ALTERED BEAST
DOORSLAMMER RACER STUART BISHOP BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO A CLASSIC SHOW VAN WITH THE BUILD OF HIS HJ PANO
IT’S EASY to forget that, just like you and me, the majority of level-one drag racers cut their teeth tinkering with street cars. It makes sense when you think about it, but the glitz and spectacle of professional drag racing feels like a world away from hoicking out your 186 donk using the Hills Hoist.
Camaro Doorslammer racer Stuart Bishop has been there, done that, and although the racing stakes are higher nowadays, he still hankers to build and own tough streeters.
“I started out paddock-bashing as a kid and worked my way up to a nitrous-fed 360-powered CL Valiant ute that I raced through the 90s,” Stuart says. “That ute ran a 10.30 best, which was pretty quick for a 3800-pound street car. I later raced the ex-bill Mann ’57 Chev in Triple M radio station regalia, and it was through this car that I met Bill Jones from Weldwell Engineering.”
Stu knew Bill had a few choice cars tucked away and was able to pry an EH wagon project from him that was rebuilt with a 202, five-speed and air con.
“That car is still my daily driver,” Stuart says. “But I’d always wanted a panel van and he had this silver HJ languishing in the back of his shed; I kept chipping away at him and managed to purchase it around 10 years ago.”
First, you need to understand that this HJ has a great pedigree: In the 1980s it was a popular show van on the Brisbane scene under the guise Altered Image. Its owner, Jon Chivas, built one of the cleanest panel vans in an era of wild customs, and was a member of the revered Super Street Machines club along with pioneering street machining legends Wayne Pagel, Greg Carlson and Lou Spelta. Jon was an avid drag racer, and ended up swapping the HJ with the Joneses in return for fabrication work on a new race car.
When Stuart first spied the HJ it was amazingly intact and untouched from its Chivas days. However, time had taken its toll on its silver paint and blue crushed-velvet interior.
“The paint was toast and the interior was shot purely due to the ravages of time, but we managed to get the old 308 fired up; it ran reluctantly, but it ran, so that was something,” he recalls.
As CEO of Wallace Bishop and its national chain of specialty jewellery stores, Stuart is pretty much on the clock seven days a week. It’s amazing he finds time for his drag racing commitments, let alone rebuilding cars. So the majority of the work was tackled in-house by his staff at Stuart Bishop Racing. Master tinkerer Steve Bremner was the main man on the van build, ably assisted by race car fabricator Steve Godbold and engine guru Daniel Reed.
THE PAINT WAS TOAST AND THE INTERIOR WAS SHOT, PURELY DUE TO THE RAVAGES OF TIME, BUT WE MANAGED TO GET THE OLD 308 FIRED UP
The HJ was stripped and the rebuild started with getting the bodyshell up to scratch. Years of hibernation meant the van had avoided most of the issues that cause rust and damage, so it was a straightforward task of filling the original side windows, fabricating neat recesses in the sills for the side-exit exhaust and shaving any superfluous chrome. Michael Cassimatis took care of the necessary bodywork before the van was lavished in its original GM-H silver hue, Satin Mist Metallic, by the folks at BCM Body Repairs.
The driveline and suspension, however, were a different matter, with Stuart keen to upgrade both the performance and handling of the van. The chassis was treated to ladder bars and a Watt’s linkage conversion at the rear, which both replaced the original leaf-spring set-up and enabled fitment of an Accuair airbag assembly.
A Blacks Racks power steering system replaced the old draglink-style steering box, while the original GM-H double wishbone front suspension was retained but modified to allow installation of the remaining airbag componentry. Koni shocks were used in conjunction with this system at all corners.
A Cruisin Automotive electric accumulator-style master cylinder and Wilwood four-wheel discs are a massive improvement on the factory disc/drum set-up, and a vital upgrade given Stuart’s plans for the van’s mumbo; no prizes for guessing it involved plenty of horsepower!
The factory 308 was tired due to a distinct lack of use, so this plastic-fantastic donk and its
accompanying M21 cogger were removed. SBR crew-chief Daniel took charge of the mechanicals and sourced a 600hp, 454ci LSX R engine, which remains internally stock but runs additional porting to the LSX heads. A FAST inlet manifold and 102mm throttlebody ups the ante on the intake side, and is matched to Bosch 50lb/hr injectors fed via twin Bosch 044 fuel pumps and controlled by a MOTEC M84 ECU.
An ARE alloy radiator was chosen for cooling duties, while a MOTEC ignition expander and a brace of eight LS7 coils handle the spark.
Custom two-inch primary headers and a twin three-inch system were fabricated by Scott’s Rods Performance Exhaust, with the latter exiting via neatly recessed side outlets that pay tasteful homage to both the HJ’S vanning roots – pardon the pun – and race-inspired driveline. And if a quieter presence is ever required, a flick of a switch activates solenoid-style diverters that re-route the exhaust through 2.5-inch tailpipes.
A Tremec T56 six-speed manual is mated to the LSX via a Quick Time bellhousing and feeds power rearwards to a Strange-equipped, 31-spline nineinch diff running 4.86 gears. Those gears may seem a little steep for street use, but the combination of an additional two overdrive gears and tall 285/70 rear BF Goodrich whitewall tyres make for the perfect balance of performance and driveability. Matching 215/65 BFG whitewalls were selected for the front, with all tyres mounted on a mix of six- and eight-inch Wheel Vintiques smoothie rims.
The interior transformation is one of the highlights of Stuart’s van. The front seats are race-shaped buckets from the Procar range, trimmed in black leather by Barry Ashen at Aerospec. Stuart inlaid both these and the door trims with sailing-inspired stainless eyelets punched into contrasting white. A GTS steering wheel is a timeless choice, but the original GTS gauge cluster was redone with whitefaced gauges for a different look.
Pop the rear tailgate and the new interior is a far cry from its blue velvet forerunner, but still has links to the vanning heyday of the 70s and 80s.
“I wanted the rear to retain a beach feel but be more practical,” Stuart says. “The plush interiors are nice, but you need something more durable when it’s time to start hauling stuff around. The van has a tow bar for our jet skis, and I need the back to handle the punishment my boys are likely to dish out when they throw their gear in – as only kids can!”
As it turns out, Steve Bremner from SBR is a jackof-all-trades. He duly fashioned the timber work and stainless trim for the party section that segues nicely from the modern edge found up front in the cockpit.
“The van is a cracker,” Stuart says. “The aim was always to build something different that was a nice streeter but went hard too. Plus it had to keep elements of its former identity as Altered Image; that’s why it was painted the same silver and retained a manual transmission. It’s kind of a Re-altered Image now.”
So, what’s next on the to-do list for Stuart and his team? “Another driver,” he says. “We’re building an all-mopar ’68 Dodge Charger with a 605-cube mountain motor along with tubs, airbag suspension and a four-link. Oh, and probably a tow bar to haul around a fuel tanker so I can get some range out of the thing!”
THE TIMBER WORK AND STAINLESS OF THE REAR INTERIOR SEGUES NICELY FROM THE MODERN EDGE FOUND UP FRONT IN THE COCKPIT