Innehållsförteckning för October 2021 från Street Machine

SOUTH-East Queensland’s beloved Warwick Dragway eighth-mile track is midway through its transformation into a full quarter-mile, along with major upgrades to facilities, after funding for the project was announced late last year. Warwick is a favourite of ours and the wider drag racing community, having played host to the Six-Banger Nats and Dragfest and been a regular stop on our three-day Drag Challenge Weekend events. In December last year, the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments announced AU$1.9 million in funding for the Warwick upgrades, with work commencing in June this year. The track upgrades include replacing the old eighth-mile strip with fresh concrete, which will also have an extra 800 metres of asphalt track added to make it a full quarter-mile and include the necessary run-off area. Other improvements include the…

WITHOUT mates, not many car builds would happen. Our circle of friends is vital to our projects, whether they merely influence the design or are there in the trenches hurling spanners at the car itself. As a result, so many street machiners feel a sense of duty to their friends. Anthony Terkalas understands this perfectly well, with a close-knit crew of mates helping him finish this epic, methanol-guzzling, big-block LJ Torana known as PROWOG. However, the joy of completing an 11-year build is tinged with sadness after Anthony’s best mate, Joe Sabato of Hume Performance, passed away suddenly in September 2020. “I got into drag racing through Joe,” Anthony explains. “We grew up together through our 20s, mucking around with cars, going racing and to cruises and the like, and,…

THEY say nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Dom Trimboli had grown up around decent streeters, and one of them, a white VS ClubSport, had caught his eye before he was even old enough to drive. “One day, I’m going to own that car,” he boldly told his school mates. Fast-forward to age 19 and Dom was living the dream with his very own VS Clubby – a Series II auto finished in Cherry Black – but deep down he still lusted after the white ClubSport that had roamed his neighbourhood just a few years earlier. “I’d become mates with the owner, so one day I just joked, ‘I’ll swap ya,’” Dom says. “I was completely shocked when he goes, “Yeah, all right!” It was a straight swap: Cherry Black auto…

HAVING successfully completed Drag Challenge 2016 and 2017, DC 2018 was to be a turning point for Kim Smith and her Sting Red HSV Maloo. At the time, the ute’s stick-shifted, LSA-blown LS combo was good for 642rwhp and 11.57@125mph. However, during DC ’18 at Swan Hill, an issue with the tune turned the LS into a magnificent coffee table with nine piston holes instead of eight! Fortunately, Kim’s hyper-positive attitude, combined with her dread of never going back to DC, meant she was sure to bounce back from that catastrophe. So, driven by a ton of encouragement and support from hubby Ken and fellow DC racers, she picked herself up and set about rebuilding her baby better, stronger and faster! “I’ve become good friends with DC legends like Quentin…

RAY Ross and Jody Wentworth are a down-to-earth drag racing duo with more than 50 years of racing experience between them. Mopar Sunday is one of the couple’s favourite events, offering a pleasant break from competitive racing for this Charger-mad pair. On the day, Ray struggled for grip in his low-10sec ’73 VJ Valiant Charger, but Jody set a PB of 13.12@102mph in her ’72 Dodge Charger. How long have you been drag racing, Ray? I’ve raced for 40 years now, but I didn’t grow up around it. For me it started with cruising, then some of the guys started drag racing and I thought I’d give it a go. I now chase the IHRA Super Street class around Australia. I got second this year, third the year before, and…

NATHAN Peters built his purple Barra-powered VC Valiant (SM, Oct ’19) alongside his late father Peter, and debuted it at Mopar Sunday 2019. This year Nathan and the VC went hard from start to finish, running a PB of 9.8@135mph and pissing off a few Hemi-heads with the sacrilegious Ford six. Can I address the elephant in the room: why a Barra in a Valiant? It made sense! We got our hands on a new FG F6 Barra through a mate and it was just a good option for what we wanted to do. All we really had to do to the motor is valve springs, head studs and it’s just got a little snail on there. Then it has a manualised TH400 gearbox with a converter and a 9in.…

IF THERE’S one thing that the craziness of the past couple of years has taught us, it’s to get out there and enjoy life whenever the opportunity arises. Especially when that opportunity involves a road trip and doing awesomely fun car stuff with a bunch of like-minded mates. So, when photographer Neale Bayliss and mates Jon and Mardi Smoother journeyed to the 2021 Mud Run in late July, we jumped at the chance to hop on board for the 11th running of the invitation-only event. The trio set off from their hometown of Bathurst for a four-and-a-half-hour cruise through the countryside, bound for the tiny hamlet of East Gresford in the picturesque Hunter Valley. Neale piloted his cool little ’69 Mark II Cortina, while the lack of rego on the…

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WHILE many might consider NASCARs to be low-tech slot cars that only turn left, the late 1960s was a time of radical aerodynamic development in the category. Manufacturers recognised that the blocky styling of their muscle cars just wouldn’t cut it competitively, kicking off an era known as the ‘aero wars’. After Dodge trialled a slicked-up Charger 500, Ford brought out the long-nosed Torino Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. Chrysler quickly responded, employing the help of rocket scientists to develop the ‘winged warriors’ – the Dodge Charger Daytona in 1969 and the Road Runner-based Plymouth Superbird in 1970. The Daytona and Superbird are renowned for their radical aero packages, including a high-deck rear wing, pointy nosecone and flush-mount rear window. Although the aerodynamics of these cars evolved considerably throughout…

EX-MECHANIC Amy Hopkins built herself a weed-burning ’74 HJ Kingswood that stands apart from the rest, all while recovering from brain surgery! In a bid to save the car from an LS fate, Amy stuck to her guns and turned out a sweet sleeper that packs an unusual and very rad Eaton-blown straight-six. How’d you come by the Kinger, Amy? I purchased it from a customer in Coburg six years ago for my then-husband. The HJ had a stock 202ci and only 44,000km on the clock, but when my ex wanted to put an LS in it, I repossessed the car to make it my own. It was good timing, too, as I’d just found out I needed brain surgery and the build was a great distraction for me. Far…

01 FLASH DASH HALTECH’S digital dash makes for an awesome addition to any street car or racer, offering boundless customisation and an easy-to-read display. The Aussie company has now released a standalone version of the iC-7 dash kit, perfect for carbied or mechanically injected cars. No ECU needed! Aside from looking great, the iC-7’s readouts are far more accurate than questionable factory instrument panels. The Classic kit includes a seven-inch dash, semi-terminated harness, coolant sensor, and fuel and oil pressure sensors. It’s available at haltech.com. 02 GET PUMPED WHEN you’re making big power from your donk, stock fuel pumps rarely cut the mustard. The DW440 Brushless In-Tank Electric Fuel Pump Kit from DeatschWerks is an ideal upgrade for high-output applications. Compared to a brushed pump, it creates less friction and…

REPCO Supercars Championship driver Scott Pye may get to thrash a 300km/h V8-powered ZB Commodore on weekends, but we’re more interested in seeing his new daily driver come to fruition. The Team 18 racer has a pro touring-flavoured ’56 Ford F100 in the build, set to become the shop truck for his business, One Nine Media. Erebus Garage, the street-car arm of Melbourne’s Erebus Motorsport, is handling the build, which features cool hardware like a Magnum independent front end and parallel four-link rear end from United Speed Shop. United’s Ryan Carter has whipped up a tasty rendering (opposite page, top) that shows where Erebus is heading with the build. “We started the relationship with Erebus after James White, the head fabricator there, rang up because he wanted a front end…

ROBERT Giangrave admits he built this killer big-block XR Falcon ute simply because he kept tripping over the engine in his garage. “I built a blown big-block Ford for my mate’s tow truck, but then I ended up with it after doing some bartering,” the Victorian laughs. Robert happened to chance upon the perfect recipient for the 540 cubes of Blue Oval grunt sitting in the corner of his shed when a mate mentioned he was thinking of moving his faithful ’68 XR ute on. “It was my trimmer’s daily for 18 years, and he’d just had it painted,” Robert explains. “I bought it as a driving car with a 351, and that helped massively. I have always been a Holden man, but I like the shape of XR-XY Falcons…

CAR shows are few and far between these days, as bastard Coronavirus continues to do a number on our more heavily populated centres. Pleasingly though, the inaugural Motor Madness at Townsville Showgrounds went off without a hitch, held across the last weekend of July. With tough burnout, drag and street cars cutting sick, it proved to be a much-needed breather from the COVID nightmare that’s been cock-blocking events all over the country. Motor Madness saw 220 entrants and 3500 punters rock up for a show ’n’ shine, go-to-whoa and city street cruise, with $3000 in cash and prizes up for grabs. Since Townsville Dragway was forced to shut up shop in 2012 – no thanks to housing developers muscling in – the car-lovin’ locals have been unduly deprived of their…

IT WAS with a massive sense of relief that Queensland’s most fanatical Chrysler lovers descended on Willowbank Raceway on 25 July for the 17th running of Mopar Sunday. “We’re just lucky we could pull it off, with all the COVID lockdowns going on,” said organiser Sam Tatton. “We had a short lockdown that finished on 3 July, which was a bit nerve-wracking. But we got the event done and were back in lockdown a week later.” Despite the uncertainty, an impressive 99 cars hit the strip, a number Sam said was down about 30 per cent on a non-COVID year, but bloody fantastic considering interstate entrants were unable to attend. “Nearly 100 cars on the track is awesome, and about 1500 punters in total through the doors is as good…

MICHAEL McMullen, another Drag Challenge finisher and all-round top bloke, set a PB of 11.22@120mph in his immaculate ’73 VJ Valiant Charger. Michael did 14 passes on the day without putting a spanner anywhere near it, proving it’s a reliable package! How’d you go today, Michael? I drove it here, raced all day, set a PB, and now I’ll put air in the tyres and drive it home. I also flogged it all day at Lakeside yesterday, so it’s reliable. I came here wanting to run a low 11 or high 10, and the car did it all day. I only took up drag racing in October last year, but it’s quickly become my favourite thing to do. I’ve always been into cars but I never really raced before. A…

DRAG Challenge Weekend 2020 mover and shaker Daniel Ward’s home-built VG Valiant showed up at Mopar Sunday with a point to prove. The Murwillumbah, NSW resident had hopes of cracking an 8.5, after a recent 8.7sec run. Unfortunately, despite Daniel running a PB speed of 155mph, the clocks didn’t record a clean time and transmission issues prevented further runs. How’d you go out there today? I had traction issues, like most of the cars, then engine protection came on and I lost first gear. I ran a PB 155mph though, but apparently the clocks didn’t get a time. You have good and bad days in this game! The engine is about to come out anyway. I need to upgrade the stock crank and I’m looking at putting an aftermarket gearbox…

MATT Carey has done the past two Drag Challenges in his hand-controlled BLWNQUAD Holden VZ SS ute, finishing in the Top 10 in the DYO class both times. After the 2019 event, where the WA resident won the Longest Distance Travelled trophy, he hinted he might be in a chrome-bumper entry next time ’round, but he never mentioned that it’d be his grandpa’s HQ. Matt’s pa, Fred, bought the Prem brand new in 1973 and used it as his daily, as well as a parts carrier and tow car for his business, Carey Panels, in Seaford, Victoria. “Once Pa retired, the HQ was often spotted at the Frankston RSL,” Matt recalls. “It was there most days from 1973 to 2016. I’d meet Pa and his mates at the RSL on…

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. ANDREW O’BRIEN FJ HOLDEN “MY FJ was found in a paddock in Walla in 2015, where it had sat untouched for 40-plus years. I fixed all the rust and re-aged the paint – the patina was spot-on for a ratter. I put a Weber-fed draw-through turbo 186 into it, which I’d owned since 1995 after buying it from Tim Baldwin, who used to drag it in his FC. It ran a 12.6 back in the day. It is backed up by a bulletproof Powerglide built to handle…

THE rise in popularity for race-and-drive events like Hot Rod Drag Week, Rocky Mountain Race Week and our own Drag Challenge has thrown a new level of complexity into building street cars. It truly is a wonder of modern engineering to put together an engine combo that can make four-digit power figures to run numbers at the strip but also pack good on-road manners and rock-solid reliability. Platforms like the GM LS, Ford Barra and Coyote, and Chrysler’s new-gen Hellcat Hemi make this task much easier. This is why Brad Lowe and the crew from Warhorse Inc in Rutherford, NSW chose a late-model GM small-block as the heart for their VL Commodore gunning for eights. Starting with a Gen IV 6.0-litre LY6 iron block, engine builder Chris Sheppard put together…

Part 6 THIS month we wrap up our six-part series on the memorable and diverse car history of Mark Parsons. The nearly 50 cars we’ve delved into across five decades has only scratched the surface of the dozens of rides that shared Mark’s journey during that period. One thing is clear: Mark’s unwavering passion for a wide variety of rides has withstood the test of time amongst life and family commitments, and is unlikely to fade away anytime soon. 01: FOUND on Gumtree for $3000 as an unfinished project in Adelaide, this LJ Torana was freighted north by Mark and his son, Ricky. The four-cylinder donk had already been swapped out for a VN V6 Commodore engine and Turbo 700 trans, and it wasn’t long before the pair stripped it…

THE BIG FOUR-OH LAST month marked 40 years since the first issue of Street Machine (then called Van Wheels & Street Machine, albeit for one issue only) hit the shelves, so we celebrated with a big 244-page issue packed full of our scene’s history. Dominating the cover was the legendary HQFORU giveaway Monaro, a car that always brings up some great memories. Here’s a sample of your feedback, and thanks for sticking with us – we couldn’t have made it through the past four decades without the support of all our dedicated readers. Rodney Menso – Wow! Never thought I’d see the old girl on the cover again, and to have an amazing feature on Jude’s HER LX in the same issue is mind-blowing! A huge shout-out to Chris Thorogood…

“I HAVE a ute, but it has no room for my racing bag with all the gear in the tray,” laughs Robert. This is because the tub now houses most of the important fluids needed to keep the XR on the road, including the intricate cooling system and the fuel system needed to feed the hungry big-block. Front and centre in the rear is the fuel tank – a 98L monster. It is flanked by the transmission cooler and Optima battery, with the Holley fuel pump drivers used to control the electric fuel pumps mounted on the floor behind the tank. Up front are the CO2 bottles for the wastegates and the fire system bottles, while the header tank and recovery tank for the cooling system have been mounted behind…

SOME of us get to choose our allegiance to a particular make of car, but for others it can be just a little preordained. Jim Stojkoski is firmly in the latter group: “My dad and my uncle worked for Ford for 40 years, and all my cousins and friends were there for 10 or more – I was the only one who didn’t work there,” he laughs. “It’s in our blood; Dad would never drive anything else.” There’s quite a fleet of cool early Falcons in the family, but Jim’s XA stands out from the crowd in one important facet: “I’ve got the fastest!” he says proudly. While the family connection to the Geelong and Broadmeadows Ford plants certainly swayed Jim’s automotive obsession towards the church of the Blue Oval,…

WHEN Pat Jones traded his VJ hardtop for an Alpine White 1976 CL Valiant hay-hauler back in 1980, he could never have anticipated its transformation into the drag-spec ute before you now. For three decades, Pat dailied the six-pot/four-speed manual ute, with his sons Tony and Terry also regularly using it as a motorbike hauler and tow vehicle. It’s fair to say the CL copped its fair share of abuse over the years. When Pat passed away in 2010, Tony became the ute’s custodian and ensured it stayed on the road, but in 2014, the thrashed CL gave up the ghost. “I was going to restore it, but couldn’t get the original stripes and no one was interested in making a set at the time,” Tony says. “So I figured…

JYE Core took out the Quickest Mopar-Powered trophy at Drag Challenge Weekend 2020 and was back out in his VG Valiant wagon for Mopar Sunday, throwing down an initial 10.6@127mph naturally aspirated, then later setting a PB of 9.9@135mph thanks to a healthy shot of gas. Talk us through the wagon, Jye. The car runs a 540ci V8 with Indy block and Indy heads, with a 1000cfm carb and a single-plane manifold. It’s got a 727 trans with 3500 Dominator converter, and a full Gazzard Brothers rear end with a 9in – a proven set-up for a car like this. How much power does it put down? It makes about 500hp at the tyres, but with the gas it makes just over 600hp. I run a 150-shot of nitrous on…

THE McMahons live and breathe it. Greg McMahon and his son Joel were both out at Mopar Sunday, with their Chargers going head to head. Greg’s ’74 ran a best of 10.11@133mph, a far cry from the “basket case” he tells us he bought 11 years ago. How’d you come to own the Charger? This one? Well, I had a Charger in my early 20s but sold it to buy my wife’s wedding ring. I went about 20 years without a Charger, but I couldn’t resist getting another one once the kids had grown up. I’ve now had it for about 11 years, but it was an absolute basket case when I got it; no engine, steering, gearbox, nothing. We built it up several times and every time it got…

LIKE every car that comes out of Deluxe Rod Shop, Brian Imlach’s ’34 Chevy sedan is beautifully designed and impeccably finished. But what I find fascinating about this car is how many cool little – and not so little – touches have been worked into it. They’re not obvious initially, because at first glance you see an unchopped four-door sedan, still wearing its hinges, mirrors and door handles, with the fenders as they left the factory. It’s most definitely worth a closer look. By his own admission, Brian isn’t really a hot rod guy, although he is a GM guy with a couple of Monaros in the shed. But when a friend of his in Victoria mentioned he had an old car for sale, his ears pricked up. “I was…

GETTING your ride photographed for Street Machine is a pretty big thrill for most car owners, and so it was for Steve Goslett when he was approached at Street Machine Summernats 3. His HQ Tonner packed all the good fruit from that era, with the fat stepside tray, raked stance and a stout red 308, so it was a natural fit for the mag. Around 1992, journo Dave Morley penned the feature and faxed it in, but it never ran in the magazine. Whether by quirk of the universe or plain bad luck, poor Steve never saw his creation in print, despite working in the business himself! “I remember being approached at Summernats for the photoshoot,” Steve says. “A couple of years later a fella rang me up to do…

GOT a sweet ride that’s currently in the build? Send photos of it along with some details to: In The Build, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email: inthebuild@aremedia.com.au. Please note: Send us copies of your prints as we are unable to return photos. EF FALCON HARRISON CAREY “THIS is my EF XR8 that’s not quite finished yet. It’s running an AU 5.0-litre V8, so it has GT40P heads. I’ve put in a large Camtech cam with hydraulic lifters and Crane Cams roller rockers. The intake is a BBK set-up with a 75mm throttlebody. It has a custom three-inch exhaust with high-flow cats and Di Filippo headers. I have the battery and a 60-litre fuel cell in the boot, a four-point chrome-moly ’cage, and Recaro race buckets up…

Send your favourite funnies to: LOL, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email them to: streetmachine@aremedia.com.au. GAG OF THE MONTH FILM COMPOSERS ALL the action movie heroes are at Sylvester Stallone’s house. He’s called them all together to tell them about a new action movie he wants them all to star in that’s focused on the great composers. They all start discussing which composer they’d like to play. “I’m rather partial to Beethoven, myself,” Sly says. “I’m not going to be in it if I can’t be Mozart,” says Jason Statham. “I’m Chopin!” says Jet Li. Then it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger’s turn. But he’s not at all interested in the project. “This is a dumb idea for a moofie,” he says. “Come on Arnie,” says Bruce Willis, “just pick a…