How it all started

I didn't just fall into this project, it has developed at random over a number of years. About the only consistent theme has been an interest in Ford's. No doubt this is the same for a lot of people, my parents drove Ford's so that's just what I learned about.

But don't think i'm one sided, I grew up with a bunch of mates that drove Holden's (GM). We had a healthy rivalry with the cars that we built back in the mid to late 1980's.....

Bongo had his one-tonner, Greggo had his initial one-tonner (on gas), Alby had his HG Wagon with a hot 308, but eventually purchased an ex-bathurst 308 and put it in a lightened 4-door LH Torana. Boy did that thing fly. Harrop crank, Carillo rods, Cosworth pistons, etc, etc. I've never seen a more efficient "diff destroyer" - until the 9" was installed.

During this time I was the lone Ford driver and built up my own XC ute. I put in a balanced and blue-printed (by Mick Webb) long-block, but was lucky enough to have a friend travel overseas and they brought me back a Crower roller cam. Installing this with all the associated valve-train pieces really made the ute fly.

I got myself a Mig welder around this time too, but being a student or else having just starting work - I had bugger-all money so did all car modification and engine assembly ourselves (we all did). These times turned out to be a great learning curve for us all. Learning to weld, looking at chassis/vehicle engineering drawings, getting ideas from various "hotty mags", assembling engines and learning all about bore finishes, matching piston ring materials, (file back) ring gaps, head porting, valve geometries, intake charge speeds and angles, finding decent ignition systems, dash wiring, etc, etc.

Then there are the "life interuptions" called marriage, kids and a mortgage. All of these experiences have lead to this point - where a small but constant trickle of funds has amassed bits and pieces needed to take on a project like this.

I really should mention an important job performed on my old ute. Actually, it was my second ute - a 1972 XA model. I selected the XA as it didn't have any emmission requirements when registering the car. However, this body had the usual hidden rust problems so I needed to replace a heap of lower panels. More importantly (now) however, was that I had to do some chassis modifications. This experience has proven invaluable as not only did this involve cutting and welding in new steel (typically panels & hollow box section, making sure the welds are correct, the existing chassis is cut correctly, etc), it means organising accredited vehicle engineers and meeting, learning and following their advice.
Such people are full of helpful advice and don't cost anywhere near as much as you may think (well, what I thought they may cost anyway).

There is no way I would attempt the chassis mod's I will reveal shortly if I hadn't learnt from my old ute in the past.

At the end of the ute's life I had installed the final development of my 351C - a fuel injected, 8V, roller-cammed motor with a top-loader and detroit-locker diff. Everything fitted under the standard XA bonnet so it was a real "sleeper".

Above is a shot of motor & gearbox as I was just finishing off the EFI. Lifting the bonnet on the stock looking ute really turned heads back then!