JDM inspired Sunbird: Heath transform an Aussie Sunbird into a track weapon LX Hatchback Torana

[@murdervalleyraceway]

Wheel fitment on point. Probably the best I've seen on a Torana. Well done.

[@roddas26]

🎯

[@Hezath]

Thanks so much! Gotta focus on the really important things. Cut & welded the hell out of the wheel houses to make lots of space, mocked up and measured many, many combinations and had the wheel specs defined precisely. I don't regret one bit of it. Can't stand empty flares on a Torana, lol.

[@KMAN8599]

Beautiful car...the owner knows his car and what he wants

[@julianbrattoni]

Well deserving of the accolade- love to see an Aussie car built for corners. Stance and fitment are spot-on, colour combo and execution is epic. Glad to hear you’re really driving it.

[@Hezath]

Thanks so much for the kind words, Julian!

[@markwarde5566]

What a great interview. Seems like a very genuine and humble bloke. Congratulations on the SMOTY win!

[@Hezath]

Thank you Mark!

[@RallyeSport_SJP]

Brilliant interview! Definitely not your typical Street Machine or Street Machine Owner! Refreshing to see.

[@yellowscott]

Nice car, nice bloke & a credit to him!!!

[@GreasednGassed]

Cheers, we agree! It's great to see so much passion for the cars.

[@vaabisvobear]

This video was very well made!! Camera angles, clear audio, and complete list of specs at the end. Great build and builder as well!! 💥💪

[@GreasednGassed]

Appreciate the kind words! Thanks for watching. 👍

[@shanehill8701]

Love it, ticks all boxes .not just a show car or street drag car like some of the street machine hat's off a real street machine road and track and engineering

[@Hezath]

Thanks Shane!

[@scotthunter1639]

One of the best Hatch's in Australia i reckon!! Credit to Heath his craftsmanship and fabrication is 2nd to none Well Done mate 👌💪💯

[@GreasednGassed]

Cheers for the feedback! Glad you appreciate Heath's skill. 👍

[@roddas26]

Awesome cinematography ❤

[@michaelhart5886]

Great work. Love the stance. Sounds great

[@gregorysukroo7167]

Hard to know how you know all this stuff....mind blowing. What a fantastic car and personality with great vision. Thanks for sharing.

[@GreasednGassed]

Thanks, appreciate the feedback, and we love the passion that shines through in this build!

[@justinbrown2093]

So deserving. Well done heath

[@steedsy71]

Had no idea that was a UC, next level build now!

[@mixalis6168]

Awesome LX, well done !

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

I agree

[@timbodedidleo]

So your "mates" called it a Shitbird?! (once upon time?) Well, they can flip that tag (dig) out the proverbial window. Heath, you've built yourself an SS Super Star. It's probably the finest LX Torana on the road. I'm glad you won the SMOTY. The whole concept and execution of this car is inspirational.

[@Hezath]

Thanks so much Timbo, lovely to read that! Haha if my mates stopped hanging shit on me, then I'd have to stop hanging shit on them too :P So the current arrangement of it being a "Shitbird" is probably best.

[@JasonGriffith-f1i]

Great build, i had same issue for years with oiling untill i found a way of pulling oil out of heads to sump reasonably fast and modifying a aftermarket performance sump to hold ten litres of oil. Circuit raced for years without surge on a turbo charged basic 308 on e85... Well done on vid too 👍

[@Hezath]

Hey Jason, is this GRIFF with the orange HJ? If so I've loved some of what you've shared, thank you! Are you simply talking about putting a bit of vacuum on the crankcase via exhaust venturi? If not, could you tell me where I might find info on your pulling oil out of the heads method and your sump? I've got about 8L capacity in this car now.

[@GreasednGassed]

That's a great tip. Thanks for sharing!

[@JasonGriffith-f1i]

Hi mate, I plumbed in a fitting in the rear of both heads then ran the two lines into a y fitting and used a scavenge pump then routed it back into sump. The biggest problem I found is the breathers in the rocker covers causes oil to hang about in the heads, I put two extra breathers in the inlet manifold to help elevate the blow by running into heads and stalling the oil from returning by gravity... No I haven't restricted the oil flow to heads because the springs need all the cooling they can get for longevity. Personally I believe the biggest failure is a lack of oil in the pan when running hard. An old racer told me once to put an extra litre of oil in to help on a pinch 😄... You can have the best gated sump out there, but if there's no oil in it it's useless... Hope this helps cheers 👍

[@Hezath]

Love your work. Thanks and I think there's some good sense in what you're talking about. I've also heard of adding a belt-driven vacuum pump on the crankcase as a great way to get the oil to flow back to where it's supposed to. I have got a third breathing point on my motor so that it's not trying to get it all from the covers.

[@petermeah]

Cool Aussie machine and even cooler owner. Tasteful execution. Am not into torana’s but this one’s ticks the boxes never sell it.

[@GreasednGassed]

Thanks, appreciate the feedback, we think Heath did a great job!

[@Sprintonthehamsterwheel]

That is a cool car! Sounds great too!

[@GreasednGassed]

Thanks for the feedback! Certainly sounds good!

[@jonathon_bradford]

Garage built and still on LPG. Bloody good work

[@GreasednGassed]

LPG powered and still a killer on the track!

[@scotthouchen1916]

Nice build, sounds good.

[@GreasednGassed]

Cheers for the feedback!

[@nickhoare6616]

Fantastic. Beautiful job.

[@BusyMEOW]

Nice looking car, I wasn't sure about the sunroof until I saw the lid back on it. 😊

[@GreasednGassed]

Glad you like it! 👍

[@RoadWarrior-lo9vt]

I'm a sped.. what is JDM? Cool car! Don't care for the 80s stripes or the seat covers, but I really like what you did with her.

[@Hezath]

"JDM" is Japanese Domestic Market, that might sound like a complicated phrase but it distills down to the Japanese own domestic style rather than Japanese-built cars abroad. Cheers!

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid!!! 👍👍

[@GreasednGassed]

Cheers for watching! 👍

[@druckerman247]

Boss.

[@gacattack1234]

JDM was inspired by these cars not the other way. Like the rear engine mod.😂 Did you not see a T-top before, its the obvious choice if you cant go Targa, you could have done that instead, would have been incredible!

[@Hezath]

Well everything inspires everything in a complex relationship in the world, but I built it so I'm the one who gets the most legit claim of anyone on what inspired every decision in the car, haha! 😅 The T-Top idea has the same flaw as the Targa top; that's what the hell do you do with the window frames on the doors? (and the gutters on the body) That's why I conceded and put a huge sunroof in it instead. Not to say that a T-Top would not be grouse, like that red hardtop Falcon that had one added in the 80's. You really need to start with a hardtop to pull it off.

[@gacattack1234]

@Hezath I like what you've done, missed the bit about the reason, assumed it was because of rigidity. Didn't see the difference between this and other 70s muscle Toranas, but there is some.

[@manolisconstantinou8789]

Why don’t you dry sump it

[@Hezath]

Where do you put the tank? 5 seat car that needs to store the sunroof under the false floor, fit a 110L gas tank under the back and you need to be able to sleep in the back with nothing in the way. The packaging of the car is pretty well resolved without it. I don't have any good ideas of how you'd shoehorn it in at this point.

[@manolisconstantinou8789]

@ ok kudos but that is the answer. It’s up to you to figure it out if you want to resolve the problem you are having

[@Hezath]

lol your reply makes it sound like I either a) didn't take ownership of my problem, b) have no plan to solve it, or c) or asked you. All I did was tell my story in a video, then provided some random on the internet a valid answer to his question, only to be patronised. 😅 I'd rather just be left to it mate!

[@deanmckimmie3337]

Fantastic car what happens when no automotive lpg

[@sheel2]

Still got a few more years before that's a problem, but you can always just switch it back to petrol... he has a Haltech running the LPG injection, so it wouldn't be too hard to change injectors, run some lines and whack a tank in...

[@justin3131ify]

It's a tuff looking rana no doubt! But stretched rubber is hardly jdm inspired. If that's the case every Falcon and Commodore in Vic is jdm inspired.

[@Hezath]

I would say that a Falcon or Commodore with genuine Japanese 3-piece wheels and tyre stretch is the definition of Jap-inspired.

[@Mike.trucks]

JDM inspired,looks ford inspired to me 😂

[@UncleTriangle]

Hauling around a trophy in your rear window screams "give me validation". Cool car otherwise.

[@ReidyReidRj]

Doubt he "hauls" it around mate, I think it's there in the video to demonstrate that this car won it. Your comment screams jealousy imo....

[@UncleTriangle]

@@ReidyReidRj No sir, not jealous at all. I complimented the man's car. I just despise a man's need for validation. He has done something cool, and he should be able to recognize his value without carrying around a symbol that is essentially saying "People told me that I did a good job and here's the proof, so you should think highly of me as well." It's a feminine trait to seek validation.

[@s4ss.m8]

It's on club rego, the only times this thing would get out would be to sbow it off. 😂😂 Like the other reply said, you're just jealous you can't bave something similar.

[@UncleTriangle]

@@s4ss.m8 I don't have a hidden agenda, I speak my mind, and I certainly don't covet other people's things. I want to see feminine traits disappear from men, and that's why I made my comment. Saying "you're jealous" is a coping mechanism to dismiss the validity of criticism.

[@bridged13b]

​@s4ss.m8 Not true, I saw Heath at a mtb park last year. He was hitting some trails with his missus and using it to haul the bikes around 😄 There's even a shot in the vid with the bikes on the back

[@krispycool1]

lol looks like a hot wheels car