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Story I A I N K E L L Y Photos C H R I S T H O R O G O O D FORGET YOUR 427s AND 502s; THIS HQ PREMIER THUMPS TO THE TUNE OF 632CI OF THE GENERAL’S FINEST STREET MACHINE 055
CRUISING: It may have over 10L of capacity and 1000hp on tap, but the HQ drives like a pup. “I can drive it from Werribee to Ballarat no worries,” Pat laughs. “I’d be hot and sweaty, but I can drive it. I’ve had small-blocks with half the power, and they were nowhere near as streetable as this engine” ATRICK Langdon has refined his HQ Premier from a dead stock nanna-mobile to the 1000hp, 632ci monster you see here. The car’s vintage pro street vibes are no accident, as Patrick’s custodianship of the more-door Quey goes back nearly 40 years to the era of big ’n’ littles, tunnel rams, sump-scraping stance, and hair metal. “I bought it in 1985 as my first car,” Patrick begins. “I’m the second owner, and it was in awesome condition at the time. It had been owned by an elderly couple who must not have driven it over 100km/h, as it had a real good flat spot there. It was a high-compression 202 and it was dead stock. All my friends were driving HXs and HZs, which were the newest Kingswood models to have been released, and I had this old HQ. It’s funny how that’s turned around now, as everyone wants the HQ!” Pat’s factory Prem is resplendent in the now-rare factory Nutmeg Metallic brown, with a contrasting vinyl roof. “I kept the vinyl roof, despite half my mates telling me to get rid of it,” Pat laughs. “It works with the original Nutmeg Metallic colour, and I didn’t modify that, as I wanted an original-looking cruiser.” While the paint has remained brown through the years, one thing that has changed is the powertrain. Originally red sixpowered, Pat’s HQ has thumped to the tune of a 308 iron lion and two different small-block Chevs. But nothing compares to the tower-of-power big-block that’s now sitting between the front wheels. “I was in the process of building my third small-block and it was going to be a monster motor, but I was waiting for a set of these killer heads from the USA, and it just got too much,” Pat explains. “So, I decided to go big-block, and my engine builder mate, John Holzer from Prostar Motorsport, said, ‘If we’re going big-block, let’s go big big-block!’” The core of the powerplant is a Chevy 632ci block andBrodix Big Brodie heads, with CP Bullet slugs, Lunati H-beam rods and a Lunati Sledgehammer crank making up the rotating assembly. A solid-roller cam, high-volume oil pump and Moroso oil pan round out the bottom end, and the tall-deck monster is topped by a Prostar Motorsport sheet-metal tunnel ram wearing a pair of 1050cfm Quick Fuel QFX carbs. “I wanted 800hp, which was more than what I needed,” says Pat. “It went over 1000 on the engine dyno on pump 98, and even though I had all the race fuel ready to go if we turned it up, we just didn’t need to go there. It would have made over 1100hp with more sorting, but this is already so much more than what I ever thought I’d get.” We’re used to seeing big-blocks in HQ-HZ Holdens, but Patrick says fitting this 10.2in-deck-height monster took a bit more work than simply bolting mounts on while eating pizza. “My engine builder did everything custom-made,” he says. “We got the engine set on plates as far back as we could go without touching the firewall, but we had to modify the tunnel and do a bit of trimming to get the engine down in the bay properly, as it’s so tall.” ALL MY FRIENDS WERE DRIVING HXs AND HZs, AND I HAD THIS OLD HQ. IT’S FUNNY HOW THAT’S TURNED AROUND NOW, AS EVERYONE WANTS THE HQ! 056 STREET MACHINE
Long & Winding Road THE path to pro street righteousness has been full of twists and turns for Patrick and the Prem, as he’s grenaded engines and survived many life setbacks to hang on to the car. “For my first build, a mild 308 was dropped in and a set of Dragway Skogs got the nod,” he says. “The car got its first paintjob in the late 80s, a better set of wheels, and a way better stance. Then the need to go faster hit, and it ended up getting a 350 Chev with direct-port nitrous added, but it threw a rod out. “In the early 90s, the second rebuild came along with a bare-metal paintjob, new interior, Center Lines and, of course, a new small-block with all the rods in the right places,” Pat continues. “The car looked mint in my eyes for a shitbox brown HQ that my mates used to tease me was a Mission Brown Belmont! “That big rebuild was lots of fun, but then life took over, and somehow, I forgot and neglected my first love. It took a backseat for my beautiful family and got put away for over 10 years. Luckily, I managed to keep it through all of life’s little problems during that time. “After leaving it in storage for so long, when I was approaching the big 5-0, I decided, as a birthday present to myself, I would get my HQ out and give her a little love with a total rebuild.” ENGINE BAY: Such a huge engine needs beefy support systems. Fuel is supplied by a Product Engineering 460 pump, while a Race radiator keeps the fluids cool, and spark is provided by an MSD digital ignition BOOT: A custom fuel tank lives in the boot but still uses the original filler located behind the number plate. Though it doesn’t help the Prem go fast, trimming the boot was an important step for what Pat sees as a dedicated street car WHEELS: Geelong hubcaps were always going to be the spinners of choice for Patrick, who shod the Quey in 15x3.5 and 15x10 satin Auto Drags. “I stuck with the Center Lines because it’s an old-school wheel and it suited the build,” he says STREET MACHINE 057
INTERIOR: Dave Higgins of VCS Motor Trimming refreshed the whole interior, keeping all the style of the stock cabin but looking and feeling much nicer. Upgrades include leather trim, GTS tiller, RTS shifter, Auto Meter gauges and Bluetooth head unit RIGHT: John Holzer from Prostar Motorsport didn’t just screw the biginch fat-block together for Pat, he also handled a stack of complex fab work. This included the custom headers featuring giant 2.25in primaries that step up to 2.5in, flowing into a gargantuan 4.5in collector and a twin 4in exhaust system MAIN: Getting the HQ to sit so tough involved plenty of fab work, including mini-tubs and a carefully tucked 4in exhaust system. The six-point rollcage, colour-matched to the shell, was also added before the fresh, factory Nutmeg Metallic was reapplied. “I used to get teased about the brown, but now everyone loves the colour scheme,” Pat says 058 STREET MACHINE
PATRICK LANGDON 1972 HOLDEN HQ PREMIER Paint: Nutmeg Metallic Brown ENGINE Brand: Chevrolet 632ci big-block Induction: Prostar Motorsport sheet-metal tunnel ram Carburettors: Twin Quick Fuel QFX 1050cfm Heads: Brodix Big Brodie Camshaft: Comp solid-roller Pistons: CP Bullet Rods: Lunati H-beam Crank: Lunati Sledgehammer Oil system: High-volume pump, Moroso pan Fuel system: Product Engineering 460 pump Cooling: Race radiator Exhaust: 2.25in headers, 4in exhaust system Ignition: MSD Digital TRANSMISSION Gearbox: TH400, manualised Converter: TCE 3200rpm Diff: 9in, Mark Williams aluminium centre, Truetrac LSD, IXOOpRDWHU 35-spline axles, 3.5:1 oQDO JHDUV SUSPENSION & BRAKES Front: Double-adjustable Viking coil-overs, Flaming River power steering, electric pump Rear: Four-link, QA1 coil-overs, Comp Engineering anti-roll bar Brakes: Slotted HQ discs (f), Wilwood discs (r) Master cylinder: Wilwood WHEELS & TYRES Rims: Center Line Auto Drag; 15x3.5 (f), 15x10 (r) Rubber: Hankook 165/80R15 (f), Mickey Thompson 295/55R15 (r) THANKS John Holzer for the engine; Dave Higgins for the trim; Frank Padoin, Adrian Camillo and Graeme Stephens for the body and paint Behind the 4.60in-bore, 4.750in-stroke behemoth is a TCE 3200rpm converter and manualised TH400 ’box, with a beefy braced nine-inch third member passing the grunt to the blacktop. The diff has been filled with all the good gear needed to handle over 1000hp, including full-floater axles, a Mark Williams aluminium centre section, Truetrac LSD and 35-spline axles. The narrowed diff swings off QA1 coil-over struts, with a Competition Engineering four-link and anti-roll bar replacing the stock pressed-tin hardware. Up front, the handling has been dragged out of the disco era with double-adjustable Viking coil-overs, a Flaming River power steering rack and a remote-mount TS Astra electric pump. While he has run 11s down the strip in the Prem’s former guise, Pat hasn’t had it on the quarter-mile in its current form just yet. He simply isn’t in a rush to see what it will do after all this hard work. “It’s probably been six years in the build,” he sighs. Thankfully, Patrick is reminded that all this was worth it every time he takes the 10.7-litre monster out for a run. Hopefully he’ll get another 38 years of enjoyment out of it. I WANTED 800HP, WHICH WAS MORE THAN WHAT I NEEDED. IT WENT OVER 1000 ON THE ENGINE DYNO ON PUMP 98! BODY: Frank Padoin, Adrian Camillo and Graeme Stephens from Impressive Panels sorted the HQ’s body and paintwork, while Harkrome’s Mick Simpson made the chrome bits shine once more. While big-inch billets and candy paint has been popular, there was only one style for Patrick’s HQ in his eyes: “It needed to hit that classic pro street look” “The best thing, other than having my pride and joy in my possession and being able to enjoy it, is being able to share the love of my car with my family, and especially my son Josh [pictured at right],”Pat says. “Don’t worry, Josh, I will let you drive it one day!” STREET MACHINE 059
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ANATOMY A SHORTBED PICK-UP THAT’S LONG ON STYLE, BIG ON POWER AND LOW ON RIDE HEIGHT S T O R Y B O R I S V I S K O V I C P H O T O S J O R D A N L E I S T STREET MACHINE 061
ASON De Silveira purchased this 1970 Chevy C10 way back in 1996, not long after he began an apprenticeship as a mechanical fitter. “I bought it in bits, thinking I knew what I was doing,” he recalls.“The old chestnut – it looked like it was nearly finished and just needed to be put back together.” As it turned out, the build ended up taking a good while, as Jason’s career took him overseas. He still chipped away at it over the years, but as his knowledge and financial situation improved, the direction and quality of the build also changed. “When you’re an apprentice, [you buy] what you can afford then, but it usually means you end up doing it again,” Jason says. “This car’s had three paintjobs, three interiors and three engines, but once I found Grgic Bros, they just did it properly.” Having had the car for so long, Jason’s ideas about the build have evolved over time. The truck used to roll on 15x15 Center Lines out back with a set of drop spindles, which Jason calls the first iteration of the build.“I built the first engine, a 400 Chev with a Pete Jackson gear drive, fuellie heads and all sorts of things in there. But when I looked back, I thought that maybe I didn’t check those clearances very well, and started second-guessing myself,” Jason explains. “So, I ended up selling that motor and bought an LS2.” It was only when Jason took the C10 to Grgic Bros that an LSA came into the picture. They’d picked up a few from the US, knowing that with just a little bit of work you could get close to 600hp out of them. Well, they did that and a little bit more to Jason’s LSA, fitting a Comp 223/246-duration cam, Gilmer pulley kit on the blower, and a Holley EFI Terminator ECU. The end result was 620hp at the tyres! Love ’em or hate ’em, you’ve got to admit an LS is tough to beat when it comes to making easy horsepower. While the engine is a pretty important factor in this build, it pales into insignificance compared to the work that’s been done to the C10’s body, chassis and interior. “One thing that Grgic Bros always told me was, ‘If it looks modified, it’s not done right,’” Jason says. “When you don’t know what it used to look like, you don’t question anything. People think it’s got a nice paintjob, nice engine and the stance is right, but I don’t think a lot of people can appreciate the amount of work that’s gone into that car.” In a nutshell, the only original parts remaining are the chassis from just behind to just in front of the cab, and the cab itself. Every other panel has been replaced with new parts or heavily modified, which is one benefit of building something that’s immensely popular in the US – the aftermarket for them is massive! You don’t get a stance like this with an angle grinder and oxy torch – although an angle grinder was definitely used in the creation of the new suspension. The C10 now sports Porterbuilt suspension all ’round– a front-end clip with tubular A-arms, drop spindles and rack-and-pinion steering, and out back, an ONE THING THAT GRGIC BROS ALWAYS TOLD ME WAS, “IF IT LOOKS MODIFIED, IT’S NOT DONE RIGHT” The blacked-out wheels and grille play out nicely against the Galaxy Grey paint, and the smooth look is helped by deleted quarter windows and shaved badges GREY’S ANATOMY 062 STREET MACHINE
TRAY: The bed has been treated to a hard-wearing liner, but it’s unlikely Jason will be carting too many engine parts in it. The air tank has been made a feature with beautifully fabricated hard lines ENGINE BAY: The crate LSA has been tidied up a little bit, but it sits inside a highly modified, smooth-as-silk engine bay. Grgic Bros fabricated the flat firewall and radiator cover and fitted the Slosh Tubz inner fenders STREET MACHINE 063
INTERIOR: The interior is a clever blend of modern styling in a classic setting. The stock dash is filled with Dakota Digital gauges, while the VF SS seats have had the headrests shortened and been expertly trimmed in black leather with red stitching by Trimcare. The Grgic Bros-fabricated custom centre console houses the B&M shifter and control buttons for things like the ignition and electric handbrake WHEELS: The narrowed 9in allows for the 22x10 KWC Forged rims and 285/35 tyres to easily fit under the stepside guards. Brakes are cross-drilled and slotted Wilwoods on all four corners BELOW: The front bumper has been removed and a smooth rollpan fabricated. The splash of red from the Custom/10 badge is the only departure from the black and grey theme 064 STREET MACHINE
THE ONLY ORIGINAL PARTS ARE THE CHASSIS FROM JUST BEHIND TO JUST IN FRONT OF THE CAB, AND THE CAB ITSELF. EVERY OTHER PANEL HAS BEEN REPLACED OR HEAVILY MODIFIED eight-inch notch kit with tubular trailing arms. The whole lot rides on AccuAir self-levelling airbags with Koni shocks and massive Wilwood brakes on all four corners. The final and crowning touch to the C10 was the absolutely stunning interior. Trucks from the 1970s aren’t exactly renowned for their luxurious cabins, but just like the exterior of Jason’s example, there isn’t much of the original stuff left inside. The basic shape of the dash and instrument cluster is unchanged, but the gauges are analogue-style items from Dakota Digital. The seats are from a VF SS, and the rest of the interior panels and console were fabricated out of aluminium by Grgic Bros and then trimmed in black leather by the very talented crew at Trimcare. One of my favourite parts of the interior is the pattern that was stitched into the inserts and carries over to the door and kick panels. It breaks up the large expanse of leather, and the addition of red stitching really finishes it off nicely. While Jason had a few cracks at getting the paint right, he’s stoked with how the boys at Leighton Panel & Paint have got it looking now. The Galaxy Grey covers pretty much everything, and the bits that used to be shiny either got chucked in the bin or painted in gloss black. It sounds like it could be a dull combination, but as you can see from the pics, that’s definitely not the case. With suspension that handles, a modern engine, air conditioning and plenty of sound deadening in the interior, the C10 is a very civilised car to drive; apparently you can even talk hands-free on the phone! That useability means Jason can even take it to work a few times a week, and while it’s not a real long drive, I’m sure plenty of necks get snapped along the way. JASON DE SILVEIRA 1970 CHEVROLET C10 SHORTBED Paint: Galaxy Grey DONK Type: 6.2L LSA Blower: LSA, Gilmer drive belt ECU: Holley Terminator Heads: LSA Valves: 2.165in (in), 1.590in (ex) Cam: Comp Cams 223/246 Internals: Standard Radiator: VZ Commodore Exhaust: Pacemaker headers, twin exhaust Ignition: Standard SHIFT Transmission: Hughes Turbo 400 Converter: AllFast 3500rpm Diff: 9in, Truetrac, 31-spline axles, 3.45:1 gears BENEATH Front: Porterbuilt front clip and rack-and-pinion steering, AccuAir airbags, Koni shocks Rear: Porterbuilt 8in notch, AccuAir airbags, Koni shocks Brakes: 14.25in drilled and slotted Wilwood discs with sixpiston calipers (f), 11in drilled and slotted Wilwood discs with four-piston calipers (r) ROLLING STOCK Rims: KWC Forged; 20x8 (f), 22x10 (r) Rubber: Achilles Desert Hawk UHP; 255/45R20 (f), 285/35R22 (r) THANKS Grgic Bros The original rear fenders were pretty rough, so Jason had them recreated in fibreglass. The rear pan was smoothed and the tail-light housings were 3D printed GREY’S ANATOMY STREET MACHINE 065
KILLER CONDITIONS AND A STICKY TRACK MADE GRUDGE KINGS 2023 A PRO STREET PARADISE S T O R Y R U STY G R E G O R Y P H O T O S MATT H EW EVE R I N G H AM & MI C H ELLE P O R O B I C 066 STREET MACHINE
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LEFT: Brad ‘Fox’ Cullen’s way-cool Valiant ute received some CPR throughout the day. With Dale Heiler on the keyboard, the car knocked out a 4.6@158mph to the eighth – a PB on a 28x10.5 tyre OMETIMES, race events are exactly as advertised on the packaging, and Grudge Kings tells you everything you need to know right there in the name. The first Grudge Kings event, way back in 2016, aimed to bring the US style of grudge racing to Australia – door cars, worldclass trash-talk and side bets were the name of the game. Race fans embraced the concept put forward by promoter Po Tung from the get-go. It didn’t matter what make, model or power adder you had – the only thing that mattered was the win light. In the post-COVID years, Grudge Kings has evolved into more of a traditional race event, but it’s definitely retained its ‘outlaw’ image, with some of Australia’s wildest pro streeters on track alongside full-chassis Doorslammers and some of the world’s quickest imports. Basically, if it has doors and is fast, there is a place for it at Grudge Kings. There’s also a car show on the hill along the eastern side of the track, so you can cruise in with your streeter, set up on the hill, listen to the tunes being spun by the DJ, and watch the day’s racing. You might even win a trophy. At the 2023 event at Sydney Dragway, some of the big hitters that you would have expected to be on the pace from the outset struggled with cool temperatures and an extremely tight (read: very, very good) track, which caught more than a few racers out and claimed some mechanical sacrifices along the way. The first car to really grab a hold of the track in the early part of the day was Doorlammer racer Peter Lovering in his beautiful ’55 Chev, logging a 5.89 off the trailer to continue his streak of good form after the Winternationals in June. The addition of a Liberty five-speed and lock-up converter has really helped his team find some consistency, and Lovering now has plans to put the car on a diet, with a new composite body on the way in the off-season that should help him shave as much as 200lb from the shoebox Chev. He finished the weekend with a 5.85-second PB, with plenty of potential left on board! MAIN: The big-money class at Grudge Kings is Pro Mod, with $4000 up for grabs for the winner. Pete Lovering’s gnarly ’55 Chev took the chocolates on this occasion, logging a 5.85 PB in the process ADAM ROGASH’S BRAND-NEW STRIPSHOW CAPRI KNOCKED OUT A 7.00@191MPH, FOLLOWED UP BY A 6.91@199MPH TO DIP COMFORTABLY INTO THE SIXES ON DEBUT 068 STREET MACHINE
BELOW: A 6sec timeslip would have you smiling, too. Adam Rogash rounded out his day at Grudge Kings with a blistering 6.91@199mph in his brand-new Capri, with plenty more boost in reserve. Check out the full feature on p.26 of this issue! ABOVE: Trent Blainey made the trip up from Melbourne with his stunning twin-turbo LS-powered WALKE VL (SM, Feb ’23), and was rewarded when the car rocketed into the sevens at Grudge Kings, setting a new PB of 7.73@187mph ABOVE: Secondgeneration racer Josh Boskovich pilots this cool Falcon coupe, complete with Fontana small-block power, manually shifted (with levers) Lenco transmission, and a healthy dose of nitrous STREET MACHINE 069
LEFT: Victorian racer Rohan Hutson is well travelled with his beautiful black ’55 Chevy, and put a few more kays on the clock with another trip to Sydney BELOW: What goes up must come down. Johnny Habib and his iconic Torana are already familiar with defying gravity (and when it catches back up to you, as illustrated here!) MAIN: Another run, another monster wheels-up launch. Jason Hoctor’s killer 455ci Windsorpowered Cortina gets ’em up and keeps ’em up WHEELSTANDS WERE THE ORDER OF THE DAY FOR MANY A RACER, INCLUDING JOHNNY HABIB, MARK HAYES, AND JASON HOCTOR IN HIS TOUGH CORTINA 070 STREET MACHINE
ABOVE: With the number of huge wheelstands at Grudge Kings, it was hard to pick one that stood out, but this effort from Chris Vassilis’s monster all-motor Torana hatch was right up there. Its BK Race Engines-built 433ci small-block makes a healthy 840hp BELOW: Lee Murray’s ProCharged Holden-powered Torana (SM, Oct ’15) is an absolute WEPN by name and by nature. Lee came away from Grudge Kings with a smile on his face, having had a ripper day’s racing with his family and running a new PB of 8.54@161mph. Read more from p.124 of this issue! THE WIN LIST OUTLAW Lee Docherty – Mazda MX–5 EXTREME BIKE Alex Borg – Suzuki Hayabusa PRO MOD Peter Lovering – ’55 Chevrolet PRO STREET Peter Pisalidis – Chevrolet Corvette PRO ELITE Rodney Rehayem – Mazda RX-8 PRO MODIFIED Steve Athans – Ford Mustang R275 Riccardo Pontonio – VK Commodore SMALL-TYRE FIGHTER PRO Michael Elkhouri – Mazda RX-7 SMALL-TYRE FIGHTER Pat Firriolo – Holden One Tonner STREET OUTLAW Martin Stevenson – HQ Holden van STREET MACHINE 071
LEFT: Steven Nikolovski’s 7M-GTE-powered Mk2 Toyota Corona was doing grudge runs throughout the day. The cool and unorthodox combo logged a best of 9.68@143mph by day’s end LEFT: Our reigning Milwaukee Young Street Machine of the Year winner, Grant Azzopardi, keeps popping up everywhere with his rad little Barra-powered Anglia pano, including the show ’n’ shine at Grudge Kings IT DIDN’T MATTER WHAT MAKE, MODEL OR POWER ADDER YOU HAD – THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERED WAS THE WIN LIGHT 072 STREET MACHINE
Street Machine Drag Challenge regular Riccardo Pontonio’s twin-turbo LS-powered VK knocked out a string of incredible sevensecond PBs over the event, besting with a 7.56@181mph – all in full DC trim on a 275 radial, full exhaust and pump E85! To say the boys were happy is an understatement. Trent Blainey in his gorgeous LS-powered VL Walkinshaw tribute, WALKE (SM, Feb ’23), also managed to knock out a 7.7 at a whopping 187mph – another PB for yet another heavyweight of the pro street scene. One of the wildest saves of the day came from Damian Ferraro in his recently reworked LJ Torana. The car now boasts a 526 Keith Black Olds donk, complete with a screw supercharger, and has run in the low six-second zone at well over 220mph. On Damian’s first hit of the day, the car launched well but dropped fluid under the right rear at around 130mph, sending him on a sudden unplanned detour across the centreline. Only Damian’s quick reflexes got the ’chutes out in time to keep the gorgeous LJ intact. The V8 brigade were putting on a show, but the Sport Compact guys were not going to be left behind either! George Haramis is a name known throughout the Sydney off-street drag racing scene for close to 20 years, and at Grudge Kings, he wowed behind the wheel of the Maatouks Racing Mk4 Supra. Haramis gave us a taste of what was to come with a 7.21 at a monstrous 202mph after blowing the tyres off at the hit early in the day, before smashing out a 6.71@212mph in a round-one win over George Rehayem (after a long staging duel, with both teams pumping the crowd up in the process). Jay Sadek was another stand-out in the 20B-powered RX-3 made famous by his dad ABOVE: Jay Sadek and Steve Athans put down side-by-side 6sec runs in the final of Pro Modified, with Athans taking the win in his Mustang (at top) with a PB of 6.58 BELOW: Twin-turbo LS-powered Pontiac versus a shoebox Chevy with a screw-blown Hemi? Yes please! Stuart Bennett and Pete Lovering face off in qualifying STREET MACHINE 073
Sam. With a 6.63@210mph (alongside one of the OGs of pro street, Mark Hayes, running a 7.10 in his stunning big-cube, nitrous-guzzling LC Torana), Sadek’s car became one of the quickest and fastest RX-3s in the country. Wheelstands were the order of the day for many a racer, with Rob Evans from South Australia probably having the biggest of them all in his big Chrysler hardtop. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down, and when it did, it was with a shower of sparks and must have hurt – we didn’t see him out on track again. Others trying for their pilot licence on the day were Johnny Habib, Mark Hayes, Darryl Dando, and Jason Hoctor in his tough Cortina. Adam Rogash’s brand new STRIPSHOW Capri (see full feature, p.26) had a weekend to remember! After a massive half-track wheelstand in testing that bent a front strut on touchdown, the team thrashed hard overnight to fix the damage. On race day, the team knocked out a 7.00@191mph, followed up by a 6.91@199mph to dip comfortably into the sixes on debut. With Dandy Engines power under the bonnet, the blue Capri will be one to watch in future! As always at Grudge Kings, there were plenty of big names in quick streeters. SmallTyre Fighter was probably the pick of the categories, with a cracking final between Dom Perri in his stunning GODRX2 and Mick Elkhouri in his 2JZ-powered RX-7, LOL13B. Early in the day, Mick laid down a 7.13 and a 200mph blast (yes, you read that right) on separate runs, and it was the later-model Mazda that would take the win with another low-seven-second pass. Alongside him, Perri showed the potential of the little RX-2 with a 7.91@173 mph. Overall, there was plenty of carnage at this year’s event, with more than a few cars breaking on the day, but for fans of grudge racing and world-class timeslips, Grudge Kings continues to deliver excitement. Bring on 2024! LEFT: Drag Challenge vet Riccardo Pontonio had a belter of a weekend in his almighty brown VK. Running in full street trim (275 radials, full exhaust and on pump E85), he knocked out a PB pass of 7.56@181mph, then went on to win the R275 class BELOW: Martin Stevenson’s 410ci small block-powered HQ pano edged out Craig Warren’s LJ Torana to take the win in the hotly contested Street Outlaw class RICCARDO PONTONIO’S TWIN-TURBO LS-POWERED VK KNOCKED OUT A STRING OF INCREDIBLE SEVEN-SECOND PBS OVER THE EVENT, BESTING WITH A 7.56@181MPH 074 STREET MACHINE
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S T O R Y K I A N H E A G N E Y P H O T O S N A T H A N J A C O B S CATHERINE ‘DRIFTCAT’ HEWITSON BUILT THIS NASCAR-POWERED, VK-FRONTED VL CALAIS AS THE ULTIMATE DRIFTING WEAPON 076 STREET MACHINE
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Engine bay: The 660rwhp and 9500rpm worth of NASCAR goodness will do just fine for a fun sliding machine, with the air filter filling all the space under the swollen Group A bonnet Body: Not only does the Group A-style bodykit give this VL/K the look Cat adores, but it was also the path of least resistance to giving the car the wide body needed for the heavily dished wheels HILE most of the readers of these pages would be better versed in the history of straight-line racing than the sideways malarkey, those who were at the genesis of drifting in Australia would probably remember the name Catherine Coleiro, better known as Driftcat. Not only was Cat the first female professional drifter in Australia, but she was also a pioneer in taking Aussie cars sideways. “I had a 308 VK Commodore when we all started to get into drifting in 2003, so I used that, and I was the first person to enter a Holden in a national drift competition,” says Cat, whose surname is now Hewitson following her marriage.“Back then it was really basic; most tracks didn’t know what drifting was and everything we did was self-taught. All we had was Initial D to learn from!” Cat picked up the skills for drifting very easily, and soon found herself being thrust to the forefront of the fast-growing sport. “I was approached by a Chinese company who wanted to sponsor me for an entire season of national comp, but as part of the deal, I had to sell the VK and use an S13 Silvia instead, so that’s what I did,” she says. The deal paid off, with Cat becoming the first woman to win a championship drifting title in Australia by taking out the 2005 NSW State Championship, while also placing fourth overall in the national competition that same year. Cat has also been invited to drift cars in Beijing, Chile and at the Gatebil festival in Norway. Adding to her extensive résumé are some stunt driving jobs for big-dollar movies, including Marvel’s 2021 flick Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. “The Marvel experience was such a cool one, jumping and sliding and all that,” she says.“Seeing my name in the end credits gave me a major kick as well.” Cat and husband Trent Hewitson opened their business, Chequered Tuning, in Melbourne in 2008. It’s a workshop dedicated to dyno tuning, with Trent in the workshop and Cat running the day-to-day.Business has been booming, but to get it off the ground, Cat had to bid farewell to the S13 and full-time driving. “We used the money from selling the S13 to get the business going, and after four years or so, my husband turned to me and said, ‘We need a workshop car; how about you get back into drifting?’ So I thought, how cool would it be to get back into drifting with the car that got me into the sport, a VK Commodore?” The hunt for a suitable VK was on, but what the pair actually ended up with was a VL Calais Turbo manual, which they’ve used as the base for the machine you see here. The first iteration was completed in 2012, with an 858rwhp 078 STREET MACHINE
Top right: The car retains a live-axle rear end, but it’s now a DMI Bulldog quickchange Right: Nitrous is commonplace in high-end drift builds, and Cat’s Commodore is no different. If ever she feels that 660rwhp isn’t enough, the 200-shot is there for extra bang I THOUGHT, HOW COOL WOULD IT BE TO GET BACK INTO DRIFTING WITH THE CAR THAT GOT ME INTO THE SPORT, A VK COMMODORE? STREET MACHINE 079
Far left: Here’s Cat’s signature driver logo, which is now also being repurposed for her new YouTube channel, Driftcat Chronicles Wheels: Wondering when Cat nicked the spinners from a Ferrari F40? They’re Autostrada Modena three-piece wheels, re-barrelled by Whitehorse Industries to measure 18x10 front and 18x13 rear twin-turbo LS1.“That was a big deal back then, but after I drifted it, Trent wanted to change the engine, mainly because LS swaps became so common, and he also hated the noise of a turbo LS,” laughs Cat. “So we started looking at doing another unique swap, and then we found the Dodge NASCAR engine.” Between Cat popping out two kids and the inevitable COVID-related delays, the swap and overall rebuild took around six years to sort. “There weren’t heaps of issues getting the engine in there, and all we really had done externally was the fab work and the wiring; the assembly and all that was done here,” says Cat. Shoehorning the engine in wasn’t so bad, but Trent put the hard yards into the underpinnings to ensure the steering and suspension geometry was still bang-on for a drift car.“He spent a lot of time making sure the rack and subframe was positioned right, using an S14 steering rack and bespoke uprights and geometry,” says Cat. All four corners also feature Shockworks coil-overs, while a quick-change live-axle rear end allows gear ratio changes in as little as five minutes. It’s an important asset to have in a drift car, as correct gearing is vital. As for the engine itself, it’s an Arrington Performance-built unit that sits at a rev-happy 358ci capacity. It’s dry-sumped, and packs a Bryant crank, Carrillo rods and JE pistons. The stick is a Comp Cams solid-roller, while heads are NASCAR-spec P7s. Other notables include the Edelbrock intake manifold, Haltech Nexus R5 brains, and E85 fuel. The mill made a best of 630rwhp on Chequered Tuning’s hub dyno through the G-Force dogbox, until the clutch started slipping. “We’ve got the new clutch in now, so it’ll hit the dyno soon and we think it should be good for 660rwhp,” says Cat. “Then we have the 200-shot of nitrous to go as well.” Once it’s all dialled in, Cat and Trent will give the now VK-fronted VL a shakedown before it makes a proper on-track debut this year. “I’m super excited to get it out and give it a good go; I’ve been out of the seat for a while, so I’m keen for it,” says Cat. “We don’t have the time or budget to go back to running full national series stuff, so it’ll more be used for demos and special events like World Time Attack Challenge.” We also have it on good authority that the Commodore may make a proper debut at a big event at Melbourne’s Calder Park in October, so keep an eye out for that. At this point, you’d be forgiven for thinking the car is very much a one-dimensional smoke machine, and we thought the same until Cat surprised us with this remark: “I would love to take it to next year’s Summernats, Drag Challenge, drift for fun around Australia, and then the ultimate goal would be to ship it to America and do Drag Week.” It turns out this thing has been built more as an all-purpose motorsport machine than simply a drift weapon, so it seems like we’ll be seeing a lot of Cat, Trent and the Commodore in several of forms of motorsport in the years to come. 080 STREET MACHINE
Interior: Not much VL is left inside, save for the dash. Bride front seats replace the Calais items and the rear seat is long gone, while a Haltech iC-7 dash and PDM talk to the Nexus R5 ECU. Steering is done with a Sparco threespoke wheel, while a drift-appropriate hydraulic handbrake replaces the centre console Pedals: A race-spec pedal box gives Cat all the heel-toe and clutch-kicking ability needed in a top-level drift car CATHERINE HEWITSON (COLEIRO) 1986 HOLDEN VL CALAIS Paint: Mazda RX-8 Yellow ENGINE Brand: Dodge 358ci Induction: Edelbrock manifold ECU: Haltech Nexus R5 Heads: P7 Camshaft: Comp Cams solidroller Conrods: Carrillo Pistons: JE Crank: Bryant Oil pump: Dailey dry sump Fuel system: Raceworks pump, 1180cc injectors Cooling: C&R NASCAR radiator Exhaust: 3in stainless sideexit pipes Ignition: Haltech IGN-1A TRANSMISSION Gearbox: G-Force T101A dogbox Clutch: Quartermaster twinplate Diff: DMI Bulldog quickchange SUSPENSION & BRAKES Front: Shockworks coil-overs Rear: Shockworks coil-overs Brakes: Endless discs (f), Harrop discs (r) Master cylinder: AP Racing WHEELS & TYRES Rims: Autostrada Modena; 18x10 (f), 18x13 (r) Rubber: Nankang AR-1 235/40R18 (f), Mickey Thompson ET Street 305/35R18 (r) THANKS Haltech for providing the right parts to do the right job on this car and every day at Chequered Tuning; Nick at LUX Racing for the front suspension; Dimi and Dan at CPG for wiring up the Haltech gear; Darryl Dickie for all the fab work; Derek Van Zelm at Motorsport Engineering Services; Craig at Whitehorse Industries; Steve at EFI Hardware I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE IT TO DRAG CHALLENGE, AND THE ULTIMATE GOAL WOULD BE TO SHIP IT TO AMERICA AND DO DRAG WEEK STREET MACHINE 081
BENNY GATT TURNS HIS LATE DAD’S OLD XT INTO THE CRUISER HE’D ALWAYS DREAMED ABOUT 082 STREET MACHINE
S T O R Y & P H O T O S P E T E R B A T E M A N STREET MACHINE 083
HEN drag racing legend Ben Gatt was told his family’s 1968 XT Fairmont was available for sale, he had to have it. The old Ford held too many memories, and he knew exactly what his dad, Paolo (Paul), had desperately wanted to do with the car back in the day. Once he had this family treasure under his care, Ben and some trusted mates rebuilt it over 15 months or so, transforming Mum and Dad’s old XT into a very neat streeter, just like his old man would have wanted. I’ve known Benny for a good number of years, and jumped at the opportunity to photograph the car. He had the perfect location in mind; we were off to the Gatts’ old family home at Fairfield Heights, Sydney – in Benny’s parents’ old car no less, now completely restored. Heading towards the old stomping ground, the Ford’s exhaust let out a gorgeous burble when Benny backed off the gas, and a decent dose of mumbo when the loud pedal was activated. On these western Sydney tracks – sorry, roads – the ride was smooth, helped, no doubt, by the seats, but you could feel the XT’s tyres were planted firmly on the tarmac. “Dad always reverse-parked in the drive, so I will too,” Ben said as we pulled up outside the old home. The traffic made this manoeuvre something of a chore, and Ben needed his daily spinach sandwich to complete the task, as the Ford has no power steering. The house, built by Paul and some uncles, is the last on the street still standing from the old days. Ben went to school from this house, kept his budgerigars here and even learned to drive in this very XT. He built his first car – a ’28 Model A hottie, with help from his older brother Joe – in the backyard, and dad Paul raced his pigeons from the back shed. So many memories. Back then, the car was painted white, there was one of those long straight-six engines under the bonnet, and stopping power was poor – drums on all for corners was the norm at the time. But now that Benny had a hold of it, he knew he had to change all that. “All Dad ever wanted was a V8,” he said. “And it had to be red.” A 302 Windsor was gathering dust in Ben’s workshop. It hadn’t been there ages, but Ben had to have a little peek inside and tweak a few things. So, another real McCoy powers the XT: a Ben Gatt race engine. Interestingly, Ben never dynos his mills; he reckons that if he puts them together correctly, all that’s needed is judicial use of the loud pedal to get all the power needed. The engine bay has been tidied up and looks better than new, and brakes-wise, XY discs now do the work at the front, with drums still used out back, and the brake booster was moved to the driver’s side. All the electrics are new, as are the bumpers, although the original set is safe in the shed. The factory XT grille is gone, replaced with an original GT item. “I BEN NEVER DYNOS HIS MILLS; HE RECKONS IF HE PUTS THEM TOGETHER CORRECTLY, ALL THAT’S NEEDED IS JUDICIAL USE OF THE LOUD PEDAL 084 STREET MACHINE
BOOT: With its mild 302, 2.7:1 gears, and the 36-gallon fuel tank in the boot, the XT could probably make it halfway across the country on a single tank ENGINE BAY: Benny just happened to have a 302 lying around, so he gave it a freshen-up, put on some Edelbrock alloy heads and intake, slid in a mild cam and topped it with a 600 vac-sec Holley. It was then dropped into the XT’s bay, fulfilling Ben’s dad’s dream of the car one day running a V8 GAUGES: Rather than swapping in a GT instrument cluster, Benny elected to keep the Fairmont gauges that his dad looked over for all those years INTERIOR: The interior has been redone in black, keeping in theme with the GT exterior, but that B&M ratchet shifter definitely wasn’t a factory option, not even on the GT! STREET MACHINE 085
BEN GATT 1968 FORD XT FAIRMONT Paint: Candy Apple Red ENGINE Brand: Ford 302 Windsor Induction: Edelbrock intake, 600 Holley vac-sec Heads: Edelbrock Performer Camshaft: Crane hydraulic Conrods: Standard Pistons: Standard Crank: Standard Exhaust: Pacemaker headers, twin 2in system Ignition: Electronic TRANSMISSION Gearbox: C4 Converter: Standard Diff: 9in, 2.7:1 gears SUSPENSION & BRAKES Front: Standard Rear: Standard Brakes: XY Falcon discs (f), GT drums (r) Master cylinder: Standard WHEELS & TYRES Rims: 14x6 steelies with GT hubcaps (f & r) Rubber: 185/75R14 with redlines (f & r) THANKS Sharon; Owen Webb; Hoody; Jonesy and Steve for the auto electrical brilliance; Dean at Dawn’s Touch-Ups for the body and paint; Al for the trim; Betts Customs; Norm Hardinge at Aussie Desert Cooler; Craig at Craig’s Automatics; Michelle at Rare Spares; Ford Muscle Parts; Bob and Tom at Bridgestone 7\UHV 6PLWKoHOGff 6WHYH DW %XUW Bros for brakes; Joe Vallis for hubcaps, grille, dash and steering wheel; the gang at Westend Performance – RIP Sam; Peter and Sarah for the Cobra air cleaner; Daryl and 6XH IRU oQGLQJ WKH FDU know everything I’ve done is exactly what Dad wanted to do,” Ben reminded me. But the big-ticket item in any car is the paint – it’s the first thing that hits you – and wow, the paint on this car! Ben’s dad had always wanted the XT to be red, so Ben’s had it coated in gleaming Ford Candy Apple Red. Fortunately, time sitting in that shed had not treated the XT’s body badly. There was no rust, and the previous owner had been careful when he pulled it apart. There were the usual areas where TLC was needed, but in general, it was pretty good. Ben’s long-time buddy Dean did wonders with the paint, and he reckoned it was one of the best bodies he’d worked on. To remain true to the old XT’s rather basic factory fit-out (and, I suspect, to show off the new long-range fuel tank), Ben has kept any carpet and sound deadening away from the boot. And there is now no room for the spare – that fuel tank is the proper 36-imperial-gallon one, the kind you need the bank’s authority to fill. That’s a whopping 164 litres of high-octane mumbo juice. But gee, it looks cool. Inside, the Fairmont is pristine. Everything is black – upholstery, roof lining, carpet and door trims. Just sitting in those seats reminds one of a lazy afternoon in a Jason Recliner, the GT steering wheel is completely in keeping with Paul’s desires, and the overall result is a credit to Ben’s mate Al, who has trimmed it all beautifully. On the parcel shelf, just like the old days, are a couple of caps. These are special – they were Paul’s. But I have to wonder if Ben’s mum Nina would have ever allowed the famous Paul Gatt racing pigeons to travel on the back seat in this beautiful time capsule? Well done, Ben – this car is a credit both to you and its history with your family. “Ah, if you’re going to do it, you’ve gotta do it right, I suppose, haven’t ya?” Ben stated simply. He had to have the last word. LEFT: Benny out the front of the Fairfield Heights house he grew up in, with the XT backed into the driveway, just like his dad used to do REAR: The XT looks smart with its wheels dressed in GT hubcaps over redline tyres. The mild 302 Windsor up front burbles through a twin 2in exhaust system, and is barely off idle on the freeway thanks to 2.7:1 gears in the 9in IF YOU’RE GOING TO DO IT, YOU’VE GOTTA DO IT RIGHT, I SUPPOSE, HAVEN’T YA? 086 STREET MACHINE
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STEVEN THRIFT’S HYP064 EH IS A BLACK-ON-BLACK STREET BRAWLER PACKING 500HP WORTH OF EFI SMALL-BLOCK SHOVE Story A N D R E W B R O A D L E Y Photos B E N H O S K I N G STREET MACHINE 089
T THE risk of it sounding a bit like a cheesy Dom Toretto line from a Fast & Furious film, Steven Thrift’s EH Holden is all about family. It was built in Steve’s shed with his dad Geoff front and centre, to be enjoyed by Steve, his ever-supportive wife Amanda, and their two kiddos Holly and Marley. The family connection is such that Geoff even owned the EH for a time! “The car was quite nice when I got it 15 years ago; blue with a white roof, billet wheels, a 186 and a four-speed,” says Steve. “I had the idea of painting the engine bay after pulling the engine out for a tidy-up and got carried away, stripping the whole car for a little rust work and a change of colour.” A familiar tale, indeed. Steve worked with Geoff to get the car repaired and into primer before the build lost momentum, and the former ended up selling the car to the latter. “That was about 10 years ago,” says Steve. “Dad got it painted by one of his good mates in a custom Spies Hecker cherry black, mixed by my brother Anthony. After Dad fitted the panels, new bolts, catches and glass, it sat in his shed for another seven years, until I begged him to buy it back so that I could finish it the way I intended all those years ago.” The deal was done, and the EH returned to Steve’s care. His intentions for the powertrain were a little more ambitious than his dad’s, and some changes needed to be made to the now-painted car to facilitate them. We’re talking mini-tubs, engine, transmission, diff and brake conversions, and a set of custom headers to suit a smallblock Chev, which anyone who’s ever dropped a V8 into an early Holden knows is an absolute mission. Steve purchased a tough small-block Chev and Powerglide from a family friend, Roy Romeo at In Touch Automotive. The 350-cuber runs a steel Crower crank, Lunati rods, Ross flat-top pistons and a Comp Cams solid stick. Heads are polished and ported Dart Sportsman items, topped by an Edelbrock VictorJr intake manifold and Holley Sniper four-barrel EFI system. The whole shebang is handy for around 500hp. The nine-inch rear end sports 31-spline billet axles and a 3.7:1 Truetrac centre, and is suspended by factory EH leaf springs aided by Gazzard Brothers traction bars. The 15x8.5 Street Pro II rear wheels wear 235/60R15 hoops, which necessitated some negotiations with the inner wheelarches. “Dad and I mini-tubbed the car at my place, after a lot of convincing – the car had already been painted!” Steve says. At the steering end, there’s a modified HR front end featuring Torana rack-and-pinion steering, HK V8 coils and Ultima Nitro shocks. Brakes are Commodore discs and calipers at both ends (VZ front and VS rear), regulated by a VX master cylinder. “During COVID lockdowns, I sent the car out to have the exhaust and extractors done by Peter at Newcastle Muffler Service; what a helpful bloke who takes pride in what he does,” says Steve. “I just left it all up to him, and he has done a perfect job and didn’t cut the inner guards, which everyone said was impossible. It sounds beautiful.” Jason at Custom Auto Electrics came out and rewired 090 STREET MACHINE
THE EH SHOULD END UP IN THE 10S ON THE MOTOR, BUT STEVE’S MORE THAN HAPPY TO PUT IT ON THE BOTTLE TO GET THE JOB DONE ENGINE BAY: The staunch solidcammed 350ci small-block is good for around 500hp and is a delightfully old-school recipe, save for the Holley four-barrel EFI set-up, which modernises things a touch without compromising the look BODY: Cherry black paint is a bold choice; you want to have a lot of faith in your bodywork to do it justice. Steve and his dad Geoff tackled the panels themselves, and Geoff then outsourced the painting to a good mate. The results are spot-on HEADERS: Steve didn’t want to run fenderwell headers on the EH, so he commissioned Newcastle Muffler Service to skilfully craft a set of custom block-huggers, despite the fact that the engine bay had already been painted – no mean feat STREET MACHINE 091
the EH from front to back, including the Holley Sniper EFI set-up, while Steve handled the plumbing himself with Speedflow fittings and braided lines. Good mates Kane White and Luke Catty were called upon for their help fitting up the engine and driveline, and were more than happy to oblige. It was a huge push to get the car to Street Machine Summernats 35 this year, with every spare minute dedicated to making sure the deadline was met. Steve wants to thank his dad Geoff, brother-in-law Lyle Cavell and mates Scott Vickery, Stephen Rouse and Phill Cater for helping get it across the line. “I want to say a special thanks to my wife Amanda and little girls Holly and Marley for being so patient with me and understanding that my dream wasn’t easy,” says Steve. “Leaving the girls inside while I spent so many late nights in the shed trying to get it finished was much appreciated, and now we can enjoy it all together.” A trip to the drags is on the agenda, and while Steve is confident the EH will end up in the 10s on the motor, he’s more than happy to put it on the bottle to get the job done if he needs to. But above all else, the EH is all about clawing back valuable family time. “The look on my little girls’ faces when I took them for their first drive was awesome; what a great feeling it was to be cruising with the wife and kids. I’m looking forward to many more cruises and shows, and the girls can’t wait to come to a car show.” STEVEN THRIFT 1964 EH HOLDEN Paint: Custom Spies Hecker Cherry Black ENGINE Brand: 350ci small-block Chev Induction: Victor Jr intake manifold, Holley Sniper fourbarrel EFI Heads: Dart Sportsman, ported and polished Camshaft: Comp Cams solidroller Conrods: Lunati Pistons: Ross flat-top Crank: Crower steel Oil pump: High volume Fuel system: Holley Sniper in-tank Cooling: Aussie Desert Cooler radiator, twin 12in fans Exhaust: Custom headers, twin 3in exhaust, MagnaFlow mufflers Ignition: MSD billet distributor, MSD 6AL, MSD leads, Fireball coil TRANSMISSION Gearbox: Powerglide, transbrake Converter: Dominator 3500rpm Diff: 9in, Truetrac centre, 31-spline axles, 3.7:1 gears SUSPENSION & BRAKES Front: HR front end, LX Torana rack, V8 HK Holden springs, Ultima Nitro shocks Rear: EH Holden leaf springs, Gazzard Brothers traction bars, Rod Shop chassis kit Brakes: VZ Commodore discs with CAE adapters (f), VS Commodore discs (r) Master cylinder: VX Commodore WHEELS & TYRES Rims: Street Pro II; 17x4.5 (f), 15x8.5 (r) Rubber: Nankang; 165/70R17 (f), 235/60R15 (r) THANKS My wife Amanda and my girls Holly and Marley for putting up with me; my champion of a dad Geoff Thrift; my brother Anthony for mixing the custom cherry black colour; my brother-in-law Lyle Cavell; my mates Kane White, Luke Catty, Stephen Rouse, Scott Vickery and Scott Meharg; Peter and WKH ER\V DW 1HZFDVWOH 0XIpHU Service; Roy Romeo at In Touch Automotive for the engine, gearbox, MSD and Holley Sniper system; Unique Customs for the wheels; Jason at Custom Auto Electrics; Phill Cater for the trim; Luke Dean for the trailer; Scott Meharg for the VX booster set-up; Alien Retro Columns; Driveline Services; Vision Autoglass; Aussie Desert Cooler; Rare Spares; Rocket Industries; Resto Spares; Meguiar’s; Wyong Automatic Transmission Service INTERIOR: The black-on-black aesthetic is a well-trodden path, and it works a treat on Steve’s EH. Black vinyl covers the Premier seats and door trims, while a SAAS classic black twirler, Aeroflow pistol grip shifter, Auto Meter gauges and TruFit moulded carpet also got the nod 092 STREET MACHINE
094 STREET MACHINE S T O R Y IAI N K ELLY P H O T O S G E N E R AL MO T O R S 094 STREET MACHINE
STREET MACHINE 095 L AUNCHED with the seventhgeneration Corvette in January 2013, the new Gen V V8 ushered in a new era of tech for GM’s venerable smallblock. The new LT1 may have had the same capacity, bore/stroke, six-bolt mains, allaluminium 90-degree construction, 4.40-inch centre-bore spacing, cam location, pushrods and deck height as the LS3, but it also brought some huge differences. On top of a new block and head design, the cooling and oiling systems were radically overhauled, and all Gen Vs feature direct injection. Power was up all over the shop, with the LT5 found in the C7 ZR1 packing 755hp, making it GM’s most powerful production car. In the decade since the LT series broke cover, GM has released 11 variants, with the new 6.6-litre (400ci) iron-block L8T causing a huge stir amongst enthusiasts looking to build boosted combos off a production block. On the higher-tech front, the new naturally aspirated LT6 from the C8 Z06 Corvette brought dual overhead camshafts, 5.5-litre capacity, an 8600rpm redline and an astounding 670hp output. On top of this, GM still has plans to release a spicier version of the LT in the upcoming hot-shoe C8 Corvette ZR1, so we’ll bring you the skinny on that when details are confirmed. In terms of power potential, these babies have loads! One of the many big upgrades the Gen V enjoys is gusseted water jackets in the aluminium blocks, as these add a great deal of strength. While alloy Gen IV blocks are known to tap out around 700hp, the alloy LTs can nudge 1000hp thanks to better stability in the platform. So far, we haven’t seen enough iron L8T builds taken to the limit to say what they can handle with any certainty. The 12mm head bolts (larger than the 11mm used in LS) should provide better clamping to handle boosted combos, while GM has also worked on eradicating windage issues from the LS, which always suffered in this area due to the deep-skirt design of the blocks. Engine code: L83/L84 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 3.78in Capacity: 5.3L WHILE we commonly think of the Vortecseries 5.3-litre LS ‘truck’ engines as iron-block N variants, the Gen V mills changed all this. ow called EcoTec3, both the L83 and L84 5.3s feature alloy bocks and 11:1 comp. G Packing 355hp and 383lb-ft, these 5.3-litre en Vs use a cast crank and hypereutectic d aluminium-alloy pistons, and really only differ ue to packaging differences in the various truck models they’re sold in. Thanks to the t d e i c re h c , t t - h injection and cylinder-deactivation AFM e L83/L84 in GM light-duty trucks are claimed to be more fuel-efficient than Ford’s turbo six-pot EcoBoost donks. NEW-AGE DINOSAURS > IN THE FACE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND OVERHEAD-CAM FORDS, GENERAL MOTORS’ PUSHROD SMALL-BLOCK IS NOW IN ITS FIFTH GENERATION. HERE IS OUR LOOK AT THESE LATEST-GEN MILLS
096 STREET MACHINE Engine code: LT6 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 4.10in Capacity: 5.5L i T s H c U ur M re P n ING out an amazing 670hp, the 5.5-litre LT6 found in tly the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 the supe a production car in the world. Developed for name onl r y car-fast C8 Corvette Z06, it is almost an LT in car. Pack thanks to it having to fit into a mid-engined t ing chain-driven dual overhead camshafts, c i r t a a n n k iu , m dr rods and intake valves, 32 valves, a flat-plane unit. The y sump oil system and 12.5:1 comp, it’s a spicy twin 87m i m ntake manifold is a giant 11-litre item packing squirters throttlebodies, meaning the direct-injection Red ended up side-mounted, unlike other LTs. line is an amazing 8600rpm. Engine code: L86/L87 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 4.06in Capacity: 6.2L THE new-gen 6.2-litre V8 found in GM’s light-duty trucks (including the Chev Silverados now so plentiful on Australian roads), the L86 and L87 are basically the same engine with minor packaging differences to suit the various models they’re sold in. Largely the same as the high-performance LT1 apart from the intake manifold, the 420hp L86/L87 also runs 11.5:1 comp and a forged steel crank, although it misses out on the LT4’s forged pistons. Engine code: LT1 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 4.06in Capacity: 6.2L WITH 460hp, 11.5:1 comp and a forged steel crank, the all-new LT1 brought a fair bit of heat to the C7 Corvette and sixth-gen Camaro. The oil pump runs variable displacement, and the cylinder heads are a common design, meaning they’re the same on left and right banks, while cylinder deactivation (AFM) and direct injection bring the pushrod V8 into the 21st century. GM retained the 4.40in bore spacing and six-bolt mains, but changed the position of the engine mounts, so they won’t bolt in where an LS once was (see sidebar, opposite page).
STREET MACHINE 097 FITNESS IN IF YOU’RE fixin’ to slap an LT5 in where your LS1 or LS3 used to be, then you’re in for some surprises. Firstly, GM changed the engine mount bosses on the side of the LT blocks, so you’ll need to make new engine mounts when swapping from an LS to an LT. The cylinder heads are an all-new design, as GM had a heck of a job fitting valves, a sparkplug and a fuel injector into the combustion chamber. They’re universal castings, which means the left and right are the same, but the orientation of the intake and exhaust valves is reversed compared to a traditional LS head. This will require new headers for a car previously fitted with an LS, and you’ll also need a Gen V-fitment intake manifold, as the LS item won’t fit. They do share the same reluctor-wheel tooth count on the crank, but the electronics required to run all the factory functions of an LT aren’t as simple thanks to the variable valve timing, active fuel management, direct injection and more. There is good news for those wanting to mix-and-match their LS and LT hardware, though, as the aftermarket is now selling tools that make it easier to fit an LS top end on your LT short motor, or vice versa. While the head bolt pattern and water jackets line up between LS and LT heads, the locating dowels have moved from the lower outer position (LS) to upper outer (LT). This doesn’t resolve the issue with piston-to-valve clearance on the high-compression LT engines. There is also the issue of the Gen V camshaft, which features a unique eccentric at the back of the shaft to drive the mechanical direction-injection fuel pump, and this means you’d likely need to swap to a new cam and lifters at the same time. L T G E N V S M A L L - B L O C K E N G I N E S Engine code L83 L84 L87 LT1 LT2 LT4 LT5 LT6 LT376 L8T Power (hp) 355@5600rpm 355@5600rpm 420@5900rpm 460@6000rpm 495@6450rpm 650@6400rpm 755@6400rpm 670@8400rpm 535@6300rpm 401@5200rpm Torque (lb-ft) 383@4100rpm 383@4100rpm 450@4100rpm 465@4600rpm 470@5150rpm 650@3600rpm 715@3600rpm 461@6300rpm 470@4600rpm 464@4000rpm Redline (rpm) 5800 5800 6000 6600 6600 6600 6500 8600 6200 5600 Displacement (L) 5.3 5.3 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.2 5.5 6.2 6.6 Bore (in) 3.78 3.78 4.06 4.06 4.06 4.06 4.06 4.10 4.06 4.05 Stroke (in) 3.62 3.62 3.62 3.62 3.62 3.62 3.62 3.15 3.62 3.86 Compression ratio 11:1 11:1 11.5:1 11.5:1 11.5:1 10:1 10:1 12.5:1 11.5:1 10.8:1 G E N I V V S G E N V Engine Capacity Power (hp) Torque (lb-ft) Compression ratio Cylinder head Oil system Induction Weight (kg) GEN IV LS3 6.2L 430 474 10.7 Aluminium, 2-valve Wet sump Naturally aspirated 183 GEN V LT1 6.2L 460 465 11.5 Aluminium, 2-valve Wet sump, variable pressure Naturally aspirated 193 GEN IV LS7 7.0L 505 480 11 Aluminium, 2-valve Dry sump Naturally aspirated 205 GEN V LT6 5.5L 670 461 12.5 Aluminium, DOHC Dry sump, variable pressure Naturally aspirated 215 GEN IV LSA 6.2L 580 555 9.1 Aluminium, 2-valve Wet sump 1.9L Eaton supercharger 212 GEN V LT4 6.2L 650 650 10 Aluminium, 2-valve Wet sump, variable pressure 1.7L Eaton supercharger 239 Engine code: LT4 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 4.06in Capacity: 6.2L WITH more power than the fabled, hand-assembled LS9, the 650hp LT4 blew minds when it debuted in the C7 Corvette Z06. Aussies got a taste when the ZL1 Camaro lobbed Down Under in 2019. The compression is 10:1, with forged pistons and rods getting the nod on top of the forged crank. A new, skinnier 1.7-litre Eaton supercharger allowed 9.4psi of boost and lower bonnet heights, and the mill itself retained other Gen V signatures like variable valve timing, alloy construction and direct injection. The LT4 took over from the 580hp LSA as GM’s go-to supercharged crate motor for years, listing at $US15,000.
098 STREET MACHINE Engine code: L8T Block type: Iron Bore size: 4.05in Capacity: 6.6L THE only iron-block LT engine and the largest-capacity Gen V (6.6 litres, or 400ci in the old money), the L8T is GM’s answer to Ford’s 7.3 Godzilla. Used in heavy-duty trucks, the L8T’s forged crank and 3.86 stroke differ from the other LT truck motors, while the intake manifold and cam are geared for lower-rpm torque production. Though the mill is only rated at 401hp stock, the L8T block and crank are already available from Chevrolet Performance as aftermarket accessories, which will no doubt be used for boosted builds soon. Engine code: LT5 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 4.06in Capacity: 6.2L THE Corvette ZR1 is known as GM’s fastest production car, and the seventh-generation model certainly saw to that, with a gigantic 755hp output. The basic specs are largely the same as the LT4, but the main difference happened up top, with the 2.65-litre supercharger offering nearly a litre extra capacity over the LT4’s pump. The 2650 blower is so big it meant the LT5 runs port injectors as well as direct injection just to keep up with the fuel demand. With the C7 ZR1 long out of production, these days the LT5 is offered as a crate motor. Engine code: LT376 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 4.06in Capacity: 6.2L THE LT376 is essentially an LT1 that GM sells as a higherperformance crate motor. Packing the LT Hot Cam (228°/248° duration) and CNC-ported cylinder heads, it lifts the LT1’s horsepower up 75hp, throwing down 535hp. The LT376 is available alongside several other LT engines as part of Chevrolet Performance’s crate engine program, including the 650hp LT4 and big-banger 755hp LT5. Engine code: LT2 Block type: Alloy Bore size: 4.06in Capacity: 6.2L p T a H c E ka C g 8 i Corvette’s mid-engined layout created huge rectified n t g h headaches for General Motors, so the LT2 the same is. Most of the central specs of the LT2 are bore/s as the LT1, including the compression ratio, cam is t m ro o ke, base block specs and head layout, but the systems re aggressive, it has new intake and exhaust system to suit the MR placement, and a dry sump oil . This means it pumps out an impressive 495hp.
chevroletperformance.com.au SUPERSTORE 03 8710 3000 92 South Gippsland Hwy, Dandenong, Victoria Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5.30pm Sat 9am - 1pm AVAILABLE FROM: 632 cu. in. 1004 HP @ 6,600 RPM 876 LB-FT @ 5,600 RPM 12.0:1 Forged Aluminium Pistons 4.600 x 4.750 in. Displacement Horsepower Torque Compression Bore & Stroke 502 cu. in. 508 HP @ 5,200 RPM 580 LB-FT @ 3,600 RPM 9.6:1 Forged Aluminium Pistons 4.470 x 4.000 in. Displacement Horsepower Torque Compression Bore & Stroke 350 cu. in. 357 HP @ 5,500 RPM 407 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM 9.0:1 Cast Aluminium Pistons 4.000 x 3.480 in. Displacement Horsepower Torque Compression Bore & Stroke 6.2L (376 cu. in.) 430 HP @ 5,900 RPM 425 LB-FT @ 4,600 RPM 10.7:1 Hypereutectic AluminiumPistons 103.25 x 92 mm (4.065 x 3.622 in.) Displacement Horsepower Torque Compression Bore & Stroke 6.2L (376 cu. in.) 640 HP @ 6,400 RPM 630 LB-FT @ 3,600 RPM 10.0:1 Forged Aluminium Pistons 103.25 x 92 mm (4.065 x 3.622 in.) Displacement Horsepower Torque Compression Bore & Stroke 6.2L (376 cu. in.) 460 HP @ 6,000 RPM 465 LB-FT @ 4,600 RPM 11.5:1 Hypereutectic AluminiumPistons 103.25 x 92 mm (4.065 x 3.622 in.) Displacement Horsepower Torque Compression Bore & Stroke LS3 LT1 SP350/357 Deluxe ZZ502 Deluxe ZZ632 Deluxe LT4 SUPERCHARGED DESIGNED, ENGINEERED & TESTED BY TCO1255 GENUINE PERFORMANCE GENUINE PERFORMANCE
TIME MACHINE S T O R Y C R A I G P A R K E R P H O T O S C A P R I C E P H O T O G R A P H Y J ANET Hough and Victor Reilly own and run Bucket Panels in Moorabbin, and have been together for over 43 years. Throughout their journey, Janet and Victor have remained diehard hot-car fans. They also had a lot of fun racing Honda Odysseys for many years, plus a bit of touring on their Harley-Davidson. And while a number of cars have come and gone, the one street machine that has steadfastly remained is Janet’s beloved 1966 Mustang. Having first featured the bright yellow fastback in our June 1986 issue, Street Machine couldn’t resist catching up with Janet and Victor to see what the three of them have been up to over the ensuing 37 years. You’ve owned the Mustang for a very long time! JH: Our daughter Raewyn is about to turn 40, and I’ve had the car since before she was born. I never thought I’d be able to afford a Mustang; however, a mother had gone guarantor on a car loan for her son, who’d stopped making payments. She just wanted out of it, so I was able to pick it up in ’83 for just $3500. VR: We did the original build at Bucket Panels. Jan initially wanted it to be black, but we convinced her to paint it yellow, and it’s stayed that way ever since. It certainly did very well at its first outing. JH: Yes, Top Coupe and Top Ford at the ’86 Nationals. We nearly didn’t make it. Towing it up to Canberra, the trailer got the sways and nearly jack-knifed. We went across the road and off through some trees before coming to a stop. Luckily, we managed to get it back on the road. VR: This wasn’t the first time the car was nearly destroyed. It was almost finished for the ’84 Nationals when it suffered an engine bay fire, which almost burnt it to the ground. What about after the Nationals? JH: We did a few shows through the next couple of years. It went in and out of storage a couple of times, as we’d bought a house that didn’t have a garage. VR: We also did the ’92 Nationals at Calder Park. The bonnet flipped up while cruising around the Thunderdome. I took it back to the shop, repaired and painted it overnight, and had it back at Calder the next morning ready for judging. What came first: your relationship or the car? JH: We were already going out. We’re good > NEARLY 40 YEARS AFTER IT FEATURED IN STREET MACHINE, JANET HOUGH AND VICTOR REILLY’S 1966 MUSTANG IS STILL ON THE ROAD AND STILL TURNING HEADS RIGHT: Not many of us can lay claim to owning the same car for 40 years, but Janet Hough can! Power steering, air con and a modern sound system have dragged the Muzzy’s comfort levels into the 21st century 100 STREET MACHINE