ORIENT EXPRESS
ANTHONY GHINIS’S PRO STREET LC GTR RETAINS A DISTINCT FACTORY FLAVOUR, BUT IS KNOCKING ON EIGHTS WITH TURBO NISSAN POWER
A turbo inline six from the Land of the Rising Sun has this LC GTR Torana knocking on eights
SHOCK horror! In a move that will no doubt draw the ire of self-professed ‘purists’, Anthony Ghinis has fitted a Nissan motor to a genuine LC GTR Torana. But in many ways, sticking an RB30ET three-litre inline six in an LC makes far more sense than the more-favoured small-block Chev, LS or even the homegrown Holden 308 V8.
For starters, an RB conversion doesn’t require modifications such as steering relocation like a V8 swap does, and a lighter-weight, alloy-headed inline six would do far less harm to the revered, Bathurst-winning agility of an LC/J. Furthermore, opting for an RB over a V8 retains that legendary six-pot ‘feel’ for which GTR Toranas are known, not to mention the fact that the Nissan-sourced RB was indeed factory-fitted to a Holden almost two decades after the LC was first released. After all, it has Holden written on the rocker cover, does it not?
Twelve or so years back, the Torana was owned by one of Anthony’s dad’s mates, and as soon as he laid eyes on it he fell deeply in love with it. He tried to buy the car but the owner refused his advances, and eventually Anthony’s dad bought it for him as the best 20th birthday present ever!
Anthony received the car as a running, going concern, powered by a 202ci Holden six and fitted with a nine-inch rear end. At first he looked to a blow-through turbo set-up on the factory-spec red motor, and inevitably ended up holing a piston. Still on apprentice wages at the time, Anthony stockpiled his pennies and had a full-house bottom end built, but it was all in vain when it spat a rod through the block on the dyno. Needless to say, he was devastated.
“A mate said I should start looking for RB30 engine mounts, and at first I wasn’t keen, but I ended up coming across a set of mounts and chucked one in,” Anthony says. “The first time I got it dynoed, I left the workshop, turned onto South Road and I gave it some shit; it just lit up and changed lanes! It was an animal – I’d never been in anything that fast before and I couldn’t believe it.”
We’re not surprised, because the little RB is handy for a truly impressive 658hp at the tyres – big power in such a light car. The standard RB30 crankshaft remains, with Rev H-beam conrods and CP flat-top pistons added
IT HOOKS BEAUTIFULLY, SO MUCH SO THAT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM ANTHONY FACES AT THE TRACK IS KEEPING THE FRONT WHEELS ON THE DECK
THE LITTLE RB IS HANDY FOR A TRULY IMPRESSIVE 658HP AT THE TYRES – BIG POWER IN SUCH A LIGHT CAR
to build a boost-ready bottom end. The combo retains the factory three-litre, single-cam head, with port work and an aftermarket camshaft supplied by Sydney-based RB gurus Maatouks Racing. An N1 oil pump keeps the whole show lubricated, while the pan is a VL Commodore item that’s been modified to rear-hump configuration to suit the Torana crossmember.
But the trick to screwing big power out of a turbo combo is all in the bolt-ons, and Anthony opted for a custom intake manifold with an 85mm throttlebody, with boost supplied by a Garrett GTX35/40 atop a 6boost manifold. The turbo could be considered small for this application, but Ben from Procharge Turbochargers has modified it with a larger 67mm wheel, and as we go to print, the turbo is back off the car to be fitted with a larger exhaust housing. “I’m going to see what I can get out of it with the little turbo because it’s so good on the street; it’s just so responsive,” says Anthony.
The intake charge is cooled by a custom-built Jonny Tig intercooler, and the engine management is handled by an Autronic SM4.
The transmission is an Al’s Race Glides-built, transbraked C4, which bolts up to the RB via an adapter ring that Al’s also supplied. The nine-inch was already fitted when Anthony acquired the car, and while it still runs the same diff housing, it’s been significantly shortened and braced as part of a complete rethink of the arse-end by CK Racing Developments. There are also adjustable chrome-moly trailing arms and Strange double-adjustable coil-over shocks fitted. The car was tubbed to accommodate 15x10 Weld Alumastars wearing 275/50/15 Mickey Thompson ET Street Rs, and it hooks beautifully. So much so that the biggest problem Anthony faces at the track is keeping the front wheels on the deck.
“Chris from CK Racing Developments is a good mate of mine,” Anthony
I ONLY REALLY BUILT IT TO RUN NINES, BUT WHEN YOU’RE THAT CLOSE TO AN EIGHT, YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT A SHOT
says. “He trialled a lot of things on the car, and all it wants to do is backflips! It’s good for a photo but not much else; we’re going to make some changes to keep the front end down and head back to the track.”
The 275/50/15s fit without needing to stretch the rear quarters, allowing Anthony to preserve the still flash-looking 30-year-old paintjob. If he ends up painting the car, Anthony will likely stretch the quarters and upgrade to a 275/60 radial. “The paint still looks a million bucks, but up close there are imperfections,” he says.
So how does it run at the track? Pretty damn well as it turns out – 9.08@145.6mph in a nasty headwind, in full street trim, driven to and from the track. With some further chassis tweaks and the aforementioned turbocharger upgrade, the car is almost certain to run into the eights, and Anthony is pretty keen to make it happen.
“I only really built it to run nines, but when you’re that close to an eight, you have to give it a shot,” he says. “I go out cruising all the time with my wife and kids, and over the years we’ve entered a lot of shows and won many trophies. We have even won a drag racing bracket at the Four, Six & Rotary Nationals a few years back. I am so happy with how the car has turned out, and apart from giving it a fresh coat of paint one day, I wouldn’t change a thing.”