IMAGE Conversions bossman Michael Ellard never really planned for his KE36 Corolla to be a MotorEx hero, but the boosted BEAMS-powered beasty snapped plenty of necks at the Melbourne event earlier this year.
The project began in earnest about six years ago, shortly after Michael pulled the covers off his 'Severed Ruby' Rodeo (SM, May '16). The ute was a resounding success, but when Michael and wife Lani's family began to grow, the two-seater became less than practical. "I had a little Toyota motor I'd built years ago and it was just sitting there, so I'd always wanted to get another Corolla," Michael recounts.
So began the hunt for a more family-friendly weekender, Michael finding this neat one-owner panel van six months later in Menai, NSW. "It belonged to an old couple; it was the husband's car and he'd passed away," he says. "The guy had it from new. He'd used it to take surfboards to the lifesavers at Menai Beach, and it had a big wooden roof box, so the roof was all protected. They didn't want to sell it to anyone who'd destroy it!"
Michael stayed true to their wishes for a while, driving the van in stock form for two years before getting stuck into the build. Though the 20V Toyota 1.6-litre in his shed was the initial choice for a swap, plans changed when he decided on a six-speed manual gearbox.
Michael snapped up a 1999 Toyota Altezza front cut with a low-kilometre 'blacktop' 3S-GE and J160 six-cogger in place. Much to Michael's glee, the 2.0-litre four also wore a turbo kit. The mill now runs an Aeroflow T28 snail, with engine management handled by a Link G4X ECU. On E85, the 1100kg car makes about 350hp at the tyres - heaps of grunt for a lightweight, manually shifted family driver! "After driving it for a bit, we're probably going to pull it down and do a full build on the motor," Michael says.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2022-Ausgabe von Street Machine Australia.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2022-Ausgabe von Street Machine Australia.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
ANIKA HODGES
THE CAR DROVE INTO OUR SHED AS A CREAM 202CI VC AND DROVE OUT AS A SILVER CAR WITH A 355 V8
STAGE FRIGHT
IT TOOK OWEN SCOTT MORE THAN 20 YEARS TO BUILD A TROPHY-WINING, 600HP EH HOLDEN UTE THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME
THE Ummmal SUSPECT
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MINI-TRUCKS. THIS SUMMERNATS TOP 60 HILUX IS A PROPER STREET MACHINE
FULLY UTILISED
HARDWOOD ROD & CUSTOM TURNS DARREN ISON'S HAND-ME-DOWN HT INTO A SMOOTH OPERATOR
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
PEOPLE POWER
WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT 36 YEARS OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS - AND MOST DEMOCRATICALLY AWARDED - HONOUR IN OUR SPORT: STREET MACHINE OF THE YEAR
OUT-AND-OUT MAYHEM
STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE IS ALREADY A ROLLICKING GOOD TIME, BUT WHAT CAR EVENT CAN'T BE MADE EVEN BETTER BY ADDING A BURNOUT COMP? INTRODUCING OUR INAUGURAL RODS OUT!
BAD TO THE BONE
THANKS TO HIS SON, ANDY, THE LATE MARIO COLALILLO’S 39 PLYMOUTH COUPE IS BACK ON THE ROAD AND STILL ONE OF THE BADDEST HOT RODS IN THE COUNTRY
THE CHALLENGE IS REAL
FROM TRACK DRAMAS TO SOARING TEMPERATURES, DRAG CHALLENGE 2024 THREW US SOME OF ITS TOUGHEST TESTS YET, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT SOME OF THE QUICKEST TIMES THE EVENT HAS EVER SEEN
