O/T Muscle Cars

#1

Seems common amongst us old skate guys to have an interest in cars, particularly older muscle cars. Every sess in our crew someone talks cars so I thought I’d start a thread for us to reveal that prize toy we have or dream of and generally shoot the shit :wink:

Now me, I’m hard on the trail of a mint LJ GTR. Not an XU-1 as in the pic but same colour and a sweet ride. A stoner mate of mine mothballed this car in 1987 and it’s been in storage since. I saw him at a reunion recently and he said he’d consider selling it. It’s stock except for the ‘chromies’ which were the poor alternative to alloys back then. They’d make way for some sprintmasters quick smart.

Hope to be cruisin’ to sess in it soon 8)

Workin on the image - bastard thing :blush:

#2

FYI all - you can’t load .bmp images from another url. Gotta be gif or jpeg

#3

BondiBoy66 will definitely want to have a cruise in the machine as he had one back when we were grommies

#4

The LJ is a freakin classic!
I’ve had a couple of mates with LJ ball tearers;
The first had a fairly worked 186 with 3/4 race cam. At the lights it used to rock every which way until you took off, a real head turner and soo much fun.
The second was a whole other kettle of fish. The guy who owned it was a Porsche mechanic who loved bogan cars. He spent nearly 20g on it (8G on the motor (308)). One of the scariest cars I’ve ever ridden in.

Unfortunately like most Torana’s they came to sticky ends. In my youth they were everywhere but these days I’m seeing fewer and fewer around. It’s funny, I’ve had 3 conversations with different crew this week on the plight of the LJ, maybe I should consult my charts.

#5

When we were young these were the cars we lusted after (70’ classic). Now they’re all Jap crazed.

I had an LX SL/R about 8 years ago I bought after a rush of shit to the brain. It looked good but was a prick to drive that sat in the shed. I figured that was money better spent elsewhere and sold it.

This LJ is a more considered rush of shit - my memory has me believing it was a great car to drive and I won’t hear otherwise. I want it.

#6

It’s all about controlled denial Exec!

The LC to Lj are quite an Australian oddity (maybe another monotreme).
Small car big motor. I can’t think of any others in Aussie auto history.

Not only that they are an enthusiast’s car, any aspiring suburban revhead would take a Monaro or GT but it takes a died in the wool (even if well disguised) bogan to love a 'Rana.

[size=150][color=red]LONG LIVE STRETCH BLACK FAB’S, BRUT 33 AND FLANNO’S[/size]

A real bogan would have left the last part black

#7

By the way your quite right about the LH-Lx’s.

However a friend had a fibergalass bodied SS fastback with a drag 350 that went pretty quick (Once again written off at speed)

#8

I might have grown some, but I’m flanno on the inside :wink:

I’d put 14" hotwires and Comp T/A’s on an M3 :smiley:

Other Aussie monotremes include the Cortinas Mk 3 and 4, 4.1ltr - never designed to have that lump of iron shoved in the snout and brakes weren’t in the design brief. Ford may also get another bat with the Mk3 Zephyr 6. The Austin disaster - ‘Kimberley’ was it with the east-west 6? Did we do that? Probably!

#9

Aint no one a bigger bogun (cant even spell it) than me!
I got beat up one night by both the Glenny boys and the Syndal sharps for Sharpy dancin and crackin onto their girlfriends at the Mount Waverley blue light disco.

#10

Fuck I forgot about the 250 cortina, but a far worse ommision was the V6 capri.

#11

I had a bright yellow (original colour) LC GTR-XU1 for a while - sooo original, Globe mags etc - the previous owner even put the stereo under teh pasenger seat so as to not stuff up the intrument panel - damn thing got stolen from out the front of my folks place…it was insured, but the Hosoi Collage with Indys and Schmitt Stix wheels in the boot was’nt! Bet you know what I miss more nowadays! Aaah I was about to sell the car anyway - It went like a shower of the proverbial, but my left leg couldnttake the stiff clutch any more!

#12

The ‘one-tonne’ clutch! 150mph I hear bondi - lucky plod had somewhere to go :astonished:

eli - we were outdone on the Capri by the South Africans who shoved a 302 in it and called ir Perana.

#13

My next job is to turn this…

Into this…

Not exactly you understand, just chop, lower, rims and paint…mmmm and maybe some engine mods.
My HJ LIES BLEEDIN IN THE CARPORT…

#14

Nothing wrong with the Kingswood mate. Lowered, 15" chev rally rims, white walls, decent brakes, venetian for the rear window and a 454 / T400 combo…

#15

Mate of mine had a hq - looked like a crappy white HQ except for the wider rims (complete with original hubcaps). The giveaways were the exhuasts under the wheel arches, and $20K worth of 350 Chev undr the bonnet…looked crappy but was without doubt the car with the most violent acceleration I’ve ever been in!

#16

There’s a NSW registered HQ green with white roof, stock wheels, low, venetians - big block. So cool.

I had a HX prem 253 traumatic - nice bod, wheels, interior, shame about the wheezebox donk and awful box. Then I got a HZ with a proppa 308 and T400. Much better than the drivetrain in the car I traded it on - a VK 308 traumatic. You’da thought I’d learned my lesson with the locally built auto but nooo… it was either that or an M21 in 1984 Commodore :cry:

Bloody thing hunted gears badly. Particularly 2nd to 3rd at speed. The 308 saw the rev limiter one too many times in that car.

#17

When I had my GTR my old man had a HQ coupe with a 308 and a carb the size of a housebrick that he painted gunmetal grey (sold it after he gave a few mates a lift home from the Watto Bay pub and lost it on a corner when they told hm to kick it in the guts -it had heaps of guts!) - father and son hoonmobiles!

#18

All this muscle talk and no one mentioned any of the other contenders. Sure the Toyrana won at the mountain numerous times. I would like to point out that was after super cars got banned from production. The Valiant Charger (at 300hp in E49 tune) is one car that must be considered. It was the only two-door adaptation, that actually weighed less than its four-door counterpart. A true muscle car by definition. Lets not forget that this production car that pulled 14 second quarter miles.(compared to a GTS Monaro 20 seconds) A record that took well over twenty years to be beaten by another production car. Sure Moth’s GTHO lapped Bathurst 3 seconds a lap faster but they must have been cheating. 202 cubic inch’s is not enough! you might have to stroke it for more inches

#19

Ford escort panel van circa 1970 pull 14 second quarter mile times with only a 1.6 litre engine!!! :slight_smile:

#20

The Greek mechanic next door specializes in 10 sec VL’S !
He reckons he can make my 202 sssscchhheeeettttt mate!