- Karl Miegel 1966 Ford Fairlane
- Stephen Borg 1968 Ford Mustang
- Luke Nagy Holden LX Torana
- Craig Marty HZ Holden
- Ash Dalton HJ Holden ute
- Byron Judd Holden VF Sandman tribute
Karl Miegel
1966 Ford Fairlane
“Here’s my 1966 US Fairlane, imported in 2005 and built here in Australia. The body was stripped and all the original panels were filed, finished and then coated in factory Wimbledon White.
The idea was to build a lightweight factory replica. Lee Holman from Holman-Moody helped out with the livery, period instruments, sand-cast rocker covers and cam tag. The SBF is a Dart 438 with AFR 220 heads, a Super Victor intake and a 1050cfm Pro Systems Holley, all put together by John White Race Engines.
It’s backed up with a full-manual, reverse-pattern C4 and 4500rpm Dominator stall, custom tailshaft and a full Strange nine-inch with alloy centre, Currie axles and Eaton Truetrac with 3.9 gears.
Wheels are American Racing Torq Thrusts (15×4 front and 15×8 rear). I can also switch over to steelies with dog-dish hubcaps if I want a change. This Fairlane was built to be enjoyed and has seen trips to Summernats from Queensland, a Drag Challenge road trip and Lakeside eighth-mile drags and theme days. Hope you like it; it’s something different and old-school.”
Stephen Borg
1968 Ford Mustang
“I got into Fox-bodies when I was in the States in 2004 and saw them dominate the 10.5 class at a drag meet.
From then on, I was hooked! I imported my 1986 ‘four-eye’ coupe in 2020. It has since had a fresh respray in factory Oxford White. A fair bit of time was spent in the engine bay; anyone who knows these cars knows that the bays look like swiss cheese from the factory.
I ended up welding 236 unused holes in the engine bay, radiator support panel and firewall. The interior is pretty much factory standard except for the B&M Pro Stick shifter and switch panel. Current running gear includes a balanced-internals 347 Windsor sporting AFR heads, Comp Cams hydraulic-roller, 750 DP Quick Fuel carb, Zex nitrous kit and MSD ignition.
Behind it is a Powerglide with a 5500 stall, and an 8.8-inch diff with 4.10:1 gears. That converter, in theory, shouldn’t work at all; it’s one that I had left over from my previous car and thought, ‘let’s throw it in and see what happens.’ So far, it’s working good on the street. I wanted to keep the old-school feel, so the wheels are original Center Lines.
Rear tyres are 275/60s, and with the right backspace they fit in untubbed, which is a bonus on these Fox-bodies. There’s no track time as yet, but I’m hoping to get out later in the year, and Street Machine Drag Challenge is on the bucket list.”
Luke Nagy
Holden LX Torana
“I’ve owned this hatch for 22 years. It’s a factory V8 L32/M20 four-speed car, built in 1977 and optioned in Jasmine Yellow. It now has a worked 308 with a tunnel ram, twin 465cfm Holleys and an M21 four-speed. Back in the day, it ran 13s over the quarter, which was quick 20-odd years ago! Now it is just a nice weekend cruiser.”
Craig Marty
HZ Holden
“This is my 1978 HZ Holden, which has had a full ground-up resto. It’s now perfectly straight, with better panel gaps than factory thanks to some added and deleted metal. The engine is a mild 308 with a 276 cam, Performer manifold, extractors, electronic dizzy and more. It’s a bloody nice cruiser.
There’s all-new parts underneath, too, including dropped stub axles and reset springs. I am a fitter and turner by trade and also a metal fabricator, so all the rust was cut-and-shut by me in the garage. I also made my own parts. Panelwork and all the interior painting was also done at home. The exterior paint was done in a booth, then blocked back to get the nice flat look.
She’s a backyarder, but you wouldn’t know looking at it! Lots of time and years have been spent on it. My wife and I assembled it all together, and it was our wedding car in 2017.”
Ash Dalton
HJ Holden ute
“Here’s my beautiful magenta 1974 HJ ute. I have owned her for nearly 10 years now, and she definitely stands out from the crowd! I’m glad I kept the four-speed, and I love the 350 Chev. My dad and husband did the rebuild, and the first official drive was on my wedding day three years ago. Girls can have tough cars too!”
Byron Judd
Holden VF Sandman tribute
“I had a very serious fall from height last year, breaking several bones in my back, along with other injuries. During recovery, I decided to buy a VF ute and have it fully converted to a Sandman tribute, and I chose vanning legend John Evans of RacePaint to do the job (you did a story on John a few years ago).
It will be one of the very last he does, as he is retiring and selling the moulds. He did a great job, and also fitted out the rear, took care of all the exhaust mods and installed a full Alpine audio system.
I’m very happy with John’s work, and ‘Lisa-Marie’, as I’ve named her, is now my daily (I have a few older classics as well).”
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Keyword: Readers' Rockets: 1966 Fairlane, LX Torana, HZ Holden, Fox-body Mustang, plus more