The untimely passing of Harry Haig last year had a profound effect on many people in the drag-and-drive community, not least of all his friends and family. Paul Douglas, who’d known Harry for years and joined him on two of his Street Machine Drag Challenge escapades, realised that it was no good having a half-finished race car cluttering up his shed, and got stuck back into it. The result is this beastly Cortina that should carry Paul well into the seven-second zone.

First published in the May 2025 issue of Street Machine

The little TD has been in Paul’s possession since 2010, when he chucked a cheeky $400 bid on an eBay auction and woke up later to find he’d won. “It was a shitbox four-cylinder car from Melbourne,” says the New South Welshman. “I did all the panelwork and painted it a really nice silver. I used to run it at Heathcote with a nitrous 380-cube four-bolt Clevo. It eventually ran an 8.9@150mph, but it developed a bit of an oil leak, and when I pulled it apart it was cracked through the webbing.”

Seven years of whittling away at a complete rebuild has resulted in a car that is a serious step up from its former incarnation in every aspect, starting with the driveline. Robby Abbott, who Paul met while on Drag Challenge, took care of the engine build. It’s a Clevor combo based around a 9.2in-deck World Man O’War block filled with a Callies Magnum crank, Oliver Speedway rods with ARP 625 Plus bolts, and Diamond forged pistons for a displacement of 400 cubes.

Paul saved the CHI 3V heads from the nitrous Clevo, though the ports have copped a tickle from a CNC machine, and all the hardware has been upgraded. A large custom Crow solid-roller gives the orders to Ferrea valves through BAM lifters, Crow pushrods, Yella Terra rockers and PSI springs, while Jomar stud girdles keep everything locked in place.

There’s plenty going on outside the engine, too. A pair of Precision PT6266 snails stuff copious quantities of air into the engine via a water-to-air intercooler so large that it takes up most of the passenger footwell! A 102mm Holley throttlebody manages the airflow, and the CHI manifold was modified to carry the 2200cc Bosch injectors.

Supplying E85 for the street and bulk methanol at the track is the job of an extensive fuel system consisting of a pair of Aeromotive Eliminator electric pumps in the boot, and an Aeromotive 12-Series mechanical on the back of a belt-driven Barnes oil pump. A Holley Dominator ECU does the thinking, using a Holley crank trigger and EFI Connection cam sync for positional info.

Does it make much power? “It’ll make 1250hp at the wheels with the small turbos, and I’m aiming to run 7.50-7.60s at 180mph,” says Paul. “Once I run a number, I can swap the turbos for a pair of 88mm ones!”

A 4200rpm ATI converter cops the Clevor’s clout and passes it to a full-tilt Reid Powerglide built for 2500hp. Well-known Cortina pilot Daniel ‘Pazzo’ Nunziante hooked Paul up with the reinforced nine-inch housing, to which he added a flash Strange aluminium centre, 3.25:1 Motive gears, and 35-spline Moser axles. The suspension geometry is all based on the factory pick-up points, but Luke Lingard of Duke’s Custom Fabrication knocked up adjustable chrome-moly arms to locate the diff.

Speaking of Luke, he was tasked with all manner of jobs on the car, including making the steampipe turbo headers, exhaust, engine plate, intercooler, intercooler plumbing, tubs, fuel tank and methanol header tank, rollcage, and the intricate chassis bracing that binds the car together. Paul can’t speak highly enough of Luke’s work. “I dropped off the car and all the parts; I think it was only there for three weeks when Paul rings me and goes, ‘What else do you want done?’” Paul laughs. “His work is second to none.”

Body-wise, GAPP U has come a long way from its former self. “The body was pretty average, full of car park dents, and it had been in a crash,” says Paul, “The right-hand inner guard was higher than the left, so I made a jig to square it all up, then did all the prep work before Pyro painted it.” In the Cortina’s previous guise, Paul would have to adjust the rear door gaps every time he raced, as the nitrous-snorting Clevo would try to separate the chassis from the rest of the car!

“It’s only running a tune that I’ve put in there, so it needs to go to Kon at Wollongong Automotive Services to get a proper tune,” concludes Paul, whose other current project is converting an XW Fairmont back to a street car. “I’ve also got a ’62 Impala with a 6.0-litre LS and six-speed auto, a ’54 Chev pick-up on an HQ chassis with a 540ci big-block on the bottle, and my 10-second daily BA turbo ute that I use for tip runs!”

Harry’s passing has clearly lit a fire under Paul, but it’s like he says: “You should do the things you love and enjoy, because one day you won’t be able to.”

PAUL DOUGLAS
1974 FORD TD CORTINA

THANKS
Harry Haig was a good mate of mine, and I’m sure he’s laughing at the fact that I have to actually wash this car – we miss you brother; Luke ‘Duke’ Lingard for all the fab work on the car; big thanks to Robby Abbott for dealing with me changing my mind a hundred times; Matty from Inside Rides for the trim; Shannon ‘Pyro’ Jennings and Keithy for the paintwork; my partner Renee – she puts up with a lot of shit and she likes the older-style cars.