Adelaide headbanger Phil Edmondson has been doing cool things with his XB hardtop for a long time now, but the latest iteration has us green with envy:

“My XB has been through a few changes over my 20 years of ownership. It started as a fun cruiser with a budget 383 Cleveland, but that was soon changed to a Clevor and had two different single-turbo set-ups. Along the way, I added FuelTech EFI, tubbed the car, and added a four-link, and Adelaide Motorsport Fabrication fitted a bolt-in, six-point ’cage.

After completing three Drag Challenges in the car, I made the move to twin turbos, and my fourth DC in 2019 netted an 8.1sec timeslip.

After a letter from the local Transport Department regarding engineering, I looked at making a few more changes and decided to install Ford’s new 7.3L Godzilla V8. A 3.0L Whipple blower was added to the mix shortly after the engine arrived.

To get around the rear pan/oil pump issue, I removed the shock towers, and Speed Garage MVE in Adelaide designed and fabricated the custom IFS with a front-mounted steering rack. A 417 Motorsports oil pan helps keeping the car low.

Apocalypse Performance in the US supplied new pistons, rods, a custom cam and all the other internals required for the ’Zilla to support healthy amounts of boost, and that will all be installed shortly.

Mitch at MJM Fabtech added new inner guards and fabbed the 2in stainless headers. The car retains the Powerglide and 9in from its previous incarnation.

Last on the to-do list is a new, factory-style interior, and I’m hoping to complete my fifth Drag Challenge in the XB next year. You can follow the build’s progress on the Philthy Builds channel on YouTube. Thanks to everyone who’s been involved with the car so far!”