Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Street Machine

Write to: Your Stuff, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email streetmachine@wheelsmedia.com.au. Make sure you include your address (not necessarily for publication). Keep it short and sweet! LETTER OF THE MONTH MAX IT OUT? I’M A long-time fan of the Mad Max ‘fourlogy’, particularly the first film, as I’m also a biker who’s been riding for 50 years. I saw the original when it premiered back in the day and have seen it countless times, as well as Stone, one of my other fave Aussie flicks. I’m currently revamping a true barn-find XB pano. It’s fairly straight and rust free, and right now it runs a 200-cube loggy six with extractors and a four-speed. Now, my XB van has great patina, and as a panel beater/painter, I could…

TRENDS in modified-car culture ebb and flow, but something that has never waned in popularity is a finely detailed street car packing later-model engineering. Steve and Kathleen Alldrick’s Deluxe Rod Shop is renowned for building such exquisitely finished, re-engineered masterpieces. Their track record of unveiling cars at events like Street Machine Summernats, MotorEx and the Victorian Hot Rod Show speaks volumes for the quality of their work, but even Steve was taken aback by how their latest build was received when it broke cover at Summernats 34. THE GOAL WAS TO HAVE IT IDENTIFIABLE AS A HUMPY HOLDEN, BUT EVERY SINGLE PANEL HAS BEEN CHANGED ON THIS CAR “I really thought people would think it was just a nice old Holden,” he laughs. “We were unloading it in the Elite…

WE’RE LOOKING AT PUNCHING A 200-SHOT THROUGH IT, SO THAT SHOULD TAKE IT OVER 700HP EASY. THE AIM IS A NINE-SECOND PASS SIMON White’s killer HQ Monaro GTS was a massive hit when it was unveiled at Motorvation 36 earlier this year. The crowd loved it and the judges thought it was pretty cool too, awarding it 2nd Top Paint, 2nd Top Bodywork and a spot in the Top 10. The car even made the Grand Champ Top 5 after some pretty impressive results in the driving events. What made the HQ stand out from your regular unveiled car was how well it was sorted and how hard Simon was willing to push it. It probably helps that Simon is a bit of a tragic when it comes to Queys,…

DAMIAN Baker and Mick Green of BG Engines have screwed together some of the nation’s toughest engine combos for Powercruise entrants, pro burnout competitors and drag racers (including Street Machine Drag Challenge’s Radial Aspirated king, Alon Vella). They’ve even churned out a long list of highly strung marine racing mills. But after years of sitting on the sidelines, Damian and Mick decided to get involved in the action themselves. Jotting down a quick list of the spare parts they had hidden under benches and stored in the rafters of their shop in Sydney’s semirural north-west, the boys figured they had enough good bits to slap together a pretty tidy little engine to thrash at Powercruise in this VE Commodore, which they co-own along with BG customer Adam Hodge. Much of…

STEVE Green grew up in the USA but has spent the past 31 years in Australia, so while the Noo Yawk accent has softened a fair bit, no amount of bush chooks and g’days can fully hide his Yank heritage. And in keeping with that heritage, the string of nice cars Steve has owned over the years have been mostly of the US muscle variety, but these were always really shiny and didn’t get anywhere near the use his current ride does. While this old C10 might look a bit weathered, it’s got all the comfort and performance that Steve was after, but even better, he can beat up on it all day, put it away wet, and jump in and do it all again the next day. As it…

BROTHERS Kris and Rob Velkovski are no strangers to building top-notch street cars, with Kris’s RB30-powered LC Torana (SM, Mar ’03) and Rob’s RB26/30 LX hatch (SM, Jun ’15) just two shining examples. So we really shouldn’t be surprised that their take on a simple but well-built Drag Challenge weapon is a nine-second, turbo V8 VS Commodore ute making a casual 900hp at the hubs. The boys stumbled upon the ute for an absolute steal, and made their money back before they’d started throwing the new driveline in it. “It’s a 2000 factory manual V8 Olympic Edition, which had been traded at a rural car dealer,” says Kris. “We only paid $1500 for it, and by the time we sold the original driveline we were well ahead. We wanted something…

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@wheelsmedia.com.au. Please note: Send us copies of prints as we are unable to return your photos. CHRIS BYWATER VC COMMODORE “THIS is my 1980 VC Commodore. It runs a late-headed Holden V8 with 11:1 compression, a Crow cam, Yella Terra rockers, and a Torque Power high-rise manifold. The fuel system is a Holley Terminator throttlebody controlled by a FuelTech FT550 ECU, with a Walbro fuel pump and MSD ignition. Behind that is a built and manualised Trimatic with a 4200rpm stall converter, and a BorgWarner with a Harrop Truetrac, 3.55 gears and 31-spline axles. Rolling stock consists of Welds and Mickey Thompson rubber…

BG ENGINES, NORTH RICHMOND, NSW DAMIAN Baker of BG Engines is a big fan of World Products’ Warhawk LS7X block, which he’s used as the basis for the blown 389-cube head-kicker you see here. “Rocket brought two of the Warhawk LS7X blocks into the country way back in the 2000s when they were released,” Damian begins. “One went over to WA and we grabbed the other. Back then, there were no LSX or Dart LS Next lightweight aftermarket blocks, and to be honest, I still think the Warhawk is better than those anyway.” Damian’s affinity for the Warhawk block stems from a few architectural changes that were revolutionary when it was released in 2006. Externally, it’s nearly identical to a GM-stamped LS engine; however, under the skin World Products reengineered…

SEPTEMBER 2022: ALL THE NEWS THAT MATTERS WAKEFIELD Park Raceway in south-east NSW may have to temporarily close after a court decision to impose harsher noise restrictions has thrown the facility’s future into doubt. The venue has been engaged in a bitter legal dispute with the Goulburn Mulwaree Council since its proposed upgrades were blocked last year due to factors “largely based on noise and social impact issues”. While the Benalla Auto Club – the circuit’s operator – pledged to take the council to court last year, the NSW Land & Environment Court announced in July that it will impose a hard limit of 95 decibels (dBA) at just four “race meetings per month”. Track days, defensive driving courses and actual racing events are all implicated in the guidelines, reducing…

Part 2 ADRIAN PORTARO ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA OUR second instalment of Adrian Portaro’s life with cars brings another generous helping of tough South Australian streeters. Adrian isn’t one for slavish brand allegiance and spreads the love across all the Big Three’s offerings, happily mixing chrome-bumper icons with plastic-clad later-model muscle. However, whether it’s the cars that inspired him or his own builds, all are super sanitary and suitably tough.…

THE beloved Wakefield Park circuit in rural NSW was recently dealt a massive blow in its ongoing battle with Goulburn Mulwaree Council over noise restrictions (see page 10 of this issue for more). In a verdict handed down by the NSW Land & Environment Court, the circuit has now essentially been restricted to just four days of operation per month. Needless to say, that’s not enough to keep the circuit financially viable. We shared this news on our Facebook page, and here’s what you had to say. Michael L Carrigg – That’s like complaining about living next door to an airport. You know what you’re in for when you decide to move there! Matthew Sherwood – If/when the developers take over the park, maybe it’s time for some people to relocate a…

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IT TAKES all types to populate Street Machine Drag Challenge, from big block-powered, leaf-sprung drag missiles to boosted late-model sedans and chrome-bumper oddities. And if you’re Mopar fanatic Phillip Hortis, you turn up in a gorgeous Hemi six-powered VG Valiant. Not only was Phil’s Val the only Mopar to participate in Drag Challenge Weekend 2022, but it did so with near-unmatched style. AT DRAG CHALLENGE WEEKEND, WE PUT IN 20 PASSES OVER THREE DAYS AND COVERED 900KM. THE CAR HANDLED IT LIKE A CHAMPION Phil has been chipping away at a ’68 Dodge Charger since 2006, but the Mount Waverley Mopar nut couldn’t say no to this VG when it popped up for sale in 2018. “The Charger has been a nightmare, as it’s totally custom and requires a lot…

PAUL Thomas’s ’67 Mustang appears deceptively simple from the outside with its jet-black paint and weed-scraping ride height. However, dig below the surface and you’ll find a big Clevor breathing through individual throttlebodies, more barwork inside than the average playground, and lots of clever engineering. The high quality of the finished car was enough to score it a place in the Summernats 34 Top 60, a fitting result for 20-something years of hard graft. In the late 90s, Paul nabbed the ’Stang from an importer in Melbourne. “I’d had XWs and XYs, but I really wanted a two-door, so I went on the hunt for a Mustang,” he says. “This one was probably a container-filler: it was lime green with green trim, and you could tell it had never had…

EVER wondered which car was the first to ever rip a skid on the Summernats burnout pad? Well, it was the HQ SS you see here. This Quey and its owner, Glenn Munday, were right in the thick of it at the very first ’Nats in 1988. Happily, Glenn’s HQ has somehow survived the subsequent 34 years essentially as-is, so we thought it high time we got the full story on the car from the man himself. Your HQ christened the Summernats burnout pad. How did that come about? I remember it like it was yesterday. [Car-crafting legend] Peter Fitzpatrick and I were really good friends with [Summernats promoter] Chic Henry, and we helped him out when he ran the last Street Machine Nationals at Canberra for the Australian Street…

RED ZED REDEMPTION JAMIE BARBA HZ HOLDEN “I PICKED up this old 1977 HZ sedan with a friend late one Saturday night. We were at a party, and around 11pm we decided to hire a trailer from the local servo and make the drive from Sydney to Melbourne to go grab the car. The trip in itself was eventful; everyone was definitely getting on each other’s nerves after no sleep and about 16 hours in the car, but we picked up the HZ and got it home. I decided to test my mechanical ability and started pulling the car apart, but when I realised the money and the skills needed to get what I wanted, it was all packed away in boxes. Then, after seven years of nothing happening, my…

THE weeks leading up to Brashernats 2022 saw Sydney slammed by torrential rain, floods and gale-force winds. But as luck would have it, the event itself was blessed with stunning blue skies. An 8000-plus crowd, which spanned the entire Sydney Dragway, lapped it all up and were treated to what I reckon was the finest burnout spectacular the venue had ever hosted. The list of competitors was long and distinguished, and from as far afield as Queensland, South and Western Australia. Around 80 per cent of the cars were blown and injected, and the standard of burnouts was so impressive it would have been a struggle for Aaron Mackley and his seasoned team of judges to rank them. With so many supercharged cars dominating burnout competitions nationwide, there has been…

JOE DIRT 2001 LIFE’S A GARDEN. DIG IT. YEE-HAA! If the sight of a clapped-out, jacked-up, 70s-spec ’69 Daytona doesn’t moisten your loins, nothing will! Amazingly, 2001’s Joe Dirt offers quite an entertaining story to accompany said Dodge, and there’s plenty of gloriously stupid humour to enjoy along the way. Conveniently lost by his parents as an eight-year-old while on holiday at the Grand Canyon, the gloriously mulleted Joe Dirt (Spade) grows up to be a cleaner at LA radio station 98.6 KXLA. One day, Joe is hauled into the studios and grilled about his appearance and presumed poor life choices by arsehole shock-jock, Zander Kelly (Miller). Joe ignores the heckles and opens up about his life, explaining the many years of highs and lows he’s experienced during his quest…

STREET Machine of the Year is one of the longest-running, most prestigious, most lucrative and certainly most democratic prizes in the Aussie car-crafting scene, with $20,000 and eternal bragging rights on the line. For a tilt at winning, a car must have been built primarily in Australia and featured in Street Machine over the past year. We turned to SM staff and contributors to select the 16 finalists. Now it’s up to you to decide which of those 16 takes home the perpetual SMOTY trophy and the $20K grand prize, thanks to our friends at Milwaukee. This year’s list includes six Holdens, four Fords, three Mopars, two Toyotas and even a Suzuki Mighty Boy, and covers a diverse range of build styles. Incredibly finished show cars, immaculate pro tourers, staunch…

IT’S HEADS-UP, FIRST-TO-THE-STRIPE, RUN-WHAT-YOU-BRUNG THRILLS ON AN UNPREPARED, STREET-STYLE SURFACE IT’S been a bit of a torrid time for drag racing in Australia of late. Warring factions, shuttered tracks and multiple governing bodies with conflicting tech requirements have upped the degree of difficulty and taken the shine off the sport for competitors and spectators alike. But the tide seems to be turning. New tracks are being built while others are being upgraded, and success stories like the well-attended Summernats Slam event at an impressively rejuvenated Heathcote Park Raceway, the vibrant Kenda 660 radial series and our own Drag Challenge events are all signs that the sport is emerging from the doldrums. And if the recent Powercruise Street Outlaws Australia meet at Sydney Motorsport Park is any indication, there is an…

Downunder Beachfest FOUNDED in 2015, Downunder Beachfest is a multi-day event run on the Sunshine Coast by the Queensland branch of the Australian Street Rod Federation. While Beachfest activities include cruises and meet-ups and even driving events on occasion, the event is best known for the Friday-night cruise and Saturday show ’n’ shine in the streets of Caloundra. It is one hell of a picturesque spot – if you nab just the right park on the beachside, you’ll be able to get a photo of your car with Moreton Island, the northernmost tip of Bribie Island and the Glasshouse Mountains in the background! While there were a stack of hot rods, classics and lowriders on show this year, we were struck by just how many tough street cars were in…

FORD nine-inch diffs have long been the go-to third member for street machiners. Back in the day, if you wanted to put a nine-inch under your car, you had to source a complete diff from a production car and modify it to suit your application. More often than not, that involved having a fab shop shorten the housing, cut and re-spline the axles and remove the stock bracketry, before hacking the brackets off your OEM diff and fitting them to your used nine-inch housing. Once that was done, you’d end up with whatever gearing, centre section and brakes happened to come with your donor diff – along with whatever wear and tear it had incurred in its life thus far. With horsepower now cheaper and easier to come by, demand…

LISSA MCQUEEN RESERVOIR, VICTORIA LISSA McQueen has ticked off a bucket-list item that plenty of us aspire to yet few manage – she’s travelled Australia in an HZ Sandman pano! It’s one of three Holdens Lissa has held the keys to over the years, with her HZ ute, ‘Violet’, being the most recent. And Violet’s introduction to the family has now piqued Lissa’s interest in mechanics. What drew you to cool cars? I got inspired as a 16-year-old when my older friends had beautiful muscle cars, HQs and early Commodores. My first car was a 253-powered WB ute with a four-speed manual. It was terrifying driving that for the first time, as it was the first time I’d driven alone and it was a bigger and more powerful car than…

To have your product featured here, call Joseph Lenthall on (02) 8114 9421 or email joseph.lenthall@wheelsmedia.com.au. 01 GET ELUMINATED EVEN though many still turn up their noses at the thought of EV-powered hot rods, the reality is that they’re coming. Even the OEs are recognising that and have begun adding fridge motors to their range of crate engines. At SEMA last year, Ford debuted its Eluminator electric crate motor, shoved into a 1978 F100. After initially selling out Stateside, the Eluminator has now made its way onto our shores with the crew at Eagle Auto Parts in Melbourne. Created by Ford Performance, the EV motor packs 281hp and 317ft-lb of torque, and weighs in at just 93kg. Those are just baseline figures though, as that Eluminator-powered F100 was quoted at…

Send your favourite funnies to: LOL, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email them to: streetmachine@wheelsmedia.com.au. GAG OF THE MONTH HEARING THINGS A MAN is sitting alone at a bar when he hears a quiet whisper in his ear: “Wow, you’ve got really great hair!” Startled, the man looks around to see who said it, but there’s no one anywhere near him. Confused, he concludes that he must have been just hearing things. After sitting drinking his beer and snacking on some nuts for a while, he again hears a whisper: “My word, it looks like you’ve really been working out too!” Certain that he heard something, he looks around again and finds nobody nearby. By now he’s beginning to question his sanity. He quickly downs the rest of…