and runs his own workshop at St Helens on the east coast of Tassie. Like a lot of blokes of a certain age, he has a bit of a thing for XW/XY Falcons,…

THERE’S a good story here!” chuckles a bright and breezy Billy Shelton, owner of this in-the-build HQ Monaro. “It’s about how quickly you can go from the penthouse to the shithouse!” Billy might be happy enough now, but the tale he tells is one of punch-someone-in-the-face anguish and disappointment. Almost a decade ago, Billy’s SICKO Monaro scored the November 2007 cover of SM, and raked in literally hundreds of trophies, including a couple of MotorEx Superstar invites and a spot in the Street Machine Summernats Top 20. It’s a car he’s owned since he wasn’t far out of high school. “I’ve owned it for 22 years” he says. “I bought this when I was a young fella because I loved the shape of them; it was my dream car and…

THE 308 WAS STRETCHED TO 330 CUBES USING THE NOW-OLD-SCHOOL METHOD OF OFFSET-GRINDING THE STOCK CRANK WE ALL know that guy. The one who just likes what he likes and does his own thing, regardless of current trends or fads. To many of his mates, Garry Pointon is that guy, having dabbled with panel vans back in the late 80s and 90s when it was considered kinda weird. But like many seasoned high-roofers, Garry always knew he was on to a good thing. Now that panos are again a hot item, Garry’s silver HX Sandman is earning a new wave of fans drawn to its clean and understated looks. Crisp styling is rather unusual for a van – especially when you learn that this build is 18 years old –…

IF THERE’S a shred of you that gets a kick out of traditional hot rods or rough and slippery sand racing, then The Race Of Gentlemen may just live up to its billing as ‘the greatest race on earth’. Now in its fourth year, TROG – as it’s known to insiders – is bigger and better and grittier than ever. Arguably the largest vintage hot rod and motorcycle event on the USA’s east coast, TROG is held on the beachfront of Wildwood, New Jersey and attracts participants from across the mainland, as well as some diehards from as far away as Japan and Norway, to pit their skills and machines against the shifting track surface. The rules are simple: All cars must be pre-1935-bodied and all speed parts must have…

QUENTIN FEAST WINNING an event like Drag Challenge outright is a mighty tough ask, but Quentin Feast has managed it two years running in his turbo LS-powered Torana. “We’re just happy to do the event and make it to the end, but winning is the icing on the cake” he says. “I live for this stuff; I haven’t stopped thinking about it all year. I love driving the car, I love racing, and I love getting away with the boys and having a damn good week.” After replacing a transmission on day one, Quentin and the team managed to stay out of strife most of the week, and headed into the last day of competition leading by the slimmest of margins. “We got smashed by Terry [Seng] straight up with…

AFTER just one year of racing, Tim Cross has cemented a seemingly uncatchable lead in the world of 275 Radial, ahead of the Paramount Performance Commodore of Terry Seng and Steve Bezzina’s stunning Falcon. His last two meetings have seen him run in the 7.01-7.03sec region in the Dandy Engines-prepared, twin-turbo Cortina built at Pro Fab in Wollongong. The 450ci Windsor-headed small-block has nibbled away at the lead, from 7.80 on debut a year ago to a personal best of 7.01 at Willowbank a few months back. Pro Fab’s Joe Gauci has made refinements to the suspension and the Dandy lads have crept up on the tune and power delivery, to the point where the car is now set to dip into the sixes on 275s. “We currently have 37lb…

AS BIG as Friday is, Saturday invariably tops it. The Meguiar’s Pavilion is open all day until 4pm, giving everyone a chance to eyeball the show cars – and you’ll need it, as the Friday night gets pretty packed. The arena will also be packed with street-class cars, as well as the Miss Summernats competition from midday. The burnout eliminations run from 1pm until 4pm, when the Burnout Masters take the stage for their qualifying runs. Then as the sun sets, the arena starts to fill up in anticipation of the Supercruise – including many cars straight out of the Elite Top 60 and the Burnout Masters. The contenders for Grand Champion compete for points in the grass driving events in the middle of the oval, the Rare Spares Legend…

DAY four is crunch time for many of the big awards. The Grand Champion contenders have their final chance to prove themselves, this time in the Go-to-Whoa. The heads-up Go-to-Whoa entrants also have their finals. Over in the dyno cell, the Horsepower Heroes Shootout Finals run from 9am to midday. Will we see anyone crack 2000hp at the treads this time? While the Soundoff replaces the Top 60 in the Meguiar’s Pavilion, you can check out many of the best cars from the Top 60, Street and Tuff Street judging on display from 9.30am in the Vibrance Supreme show at Central Park. Don’t miss the Grand Champion award ceremony on the burnout pad at 12.30pm, followed by the fury of the Burnout Championships finals and the Burnout Masters Top 10…