YOUR STUFF & PRIVACY NOTICE
Write to: Your Stuff, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email streetmachine@bauer-media.com.au. Make sure you include your address (not necessarily for publication). Keep it short and sweet!
CLASSIC ROCK
I AM 44 this year and have been reading Street Machine since I can remember, and I just felt compelled to drop you a line. My wife picked up the March issue for my 19-year-old son’s birthday, and I did a double-take when I saw a familiar sight on the cover, two names that have always stuck with me in the street machine scene: Howard Astill and Rock Solid!
It was great to see Howard and Rock 3 still in the game. The guy’s my hero (next to Dick Johnson). As a fan of the XA-XC Falcon, I too am in my third XB rebuild under the house, along with my eldest son’s ’71 Ford Escort rebuild and my youngest son’s ’75 Holden Gemini project. I can report the next generation of street machiners is well on its way, and it’s all thanks to inspiration from the likes of Howard Astill and SM magazine.
Thanks for the great article. Old school still rocks! Christian Mcdougall, email
EDDY, SET, GO!
WE ABSOLUTELY loved Eddy Jausnik’s HK Monaro in your April edition. This car seems to encapsulate the old-school look with tough mechanicals to make it a kick-arse street machine – and it had a great story to boot. I’m sure the 595hp with six-inch rims makes for a wild ride.
We have to ensure that new generations of street machiners appreciate these types of cars, so here is a picture of my 26-year-old son and six-month-old grandson swooning over the latest edition. Thanks for a great mag. Alan Brown, email
YOU BEAUT UTE
I WOULD like to find out if the WB ute with Xatal conversion I just bought was in Street Machine in 1983-84; someone on a forum commented that it was. I have attached some photos; one that was taken in October 1984, and another showing what it looks like now. Dwayne Walters, email G’DAY, Dwayne. We had a good look through the 1983-84 issues and can’t turn up the Xatal. But we think it is a cool piece of gear! – Telfo
YELLOW FEVER
THE April issue was awesome, guys! I’m loving that slammed bright yellow HK! My mate Ryno had an awesome bright orange HK Monaro with a small-block and billets back in the day that was his daily driver. I love elite cars too, but cars are rolling artwork to me – they always look better driving, so it’s awesome to hear that the yellow HK gets driven nearly every day. Much respect. Get ’em out there guys; who wants to look at a sea of Camrys? The Peachman, email
KEEP IT GOING
WELL said, Bob Kotmel (Stage Write, SM, Mar ’17). As an ex-fpv/ford employee, I totally agree; instead of reducing import tariffs, put the money into the brains trust that exists within the automotive manufacturing field to keep manufacturing going in Australia. Even a onemake range of vehicles – say, Falcon sedan/ ute plus Territory, in four-, six- and eight-cylinder guises – and then let the aftermarket loose and do their thing to trick them up. It would have kept people employed for years to come, and the flow-on effect would have been huge, with further ongoing employment by the small manufacturers. As it is, I believe one job lost by the automotive sector equals another eight on the outside. Shame on them. Tom Raybould, email
’TURA TEST
SO I HAD this idea. I was thinking that it might be possible to put a Ford BA motor into a Centura and perhaps down the track put a turbo on it. Can you give me some advice on whether this is achievable, or would it be way too hard?
I’m able to source a BA engine, wiring loom, computers, and automatic transmission for a grand, so the bulk of it could be bought fairly inexpensively, but I’m wondering if the rest of the work might be too hard to deal with. James Robertson, via Facebook HEY mate, our advice would be to start with an FG motor; they’re not much more expensive, but better for various reasons, including the rearhump sump. I haven’t measured a Centura to see if it would fit, but it should do.
Is it a good idea? It would sure make for a fun car! However, you’d need to be reasonably handy or be prepared to farm some of it out. It will always be at least as twice as expensive as you budget for; that is just the way it seems to work.
If you’re not particularly handy, why not keep your Centura as a Hemi-six, and if you want Barra turbo power, buy a BA/FG XR6T? Then you get the best of both worlds – a cool old cruiser and a fast modern car with all the luxuries that come with it. Probably for a similar price in the end and a lot less work. – Telfo