First published in the June 2008 issue of Street Machine

When it comes to the weekend, most people try to avoid the things that they do at work. Doctors play golf rather than dabbling in backyard surgery, gardeners turn off their mowers and most mechanics would rather eat glass than pick up a spanner.

During the week Greg Boyle of Autosport Engineering builds, modifies and races turbocharged ricers. But when the working week finishes, Greg rolls in style thanks to 360 supercharged cubic inches of Mopar muscle. “It’s a Sunday cruiser for me, that’s why I bought it,” he says.

When we say ‘bought’, we don’t mean he bought it to rebuild in his spare time. We mean he bought it pretty much as you see it here. Greg may have done some detailing, including painting the engine bay, but basically the whole deal was built by mystery-man Ray Hatch. Ray advertised the car on eBay and Greg liked what he saw. So when the auction failed to reach the dollars that Ray was asking, Greg contacted him with a fair offer.

“He was building a mobile home and he needed cash to finish it,” Greg recalls. So the deal was mutually satisfying — Ray got the cash he needed and Greg became the proud owner of a blown street car without having to lift a spanner.

Now a blown V8 seems like an odd choice for a guy who works with Japanese imports but the desire for classic muscle was a strong drawcard for Greg.

“It drives like a boat and doesn’t stop but that’s kind of the appeal,” Greg says. “You don’t see a lot of Vals so that’s another thing I like about it.”

While the build details are a little sketchy, we were able to put together an approximate list of what’s gone into the VG Hardtop.

Back in 1970 (around the same time that Greg took his first breath) the big Valiant rolled out of Tonsley Park as a V8-equipped Regal 770 luxocruiser. When it comes to luxury two-doors from Chrysler Australia, the Regal 770 is about as highly optioned as they come. And as cruisers go, the late 60s and early 70s Valiant Hardtops are hard to beat — but they also make pretty cool street and strip cars for those so inclined.

Long between the wheels and relatively light, these big hardtops have been fixtures at strips the world over since the design appeared as the Dodge Dart in 1967.

Evidently Ray Hatch was after something mostly street with a touch of strip when he built this. The basic 318 was given the old heave-ho and a more powerful 360 was dropped in its place. Externally, the 360 and 318 share the same dimensions so it’s an easy swap.

High performance factory cast-iron J heads (named for the ‘J’ cast near the first sparkplug) seal the compression from forged pistons of unknown brand.

Greg doesn’t know the exact specs of the bottom end but given the unbreakable reputation of Chrysler’s 360 we’re betting there’s a stock set of rods hanging off a factory cast crankshaft. That’s the beauty of Chrysler V8s: you have to really lean on them hard before it’s time to start hitting the parts catalogues. With the 6/71 blower running at the same speed as the crank, the 360 is swallowing around 10lb of boost — well within the capabilities of the stock Chrysler bottom end.

Further back there’s a 727 Torqueflite, 2500rpm converter and a nine-inch diff to deal with the uprated power. Late-model Valiant brakes were fitted up front to match the stud pattern on the Ford diff so a set of Weld Draglites would fit. Normally 10in-wide rims won’t fit under the rear due to the location of the stock leaf springs but moving the springs under the chassis rails and mini-tubbing the rear end has given Greg more than enough clearance for the 275-section rubber.

The body was coated in Vitamin C orange — a ’71 Charger colour — and a cowl induction style of scoop helps to conceal the blown small-block from prying eyes. Greg likes the understated look of the twin filters just peeking clear of the scoop.

“It’s good because it doesn’t hang out of the bonnet much, which keeps it all street legal,” he says. “I thought about going injected but a mate told me I’d be better off with the carbies on a set-up like this.”

As for the future Greg has no immediate plans to change his piece of Mopar magic.

“There’s not a great deal I’d like to do with it except just enjoy cruising!”

GREG BOYLE
1970 VG VALIANT HARDTOP

THANKS
Ray Hatch for building an exceptional car; Autosport Engineering; Peter at Kirrawee Mufflers; George’s Auto Electrical; Sutherland Shire Detailing.