Zane Hau`s Satellite packs enough grunt to send itself into orbit

BLAST OFF
PADDY
STORY SIMO N MAJO R PHOTOS SCOTT
enough grunt
Zane Hau’s Satellite packs
to send itself into orbit
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STREET MACHINE
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A
S A Mercedes-Benz sales manager,
Zane Hau spends his working week
surrounded by modern luxury and
performance. But when the weekend
comes, he loves nothing more than to
ditch the suit and tie and burn rubber
with the best of ’em. “I love old-school
muscle,” he says. “I’d been toying with building a muscle
car for a number of years, but it had to be the real deal.”
For Zane, the ‘real deal’ meant only one thing: US Mopar.
“I owned a pro street VG Valiant hardtop and have always
been a fan of big coupes. There aren’t many people here
in Australia who have given high-end Chrysler muscle a
red-hot go, so that in itself was a reason to aim high.
“I saw the potential in this 1970 Plymouth Satellite after
spotting it on eBay and knew with the right guys on board
we could build something special. I wanted it heavy in the
rear and sinister from the front; a car that is everything I
love about tough street machines.”
Zane’s eBay find was a nice-looking stocker imported
directly from Michigan, but as is often the case, ‘nice’ in the
pics meant ‘rough’ in reality. To sort out the issues, Zane
chose the first of his ‘right guys’: Wilky’s Pro Paintz, located
close to home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. “I’ve
known Jason Wilky and his team for 12 years, so they’ve
had plenty of warning about my intentions,” he laughs.
Forty-five years’ worth of rust and panel issues were
sorted before Jason and his crew hooked into the custom
metalwork. A low-slung ride was always paramount, so
the floorpans were sectioned and lifted to allow for muffler
clearance, while the transmission tunnel and boot floor were
raised to handle the six-inch suspension drop.
The original firewall was replaced with smooth metal, and all
door handles, locks, mirrors, reflectors and the original wipers
were shaved. Shortened and smoothed bumpers were
tucked in tight, while additional flat sheet was rolled out for
the boot floor and a seven-inch widening of the factory tubs.
The metalwork was then lavished in a custom-mix PPG
Pearl Grey, which highlights the oh-so-smooth engine bay and
signature 1970 scooped rear quarters. Check out the supercool custom bonnet bulge; it follows the original bonnet lines
but continues along the cowl, and is finished in subtle black
’70 Road Runner stripes that pay homage to the Plymouth’s
muscle-car pedigree. The ‘Mopar’ airbrush graphic on the tail
is a neat touch applied by Vicki at CrazyPaint.
“Although the car is showy, I never wanted it to be blingy,”
Zane says. “Any chrome has been colour-coded or painted
satin black, adding a modern edge to the old-school shape.”
The custom-mix
PPG Pearl Grey
highlights
the signature 1
970 scooped re
ar quarters
EXTERIOR: Huge 20x15 rear
hoops, reverse rake and
anti-bling finish create a
distinctive look that draws
on elements of both pro
street and pro touring. The
rear-quarter side scoops are
a factory pressing unique to
the 1970 Plymouth range
INTERIOR: The factory front
bucket-bench seat offers
maximum cruising comfort
for Sunday drives. The
Billet Specialties twirler
and interior surfaces were
refinished in a combination
of black suede, leather and
Mercedes-Benz carpet
BOOT: While some would
expect the boot to be
trimmed in leather, Zane
chose to highlight the
custom metalwork in
matching grey paint, with
any additional hardware
kept in view and painted
satin black
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The new tub and boot layout was put to good use, with
Zane choosing coil-overs, CalTracs and a mono-leaf spring
set-up for the rear. The front retains the famous Mopar
torsion bar assembly, aided by coil-over shocks, with a
Unisteer power rack-and-pinion system replacing the dated
recirculating ball and drag-link.
There are monster stoppers front and rear: four-spot
calipers clamping drilled and slotted discs – all from the
Wilwood range – with a matching Wilwood master cylinder.
Rims are cool ceramic-coated 20-inch Boyd Coddingtons
with matte-black centres.
Given that the Satellite shares a bodyshell with the
legendary Plymouth Superbird, big cubes are a damn-near
legal requirement, and let’s face it, a small-block would look
totally underwhelming in the generous B-body engine bay.
Zane called on Robby at Abbott Engines to screw together
500 cubes worth of Chrysler Wedge donk, based around
a tall-deck RB 440 block.
Capacity has been improved with a Scat forged stroker
crank and rods, while a JE forged piston and ring set
provides optimum compression for 98 octane pump gas.
The fuel-air mix is controlled by a custom Howards roller
camshaft via ported Indy cylinder heads, topped with
an Indy single-plane manifold and a 1050 Holley Ultra
Dominator carb.
Capably supporting the 700+hp donk is a Coan
727 automatic transmission, 4000rpm stall converter,
transbrake and reverse-pattern valvebody. A threeinch tailshaft and sheet-metal nine-inch round out the
drivetrain, the latter packed with 4.1 gears, 35-spline
axles, billet yoke and Strange hemisphere.
Living and breathing Mercedes-Benz by day has
undoubtedly influenced Zane’s ideas for the Plymouth,
especially the interior. He commissioned Brendan
at Gadenne Motor Trimming to stitch together a
combination of black leather and suede that adds a
luxurious element to the otherwise hardcore Mopar,
complemented by a custom dash housing a brace of
Auto Meter American Muscle gauges and a Euro-style
push-button start assembly.
The Plymouth wowed the crowds when it was
unveiled at the 2014 Brisbane Hot Rod show, scoring
the coveted People’s Choice gong and third-place
honours for Coupe Of The Show. At this year’s Mopar
Sunday, Zane’s Satellite was awarded Top Show Car
– Modified, and the honour of a victory parade to boot.
“We’ve racked up a number of street miles to fine-tune
the car,” Zane says. “Once that’s sorted, we’ll head to
Willowbank and aim for a 10-second pass. It’s a heavy
car so it can be a 10.999 and I’ll still be happy.” s
WHEELS: At 12.9 inches, the disc
rotors needed substantial rims to
house them, so Zane gave the nod
to 20-inch Boyd Coddingtons with
ceramic-coated matte-black centres.
The fronts measure up at 81/2 inches
wide, while the whopping 15-inchwide rears certainly lend the big
Plymouth an air of menace
ENGINE: The 500-cube Chrysler
Wedge motor was assembled by
Robby at Abbott Engines. With new
pipes currently in the build, the
boys are hoping for 725hp. MSD
componentry handles the ignition,
while a four-core alloy radiator and
twin thermo fans will help keep the
fierce Queensland summer at bay
ZANE HAU
1970 PLYMOUTH SATELLITE
Colour: Custom PPG Pearl Grey
ENGINE
Make: Chrysler Wedge 500ci
Carb: Holley 1050 Ultra Dominator
Intake: Indy 4500 single-plane
Heads: Indy alloy, custom-ported
Crank: Scat forged 4340
Rods: Scat
Pistons: JE forged flat-top
Camshaft: Howards roller,
[email protected]
Lifters: Howards
Ignition: MSD Digital-7, MSD
billet distributor, MSD coil
Cooling: Custom four-core alloy
radiator, twin thermo fans
Exhaust: Two-inch primary pipes,
twin three-inch system
DRIVELINE
I wanted the Plymouth to be heavy in the
rear and sinister from the front
Gearbox: Coan 727 Torqueflite,
reverse-pattern valvebody
Converter: 4000rpm stall
Diff: Sheet-metal 9in, 4.1 gears,
Strange centre, 35-spline axles
UNDERNEATH
Front: Torsion bar with coil-overs
Rear: Four-link
Shocks: QA1 adjustable (f),
Strange (r)
Steering: Unisteer powerassisted rack-and-pinion
Brakes: Wilwood 12.9in drilled
and slotted discs with Wilwood
four-spot calipers (f & r)
Master cylinder: Wilwood
WHEELS & TYRES
Rims: Boyd Coddington; 20x8.5
(f), 20x15 (r)
Rubber: 245/35R20 (f), M/T
Sportsman 29x18R20LT (r)
THANKS
Jason and the staff at Wilky’s
Pro Paintz for building me
exactly what I wanted; Brendan
at Gadenne Motor Trimming;
Pete at WAW Wiring; Robby at
Abbott Engines; my beautiful
partner Meija for her support
with building my dream car
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