purple - smoty - Street Machine

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STREET MACHINE
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STREET MACHINE
049
S
OME people are predestined to
buy a certain car. Victorian Mopar
fan Mick Lulic is one of those
people.
“I grew up being ferried around
in my parents’ V8 Charger,” Mick
says. “It did all the daily chores –
school runs, holidays, shopping, you name it – so
when the time came to get my licence, buying my
own Charger was a no-brainer.”
It might be hard for younger readers to imagine
streets full of daily-driven old-school machines,
but that was how it was in the 80s and early 90s,
with plenty of worthy candidates up for grabs.
“I settled on this VH Charger,” Mick continues.
“It was a Vitamin C-coloured R/T mock-up with
Dave knew that, deep down, Mick wanted
purple, and his dedication to the project really
took the Charger to the next level. “He finished the
car far beyond my expectations and we’ve since
become close friends,” Mick says.
Dave eliminated any standard Chrysler rust and
whipped up the steel reverse-cowl bonnet, before
bathing the stumpy coupe in fresh coats of factory
Plum Crazy metallic. The stock brightware and
driving-lamp grille were restored, and along with
the colour, they firmly stamp the VH with 70s
spunk.
Engine-wise, Mick didn’t have to look far to find
a trusted builder. He called on good mate and
Chrysler guru Theo Diamond to piece together
a stout small-block. “Theo has always built my
charge. The Edelbrock Performer aluminium
heads have been heavily massaged and fitted
with offset rockers. They’re divided by a Super
Victor intake, and a Pro Systems 1000cfm carb
sits pretty to draw the most from that beautifully
crafted reverse-cowl scoop.
An MSD distributor and 6AL module keep a fire
in the belly, while cooling duties are handled by
a Meziere electric water pump, hefty aluminium
radiator and twin thermo fans.
“Theo has never let me down. I asked for a
motor that was pump-friendly and well-behaved
on the street, but turned into a monster when you
mash the pedal – and that is exactly what I got!”
Mick laughs. “A 10.60@125mph is its current
best, but it will happily soak up a 150km round
I grew up with my parents’ V8 Charger, so buying my own was a no-brainer
a heavy-breathing Hemi.” The 400hp 265 was
a healthy six even by today’s standards, but an
avgas-only diet and some niggling rust issues
started to wear Mick down. “We dropped in a
tough 360 to improve its streetability, but after
15 years the body was starting to look a little
sad. I’d patched it up here and there to keep it
presentable, but the time came when it just wasn’t
good enough.
“I met a bloke called Dave Blackham who loves
Chryslers and knows his way around their body
and paint. I was originally going to stick to Vitamin
C to keep the costs down, but Dave rang me
saying: ‘I’ve just bare-metalled your whole car so
you might want to change the colour!’”
engines. He helped push the old 265 to 12.50s
nearly 20 years ago and knows Mopar donks
inside and out.”
The Diamond-built 360 mentioned earlier
had been fitted to the car back in 2000, and
later upgraded to a 408 stroker. But with the
car stripped bare for panel and paint, the boys
decided to freshen-up the small-block and treat it
to a few refinements.
Theo retained the factory 360 block and Eagle
forged stroker crank, adding Scat H-beam rods
and forged pistons to round out the bottom end.
A custom-grind Wade .590-lift cam and Crow
pushrods are all business, while Comp springs
and Manley valves bear the brunt of the exploding
trip to Melbourne with ease. It truly is the best of
both worlds.”
The obligatory 727 transmission was pieced
together by John Sinosich, who added a reversepattern full-manual valvebody and locally sourced
Dominator 5000rpm stall. A heavy-duty tailshaft
sends power rearwards to an XY nine-inch,
packed with a full spool, 4.33 gears and 31-spline
billet Moser axles.
A neat tub job is the handiwork of another of
Mick’s car mates, Nick Dumic, who casually
forced Mick’s hand. “I asked Nick if I could store
the Charger in his garage while my own shed was
being built,” Mick remembers. “He was more than
happy to oblige on the condition that he tubbed
ENGINE: Theo Diamond built the 600hp
408-cube small-block, and it has
propelled Mick and the Charger to a
10.60@125mph. Originally specced with
a 215 and three-on-the-tree, the car used
to sport a tough 265 running triple 50mm
Webers backed by a five-speed and then a
Powerglide, before the move to a V8
HEY CHARGER
Use the free viewa app and scan
this page to meet Mick and his
purple Valiant
050
STREET MACHINE
INSIDE: Chrysler Australia nailed the
muscle car look in ’72: bucket seats,
sports wheel and tacho dash – all
resplendent in black – are hard to top, and
hark back to this Charger’s early years
as an R/T replica. Selected Auto Meter
gauges and a B&M shifter are the only
non-70s inclusions
STREET MACHINE
051
MICK LULIC
1972 VALIANT VH
CHARGER
Colour: Plum Crazy
ENGINE
Make: Chrysler 408ci
Carb: Pro Systems 1000cfm
Intake: Edelbrock Super Victor
Heads: Edelbrock Performer
alloy, ported
Pistons: Diamond forged
flat-top
Crank: Eagle forged 408
stroker
Camshaft: Wade custom .590
lift, 260@50
Ignition: MSD distributor,
MSD 6AL
Cooling: Aluminium radiator,
twin thermo fans, Meziere
water pump
the car while it was there!” Nick’s work is neat as a
pin, and the level of finish and detailing continues
the ‘factory’ theme found throughout.
The rear springs were moved inwards for better
tyre clearance, and work in conjunction with a set
of Caltrac traction bars and Rancho drag shocks.
The standard Chrysler front end uses thinnerdiameter six-cylinder torsion bars and 90/10
shocks for better weight transfer.
XF Falcon calipers have been adapted to VH
front discs, while Ford rear drums were retained
as part of the old-school nine-inch conversion. A
16:1-ratio R/T Charger steering box is a rare bit
of kit these days and is topped by an ever-cool
three-spoke Chrysler sports twirler.
Rims are Weld Magnums in 3.5-inch front and
10-inch rear widths, wrapped in 165/85 Hankooks
and 325/50 M/T street radials respectively.
Step inside and you’re greeted by an original
R/T interior, resplendent in black vinyl, a holdover
from the car’s replica days. A factory sports dash
looks the business, but with the original gauges
Exhaust: Custom four-intoone headers, twin 3in system,
Magnaflow mufflers
DRIVELINE
Gearbox: Chrysler 727, fullmanual, reverse-pattern
Converter: Dominator 5000rpm
Diff: Ford XY nine-inch, full
spool, 31-spline Moser axles,
4.33 gears
UNDERNEATH
Front: Chrysler torsion bar
Rear: Relocated leaf springs
Steering: R/T 16:1
recirculating ball
Brakes: Valiant rotors/XF Falcon
calipers (f), Ford drums (r)
WHEELS & TYRES
Rims: Weld Magnum; 15x3.5
(f), 15x10 (r)
about as accurate as a game of blind darts, a
selection of Auto Meter versions have been added
for peace of mind.
Gary Harrison took care of the electrical work
and final assembly, and since the completion of
this latest build Mick has racked up 12 months of
hassle-free driving.
After 20 years together, Mick and the Charger
have finally reached the pinnacle of their
relationship, and he’s happy to label the car
‘finished’. “This is my dream car and I’ll never part
with it; it’s like a time capsule to my life,” he says. “I
can’t stop tinkering though and I am in the throes
of building a CL ute, which will run something
turboed, or maybe an aspirated big-cuber.”
Either way, Mick will call on the same team to
help make this new project a reality.
“My wife Sandra is totally supportive of my cars,
and I’m surrounded by the best Chrysler guys in
the business, who I can proudly call my mates.
You breathe a lot easier knowing your car is with
tradesmen who will treat it like their own.” s
This is my dream car and I’ll never part with it; it’s
like a time capsule to my life
EXTERIOR: Plum Crazy metallic paint is straight
from the ’72 Chrysler options list and is the perfect
complement to the Charger’s unmistakeable lines.
“Chrysler, Holden and Ford all got one thing right in
the early years,” Mick says. “Factory paint. You can’t
beat original colours as they never go out of fashion
or make your car look ‘wrong’. It’s a sure thing”
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STREET MACHINE
Rubber: Hankook 165/85 (f),
M/T Radial 325/50 (r)
THANKS
My wife Sandra; Theo
Diamond, engine and tech
support; John Sinosich,
transmission; Dave Blackham,
body and paint; Gary Harrison,
final assembly; Troy and
Ryder Athanasiou