Brad Edwards’s V8 engine swap project for his Holden UC Torana soon progressed from a 302 into 400hp of LS grunt

This article on Brad’s UC Torana was originally published in the November 2017 issue of Street Machine

“I HAD a UC sedan as my first car. I thought I might build a hatchback with a V8 in it this time, as I’ve never owned a V8 before.

“Starting off with an eBay-purchased dark green four-cylinder hatch from Melbourne, I originally was going to build it with a 304, so I purchased a Commodore with one in it. But after I crunched the numbers, I worked out it was going to cost the same as inserting an LS2.

“So I got in contact with a bloke at a local Holden dealership and purchased a brand new six-litre. Backing up the 400hp V8 is a strong 4L60E transmission sending the power through to the 3.7:1 shortened nine-inch running a Truetrac centre with 31-spline axles. I spent three-and-a-half years massaging those panels until they were super smooth.

“The car only left my garage twice; once to get the extractors and pipes bent and fitted and the second time for the black paintjob by my good friend, Matt Petrovics. After a tune-up thanks to TDR Racing, the car ran 11.6@118mph at Calder Park.”

Photos: Caprice Photography