1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang - Cut Snake - 57

We’ve all heard the saying that a car goes like a cut snake. Lorrin Mathews’s genuine Shelby Cobra really is a cut snake!
Why on earth would anyone chop up a genuine GT500? I bet that question is running through the minds of numerous NZV8 readers right now. We wondered too.
Lorrin Mathews’s answer is short, sweet and simple: “It’s my car and I can, so I did.” That’s a logic that you can’t argue with.
Before you get too upset, Lorrin is well aware what the car would be worth in mint original form, and has kept every single part that has been removed from the car, should he ever want or need to return it to standard.
With the car in the pile of things never to be sold, the chances of it being restored to its former state aren’t high. At the recent Fathers’ Day Drags, where we first spotted Lorrin’s mad machine, he was offered an unlimited blank cheque in return for the car and still said no, so clearly his will is strong.
Finders Keepers
Where exactly did the car come from? It’s not every day you find a GT500 for sale in New Zealand, or overseas for that matter. Much to the surprise of Mustang enthusiasts around the country, it has been in New Zealand for more than 25 years. But for the majority of that time it hasn’t seen the light of day. When the car was brought out to the photoshoot for this magazine, it was just its third outing in 20 years. Now that is what you call a well-kept secret, and the answer to why most people have never seen this vehicle before.
The restorers out there will be excited to learn that since the Mustang has barely been driven for that amount of time, its odo reading is remarkably low; the modifiers will be wondering why the hell he hasn’t been out using it.
Since buying the car from a cash-strapped mate when he was 21, Lorrin has been restoring it and fiddling with it. After watching too much Mad Max as a kid, he loves wild-looking cars.
With businesses, houses, race cars, race bikes, kids and marriages all coming and going over that time, the Shelby has waited patiently for its build to be completed, and now that it finally is, we’d suggest there probably isn’t another one like it anywhere in the world.
Looks Fast
Shelbys were radical designs when they first came out back in 1967, and Lorrin saw no need to dramatically alter the way the car looked. In fact, it was the opposite. When purchased, the car had been painted an aftermarket colour and was fitted with a sunroof. Lorrin knew the car’s limited production run and its massive appeal meant it should look more original, and the colour needed to be returned to the factory white and blue.
While spraying on the new paint wasn’t hard, removing the sunroof was a bit more involved, and required a new roof skin to be fitted. Once the panel side was sorted, Cascade Auto Refinishers had the task of making the car look as good as it should. Although you wouldn’t guess it to look at it now, the paintwork was actually completed around 10 years ago.
The original wheels the car came with were safely tucked away in the workshop, and the hunt began for newer, more modern items for the car to roll on. After a conversation with Gary Carter from Carters Tyres in East Tamaki, a deal was done that saw Lorrin do the drainage on Gary’s new house and Gary supply the wheels for the Shelby. Not just any late-model wheels would work; Lorrin was after 19-inch Work brand wheels from the 2007 Ford GT. So while they look like they could have come off a Nissan Skyline or similar, they are far more closely related to the Shelby than you might think.
They measure in at nine-inches wide up front and 12 inches on the rear, so there isn’t much room to spare under the guards. Luckily, Lorrin had no intention of going overboard with the suspension, and he has just updated the components with newer items such as adjustable Koni shocks rather than aiming for a ground-scraping stance.
Goes Faster
Having owned assorted race cars and ridden speedway motorcycles, Lorrin has a bit of a penchant for speed, and although the GT500 was the fastest Mustang of its day, it was never really going to satisfy his requirements. While ideas of stroked big blocks were thrown about, Lorrin stumbled upon something even better ” a 6-71 blower. Yes, the big air pump would upset the purists, but that only made it more appealing.
Knowing a supercharger would require the original bonnet to be cut up, Lorrin wisely set about creating a fibreglass mould of the original, which could be sliced and diced instead.
The motor that resides below the supercharger is the genuine numbers-matching 427 side oiler the car was fitted with as an option from the factory. Being a qualified mechanic, Lorrin assembled the motor himself complete with custom crankshaft, forged rods, 10.5:1 forged pistons and other tough as nails bits.
Why go from being a mechanic to a drain layer? “The sh*t washes off easier than the grease,” Lorrin says, laughing, “and that way I get to enjoy working on my own cars, as it’s not work any more.”
Speaking of which, recent additions to the powerplant are Shelby alloy heads, which Lorrin is rightly proud of. With the bigger valves and higher flow rates these offer over the originals, the car should now be pumping out even more than the 750hp it was previously creating, which makes it one very tough streeter indeed.
The transmission was a practical choice. “Toploader gearboxes are horrible bloody things, so we’ve replaced it with a five-speed Hollinger box, which is much better,” says Lorrin. Mating this to the engine is a twin plate 11-inch clutch, which will make for some interesting times when the car first sees traffic. Further down the driveline is a nodular nine-inch diff fitted with a Daytona traction-lock head and 31-spline axles, which should come in handy if and when the car hits the drag strip or circuit, which Lorrin’s quite keen to see it do.
Turns Heads Even Faster
While the package may not be suited for dropping the kids off to school, that’s one of the things Lorrin intends to do with the car now it’s up and running.
Surprisingly, he reckons that the Mustang purists who’ve seen the car have loved it. Then again, I don’t think he really cares whether they do or not. After all, it’s his car, he can do what he wants with it. And that’s exactly what he has done.

Demon Energy Monster - Monster Mash

Get in,” said Benn Milne, driver of the Demon Energy monster truck, motioning towards the passenger side of the massive vehicle sitting quietly on the gravel. I stood there for a while, craning my neck upwards towards the door, well out of reach of my six foot frame. I could tell everyone was watching, I could feel the smirks.
“Climb the tyres!” someone yelled from behind. The pressure mounted as I rued my decision to wear skinny jeans that morning. Apparently, I had to do the splits and climb up the massive 66-inch high tyres with a foot on each. I did eventually get up and into the cab of the Nissan Navara, but to say it was an ugly ascent would be a serious understatement.
HB Monstertrucks’ Navara has a lot of history here in New Zealand, first built in 1987 and known as Kiwi Thunder. New Zealanders grew up watching this machine crush cars and fly through the air, so when the beast came up for sale on Trade Me, interest was strong.
“I saw it online,” says Benn. “I just thought ‘why not? You only live once’.” Picking up the Navara without a engine, transmission or wheels, Benn and his HB Monstertrucks team spent the next year putting it all back together, the cost of which, as you could imagine, is just as super-sized as the 3.5-metre tall truck itself.
“Everything is more expensive when you are working with something this size. A puncture repair, for example, costs us $350 each time.”
Back on the gravel, I’m now strapped into a basic seat in the dust-coated cabin, I’ve noticed just how high up the vehicle sits on its massive wheels. Benn fires up the 427 big block Chev and it thunders into life, roaring out through short exhaust pipes right next to my feet. The noise is absolutely immense, and as Benn throws the B&M shifter into gear and squeezes on the accelerator, we jerk forward. Slowly. To be honest, it sounds as though we are going 100kph, but we are going maybe 30.
“It’s pretty low geared,” Benn explains. “You’ve got to remember that the wheels weigh 440kg each, and it takes a lot of torque just to move them, let alone climb up stacks of cars. Speaking of which…”
I look forward to see a mound of car wrecks fast approaching, the 6.1 tonne machine crashes into the first of them, rearing up in the air before bucking hard as the rear Goodyears hit home. Despite the mass of suspension under the truck, this is no smooth ride as we bash over old Holdens, Hondas and everything in between. The whole experience gives off a very “yeeehaw” deep-south kind of a feel – and I love it.
So does Benn. “Nothing beats the feeling of knowing that there is very little out there that can stop you. We push the truck further and further each time we drive it. I’m sure we’ll find the limitations at some point.”
With plans to acquire two more monster machines this year, and some Guinness world records in their sights, the Demon Energy monster truck boys have a busy year ahead. Now, if only you could make something like this road legal – imagine driving this bad boy to work every day!

1973 Holden GTS Monaro - Classical Gas - 59

What started as a father/son build has turned into a rolling memorial that would make any dad proud.
4 Wheels Are Better Than 2
In 1996 Nathan Smith and his father were looking for a project. Nathan’s dad was into restoring motorbikes and Nathan had helped him on a couple of his builds. When it came time for Nathan to start a project of his own, he was looking for something a lot larger than a motorbike and with more than two wheels. Having had a couple of HQ sedans in the past, Nathan decided an HQ coupe would be the ideal next step.
Dad found what they were looking for through the local Invercargill Holden Club. It was an ex-tow vehicle for a drag machine that had then itself been turned into a straightliner. In its drag form it ran a tunnel-rammed 454ci big block, but by the time it got into Nathan’s hands it was just a rolling shell with a trans and diff, a factory interior with a not-so-factory roll cage, and a big hole where the 454 used to be. It looked as if it had seen much better days.
Swedish Massage
After purchasing the Monaro, Nathan and his father got straight into stripping it down and getting their hands well and truly dirty. Once the car was relieved of paint it was obvious its years on the strip had been unkind, and a lot of massaging needed to be done to the 23-year-old panels. The rear guards had been flared to fit bigger wheels, but just like the rest of the panels, it was pretty rough. You wouldn’t know it now, though. Every panel was lovingly bashed back to better-than-factory condition and all the seams and lines now match to perfection.
Even at that very early stage, what was supposed to be a quick paint job and engine transplant was snowballing into a full rebuild.
Lumpy
The engine now residing in the mesmerisingly clean engine bay is a rebuilt 400 Chev out of a jet boat that has been bored 40 thousand over. Eagle pistons and conrods have been fitted, along with a Comp Cams roller camshaft. It has had late-model Chev heads installed, hardened valve seats and Manley valves and push rods with double valve springs. The Holley 750 cfm carb with vacuum secondaries and Edelbrock RPM performer intake manifold ensure enough petrol is dumped into the engine to get the 400 up and running.
Nathan modestly reckons “It’s pretty mild,” adding, “It’s just a pretty decent street engine, really”. He admits that if he was doing it again he would just buy a crate engine and be done with it. With the jet boat engine, Nathan and his father had to keep going back to the guy they got it from, because everything was shagged in it.
Nathan’s dad was a perfectionist when restoring motorbikes, a philosophy carried over to the Monaro build. Sadly, 18 months into the work and before the engine was first fired into life, Nathan’s father passed away. Many people would have parked the car up at this point and hid it in the corner somewhere, never to be worked on again, but Nathan wanted to carry on what he and his father had started, as much to build a fitting memorial to his dad as to see the project through.
Lucky Run
After 10 years of building the HQ whenever he was home from working offshore, Nathan was given the one and only task for his upcoming marriage of getting the car finished in time to use as his wedding car. Nathan assured his wife to be that it would be ready in plenty of time — which was some promise, since, when he wasn’t working offshore, by that time he was living in Queenstown and the car was some 200km away in Invercargill.
Timing is everything, and Nathan’s was impeccable: he was in the garage in Invercargill, still fitting the interior, the afternoon before the wedding. Which was being held in Queenstown…
After much help from a couple of mates the HQ was finally finished at 6pm. The car had never been road tested, let alone registered, warranted or certified, but there was no time for that. As soon as the final interior panel was fitted it was time to hit the road for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Queenstown.
Luckily, everything ran smoothly and Nathan made it to Queenstown with a good 10 hours to spare — enough time, in fact, to give the Monaro a good polish.
Sentimental Value
This Fat HQ build started 14 years ago and has been completed for more than three years, but it still looks like it was finished last week. It has not only been finished to the highest standard of workmanship, but also with a timeless style. It combines the clean lines of the body and engine bay with the old-school 15-inch Convo Pro wheels and classic-looking interior, which has been trimmed in light grey leather. There’s almost a factory, late-model car look, with just the right splash of chrome in the roll cage, Quicksilver shifter and billet handles, winders, controls and steering wheel.
The boot has also been given the custom treatment, with the same ultra-clean style as the rest of the car, trimmed in grey leather with the same perfect amount of chrome as the interior. All the stereo equipment, the battery and spare wheel are hidden behind the custom panelling.
What started life as an easy father and son project, and then quickly snowballed into a full-on rebuild in memory of Nathan’s father, has somehow turned itself into a show-winning vehicle that is driven regularly and which Nathan will never sell. He also tells us that one day he will put a big block in it, just for kicks. We have no doubt that if Nathan’s dad could see how their project has turned out, he would be well chuffed.

1973 Holden GTS Monaro – Specifications

Engine:

400ci (6555cc) small block Chev bored 40 thou over (408ci/6686cc), Eagle pistons, Eagle H-beam conrods, 10:1 compression, four-bolt mains, forged steel crank, Comp Cams roller camshaft 480 lift, ARP fasteners, Street Master high-volume oil pump, high-energy high-volume oil sump with windage tray, Road Runner starter motor, late-model Chev heads with port job, hardened valve seats, Manley valves and push rods, double valve springs, K&N air filter, Holley 750 Vac secondaries, Edelbrock RPM Performer intake manifold, Edelbrock Performer RPM street fuel pump, 13mm fuel line, billet fuel filter, Delco Remy HEI distributor and coil with Eagle silicone leads
Driveline: Turbo 400 trans, trans gear torque converter rebuilt, shift kitted 2500rpm stall, B&M flexi plate, Red Eagle clutch discs, HD intermediate sprag, Remote trans cooler, GM Performance flywheel, shortened Ford nine-inch 3:25:1 gears, limited slip, 31-spline axles
Brakes: DBA slotted discs, Bendix disc pads, stock callipers on the front and stock HQ rear
Suspension: Pedders Sports Ryder shocks front and back, Lovell Super Low springs front and back, heavy duty sway bars with Nolathane bushes
Wheels/tyres: Centerline Convo Pros, 15×6 front with 225/60-15R BFG Goodrich Radial T/As and 15×10 rear with 275/50-15R BFG Goodrich Radial T/As
Exterior: De-badged and smoothed locks, Bordeaux Pearl with blue fleck painted by Kingsford-Smith Motor Painting
Interior: Retrimmed factory seats in light grey leather, B&M Quicksilver shifter, Auto Meter Ultra-Lite gauges and tach, four-point roll cage, custom door panels, billet door handles, window cranks and controls, custom boot panels, stainless boot lid inserts and ‘Monaro’ logo, hidden Optima battery, hidden spare wheel and stereo equipment, Pioneer head unit, Pioneer 6×9 460W rear speakers and JBL GTO 601 amp

1972Valiant Charger - Aussie Attack - 79

It all started with a few beers,” says Tony Galbraith of his immaculately presented Valiant. “I was talking with the guys about what I should do after retiring from speedway racing, and next thing you know we’re building a race car.”
With Tony’s driving pedigree, it’s not too surprising that CMC was the class the lads talked him into racing in, after all, besides the fact they’re cool cars, many of them spend more time going sideways than they do in a straight line, and that suited Tony’s driving style perfectly.
The more the guys talked, the more the build plan evolved, it’s just lucky that one of the guys doing the talking was Craig Hyland, owner and operator of Engine Dynamics. While the name would indicate the business to be an engine builder, the reality is that it’s really a one-stop car-building workshop, and that’s where the entire build would take place.
The thought of buying an existing car, or building something common, didn’t really appeal. Instead Tony, Craig and the rest of the crew wanted something different, yet competitive, but it also had to be easy to run at the same time. Having access to American-built Mopar race motors, the plan soon headed in the Mopar direction. Rather than expensive Dodges, hard to obtain and heavy Plymouths, the idea of building Valiant Chargers was floated. And by Chargers, we mean two of them, to race as a team and pool costs and resources along the way.
After meeting some interesting Valiant owners Tony finally managed to find a decent vehicle to base the build on. Friend Alan Kemp, aka Kempy, who would run the matching vehicle, struggled – finding rust bucket after rust bucket, so his build has been heavily delayed.
Once Tony’s car was back at Engine Dynamics, the build commenced, starting with stripping the car back to a bare shell, strengthening the chassis and removing any excess weight at the same time. A comprehensive cromoly roll cage was stitched in, which also added to the vehicle’s strength.
Having built many different race cars for a wide range of classes, Craig made sure to stick to the letter of the CMC rulebook, but also make the most of the available rules at the same time.
Although Tony wanted plenty of tail-out fun, a large focus was placed on setting the vehicle’s handling up to be as precise as possible. As part of this, custom A-arms were produced for the front and they are suspended with Afco coilovers. The leaf-sprung rear-end is assisted with a Watt’s linkage, and custom swaybars were also fabricated. With sticky Kumho rubber wrapped around the 17×10.5 and 17×11-inch rims and this suspension package, it should stick to the track as well as any other vehicle in the CMC field.
                                   

With the knowledge that a serious engine package would be installed, no compromises were made when it came to selecting brakes. Instead, 6-pot Alcon callipers now slow the front, while 4-pot items do the rear. There’s no brake booster to be seen, just pure leg strength and a floor-mounted pedal box.
Craig’s always got his finger on the pulse, and when the motors came up for grabs a few years back for a good price, he grabbed what he could. Not knowing the history of the R5 Dodge 358ci version selected to power Tony’s Valiant, it was pulled down and freshened up. Since the Diamond pistons, Callies crank, Callies rods and Bullet cam all looked brand-new, they were all retained. In fact, besides the custom oil pan that was fabricated to fit around the Valiant’s cross-member, the engine is essentially as it was imported. This includes the P7 heads fitted with titanium valves, and the custom carb, which is fitted to the Wilson intake manifold.
For reliability’s sake the team fitted a Johnson’s HTP dry sump kit, for which the oil tank is mounted in the boot. Speaking of which, the boot is an impressive sight, as alongside the dry sump is a massive fuel cell and equally as impressive fuel pump and surge tank arrangement.
Being a new car, rather than a rebuild of an old car, the team had the chance to do things right the first time, without cutting any corners, nor making any compromises. With this in mind, the decision was made to give the option to run in endurance events and potentially GT2 also. This saw the inclusion of twin-ignition systems amongst other items, for complete peace of mind.
An impressive custom dash panel has been created which, besides the usual Auto Meter gauges, has a few handy notes stuck on for Tony’s peace of mind. They’re a good reminder that besides being competitive, the aim is to have a bunch of fun, although in a car like this, we’re not sure how you could forget that, especially when you hear that engine fire into life.
The 700-odd horsepower package is backed up with a Jerico WC4 4-speed gearbox, along with a Quartermaster triple-plate clutch and steel flywheel. To get the power to the track, the team opted for a 9-inch diff with custom housing and fully floating hubs.
Knowing just how hard it is to source rust-free Valiant panels, the guys had A1 Fibreglass construct fibreglass replacements. These include the doors, hood and bootlid, along with a few spares, of course. With the whole lot coated in PPG Citric Orange by White Bros Panel Works in Hamilton, you’d be hard pressed to tell they weren’t steel, till you feel just how light they are.
By the time you read this, the car and Tony would have had their first competitive CMC outing. He’s quick to downplay his expectations, rightly stating that most of the competition has had far more seat time than him. Then again, we’ve seen how well he can drive a speedway car, so we’re pretty sure it won’t take him long to get the hang of things. Worst-case scenario, he ends up at the back of the pack. Either way, one thing is for sure, and that is he’ll be having a blast and a cold beer or two with some good mates afterwards.

1965 Chevrolet Corvette - Merhanical Monster - 86

Every now and then, a car comes along that defies convention, and pulls a big middle finger to normality. Dave Best’s 1965 Corvette is one such car, and while it may be new to us, Dave’s owned it and tinkered with it for over two decades now. Mind you, it’s never been as angry as it is in its current guise.
Dave tells the car’s history — “I found it in the late ’80s in Bakersfield, California. It belonged to the owner of Manuel’s Body Shop at the time and had a tunnel-rammed small block in it. It had previously raced at the ’76 Winter Nationals in Pomona. I couldn’t secure a deal at the time, and had to head home, so I entrusted Willie Roach to try and persuade the owner to sell it to me, which eventually happened right around tax time.”
Over the next 15 years Dave was continually playing with the car, and has lost count of the number of different engines it’s had in it, laughing “customers kept buying the engines out of it”, referring back to his days as a Tauranga speedshop proprietor. A lifetime hot rodding enthusiast, he learnt from an early age how to build engines and entire cars, so was certainly not afraid to get his hands dirty on the never-ending project. He wisely knows his own limits though, and when he decided around five years ago that the old girl would make for a cool circuit car, he knew exactly who to turn to.
Dave had heard nothing but good things about legendary circuit car builder Mike ‘Bic’ Anderson, another Tauranga local, and he was entrusted with the job. From the outset, Dave said there was no rush, as with time comes perfection, and that’s what Bic has achieved. Dave can’t speak highly enough of his workmanship or knowledge.
Dave knew he was never going to mess with the way the car looked; after all, that’s what drew him to it all those years ago. The radiused rear guards give an indication of its drag racing history, while the change to a ’67-style front end shows that many years ago someone tried to make it look newer than it really was. Dave’s pretty sure the aesthetics were done when the car was just a few years old; the silver paint however was applied just over 30 years ago now — not that you’d know it.
Bic’s mission to turn the car into a competitive circuit machine was fraught with difficulties, from the small cabin space to the ‘unique’ Corvette rear end that has the axles as a vital suspension component, and which does not improve the vehicle’s handling ability. It’s all in a day’s (or a couple of years’) work for a guru like Bic though, and Dave left him to his devices to apply his ingenuity as he saw fit.
The suspension side of things was a major, and one of the more time-consuming aspects of the project. The solution to the car’s inherent problems was to create slip-joint style half-shafts, which would increase and decrease in length through the suspension travel. When combined with an extra suspension link, and set up to perfection on a computerised suspension analysis programme, the result is genius. Of course, the basics, such as fitting adjustable shocks and a Guldstrand transverse leaf spring, were also taken care of. The modified rear arches allowed for the track to be widened for optimum road-holding ability, too.
Up front Guldstrand springs were added, along with optimised double A-arms, a custom chromoly sway bar, and a rack and pinion steering assembly, the latter powered by an electric pump.
In preparation for Dave’s powerplant of choice, a dry sump tank was mounted as rearward in the engine bay as possible — and a custom fuel system fitted as far forward as practical.
While Bic was sorting out all the little time-consuming parts that go into a major build like this, Dave was busy assembling the motor. Like the car itself, he’s owned the motor for many years, and although tempted to sell it at times, he has managed to hold on to it. After building it with various combinations, he knew exactly what was needed this time around — and that was mechanical fuel injection. While the naysayers say it can’t be done on a road car, and that tuning is impossible, Dave disagrees, and thanks to the perfectly tuned Hilborn injection system on the Corvette’s 410ci sprint car motor, he’s got the proof for his theory.
Dave built the engine around a bow-tie block, with 13.2:1 compression to make it street-friendly, albeit on avgas. The rest of the engine specs read like a dream list for most engine builders: Brodix dash-12 15-degree heads, splayed caps, LAE Kryptonite crank and rods, Jesel shaft rockers — you name it, it’s got it. The headers, which could double as an objet d’art, are more of Bic’s handiwork and are stepped from 1 7/8-inch to 2-inch into a merge collector followed by a full 3-inch system, and, as you can expect, the sound is raucous.
The driveline that backs it all up is equally as well thought out, and while predominantly aimed at taking abuse on the track, it’s streetable, but not for the faint-hearted — then again, driving any mechanically injected car on the street takes a bit of getting used to. A Tilton 7-inch clutch acts as the on/off switch from the Jerico 4-speed manual straight-cut dog box. Further back you’ll find a Duntov heavy-duty Eaton Posi with 3.08:1 ratio, and the aforementioned custom half-shafts.
One of the finishing touches in the build was the wheel combination. Too small and they wouldn’t fit over the Wilwood 6-pot front calipers and 13-inch rotors, too large and they’d ruin the classic appeal of the C2’s bodylines. The perfect solution was found in the form of 17×9.5-inch American Racing Salt Flat Special wheels, which are wrapped in 275/40R17 rubber. The vehicle’s widened track brings the tyres ever so close to the guards, yet somehow they don’t hit at all.
While the car hasn’t made it onto the circuit for a shakedown yet, with the engineering finesse and thought that has gone into the build, we can only assume it will be an impressive sight. But what class will it race in? Dave’s not too sure, and to be honest, he’s not really that fussed. He built it how he wanted it rather than how someone else told him to, and if that leaves him relegated to track days and street driving, then so be it.
With a new business venture — Gravel Clothing — now underway, time is at a premium for Dave, so fully committing to a race series would be a long shot at present anyway, but we can’t think of any better way to market a clothing brand aimed at car enthusiasts than slapping the name on the side of one of the coolest cars in the land. If you love the car as much as we do, then we recommend you check out the Gravel Clothing website; you never know, but you may just find it on a T-shirt … and while it’s not as cool as owning the real thing, it’s about as close as you’re ever going to get.
This article is from NZV8 issue 86.

1965 Chev Corvette – Specifications

Engine: 410ci small block Chev, bow-tie block, 13.2:1 compression, splayed caps, LAE Kryptonite crank and rods, Summers gear drive, 4-stage dry sump, Brodix -12 heads, 15° valve angle, spread port exhausts, Jesel shaft rockers, Hilborn 2 7/16-inch injection, custom air cleaner tubes, K&N filters, mechanical Hilborn injection, custom fully baffled aluminium fuel tank, Hunt magneto, 1 7/8-inch to 2-inch stepped headers, merge collectors to full thin 3-inch exhaust, custom radiator with O-ringed Hargett coupled hard lines, remote Meziere mechanical water pump
Driveline: Jerico 4-speed straight-cut dog box, Tilton 7-inch triple plate clutch, Tilton magnesium bellhousing, hydraulic release bearing, Duntov heavy duty Eaton Posi, steel shim pack, 3.08:1 ratio, custom solid half-shafts
Suspension: Optimised double A-arm, custom chromoly front roll bar, electric power steering rack and pinion, adjustable Corvette transverse leaf, extra link and unloaded slip-joint half-shafts, Koni adjustable shocks, Guldstrand springs, modified rear track
Brakes: Wilwood 6-pot front calipers, 13-inch rotors, 4-pot Wilwood rear calipers, 12-inch rear rotors, Tilton pedal box
Wheels/Tyres: 17×9.5-inch American Racing Salt Flat Special wheels, 275/40R17 Nitto tyres
Exterior: 1967 spec exterior, radiused rear wheel arches, shaved front bumpers
Chassis: De-burred, unnecessary bracketing removed and filled
Interior: Racetech seats and full harness belts, window net, Hurst shifter, Stewart Warner gauges, chromoly roll cage, customised dashboard
Performance: Approx. 700hp

1964 Ford XM Falcon Deluxe – Teacher’s Pet – 66

Ten years ago Kim Theyers didn’t know what an XM Falcon was. These days she’s got the best example in the country.
When we asked why Taranaki primary school principal Kim Theyers chose to build an XM Falcon, the answer wasn’t what we expected. While most people purchase the vehicles we see in these pages with the intent of modifying or restoring them, her story is a bit different.
It all started 10 years ago, when Kim’s husband, Glen, was rebuilding his ’32 coupe. With the coupe in bits the happy couple didn’t have a car to get them to events or even to take for a weekend cruise.
Kim decided the solution was for her to buy a car of her own that could be used for such occasions. She had no idea what she was really after, and it was only when she spotted a purple XM pulling into Rotorua Swapmeet that she knew it was the vehicle for her.
“I had no idea what kind of car it was or even if it was for sale,” she says, “but I told Glen that was the car I wanted.” Luckily, after a bit of hunting around, the car was found and was actually for sale.
Better still, the price was right and the car was solid. “We then had to scrounge around everyone we knew at the swapmeet to come up with the cash to purchase the car, as we weren’t expecting to buy one,” Kim recalls. “Luckily, lots of our friends were obliging, and we managed to get together enough money to drive the car home.”
It was clearly meant to be, and that story of good luck and good timing marks the start of a love affair between Kim and her XM.
Favourite Teacher
For the next eight years the car would be used as a genuine daily driver. Kim was a schoolteacher at the time and the pupils loved the car. If there was a trip anywhere the XM would be the first car the kids wanted to go in, even if it was far closer to stock than it is now.
The transformation from stocker to show-stopper started just two years ago when Glen decided a tin of bog would make for a great birthday present. Most people would be less than impressed but Kim was ecstatic — she knew it signalled that the car would be getting a long overdue tidy-up. And fully aware of her husband’s passion and ability to build cars, Kim was sure this wouldn’t be just a light once-over, even if that’s all Glen was planning at the time.
Within a few weeks the car was stripped to a bare shell — and Kim wasn’t sure it would ever be put together again. But over the next year it was indeed pieced back together, albeit better than she could have ever imagined.
Although most of the ideas for the build were her own, Glen and his friend Daniel had a few surprises up their sleeves and kept Kim away from Midhurst Service Station, where the build was taking place. “Other friends would sometimes let things slip or they would have seen the car while it was at the service station and would tell me about things,” she says.
The Snowball Effect
One of the first things to be done was the construction of a custom fuel tank. With the stock tank removed, the fuel filler could be relocated to inside the boot and the filler flap removed.
With the original tank gone, the rear wheel arches could be tubbed to allow wider rear wheels to be fitted. That meant the rear seat needed modification to fit around the tubs — and so the build snowballed…
With the exterior smoothed off, both in terms of the fuel filler and the removal of years of supermarket dings, attention was turned to achieving the same effect with the engine bay.
The trans tunnel was raised at the same time to allow easy fitment of the C4 auto that now backs up the motor, as well as the custom driveshaft.
The clean bay was then mated with a 302 Windsor of unknown origins. Of course, it was first detailed and fixed with a bunch of bolt-on goodies such as a Torker manifold, 600cfm Holley carb and a host of MSD ignition components.
Once fitted with modified Mustang extractors and an equally modified Cadillac air cleaner, the engine was ready to be dropped back in the hole.
But first came the big decision of paint colour. Kim wanted purple, and after seeing the latest Holden Morpheus variant, she knew that was the one.
Deciding on a silver to match was more difficult, and it sounds like quite a bit of time was spent searching for it. After much deliberating, PPG Iceberg was chosen and Maurice Pretty was handed the task of applying it.
A Solid Plan
From the beginning Kim knew what she wanted to do with the interior. The seats were to remain stock, but they would be given a two-tone leather retrim. Normanby Upholstery was chosen to do the work, but finding a purple leather became a challenge. Not wanting to let her down, the company ended up having the leather specially dyed for the car. Combined with the white leather and chrome fittings, the interior has come together even better than Kim could have ever expected.
A white hood lining was also added to the cabin and with that, combined with the white seats and purple carpets (which really set the interior off), we’re assuming the days of taking kids on school trips in the XM are over.
The finishing touch was the embroidering of NOVRYN on the back of the front seats.
Don’t worry if you didn’t get it at first, you’re not alone. ‘November Rain’ by Guns N’ Roses is a special song for Kim and Glen, so much so it now adorns the number plate.
Those widened rear wheel arches that started the build now house 18×10-inch Boyd Coddington Smoothie II rims, which are fitted to a narrowed eight-inch diff. Up front slightly smaller 17×7-inch versions have been fitted around later model Falcon front struts with XB Falcon discs and callipers.
While the rear makes do with the stock drums, it does have some very nice QA1 adjustable coil-overs mounted to a custom four-link setup. The result is a low yet not undriveable height, and a car that handles far better than when it left the factory back in 1964 — not to mention the fact it turns heads wherever it goes.
One Year On
It was almost exactly a year in the build before the car hit the road in its new guise, and since then Kim’s never looked back, taking it all around the country whenever she gets the chance.
A lot has changed from 10 years ago when she didn’t know what the Falcon was. One thing that hasn’t, though, is her love for the car, and with it now looking as good as it does, we can’t imagine that love fading any time soon.
Some things are just meant to be.

1964 Ford XM Falcon Deluxe – Specifications

Engine: 302ci (4949c) Windsor, Torquer intake manifold, Holley 600 cfm, custom stainless steel drop tank, Holley Blue electric fuel pump, Holley regulator, MSD billet distributor, MSD 6AL, MSD leads, MSD blaster coil, modified Mustang extractors, two three-inch mufflers, aluminium finned oil cooler, 24×18-inch alloy radiator, smoothed engine bay, battery relocated to boot, stainless radiator overflow bottle, polished alloy lead separators, chrome rocker covers, chrome alternator, customised Cadillac air cleaner
Driveline: Ford C4 transmission, shortened eight-inch diff
Suspension: Custom four-link rear, QA1 adjustable coil-overs, aftermarket front springs, QA1 18-inch, 300lb rear springs
Brakes: XB Falcon front discs and callipers, stock drum rear
Wheels/tyres: 17×7-and 18×10-inch Boyd Coddington Smoothie II rims, 215/40R17 and 275/35R18 Kumho tyres
Exterior: Mini-tubbed rear, raised trans tunnel, tinted glass, PPG Morpheus purple and PPG Iceberg silver, rechromed bumpers
Interior: Full retrim with custom dyed leather, Budnik Famosa steering wheel, B&M Star shifter, Pro Sport oil pressure/water temp/ rpm gauges, purple interior carpet, white hood lining, white Fusion speakers, Sony CD player

Performance: Untested

1967 Ford Mustang Fastback S-Code – Specifications

He’s got an eye for it,” says Suzanne Leech of her husband Kelvin’s styling ideas for her ’67 Mustang Fastback. “I’d say what I wanted, and he’d tell me it wouldn’t look good and point out his thoughts,” she laughs, “but it wouldn’t look anywhere near this good if it was done how I first thought.” But don’t go thinking that she’s had no input into the car – far from it. Suzanne spent many hours in the shed getting just as dirty as Kelvin and good friend come car-building companion Brett Bowyer. Even Suzanne and Kelvin’s two young kids got involved, and to top off the family effort, Suzanne’s sister had her fair share of grease under her fingernails too.
The project kicked off a bit over four years ago, when after having previously owned a ’65 Mustang, which was deemed a bit too gutless, Suzanne decided she needed a car that could keep up with Kelvin’s ’63 Galaxie. With a 500-cube big block and manual combo, the Galaxie is a seriously fast car, so that’s what the Mustang had to be also.
After informing Chuck from Chuck’s Restoration Supplies of their plan, he put his feelers out and promptly found a ’67 Fastback that had been sitting for the last 10 years. It was a factory big block car with no running gear, and the 15×12-inch rear rims it sat on were a sign it had been raced many years ago. The car’s interesting history made it even more appealing, and as soon as they saw the photos, they knew it was the car for the project.
Just as momentum was building, the project was paused. It was decided that more garaging was required, and as such a new property was purchased. Add to this another baby to the family, and the Mustang was pushed aside for a few years.
Once back underway, Kelvin and Brett spent many hours in the shed performing all the bodywork, which thankfully didn’t involve any rust repairs at all. Instead, the dynamic duo spent their time fitting a GT front end and rear spoiler. After talks of blue, or red, or a divorce, a colour that both Suzanne and Kelvin could finally agree upon was sourced – McLaren orange. Suzanne sums it up perfectly when she says, “I’m glad we both stuck to our guns to find the Papaya as it really does make the car.” While a makeshift spray booth was assembled in the shed to spray the interior, engine bay and door jambs, the task of coating the exterior was handed over to fellow Huapai Hot Rod Club member Kyle Kitson at Greenpark Panel and Paint.
Suzanne admits she had second thoughts upon first seeing the painted shell. It wasn’t until Write On Signs applied the satin black Le Mans and GT 390 stripes, that she knew they’d made the right decision.
Selecting the wheels was left up to Kelvin, who chose 15×7 and 15×9-inch Weld Racing Vitesse items. After waiting a few months for them to arrive from overseas he wasn’t sure he’d made the right call, until the centres were repainted and suddenly they were perfect.
Although the car came minus running gear, a big block was always on the menu, and after sourcing a suitable 390ci donor, work began on making it something special. A Scat crank and rods were chosen, which, along with Probe forged pistons, bump capacity out to a solid 410ci. A Voodoo hydraulic camshaft was fitted, which along with stock heads and PRW roller rockers take care of the breathing side of things. Between the heads sits an Edelbrock Performer manifold and a 680cfm Quick Fuel carb fed by a mechanical fuel pump. Choosing headers that would fit between the block and the strut towers wasn’t the easiest task. Even though the Hooker Competition items chosen are designed for the job, they leave literally millimetres of space on each side. Suzanne was the one tasked with trying to fit her hands in the small space remaining to get the bolts tight, and she assures us it’s a task she’d rather not have to do again.
Backing up the big block is a 4-speed Toploader gearbox and custom clutch set-up. “The Galaxie is a real man’s car. The clutch is too stiff, and the gear shifts are heavy, whereas this is super easy to drive,” says Suzanne of the combination. A 9-inch diff puts the power to the ground, while drum brakes on the rear and 4-pot callipers up front slow it down again.
Interior-wise, Suzanne wasn’t sure about Kelvin’s instructions to Joel from Traditional Upholstery about how the stitching should look. Once the Porsche front seats and factory rear seat were returned in their new leather glory though, she once again knew he’d made the right call. Besides the addition of an aftermarket steering wheel and Hurst Competition Plus shifter, the interior remains as it did from the factory, albeit restored to new condition.
Suzanne can’t thank both Kelvin and Brett, along with all the other friends and family members who have been involved in the build, enough. While she knew she wanted the car to be built properly, never in her wildest dreams was it going to be as impressive as it’s turned out to be.
After two years in the build, the car made its debut at the Kumeu Car Show last month, and the timing couldn’t have been better. Not only was it the day of Suzanne’s 40th birthday, but it was also the couple’s 12th wedding anniversary. What better way to celebrate than showing off your newly completed pride and joy, and partying with a few thousand other car enthusiasts?

1965 Dodge Monaco - Diplomatic Dodge - 45

It may have started life transporting American Samoa’s diplomats, but this four-owner Dodge Monaco was destined for bigger things
Ged Crombie grew up in a family that wasn’t into cars, but he was, is and always will be a car guy. His first obsession was Fords, starting with a 1949 Ford Popular. He moved on to the GM stable, but for the last 10 years he has been a Chrysler man through and through. So much so that he has created his own sideline business called Gedz Garage, importing and selling Mopar parts from the States.

Meant To Be

In 2004 Ged was looking for a new Mopar, a 1965 Dodge Coronet, to be precise. He didn’t find the Coronet, but what he did find while attending the Palmerston North Swap Meet was a very tidy 1965 Dodge Monaco. It had the body work already done and needed the mechanicals sorted, which was perfect for this Waikanae automotive technician, who admits that “bodywork isn’t my thing”.
The Monaco started its life as a Canadian-built factory 318 (the American-built Monacos came with a 383). Its first two years were spent as a diplomat’s car in American Samoa, ending in 1967 when it was shipped to little old New Zealand. By the time Ged got his Mopar-loving hands on it, it was sporting a stroked 440 big block (out to around 451ci), and recent panel and paint courtesy of previous owners Robin and Linda Barnes of Koop-de-Glass, who straightened out the long, clean lines of the coupe. Robin and Linda also de-badged and de-chromed, before coating the whole thing in a classic gold colour with subtle two-tone fade on the roof to accentuate the factory lines.

Making A Good Thing Better

Ged could have left his new purchase as he bought it and had a perfectly fine classic car ” but then it wouldn’t be on the pages of NZV8 magazine now, would it?
Not long after he got the Dodge Ged was backing out of the workshop and it lost reverse ” gone, nowhere to be found. Out came the transmission and off it went to a mate to get it sorted. The trans might only have taken two weeks to come back, but the car was off the road for 12 months. While the trans was out Ged decided it might be time for a “bit of a tidy up”. How many times have we heard that one..?

Get Up And Boogie

The Chrysler 440 big block had already had a fair amount of work done to it, including Keith Black pistons, Comp Cams roller rockers and ported heads, so Ged decided to tidy up the engine bay and dress it up a bit. This was done by hiding the wiring, popping on some race-style Indy rocker covers, installing a new electric water pump and alloy radiator, and changing the carb to a Barry Grant 750cfm Mighty Demon double pumper.
The trans is a 727 with a lot of good bits in it, which Ged found when it was stripped down to fix the no reverse problem. It has a Chrysler 8.75-inch diff that originally had 2.7:1 gears in it, but Ged changed that to a locker 3.5:1 ratio diff head, which helps it get up and go all that quicker. The old girl can really haul ass now, running a 9.2 eighth mile at Port Road in street drags, which isn’t mucking around when you consider the size of her.

Handles As Well As It Looks

While the Monaco was parked up it also got new suspension and brakes. Ged had new Tubular A-arms custom manufactured by Kiwi Race Cars. QA1 alloy 12-way adjustable shocks were slotted in all round, giving the car a more stable ride and much better stance. Ged imported an SSBC big front brake kit from the States, which included 11.25-inch slotted rotors and four-piston alloy callipers, stainless braided brake hoses and a very trick-looking billet master cylinder. The brake kit didn’t quite bolt straight on like they said it would, but it didn’t take a lot of modification to get it in. While that was going in Ged also added a brake bias valve to the system plus a line lock solenoid. Once he got the braking system dialled in, the car stopped far better than when it packed the big old 11-inch drum brakes that came factory on it. When it came to choosing wheels, after trying a few different options Ged settled on the classic look of the 15-inch Weld Prostars ” he liked the style of them and didn’t want to go with huge late-model alloys that seem to be the trend with big American cars these days. Instead he opted for more of a street machine look, which is mirrored throughout the car.

Inside The Ride

The spacious interior has been left relatively stock, with the seats, dash, headlining and even carpet being the same ones that graced the Monaco when it rolled off the factory floor. The B&M shifter looks fantastic, and it’s hard to believe it is a factory piece, except for the cool knob with the Mopar logo machined into it. The aftermarket gauges that Ged has added have been done so that they almost look factory spec; and, believe it or not, the factory centre console’s tacho, clock and radio still work perfectly ” not that Ged has the radio hooked up; he prefers to listen to the sweet exhaust note from that stroked big block engine. That’s right folks: no 20-inch alloys, no airbag suspension and no big-dollar stereo with a boot full of subs here ” Ged’s an old-school kinda guy.

Drive It Like You Stole It

For now, Ged is pretty much done with modifying the Monaco. He recently purchased a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda from Florida, so he’s diverting his attention to that and just driving the Monaco. But it was built to drive, right? Hell yeah; Ged drives it and drives it hard. It’s a solid weekend cruiser, but with summer upon us it is starting to see more action with the odd Rod Run. Ged has even booked in to drive her down to Christchurch for Muscle Car Madness this year, and why not? “It goes hard, goes around corners real well and it stops on a dime, yet it just looks like an old street machine,” he says.
Simple really.

Ged Crombie – Owner Profile

Age: 42
Occupation: Automotive technician
Previously owned cars: 1949 Ford Popular with 289 V8 and four-speed, 1969 Holden Monaro, 1964 four-door Impala, 968 Camaro with tunnel ram and nitrous, 1965 Dodge Coronet 440, 1969 Plymouth Satellite — Roadrunner Clone, 1963 Chrysler 330 Sedan
Dream Car: Mid-’60s A/FX Mopar drag car with a blown Hemi, Hemi-powered Dodge Daytona
Why the Monaco: Loved the body style and the panel and paint had already been done
Build time: Ongoing
Length of ownership: Four years
Ged thanks: “Firstly, thanks to my partner Anita who allows me to pursue my automotive addiction.
“Big thanks to a previous employer, Keith (Piggy) Dent at Cartorque Ltd in Paraparaumu (ph 04 902 9042) for use of his workshop during the build. Robin and Linda Barnes from Koop-de-Glass (ph 06 756 8460) for the original build-up of the car.”

1965 Dodge Monaco – Specifcations

Engine: Chrysler 440ci big block stroked to 451ci (7210cc to 7391cc). Keith Black pistons, Hemi half-inch oil pick-up, modified sump, nine-way adjustable cam timing set, 906 cylinder heads, stainless valves, crane double valve springs, Comp Cams roller rockers, heads ported and flowed to 550hp, 750cfm Mighty Demon
Driveline: 727 transmission, competition clutches and bands, five-plate clutch assembly, modified valve body, Hemi flexplate, 2800rpm stall torque converter, 3.5:1 ratio Suregrip diff head with big yoke, 30-spline axles, three-inch driveshaft with large universal joints
Brakes: Complete front brake kit from Stainless Steel Brake Corp in the USA. Original 279x51mm rear drum brakes with new shoes and overhauled wheel cylinders
Suspension: QA1 alloy 12-way adjustable front and rear shocks. Original front torsion bar and rear leaf springs. Original front swaybar, tubular top A-arms made by Kiwi Race Cars
Wheels/tyres: Weld Prostars, 15×7 and 15×10-inch Weld Prostar rims, 205/65R15 Goodyear and 275/60R15 BF Goodrich tyres
Exterior: Body de-chromed and panel and painted by Robin Barnes in Gold, with fade-away roof paint scheme.
Interior: Original interior with extra aftermarket Auto Meter water temp and oil pressure gauges and Summit Racing tacho. B&M shifter with custom Mopar knob
Performance: 9.2 at 95mph (152.8kph) 1/8-mile ¨(Port Road)

Хрислер 300Ц - Хеми Хит - 12

Return of a legend
They say that if you want to get ahead, sometimes you have to look back. Certainly in terms of Chrysler’s new 300C it seems designers have revived more than just the old ‘letter car’ badges and retro chrome grille from the original series.
For back in the mid ’50s when it all began, Chrysler launched the C300 with the first of its innovative Dual Quad Hemi V8 engines. Output was a surprising 300hp (224kW), hence the 300 badge designation. Transmission was Chrysler’s Torqueflite two-speed, with later models even getting a three-speed option. Performance for its day wasn’t bad either, as it was claimed the C300 could reach 60mph (96.5kph) in under 10¯seconds, and 130mph (209kph) flat out. In fact it was one of the fastest production cars you could buy off the showroom floor. But what made the C300 unique apart from the performance was the fact that it wasn’t just a stripped-out racer. Leather seats were standard and it got optional extras like wire wheels, tinted glass, a radio set, a heater — even electric windows and seats were on offer. Standard equipment by today’s standards, but back then it was pure luxury.
Horror Times
Over the years the 300 evolved from the ‘C’ all the way to the ‘L’ by the mid ’60s, which is why they were known as the letter car series.

Chrysler brought back the 300 badge in 2000 with the controversial ‘M’ series cab forward design, but to the horror of Mopar fans it was front wheel drive and two cylinders short of a V8.
It may be history now, but looking back Chrysler has remembered the things that made its cars so popular in the first place, plenty of metal, big V8s and rear wheel drive. Sometimes it makes you wonder why it just didn’t ask?
Today’s 300C has the most intimidating presence of a type not seen on our roads for quite some time. Its high waist line and lowered roof suggest origins of classic American customising, while the long squared-off bonnet and trunk almost give it the stately shape of the ’60s. At 1881mm in width and 4999mm in length the 300C doesn’t sound like anything out of the ordinary, but visually looks like so much more.
If on the outside the 300C looks large then inside the interior cabin has more of the same.
There’s more than enough room to swing a cat. Even though from the outside the chopped roof gives the impression that head room may be tight.
Wood trims and aluminium inserts are of good quality, while the white-faced analogue retro clock and instruments are a nice touch. There’s no hand brake lever, instead you’ll find a foot-operated park brake which is nicely tucked away.
Unlike the original 300 series you pretty much get all the options as standard, including air conditioning, electric seats, an adjustable steering column and a Boston Acoustics speaker system, just to name a few.
The rear seats have plenty of legroom even for those around the six foot mark, however the centre rear is really only for the little ones. The front seat frames were donations from the previous Mercedes E-class, and roughly 20¯per cent of the 300C’s construction comes from the company’s German partner.
Hemi Is Back
At the business end of the car there’s a familiar powerplant under the hood. It’s Chrysler’s new generation 5.7-litre Hemi engine, delivering 250kW and a strong 525Nm of torque.
The name may be the same as the old Hemi last seen in the ’70s, but the Hemi’s comeback has unleashed a barrage of modern updates. The cast iron block is retained but is precision cast to save weight, while the cam is now hollow and sits much higher up in the block, so shorter pushrods could be used. Up on top the head is now alloy with two valves per cylinder and dual firing plugs, and the intake manifold is of composite construction.
Today’s Hemi also has the controversial MDS (multi displacement system) which, depending on throttle position and speed, shuts off four of the eight cylinders for added fuel economy.
Chrysler claims that once the pedal hits the floor full power can be retained within 0.04 seconds. All very interesting, but it begs the question, why would you buy a V8 if you were worried about fuel consumption?
Bringing up the rear of the Hemi engine is the Mercedes-sourced five-speed auto gearbox with sequential Auto Stick selection. Once Drive is selected gear changes can be made by pushing the lever left for down or right for up. The system certainly makes manual selection of the gears a breeze as there’s no alternate gate for this mode, it works straight off the Drive position.
4 and 8
When you fire up the Hemi there’s no mistaking that there’s a V8 powerplant up front ready for business. It’s nice to see the Chrysler engineers have read my mind and not opted for the long travel accelerator from the Mercedes parts bin, instead to my delight it’s short throw and equally responsive.
Selecting Drive and easing out into traffic the 300C pulls off the mark smoothly, but somehow you know there’s a lot more power available if needed. At lower speeds the chassis rides well, extinguishing fears that it may have been set up like American cars of old. Probably no surprise as both front and rear multi link set-ups are modified versions of the previous Mercedes E-class design.
By this time I’m sure the Hemi is only running on four cylinders, but honestly there’s nothing giving it away. Abandoning the suburban traffic we manage to enter open road territory to get a taste of what Chrysler’s latest offering can really deliver. Pushing the pedal to the floor, the 5.7-litre Hemi bursts into all cylinders with the beautiful sound of the eight-piece orchestra up front.
Chrysler’s MDS is working well, very smooth and hard to detect switching over.
At just under two tons the car’s no light-weight, but independent tests have showed it will hit 100kph in under six seconds, which is fairly respectable.
After negotiating a series of bends and sweeping corners it’s obvious that this is no sports or GT car, but more a cruiser. Faster corners let you know there’s plenty of weight being pushed around, and tighter ones produce signs of understeer.
The brakes, however, do the job well and never gave us any indication they weren’t up to the job.
At the end of the day it’s hard not to like the 300C as it looks menacing on the road, just like the legendary Chryslers of old, yet has all the refinements of the modern era.
But honestly what I most admire about the 300C is that Chrysler made it in right hand drive straight from the factory. Nice to see someone is thinking of us, God bless America (and Germany too).

Chrysler 300C – Specifications

Engine: Hemi cast iron block with aluminium heads, ohv two valves per cylinder, 5654cc (345 ci), bore-99.5mm, stroke-90.9mm, compression 9.6:1, twin plug ignition, sequential port electronic fuel injection, fly by wire throttle control
Driveline: Five-speed auto gearbox with Auto Stick, rear drive with ESP traction control
Suspension: Front: upper A arms, lower lateral and diagonal links, coil springs tube shocks, anti roll bar.  Rear: Five link, coil springs, tube shocks, anti roll bar
Brakes: Front: 345mm (13.6”) disc Rear: 320mm (12.6”) disc
Wheels/tyres: 18×7.5 aluminium wheels with 225/60/18 tyres

1971 VG Crysler Valiant - Primal Urges - 49

If you’re a Mopar fan and Adrian Betterton’s ’71 Valiant doesn’t get your hair standing on end, you’d better check you’ve got a pulse
Goosebumps rise across your skin and the hair on the back of your neck stands to attention. A shiver runs down your spine as you experience that throwback from caveman days known as the fight or flight reaction. It was a natural defence mechanism employed if we experienced something threatening or dangerous, like a dog and its hackles. The body automatically puffed up your lustrous coat of hair to make your caveman self appear larger than he actually was, thereby hopefully intimidating any potential threat.
Of course, we are no longer quite so hirsute, nor do the same things pose a threat, but that original, basic defence mechanism is still there, showing itself when it deems appropriate. For any true enthusiast, one of those moments is the firing of an all-American big block V8 like the 512ci Mopar in Adrian Betterton’s 1971 Chrysler Valiant. The starter motor whines as the crank inside the engine begins to turn. After a few chugs, coughs and splutters, 512 cubic inches of American iron roars into life, the ground vibrating underfoot as it finds idle. The motor begins to warm, and the deep, guttural Mopar roar begins to surge and ebb under the spell of an aggressive camshaft spinning in the bowels of the beast.
Although it can’t quite be pinpointed, there is definitely something primal, something quintessentially masculine about the roar of a big block V8. Adrian’s particular 440-based engine is a perfect example, wrapped up in a clean, aggressive Valiant shell.
Six Years Down
Adrian first bought the car six years ago while on the hunt for a Holden HK Monaro. “I was looking for an old-school cruiser, and always loved the HK. But after a bit of research I realised they were well out of my price range. My girlfriend at the time knew someone selling a VG Valiant, so I went along and checked it out. It was perfect,” Adrian says.
Like so many other NZV8 feature car owners, Adrian soon grew bored of cruising round in the stock standard old girl, and slowly began sneaking bits and pieces onto the car as they came up. For example, Adrian explains, “It was time for new tyres, but there was no way I was going to fork out for the same stuff again, so I called up Lance at Arrow Wheels. He sold me a set of 17×7-inch and 17×9-inch Sabres, and then custom fitted them to the Valiant. From there, it just got more and more out of control.”
By then, the 30-year-old paint was looking a little ragged, so Adrian rang paint-master mate Mary-Anne Roper, asking for a quick weekend respray. This, as you would expect, turned into six months of weekends as the pair perfected and prepped the body for its new Vixen Red paint.
Lastly, Adrian was going big block, so he needed a big block-esque scoop. “I took the bonnet and scoop to a panelbeater, who I won’t name. After a few days he called me up to let me know it was finished, I went down there and everything would have been just fine¦ if I was putting it on a SLR5000. It was backwards! My jaw hit the floor, admittedly so did his when I told him. The problem was rectified and I took the car down to Ross Walker at Unique Auto Worx, who laid on the red and black paint.”
Stroking It
Now that the car was looking a million dollars with its fresh paint, and sitting low on the Arrow wheels thanks to reset leafs, heavy duty torsion bars and Monroe gas shocks, it was time for a new motor. A big motor. Starting with a 440ci Chrysler big block, Adrian contacted Stateside company 440 Source, which supplied him with a full 512ci stroker kit. The kit came with nearly everything Adrian needed to build his new motor, including the Platinum Series crank, which cleverly uses the smaller 2.200 journals, thus making block clearance a far easier affair. Oil supply comes from an enlarged oil pan, and Hemi pick up and pump. GK Reconditioners peiced the whole lot together.
Above the hulking block, 440 Source also provided a pair of alloy heads with 212cc intake and 72cc exhaust ports. As for the camshaft, Melling supplied Adrian with a Class 3 shaft to use with a set of Crane hydraulic lifters. The 480 lift, 300 duration cam is a good mix of street and strip, with a rev range of 2000rpm to 6000rpm. ARP head bolts, PRW stainless steel roller rockers and custom Octane Fabrications alloy rocker covers finish the job.
To feed the hungry beast there’s a re-jetted Holley 800cfm carb, bolted above a tried and true Edelbrock Peformer intake manifold. This is supplied fuel by a Carter electric fuel pump via half-inch braided line, while the fuse is lit by an MSD 6AL Mopar performance model ignition module. All this gear now sits pretty under the Valiant’s hood with plenty of room, looking very clean thanks to an Octane Fabrication de-loomed and smoothed engine bay.
Back It Up
Back behind the engine sits a very tough 727 transmission, which is accompanied by a 440 Source 7/16 flex plate and a 10-inch Boss Hog 2200rpm high stall converter. This pushes power out to the rear of the car, where a shortened nine-inch diff, complete with LSD head and 3.25:1 gears, can be found.
Good power and a solid transmission generally require an upgrade in the braking department. For this, Adrian kept the rear drums as is, but replaced the front stoppers with Wilwood four-pot Superlite discs and rotors. Although it’s no race car, the Valiant will now pull up in a tight spot if needed.
Before the Chrysler could be called finished, it needed a refreshed interior, as this one had taken a beating over the previous three decades. Adrian took the beast down to Alvin at Stock Upholstery, who reupholstered the interior in simple black, with a tidy red pinstripe to match the car’s exterior. Besides the new look, the only other interior enhancements are a set of Auto Meter Pro Comp gauges, a Hurst pistol grip shifter and a steering wheel pulled from an R/T Charger.
Mopar or No Car
Powerful, reliable and tidy, this Chrysler has come a long way in the last six years. Maybe that deep Mopar rumble emitted by cars like Adrian’s Valiant gives a gearhead his or her shivers simply due to the instinctively frightening low bass notes and the shaking ground. Or perhaps it is more complex than that: the promise of crushing power and mountain-moving torque that only the sound of a hulking big block eight can provide.

1971 VG Chrysler Valiant – Specifcations

Engine: Chrysler big block 440, 440 Source 512ci (8390cc) stroker kit, Platinum series crank, Platinum series 17cc dished pistons, Total Seal rings, steel SFI damper, Hemi 6ct oil pan, Hemi oil pick up, high-volume pump, 440 Source alloy heads, Melling Class 3 camshaft, Crane hydraulic lifters, PWR stainless roller rockers, 1.5 ratios, ARP head bolts, Octane Fabrications alloy rocker covers, alloy water pump, Holley re-jetted 800cfm, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold, Carter electric fuel pump, Holley regulator, half-inch braided fuel line, MSD 6AL ignition module, twin three-inch exhaust system, Desert Cooler alloy radiator, 16-inch Davis Craig fan, de-loomed engine bay, smoothed firewall
Driveline: 727 transmission, 440 Source Hemi 7/16 flex plate, Boss Hog 10-inch hemi 7/16 bolt torque converter (2200rpm stall), shortened nine-inch diff, LSD head, 3.25 gears
Suspension: Re-tensioned leaf springs, Monroe gas shocks, heavy duty torsion bar, Nolathane bushes
Brakes: Front Wilwood four-pot Super Lite discs and rotors, factory rear drums
Wheels/tyres: 17×7-inch and 17×9-inch Arrow Wheels Sabre rims, 215/45R17 front tyres, 255/40R17 rear tyres
Exterior: Stock body, Vixen red re-spray
Interior: Re-upholstered interior, R/T Charger steering wheel, Hurst alloy pistol grip shifter, Auto Meter Pro Comp gauges, custom alloy centre console
Performance: Untested

Adrian Betterton – Owner Profile

Age: 36
Occupation: Courier
Previously owned cars: 308ci Holden HQ one-tonner, 406ci Holden HZ panel van
Build time: Four years
Owned: Six years
Adrian thanks: Craig at Octane Fabrications, Mary-Anne, Brad at Brake Co, Ross Walker at Unique Auto Worx, Lance at Arrow Wheels, Tim at Procoat, Alvin at Stock Upholstery, Gerard at GK Automotive and Reconditioners

1972 Plymouth Road Runner - Mopar Perfection - 50

Ever since the then brand new 1971/1972 Plymouth Road Runners and GTXs were advertised, Brent Hyde wanted one. It was the large rear haunches of that generation which really drew him to the vehicles, along with the fact a Hemi could be hiding within. This combination was enough to ensure that eventually he would have one of his own.
It took 30 years before one was registered in his name ” but the wait was the easy part, because the build of this vehicle hasn’t been entirely plain sailing.
Right Time, Right Place
The ’72 Road Runner was imported into New Zealand around 1990, and after being on the road for a few years, the then owner’s wife somehow managed to fill the petrol tank with diesel and subsequently destroyed the engine. In 2002 Brent made the owner an offer for the partially disassembled car that he couldn’t refuse, and the deal was done.
Besides the motor being in pieces, the condition of the car was pretty original, and once the engine was sorted it was in this state that Brent drove it around as his daily driver.
Wrong Time, Wrong Place
Fast forward through a few years of happy motoring, and the tale of man and machine takes a serious turn for the worse. Early one morning, while heading out to the annual Kumeu Car Show, a drunk driver ran a red light right in front of Brent, leaving little option but for Brent to hit the car.
The guy wasn’t just drunk; Brent had found the worst driver in the world to share a road with. The driver was in a car that wasn’t registered or warranted, didn’t have a license and was out on weekend release from prison. Obviously all this added up to one seriously uninsured driver.
Three court appearances later, and Brent was left somewhat bemused at the justice system as the driver walked away with ‘careless use of a motor vehicle’. Apparently it wasn’t worth slapping him with all the other charges, as the fines would never get paid.
At least Brent’s insurance covered the Road Runner, and since he had planned to give it a full rebuild a few years down the track, he decided to take advantage of his misfortune and do it now.
The process took three years but the end result is without doubt one of the top cars to ever be built in New Zealand. From the very outset, only the best people were chosen to work on the car, and Brent has nothing but praise for those involved.
The Build Begins
Straightening out the body was first and foremost on the agenda, and with a rare car like this, choosing the right panel guy is essential. Brent had seen some of the work performed at Moselle Panel And Paint in Henderson, Auckland, and liked the attitudes of the staff and owners.
Moselle became home to the car for much of the project, and Brent can’t speak highly enough of the work the company did.
The repairs required due to the accident damage were completed before the shut lines and gaps were perfected. If you look closely at the bumpers, you will notice they have been smoothed and recontoured to more closely fit the body. Or, more likely, you won’t notice anything at all ” the job is flawless. However, you will probably be able to appreciate how much better looking this car is compared to a standard one. All body work was performed in bare metal, without a scrap of filler. When you look at how long and straight the rear haunches of the Road Runner are, you can’t help but be impressed.
While the panel work was taking place, an engine was being built on the other side of the world. It’d be a stretch to fit the big cube Hemi and associated hardware within the engine bay, so the shock towers were scalloped in preparation and all unused holes filled.
One of the goals for the build was to achieve a car that looked completely custom, yet almost as if it was a modern interpretation of what the factory produced.
The beautiful PPG Vibrant Yella paint is one area where that ‘modernised factory’ look has been achieved. At first glance it’s a retina-searing yellow, but look closer and you will find a coarse metallic and multiple pearls.
Likewise, the black used for the stripes over the roof isn’t just black, but black with a yellow pearl and the same metallics. It’s a finish that looks great in the flesh, but is nigh on impossible to capture in photos.
The Ultimate Hemi
After previously suffering dramas with locally assembled engines, Brent decided to get the car’s new powerplant from the other side of the globe. One of the influencing factors was that the car was to go on a carb-free diet and be electronically fuel injected instead. With New Zealanders having little EFI Hemi experience, it made sense and saved dollars to deal with the pros in the US.
Although the car originally had a worked 440 in it, Brent knew it was Hemi or nothing this time around. Indy Cylinder Heads in Indianapolis supplied an engine built to Brent’s specs, which read like any Hemi lover’s dream. There are too many fruity bits to mention (check out the specs on p26 for confirmation of that). But as a teaser, the MP Hemi Mega Block is filled with 7.10-inch Eagle H-beam rods, which, combined with the Callies 4340 4.750-inch stroke, crank give the engine a massive 605 cubic inches of capacity.
The Indy 426-1RA heads feature equally exotic parts, making the engine the best Hemi street motor in the country, hands down.
What set the car apart from many others was the decision to go fuel injected with a setup purchased from For Hemis Only in Canada.
Why go injected? Because Brent likes driving his cars, and no matter how good looking or nicely finished this car ended up, it would be driven as often as possible. With the FAST (Fuel Air Spark Technology) ECU the car would start first try every time and run perfectly all day every day.
Although they’re hard to see, under the customised air intake (lowered over the motor to ensure the bonnet didn’t require any cutting) are twin four-barrel 1375cfm FAST EFI throttle bodies. Again, it’s not what you see but what you don’t that lifts this car above and beyond anything else on the road.
To keep the fuel vapours out of the car, and keep the fuel system as quiet as possible, the 90-litre fuel tank has been fitted with an internal surge tank and pump. From these, fuel passes through another two pumps and filters before finding its way to the engine.
Forced induction? “Not needed,” Brent reckons. And with the setup making a massive 900hp at 6000rpm and 1152Nm at 4900rpm, he’s not wrong.
Although very purposeful, the engine bay isn’t strictly business but a mix of great looks and functional products. Besides the Billet Specialties Tru Trac serpentine belt kit, there’s a Sunnen air conditioning compressor, 140-amp alternator and a HydraBoost booster to assist with brakes and power steering. Tucked neatly (well, as neatly as 2.25-inch pipes can be) down the sides of the big motor are thermal-coated headers, which feed into a twin three-inch system built by Magnum Automotive that Brent describes as, “The best exhaust I’ve ever seen.”
The Dream Driveline
With such an awesome engine package, there’s no way any ordinary driveline was going to end up attached to the back of it. These days a Torqueflite 727 transmission does the shifting, albeit in reverse pattern by a leather retrimmed pistol grip shifter. Inside the box you will find basically the best of the best parts available when it was assembled by Cope Racing Transmissions in Indiana.
Behind the box is a 3.5-inch custom driveshaft with larger than stock, high-performance crosses built by Driveshaft Specialties of East Tamaki. Backing this up is a Dana 60 diff, and judging by the smile on Brent’s face each time he exits the vehicle, it doesn’t get an easy time back there.
The Finer Things
All those years ago when Brent first dreamed of owning a Road Runner, I bet he never thought it would be as good or as advanced as his one is today. Besides the modern suspension and handling setup that consists of an XV Motorport Level 1 suspension kit, custom-valved shocks, custom rear leaves and tubular front suspension arms, there is a bunch of top-shelf extras. Items like billet swaybar mounts, aftermarket one-inch torsion bars, adjustable strut rods, and altered geometry just scratch the surface of what lies within the vehicle.
As well as wanting the car to stick to the road, Brent wanted it to be nice to drive, without the noise and harshness often associated with a modified or old vehicle. Thanks to a selection of rubber and urethane bushes, along with the right hardware, the car now drives like a dream ” and a fast, good-looking dream at that.
Brent has done a lot of research hunting down the right parts, ones that work properly together and are engineered correctly, rather than searching for items with bling appeal. The result is a car that drives just as well as it looks, with no compromises.
The wheels could have been the make or break of the car, but they are perfect for it. The 18×8- and 18×10-inch Vintiques 95 series Billet Chrysler Rallye wheels are a modern interpretation of the vehicle’s original Rallyes, and were custom built with the desired backspace to fill out the guards. Not only do they fit, they fit perfectly, and suit the modern look Brent sought while paying homage to the car’s roots.
The attention to detail and aspiration to make the Road Runner the ultimate driving experience extends to the interior, where fresh leather covers almost every surface. Stu’s Trim Shop was handed the task of modernising the trim and hiding a comprehensive stereo system within.
With fresh BMW carpet laid down, the original-style seats (now complete with six-way power adjustment) could be dropped back in, and the gauges from Instrument Specialties reinstalled. Although the instruments themselves are the originals from the vehicle, they have been restored to better than new condition, recalibrated to suit the vehicle and custom screen printed.
Underneath the trim you will find five layers of soundproofing material. Brent reckons he probably has more Dynamat than the local distributor does, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Finishing Touches
Towards the end of the build, Merlin Motorsport ” a company that more often associated with circuit racers than street cars ” was commissioned to perform some finishing touches. Again, they’re all things that you won’t see at first but which really do put the car above and beyond any other.
We’re talking stuff like all the interior and exterior lighting ” including the instruments ” being converted to LEDs, and the installation of an electronic rear vision mirror with built-in LCD screen.
As if this wasn’t enough to make the car feel like a brand new exotic, it now has under-dash and under-seat rear floor wash lighting, complete with soft start and soft off.
The reality is that this car has so many special features we could dedicate an entire magazine to it. But Brent isn’t one to blow his own trumpet or seek publicity, and he wouldn’t go for it. If, however, you ever manage to get a close look at the car, we are absolutely certain you will be as amazed by it as we are. We’re almost inclined to say it’s the best car currently gracing New Zealand’s highways.
It may have been a rough road to perfection, but these days the only roads Brent has on the horizon are ones that will be travelled in style and at pace.

1972 Plymouth Road Runner -Specifications

Engine: 605ci (9914cc) Hemi, MP Hemi Mega Block. 4.5-inch bore 4.75-inch stroke, Callies 4340 Crank, 180mm Eagle H-beam rods, Wiseco 10.75:1 pistons with .990-inch tool steel pins, ARP fasteners, Indy Maxx side inlet oil pump, Gated custom oil pan, static pickup, full-length windage tray, Indy 426-1RA heads, full CNC machined 510cfm flow, 2.4-inch stainless intake valves, 1.94-inch exhaust valves, K Motion valve springs, titanium spring retainers, Indy 1.6 in/1.5 ex roller rockers, Comp roller cam and lifters (duration 300/296), valve lift .660/.636, Stage V dual quad single-plane inlet manifold, twin four-barrel 1375cfm FAST EFI throttle bodies, manifold port matched and flowed to heads, port injection bungs fitted, Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump filters and regulator, 65lb injectors, 90-litre fuel tank with internal surge tank and fuel pump, MSD 6AL ignition limited to 6800rpm, MSD Blaster coil, 8.5mm Super conductor Hemi leads, FAST cam sync pickup EFI distributor, 2.25-inch TTI headers, four-inch collectors, thermal coating inside and out, dual three-inch system with X-pipe exhaust built by Magnum Automotors, dual three-inch Flowmaster mufflers into dual three-inch glass pack resonators, custom four-core Hemi radiator, fixed seven-blade Hemi fan and full shroud, FAST ECU with custom mapping, Billet Specialties Tru Trac Serpentine belt system, Sunnen air conditioning short compressor, 140 amp alternator, Hydra boost combined power steering and brakes, shock towers cut and laid back 20mm to allow engine and header clearance. All unused holes and mounts filled and smoothed
Driveline: Torqueflite 727 transmission, all parts supplied by Cope Racing transmissions, billet steel drums, four pinion planetary with bearings, billet aluminium accumulator, front and rear servos, Ultimate sprag, Trans fully rollerised, Pro Race II reverse manual shift pattern valve body, Flex band/Red lining, Dana 60 diff, custom 3.5-inch driveshaft with high-performance crosses (no nipples and larger than stock) billet trans and pinion yokes
Suspension: XV Motorsport Level I leaf-spring suspension, custom valved aluminium monobody gas shocks front and rear, custom-made multileaf rear six and seven leaf, one-inch torsion bar front, custom front and rear sway bars with billet mounts, adjustable front strut rods, tubular front upper suspension arms with altered geometry to improve caster and camber settings, selected rubber/ urethane bushes for noise/harshness control
Brakes: ’73 up large spindle C-Body disc brakes HD rotors and callipers, stock rear HD large drums with standard linings
Wheels/tyres: 18×8 and 18×10-inch Vintiques 95 series Billet Chrysler Rallye wheels, 245/45R18 and 295/45R19 Hankook tyres
Exterior: Body stripped, repaired, shut lines, gaps and panels blueprinted, bumpers smoothed recontoured to match body lines, Air Grabber air cleaner base hand-built in steel to allow 3-inch filter and match original hood. PPG Vibrant Yella by Moselle Panel and Paint, Henderson
Chassis: Torque boxes front and rear, custom full-length subframe connectors fabricated and welded to floor, torque strap anchor welded to chassis at left rear of engine to reduce chassis twist
Interior: Complete custom reupholstered in black leather with suede inserts and hood lining, BMW-spec cut pile carpets including fully detailed and lined trunk, original-type seats with six-way power adjustment, re-trimmed in black leather and suede inserts reshaped with bolstering to seat base and back rest to provide a more modern fit, Grant 13-inch Classic Monza steering wheel, factory Slap Stick shifter with retrimmed pistol grip, factory instruments and bezel restored and re-chromed, instruments screen printed with personalised fascia including recalibrating the speedometer to 200mph (322kph) and tachometer for corrected rpm limits, custom interior LED lighting, LED lit instrument cluster, Kenwood DDX814 entertainment system, JVC amps, subwoofer, speakers and crossovers
Performance: 900hp (671kW) at 6000rpm, 1152Nm at 4900rpm

Brent Hyde – Owner Details

Age: 55
Occupation: Manager
Previously owned cars: ’56 F100, various Falcons and Commodores, ’69 Mercury Monterey, ’65 Chevelle Malibu SS, ’73 ’Cuda (daughter’s car)
Dream car: Tricked out Superbird or Daytona
Why the Road Runner: “Ever since I was a young man and saw the ’71-’72 Roadrunner/GTX advertised new, I’ve wanted one. Took me 30 years to get one”
Build time: Three years
Length of ownership: Seven years
Brent thanks: “Huge debt of gratitude to all the guys at Moselle Panel and Paint. Their talents and enthusiasm are unmatched in my experience. In particular and special mention to: Steve (owner) Bryce for outstanding metal craftsmanship, Charlie and Pete for incredible paint and finish. Stu’s Trim Shop, Stu and Ross for attention to detail and finish without compromise. Cope Racing Transmissions: their stuff really does what they say it will do. Faultless. Instrument Specialties: nothing was too difficult, was on time and was very cost effective. Indy Cylinder Head: they make power and will deliver. For Hemis Only: the people to talk to about supply of EFI Hemi equipment. DC Trading: Dave and Carl for tracking down anything I wanted. Top guys. Not least but last (it was the last job), Merlin Motorsport: Leigh and Sandy for slaving away on all the electrical and electronic systems including gremlins and getting the whole thing working so well. To everyone, thank you. I would use you all again.”