INTERIOR: The cabin is wall-
to-wall XY GT – even the
Super Fringe radio and single
speaker in the centre of the
dash works
FUEL TANK: V Resto Garage
sectioned the 36-gallon fuel
tank to install baffles to fight
fuel slosh, while adding
provision to accommodate the
Aeromotive in-tank EFI pump
WHEELS: Give it some pedal
and the Nitto NT01 R-spec
tyres grip up and heave the
Falcon down the road. And
unlike drag-style tyres, they’re
epic under brakes and in the
twisty stuff
Angelo Cali from V Resto Garage finished off the full
rewire and the car was running, Dale from Castle Hill
Performance backed it up onto their dyno to perfect
the tune. It starts off the key on first kick, and, for what
it is, behaves itself quite impressively out on the road.
Blocking off the hat’s two outermost doors is key
to the Falcon’s commendable street manners, as the
two inner butterflies are more than capable on their
own of flowing enough air to feed the 934hp mill.
Rounding out the driveline is a 1000hp-capable
C4 by Al’s Race Glides, while out back, Smithfield
Diff & Gearbox loaded a slightly narrowed nine-inch
with Bosnjak Engineering two-piece 31-spline axles
and a 4.11:1 Truetrac centre. Linking these two is a
Ricky’s Drive Shafts 3.5-inch chrome-moly tailshaft.
To stop the Falcon from spearing uncontrollably
into the shrubbery, it’s equipped with an all-Wilwood
brake system. Hefty 330mm rotors reside at each
corner clamped by six-piston calipers up front and
four-piston calipers aft.
The Bathurst Globe-style wheels are pretty
special. Sold through Roy at V Resto Garage, they
started life as a set of one-piece 19x8s, but for the
rears, AA Welding carefully cut the centres out and
welded them into wider nine-inch hoops. The fat
19x9s are wrapped in 285-wide rubber, which wasabout the widest that could be squeezed under the
stock hindquarters with factory leaf springs.
The tyres are also pretty schmick. They’re Nitto’s
super-grippy NT01 – R-spec circuit-style treads that
are designed for maximum stopping and cornering.
A great choice for anybody looking to do track days,
they provide slick-like levels of grip, yet are much
longer-wearing and have enough tread to make them
(barely) street-legal.
A rebuild on this XY initially kicked off more than
10 years ago. The donor car was actually an old SM
feature car; GRACIE (as she was called back then)
appeared in the Oct/Nov 1995 issue. Progress on
the build had been on and off for years: “Paul [owner/
customer] was keen to get it done, and so were we,”
says Roy from V Resto.
Along the way, Peter from John Street Smash had
done a great job of completing all the bodywork, but
there was a lot more work to be done. “It suffered
from the 1980s ‘chrome the lot’ build philosophy,”
Roy says.
V Resto Garage got stuck into getting the body
ready for paint and organising the rest of the driveline,
as well as tracking down a mountain of GT gear, with
Gary Coleman in Sydney proving to be an invaluable
source. All the factory moulds were retained, which VTHANKS
Roy and Frank Velardi, Joe Painter and
Angelo Cali at V Resto Garage; John
Agazzi at CWD and VP Racing Fuels;
Peter at John Street Smash; Nick at
Turbo Mufflers; Ralph and Anthony at
Smithfield Diff & Gearbox; Al’s Race
Glides; AA Welding; Ricky’s Drive Shafts;
Paul Sant at ProFlo; Tan (interior); Mark
at Pedders; Scotty at Rocket Industries;
Damien at First-Stripes; Joe Schembri
at Joe Blo Speed Shop; Frank Marchetta
(headliner & assembly)