Neil Bunce`s innovative GTS is king of the street and the

STREET E L ITE
Royal HG
Story Simon Major Photos Nathan Duff
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street machine
Neil Bunce’s innovative GTS is king
of the street and the show hall
street machine
043
B
RISBANE lad Neil Bunce is no stranger to the modified
car world — we featured his 10sec VH Commodore back
in SM, Aug ’01 — but his beautiful HG Monaro is a serious
bar-raiser compared to his rides of the past.
While the VH was tidy and detailed, it was strip-focused;
by contrast, his latest creation has the Elite Hall in mind.
“I sold the Commodore in 2002 and decided that my next
car was going to be the big one,” Neil said. “I wanted looks, performance and
innovation and a car that I would keep long-term. There was no point doing
all of this work to a model I really didn’t yearn for, so I figured if I was going to
spend the time and bucks then I’d do it with a body style I’d always wanted.”
He actually owned a tidy HK coupe prior to the Commodore — until some
shitbag stole it 11 days into his ownership, so there was always an element
of unfinished business surrounding this build.
“I found the HG through friends. It’d been sitting in a shed for 16 years and
was just a bare shell with no front end, guards or bonnet. It is a genuine GTS,
though, and with prices on the up I figured I’d grab one while I could.”
As it was all he had, Neil figured the body was probably the place to start.
He sent it to Brett McHugh and his mate Graeme to get the ball rolling.
As well as the rust repairs required by any car of this vintage, Neil’s vision
incorporated plenty of neat touches, such as the removal of the spare
wheel well, a smoothed, filled and symmetrical engine bay and firewall, and
deseamed sill panels. Mini-tubs and chassis connectors were added, while
the front chassis rails were plated to tidy the undercarriage.
With hanging panels sourced, the bootlid lock was shaved and the front
guards were changed to stud-mount to smooth their upper surfaces. The
bonnet bracing was filled, with a recess to clear the air filter. When the
modifications were complete, Neil had Graeme lavish the classic roller in
Glasurit Platinum Silver.
The chrome was refurbished by Kevin Harnell and, after an exhaustive
search, Neil was able to locate all of the stainless trim needed to complete
the body. Brand new glass, lenses and rubbers were fitted throughout, while
halo headlights and LED rear lamps replace the factory candles.
While going all-out on the body and detailing, he found his old habits weren’t
about to die in the go department; a stock motor was never going to cut it.
“My previous cars have had plenty of stick so knew I couldn’t help myself. I
had to balance performance with streetability but this time I also had to factor
in the show side,” Neil says.
Although normally one to swing his own spanners, time and budget
considerations meant a ready-built donk was the go. A 350-based Shafiroff
was ordered — a Dart block filled with an Eagle crank and rods along with
flat-top pistons for a pump friendly 9.5:1 compression.
A Comp hydraulic roller camshaft sends the action to Dart Pro alloy heads
mounting Comp roller rockers. An Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake is topped
with a 950 Holley, and the complete mill is detailed and fronted by a March
serpentine belt system.
The engine sits on custom mounts that put it lower in the bay while
simultaneously providing clearance for the rack and pinion steering. Cooling
is taken care of by an alloy PWR radiator, while the usual cumbersome throttle
linkages have been replaced by neat cables.
The exhaust is a focal point of the neat engine bay — the art deco-styled
custom 15/8in stainless headers run to a twin three-inch stainless crossover
system flowing through Edelbrock mufflers.
The transmission is a Turbo 400 running the obligatory B&M stage 2 shift
It was just a bare shell with no front end.
It is a genuine GTS, though. I figured I’d
grab one while I could
01
02
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street machine
RIGHT: A Shafiroff 500hp
SBC was chosen and detailed
to match the rest of the car
— a serpentine belt system,
fabricated rocker covers
and stainless headers add
an industrial edge to its
appearance. A neat touch is the
normally ugly chassis number
stamping being reborn as a
feature on the flat firewall.
Neil’s aim for the reshaped
and smoothed engine bay was
to have it as symmetrical as
possible. Custom stainless
headers are the work of Rick
Sendall and take on an almost
art-deco appearance when
viewed from above
01: Neil’s CYCO V8 was a
toughie, with a 550hp Holden
383ci stroker and superstraight panel work, all covered
in blood-red pearl duco
02: Bought as a bare shell,
plenty of hours were spent
chasing parts. “It’s been easier
to build thanks to the internet
but by far the hardest thing to
find was stainless trim in good
condition.” The chrome and
stainless was all refurbished by
Kevin Harnell
NEIL BUNCE
1970 HG GTS Monaro
Cooling: PWR aluminium
Exhaust: Custom stainless headers, twin
Colour: Glasurit Platinum Silver
three-inch system, Edelbrock mufflers
360mm floating slotted rotors (f), fourpiston, 330mm floating slotted rotor (r),
underdash booster and master cylinder
ENGINE
DRIVELINE
WHEELS & TYRES
Make: Chevrolet 350
Carb: Holley 950
Intake: Edelbrock RPM Air Gap
Heads: Dart Pro alloys, ported
Crank: Eagle
Rods: Eagle
Pistons: Flat-top
Camshaft: Comp hydraulic roller
Ignition: MSD 6AL2, distributor and coil
I treated the undercarriage just like I would have if it were painted silver. It’s
kit and a 3500 stall, with gear selection by a B&M Hardcore Street Bandit.
A custom gearbox crossmember allows the exhaust to be tucked close
to the floor and incorporates a tailshaft loop. A three-inch tailshaft threads
through that and connects to a shortened nine-inch diff packed with 31-spline
axles, 3.7 gears and a Detroit Truetrac centre. Larger mounts on the housing
eliminate the need for lowering blocks.
The underside was finished in black for street use, though Neil knows that
may hamper the elite side of his ambitions.
“I treated the undercarriage just like I would have if it were painted silver.
The driveline and suspension are detailed and finished properly but the black
allows me some freedom to enjoy it.”
He kept things simple on the suspension side, with Koni adjustable shocks
on each corner, while the springs are a combination of King lowered coils up
front and narrowed custom leaves for the rear.
The braking system features the master cylinder and booster assembly
relocated under the dash, from where they act upon healthy eight and fourpiston Brembo calipers clamping flying saucer-sized discs.
The old umbrella-handle park brake was replaced with a neat ratchet lever
next to the driver’s seat. Aunger Hustlers are probably smaller than the disc
rotors so they were never going to be an option; instead, Neil opted for
Bonspeed Jet billet rims measuring 19x8 for the front, with tarmac-flattening
20x10s at the rear.
Inside, you’re immediately blown away by the mix of classic, modern and
performance appointments. The factory metal dash and glovebox have been
retained and restored, with slight humps added to the dash pad. Classic
Instruments have been installed in the factory gauge cluster while all dash,
interior and curb lighting has been updated to LED operation.
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street machine
On a flat floor sit Mercedes AMG front and rear seats with the headrests
deleted, the rear reshaped and fitted with a centre armrest.
Virtually the entire interior, from the floor to the headlining and the boot,
was swathed in black leather by Dean McHugh. Oval-shaped carpet with a
billet insert graces the driver’s footwell, while retractable seatbelts, a Billet
Specialties 3D steering wheel and ball-milled rear view mirror complement
the black finish.
Fast glass and air conditioning are controlled from billet alloy switch panels
and the a/c uses additional front seat fans, along with CNC-machined
adjustable air vents and console ducting for the rear passengers. The
demister has been relocated and blows air across the screen via custom
vents. Additional billet alloy strips and diamond stainless mesh detailing have
been inserted into the door trims, roof lining and carpet, giving an industrial
edge to the otherwise luxury confines of the HG’s interior.
Without question, the signature feature of Neil’s Monaro is the use of GTS
guard flute-styled alloy kick panels that house the front and rear speakers.
It’s an impressive yet simple detail that will no doubt have other GTS owners
wondering why they didn’t think of it.
Four years of hard work culminated in an unveiling at the 2013 Brisbane
Hot Rod & Street Machine Spectacular, from where Neil scored an invite to
Sydney’s MotorEx in July (page 74). Not bad for a car that had already covered
a few street miles leading up to the event and was probably the first unveiled
car ever actually driven to a show.
“I can’t help but use it. It runs and drives beautifully and has around 500hp
on tap. I’ll give it a few runs at Willowbank after MotorEx to see what it can do.
“It’s in my nature to drive the wheels off everything I build, so having it waste
away in a shed would be going against the grain, plain and simple.” s
Gearbox: Turbo 400
Converter: 3500 stall
Diff: Nine-inch, 3.7 gears, Detroit
Truetrac
UNDERNEATH
Front: King Springs, lowered
Rear: Custom narrowed leaf, lowered ride
Shocks: Koni adjustable
Steering: Rack and pinion
Brakes: Brembo eight-piston calipers,
Rims: Custom Bonspeed Jet billets,
19x8 (f), 20x10 (r)
Rubber: 235/35R19 (f), 285/30R20 (r)
THANKS
My mum, family and girlfriend, Shannon;
Brett and Graeme, panel and paint; Dean
McHugh, trimming; Michael Martin,
wiring; Kevin Harnell, chrome and polish;
Rick Sendall, exhaust; Mick Digman,
Hy-Performance Fluid Connectors
detailed and finished properly but the black allows me freedom to enjoy it
INTERIOR: Generous black
leather covers the interior.
Seating is Mercedes AMG
sans headrests, with the
rear modified to suit the
Monaro body. Machined ‘GTS
flute’ speaker covers are a
masterstroke and visually
mirror the exterior. “There’ve
been plenty of high-end HK/T/G
Monaros in recent years so
you need to step outside of
the square to build something
individual,” Neil says
BOOT: Black leather continues
through to the neatly finished
boot area which houses a
custom stereo install. The
shaved bootlid now opens via
a solenoid, with LED packs
working in conjunction with
factory lenses
street machine
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