406 CUBIC INCHES OF CHEVROLET`S FINEST SMALL BLOCK

BLOWN FORMULA BLUE BROCK
THE
Words by Blake Emirali Pics by Chris Sorgsepp
406 CUBIC INCHES
OF CHEVROLET’S
FINEST SMALL BLOCK
SHAKE THE VERY
FOUNDATIONS OF THIS
IMMACULATE GENUINE
VK GROUP A
26
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
27
BLOWN FORMULA BLUE BROCK
2in primaries and a dual 3.5in
system mean that it’s so loud that
you not only hear VK GPA, but you
actually feel it as well
Racer’s Choice actually notched the fue
l
tank to clear this
enormous Magnafue
l
pump nestled up
under the guard
e’ll be honest
when we say that
modifying a genuine Brock Commodore takes a
pair of cajones
the size of Ayers Rock. And moral dilemmas aside, what exactly eventuates if
one takes a step in the wrong direction,
and potentially butchers an important
classic? Thankfully, all we can do is
wonder; because Charlie’s Formula Blue
meanie ticks all the right boxes, makes
all the right sounds and looks every part
of its genuine heritage.
Don’t let the 800hp war machine
under the bonnet fool you, HDT Group A
number 77 hasn’t always been this wild.
Though for a guy like Charlie, whose
previous car list reads like the directory
catalogue of a muscle car invitational,
the only real way to do things is ‘the
tough way’, or ‘no way at all’.
“I’ve had an XW Falcon (ANIMAL),
SLR5000, purple XY GT, VL Group A #217,
VL Walkinshaw, genuine Plumb Dinger XU1
and an HK GTS Monaro with a factory 307ci
Chev’ to name a few,” Charlie nonchalantly
mentions as he chews through his mental
W
28
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
Mick fr
crafted om BG Engin
es
th
of Sma is colossal m
ll
as
which Block Chevrole s
c
tyres to an roast the re t,
given ju the tune of 80 ar
0hp
st the s
lig
of thro htest lick
ttle
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
29
BLOWN FORMULA BLUE BROCK
has been
The rear seat rolled
tly
gh
sli
so
er
ev
work
over the tub
This is one situation where we
actually welcome the sight of
the famed Chevy bowtie
inventory and puts precipitation in the eyes
of many a grown-man reader. “Plainly and
simply with this one, I just had one goal. I
wanted to blow people’s minds in a car like
this in the burnouts.”
Charlie picked the VK up as your
standard, 308ci style Brock in Formula
Blue, and keener readers no doubt would
have otherwise had a few raised eyebrows
wondering why a genuine car was so well
finished and river deep, but that’s because
Charlie decided to have the car resprayed
to start the build fresh.
Mick from BG Engines screwed together one bulletproof, Dart-based Chev’
V8 capable of more than 800hp, complete
with a 8/71 blower that is pullied to pump
in approximately 7psi, as is. “They’re easy
power, the Chev’. I’ve had Chev’s in my
Torana and they’re a good combo to work
with,” Charlie tells us when asked why he
ditched the 308ci.
Getting the thing to actually accommodate all that horsepower on the other hand
became nothing short of a small engineering feat; so Al’s Race Glides and Red from
CRAFT Diffs were called in to build a bulletproof Turbo 400 and braced 9in combination
respectively. Things don’t exactly end with
internals in each scenario either, with the
Just as Brocky left
it – well… almost,
save for the TCI
Outlaw shifter
Holley HP
series carb
ys are a
notably ne
w-a
a classically ge solution to such
-inclined en
gine
Charlie’s Formula
Blue meanie ticks
all the right boxes,
makes all the right
sounds and looks
every part of its
genuine heritage
30
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
BLOWN FORMULA BLUE BROCK
“Plainly and simply
with this one, I just
had one goal. I wanted
to blow people’s
minds in a car like this
in the burnouts”
32
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
gearbox for one example ultimately featuring such tasty items as a CrMo crossmember, fabricated by Racer’s Choice.
Stuey and the boys at Racer’s were
actually delivered the car at this point, and
worked around the flawlessly painted Formula Blue bodywork in order to get the car
up and running. Yes… even that hole in the
bonnet was cut out after the car had been
painted. Chip Foose, eat your heart out!
As the car was destined to be somewhat of a street car, Racer’s Choice built up
the suspension to take the punishment of
street duties, putting rubber bushings into
items like the engine plate and adjustable
moly arms to make the car more bearable
to live with. Fabrication work included
a custom sump, radiator and overflow,
catch cans, track locator, notched scuttle
panel for the dizzy and even an entire
brake line system, which Racer’s Choice
made to suit the huge new Wilwood and
HSV system. An electric vacuum pump
was also needed to restore some vacuum
for the brakes and this mounts up under
the driver’s guard, out of sight.
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
33
BLOWN FORMULA BLUE BROCK
te
a lot of intrica e
You’ll notice
hout th
ug
ro
th
k
or
hard line w
ce to
Racer’s Choi
car, done by
r custom
ei
th
t
en
em
ator
help compl
ch as the radi
additions – su name a few
to
and overflow
One of Charlie’s most favoured
parts of the build is how well the
power goes down to the ground
A whopping exhaust system was fabricated by the boys, with 2in primaries and a
dual 3.5in system meaning that it’s so loud
that you not only hear VK GPA, but you
actually feel it as well. The experience is
as visceral as it is visual. To top everything
off, the entire engine has been covered in
black powder coated pieces, with those
more suitable to be painted being done in
black 2Pak paint.
One of Charlie’s most favoured parts of
the build is how well the power goes down
to the ground, and we’d certainly have to
NITTY-GRITTY
NITTY
GRITTY
chrome moly crossmember
OWNER:
Braced 9in, 35-spline axles
MODEL:
VT hubs, removable hats, 6-piston
Wilwood calipers (front), HSV discs
(rear), new lines throughout
Charlie
1985 VK Group A #77 of 500
BODYWORK:
Genuine HDT Brock
COLOUR:
Formula Blue
ENGINE:
Blown 406ci Small Block Chev’ V8
BLOCK:
Dart Chev’
ENGINE MODS:
Forged internals, AFR heads, 8/71 blower
@ 7psi, Holley HP carbs, custom radiator,
catch cans and overflow tank, custom
sump, Melling high volume oil pump,
Magnafuel pump, electric vacuum pump
for brakes, rubber bushed engine plate
POWER:
BRAKES:
SUSPENSION:
Strange single coilover (rear), King
springs and Bilstein shocks (front),
custom 1 3/8in CrMo adjustable
arms, rubber bushed for street use,
track locator
WHEELS/TYRES:
Simmons FR, 19x8in (front),
20x12in (rear)
INTERIOR:
Genuine HDT Brock Scheel retrimmed, TCI Outlaw shifter
STEREO:
Kenwood head unit
BUILD PERIOD:
One year
EXHAUST:
CONTACTS/THANKS:
GEARBOX:
Turbo 400 3-speed auto, big stall,
wWWW.STREETCOMMODORES.COM
DIFF:
853hp
2in primaries into dual 3.5in system,
X-pipe
34
suggest that it’s helped by those colossal
12in-wide rear Simmons that wear equallyenormous 345 tyres. It’s the look that’s all
the rage, and with plenty of good reasons
to boast about it.
Charlie tells us that he’s pretty content
with the VK for the moment and has been
contemplating taking the car off the road
primarily to do event and track work.
“There’s definitely more skids on the
horizon,” he throws in. This is certainly
one textbook way to improve on a
fabled classic.
Big thank you to BG Engines,
Racer’s Choice, CRAFT Diffs, Al’s
Raceglides and all the boys that
worked on the car