> ARBY CHAT

PUSHING THE LIMITS

MICK Mcgrath has recently completed an overhaul of the big-block Chevy that has pushed his LC racer of the past 31 years into the 7.50s at 184mph. The former 555cuber, originally built by Sydney racer Peter Pronesti, has just had a major freshen-up and now weighs in at a hefty 582ci. The short motor with new rotating assembly was prepared by Westend Performance and assembled by Mark Hayes.

The Big M block is fitted with a Callies crank, GRP rods and topped with Big Chief heads, with 16:1 compression. Mick has been running the car on a single kit of nitrous and is hoping for low 7.40s before contemplating a second nitrous kit. Resisting a switch to radials, Mick will stick with a 29.5x13.5 slick.

VALE STAN SAINTY

TOP Fuel boat and drag racer and all ’round Australian drag racing icon Stan Sainty passed away in late October, leaving a legacy of engineering marvels.

The Sainty family dedicated their lives to the dream of speed, primarily from their workshop at Wentworthville in Sydney’s western suburbs. In recent times the family campaigned their billet three-valve Top Fuel engine, but Stan has built all manner of performance engines from scratch, in addition to repairing boat, sprintcar and race mills. The family formerly cast their own cylinder blocks and machined their own heads and cranks, and more recently Stan, along with brother Norm, had been turning out a mountain of billet parts on the CNC machine.

Stan always had a new project on the go, only recently starting on 12 new cylinder heads for their Fuel car.

He was a true gentleman, a loving husband to wife Margaret and father to Terry. A font of automotive knowledge, his passing is a tremendous loss.