First published in the March 2026 issue of Street Machine

“My love of Cortinas started in the 80s while riding in my mate’s TD wagon. With a mild 302 Windsor backed with a four-speed manual, it really boogied!

“I’ve had a few different cars since those days – an HR Holden, LJ GTR, VL Turbo, and XR6 Turbo – but I always wanted a Cortina.

“I purchased this TC from Deniliquin 15 years ago. It’s had a few engines over the years, including the original block with a 2V head and cam.

“Then I went to an EFI crossflow turbo set-up, and later I decided to fit an EFI Windsor with GT40 heads backed with a BTR auto.

“I also decided to have a crack at painting it all in the shed at home in 2K code-R Copper Bronze, which is the original colour.

“This was done over a couple of years; then COVID hit and I was stuck at home for months. Instead of going crazy, I decided to have a play around with fitting a Barra out of a BF wreck into my TD Cortina wagon.

“It was quite straightforward – I customised the factory Cortina engine mounts to pair with the Barra mounts, and modified the factory gearbox mount to suit the extra length of the BTR.

“I used an FG sump, then modified it to fit over the crossmember. Then I thought: ‘This needs to be a turbo.’

“I sourced an FG turbo exhaust manifold and a low-kilometre Territory turbo engine, and then decided to fit all of that into the TC sedan instead.

“I pulled the V8 out along with all the wiring, and then dropped in the BF with full wiring, so now it’s BF front to back, as well as the steering column.

“It also has air con, which required me to pull the TC dash out and fit a TD one instead, which has a lot more room behind it for the aftermarket air con unit.

“I’ve fitted an air-to-water intercooler and Snow Performance water-meth injection, as there is no room for air-to-air.

“I didn’t want to cut up the car, so there is no cutting of the firewall for this conversion – just a little massage for the starter motor.

“It has been flashed with a factory turbo tune, and it’s an awesome cruiser. With a decent tune, it’ll be quite a quick street car.”

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