For only its third show, this Show N Shine event has outdone itself seeing the Werribee Civic Centre car park and surrounding grounds filled to capacity. Raising funds for cancer and supported by the Cruzin Knights car club, it holds its own among the primary events listed on our car show calendar. With perfect weather and energetic eagerness, Read More →
Browsing Tags mustang
Cruisin’ the coast!
The Geelong Street Rodders had their annual cruise today known as the Koastal Kruise hence it heads down around the picturesque Surf Coast stopping at the famous Bells Beach for a coffee before continuing onto the quiet coastal town of Aireys Inlet for some lunch. Read More →
Danny’s reborn 1966 Mustang
So what’s your flavour when it comes to Mustangs; coupe or fastback, classic or wild, red, white, black…….or how about yellow? The list of options is endless and when you buy one that has no identifying colours at all and is the equivalent of a blank canvas, your list of options is completely up to you! Wow! Too much to think about! This is exactly what 19 year old Danny Sammut faced when he gazed over the newly acquired project parked before him in his garage!
Let’s step back a moment and see how this all came about. We all remember when we were 19, newly licensed and a head full of ambition and drive with our desire for that elusive piece of automotive art seemingly just out of reach! Well Danny was in the same predicament, not 100 percent sure what he wanted yet was ready to get his teeth into something! All he knew was that it had to be a Mustang. An annual trip to the Queenscliff Rod Run cemented in his mind the desire to own a 1966 Mustang fastback and within a week of the seed being planted, he had located one, checked it out and laid down the folding stuff! The overall condition of the Pony ride was questionable to say the least but Danny, with the help from his Dad, Nick knew what they were getting into. So dedicated was Danny that he even turned up late to his own 19th birthday party to buy it! “All the family were at my house waiting for me to attend my party and I was out with Dad picking up the car.” Upon seeing the classic fastback arrive home on a trailer, his Mum just cried thinking what have they done!
Purchased in Templestow, the classic muscle originally came from California where its final days in America were spent as a chicken coop (no pun intended) housing the flightless birds for a local Mexican farmer. The years of neglect and chicken manure weren’t kind on the metal leaving the floor corroded out beyond repair. The rest of the car seemed to be a mismatch of different panels and parts, perfect for a complete ground up rebuild. The bonus about taking on a dilapidated vehicle like this with your own ideas for its finish is you don’t feel guilty about destroying a piece of preserved history. Danny would actually be breathing new life into the old girl while customising it to his own personal taste.
As in all builds, Danny started with the strip-down to see what needed to be done and Danny’s Dad, handy with the welder, built a rotisserie to mount the body onto for ease of work. The majority of the body work was done in house by Danny and thanks to Nick’s skills in metal work while Danny was learning fast along the way. The whole floor was relaced while the rest of the body and panels weren’t too bad and cleaned up nicely. With the body work completed, it was now time to choose a colour. “Colour was the hardest choice” say Danny and I’ve got to say, it’s a bold choice too especially when combining the silver stripes. I asked him where he got the colour idea from and he informs me he saw another Stang on the Net in the USA with a similar colour while Photoshop helped decide the colour choice for the stripes. He wasn’t going in blind on this decision!
Paul from Chase Customs and Restorations was given the job of spraying on the bright yellow with silver stripes. To really go that extra step, a custom pearl mix was added complimenting the classic lines to perfection.
Once back home again, a new black Deluxe Pony interior was installed paying tribute to the Ford designers of the era who designed the popular muscle car while a custom billet dash and B&M shifter tells the viewer it’s no stocker.
The mechanicals of this 60’s beast have been treated to the full show quality detail, again allowing Danny to decide what he wanted to do. A highly detailed stroked 302 Windsor with alloy heads boasting 480 HP on the dyno resides under the hood followed by a C10 auto with stage 2 shift kit. Down the back is a True Track nine inch while a twin three inch stainless exhaust system lets other road users know he’s coming. With so much power under foot, common sense says this ride needs decent brakes and Danny fitted 300mm twin piston callipers and slotted rotors all round. Ride is courtesy of King coils and KYB shockers. As Danny is an electrician by trade, it was only natural that he would also handle the electrical duties. The whole car was rewired using a Classic Auto Wire update kit giving him piece of mind while on the road.
With a standout colour scheme, no ordinary wheels are going to cut it so Danny opted for 18 inch Intros all round fitted with Falken tyres. If you don’t hear it coming, you’ll definitely see it coming!
Taking approximately two and a half to three years to complete, this immaculately presented ride is no trailer queen and spends many a weekend at car shows receiving the deserved accolades along the way. While a car like this may have a dollar value on it, you can’t put a price on the father and son bonding time spent together working long hours consumed by their love of all things automotive. Danny also gives a big thank you to other family members including his partner Jess who, like most dedicated partners, tolerated the life of a garage widow while Danny burned the midnight oil to complete his dream.
PSRA (Performance Street and Race Autoshow) 2013
This long weekend in June saw the inaugural opening of the Performance Street and Race Autoshow, known as PSRA, come to fruition showcasing new cars, new performance products and a fantastic array of hi-performance showcars and bikes. This will become Australia’s version of SEMA, a similar event held in the United States, and will be an annual show utilizing the facilities at the Royal Melbourne Show grounds for hopefully many years to come.
The layout showcased a mix of old school rides and equipment mixed with the latest high tech gear available for today’s modern machines which had a strong showing as well. An automotive enthusiast could purchase him or herself some serious equipment for their ride covering everything from the ground up, from the latest sticky boots, big rims, wild wrap around vinyl, performance gear from engine to differentials, interior mods including bass driven stereo systems.
Spending motivation came from the many custom and wild rides, old and new, found spread throughout the large pavilion including a good selection of the wild two wheeled varieties known to most as Harleys or “hogs”. Cars and bikes alike showcased the skills of the professionals as well as the DIYs with their polished and pristine finishes leaving many a punter heading home with reinvigorated enthusiasm and fresh ideas.
The ambience was befitting such an event with the deep base of stereos and a DJ pumping out the latest driving tunes broken up periodically by the high revving exhaust note of a performance vehicle being put through its paces on the dyno.
The three day event closed with the customary trophy presentation and thank you speeches by the organisers and promising to continue the professionally run event next year so, if you missed out on this one, check out the pics, mark it in your calendar for next year and start saving your pennies!
Keep on cruisin’
Cheers,
Greg
Keilor car and vintage bike show 2013
This time of year sees the weather turn decidedly chilly for those of us still out perusing the car show circuit and the turnout today at the Keilor car and vintage bike show proved that nothing will deter an enthusiast from what they enjoy most. The Rotary club of Keilor once again put on a spectacular event behind the Keilor hotel filling all areas quickly and by mid-morning new arrivals were lucky to find themselves a spot. The variety on show to the public was vast from all manner of Australian and American makes and models to European and Japanese rides including a great array of bikes to boot.
The popularity of this event grows every year thanks to the professionalism and expertise of the Rotary club and detailed judging done by those who are in the know. The layout lends itself well to a family friendly atmosphere with multiple areas filled with polished and pristine rides discovered around every corner. It’s great to see the regulars turn up each year while new faces and rides come to see what all the fuss is about guaranteeing their return next time too. Congratulations to those who were lucky enough to take home their respective category trophies and a big pat on the back for the organisers.
This event could well be celebrated as the grand finale of the car and bike show circuit for the season with winter around the corner and most of us set to head for hibernation, be it in the shed or catching up with family till September. Don’t fret though as we can always find something automotive related on in this state so keep an eye out for my “what’s on this weekend” listing and you’ll still get your fix somewhere!
Keep on cruising,
Cheers,
Greg
Great displays deserve great photography
ShowcarsMelbourne car show 2013
Once again the ShowcarsMelbourne car show team led by Elvis put on a spectacular event for its second year running showcasing the high quality of vehicles and bikes that can be found throughout Melbourne as well as interstate. This indoor/ outdoor event located in Altona catered for all genres of vehicles from classic rods,street rods, American and Australian muscle through to high tech Australian, American and Import rides. A variety of custom Harleys could also be found dispersed throughout the Sporting Complex.
Noted display vehicles that the punters could peruse over was the environmentally friendly Zeroed, the high tech vehicles of Ovakil and FINEVY as well as the burnout beast of KILLA-B (although no demonstration was on hand). A variety Chev and Ford’s finest were on show while Holden’s elite held its own.
Outside saw plenty of polished pride on display too, bathing in the glorious autumn weather while food and beverage stands catered for the enthusiastic attendees. With forty trophies on hand for the high quality show, judges had their work cut out for them selecting which rides take home the coveted silverware.
All in all, the event went off without a hitch seeing many people mark this occasion as a regular in their automotive calendar guaranteeing they return next year. I’ll certainly be there I look forward to seeing you there too.
Keep on cruising,
Cheers,
Greg
AOMC All American Day 2013
Never have I seen a car show utilize the size of the area this show has to the point of having turn vehicles away but that is what happened today. The All American car show put on by the AOMC and sponsored by Shannons Insurance had such a huge turnout of classic, custom, old and new and covering all American marques and models that by 11am they had no choice but to shut the gates. My estimate would put the number of vehicles to over 1200 with reports of another smaller car show starting out in the car park from those turned away. Even those looking to simply attend in person had to line up due to the popularity of this mega-event. With perfect autumn weather in Melbourne, the order of the day was to find an outside activity and anyone with a strong interest in this vocation could be expected to attend this automotive spectacular among others found in and around Melbourne.
Mustangs lined up for row after row while the bowtie enthusiasts occupied another large part of the manicured lawns of Flemington Racecourse. Other sections catered for Ford, Buick, Chrysler and other marques. A number of clubs set up their displays showcasing the quality of their member’s rides while individuals filled out the rest of the grounds with polished up prides and joy. Covering everything from hot rods through to the latest muscle cars, there was something for everyone while trade stands and children’s activities complimented the fantastic family day out.
This social occasion also makes it a great opportunity to catch up with fellow automotive enthusiasts and shoot the breeze on what’s been going on or recent shows attended. I look forward to the next event on our car biased calendars to seeing what new, old or different in our scene! One thing’s for sure, these shows just keep growing in stature and size!
Keep on crusin,
Cheers,
Greg
An image speaks a 1000 words!
Werribee District Collectible Vehicle Club show n shine 2013
A small but impressive array of vehicles gathered today at the Mossfiel Reserve in Hoppers Crossing for the Werribee District Collectible Vehicle Club show n shine. This annual event always attracts a wide variety of motoring memorabilia covering many genres from your tough street rods, Aussie and American muscle cars through to an eclectic assortment of vintage European and home grown rides just to name a few. The laid back approach to today’s event was just the tonic for a Sunday stroll around our favourite vocation while catch up with old friends and meeting new ones with likeminded interests. It is always a guarantee at these locally run shows and any excuse to get the pride and joy out too!
With fantastic weather, a bucking bronco, a handful of trade stands and Fletch from Classic Restos, the show was complete and catered well for the perusing admirers. Trophy time saw the judges hard work done and all that remained was a casual cruise home and a check of the calendar for what’s on next! If you’re not sure what’s coming up next weekend or in the future, why not drop me an email and I can add you to my “what’s on this weekend mailing list” where you will be kept up to date each week with what shows and swap meets can be found in Victoria.
Keep on cruising,
Cheers,
Greg
Westfad car show 2013
Today I decided to venture off to a show I knew little about and as this show was only in its second year of running, it is understandable. A great local event located at Bunnings Warehouse in Caroline Springs, West side of Melbourne, this car and bike show brought out the quality of rides normally reserved for much bigger events. The variety of vehicles on show covered many genres giving punters a great in vision into what the automotive scene is about.
With all proceeds going to Westfad, a joint venture between the Deer Park and Sunshine Lions clubs to be distributed to the needy, car and bike enthusiasts alike are more than happy to throw their weight behind such a charity if it’s an excuse to get their pride and joy out for the day! The high temperature couldn’t keep them away and the reserved section of the parking lot quickly filled up.
This is to become an annual event and, with the continued support of Bunnings and fantastic organising skills of Westfad, Bunnings may have to give up more of their carpark for future events! So if you’re looking to feel good about helping charity while needing an excuse to get your pride and joy out, mark this one down in your calendar and we’ll see you there next year!
Keep on cruising!
Cheers,
Greg
SpringNats 20
The last weekend of November saw the kings of skid juggernaut roll into the central Victorian township of Shepparton thanks to the team at Autofest bringing with them the hot weather. These guys and girls who love to destroy tires in spectacular fashion weren’t about to take a laid back country approach to the challenge set before them and set about laying a smoke cloud over the small city destined to hang there for some time! With a full program laid out before them, entrants had plenty to keep them busy from the test your rides turning ability corkscrew challenge to the how good does your beast stop go-to-whoa side by side action. The autokana tested the use of their mirrors by driving and reversing around a laid out course and proved they weren’t just for checking what was burning out back and what wasn’t. A mobile dyno was also set up onsite allowing you to prove to your mates that your machine really does pack that much muscle and maybe pick up some silverware for the effort. Supporting this in-your-face sport were an array of both street and elite show cars on display in the pavilions and lush green lawns of the Shepparton show grounds. These highly detailed machines ranging from tough street rods through to wild Yankee iron and Aussie bred muscle gave the doting public a more sedate look into the modified automotive world while things remained at full pace out on the rubber hungry pad. To kick the weekend’s events off were the much renowned burnout team of Peter and Debbie Gray giving the fans double the action with a side by side tire frying feat. Not to be outdone, Team Extreme let off steam by showing us what they were made of while the Drift Patrol put on a worthy demonstration showing us multiple car control at full tilt! The cracking pace of the weekend was destined to have its fare share of casualties in the driving events and only the strongest would survive through to Sunday night’s presentation. Top honors for the weekend went to Ross Mayes and his 32 Tudor better known as Burnt 1 after demonstrating this big block beast has as much go as it does show! The top 20 burnout rankings showed us who was on top after the smoke cleared with the accolades going to Steve Loader and UCSMOKE followed by Peter Grmusa’s EVILXA and David Cufone’s FATRAT filling out the podium. The girls weren’t going to be outdone either with the queen of Springnats award going to Lisa Howie and her Holden Torana. With the sport growing in popularity and engine builders, driveline manufacturers and chassis designers getting a handle on what it takes to build a machine to hack the extreme stresses of a burnout comp in today’s environment, we’re guaranteed this in-your-face high performance spectacular and its eclectic community of competitors will continue to come up with new and imaginative ways of destroying those rubber dounuts while entertaining the masses. I’m hooked on the scene and if you haven’t seen it for yourself, look out for the next burnout comp, pack in some earplugs and sunscreen and come on down!
Keep on cruisin’
Greg
