Innehållsförteckning för February 2019 från Street Machine

THE Cougar Cave was back bigger than ever at Street Machine Summernats 32, after a successful first run in 2018. The Cave is one of those classic ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ ideas – transforming an under-utilised space into the coolest place to be at the ’Nats. The pop-up bar is perfectly positioned, with the new Skid Row on one side and the main arena on the other, providing punters with a shady spot to escape the heat and still enjoy the action. Besides icy-cold cans of Cougar, the Cave was decked out with misting fans, pool tables, arcade games, a DJ and big screens keeping everyone up to date with the cricket. The Cougar crew had plenty of giveaways as well, including sombreros and mullet headbands galore! None…

PIXAR’s Cars films may not have the ground-breaking ingenuity of some of the animation studio’s other efforts like Up! or Inside Out, but they’ve always been sincere and entertaining. On that front, Cars 2 is no different, but sadly the sentimentality and heart that made the first and third films so appealing is mostly absent, and it contains far too much of ‘lovable’ tow-truck Tow Mater, who might be a kiddies’ favourite but irritates the living piss out of most adults. In Radiator Springs, four-time Piston Cup champion car Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is planning to take a sabbatical in the racing off-season to spend some time with the lovely Sally Carrera (Hunt). But he can’t refuse the challenge of the World Grand Prix series, if only to silence the rapid-fire…

SOMETIMES you’ve just got to be in the right place at the right time, and for Clifford Hoad, that place was the Pomona Swap Meet in 1991: “It was love at first sight. It was on the back of a trailer not running: a ’65 two-door Dodge Coronet pillarless coupe, my favourite two-door Mopar inspired by the original Dick Landy altered-wheelbase Dodge,” he recalls. “I said to the guy selling it: ‘I’d love to put a Hemi in it like Dick Landy’s.’ He said: ‘I know Dick Landy; if you buy the car I’ll take you around to meet him.’” At the time, Cliff was living in the US and touring with his band Kings Of The Sun, so he had all of the mechanical work on the car performed…

The Street Machine Summernats 32 Grand Champion is Rick Werner and his 1932 Ford pick-up. It’s a ripper win for the bloke who had a crack at Summernats’ ultimate award last year but had his chance messed up by a loose distributor that stalled his engine during the driving events. This year’s win came as a bit of a shock and a great source of pride to the Gold Coast-based rodder, who built his hot rod around a fibreglass body, hand-built chassis and blown 383ci Chev small-block. He spent the past 12 months putting 7000km on the clock to eradicate any potential issues before having a go at Grand Champ again, this time coming out on top.…

THE first-ever Just Cuts Mullet Comp saw 40 contenders take to the ’Nats Main Stage to battle their Tasmanian Waterfalls. The Junior Mullet trophy (for under-16s) was won by Soren ‘Pup’ Zenke from Byford, WA, while Adam Bezzina from Blacktown, NSW took home the trophy for Super Majestic Longest Mullet with a gorgeous pelt he has been cultivating for six-and-a-half years. The Mr Mullet trophy was awarded to James Barraclough from Griffith, NSW, while the Game Changer trophy for most original/impressive mullet went to Darren Gallaher from Yass, NSW. The four trophy winners then faced off for the Grand Mullet award, judged by who got the loudest cheer from the crowd. Little ‘Pup’ Zenke, just shy of his second birthday, took out the belt and the $1000 cash prize. SKID…

THE quality of the field in the Elite Top 60 Hall at Street Machine Summernats 32 was the strongest in recent memory. Punctuated by a record 17 brand-spanking-new unveil cars, there was plenty of fresh metal to admire. While a few standout performers claimed many of the awards, every single car in the hall was worthy of its spot, and there was something to suit all tastes. Robert Zahabi’s freshly unveiled ’70 Dodge Challenger was the star attraction, unveiled to an adoring public on Friday evening as part of the Great Meguiar’s Uncover, and romping it home at the presentation. It scored runner-up trophies in Top Undercarriage/Driveline, Top Engine Bay and Top Interior, and wins in Top Pro Touring, Top Bodywork and Artistic Expression, not to mention the all-important Master…

ALTHOUGH the Burnout Masters are regarded as the best of the best, there is nothing ordinary about the ‘regular’ Summernats Burnout Championship. For Summernats 32 every competitor in the comp beat on their car like it owed them money, and a huge field of tyre-fryers gave the crowd plenty of bang for their buck. After losing his original 3FIVE5 VK Calais to fire last year, Jono Kelly had the Summernats 32 burnout pad going off like a frog in a sock with a VK Blue Meanie tribute built in just eight months. Turning to almost 10,000rpm, the new VK boiled the hides with an amazing soundtrack courtesy of a 358ci dry-sumped Dodge NASCAR engine under the bonnet. Robert Cottrell’s blown, LS-powered XD Falcon 4DH8RS ended up collecting the walls of…

AN AWESOME addition to the Summernats 32 line-up was the Turbo versus Blower Challenge, pitting the Fabietti Racing ACDelco Monaro Pro Slammer against the Castle Hill Performance twin-turbo VT Commodore of Dale Heiler. Expectations of an awesome show were high, and neither team disappointed through the three rounds over three days. Maurice Fabietti’s 521ci blown alcohol Noonan-headed Hemi was surely the loudest car to ever run in the ’Nats Dyno Cell, blowing lights around and shaking the dust out of the rafters. However, while the ’Slammer was spectacular, it went down three times to the turbocharged VT, managing 2563hp on Friday, 2823.9hp on Saturday and 2992hp on Sunday. While it wouldn’t have been able to catch the Pro Slammer on a drag strip, Dale’s methanol-fuelled 540ci big-block Chev gapped the…

JOEL Blake’s been building and racing fast cars for a few decades, so it should come as no surprise that he could turn out this wicked white weapon without much fuss. He and his wife Kylie own Parry Road Performance, where they specialise in selling classic cars and accessories, so when it came to sourcing a new project they knew where to look. There’s a bit of an odd start to this story, though. “I used to hate HRs; I couldn’t stand them!” says Joel. “Then one day I saw one in factory colours, slammed on fat Welds with the air filter sticking out of the bonnet and I instantly wanted to build one.” A mate was selling an HR Prem rolling shell, so Joel bought that and booked it…

01 WIDEN YOUR HORIZONS CONTROLLING your air/fuel ratio is crucial for optimal engine safety and performance. The wizards at Haltech have released a new CAN Wideband O2 controller, which when paired with a Haltech Elite ECU, allows the system to continuously improve the tune through longterm learning strategies. The new unit is more compact, waterproof, easier to install, and uses an upgraded Bosch LSU 4.9 sensor. Visit haltech.com for more info. 02 WELL CHESTED THIS 36-inch, six-drawer SCA Tool Cabinet features a gloss-red industrial powdercoated finish, ball-bearing slides for smooth and easy drawer operation, and glossy aluminium drawer trims for a bit of bling. The top chest has recessed plastic handles, while the matching roller cabinet has powdercoated tubular handles. A central locking mechanism, metal lid stays, EVA-foam drawer liners…

SOUTH COAST RACEWAY 02 FEB Wild Bunch Wars southcoastraceway.com SYDNEY DRAGWAY 30 JAN Race 4 Real 06 FEB Race 4 Real 07 FEB Bike Night 13 FEB Race 4 Real 20 FEB Race 4 Real sydneydragway.com.au Phone (02) 9421 0700 WILLOWBANK 26 JAN Test ’n’ Tune 30 JAN Test ’n’ Tune 09 FEB Test ’n’ Tune 15 FEB Test ’n’ Tune 20 FEB Test ’n’ Tune willowbankraceway.com.au Phone (07) 5461 5461 HEATHCOTE RACEWAY 03 FEB Test ’n’ Tune/Burnout Practice 17 FEB Test ’n’ Tune/Burnout Practice heathcoteraceway.com.au Phone 0416 072 478 PERTH MOTORPLEX 27 JAN Nostalgias 30 JAN Boost Night 02 FEB Nitro Night 06 FEB Hour of Power 13 FEB Toyota Night 16 FEB WA Championships 20 FEB Steel Bumper Night motorplex.com.au BAIRNSDALE 26 JAN Drag N Skidz gippslandmotorplex.com SUNSET…

RON MCMILLAN & TANIA DODD 1972 HOLDEN HQ MONARO “WE PURCHASED this car from South Australia in 2008 and brought it back to its new home in Perth. It was originally a base-model six-cylinder car, but when we bought it, it was running a 350, T400 and nine-inch. In 2012 we made the big decision to do a bare-metal respray and Ron wanted to freshen up the engine, stroking it out to 383ci. It now also has four-wheel disc brakes and Black’s Racks steering, and rolls on American Racing Torq Thrust II rims. The air intake was sourced out of the USA so we wouldn’t have to cut a hole in the bonnet due to the high-rise manifold. We knew we wanted to do something a bit different with the…

THREE days into the New Year, a bunch of street machining legends and industry VIPs gathered at Canberra’s George Harcourt Inn for the Valvoline Street Machine Of The Year party. Held in the evening after the opening day of Summernats, the annual Thursday-night bash is a laidback affair with just a touch of pomp and ceremony. The roasting daytime weather gave way to a hot, clear night perfect for sampling the various ales the George Harcourt offers on tap. Valvoline even chucked on a beaut barbecue feed before the prize-giving and speeches got underway. First up were Rob, Julia and Jamie Starling to present the 2019 Laurie Starling Scholarship. Laurie was a bright light in the Australian car scene taken far too soon, but the scholarship for up-and-coming fabricators keeps…

26-27 JAN, KANDOS, NSW Kandos Street Machine & Hot Rod Show, Kandos Showgrounds. Visit facebook.com/kandosstreetmachine or contact (02) 6379 4066. 26-28 JAN, CARLTON, VIC 54th Victorian Hot Rod & Cool Rides Show, Royal Exhibition Building. Visit hotrod.com.au or call 0408 992 166. 26 JAN, NAROOMA, NSW Annual Narooma Motors Car & Bike Show, NATA Oval. Call Peter on (02) 4476 2080 or email admin@naroomamotars.com. 26 JAN, ST HELENS, TAS Wheels, Wine & Dine, Georges Bay Esplanade. Search Wheels, Wine & Dine on Facebook. 26 JAN, PORT MACQUARIE, NSW  Between The Vines Car Show, Cassegrain Winery. Search Between The Vines on Facebook. 26 JAN, GEELONG, VIC Chris's Classic Car Australia Day Meet, 235-237 Colac Rd. Search Facebook for more. 02 FEB, TRARALGON, VIC StrEATcars N Foodtrucks, Traralgon Showgrounds. Visit facebook.com/LVStreetMachiners. 02 FEB,…

LS THE world? Barra the world? Mopar the world? All Race Fabrications’ Bubba Medlyn said nuts to all of those and chose to strap twin turbos to a Holden 5.0-litre-based V8. The former Drag Challenge winner rewrote the history books when he smashed out a whopping 2483hp on the hub dyno to walk away comfortably with the Summernats 32 Horsepower Heroes title. We chucked up a link to the story on our Facebook page, and naturally the comments section lit up at the prospect of a 2400hp Holden 5.0. Here’s what you had to say. Tim Barwick – Whether or not you’re a Holden or Ford man, you have to appreciate the quality of the car, especially with massive horsepower like this. Ian Cope – What! You guys told me…

CRUISING in style is a favourite pastime for many petrolheads, and Adam Corry did just that for many years in his 1969 Ford Fairlane. But after years of daily-driving duties, Adam decided his ZC was in need of some love, sparking an intensive build to create the ultimate weekender. Adam had always wanted an Aussie Ford of this era since seeing a black-on-black one pull into a servo as a kid in New Zealand. Now a Sydney resident, Adam bought this car from the original owner roughly 15 years ago in Byron Bay and made it his daily driver, using it as a shopping trolley, for trips to the beach and even taking his heavily pregnant wife new-car shopping in the middle of summer with no air con – something…

AUSTRALIA has reclaimed its rightful title as the burnout masters of the world, putting 126 cars on the pad at Street Machine Summernats 32 to reclaim the Guinness World Record for Largest Simultaneous Burnout. Last year the Saudi Arabians took the record from us with a simultaneous skid featuring 119 cars. Naturally, proud Aussie street machiners weren’t about to cop that, and at midday on Friday 4 January, nearly 130 Summernats entrants officially reclaimed the title. Street Machine deputy editor Scotty Taylor got a last-minute call-up in the Turbo Taxi to take part, but he had to ‘borrow’ a concrete barrier when the Falcon wouldn’t hold on the footbrake.…

WITH HORROR-movie murals laid over its black flanks and distinctive 1960s Mercedes and LC Torana lights, Pat Fay’s Humpy Mekka hearse-themed FJ Holden panel van is instantly recognisable as an icon of 1970s vanning and street machining. Pat and the FJ were regulars at early Summernats and, as well as being an entrant, Pat sold old-school speed equipment. Pat passed away in 2013, before the van could be returned to its former glory, but thanks to an idea from multiple Grand Champion Peter Fitzpatrick, this iconic Aussie panel van is to be restored by trade students at the Canberra Institute of Technology.…

MIKE KING ’64 FORD FALCON COUPE CRAIG MCKENZIE ’67 HOLDEN HR UTE Top Pro Street CHRIS PALAZZO ’78 FORD XC FALCON COUPE 3rd Top Bodywork Outstanding Engineered Pro Touring GLENN STARR ’74 HOLDEN TORANA SEDAN 2nd Top Standard Paint 2nd Top Sedan RICK WERNER ’32 FORD PICK-UP DEAN WILSON ’37 PLYMOUTH COUPE 3rd Top Engine Bay Top Special Effects Paint Outstanding Engineered Hot Rod Top Closed Hot Rod TONY WILSON ’32 FORD MODEL B TUDOR 3rd Top Undercarriage/ Driveline 3rd Top Interior 2nd Top Closed Hot Rod DAVID XUEREB ’73 FORD CORTINA SEDAN Top Undercarriage/ Driveline Top Engine Bay Top Interior Top Standard Paint Top Sedan ROBERT ZAHABI ’70 DODGE CHALLENGER COUPE 2nd Top Undercarriage/ Driveline 2nd Top Engine Bay Top Bodywork 2nd Top Interior Top Pro Touring Artistic Expression…

THE Summernats 32 Burnout Masters title was a knock-’em-down, drag-’em-out affair that saw the Myers family reach a new level as a genuine dynasty in the Aussie burnout scene. Jake Myers, the son of Summernats icon Gary, took home the cherries this year, winning the Burnout Masters competition in emphatic style in his blown Windsor-powered ’66 Mustang – the same car Gary used to build the Myers burnout legend. Jake already has numerous burnout competition wins to his name, but this was his first Masters win – the perfect way to kick off his 2019. “This is what I’ve been trying to get for four years now,” Jake said. “Dad has won the Masters twice now, and I’ve been trying for four years. I had a bit of a plan…

WHILE some online squawkers said it was destined to fail from the beginning, arguably the biggest success of Summernats 32 was the new Skid Row section of the cruise route. This 45m concrete-lined lane allowed burnout-hungry entrants the ability to rip off a skid next to Tuff Street, without security peeling their sticker. Right from the word go on Thursday afternoon there was a queue of cars waiting to roast a set, although static skids, doughnuts, tip-ins and other wild shenanigans were not allowed. This was a place for punters to have a quick blat with their friends in the car, before rejoining the cruise route for some relaxed lappin’. “It has been awesome,” said Skid Row marshal and YouTube celebrity Ben ‘Mechanical Stig’ Neal. “We haven’t had any real…

JOEL and Kylie have been buying, selling and racing cars since the mid-90s and have made a successful business of it, to the point where they’ve lost count! Some of their previous vehicles include a Mk1 Escort with a turbo 2.0L that ran 10.6s, a mint ’55 Bel Air soft-top, a big block-swapped HG, an Impala lowrider on hydros, a mean small block-equipped LC, and an HK pano that ran 10.9s with a bottle-fed 308. The current collection includes the CRAYZE HG Monaro, a ’48 Chevrolet Fleetline lowrider, an eight-seater Chev van, a ’64 Nova SS, and Kylie’s Bathurst XU-1!…

MASTER CYLINDERS Master cylinder bore diameter – or more specifically, piston area – is a critical consideration when calculating brake line pressure. In Dr Tim’s example, a 1 1/8in-bore master cylinder has a piston area of roughly one square inch, yielding a 1:1 transfer of force from the pushrod to pressure in the brake line fluid DRUM BRAKES In drum brake applications, wheel cylinder size must be factored in when aiming for optimum front-to-rear braking balance. In a street car, it is Dr Tim’s preference to do the maths and set the system up correctly from scratch, rather than relying on a proportioning valve to correct a problem that doesn’t need to exist PEDAL BOXES Aftermarket pedal boxes like this Wilwood product are engineered with optimal pedal ratios, pushrod angles…

WHEN the bonnet is popped on this ’67 Camaro, onlookers come buzzing in like bees to bright flowers. That’s because instead of the original big-block, this subtle sunny yellow street car has just completed Drag Challenge 2018, turning the tyres to the torque of a turbo LS V8. With owner Ben Taylor aiming for eights from his cruiser Camaro, the donk is a built 6.0-litre LS2 from a VZ Holden Commodore. Ben imported the Camaro from the US 12 years ago and decided GM’s all-alloy LS would be better for the three Fs (fun, fast and ’fective!) than the stocko big-block and the 10-second 430ci small-block he fitted in between. The puffer is a rather portly 88mm Turbonetics that pushes around 20psi down the throat of the six-oh thanks to…

THE BODY ITSELF IS ALL ORIGINAL, BUT ALL THE TINWORK AND CHASSIS FRONT-TO-BACK IS ALL NEW TOYOTA’S diminutive KE20 Corolla became a legend in Australia for its rugged simplicity and reliability, even if it only had 7hp and couldn’t get up hills with a passenger on board. Tim Skillicorn’s example fixes this with a 600rwhp turbo LS hidden between custom frame rails and a bucketload of fabrication work! “I found the Corolla on eBay in Melbourne in 2012,” says Tim. “It was already done with an LS in it, but it was naturally apsirated with a cam, and that’s about it. I took it for a quick drive and it leaked oil out the rocker cover, and the whole car went from there. I had only driven it around the…

TWICE THE ADVICE CAN I pick your brains? I am well into my EH build and am planning on keeping the original pull handbrake system but running it inside the vehicle via Lokar cables. However, as this utilises a direct-pull-type handle (not lever-based) I still require some form of lever to reduce the pull force required to pull the brakes on. Do you know of any such hidden secondary handbrake lever system or electronic handbrake system? Secondly, my father has caught the restomod bug and is undertaking a project of his own – an ex-army 1970 Land Rover. The original four-cylinder needs upgrading and he’s deliberating whether to upgrade the four-cylinder or replace it with a hot Holden six. I have read that the existing gearbox can remain functional with…

AS WE enter Matt Morgillo’s innocuous suburban garage, he explains his vision: “Big tubs, big engine; I’ve been picturing it since I was a kid.” IT’S THE CULMINATION OF MORE THAN A DECADE OF SPANNERING, WITH SEVERAL MOTORS AND PLENTY OF DOWNTIME IN BETWEEN Under a car cover before us sits the embodiment of this vision, the very definition of the pro street style. Matt’s cloaked HQ Statesman takes up a commanding proportion of the available space. He peels back the cover to reveal the custom PPG silver duco and perfect gaps, features that appear so at odds with the cluttered walls framing it, full of vintage Coke bottles, model cars and oil paraphernalia. This car is the culmination of more than a decade of spannering, with two colours, several…

ONE of the best parts of working for Street Machine is that the stories you get to write are usually feel-good yarns about someone’s journey with their car where there’s a happy ending. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with this one, although it’s still a privilege and an honour to share some of my memories of a man who ended up becoming a big part of my life, a man I met right at the start of my career as a freelance journalist with SM. Sadly, Mario Colalillo passed away on 12 November 2018 from a heart attack aged just 60, and while he had achieved so much, he still had so much more to offer – not just as a car guy but as a father and husband. MARIO…

HAVING built a tubbed Cortina with no back seat, a nitrous-sniffing Cortina that was a Summernats Tuff Street Runner-Up, followed by PSIDUP – a Cortina that holds the Australian radial-tyre ET record (see sidebar, p.66) – it was pretty much inevitable that Daniel ‘Pazzo’ Nunziante would follow those with, you guessed it, another Cortina! “I love them,” says Pazzo, in case we hadn’t already gathered. “The others were not very family-friendly though. They got out of hand and turned into race cars – especially PSIDUP. Also, it’s hard to compete at that level and have my kids involved. So, I purposely built this one for the street, something we could all enjoy – jump in anytime we wanted and go for a cruise.” Pazzo managed to prove this within a…

IN THE face of searing temperatures and only a couple of days after New Year’s hangovers had subsided, more than 2000 cars and over 107,000 people turned up to party at Street Machine Summernats 32, in what turned out to be a watershed year for the festival. The event kicked off with a record 400 cars rolling through the centre of Canberra on the City Cruise, before heading back to Exhibition Park and watching the new Skid Row lane fire up for the first time. One of the most highly anticipated Summernats additions, Skid Row was a definite hit that allowed entrants to drop sets on Tuff Street without getting their sticker peeled. The punters loved the skids, security loved the fact the cruise route was back to cars cruising,…

MICK Sapienza’s Monaro is Summernats 32’s Street Champion, which is fitting given he cruises it around the NSW South Coast with his wife Kristy and kids Olivia and Luke. Ex-mechanic Mick did most of the work himself in the shed at home, beginning with a tatty HQ Monaro he bought in Canberra 15 years ago. Mick repowered it with a mild 350 Chev, Muncie four-speed, Salisbury rear end and a set of Wilwood brakes behind 17- and 18-inch Foose Legend wheels. While Mick’s Munro is a Summernats first-timer, the 15,000km of street cruising since it was built was a nice foundation for a worthy win.…

TUFF Street is where the wild things are at Summernats, and with Skid Row forming the most appropriate of backdrops, smoke hung low in the sky and the noise of wailing V8s rang out across the Tuff Street precinct like never before. It was a Holden whitewash come presentation time, with Toranas and Monaros dominating the trophy list. A pair of nitrous-snorting big-block Toranas claimed first and second in Comp Tuff, with Brad Zammit’s flamed LC coupe edging out Mick Darke’s sinister LX hatch for line honours. In Street Tuff, Jeff Briffa’s blown HT GTS Monaro finished in third spot, with Rod Waters’ KRANKY HQ sedan in second, and Brett Armstrong’s mind-bendingly perfect Silver Mink HK Monaro taking both the Engineering Excellence award and the class win. In Pro Tuff,…

NOT only did we see power records obliterated in the Haltech Horsepower Heroes competition, but the MPW Performance Dyno Cell saw more big-horsepower street cars than ever before. This came partly because of a change from the traditional roller (chassis) dyno to a Mainline hub dyno, bringing out a bunch of killer big-power rides. More than a dozen cars made over 1000hp at the hubs over the three days that Adam Rogash and the MPW boys were running the show, with over 1300hp required just to qualify for the finals of the Forced Induction Eight-Cylinder class! At the other end of the scale was Christine Marimon’s KE55 Corolla. After the only other challenger in the NA Four-Cylinder class didn’t turn up on Sunday for the finals, two pulls and 49.7hp…

I KNEW I was dealing with someone heavily detail-oriented when I was going through the tech sheet for Charles Harley’s ’57 Chevy Bel Air and he used the word ‘escutcheons’. I’m fairly certain that’s the first time in SM history that anyone has used that word in a tech sheet, and I’m damn sure it’s the first time I’ve come across it. For those of you with a confused look on your face, they’re the little lumpy bits your windscreen wipers stick out of. There you go; you just got smarter today. Part of the reason for that attention to detail is due to the 28 years Charlie spent in the army, although he’s retired now. “I did an apprenticeship in the army as a mechanic and have been into…

EACH time I make the pilgrimage to SEMA in Las Vegas, I promise myself I’ll make time to attend the NHRA Top Fuel meeting that usually coincides with the world’s biggest automotive trade show. I managed it on my first year in 2005, back when ‘Aussie’ Dave Grubnic was driving for Connie Kalitta. These days, Grubnic is a respected tuner on the US Top Fuel circuit, and Richie Crampton – another Aussie – is driving for Kalitta. The more things change, eh? In 2018, I made sure to book in extra time to make the drags, and boy, was I pumped. Massive fields of Top Fuel dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars making pass after pass? Yes please! Things were looking good, until I arrived at the airport in Melbourne and…

ONE TRUE GOD A GERMAN Shepherd, a Doberman and a cat have died. All three are faced with God, who wants to know what they believe in. The German Shepherd says: “I believe in discipline training and loyalty to my master.” “Good,” says God. “Then sit down on my right side. Doberman, what do you believe in?” The Doberman answers: “I believe in the love, care and protection of my master.” “You may sit to my left,” says God. Then he looks at the cat and asks: “And what do you believe in?” The cat answers: “I believe you’re sitting in my seat.” Fi Lyne-Dayetty, email W OR V? TWO students went to Honolulu on holiday. Soon they began to argue about the correct way to pronounce the word ‘Hawaii’.…

BG ENGINES is well known for pushing the limits of not only horsepower but also innovation, and the business’s latest supercharged 408ci LS is another in a killer line-up of serious horsepower builds. The 408ci stonker is built off a cast-iron LQ9 GM block, with a Callies crank and rods and JE pistons. A custom-grind BG solid-roller cam commands the valves, mounted in a pair of CNC-ported LS3 heads, teamed with Jesel rocker arms and PAC valve springs. The Pro Billet intake manifold is made in-house at BG, supporting an 8/71 blower topped by an Enderle fuel injection hat. The coolest part of the build is BG’s innovative Pro Billet products range, in particular the custom sump and oil pump mount. While the Peterson oil pump does come with its…