everyday driving are Desert Duelers on steel
15x8 rims, but for race day Rob throws on some
Mickey Thompson 28x9 drag radials. To hook
up, the ute has mono-leaf springs with CalTracs
and pump-up Commodore shocks. Up front are
Pedders 90/10s with King springs. Brakes are
HQ discs with HZ aluminium calipers.
Rob started on his ute 15 years ago. It was
completely stock, with a 132-cube six-cylinder
and three-on-the-tree. “It was the slowest car
I’ve ever driven!” he laughed. The FE still has a
stock-looking bench seat, but the race harness
and ’cage are a giveaway as to its potential.
Rob and Matt Wright spent countless hours
getting the ute into shape and running reliably.
One of the things I found interesting was that
when he had the 383 in the ute Rob used to
run a Burpengary Transmissions three-speed
Trimatic. Rob absolutely loved the Trimatic for
the street and strip; the only problem was that
the 383 would blow the fragile top gear. The355 is making 100hp less than the 383, so a
Trimatic might live with a 3500 stall converter;
I wouldn’t be surprised if Rob goes back to
the Trimatic.
Rob told me he runs a custom aluminium
radiator and a flex fan, so the car never gets
hot. The sleepy green ute gets thrashed in the
dirt and on the street and is super-reliable.
The next outing for the FE will most likely be
the Nostalgia Drags at Willowbank in August.
Say hi to Rob and tell him you read about his
car in Street Machine.
The Rods & Rockabilly Festival had plenty
of cool cars. There was a beautiful ’55 Chevy,
aptly plated NICE55, as well as some neat
hot rods and a black Cadillac. The following
weekend there was a big ride on; Brisbane has
an overwhelming choice of car and bike events
to either watch or participate in. I could easily
move there, but I reckon I would go nuts driving
in the traffic! sMAIN: While you can’t argue
with the value proposition of the
ubiquitous LS, it is great to see
some tough Holden V8 power on
the street!ABOVE: Rob’s FE was a regular
at Willowbank a decade ago,
pictured here at the 2004 Pro
Street Shootout. She is due for a
comeback soonLEFT: Paul McKennariey has
been a Brisbane hot rodder
since the late 1960s and is
still mad for it. We featured
his stunning channelled ’32
roadster in the 2012 Street
Machine Hot Rod AnnualI WALKED AROUND
THE TIDY GREEN UTE
AND NOTICED THE
SUPER-NEAT CHROME-
MOLY ’CAGE, WHICH
HAD A 2008 ANDRA
INSPECTION STICKER.
I KNEW STRAIGHT
AWAY THIS HAD
BEEN A 10-SECOND
STREET CAR