BIG-TIME PREMIER
Owner of this fat, big-block-powered HG Premier on Convo Pros, David Desreaux is a man of great taste
BUILDING an elite-level car can be a painful process. It often takes years and costs a small fortune. But for David Desreaux from Canberra, the most painful part was having nothing cool to drive while his prize Holden HG GTS Monaro was in pieces. “About three years ago I stripped my Monaro and sent it to Paul Sant at Proflo Performance in Sydney,” David says. “Obviously to build an unveil-level car is very expensive, which is why it’s ongoing. I started to get upset that I didn’t have anything to drive in the meantime, and I’ve always wanted an HG Premier.” David got wind of an HG Prem for sale that had been kept in a container for the previous 20 years, but by the time he chased up the owner, the car had already gone to a more nimble-footed buyer. Months later, he was flicking through Facebook and saw the exact same HG advertised for sale. “I called the guy and went and bought it,” says David. “The guy who’d bought it was Marc Leake from Theuma & Leake Racing.” David started stripping the Premier as soon as he got it into his shed. “In the beginning I just wanted it to be a nice pub cruiser,” he says. “My mate had a rotisserie and suggested we ‘make it sweet’, and it kind of snowballed from there.” The car had been resprayed 20 years ago and was still looking good, but the paintwork got scratched when David and a mate were working on it, so it was redone like everything else. “The car was coming up too clean not to do things properly,” he says. “I didn’t leave any part of the bodywork untouched. I either bought new bits or had parts rebuilt.” Next port of call for the Prem was Marko Body Repairs in Mitchell, where the paint was stripped and the body smoothed. “I wanted to keep it silver with a white roof,” David says. “The guys picked a Honda colour called Super Platinum, and we also decided on doing the roof solid white. The guys did a top job. I couldn’t be happier with the way the panel and paint turned out. Big shout-out to Matthew Nelson who laid down the paint!” The car spent the best part of a year at Marko and returned home towards the end of 2017. The problem was David was keen to have it finished for Summernats 2018. “The paint was finished seven weeks before Summernats, so it was up to me to get everything else finished,” he says. “It’s a helluva task when you have three kids and run your own business.” The interior was fully redone by Winner Products in South Australia, who David found through advice he got on various Hg-related Facebook groups. “The trim had to be the factory colour and have all the original features that came in the Premier,” he says. “Other than the black
IN THE BEGINNING I JUST WANTED A NICE PUB CRUISER. MY MATE HAD A ROTISSERIE AND SUGGESTED WE ‘MAKE IT SWEET’, AND IT KIND OF SNOWBALLED FROM THERE
5500RPM ON AN ENGINE DYNO. IT MADE A VERY HEALTHY 589HP AT ENOUGH FOR A PUB CRUISER IT’S GOT SO MUCH TORQUE; MORE THAN
trims, the guys made the trim to how carpet on the floor and on the door fault the job they did.” it would have been in 1970. I can’t bad-arse motor that befits the car’s Under the reverse-cowl scoop is a Chev. Built by Dougan’s Racing exterior toughness – a 468ci big-block by a local guy who ran in an HQ Engines in California, it was imported before David struck him a deal. changed, but that’s about it,” David “I’ve had a few things in the top-end an very healthy 589hp at 5500rpm on says of the mega-donk. “It made a more than enough for a pub cruiser.” engine dyno. It’s got so much torque; Race Glides reverse-pattern Turbo The big-block is hooked up to an Al’s stall converter. The diff is a Ford 400 transmission with TCE 4200rpm axles and 4.11s. nine-inch with Truetrac centre, 31-spline to take the car and his cohorts All up it took just 13 months for David Street Machine find to the stunning from a clapped-out shipping-container David managed to meet his deadline feature car you see here. Somehow but only just. and get the car to Summernats 31, windows, interior and wiring; the “I had help from mates with the brakes, easy, but on 2 January, about 30 rest was up to me,” he says. “It wasn’t started, I had the car finished.” minutes before Summernats scrutineering to the dragstrip soon and see what David has plans to take the Prem then, of course, he’s still got the HG kind of numbers it can generate. And GTS Monaro project to finish off. he says. “I’ve owned the car for 19 “The Monaro will be my unveil build,” a lot of custom tube and sheetmetal years. It’s almost ready for paint. There’s s the perfect substitute.” work. For now, the Premier is
DAVID DESREAUX 1970 HOLDEN HG PREMIER Paint: Honda Super Platinum ENGINE
Type: 468ci big-block Chev Induction: Weiand Team G single-plane Heads: 990, cast Camshaft: Lunati solid-roller, Lunati lifters Conrods: Scat H-beam Pistons: JE forged Crank: Scat, steel Oil pump: Melling HV Fuel system: Aeromotive Cooling: PWR Exhaust: 2in mandrel-bent primaries, dual 3in at the diff Ignition: MSD Pro-billet, MSD 6AL TRANSMISSION
Gearbox: Turbo 400, reverse-pattern Converter: TCE, 4200rpm
Diff: Ford 9in, Truetrac, 31-spline axles, 4.11:1 ratio SUSPENSION & BRAKES
Springs: Pedders (f), King Springs (r) Shocks: Pedders 90/10 (f), Pedders (r) Brakes: Wilwood discs, fourpiston calipers (f & r) Master cylinder: Wilwood WHEELS & TYRES
Rims: Convo Pro; 15x4 (f), 15x9 (r) Rubber: Mickey Thompson; 15x4 (f), 15x9 (r) THANKS
Steve and Tony Nazor as well as Matthew Nelson from Marko Body Repairs; Protunes Car Audio; Dynotune Belconnen; Rosie; Tristan; Hostile Customs; Al’s Race Glides; Paul Sant; my family