THE CRUSTIES

JESSE BOOTHROYD UP, UP AND AWAY!

thing, but most PATINA is one asking for a tetanus people would be setting foot in Jesse injection before Kingswood. And Boothroyd’s HZ what’s lurking once you’ve seen bonnet, under the rust-and-crud reckon a check-up you’ll probably might be Jesse’s from the neck up This thing next medical appointment. is insane. stroked out to The LS3 has been off the side of it is 408ci, and hanging wouldn’t look out a turbocharger that It’s a Garrett of place on a B-double. aside from blowing GTX4508R, and, the LS’S gullet, it’s about 18psi down thing on the car. about the only shiny on Day Four 8.98@148mph An for the car, but was a new PB on Day Five. problems developed pump issue that “We had a fuel leaning out, so I caused it to start for a 10-second babied it through then the starter pass at Calder; had Jesse said. “I motor broke!” last starter motor to modify the it fit and at the time minute to make surprised if this I thought: ‘I’ll be and it just held lasts the whole week,’ together long enough!”

RODNEY BROWITT ATTACK OF THE FARM TRUCK

Belmont farm ute RODNEY Browitt’s green HQ at last year’s was one of our favourite competitors outside the Top 10 Drag Challenge, finishing just passes. Rod overall with some stout nine-second event with a few brought the ute back for this year’s managed to finish choice upgrades, and not only but broke into the 12th out of a field of 100 cars, time. eight-second zone for the first origins. “We The old girl certainly had humble Lake Eildon for bought the ute from a farmer near was pretty honest. $700,” Rod said. “The body The original plan Bugger-all rust and just a 202. then I decided was to build a burnout car, but rather than to build a car that could multi-task a burnout pad.” something that was limited to just Flow heads and The 370ci LQ9 mill wears Trick The intake is a an 80mm Borgwarner S400 turbo. custom plenum on Holley Hi-ram manifold, with a driving the Haltech top. With Michael Kalaitzakis out 1030hp at Elite 2500, the ute has stomped the treads, with a redline of 7300rpm! without a few This year’s Drag Challenge wasn’t sucked in the dramas; without a filter, the turbo and damaged the wiring harness for the headlight on and ran an 8.87 turbo. But the guys soldiered finish 12th overall and then an 8.803@153mph to Blown. and fifth in Turbosmart Outlaw

MITCH SMITH BORROWED CARS GO BETTER

TAKING on Drag Challenge with a brand-new combination is one thing, but how about building a car with almost 1000hp on tap and then throwing the keys to someone else? Sounds crazy, but that is exactly what Street Machine columnist Mark Arblaster did. Arby and his mates have been working hard all year to build his ratty VG Valiant hardtop, dubbed POR440, in time for Drag Challenge. The idea was to take the sad-looking VG found on Gumtree and fit it out with a stocker 5.3-litre iron-block LS truck motor. The engine itself was left stock, except for a new camshaft and some improvements to the valvetrain. Then Arby and his helpers added a hefty 80mm Borgwarner turbo, air-to-air intercooler, Edelbrock inlet, a flash fuel system and a Haltech Elite 2500 ECU, IQ3 digital dash and datalogging for just about everything bar Mark’s blood pressure. With Arby unable to attend Drag Challenge himself due to work commitments, and Mitch Smith Luke Waldon from Haltech put their hands up to take POR440 for a blast. After running 9.50 on Day One at Calder, the car improved at every track until it finally went 9.165@150mph on the last day back at Calder. It was far and away the quickest car in the entire Tuff Mounts DYO class. Impressive stuff!