IMPURE THOUGHTS

PATRICK LAWLER AND HIS MATES BUILT A DRAG CHALLENGE WEAPON TO RILE UP THE PURISTS

- KIAN HEAGNEY

PATRICK Lawler has become a regular in the staging lanes at Drag Challenge, taking on both the 2018 five-day event and last year’s three-day Drag Challenge Weekend in his controversial LS1swapped AP6 Valiant.

Patrick and his good mate Todd Marshall built the AP6 in record time for DC 2018, pulling the shell out from under Patrick’s house and getting to work to ready the Mopar for its new Chevy heart.

“The LS was really the only way I could afford to do it; plus it always pisses off the purists, which is good as well,” Patrick laughs.

Todd took care of the fab work, giving the AP6 a set of mini-tubs, converting it to Commodore rack-and-pinion steering and shoehorning the LS into its new home, while Patrick gave the car a fresh coat of blue. “We just had to massage the crossmember a bit; the engine went in pretty easily,” says Todd.

Hanging off the side of the stock LS1 is a pair of el cheapo Chinese GT35 hairdryers, with a tuned LS1 ECU running PULP 98 to complete the budget package. With 470rwhp under the belt on just 9psi, the boys headed down from Queensland to make their Drag Challenge debut in Melbourne in 2018.