Preview: NZV8 Issue No. 147

2500hp on water

aussie winternats

Boost Fiend Eight-second Torana streeter

AUG. 2017 ISSUE 147

9

416803 510003

$9.99

Next Level custom Chev on the floor

PLUS: BIG-CUBE BUICK CRUISER, RETRO-COOL FORD HOT ROD, MIKE GEARING PART TWO, LA ROADSTER SHOW, DYNO SECRETS

contents AUGUST 2017

ONCE BITTEN

NITROUS-FED ALL-STEEL ELEANOR

THE cars

NEXT LEVEL

SLICK AND SUBTLE CUSTOM PICKUP

SIMPLY RED

ALL-FORD RETRO ROD

4

themotorhood.com

RAPID EVOLUTION

STOCK SUCKS

STREET TORANA RUNNING EIGHTS SUPER-SMOOTH BUICK CRUISER

THE events

44 TIMES A-CHANGIN' LA ROADSTER SHOW 2017

72 THE THREE RS 50TH WINTERNATIONALS

78 ROYAL RUMBLE PARKED UP OUT WEST

SPECIAL features

50 THE MASTER

INTERVIEW WITH MIKE GEARING — PART TWO

92 THUNDER ON WATER

THE WORLD OF GRAND PRIX HYDROPLANES

98 ROLLING POWER THE ART OF DYNO TUNING

106 DREAM SHED END OF AN ERA

THE other stuff 02 SHORT SHIFT 06 BENCH SEAT 08 NEWS 10 ONLINE THIS MONTH 12 TORQUEBACK 14 JUST QUICKLY 16 DAILY GRIND 18 IN THE BUILD 20 EVENTS 40 STRAIGHT TALK 42 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN 58 AEROFLOW RACE DIARY 60 DRAGGED UP 62 NZ’S QUICKEST 104 CONCEPT CORNER 118 CMC NEWS 120 CARGO 122 A DECADE AGO 124 THIS MONTH AT V8 126 LOCAL SPECIALISTS 128 COMING NEXT MONTH

themotorhood.com

5

feature car

1967 Ford Mustang (GT500E)

o orks t w w l e n ho Pa mata quite sure ut a t a M b nted . He’s not or clone, a w r ! p n Taylo out it l Elea picku Kelvin a tough n all-stee laining ab mp him th a build ded up wi ch him coTOS: ADAM CROY O t he en l never ca ONNAL GRACE PH C l : ’ DS you WOR 22

themotorhood.com

themotorhood.com

23

feature car

1957 Chev 3100

your e d i s t u hing o s done just t e m so g’ ilding y Brookin next level u b y the t eas t And It’s no rt zone, bu ar game to OD DUNN c :R o comf taking his AL GRACE PHOTOS ONN that, DS: C WOR

32

themotorhood.com

themotorhood.com

33

Special Feature

Interview with Mike Gearing — Part two

s he? i o h w y, but land, and r o t s i h a acing in New Ze op r g a r d local drag racing the worksh n i s e m in to est na ntribution ime spent g g i b t of the over his co from a life e n o s c is aring Mike to dis plishment e G e om th Mik ed wi edible acc ALLAN PORTER k l a t We is incr TOS: ADAM CROY / h s s u E PHO disc GRAC NNAL : CO VIEW INTER

50

themotorhood.com

feature car

1979 Holden Torana LH

YLIE LA / DD W S: TO AM CROY D R O D W OS: A T O H P

, e ’90s h t n i k back e for ever! c i u q n e bee ays the sam v a h y a ma nothing st n a r o This T we know, s but, a

64

themotorhood.com

SKY

HNOW

E WIS

AN W / SH ARRO NCE F

themotorhood.com

65

Special Feature

Grand Prix Hydroplanes

l as if o n a h et ing m insanity on l z z u ubes g s are pure m tick c d e g char ydroplane makes the r e p u s h t n 500 Grand Prix ook at wha a h t e or er l yle, With m g out of st take a clos HOTOS: AARON MAI P o in S AND WORD it’s go r. We got t wate

I

n most forms of motorsport, the machines tend to stick firmly to the surface on which they are racing — the more downforce the better; that is, until you enter the world of Grand Prix (GP) Hydroplane racing. As the name suggests, these machines are a clever mix of simultaneous downforce and lift, allowing them to skim across the water at speeds of nearly 300kph (186mph). This is not a sport for the faint of heart, and it blows the theory that males can’t multitask, er, right out of the water.

Grand Prix hydroplanes are the product of almost 100 years of evolution in race-boat design, and incorporate blown 512ci power plants pumping out 2500hp. The combination of power and hull shape is such that, at speed, the weight of the boat is supported by planing forces that allow it to use the water it is racing on for lift rather than buoyancy.

The biggest challenge is that water is never perfectly flat, and the pilots are constantly adjusting the aerodynamics of the boat to keep the front down while keeping watch for any wake in the water — and that is all before you arrive at the driving part of proceedings!

The boats are a three-point design, meaning that

92

themotorhood.com

they are designed to touch the water at only three points when racing: at the rear of the two front ‘sponsons’, which are the projections of the hull in front of the cockpit, and at the propeller at the rear of the boat. Racing is done on a 2km oval course in an anticlockwise direction, with a duration of only a few minutes.

The GP Hydroplane class within New Zealand is largely a family affair, with the top boats all driven by the Lupton family from Waverley. For Warwick, Ken, and Jack Lupton, the sport isn’t just a hobby but a deep-rooted passion that started in the ’80s.

Warwick drove a friend’s boat in an event that ultimately ended up in a crash and, soon after, decided to give it a real crack to show everyone that he could, in fact, race one. From there, everything else is history.

Warwick’s current ‘ANNIHILATOR’ boat is a Kiwi Annihilator Racing design, built by Malcolm Jamieson, Darren Howard, and Peter Jamieson, while Warwick’s sons, Ken and Jack, run boats purchased from Canada. Ken pilots ‘Lucas Oils’, while Jack runs the bright and vibrant ‘GP57’.

The fourth boat often seen on the water is named ‘Steeler’, and is campaigned by David Alexander, who, while he isn’t a Lupton by name, is a cousin.

The Lupton family has always had a love of going fast. Warwick grew up around motorbikes, but, after he got hooked on boats, the rest of the family soon followed suit. With racing being a family affair, don’t think for one minute that they go easy on one another — competition among the four is healthy and strong.

“We have our own supporters and sponsors. You gotta go hard for your supporters — people are backing that boat, so you can’t just piss around. You want to win, and so do the guys who support you,” says Ken. Crossing the line first isn’t something that comes easy with these boats. The engines don’t share many characteristics with their land-based relatives.

Everything — from the ignition, superchargers,

and boost levels to the different fuels — makes successfully campaigning a GP hydroplane a mechanical challenge. The engine set-up on the hydroplanes consists of a 512ci big block, built around a cast-iron block with 4½-inch bores, topped with 18-degree Big Chief heads. Boost comes from a 14-71 supercharger with 120-degree rotors, running anywhere between 20 and 25psi of boost. On a diet of methanol, these motors are good for up to 2500hp. Keeping the beating heart at peak performance under racing conditions is no mean feat, considering the stresses and strains under which it is placed. The boats’ land-based counterparts have the luxury of a smooth ride on tarmac rather than the battering a hydroplane experiences while dancing across the water.

ON A DIET OF METHANOL, THESE MOTORS ARE GOOD FOR UP TO 2500HP

themotorhood.com

93