Innehållsförteckning för May 2022 från Street Machine

REMEMBER what it’s like to be truly bored? I’m talking the kind of bored that comes with being a kid on a rainy 1980s weekend, when the combination of no internet, no mobile phones, no seven-day shopping and only four TV channels made for many a dull moment. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was a staple of that era, its near three-and-a-half-hour runtime making it the perfect weekend filler for telly stations to jam between the likes of Wide World of Sports and the nightly news. As a kid, it was a regular fallback option to while away some hours when you were plum out of ideas. The premise is simple. A lunatic driver named Smiler Grogan (Durante) launches his ’57 Fairlane off a windy mountain road. A…

SACKED low over big ’n’ littles, with a Kinsler-injected big-block Chev up front and factory-style aesthetics, this HK Monaro might initially seem like a typical pro street build. But the devil is in the detail with Jovan Batar’s latest creation, and he’s got a Summernats Top 10 Elite plate to prove it. Having already blown us away with his FATXE Falcon (SM, Jan ’20), we know Mr Batar loves a tough streeter, but it is the small details on this HK that really make it special. Some of this work includes the ‘5 Litre Holden’ logos on the rocker covers being scaled up to fit the big-block rather than the slimmer 307 small-block, and the rear wheelarches being remade to suit the 29-inch-tall tyres while keeping the original shape instead…

AS I arrived at the gates of Heathcote Park Raceway for registration day of Drag Challenge Weekend Victoria, I was greeted by the sight of track owner Lance Warren drifting his work buggy through the pits. The former IT guy pulled up at the fence, grabbed a whipper snipper and proceeded to blaze away at the few weeds that had the temerity to stick their heads up on his property. That done, he gave me a wave and screamed off again, only to return minutes later behind the wheel of a cherrypicker truck for a spot of maintenance on the track’s PA system. Right then, I knew our first Drag Challenge event in almost 18 months was in safe hands, and I headed to scrutineering to help get the earlybird…

THE anticipation heading into the final day of DCW ’22 couldn’t have been higher, with just 0.005sec separating Adam Rogash and Mark Whitla on the overall leaderboard after two days of white-knuckle racing and nearly 1000km of backbreaking road torture. Speed Pro’s Marcus Cripps was nipping at their heels in third spot in his XD Falcon, with Luke Foley just behind in fourth and also challenging Adam Rogash for the Haltech Radial Blown class crown. Racing kicked off at 10am Sunday back at Heathcote, with a bumper crowd packed in and around the reinvigorated HPR track to get a glimpse of their DC heroes. The cooler morning air took the edge out of the sun and gave us some stonking pace right out of the blocks. Luke Foley’s VH Commodore…

NECESSITY is the mother of invention, so the saying goes. For Jasmine Green, the need for a killer sled to haul her dirtbike led her to take a dunger ’91 HiLux farm ute and build this Top 20 Summernats stunner with her own two hands. We often hear people say they ‘built’ their car, but Jasmine actually has. The apprentice motor trimmer and former barista handled the mind-bending amount of body and fab work, chassis build, custom suspension, LS swap, painting and trimming. And all despite not having any kind of background in the automotive scene. “I bought the HiLux in 2012, and it was really rough,” she says. “My parents hate motorbikes, so I needed to find my own way to haul my bike. It was covered in enamel…

MATT Roberts had his first encounter with an early Mustang as a wide-eyed apprentice mechanic. “I had to drive a ’66 GT coupe into the workshop, and I thought it was such a nice car. I’ve wanted one ever since,” he says. More than 20 years later, Matt has realised that dream and taken it quite a few steps further, turning this 1967 Mustang convertible into much more than just a nice resto. This isn’t Matt’s first rodeo. He’s done a wide variety of engine conversions for other people, and even piloted a Mk1 Escort pano with a nitrous-huffing 202 and big tubs back in the day. But it wasn’t until 2016 that he decided it to revisit his desire for a Blue Oval pony car. “I was originally looking…

WHETHER it’s a brand-new project or your pride and joy, hauling a car on a trailer can be a daunting task. We’ve all heard horror stories about trailers gone wild and dreams smashed into a thousand pieces (see sidebar, p.113), so how do you avoid that fate? You start by following these few simple pieces of trailer theory. LOADING SAFETY is paramount when it comes to hauling cars, and it all starts with evenly distributing the weight on the trailer. This makes for a more stable, predictable mass to haul behind your tow pig. The general rule for most front-engined cars is to load them nose-first to keep the weight evenly positioned. That said, if you’re hauling your ride sans engine or drivetrain, it can be wise to load it…

WE RAN into Nikolas Karanovic and his rough-and-ready looking VE Valiant ute in the staging lanes of Alice Springs Inland Dragway at Red CentreNATS 7 last year. It may not have appeared too flash on the outside, but the Val had been rebuilt front-to-back and was running some pretty decent numbers. South Aussie readers are probably aware of the Karanovic name. Nik’s dad Ned has owned a staunch ’57 Chev since he was just 19 years old, and these days it’s handy for 8.81@155mph. It’s no surprise, then, that Nik is a pretty keen racer, and when we called him for a chat, he was at the drag strip yet again, this time in his mum’s 340-powered ’69 Barracuda. Where are you right now? Dad and I are in Mildura…

MATT SYMONS HOLDEN ONE TONNER “THIS is my 253-cube 1976 Holden One Tonner tow truck. My love for tow trucks started when I was a young bloke, as my grandfather had a mechanical and towing business. Many years on, I was looking at building a One Tonner tow truck of my own. I had not seen one on the road in years, so I started looking around and found two for sale, but both were in bad shape, so I decided to build my own. I found the rolling cab-chassis in an old shed at Luddenham; it needed a front cowl and floorpans, etc. I got it back home, fitted the motor and gearbox and started on making the rear tray. We made the main tray floor and side panels…

AS SOON as we saw the margin between the top two cars battling for the overall win heading into the final day of Drag Challenge Weekend 2022, we knew it was going to be the tightest of finishes. Adam Rogash and his ALLSHOW VK Commodore was just 0.005sec ahead of Mark Whitla’s RUNS7S Mk1 Capri after two days of racing and almost 1000km of road driving. That bee’s-dick margin was remarkable on its own, but even more so when you consider how different the two cars are. Adam’s seven-second machine runs a 2000+rwhp, twin-turbo Dart LS Next combo, overseen by a Haltech Nexus ECU. It hooks up on 275 radials, which are pizza-cutters compared to the gargantuan slicks shoehorned under Mark’s Capri. You won’t see a laptop near the RUNS7S…

LETTER OF THE MONTH FUTURE FOCUSED HEY SM, I just wanted to offer my two cents on the future of affordable, quality car builds. In today’s market, it seems to be a real struggle to find a reasonably priced RWD car in good nick that’s over 25 years old. I’m looking at you, VN Commodore sellers. Two different cars have caught my eye recently: Joe Ordon’s crazy 2400hp Nissan Patrol (bottom right) in the March issue, and Jasmine Green’s HiLux (top right) from the Summernats Elite Hall. You can still pick up a workable 2WD HiLux or similar for under $1000 if you play your cards right, and they can be tarted up pretty well by the right person. Plus, you can still get new panels at dirtcheap prices. So…

FOLLOWING Thursday’s registration and scrutineering session, racing on Day One of Drag Challenge Weekend 2022 fired up from 9am at Heathcote Park. A crisp morning quickly turned into a cloudless, sundrenched day as our field prepared to give it their best shot across eight hotly contested classes. Adam Rogash led the Day One charge, cracking off a 7.74@182mph in his turbo LS-powered VK Commodore to lead both Haltech Radial Blown and the overall standings. Just behind him on the outright leaderboard was Mark Whitla’s naturally aspirated big-block Chev-powered Capri, which knocked out an 8.25@166mph. Marcus Cripps’s turbo-Barra XD Falcon clocked an 8.29@172mph to sit third overall and on top of the Speed Pro Six-Cylinder class. Brandon Zito’s retina-busting LC Torana rounded out the top five overall having run an 8.33…

GJ DRIVELINES OUTLAW ASPIRATED 1. Daniel Cassar – ’33 Ford coupe 2. Mark Clifford – Ford Mustang 3. John Kerr – Mercury Comet TURBOSMART OUTLAW BLOWN 1. Mark Whitla – Ford Capri 2. Robert Giangrave – XR Falcon ute 3. Joe Camilleri – Ford Territory HALTECH RADIAL BLOWN 1. Adam Rogash – VK Commodore 2. Luke Foley – VH Commodore 3. Brandon Zito – LC Torana PACEMAKER RADIAL ASPIRATED 1. Alon Vella – Ford Capri 2. Jude Drew – VR Commodore 3. Peter Haravitsidis – XY Falcon GT TUFF MOUNTS 235 BLOWN 1. Jason Kenny – VN Commodore 2. Tom Wright – HT Premier 3. Jason Waye – Ford Mustang KOOL WRAP 235 ASPIRATED 1. Donnie Zurcas – Ford Capri 2. Tim Kohn – HK Monaro 3. Scott McKenzie –…

THE LOCAL CHRYSLER COMMUNITY TEAMED UP WITH TWO LOCAL VENUES TO MOUNT A COUPLE OF UNOFFICIAL SHOW ’N’ SHINES CHRYSLERS On The Murray is a timehonoured tradition for Mopar types, some of whom have made an annual pilgrimage to the event on the NSW/Victoria border for the past 30-odd years. In fact, COTM has grown so popular that accommodation during the event is at a premium, with regulars booking their stays a year in advance so as not to miss out. So, when Chryslers On The Murray 2022 was cancelled due to COVID-related concerns, plenty of prospective attendees already had their travel plans locked in and their accommodation paid for, and were reluctant to miss out on the opportunity to cruise cool cars and shoot the breeze with fellow Mopar…

FOR Louie Demetriou, cars are in the genes. His dad, Takis, was into hot Fords and ran C&J Motors in Oakleigh, Victoria. His older brothers Jim and Stratis were car-mad, too, as were his cousins and nephews. “Every school holidays, from about age nine, I’d be at Dad’s workshop,” Louie says. “Dad and my brothers taught me skills, along with what good, hard, honest work can bring you.” Twenty or so years ago, Louie chanced upon his dream car. “Around 2000, Stratis was after a ’67 fastback Mustang, and I told him I’d find one for him,” he says. “While searching, I spotted an ad for a black ’68 Dodge R/T Charger – 440ci, four-speed – for $40,000. It was beautiful – nothing to spend; just jump in and drive.…

FROM the late 90s through to around 2010, Hot4s magazine, Auto Salon and ‘sex-spec’ were at the height of their popularity. Sex-spec was all about decking out predominantly four-cylinder cars in lurid colours and wild airbrushing, extreme bodykits, massive wings, over-the-top bling, full leather interiors, massive-diameter chrome wheels with low-profile tyres, mega-slammed suspension, and stereo systems that could be heard two suburbs away. Like a shooting star, the scene burned incredibly brightly before dying out just as quickly as it had emerged. While many of these cars might look trashy to some, there were a number of iconic sexspec rides that stood out from the rest, and Bady Moussa’s Green Ghost (GGHO5T) was one of them. This wild Nissan 200SX featured a custom oneoff bodykit by Wanted, intricate Big D…

BLOWN KIWI CLUBBY CRAIG TAYLOR VZ CLUBSPORT “I’M CURRENTLY building a mini-tubbed, blown HSV VZ ClubSport R8 over here in New Zealand. It’s still running the original LS2, but it’s copped a fair bit of work. It’s a 6.7-litre stroker with a Harrop TVS2300 blower and eight-rib belt conversion. I’m aiming for around 600rwkW and a heap of torque. I imported a four-link and nine-inch from John at Monro Racecars that has 35-spline floater hubs; I believe I’m the first one in NZ to do a job like this to the rear end. I’ve got a fuel cell system in the boot and some custom airbrushing by Dr Airbrush under the bonnet. This is going to be a streetlegal build, so we’ve gone through all the certification stuff we need…

FOLLOWING the recent sad passing of former Street Machine feature car owner Adam Lock in floodwaters on the NSW Central Coast (see News Front, p.12 of this issue), we were fortunate to have his youngest son Jesse contact us and share photos of a few of the 30-plus cars Adam owned throughout his 54 years – many of which wore his favoured AL454 number plates. After piloting a Volkswagen Passat as his first car, Adam went on to build a string of tough, show-quality streeters and 4WDs, sharing this passion with his wife Lisa and sons Jacob and Jesse. 01: WELL before Jesse was on the scene, Adam built this HQ One Tonner. “He fitted up the HZ Premier front, and it ran a healthy 350 Chev and a fully…

ONE of the most iconic cars from the earliest years of Australian street machining is about to undergo a restoration to its 70s glory. This HK Monaro was originally built by Stephen Day, who sat a Hilborninjected 327 Chev up front and pumped out the guards to accommodate the 8x14 Dan Gurney front and 10x15 Ansen Sprint rear spinners. It then found its way into the hands of Tony Sayers, who kept the styling but switched to a carb-fed 396 BBC, topped by a towering Formula 5000 scoop, which it wore in its June 1989 feature in these very pages. The car will now be resurrected to its 70s look by JC Classic Car Restorations, so we shared the news on our Facebook page. Here’s what you had to say.…

TONY Murr’s XA Falcon GT sedan has a lot to live up to. You see, Tony’s dad, Joe, had a horsepower addiction that saw a young Tony brought up on high-octane, seriously swift GT Falcons. “My old man built motors for John Goss back in the day, so he worked on his engines and rubbed shoulders with Moffat, Brock, Seton and all those guys,” Tony says. Papa Joe had also bought an XA GT sedan brand new, tuned the hell out of it and spanked it around the track – and the streets. “My dad told me the same story a thousand times: there wasn’t a car on the street that could keep up with his XA,” Tony says. As for Tony, he’s built a serious back catalogue of cars…

DAY Two of Drag Challenge Weekend kicked off at Mildura’s Sunset Strip, one of regional Australia’s friendliest drag strips. The well-prepped eighth-mile track promised a beaut day’s racing for the weary competitors who’d made the long, hard slog from Heathcote. The battles at the top of each class were hotter than Hades. Benny Neal and Marcus Cripps opened the day with their battle for Speed Pro Six-Cylinder supremacy, as Benny’s Cresta took an early lead with a 5.33@125mph. Marcus’s SPDPRO Barra-powered XD was on a mission, running a 5.32@135mph, but a stuck throttle saw the car give a huge smoke show into the braking area. Thankfully, two wrecked front tyres were the limit to the damage, and with borrowed wheels, Marcus was able to hit the road to Heathcote to…

HOLDEN released its V8 VL Calais in 1986 as an emissions-stifled stumble in the otherwise great legacy of the Iron Lion. The only thing more shameful than the factory power output of the black motor was the fact that the controversial turbocharged Nissan six-cylinder available in some models ran rings around it in every performance metric. It led to a slump in popularity for V8 VLs. Before the recent surge in Aussie muscle car prices, a typical V8-powered VL could be had for up to half the asking price of an RB30ET-equipped equivalent. But recently there’s been something of a resurgence of love for the eight-cylinder VL, which has seemed to emanate from the Illawarra region south of Sydney. Which, as it happens, is where Marcus Nikolic hails from. Bitten…

WAY back when VL Commodores were brand new, Farnsey had an epic mullet and Crocodile Dundee was showing off his weapon in New York, Canberra’s Brett Russell bought a very sad LX Torana hatchback. The young bloke had a thirst for speed, and he spent the next 36 years evolving it into the big-block Chevy-powered monster you see on these pages. “The Torana was a weekend race car that was due for the crusher,” he explains. “I found out it was for sale through word of mouth, so I went to have a look at it. Everything ahead of the firewall was gone and its entire floor was cut out, I think to get the diff mounting locations. There were no panels, and the only thing on it was the…

I’LL admit I’m pretty fresh to the world of drag racing. Since my first days as a Street Machine intern a couple of years ago, I’ve covered a few quarter-mile events, including seven-second street car action across two Drag Challenges. But none of them have prepared me for the visceral thrill that is Top Fuel racing. The location for my baptism of nitro is Mildura’s Sunset Strip, an eighth-mile facility nestled in the north-western corner of Victoria. The Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship chose this country track for Round Two of its inaugural season, in a now-rare appearance of the category in Victoria. So this is a special event not only for Sunset Strip but for the Top Fuel racers themselves. Mildura last saw Top Fuel action in…

ARRIVED at the Iron Maiden page looking for inspiration? Adelaide’s Julie Pfennig has it in spades. As Julie nudged 50 years old, she decided it was as good a time as any to get stuck into motor racing – naysayers be damned. Her chosen steed? A purpose-built 1982 BMW E21 nicknamed NO. How’d you get started in track racing, Julie? In August 2018, my youngest son Perrin and I took Gamora, my 1982 BMW E21 323i daily, to The Bend for our first track event. From that moment I wanted to build a race car! And that’s when NO came onto the scene? Yup! I went to my mates at Grooty’s Race & Resto to buy Gamora a rollcage, but I ended up buying a 1982 BMW E21 LHD rolling…

BIG-banger LS engines might be all over the place these days, but it seems the original LS1 has faded in popularity over the years compared to its later-model, larger-capacity brethren. However, Troy Worsley from Sydney’s Warpseed Industries has put this piece of Gen III eye candy together, and, while it doesn’t make power like the blown or turbo biginch iron combos he’s renowned for, it is a long way from a piston-slapping VT II donk. “It’s going into an LX hatchback as a tough 550-600fwhp street car,” Troy says. “It should make good power for a 5.7-litre-based combo. These old LS1s are kind of the bottom level of the LS platform these days, as the 6.0-litre and 6.2 heads are just so much better for making power, thanks to the…