The attention to detail is increadible, I love that you make use of all the modern tech while still maintaining the classic oem look, I'm also a huge fan of a very driver focused build. You got my vote!
Top quality video presentation! The warm nod to previous SMOTY winners reveals a fine gentleman. This is a Torana modifyer of superb taste. Beautifully thought out, especially well executed. Gotta love an A9X Street Machine that boasts a well sorted driver focus. Great to see! 🇦🇺 Wishing you happy motoring Heath.
Cheers Timbo! Acknowleding some previous winners seemed only natural given how awesome the history of the award is. You could spend a lot of time on the topic of the previous winners, and I missed out on most of the awesome ones. You're all over it mate. 👌😅
Myself being a driving enthusiasts/purist it's all about the corners, handling and braking , all I can say Heath is your Torana is Street Machine of the Decade for me , I absolutely love it and the entire ethos on which you have built it , voted.
Legit one of the coolest cars I have ever seen and you got my vote. Funny that you mention the 90's, for me it almost feels like your car is a 2024 take on Mark Sanders RPM Torana. Only thing I don't dig is the wheels as a personal taste, but they do fit the classic Japanese street scene influence and it's a cool crossover. Best of luck man.
Thanks so much for the super kind words, Nick. Mark Sanders' car is a big inspiration definitely. I wasn't willing to compromise any more on mine for weight reduction like his sedan did, but I certainly enjoy a comparison being drawn as they do have quite a few similarities!
I was wandering around the Top 60 Shed at Summernats this year (or was it last?) when I stumbled upon your car whilst I was thinking to myself, there is probably zero cars here that have driven to the event. How wrong was I? To see that you had not only driven your car, but continue to thrash on it regularly, really is the definition of a SMOTY. You have my vote. What a great car, and build. Kudos to you.
Thank you! Yeah that was last year, I drove this from Melbourne, spent a day and a half with it on stands with the wheels off in a friend's garage in Canberra cleaning inside, out, and underneath, put it back together, drove it in and got the green light which I'm proud of. I'm pretty sure it's the only vehicle in the hall that got there under its own steam. I would not do it again, lol.
That's awesome, the rationale behind the whole build specifically for your intended use for the car is awesome. Built by you for you, to such a high degree of finish and usablilty.
Definitely got my vote Heath, absolutely a credit to you! Certainly changed a lot since I visited you year’s ago in your workshop. Looking forward to eventually seeing it in person 👏
You have my vote Heath. The hatch is an awesome build, and I'm sure that it will inspire lots of other younger guys and girls to build their dream car too! One day I might get my torana back on the road!
Voted! This car is true to the term ‘street machine’. Some of the cars in the mag nowadays could more appropriately be called ‘burnout machines’, but this one is a true streeter and appeals to what it’s really about. Very cool
Thanks so much! I personally think cars that you can throw around and have fun in regularly tick my boxes best, and that's reflected in my build style. But it's a public competition and there are plenty of immaculate display-only cars or unregistered, uncompromised motorsport cars that are contenders each year as well, I reckon as long as there's a variety to choose from, it's a good outcome for the public.
I found this story a flash back of my life. My names Heath and my first car, LH TORANA. I got it when I was 14. My parents had nothing or knew anything about cars about cars . I ground up rebuilt that car but 253 and repainted dark blue. It was a genuine plated SLR4200. Only I’m 44 now.
I've been flicking through Street Machine since Noah played fullback for Jerusalem Heath. I can't recall ever seeing a car in the mag that's more fit for purpose Mate, taking into account where you live and the club level motorsport you enjoy. It is superb.
Well done on an amazing car that YOU built. The attention to detail, and the functionality you built into it are second to none. The way the car is used and driven makes it a true street machine. Definitely got my vote.
Love it mate! LX hatch SL 4.2 manual my first car which was modified enough to stay with an EB falcon 5.0. Slept in the back of my hatch in my swag (not common in the day 1991) so many times so I didn't have to drive home from piss ups / parties. Probably saved my life. Had some spacers I made to sit over the struts so the hatch didn't close fully to give my toes some space. Never heard of a hatch hutch back then! Voting for you, you deserve it!
Haha pisser, yeah I did the same thing all through my 20's with my Datsun wagon when I wasn't sleeping in my factory building this hatch. I can actually sleep in mine with the hatch closed (without the tent) but it's certainly not as comfortable.
Haha, yes. This one does more than rolling in and out of enclosed trailers. 😅 Well... it has actually never done that but I imagine it would be capable of doing that too.
Have my Vote Heath, well done on building a drivable, useable "Street Machine". LPG is a bit of challenge to find in rural areas these days which is a pity, its a great fuel that will perform well when the motor is built for it, as you have proven. well done
Thank you! Yep, I'm certainly a big fan of the gas and it hasn't stopped me getting anywhere just yet, but there are some spots in Aus it won't take me.
Great build in a lot of ways, though unsure about the orange stripes to match the trim, if its as clean as it looks its lines will show better without the NZ / Mauri family orange stripe on the sides.
Cheers. Yeah I had it without the stripe for the first year and loved it. But a box Torana doesn't have particularly interesting lines and I but always wanted some graphics to express the car's whole full pallette on the outside, so I drew all the stickers and designed the stripes and had it all printed. Most prefer it but no choice will please everyone. :)
Thanks so much Jason! They're from one of the cars that actually came with Recaro LX's as a factory option, an early 90's Hilux Surf. They stroke about 250mm and from memory the standard Holden ones were like... 170mm? It's a very useful difference in a 2dr although it may not matter much in a 4dr.
Painted bumpers like in the 90's? From a builder who actually was involved in a winner, not many winners have painted bumpers... just say'n..good luck anyway
Very insightful, thanks for writing that reply. Yes, painted bumpers like blockbuster early 90's Toranas such as Mark Sanders' LH, or Rohan Hawley's COPBAIT, or Jason Fitzallen's LC. Running painted fibreglass bumpers rather than steel chrome ones would add add 21.4kg of mass to the extremeties of my car, so as the video shows, that would be an absurd choice with the lengths I went to for weight reduction in other less critical areas. It would not fit the ethos of the car at all to make that compromise.
Great job heath. My first car was a 76 308 SS manual hatch. Years later repainted it in ELECTRON Blue a JB Camira color similar to yours. Went to McArthur fiberglass in Dandenong the original suppliers to holden of the flare kits and re built the car from the ground up. I watched brock in his malboro A9X and just had to have that look. The whole family had had XUIs sandman’s caprices HX WB WK A9Xs and I’m now driving a 308 VK calais with big valve heads 286 cam rollers ect ect. Once it’s in your blood it never leaves congratulations. Ps we still have an original A9X in the family with a genuine 40.000 klm
That's awesome! Too often the story is that the good shit was all sold and is just a distant memory. The VK sounds like a winner, and that A9X sounds like it needs the cobwebs cleared out with a good thrashing! Haha
@ 😂😂 I’ll tell my brother in law to get the A9X out for Christmas 👍 I saw you on bumper to bumper and been watching your updates ever since. My votes with you mate. 🤞
This car is porn. Jesus christ. Seeing it being thrown around going sideways and all, brilliant. Those wheels, the colours inside/outside, everything is perfect.
Haha thank you so much. I did it for my own taste of course but it has been great to see the response from others on the styling and the type of use it cops.
I bought the missus a white SS hatch back in the 90s for $2000 Missing compliance plates, and it had a 202 with a 4 speed manual, but it was registered as a V8, complete SS body kit including brake cooling ducts and full SS interior My wife didn't like the heavy steering in it so I sold it 6 months later for $2500 and bought her a TE Cortina Ghia It wasn't long after that when the dark thoughts began
Awesome video! Brilliant production/presentation.
Fingers crossed for you mate!
Nothing like art that you can drive and enjoy. Top work!
Every tiny detail resolved and with purpose to you. I'm OCD and this ticks every box. Congrats on the build. Where can we see it in person?
The attention to detail is increadible, I love that you make use of all the modern tech while still maintaining the classic oem look, I'm also a huge fan of a very driver focused build. You got my vote!
Top quality video presentation!
The warm nod to previous SMOTY winners reveals a fine gentleman. This is a Torana modifyer of superb taste. Beautifully thought out, especially well executed.
Gotta love an A9X Street Machine that boasts a well sorted driver focus. Great to see!
🇦🇺 Wishing you happy motoring Heath.
Cheers Timbo! Acknowleding some previous winners seemed only natural given how awesome the history of the award is. You could spend a lot of time on the topic of the previous winners, and I missed out on most of the awesome ones.
You're all over it mate. 👌😅
Great video 🤙
Myself being a driving enthusiasts/purist it's all about the corners, handling and braking , all I can say Heath is your Torana is Street Machine of the Decade for me , I absolutely love it and the entire ethos on which you have built it , voted.
Appreciate the words & support there. Love to hear how you connected with it!
Built to be driven, a true street machine. Well done Heath, you got my vote. Best of luck
Thanks so much, Paul!
A legit street car. I saw it in my local Bunnings car park doing daily duties! 👍
Thanks mate! Haha it has probably done 40+ Bunnings trips so far. 😅
Legit one of the coolest cars I have ever seen and you got my vote. Funny that you mention the 90's, for me it almost feels like your car is a 2024 take on Mark Sanders RPM Torana. Only thing I don't dig is the wheels as a personal taste, but they do fit the classic Japanese street scene influence and it's a cool crossover.
Best of luck man.
Thanks so much for the super kind words, Nick. Mark Sanders' car is a big inspiration definitely. I wasn't willing to compromise any more on mine for weight reduction like his sedan did, but I certainly enjoy a comparison being drawn as they do have quite a few similarities!
Awesome car that is definitely worthy of SMOTY as it is owner built, driven hard and not a trailer queen. You've got my vote Heath
Really appreciate it, Tim! They're the aspects that mean everything to me.
I was wandering around the Top 60 Shed at Summernats this year (or was it last?) when I stumbled upon your car whilst I was thinking to myself, there is probably zero cars here that have driven to the event. How wrong was I? To see that you had not only driven your car, but continue to thrash on it regularly, really is the definition of a SMOTY. You have my vote. What a great car, and build. Kudos to you.
Thank you! Yeah that was last year, I drove this from Melbourne, spent a day and a half with it on stands with the wheels off in a friend's garage in Canberra cleaning inside, out, and underneath, put it back together, drove it in and got the green light which I'm proud of. I'm pretty sure it's the only vehicle in the hall that got there under its own steam. I would not do it again, lol.
That's awesome, the rationale behind the whole build specifically for your intended use for the car is awesome. Built by you for you, to such a high degree of finish and usablilty.
voted for ya
So good, so much respect for the effort in the build, and the fact that it actually gets used. A true Street Machine 👌🏻
Such a fantastic car. The best looking holden from its time. Love the fact you have kept the holden engine.
Awesome work Heath, I voted for you good luck. Built and driven. 💪
What a masterpiece. The attention to detail and love that went into this. Chefs kiss
Thanks so much! Helps when you don't think about anything else for 8 years, lol.
Definitely got my vote Heath, absolutely a credit to you! Certainly changed a lot since I visited you year’s ago in your workshop. Looking forward to eventually seeing it in person 👏
Geez that was a while back. You'd have seen it 20+ times if you were on the mainland, it gets out so much!
One of my favourite cars ever. Great build Heath
Voted 👍
Mate! Already got my vote in for you 👌. True street machine.
You have my vote Heath. The hatch is an awesome build, and I'm sure that it will inspire lots of other younger guys and girls to build their dream car too! One day I might get my torana back on the road!
Unreal build bud. Well done
What a bloody legend
Good luck Heath.
Sehr gut gemacht , Heath !
Great work, Heath!!! Well deserved mate..
Your unique design,workmanship is 2nd to none Heath 👌
Voted! This car is true to the term ‘street machine’. Some of the cars in the mag nowadays could more appropriately be called ‘burnout machines’, but this one is a true streeter and appeals to what it’s really about. Very cool
Thanks so much! I personally think cars that you can throw around and have fun in regularly tick my boxes best, and that's reflected in my build style. But it's a public competition and there are plenty of immaculate display-only cars or unregistered, uncompromised motorsport cars that are contenders each year as well, I reckon as long as there's a variety to choose from, it's a good outcome for the public.
@ Very true!
I found this story a flash back of my life. My names Heath and my first car, LH TORANA. I got it when I was 14. My parents had nothing or knew anything about cars about cars . I ground up rebuilt that car but 253 and repainted dark blue. It was a genuine plated SLR4200. Only I’m 44 now.
Haha sorry to steal your life story mate! 😅 That is awesome, though.
@ yeah never in my life would I have thought someone had the same story. Ha ha. I will upvote you and your car.
Youve got my vote mate!
Congrats mate, you have done an amazing job. Its farken grouse!🤙
I've been flicking through Street Machine since Noah played fullback for Jerusalem Heath. I can't recall ever seeing a car in the mag that's more fit for purpose Mate, taking into account where you live and the club level motorsport you enjoy. It is superb.
Hope you Win Heath ps The dash cluster you bult works GREAT.
Great to hear you're happy with it, Carl. I really love the cluster in mine. Thanks mate!
good luck heath. got my vote.
Well done on an amazing car that YOU built. The attention to detail, and the functionality you built into it are second to none. The way the car is used and driven makes it a true street machine. Definitely got my vote.
Love it! Thanks.
Love it mate! LX hatch SL 4.2 manual my first car which was modified enough to stay with an EB falcon 5.0. Slept in the back of my hatch in my swag (not common in the day 1991) so many times so I didn't have to drive home from piss ups / parties. Probably saved my life. Had some spacers I made to sit over the struts so the hatch didn't close fully to give my toes some space. Never heard of a hatch hutch back then! Voting for you, you deserve it!
Haha pisser, yeah I did the same thing all through my 20's with my Datsun wagon when I wasn't sleeping in my factory building this hatch. I can actually sleep in mine with the hatch closed (without the tent) but it's certainly not as comfortable.
best shed built car I've ever seen PERIOD
Nice
STREET Machine! This has to be the most versatile nominee ever...
Haha, yes. This one does more than rolling in and out of enclosed trailers. 😅
Well... it has actually never done that but I imagine it would be capable of doing that too.
"coz I cut a giant fuckin' hole in my perfect hatchback roof" caught me off guard, absolutely killed me 😂
Haha, glad you enjoyed it.
Haha, glad you enjoyed it.
Have my Vote Heath, well done on building a drivable, useable "Street Machine". LPG is a bit of challenge to find in rural areas these days which is a pity, its a great fuel that will perform well when the motor is built for it, as you have proven.
well done
Thank you! Yep, I'm certainly a big fan of the gas and it hasn't stopped me getting anywhere just yet, but there are some spots in Aus it won't take me.
Good job, hope those throttles are still holding up!!!!
lol nice name mate. Throttles are working a treat despite me being a bit silly and bending a shaft recently. All fixed, love the product.
That is one sexy Torana!!
Great build in a lot of ways, though unsure about the orange stripes to match the trim, if its as clean as it looks its lines will show better without the NZ / Mauri family orange stripe on the sides.
Cheers. Yeah I had it without the stripe for the first year and loved it. But a box Torana doesn't have particularly interesting lines and I but always wanted some graphics to express the car's whole full pallette on the outside, so I drew all the stickers and designed the stripes and had it all printed. Most prefer it but no choice will please everyone. :)
Toyota seat rails? Interesting. What toyota are they out of Heath? Great video and you have my vote! Jason.
Thanks so much Jason! They're from one of the cars that actually came with Recaro LX's as a factory option, an early 90's Hilux Surf. They stroke about 250mm and from memory the standard Holden ones were like... 170mm? It's a very useful difference in a 2dr although it may not matter much in a 4dr.
Well said haha 6:49
fucken beast brother
How are you so good at talking?
lol we certainly did a few takes, but making the topic something I'm passionate enough to basically dedicate my life to... well that probably helps!
Bad to th bone
Painted bumpers like in the 90's? From a builder who actually was involved in a winner, not many winners have painted bumpers... just say'n..good luck anyway
Very insightful, thanks for writing that reply. Yes, painted bumpers like blockbuster early 90's Toranas such as Mark Sanders' LH, or Rohan Hawley's COPBAIT, or Jason Fitzallen's LC.
Running painted fibreglass bumpers rather than steel chrome ones would add add 21.4kg of mass to the extremeties of my car, so as the video shows, that would be an absurd choice with the lengths I went to for weight reduction in other less critical areas. It would not fit the ethos of the car at all to make that compromise.
No one likes 2 pac paint. It doesn’t have the depth of old paint. It looks like the finish they put on a lolly.
Great job heath. My first car was a 76 308 SS manual hatch. Years later repainted it in ELECTRON Blue a JB Camira color similar to yours. Went to McArthur fiberglass in Dandenong the original suppliers to holden of the flare kits and re built the car from the ground up. I watched brock in his malboro A9X and just had to have that look. The whole family had had XUIs sandman’s caprices HX WB WK A9Xs and I’m now driving a 308 VK calais with big valve heads 286 cam rollers ect ect. Once it’s in your blood it never leaves congratulations. Ps we still have an original A9X in the family with a genuine 40.000 klm
That's awesome! Too often the story is that the good shit was all sold and is just a distant memory. The VK sounds like a winner, and that A9X sounds like it needs the cobwebs cleared out with a good thrashing! Haha
@ 😂😂 I’ll tell my brother in law to get the A9X out for Christmas 👍 I saw you on bumper to bumper and been watching your updates ever since. My votes with you mate. 🤞
This car is porn. Jesus christ. Seeing it being thrown around going sideways and all, brilliant. Those wheels, the colours inside/outside, everything is perfect.
Haha thank you so much. I did it for my own taste of course but it has been great to see the response from others on the styling and the type of use it cops.
I bought the missus a white SS hatch back in the 90s for $2000
Missing compliance plates, and it had a 202 with a 4 speed manual, but it was registered as a V8, complete SS body kit including brake cooling ducts and full SS interior
My wife didn't like the heavy steering in it so I sold it 6 months later for $2500 and bought her a TE Cortina Ghia
It wasn't long after that when the dark thoughts began
do you have an insta I can follow
@Doddsy28845 yeah mate I'm @hezath on Insta.
Nice