TRADE SECRETS
Street Machine Australia|March 2024
> DAVE CARNELL’S HQ TONNER RUNS NINES, MAKES 780HP AND COMPLETED DRAG CHALLENGE WITH A CHEAP-AS-CHIPS TURBO LS!
KIAN HEAGNEY
TRADE SECRETS

IT’S often said that less is more, and we reckon Dave Carnell’s HQ Tonner is the vehicular proof of that adage. The big ute has a PB of 9.50@138mph, successfully completed five days of Street Machine Drag Challenge torture, and made over 780hp at the hubs. And it did all that with a virtually bonestock, turbocharged, alloy-block LS!

The crank, rods, pistons, heads and even the plastic inlet on this L77 mill are all standard, with the only additions being gapped rings, an upgraded valvetrain and a VCM 16 camshaft to cop the boost from a Proboost GT42.

"I just like working with what I have, doing as much as I can myself," says Dave. "My goal was to run nines and drive to and from the track, and we've done that easier than I thought we would!"

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