Innholdsfortegnelse for April 1, 2015 i Street Machine

THE man most closely associated with the Valiant Charger racing program of the early 1970s, and the development of the famed E38 and E49 six-packs, has died. Leo Geoghegan succumbed to cancer on 2 March, aged 78. A humble man who tended to live in the shadow of his flamboyant brother Ian – better known as Pete, the winner of five touring car championships – Leo was just as successful in his chosen field of open-wheel racing cars and sports racers, and a great rival of our own KB in the 1960s. But Leo could drive anything, and even before he claimed his much cherished Australian Drivers Championship in 1970 driving a Waggottengined Lotus 59, he had gone close to Bathurst immortality. Leo and Pete took the chequered flag to…

WIN! PEN letter of the month and your car will be showered with $196.95 worth of Meguiar’s and Liqui-Moly products, thanks to Motoractive. For more info, visit www.motoractive.com.au. LETTER OF THE MONTH OLD-SCHOOL TIES WE, THE dirty unwashed, are rapt. We are all smiling and happy. Why? Because there is a 308 four-speed Holden ute on the front cover of ‘our’ magazine (SM, Mar ’15). We were having a brew in the shed and bending wrists, and we figured old mate’s ute is the real thing. Jellybean wheels (kind of), four-speed, flared guards, drop tank, tunnelled and chromed 308. We all dig 572 Camaros with 4500rpm stalls, and LS1 six-speed Toranas with 22-inch rims have taken it up to an awesome level. A rotary winning the big banger award is…

PAT Manariti has hit all the buttons with this classic Aussie street machine: drop-dead show car, potential 10-second drag racer, weekend family truckster. This XP fairly screams its high build quality and old-school pro street style, and is a remarkable achievement for a first-time builder, even if it took him two goes. Pat picked up the ’66 Falcon bog stock in good condition from an old chap in St Albans, Melbourne, in 2005. He has always been a Ford guy, but had never before had a crack at building a street machine. “I love the shape of the XP and there’s not too many sedans around” he says. Inspired by his brother Mick, a longtime modified car guy known for his uber-tough ’66 Galaxie (SM, Mar 2011), Pat painted it…

CAR guys can be a crafty bunch. In my house we have our own GST – Guilty Simon’s Tax – which is secretly subtracted from an item’s true cost to give the ‘wife’ price. This ‘GST’ can exceed 1000 per cent in some cases, but it does keep projects moving forward while maintaining peace on the home front. So I have to tip my hat to NSW family man and tough VJ Charger owner, Paul Vezinias, who makes my efforts seem amateur. “I hid this Charger in storage for eight years” he says. “I only revealed it to my wife Dimitra when the property was being sold and it had to be brought home” Paul is no stranger to the magic unveil; he had used a similar tactic with a…

THEY sure don’t make ’em like they used to. It might be cliché, but it stands true as far as cars are concerned. Today’s cars are mere consumables to be used and abused then discarded for the next thing. More plastic than metal, they’re not conducive to being named, nurtured, and passed from one generation to the next. Classic cars, by comparison, are living, breathing entities that have personalities all their own, with idiosyncrasies and character traits that allow a person to develop a real rapport with their ride. Sydney’s John Spinks, for example, has enjoyed a long and colourful relationship with his clinically clean and brutally tough LX Torana hatch that stretches back 22 years – more than half his life. They’ve had more than their fair share of…

TIMING is everything. For proof, just ask Drue Hutchy how he discovered this legendary 1955 Chevrolet. Its unmistakeable silhouette and styling are sure to have tweaked the memory banks of the old school, who are no doubt feeling a little happy in the pants. The Chev burst onto the scene 30 years ago, scoring a cover car spot on the much-loved Super Street title in ’87 and a feature story in SM, June 1990. Certainly, when Drue chanced upon the car, he was pretty certain what he was looking at. “I saw its arse hanging out of a Brisbane shed and thought: ‘It can’t be that car’” he says. “For me to drive past in the 30 minutes it saw daylight had to be fate. I really was in the…

THERE’S no denying that when it comes to performance carburettors, Holley is the big boy on the block, and always the first that comes to mind. But just like iPhones, Toyota Camrys and twerking, just because everyone is doing it doesn’t mean it’s right. Edelbrock has been making its Performer Series carbs for the past 25 years or so, based off the old reliable Carter AFB design, and they’re proving to be a decent alternative to the status quo. We had a chance to spend some quality time with an Edelbrock Performer carb recently, while dyno-tuning our Project Swinger engine, and it’s definitely opened our eyes. No power valves to blow, no fuel spilt while changing jets, and tuning is a breeze; if you’re only doing a metering rod adjustment,…

THE FIRST thing you notice when you pull up to John Baker’s property, in the New England region of NSW, is the unusual ‘garden art’. Sometime around 2008, John had a few days alone at home, so he and his dad placed an old ’38 Bedford ute in the yard. John had long held a dream of building a ute based around a ’38 International D2 coupe, and the Bedford was a similar-looking thing, easily relocated and readily available. Over the next few days they extracted some bodywork from an EK wagon and pinned a set of rear guards onto the back of the Beddy. It looked good from every angle. It sat like that in the yard for a while, and eventually Angela, John’s wife, gave this impromptu garden…

Send your photos of fun with cars to: Sunday Too Far Away, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, VIC 3166, or email high-resolution images (1mb+) to: sundaytoofaraway@bauer-media.com.au. Please send copies of prints as we are unable to return your photos WIN! WIN one of three Mothers packages, including glass cleaner, carnauba cleaner wax, car wash, polishing pads and a pack of microfibre towels and more! See www.mothers.com for details.…

NOW in its fourth year, Showcars Melbourne will be held at the Westgate Indoor Sports Centre in Altona on 26 April. Run by paint and panel man (and sometime Mod Street racer) Elvis Barbieri, the event is an awesome grassroots gathering of some of Melbourne’s slickest and toughest street cars. Elvis puts in a lot of work curating the event, hitting the phones to search out the latest and greatest, thus ensuring there is a high-quality line-up of cars each year. “We really try to concentrate on quality” he says. “I’d rather have 300 awesome cars than 1000 average cars.” The majority of the rides are displayed indoors, with last year seeing 440 crammed inside. The outdoor area is smaller, but tends to attract the real street monsters. Last year…

DENNIS McCarthy has one of the sweetest jobs going. Directors and producers basically throw him a sackful of cash and tell him to find the coolest cars for their movies. If that perfect car doesn’t exist, Dennis builds it. His company Vehicle Effects is also responsible for maintaining those cars on shoots – no small feat in an action movie where countless cars can be crashed, thrashed and trashed in a single take. We talked to Dennis shortly before the launch of Furious 7, the latest flick in the hugely successful The Fast and the Furious franchise. What’s your favourite car you’ve built for the upcoming Furious 7 film? The off-road Dodge Charger we built that Dom (Vin Diesel) uses in the second half of the movie. That’s probably my…

RUSSELL Smith – Rusty to his mates – has held fast to his love of cool cars, from his hometown of Maryborough, Qld, to his current digs in NSW’s Hamilton Valley. A dab hand at anything automotive, Russell turns his talents to all aspects of paint, body and mechanical, focusing on the more creative side of vehicle modification. He’s a keen sketch and airbrush artist whose handiwork has previously received our Expression Session honours (SM, Sep ’10). The driving force behind the popular Majestic Vanners Van-In held in Albury, Russell is also the go-to guy for an old-school fibreglass nosecone. 01 HERE’S Russell with a hefty Car of Show award from the 80s for his HQ wagon, Special Edition. “I was dead-set on a van but my mum suggested a…

GEOFF Paradise, the founding editor of Street Machine, passed away on 17 February this year at the age of 60. Geoff launched Street Machine in 1981 out of the ashes of the infamous Van Wheels. He got his start in the magazine business in 1970 when, as a 16-year-old apprentice spray painter, he wrote to Kevin Wolfe, the editor of Australian Hot Rodding Review, to complain about the quality of the pictures. Wolfe wrote back: “If you think you can do better, do it yourself.” Geoff promptly did just that and was paid $16 for his first feature. Within three years he was the editor of the same mag. He then moved to the US and picked up a job as features editor on the world’s biggest-selling car magazine, Hot…

A MODIFIED car can be a cruel mistress. In 2012, having poured his heart and soul into his beloved XB GS Fairmont for almost 15 years, Michael Stivala was cruising it home from a car show without a care in the world when the unthinkable happened. “A concrete block fell off the back of a truck and I ran straight over it” he says. “It did a lot of damage; bent the driver’s-side shock tower, damaged the firewall, kinked the sills and moved all the panels out of alignment.” At the time of the accident the car was a tidy streeter powered by a tough 351 Clevo, and had won over 50 trophies. But rather than dwell on the negatives, Michael viewed it as an opportunity to take the car…

AN ESTIMATED 12,000 punters and over 1000 cars rocked up to party at the 25th Muscle Car Madness show on 24-25 January. An eclectic event covering hot rods, street machines and everything in between, it is held in the small New Zealand South Island town of Rangiora, some 30km north of Christchurch. Event organiser and well-known Kiwi hot rodder Craig Stare has a band of volunteers to help put on the show each year. In 2015 they had their work cut out for them, with over 1500 people in 640 cars spending a week camped out at the Rangiora Showgrounds. They weren’t short on entertainment though, thanks to a bunch of killer bands. Among local outfits Krazy Kats, Brothers Grim and Recliner Rockers, Mad Max & The Wild Ones flew…

WOW-wow-wow, that one’s just like the car in the Hot Wheels movie!” My son DJ is almost seven years old. We’re at the 50th Victorian Hot Rod Show and he’s just spotted Richard Dabbs’s ’30 tudor, Brown Sugar (featured in SM Hot Rod 14). A Hot Wheels fan (he has over 1000), DJ is almost beside himself to be surrounded by his toy cars blown up life-size. “This is awesome!” he beams. “Is that real or just pretend? Does it go? Can you really drive it? “Wow, look at the ute, Dad! It’s got backwards doors! That’s a bit silly! And look over there, backwards-boot cars! Never seen that before!” I attempt a quick explanation of dickie seats and suicide doors, but he’s already on to the next thing. “Look…

IT’S TRUE what they say: ‘Happy wife equals happy life.’ Phillip Vella is getting married soon and his XY HO replica will be the bridal ride, so to ensure his betrothed doesn’t get all hot and bothered on her big day, he figured he’d better fit an air conditioner. Rohan Hutson from Australian Auto Air is here to show us how it’s done. Any air-conditioning system that was fitted to a classic streeter as original equipment will usually be well past its use-by date, and the mandatory replacement of R-12 refrigerant gas with R-134a is another issue. It’s possible to convert your original system over to R-134a, but it has to be in top condition, and if an a/c system hasn’t been running for some time, it won’t be. So,…

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@bauer-media.com.au. Please note: send us copies of prints as we are unable to return your photos. WIN! WIN one of three Eagle One gift packs, including Wax-As-U-Wash, 20/20 Glass Cleaner, Wax-As-U-Dry, Nevr-Dull Wadding Polish and Wipe & Shine Detailer. See www.eagleone.com.au for info! TY LETSCHERT VJ CHARGER “I BOUGHT my VJ about seven months ago from my mate ‘Stork’ in Soldiers Point, NSW. He owned it for about 20 years, and had been rebuilding it for the past five. Rosie from Port Stephens finished off the upholstery, and then I had the car brought home to Perth. The engine is a 360…

Send your favourite funnies to: LOL, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, VIC 3166 or email them to: streetmachine@bauer-media.com.au POLE POSITION THE telephone company needed to hire four telephone pole installers, and the choice came down to two from Poland and two Irishmen. So the boss met both teams and said: “Here’s what we’ll do. Each team will be installing poles out on the new road for a day. The team that installs the most poles gets the job.” Both teams headed right out. At end of the shift, the two Polish guys reported back and the boss asked them how many they had installed. They said it was tough going but they’d put in 12. Forty-five minutes later, Paddy and Mick came back in, totally exhausted. “Well,…

19-22 MAR, BUNBURY-COLLIE, WA Variety Creative Car Cruise, Starting in Bunbury. Contact Bill 9355 3655. 21 MAR, MUDGEE, NSW Can Cruise 2015, Club Mudgee, Mortimer Street. Contact Glenn 0411 047 825, visit www.cudgegongcruisers.org.au. 21 MAR, MORPHETT VALE, SA Old School ’n’ New Age Auto Show, Morphett Vale Football Club. Contact Dave 0417 765 877. 22 MAR, NERANG, QLD Gold Coast Superswap & Show ’n’ Shine 2015, Country Paradise Parklands. Contact 0449 997 149. 22 MAR, ENGADINE, NSW Shifters Car Show & Swap Meet, Cooper Street Reserve. Contact Bob 0433 945 350. 22 MAR, MOOREBANK, NSW Old Car Social Club Show ’n’ Shine, Flower Power, Newbridge Road. Contact Neil 0418 943 518. 22 MAR, WAGGA WAGGA, NSW Wagga Rod & Custom Club Show ’n’ Shine, Hills Motor Group, Hammond Avenue. Contact…

CARS: 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, 1950 Studebaker Champion, 1967 Triumph Trophy, Mack B-Series, 1949 Ford Deluxe, 1954 Buick Roadmaster Riviera STARS: Doug McKeon, Chris Nash, Kelly Preston, Catherine Mary Stewart, Jami Gertz, DW Brown, Terry O’Quinn DIRECTOR: Mel Damski CAR ACTION: A jalopy-styled game of chicken; a demolition derby through the town centre PLOT: Jonathan, a teenage nerd, teams up with a new bad boy in town to improve his luck with the ladies IT’S 1956, and life looks just peachy in Nelsonville, Ohio. Not for high-school freshman Jonathan (McKeon), though; growing pains and a mad crush on local babe Marilyn (Preston) are bringing him down. But then ex-Chicago troublemaker Gene (Nash) arrives in town, banished from the big smoke in a last-ditch effort to set him straight. Jonathan…

THIS IS not your average burnout car. That much should be obvious. But forget the intense green paint, the lack of forced induction and the show-quality detailing – this thing has freakin’ Bluetooth! Steve Loader tells it best: “We were doing some test skids and I started hearing these weird noises through the stereo. My phone had connected to the Bluetooth and one of my mates was ringing me!” he laughs. Sounds like the start of a whole new industry to us – instead of calling an adult chat line, maybe you could call 1800-DIAL-A-SKID to hear 532 cubes of Chevrolet’s finest melt the tarmac. You may remember Steve from such burnout machines as UCSMOKE and UNLOAD. He’s still got the former, but he sold the latter off to fellow…

IT’S FRIDAY arvo and the phone’s ringing for about the spliminty-teenth time since lunch, which I didn’t have. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for work, and I’m also sorting out an issue with my car, as well as trying to lock in some work for next month. And my blender blew up at breakfast time. So I’m getting a bit Over This. I promised myself I’d be on the road to Kandos by 2pm, but now it’s closer to four, and I’m still here. Which might explain why I answer the phone by simply barking: “Yeah?” “Hey, you drink Jim Beam, don’t you?” a voice asks. I allow myself a chuckle. “Yes mate, I do!” “Well, shit, get going!” comes the reply. “Call us when you get close!”…

REMEMBER your very first Summernats? Or your first Top Fuel meeting? For me, those moments were about sensory overload – and the panic that sets in when you realise you’re never going to be able absorb it all. This was the feeling when I stepped through the doors of the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Centre for the 23rd Mooneyes Yokohama show. At first blush, it doesn’t sound that wild, with just on 300 cars and 650 bikes crammed into a single hall for a one-day, mostly static show. But with the event running for just eight hours, that gives you about a minute and a half to spend with each car – and that is if you don’t eat, don’t rest and ignore the bikes, the amazing model cars, the vendors…

JAPANESE classics tend to fall into two categories: minty nanna-spec cars and clapped-out shitboxes. But Justin and Mandy Strickland saw a third category, one we’re all familiar with: ‘street machine’. Working together, the couple have made their vision a reality. ‘Street machine’, ‘four-cylinder’ and ‘Japanese’ are terms not generally uttered in the same sentence, but for those who love their Oriental tin, it’s not that huge a leap. All the basics of street machining are there: classic styling, chrome bumpers and rear-wheel drive, and while the former is subjective, the latter two are never in dispute. Justin has had a long history with Toyota’s first Corolla, having owned about a dozen since he could first twirl a tiller. Fittingly, he was rocking a tidy white KE10 with a fuel-injected 4K…

I WAS lucky enough to meet Geoff Paradise after I had finished university and was working at a marina in Balmain, servicing a fleet of Sydney Harbour water taxis. At the time Paro was working in a little office there on National Drag Racer, the first full-colour drag racing magazine in Australia. We’d talk cars, and I was fortuitous to land a job with him when he took over Hot 4s at Express Magazines. It was my start in the industry. This was followed by a few years working at Geoff’s home on the Central Coast, knocking out car magazines for Express as well as toiling on his own projects. In his shed at the time were all the toys: a Harley Fat Boy, a ’57 two-door Chev under construction,…

01 DIGITAL AGE AN UPDATED Davies Craig LCD digital controller for its electric water pump and fan has landed. It offers a broader range of engine cooling management functions and is compatible with 12v and 24v systems. It’ll do a heap of new things including varying the pump’s speed, and subsequent coolant flow, in response to engine coolant temperature. For a full list of features, contact (03) 9369 1234. 02 REAL DEAL STEEL REAL Steel Group has developed an all-billet 6061 crank support for all LS-Series supercharged engines. It provides support to the crank/harmonic balancer and will help reduce crankshaft lateral movement. The clever design allows all factory belts, double-row timing chains, water pumps and air conditioning parts to be retained. Contact Real Steel Group on (02) 6299 6699. 03…

SOME engines are all about the wow factor, and this 427ci Arias Ford Hemi from Python Vehicles Australia fills that niche nicely. That’s not to say it doesn’t have the go to match the show, it’s just they wanted something that would make even the most jaded car guy sit up and take notice. Before the boys detuned it, this fat-headed monster was pumping out 750 horses, but they’ve tamed it down to about 550-600hp for street duties. “It’s going into a ’66 Fastback” George from Python says. “This engine is designed to sit under the bonnet of an AC Cobra, or most muscle cars, so nothing will be poking through the bonnet at all. We don’t want it to give anything away.” The engine itself is based around a…