Preview: NZV8 Issue No. 140

T H E F U L L H I S T O R Y O F R AT AT TAC K

ING S WILD K N I -DR RE GOE H T E M MODO Gonzo Gasser COM Mustang Perfection JAN. 2017 ISSUE 140

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WHO IS NIGEL ALSOP? ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PASSING CERT STAUNCH HOMEBUILT HAULER, CENTRAL MUSCLE CARS, AND MORE

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TRALIA

S AUS CE NOUT L GRA ONNACROY, BUR C : S WORDOS: ADAM PHOT

Braden Smith never says no to a challenge — especially not when that challenge involves building an international-level burnout car within three months

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or every sobriety badge, there is a 40-ounce waiting to be cracked; for every day clean, a substance purveyor is a text away; and for every twist of the key, a tenuous relationship between tyres and tarmac waits to be broken. The common saying advises, ‘Raise your kids with a car addiction so they won’t have money for a drug addiction’ — a philosophy that unerringly applies to Braden Smith’s life.

Braden is traction loss personified. He lives and breathes burnouts, having taken part in pretty much every North Island burnout competition worth mentioning and cleaning up at most. If it isn’t burnouts, it’s power skids. If he absolutely must retain a degree of traction, Braden’s been known

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n March 1, 1972, an almost brand-new 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 was legally allowed onto New Zealand roads. It didn’t take long for Colin Reed to take note of the car, and in 1978 he purchased it. A Mustang man through and through, Colin’s had Mustangs since he was 16, and you don’t want to know how long ago that was! His love for Ford’s pony car is still as strong as it was then, when he enjoyed his role as president of the Auckland Mustang Owners Club. However, Colin didn’t know just how big a role that Mustang would play in the life of his son, Nathan, who wasn’t even born at the time.

The years following Colin’s purchase of the Mustang, nicknamed ‘Big Blue’, saw its mechanicals progressively modified to the point at which it became a very quick street car — and not just in a straight line, either — with upgraded suspension, and brakes to match.

: CON

S WORD

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Special Feature

THE HISTORY OF RAT ATTACK (PART ONE)

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t’s a bit of a generalization, but not many would argue that a ’55 Chev is the definitive street machine — much the same as a ’32 Ford is considered the ultimate hot rod.

Both came equipped with a game-changing power plant, were readily available at reasonable cost, were plentiful in supply, and were simply constructed. While the Ford was popular before World War II, its popularity with young returning soldiers looking for post-war thrills ensured its continuing favour. The Chev, with its high-winding small block, really came into its own in the early ’60s, helpfully coinciding with the great gasser wars. This may help to explain why, although many were modified in multitudes of ways, drag racing is the look that most street machines follow. Anyone who knows anyone else in hot rodding knows someone who has owned at least one. My dad had one, my brother-in-law had one, I had one, so did my brother — this one right here. Much of this may have been said before, as any car as iconic as this has had its story told many, many times, but there can never be a definitive version. So this is as close as it’ll get.

Chris Tynan has always modified his cars, starting with his first — a Ford Prefect 100E that swallowed, at different stages, both straight-six and V6 engines, and led to his first legal drag race at the old Bay Park venue sometime in the late ’70s.

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YNAN R VOR T S: TRELAN PORTE D R O W AL : S O PHOT

The 100E was replaced with a Mk4 Zephyr that received a 350/350 combo, and an eight-inch diff to replace the weak and troublesome independent rear end. Eventually, the now-engineless Zep was swapped for a Mini, which was swapped for an average-condition ’55 Chev four-door with a dent in the left rear, which received the 350 and auto.

Much rubber was destroyed before the Chev was moved along to purchase a bent ’66 Mustang, which was straightened out and promptly driven into a truck, bending it up worse than before, along with Chris’ wrist.

Off work for weeks, Chris needed a diversion, so he purchased a 396ci big block. The hunt for something to put it into commenced. An HQ Monaro shell with doors was found in an Auckland wrecker’s yard, and it seemed too good for the crusher. A quick strip-down soon proved it wasn’t, but it became the big block’s new home anyway. One thrown rod later, it grew in cubes to displace 454ci.

Chris decided to give legal drag racing another shot; winter street meets beckoned; and, once the summer season rolled around, the car just kept on racing. With slicks, it would run in the 13-second bracket; without them, it merely burned the Goodyear Rally GTs the full length of the track. It was fun, but not enough. Something lighter and more race-oriented was desired.

The second time the ’55 Chev came into Chris’ life was about three years after he’d sold it. The hot 350 and auto were gone, as were the wheels. The rust-free, but dented, body had been swapped for what looked like a straight-but-bog-filled one, and it had sat abandoned for more than a year — unloved, unwanted, and on a path to imminent destruction.

It was actually headed to the local tip when Chris intervened, but, far from saving the derelict disaster, his plans were to relieve the hulk of its one remaining good piece — a 10-bolt Positraction diff that he could slide under his small block HK Monaro.

In the electricity-free one-car garage was a T-bucket Chris was planning to build up to challenge the likes of Roger Murray’s 429 Boss-motored version, and, with the diff removed, the rusty hulk of the Chev was dumped unceremoniously beside the shed.

However, the more Chris looked at the miniscule fibreglass T-bucket body — virtually the only part of the bucket he would be using — the less the idea appealed. The rotten old Chev had never really been considered, mainly because of its weight.

Besides, four-doors make great family hot rods or taxi cabs, but, for race car duty, that was two doors too many. Nonetheless, the bucket was passed on while the Chev just sat there — were Chevs really that heavy? The Yanks used them, fibreglass panels were available, and using it would be cheaper than dumping it.

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Special Feature

PREPARING for Cert

Driveshaft loops required but not fitted Without question, the most common cert fail is driveshaft loops not being fitted when they are supposed to have been, or that the loop has been fitted but doesn’t meet the requirements.

It may seem too obvious to overlook, but clearly it isn’t. Section 5.22 of The New Zealand Car Construction Manual (CCM; formerly the NZ Hobby Car Technical Manual), Driveshaft SafetyLoops, has all of the info on the subject, stating: “A driveshaft safety-loop must be fitted to a low volume vehicle with an open drive-line, in the case of either:

a) Any custom chassis in a rear-drive front-engine low volume vehicle; or b) Any modified production chassis in a rear-drive front-engine low volume vehicle, where: i) The vehicle has had an engine conversion that has resulted in a significant increase in power and torque; or ii) The vehicle has had its factory-fitted engine significantly modified, such that a significant increase in power or torque has resulted; or iii) The driveshaft fitted to the vehicle has been modified by welding.”

Since anyone going to the lengths of constructing a custom chassis for street use would presumably know enough to factor in a driveshaft safety-loop, when required, this means that the most likely causes of driveshaft safety-loops not being fitted would be engine conversions or power increases requiring the installation of one.

Preparing for Cert WORDS: CONNAL GRACE / JUSTIN HANSEN PHOTOS: LVVTA / NZV8 ARCHIVE

LVV Certifiers see some truly awful modifications, but they also spend a lot of time inspecting cars that could pass if it weren’t for some very basic problems

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inished building that cool street car that you’ve spent countless hours on over the past few years? Then it’s time to get it all legal — but, before you do that, you might want to give it a preliminary once-over to make sure you don’t waste your, or your certifier’s, time unnecessarily. What do we mean by that?

You need to just check that you’ve actually done things properly to make sure your car isn’t going to get pulled up on issues that you could have sorted before that elusive LVVTA certification check — after all, sometimes jobs done at 2am don’t actually turn out as great as they seem to at the time.

So you won’t have to find out the hard way, we tracked down a number of LVV Certifiers to find out about the most common mistakes people make when it comes to cert time.

Check: If you’ve converted your car’s engine — e.g. Falcon 4.

1-litre straight -six to a 351 W driveshaft safe indsor — a ty-loop will be required, beca power has incr us e the eased significa ntly (in rough 50 per cent), an te rm s, that ’s d chances are that you’ll also the shaft modifi ha ve had ed to suit the ne w transmission. can buy these You loops from mos t aftermarket retailers, or yo automotive u can fabricat e your own — mind that ther but bear in e are minimum requirements to detailed in Se be met, ction 5.22.2. Th e LVVTA has re released a new cently information sh eet — Drive-Sh Safety-Loop Re aft quirements (# 07 -2016), which with all of the deals common require ments around loops and even driveshaft contains a coup le of diagram showing how th s clearly ey should be at ta ched to the vehi information sh cle. The eet can be dow nloaded from lvvta.org.nz /d ocuments.html# infosheets. themotorhood.com

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Event Report

No Life like the Low Life WORDS AND PHOTOS: AARON CARSON

Aaron Carson’s family holiday in Melbourne just happened to occur at the same time as Chopped was going down — just two hours north of the city in Newstead. How coincidental!

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vent organizer Kyle Ford started with a magazine and put on a “little car show on the side” back in 2008. Now in its ninth year, Chopped has grown into a much-loved staple on the yearly events calendar in Australia. The focus is pre-1965 rods, kustoms, and traditional-style bobber and chopper motorcycles. It runs across the weekend from Friday to Sunday, and camping is available onsite.

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Chopped is held at an old and now disused racecourse — of the equine variety — in Newstead, a sleepy rural town not far from Castlemaine. The drive from Melbourne is super easy, with highway making up most of the route. The rural setting is great, and, as you walk through the gate, it really does feel like a little city, thanks to the very laidback vibe.