I bought her a couple of years ago and since then she has undergone mainly a mechanical upgrade. Although tags are long gone, at the time of purchase I had her verified as a second production run LC XU-1. She was Plum Dinger at her birth in March 71 at Acacia Ridge. I've been able to trace her owners right back to the '80s.
Unfortunately in the '80s she received the LJ 'upgrade' treatment and flared guards. Eventually she will go back to LC dress and the guards will be de-flared.
Since buying her, she has received a full new running gear. The motor is now a Blue 12 port 202, ACL rebuild kit; internal balanced; head and main stud kit; custom solid cam; straight cut timing gears; shaft mount roller rockers; Microtech engine management on VK EFI inlet manifold; Pro Comps Ignition system and coil and custom made 7 litre high volume sump. She's good for 275 FWHP. She's still okay on the street, although not the easiest to drive in city traffic.
The M21 has been done twice now in the last two years. I'll see how she goes with the second reco, before an upgrade to a stronger box. She also runs a Renegate sequential shifter, which is great for the track. No missing gears!
The LSD Banjo has also been fully recoed and now runs tighter gears (3.55), since I do most of my driving at Morgan Park Raceway, which is a tight track. So far, the diff hasn't given me any grief, although an upgrade to a Borg Warner is planned, if something happens. The exhaust is a 3" right through, which gives her a nice deep sound.
The front end has been fully done with Speed Pro bushes and now runs a bit over negative 3 deg camber. On track, she runs Hotwires with Yoko A032R tyres and on street Dragways with 225 and 215 Eagers. The front brakes have been upgraded to DRB slotted rotors and Bendix Ultimate pads, although the brakes will see a bit of new stuff in the New Year.
The inside has also seen a bit of action since purchase. She has received new carpets and OBX Daytona race seats, with new matching four point racing harness seatbelts. She came with a half roll cage when I bought her.
She is club registered and is mainly only used for track days at Morgan Park, although she gets the occassional run on nice Sunday afternoons. Future plans include (as mentioned above), the refitting of LC front and back and the de-flaring of the guards. A steel CAMS approved six-point rollcage is also planned. The suspension will also see some action soon.
The paintwork is almost 20 years old, but is still in very good condition. She'll also receive a new paintwork in the New Year, now that I've finally got my new three bay shed finished
My first car was a 1971 2-door LC 'S' Torana many many years ago. So this one has a lot of sentimental value for me, as well as bringing back a lot of good memories!
Cheers
Mark
