MARK HEAVEY

Right from the start, the gearbox wasn’t in good nick, so I had it rebuilt and strengthened to take the excess of the 420hp the engine now provides. From there it was the usual story: I told my wife the car was perfect, but the closer I looked, the more I realized there were things I could do to make it better than perfect. Some of these things were required due to basic maintenance and necessity, such as fixing the cooling. The unit at speed. This made for some hairy moments and wasn’t good for the heart. The biggest investment I have made to date was to completely replace the brake system with six-pot discs up front and fourpot out back. Macbilt Engineering did all the work and added a vacuum pump to increase vacuum at the same time. The result is a fantastic brake system that works when needed, doesn’t need a lot of leg pressure, and the brakes come on gradually as required just like a modern car. It was money well spent.

It’s great when you find a good workshop you can trust.

Agreed. Macbilt put a firm-feel kit into the power-steering box and changed the ratios. It now turns better and easier and more akin to a modern vehicle. Macbilt also dyno tuned the engine, achieving a better idle, more performance, and slightly better fuel efficiency.

Is there anything else you’d like to do it in the future?

The car is a real joy to drive and has the power on tap when you need it but can easily be driven at normal speeds and for long distances. In the future, however, I’d like to upgrade the rear suspension to a four-link set-up to improve handling and to improve the ability to put the power to the road. I would also look at a supercharger for more power, but I would have to consult the boss first — she might not see it with the same advantages as me.

Cheers for your time, Mark, and good luck with the supercharger.