P-plater in a rear-drive ute; need more be said?
Most boys aren’t in the enviable position Alex Connolly was in when getting a Holden VS Ute as his first car. Just having a car was considered a win, but something with potential? Well, some kids get lucky.
And while some people might turn their nose up at the thought of it being a privilege to have a taxi with a tray as a first car, the fact is this was a decent base to work with when building a car that is fun, reliable, and not in the least embarrassing. In front of us is a 1995 Panther Mica Holden VS Ute, with the venerable Ecotec 3.8L up front, backed by a BorgWarner T5 5sp manual dutifully sending drive to the rear wheels. What’s not to like?
Well, according to Alex, a few things. For a lad who’s grown up worshipping V8s, the quest to find more power and pace while under the strict P-plate regulations was long and tedious.
“I wanted it to be a tough, reliable car to cruise in but with a fair bit of power, too. Ever since I inherited it in 2008, I’ve slowly been doing things to it. Some of it has been small stuff like various sets of wheels and work on the interior, but I’ve done the diff gears and the gearbox, installed the extractors and exhaust as well. All the interior work was done by me except the installation of the seats and carpet.”
Overall it’s a great package. It’s hard to look past the fact that with fairly light modifications it still pulled a 15.40sec down the drag strip. Naturally aspirated sixes don’t come much quicker this side of a Porsche. Not that the work that’s gone into the Ute has been minor; a fully rebuilt motor was the clean slate to ensure the reliability Alex was chasing. Power gains come by way of Hurricane extractors flowing into a 2.5” exhaust and an SS Inductions OTR air intake. The biggest gains in terms of pace are thanks to what was done at the other end. The open centre diff gears were turfed to accommodate new LSD 3.89:1 gears, a modification Alex credits with making the biggest difference in terms of driving. A rebuilt gearbox and Exedy HD clutch send drive to the rear. After being lowered on King springs and the ride improved with Pedders shocks, Alex installed new nolathane bushes and an adjustable panhard rod. New anti-roll bars are on the way, along with brakes to fill the substantial 20×8.5” Advanti Alpha wheels the car sits on. Alex has always had a strained relationship with wheels, having gone through over half a dozen sets in the last 18 months. Originally sitting on 15” tri-spoke specials, VE SS 18s, SSV 19s, 15” steelies, and various sets of aftermarket 20” rims have all found time on the Ute. Nothing wrong with a bit of variety.
The interior has received a lot of attention, too. The most obvious change would have to be the freshly-retrimmed VT Calais leather seats, but the Momo sports tiller, new carpet, and the dark black treatment on the dash and door trims help to make the Ute stand out from the crowd.
It wouldn’t be a modified car without dramas. The less said about Alex’s chequered driving history the better, but the car itself has been subjected to a bit of trauma in the pursuit of driving enjoyment. A new gearbox is the major culprit (2nd and 3rd gear skids are a real test of a box’s longevity), along with a second LSD, but the car’s seen a spray booth to repaint a tailgate. To be fair, is there a ute in Australia that hasn’t got a dented tailgate? For the most part, this has to be one of the most reliable first car’s this writer has had anything to do with. And that has to be a good thing.
It’s been said before, but there’s a special bond many owners have with their first car. I don’t think a bond could be stronger with a car than the one Alex has with this Holden, a car he inherited from his Uncle Brendan when he passed away while working overseas. A father figure to Alex, Brendan went to the effort of writing into his will the ute Alex now calls his own. It’s only when told this that one realises how significant a mere form of transport could possibly be.
Highlights are many and varied, and being his first car, Alex has achieved a lot of “firsts” in it. “First ever burnout, first ever drift, first popped tyres, first time doing 200kph, first time doing a 3rd gear skid. Seriously, it’s been the perfect P-plater car for me.”
He continues, “It’s fun taking girls for drives in it in the rain and doing 3rd gear clutch dumps, power-skidding all over the road and hearing them giggle.” Getting the early jump on VE SSs also satisfies Alex every time he’s at a set of lights, and ultimately, it’s the little things that contribute most to enjoying life.
So what next? Well, Alex will never sell it. The bond between driver and car has never been stronger, and with some sort of engine conversion planned in the future, big things are to be expected from this ute. But in the meantime, Alex has some stereotypes to live up to.
Story – Alex Burchell
Photos – Jamie Woods
Build-up Thread – http://www.cruisingbrisbane.com/forum/topic/47384-vs-ute/
