It was Allan Richards’ dream to own a cool Falcon coupe, now he’s got two…  just don’t tell his wife.

Buy or build, that’s the dilemma faced by many of us, but when your love is for early Falcon coupes it becomes simpler. A rare vehicle when produced 45 years ago, if you find one now you just grab it, whatever you can find, as you never know when you will have the opportunity to buy one again. That’s exactly what Allan Richards decided to do many years ago, having always admired the classic shape of the XM and XP coupes but never managing to find one for sale. Allan had built a few nice cars over the years, of GM origin, but the early Falcon coupe was always his dream. The dream was interrupted for a few years, spending 12 years working in the UK where he met his Kiwi partner Robyn. They returned to Australia, settling in Allan’s home town of Melbourne where the coupe search began in earnest.

Persistence finally paid off when in 2003 an unfinished but tidy XM Coupe with XP front sheetmetal was bought from a work colleague. He was looking to offload it to fund another project, the price was right so the cash changed hands and Allan’s dream project was underway. The coupe was already part-built with a Castlemaine Rod Shop V8-conversion kit already installed in the car. A strong rebuilt 302 and C4 were also part of the deal, as was the narrowed 9-inch and Detroit Locker. Whilst a mate, Keith Symes, sorted the rest of the mechanicals, the bodywork was not going so easy. (more…)

Ten years ago Kim Theyers didn’t know what an XM Falcon was. These days she’s got the best example in the country.

When we asked why Taranaki primary school principal Kim Theyers chose to build an XM Falcon, the answer wasn’t what we expected. While most people purchase the vehicles we see in these pages with the intent of modifying or restoring them, her story is a bit different.

It all started 10 years ago, when Kim’s husband, Glen, was rebuilding his ’32 coupe. With the coupe in bits the happy couple didn’t have a car to get them to events or even to take for a weekend cruise.

Kim decided the solution was for her to buy a car of her own that could be used for such occasions. She had no idea what she was really after, and it was only when she spotted a purple XM pulling into Rotorua Swapmeet that she knew it was the vehicle for her.

“I had no idea what kind of car it was or even if it was for sale,” she says, “but I told Glen that was the car I wanted.” Luckily, after a bit of hunting around, the car was found and was actually for sale. (more…)

Buying a second hand engine or performing an engine transplant? We check out the facts and figures for some common options.

Ford Windsor

The Windsor was introduced in 1962, replacing the previous Ford Y-block engine. The name is derived from the factory in which the first engines were produced in Windsor, Ontario. In 1996, Ford replaced the 302ci (5.0-litre) pushrod Windsor V8 with the Modular 4.6-litre in the Mustang, although it was continued in the F150 till 1997 and the Explorer until 2001.

The Windsor uses a thin-wall cast iron block with a separate aluminium timing chain cover. This feature differentiates it from later Cleveland or 351-series engines, which use an integrated timing cover cast in the block.

There is often confusion about the name of the 2V and 4V Windsors. Although many people assume this to be the number of valves per cylinder, it actually refers to the number of barrels in the carburettor. Another simple differentiation between the Windsor and Cleveland series is the location of the radiator hose — the Windsor routed coolant through the intake manifold with the hose protruding horizontally, while the Cleveland had the radiator hose connecting vertically to the engine block. Until 1964 the Windor’s rods used an oil squirt hole to lubricate the piston pin and rings. (more…)

When Mathew Patmore’s Fairmont was stolen, he didn’t get mad, he got even by building another Ford – a far better one.

We ended up pulling bits of it out of the Waikato river,” Mathew Patmore says, reminiscing about his previous project, an XY Fairmont, which had been stolen then dumped. “They didn’t need to chop it up, it was actually a mint shell, so it was a huge waste.”

That could have easily been the end of his modifying days, but Mathew was determined to finish what he had started. We’re glad he did.

Against All Odds

Mathew’s been an XY fan for as long as he can remember, so the new car was always going to be another XY, and it would be tubbed and blown. His Fairmont had been stolen while in a local workshop, so Mat was determined not to let this Ford out of his sight, and he performed pretty much the entire build himself. (more…)

Four guys faced with the prospect of an empty shed have created one of the coolest wagons in the country.

Alan Melody had for years nurtured the dream of owning a cool car. He wasn’t alone. His sons Craig and Mike also shared the dream, and what better way to get a great car to cruise in than by encouraging the old man to pay for it? Every car-crazed kid has probably tried that once in their time, some with more success than others.

It wasn’t the boys’ desire to get dad into a car that saw this project begin though, but the need to find alternative boat storage.

Alan happened across an old engineering workshop that would be perfect for the boat, and which would leave plenty of spare room. Enough spare room to fit an automotive treasure, as it happens.

“The boys and I had previously agreed that we wanted to do a wagon. Through a contact in Palmerston North we heard about a 1957 Ford wagon that Kev Redshaw of Timeless Auto Restorations had which he was going to do up for himself but had run out of space,” says Alan. With assurance from Kevin it was just what the Melody clan was after, a deal was essentially done on the phone and Alan made the trip from Taranaki to Palmy with the car trailer and a cheque.

“The car was as promised,” Alan says. “Kev had imported it in early 2008 from California, where it had been last registered in 1963 and hadn’t moved since then.”

With a six-cylinder engine still in place, Alan began to devise his plan. With input from friend Graeme Butcher, who soon became instrumental in the build, they decided to work on the car every Wednesday night and Sunday afternoon. It was a strict schedule, but one that was stuck to for the majority of the build. “We had a target of the February 2010 Americarna in New Plymouth, giving ourselves about 10 months; little did we know how big the task was…”

Getting Jiggy

Although it was relatively straight, every panel on the wagon needed a bit of a tidy-up, as you’d expect for a car of 1957 vintage. With this in mind the body was separated from the chassis and fitted to a jig. While the body was sent for sandblasting, the chassis remained and became the focus of the team’s efforts. They wanted to do as much of the build as they could, so the workshop soon had a temporary spray booth assembled and piece-by-piece the undercarriage was tided up, parts replaced and old parts painted.

(more…)

Lawrence Muldoon’s 1963 MkIII Zephyr is less a gentle breeze and more a full-on gust of wind ” maybe it should be renamed the “Gale”

There may be no more iconic Kiwi car than the Zephyr. There wouldn’t be many New Zealanders over the age of 35 who haven’t owned or grown up riding in the back of a Z car. But how many 23-year-olds do you know cruising around in a styley Zephyr like this one? Not only is Lawrence Muldoon one of the few, he has also had it since he was 15.

What Would I Want That For?

Lawrence has vivid memories of being 10 years old and helping his brother out with this very Zephyr, but says cars were really of no interest to him back then. Five years later, he was sitting at his brother’s one night when a mate said to his sibling, “What are ya gonna do with the old bomb in the shed?” To which his brother promptly replied, “Sell it to my brother”. This was news to Lawrence, and he remembers thinking, “What would I want that for?” Of course, back then the Z car was nothing it is today. It was tidy enough and had the 302ci Windsor in it already, but was still a long way off being the car that features in these pages.

Little did Lawrence know that purchasing the Zephyr would change his life forever, turning him from a normal Joe Blogs who thinks a car is made to get from point A to point B with as little fuss as possible, to a real Kiwi petrolhead.

(more…)

Looking cute and innocent is just a very small part of this supercharged 302-powered Cortina’s bag of tricks

There’s no doubt Simon Peryer’s 1963 Cortina is a great-looking car. With its green over white paint job and Minilight-style wheels, it looks for all the world like a classic rally machine. What it doesn’t look like is one of the best-fabricated vehicles to have ever graced the pages of NZV8. But appearances are deceptive. No part of the car has gone untouched, yet even if you take a close look at it, chances are you won’t notice the majority of its subtle modifications.

Some years back, as a student, Simon had a Cortina that he’d fitted with a V6. That car was never completed due to a lack of funds. So in early 2007, when he found himself in a situation where he could build a project car, a Cortina was what he chose.

Some time between the original Cortina and the more recently purchased one featured here, Simon also developed a love for superchargers. So the plan was to build a supercharged, V8-powered Cortina that looked as much like a rare Lotus Cortina as possible.

From Plan To Action

Simon was sick of looking at former race cars that had no straight panels, or cars with straight panels and a lot of rust, before friend Matthew Walters led him to the ideal shell on which to base the build.

“The firewall had already been knocked back as the guy was planning on fitting a Cosworth motor into it, so it wasn’t as dear as some of the other shells, yet was more suitable for what I was after,” Simon says. It also didn’t hurt that the shell had already been painted in the famous Lotus colours, even though it’s a paint job that perfectionist Simon says is far from perfect. However, the less-than-mint paint allows Simon to drive the car hard without fearing stone chips, and lets him park it where it may get dinged or dirty.

Because he’s confined to an office from nine to five, Simon knew he’d be better off to enlist the help of trained professionals to carry out the build, rather than struggle on it himself after hours. It wasn’t long before he settled on West Auckland’s RaceFX to take the project from a concept to a turn-key work of art. “The advantage of RaceFX was that they could do the whole job; from sourcing parts to custom fabrication to getting it road legal, they could do the lot,” Simon says.

Although the original firewall had been replaced before the vehicle was purchased, the RaceFX team rebuilt it again complete with factory-looking swage lines. It’s the small touches throughout the build ” such as making the firewall look original ” that sets it apart from the rest. This clever and detailed engineering no doubt took a lot of time and money, but the final result is well worth the complications and costs involved.

Eight Cylinders And A Blower

Between the strut towers and the recessed firewall now sits a 302 Windsor crate motor that on its own is good for around 400hp. The motor itself wasn’t a huge issue to fit in the engine bay ” unlike the massive Procharger and associated piping that now hangs off the side of it.

Purchased as a kit complete with front-mount intercooler, the Procharger is self-contained when it comes to lubrication and cooling. Fitting the intercooler, custom alloy radiator and fans behind the grille and far enough off the engine required some tricky fabrication, but as with the rest of the vehicle, the workmanship is flawless.

Sitting above the motor and Edelbrock intake manifold are custom fuel rails, with injectors monitored by a New Zealand-made Link ECU. The rest of the fuel system kicks off with a custom alloy fuel tank that sits low in the boot, and a submergible Bosch fuel pump.

As well as plenty of street use, the build plan outlined the fact the car would also be used for track days and perhaps even for the Dunlop Targa at some stage in future. Rather than find and fix weak links after the build, Simon briefed RaceFX to do it right the first time. With this in mind the driveline includes a Tremec TK0600 five-speed close-ratio gearbox and a late-model Mustang 8.75-inch diff. Due to the Cortina’s compact size the diff has been significantly narrow

All That Looks Normal

Only the trained eye would be able to pick that the car has been very slightly mini-tubbed in order to fit eight-inch-wide rear wheels. The Performance Superlight rims give the look many track and rally specced Cortinas have had over the years, a look that is part of the car’s original appeal.

Sitting the body of the car down low enough over the semi-slick Dunlop rubber wasn’t an easy task, especially as Simon demanded it also handles far better than the factory ever intended. A custom four-link with Watts linkage has been fitted to the rear end, the leading arms of which required the rear seat to be raised slightly ” although again, only the trained eye would pick it.

QA1 adjustable coil-overs have been used all round, and up front they are paired with Mustang struts and hubs along with custom arms. The five-stud hubs allow for easy fitment of Alcon four-pot front callipers and Mustang rotors, which balance braking proportion perfectly with the late-model Mustang rear brakes.

Hanging off the front of the roll cage is a Wilwood pedal box, which, along with the relocated firewall, meant the driver seat had to be moved rearwards around 130mm. To keep the driving position looking factory a long custom steering wheel boss was added to the factory column.

The seat itself is a period-styled Corbeau item that, again, thanks to the Lotus racing pedigree doesn’t look out of place.

On the other side of the enlarged trans tunnel is a seat modified to fit in the small space, and retrimmed in Lotus Cortina style.

The highlights of the interior are not the items you see but the things you don’t, such as the way the roll cage runs along the floor hard up against the sills to strengthen the body, and the late-model gauge mechanicals that have been added to the factory gauge faces. The stock-looking steering wheel is actually from a Triumph, while the badge adorning its centre is the original rear guard badge off a genuine Lotus-spec car. Similarly, Simon thought outside the square when he fitted the Lotus keyring that came with the car to the gear lever, giving a genuine look.

Fooling The Experts

There is so much attention to detail on the vehicle, both to make it look like a genuine Lotus-spec Cortina and to make it look as factory as possible, that even the experts are easily fooled. Of course, as soon as the car fires up and the almost unmuffled side pipe fills with the rumble of a V8, the game is up. The expressions on people’s faces during our photoshoot was a good indication of the looks the car gets on the streets. It’s obvious a lot of the older generation recognise and appreciate the car as a desirable Lotus model, or at least a good replica. Younger people seem to concentrate on the thought of a V8, let alone a supercharger in such a small car.

Once Simon has got the hang of driving the short-wheelbase powerhouse, the plan is to open the motor up, drop the compression ratio and raise the boost. Even as it sits, with just 4psi pushed through the motor, the car can only be described as brutal. With more power, you can just imagine the fun Simon will have behind the wheel.

Regardless of whether you’re a fan of Cortinas or not, the workmanship and thought that have gone into the build has to be appreciated. It truly is a work of art, and a vehicle many of us can learn a thing or two from.

Rather than call it subtle, I would describe it as sheer genius.

Simon Peryer – Owner Profile

Age: 40 or so
Occupation: Sit at a desk and gaze out the window
OTHER CARS CURRENTLY owned: 1965 Mustang fastback — manual, 289 A code 1972 Bolwell Nagari coupe
Build time: Just over one year
Length of ownership: Just over one year
Dream car: De Tomaso Pantera (exotic supercar with a Ford V8¦ how much better does it get than that?)
Why the Cortina: “I had a MkI Cortina with a V6 in bits when I was a student, but lack of funds meant it was never finished. I love the look of the two-door Cortina, combined with the power of a small block Ford. And I always wanted a supercharger.”
SIMON thanks: “Andy and the guys at Race FX have done a great job keeping to the concept, which was to keep the car looking as close to an original period race Lotus as possible, with only the sound to give it away. Nothing through the bonnet, single exhaust only, no drop tank, no huge wheels, and standard-looking interior. It takes a lot of effort to make it look so ordinary. Thanks to Matthew Walters for helping me find a good project car, and Clyde Walters for supplying the hard-to-get Cortina bits. And, of course, thanks to my wife for putting up with endless car stuff.”

1963 Ford Cortina two-door – Specifications

Engine: 302ci (4949cc) Windsor crate motor, 9.6:1 compression, alloy GT40 heads, custom injection, MSD throttle body, modified Edelbrock manifold, Procharger D1SC intercooled supercharger, RaceFX fuel system, custom aluminium fuel tank, MSD ignition, custom fabricated four-into-one HPC coated headers, three-inch pipe, side exit, custom radiator, header tank and overflow tank, Setrab oil cooler, Link computer, firewall recessed 356mm
Driveline: Tremec TKO600 five-speed, close ratio, overdrive fifth, narrowed 2000 Mustang 8.75-inch diff, custom driveshaft
Suspension: Custom four-link with Watts linkage, QA1 adjustable coil-overs, Mustang struts, Subaru Forester power steering rack mounted forward of the cross—member
Brakes: Alcon four-pot front callipers, Ford discs, Ford Mustang rears
Wheels/Tyres: 15×7 and 15×8-inch Performance Superlight rims, 205/55R15 and 225/55R15 Dunlop Formula R semi-slick tyres
Exterior: Subtle mini tubbing, pumped rear guards, reshaped front guards, Lotus-style paintwork
Interior: Rear—mounted seat position, Wilwood pedal box, extended steering column, Corbeau driver’s race seat, customised passenger seat, Triumph steering wheel, Smiths instruments water/oil and fuel gauges, rear half cage
Performance: Detuned to 500hp-plus (373kW-plus) at the wheels

Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Dan Wakelin

At first glance Steve Gooch’s Ford Thunderbird may look like a rust bucket, but take a closer look and you will soon see it’s a work of art

People always ask me when I’m going to paint it,” says Steve Gooch, chuckling as the two of us sit around a table at the back of NZV8’s central Auckland studio. As always, it’s dark in the large white room but for the occasional bright flash from the big studio lights. Each time I hear the soft, muted pop of the firing flashes, I catch a glimpse of the rough, muscular lines of Steve’s hulking 1958 Ford Thunderbird lurking at the other end of the building. “I’ll be honest Steve,” I reply, “This car might just be the greatest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

I’m sure if I am ever successful enough with a woman to produce a child of some kind, I might say otherwise, but for the moment, Steve Gooch’s 1958 Thunderbird is indeed the single best thing I’ve ever seen. A huge, rumbling machine with about as much anti-cookie-cutter bravado as any car ever to grace these pages. There simply isn’t anything else like it in New Zealand.

When Steve answers the paint question with, “What are you talking about? It is painted!” he is most often met with quizzical looks, which quickly transform to grins as people take a closer look at the unique coupe. Sure enough, this is a completely finished car, and many, many hours have gone into the exterior alone to get it to this point, even if it might not first appear that way. This is thanks to someone whom many regard as the best painter/airbrush artist in New Zealand, Steve Levine of Imagin-airing. “Originally I wanted to matte-black the car, but that is nothing new,” Gooch says. “Then I thought, why not build it to look like a ’50s Nascar racer? This, of course, has been done before, but no one has built a car to look like a ’50s Nascar racer that’s sat in a paddock for 40 years untouched.”.

In terms of the car’s history, the T-bird really did sit in a paddock Stateside for many years. That gave Steve the look he was after, but also the wear and tear to go with it. Levine’s task was to repeat that look once the car was put back to a roadworthy condition.

The work was done over the space of a few months, using a variety of different techniques. Rust and discolouration were airbrushed, new retro stickers were sourced then purposely aged, and some of the original paint was baked and retained. Steve even went so far as to add scrub marks on one side of the car from a fictitious encounter with another Nascar racer ” what a truly unique way to finish a vehicle. The end result is a visually stunning piece of machinery that is perhaps only bested in terms of toughness by the rumbling twin turbocharged 416ci bent eight sitting under the mottled hood.

I ask Steve why he decided to go down the turbocharged route, as opposed to natural aspiration or supercharging. “When I was in the United Kingdom, the place I worked at specialised in Ford Escorts, Cosworths, Group B rally cars and other turbocharged vehicles like that. So I had a lot to do with huffers and I could see the potential in them,” he explains. “Back then there weren’t many turbo cars in New Zealand, unlike today. So I started telling people I was going to turbocharge my 416 Windsor, which I had built up before leaving the country, and put it in the T-Bird. Once you’ve told someone you are doing it, everyone knows about it and you can’t back out, so I had to go through with it.”

Steve originally built his motor well over a decade ago to fit into a Super Saloon car he had at the time. That never eventuated, and the hulking great lump of American iron has since sat on the garage floor for much of its life, until recently, of course. The 416 runs a 400 Cleveland crank, polished and shot peened Chrysler rods and a set of Ross forged pistons. A flat tappet cam spins through the middle of the motor. According to Steve the cam is too aggressive for its new application, but was what was required at the time. Up top the motor runs ported four-valve Windsor heads, which contain stainless valves and custom roller rockers.

You might be wondering why “406ci” (equivalent to 6653cc) is painted on the bonnet if the car runs a 416. “Although the motor has done me well, it’s not perfect for this car,” Steve admits. “A 406, however, would be ideal, and parts are much easier to find, so the plan is to build up a new 406ci motor in the near future.”

Even though the motor was built so long ago, it does a fine job of handling the extra power provided by two much newer Garrett GT35R turbochargers, one hanging off each side of the motor. These have been modified with 1.06 A/R exhaust housings, used to help build boost more quickly.

As there are plural chargers, there are two of many things, including blow-off valves, that prevent compressor surge (caused by the turbos spinning backwards), and external wastegates, used to regulate boost pressure accurately.

Steve has fabricated a very trick intake tract and plenum that pulls in cold air through the original bonnet scoop. The air is then pressurised by the turbos and crammed through a custom intercooler, sitting behind a triple pass Morosso radiator, and passes into the heads as efficiently as possible. The fact that it looks damn cool doesn’t hurt either.

In terms of fuelling, Steve has built his system with the future in mind, speccing it with eight 1600cc Indy Blue injectors, a huge Barry Grant main pump and two supplementary lift pumps. Unlike many of the cars we see in NZV8 magazine, this Thunderbird is packing a little new-school tech to go with its old-school cool, and it sports an Aussie-made Autronic engine management system. This gives Steve huge tune-ability, and the potential for power is massive. Currently simmering on 720hp at the fly, the motor obviously has a lot more in it. Unfortunately, at 5500rpm the head gasket gave out and it was all over. According to Steve, 720hp is more than enough for now in any case. Give it a few more months, though, and who knows..?

On the other side of the equation, a massive and intricate four-inch twin exhaust system pulls gases out to the rear of the car. The exhaust is oval, in the centre for extra ground clearance, and runs alongside a C6 transmission that has been improved with a heavy duty input shaft, four sets of Idler planetary gears, a flex plate clutch and a 3000rpm stall converter. The trans puts power out to the rear 15×10.5-inch Centreline Convo Pro rims through a heavy duty driveshaft, a Detroit locker diff running 3.1:1 gears and 31-spline Moser axles.

Knowing the joys of a good brake setup, Steve ditched the factory system and ordered himself a host of new parts from disc brake specialist Wilwood. These included four-pot callipers and slotted discs all around, a new master cylinder and a brake bias valve mounted inside the luxurious and fully leather re-trimmed cabin. The bias valve has been joined by a set of Westach gauges, a launch control switch and a simple but powerful amplified stereo system from Sony and JVC.

As the shoot begins to wrap up, I pore over the Ford’s most intricate details with amazement. Everything that at first looked so imperfect is in fact quite the opposite ” pure perfection. I ask Steve, looking back over the last 14 years of the build, whether he would have done anything differently. “No, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he says. “If I had a different budget then sure, things would have been different, but I’m not a big money guy. I worked on this car over all these years when I could afford to and I’ve enjoyed it.” The rewards might have been a long time coming, but they sure as hell look to have been worth the wait.

Steve Gooch – Owner Details

Age: 38
Occupation: Mechanic
Previously owned Cars: ’74 XBGT Falcon, MkI Escort, C20 van, etc
Build time: Eight years
Length of ownership: 14 years
STEVE thanks: Gavin at High Velocity, Steve Levine at Imagin-airing, Grant’s Auto Upholstery, Stu, Scott Cunningham, Graham, Craig Hopkins at Kiwi Kustom Upholstery

1958 Ford Thunderbird

Engine: 416ci (6817cc) Windsor, 400 Cleveland crank, polished shot peened Chrysler rods, Ross forged pistons, flat tappet cam, HV oil pump, ported 4V Windsor heads, 47cc heads, 10.5:1 compression, stainless valves, roller rockers, custom steel intake plenum, cold air intake, K&N filter, two Garrett GT35R turbochargers, 1.06 A/R exhaust housings, two 46mm Tial external wastegates, two 50mm Tial blow-off valves, PWR intercooler core, custom-built intercooler tanks, 1600cc Indy Blue injectors, 2000hp Barry Grant main pump, two lift pumps, 10-litre surge tank, Malpasi regulator, four Mallory wasted spark coils, 10mm leads, Autronic ECU, full four-inch stainless steel exhaust system, customised triple pass Howe alloy radiator, two oil coolers, power steering cooler, Morosso accumulator, Evacupan oil breather system
Driveline: C6 transmission, heavy duty input shaft, four Idler planetary gear sets, 3000rpm stall converter, flex plate clutch, 3.1:1 Detroit locker diff, 31-spline Moser axles, heavy duty driveshaft
Suspension: Koni adjustable shocks, custom coils, heavy duty sway bar, Nolathane bushes, five link rear suspension, rose-jointed panhard rod
Brakes: Wilwood four-pot callipers, Wilwood vented discs, Wilwood pads, Wilwood brake bias valve, Wilwood master cylinder, two remote boosters, vacuum pump, tank in guard
Wheels/Tyres: 15×8.5-inch Centreline Convo Pro front rims, 15×10.5-inch Centreline Convo Pro rear rims, BFG 265/50R15 front rubber, BFG 305/50R15 rear rubber
Exterior: De-badged, 1960 Thunderbird grille, custom 40-year-old-look paint, airbrushing and stickers
Interior: Full leather re-trim, electric seats, aftermarket steering wheel, Westach gauges, battery kill switch, launch control switch. Sony head unit, Sony amplifiers, JVC speakers
Performance: 720hp (537kW) at the flywheel at 5500rpm

Words: Peter Kelly Photos: Quinn Hamill