Tabla de contenidos para No 213 February 2023 en NZV8

For many, Repco Beach Hop 22 has a laidback vibe, and that is certainly the case. However, when you’re working to produce the best coverage of one of New Zealand’s most beloved events, Repco Beach Hop can be hectic. This is not to say that I didn’t have a great time — I did — I just did so at a much faster pace than most of the other attendees. Cross-country trip with 17 featured cars, 12-plus events, live social media updates, and almost 55,000 steps (24 kilometres) walked. The NZV8 Beach Hop Annual that will be published soon after this Issue should do it justice; the team and I worked hard to offer you the greatest possible issue, and I can’t wait to do it all over again in…

Companies offering EV conversions for some much-loved classics are springing up all over the United states. The latest is San Rafael, California-based Kindred Motorworks, which revealed its latest offering, an electric Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck. The 3100 is Chevy’s half-ton pickup built between 1947 and 1953. While its design is iconic, the driving experience can certainly be improved upon, thus making it an ideal candidate for an EV conversion. The electric hardware consists of a single electric motor driving the rear wheels and generating a peak 294 hp. The motor is powered by a 74-kwh battery that Kindred estimates will deliver a range of up to 200 miles. The battery, supplied by Idaho’s Kore Power, takes about nine hours to charge at home using a Level 2 charger. Kindred also…

It’s amazing, given the variety of cars on our roads, that no one here in New Zealand has ever really nailed the build of a second-gen, square-body C10. Sure, in factory form, they look like, and drive like, a farm truck, but with how the modified car scene has gone pickup crazy over the past decade, there’s now no shortage of inspiration, nor parts available off the shelf, to build one right. Todd Collins saw that opportunity, and ran with it, pumping out what has to be the finest C10 of any generation in the land. He didn’t do it alone, though — in fact far from it. Both he and his wife Tash — who was equally involved in the build — knew they needed the right people on…

This story begins in 1994. The automotive world had its challenges. BMW had just purchased Rover from British Aerospace, Ayrton Senna died at Imola, Italy, during the San Marino Grand Prix, and OJ Simpson did a runner from the cops in a Ford Bronco. New Zealander Chris Saywell, who was living in Perth, Australia, at the time, had his own challenge. He wanted a project car. He had found a 1970 Ford Mustang fastback being used as a chicken coop, purchased it for the princely sum of $5500 — which was bloody cheap back then — and decided to bring it back to New Zealand. With the car now safely landed in Taranaki, Chris called upon the expertise of a local panel beater, Barry Cruickshank. Over the next 12 years,…

I’s almost impossible to keep a secret in drag racing, but the Dobson Motorsport team managed exactly that when they rolled up to Meremere Dragway and pulled their re-worked Pontiac off the trailer. While everyone thought the car was in hibernation, the crew had been chipping away at rebuilding it better than ever before. The previous twin-turbo big block Chev engine combo was sold off and a 521ci BAE Hemi with Noonan heads installed. The big — literally — talking point is the F3X-140 crank-driven ProCharger that sits up front. There’s no shortage of experience or technical expertise within the team, so it’s easy to see why they opted for a Haltech Nexus R5 VCM to control the package, including the 16 bullet fuel injectors in the custom manifold. Despite…

There are two schools of thought when it comes to classifying different trends, styles, or subcultures within the wider V8 scene. The first is one that appeals to many; rat rod, led sled, pro tourer – who gives a shit? Why should the way anyone builds their car have to fall into a certain category? We should all just build what we like and not worry about the labels our cars may or may not have, or the Facebook groups we can join. This isn’t Hogwarts and there’s no magical sorting hat deciding what classification your car must fit into. In some ways, it feels like the very non-conformist spirit of hot rodding backs up this side of the argument but … There’s something to be said for neatly sorting…

The Carrera Panamericana event was a border-to-border sedan race across Mexico taking place on open roads amongst traffic. Running in its original form from 1950 to 1954, it was — likely correctly — believed to be the most dangerous race of any type in the world. Competitors came from Formula One, sports cars, rallying, stock cars, endurance racing, hill climbing, and drag racing backgrounds, and due to the event’s starting point, at the border of Mexico and Texas, it was especially attractive to American entrants. After five years the event came to an end, as did the lives of many drivers, although it has returned in more recent times as a controlled classic speed rally, much like a giant DYO drag race where entrants must finish at a set time,…

Twenty-four cars from across the country met up to race for the highly coveted chocolate fish and the somewhat more important bragging rights. One of the many talking points over the weekend was the ever-changing weather patterns, which were less of an issue for those who had rolled the dice by packing wet weather tyres in their trucks and trailers. The overhead conditions had most of the race engineers looking skywards at regular intervals, ready to make those last-minute calls as rain and showers loomed ominously. Another talking point was the desperate need for clean races, after the V8 Supercars round in September had left many of the teams with heavily damaged cars. Friday saw two practice sessions shared with other categories from the event, so most teams elected to…

As a continuation of the work I began a month ago, I complete this side of the turbo manifold. Before we get into the specific processes that were followed, I’ll start with some important information about purge welding. Purge welding is the process of filling the tube or pipe with argon while welding the outside in order to protect the back side of the weld from contaminants. When TIG welding stainless steel, it is best to prevent ‘sugars,’ which is the oxidation of the back side of a stainless weld, also known as granulation because it resembles sugar granules. This promotes cracking and hinders flow, so we want to prevent it whenever possible. A good purge weld should be equally appealing on the inside as it is on the outside.…

Do you use Instagram? Do you want more exposure for the photos you post? Upload your photos to Instagram and use the hashtag #NZV8 to tag us. In each issue, we search Instagram for your photos and print them on the pages you see here. Look it up, use it, and thrash it! We’ll keep an eye on it and pick out a selection of hash-tagged posts each month to print right here.…

IT’S MEMORIES LIKE THIS THAT HAVE KEPT THE HOLDEN PASSION ALIVE Because of his father’s admiration for Holden, there were many Holdens in Chris’s household when he was growing up; there was always one around. Before seat belts were mandatory, Chris has extremely fond recollections of riding to Saturday sports in the back of his dad’s Holden HQ sedan and sliding around in the backseat. It’s memories like this that have kept the Holden passion alive in Chris and his family today. Owning many Holdens in his life, from a VE Murphy Edition to a VZ R8 Clubsport, and a few in between, the idea to own the pinnacle of an H-Series Holden — being the Monaro — had crossed Chris’s mind. Before pursuing the HQ, Chris had favoured the…

Every year in early November, the original sin city comes to life to a different beat. The city that never sleeps and where the lights never go out plays host to the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The trade-only show is like what the CRC Speedshows were like but on steroids. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) was founded in 1963 and in 1967 the first SEMA Show was hosted at the Dodgers Stadium in California. It would be just 10 short years before the SEMA Show would then move to Las Vegas in 1977 and become the world’s premiere show of its kind, attracting vendors and buyers from all over the world. Over 3.5 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Centre is filled with…

Like a lot of Kiwi ‘car families’ who tend to gravitate toward one favourite car event, the Davey family’s event of choice is the annual swap meet and car show held at Kumeu. James says, “We love to camp on the swap meet side of the event and immerse ourselves in all things petrol.” January 2018 was no different; it was during this holiday that James and co were “enjoying the grease and the dust” in their 1973 XA Falcon sedan they had at the time. One night, over a few frothies, they got talking to their campground neighbours, telling lies about cars and car stuff. James had already spied the 1964 Fairlane their new friends had parked in front of their tent but thought nothing of it other than…

A huge number of people have helped me over the years with incredible opportunities in this sport we love so much, from crewing on cars, to tuning cars, to driving other people’s cars. This magazine isn’t thick enough to list all of those people, and I will always be thankful to each and everyone of them. Besides my wife and my family, there are two people who have had my back for as long as I can remember; two people who have boarded who knows how many planes, driven thousands of kms, spent thousands of dollars, and been there whenever we needed them. So, when the opportunity arose to come back to NZ and help Jeff Dobson and Adam Prestney with their new procharged Hemi combination, I couldn’t wait. Most…

Man! You sure know how to see and do a lot of great stuff and hang out with some cool people,” said a close friend on my return to New Zealand after a month in the USA. Having recently sold a Model A Tudor to fund the trip, the idea was to attend more bucket list events with my own car. My project 29 Model A pickup currently lives at Squeak Bell’s shop in Bakersfield. Thanks to him, the logistics of keeping the car there and also staying there are simplified. This trip was a great one — well, they always are — starting with the 30th California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, then the Celebration of Life for the late Pat Ganahl, the NHRA Nevada Nationals in Vegas, SEMA,…

Here are some quick hits of content from social-media channels around the globe, curated by Low Fast Famous. They relate to some of the projects and completed builds that have been generating the most interaction and impressions in the past 30 days. Check out more of the work from the vehicles highlighted via their Instagram handles listed or at Low Fast Famous: @lowfastfamous 1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO @BOOSTED.69 Blending the lines between Pro Street and Pro Touring, this Camaro build is a beast! With a Haltech-controlled LS-based engine that has two Precision turbos bolted on it, the power comes on and never stops. Handling is via the crew at Speedway Motors with a coil-over conversion at both ends, plus an Unser front subframe, and finally the look is complete with a…

Paul Falvey has been working for a long time — 15 years to be exact — to bring his ’32 Ford Tudor to where it is today, but good things take time, as they say. The Tudor was imported to New Zealand from Argentina in the late 1980s. It spent some time languishing in a paddock untouched. Then Paul heard about it and grabbed it, with ambitions to hot rod it. The Tudor wasn’t in great shape and required some work, but it had the aesthetic Paul was looking for. Having owned several hot rods over the years and knowing what was what, Paul transported the body to Magoo’s Street Rods in Masterton and ordered a new chassis with Kugel independent front and rear suspension. He had Magoo’s chop the…

Billy Douché has dedicated his life to the drag racing community, crewing for Terry Rogers, who raced three Altereds until he retired in the early 1990s. Then, in the early 2000s, Billy started to help Tony Marsh, and is crewing for him to this day. Billy has never owned a drag car himself. Working so closely with them has always nourished his passion for the sport to the point at which owning one was never really necessary. However, a tough street car with a rumble loud enough to annoy the neighbours, and with enough boogie in it to keep the adrenaline in check, was something Billy had to have. The search then began for a suitable base. Ideally, it would be an older classic with character. After flipping through the…

Kevin Hart has added a new car to his growing collection, a 1987 Buick Grand National – an icon of the 1980s. However, like many of the classic muscle cars that dominate the comedian and actor’s collection, the Grand National has been extensively worked over, in this case by Wisconsin’s Salvaggio Design, the same company that built Hart’s 940-hp 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Salvaggio Design dialed things down for the Grand National, choosing to forgo the easy route of dropping a V-8 under the hood and instead sticking with V-6 power. The selected engine was the twin-turbo 3.6-litre V-6 from a Cadillac ATS-V, tuned here to deliver 650 hp instead of the stock 464 hp. Almost all of the engine’s accessories needed to be changed or relocated to fit in…

NORTH ISLAND EDITOR’S PICK 20 – 22 January 2023 01 Kumeu Classic Car & Hot Rod Festival Kumeu Showgrounds, West Auckland Kumeu is confirmed for 2023! Trade and swap site bookings can be made online, as can entry for the vintage caravan park. Expressions of interest are also being taken for the prestigious indoor car show shed — give Ken Galvin a call on 09 412 6318, or email desma.g@xtra.co.nz. For more details: www.kumeuhotrodfestival.co.nz. 26 – 29 January 2023 02 Cruise Martinborough Martinborough Registrations for Cruise Martinborough are open now, and there are just 100 spots left! The four-day festival is a hot rod, classic, and muscle car event showcasing vehicles from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and prior. It features cruises, shows (Saturday display is back at the Square), drive-in…

Any kid with more than a passing interest in cars knew instantly what someone was talking about when the words ‘hot rod’ were uttered. Even as young fellas, and being somewhat unaware that there was actually an accepted definition of what constituted a hot rod, the shape, form, and era of the kaleidoscope of creations that make up that universe were damn near engraved on the psyche of the obsessive petrolhead. As a kid who was just rearing to stomp on the loud pedal some day, here’s what I thought a hot rod was. It was definitely based on something old — you know, really old — or at least looking faithful to a certain era; cars made before my folks were even born. More often than not it had…

Glenn Munro has owned his fair share of cool cars over the years, but nothing quite like the 1938 Chev Coupe gasser he currently has under construction. The car is being built for the Vintage Gasser class, but also with the intention of having it street legal. Being Hawke’s Bay based, it should come as no surprise that he’s had chassis builder extraordinaire Grant Downing at Paralax Race Cars involved not just in the build of the chassis but also the suspension and chromoly cage. While the stock chassis rails were retained, plenty of work has been done to make sure it doesn’t twist like a pretzel on the track. Glenn tells us, “Grant also fabbed the long ladder bars, wheelie bars, and braced the Strange 9-inch diff housing.” The…

Things are heating up for another major Repco Classic Car & Hot Rod Festival in 2023, and the team behind it wants you there if you’re a collector or just a fan of the old school. The classic car and hot rod community always comes together for the event most of us know and love simply as ‘Kumeu’. The 2023 event, which takes place on January 20-22, is already promising to live up to expectations, offering great cars, great music, and a cool family festival atmosphere. The festival, which is proudly owned and operated by West Auckland locals Ken and Desma Galvin and family, always delivers. Besides having more than 1000 cars on display, the event is set to have over 100 trade sites (including everything from speciality tools, parts,…

Being captivated by that car at the Greenlane interchange in 1989 like no car has ever captivated me before or since triggered a plan to have my own ‘king of the dinosaurs’ one day. The opportunity came three years later when my first trip to the USA finally took place, quite late in life compared to many of my hot rodding buddies. My first trip to the States in 1992 came by surprise, just as my new fixation on ’59 Cadillacs did three years previously. In 1992, I’d only been in Auckland for three years, had only just turned 30, had a young family, and having sold a home in Whanganui to purchase one in Auckland meant that I had a mortgage up to my eyeballs — and to top…

NZV8: Hi Darren, Awesome car, tell us more about it. How long have you owned it? Darren: I purchased it new in July 2019. Why did you choose to buy a Camaro? I’ve always enjoyed American muscle cars, having had a few over the years, and I’ve always wanted to buy a brand-new one. Given that I was born in 1967, it was only natural that my first brand-new muscle car in 2017 would be the 50th anniversary SS Camaro. Unfortunately, my 2017 Camaro was written off on the track in 2019. The replacement was a new 2019 supercharged ZL1 SS Camaro. How fun is it to drive? This sixth-generation Camaro features the worst blind spots imaginable, a back seat unfit for anyone, and a boot that would never fit…

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Along with multiple excursions down the eighth-mile at Port Road Drags, Scott McLeod’s Z28 Camaro, which he has had since 2014, has seen plenty of fun-loving street duties over the years. Nonetheless, 2020 was designated as the year for the long-overdue makeover. Manawatu speed shop, Kruzin Kustoms, was entrusted with updating the undercarriage, and that has resulted in the installation of a new subframe and a Heidts Pro-G front suspension with a nine-inch diff and a four-bar set-up. This new configuration has allowed for an aggressive wheel fitting, and sees the Camaro with a set of 19 x 9-inch front and 22 x 12-inch rear Templar Concave two-piece forged US mags — the fitment is a statement on its own. With everything tightened up, the Camaro now has the brawn…

CONVERT-A-BALL In addition to being compatible with standard couplings, and easy DIY install, this Convert-a-Ball pintle hitch and ball mount set is perfect for towing heavy loads. With its three stainless-steel hitch balls and pintle sleeve adapter, it can pull loads ranging from 3,500 to 10,000 pounds (GTW 25,000 lbs). It’s lined with polyurethane interior inserts which act as a shock absorber helping with towing, not to mention the double-engagement, rust-resistant locking system which converts quickly from pintle to standard ball mount with no tools needed. This quality American-made product from Convert-a-ball is towing ease at its finest. For more information and stockists, call 0800 698 227. IS IT A LOLLY? IS IT A PLANE? IT’S A FRAGRANCE! Make your car smell good enough to eat in the form of…