More Bloody Aussies !!!

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nqkjw

nqkjw

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
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Location
Nth Queensland,Australia
Since I've just posted a question elsewhere on this forum I figure I should do the right thing and intrduce myself.Name is Ken from Nth Qld (probably sort of comparable to your deep south) and earn my living as a heavy earthmoving contractor.
Been into mopars since 1975 and developed a love of dragracing:mainly slants and the aussie hemi6.Was never a big name,just enjoyed it.
Becoming self employed caused a self imposed withdrawal from the hobby for abt 12 yrs but now I'm back(coz I missed it :headbang: )
A bodies I own are a recently acquired 69 notchback plymouth barracuda and a 1967 VC valiant ute (probably what you good people would refer to as a 1966 signet or barracuda pickup??)
Of lesser interest here (but still a mopar) is a 1970 Dodge Challenger.
Of even lesser interest is a 89 Transam and a 96 Camaro.
The daily drivers are a Nissan Patrol 4x4 wagon and a Nissan Patrol 4x4 trayback.
Anyway,looking forward to swapping info and stories and pictures with you good people from "The land of Mother Mopar"
 
wow, "another aussie". ya know i think you guys make up half the number of members here....just kidding. welcome
 
Of lesser interest a 1970 Challenger?!? I wish I could say that. Please treasure the UTE for us folks here in the states that never seen one. WELCOME ! !
 
For those who don't know what a "ute" looks like here's some pics of mine.
A "ute" of there is some kind of indian isn't it? Over here it's short for 'utilty".Another common shortened version for them is a "tilly"

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I think we need to pirate a transport ship and bring some of them Utes
to the States. I'm sure we could find someone to give them a good home. Welcome mates! Mike
 
:burnout:

Welcome :hello2: Any more of you and I think we'll need to an the Aussie flag to our post icons:toothy7:
 
Hello Ken and welcome. Utes here are Native Americans (Indians) from our states of New Mexico and Colorado but our "utes" here are better known as pick-up trucks. Most of the people who own SUV`s (sport utility vehicles) here are afraid to drive them over a curb. It`s absurd, they`re more of a status symbol than a utilty vehicle! (?) Good to have you, I love to see more international interest here!
 
Love the aussie mopars! The aussie ute's are unf*uckinbelievable! Even though the newer ones aren't mopars, they still rip-balls! For the yanks (Americans like me self)
who aren't familiar with the aussie car scene, they have a real unique classic muscle
car history. Can you imagine a 'four-door' musclecar??? Well, that's what the
Aussies were doin' in the late sixties-to-late seventies. Mopar, Ford and GM were the
big three back then in AU and for that time period they were all tryin' to 1-up each
other in the mucslecar scene... just like they were here in the US. One difference... they
did it w/four doors. Very, very few models were offered with 2 doors. GM's was the
Torana (me thinks), I'm not sure what model Ford offered (if anything) and Chrysler had
the 'mighty Hemi-Charger'! Not the Hemi-Charger we know in the states... the AU
Hemi was a SIX! And the charger was a short wheelbase 2-door fastback that looked like a
sawed-off B-body! The Hemi-SIX waisted
Ford and GM's V-8 offerings and sent them both back to the drawing board to try and regain
some degree of self-respect for their V-8's!
I believe (correct me if I'm wrong Ken) that AU's only true big-block came in the Ford
Fairlane 'luxo-cruiser'. I don't think GM ever offered one there and I know for
a fact Mopar never did. The A-body Darts we know in the states were called Valiants in AU.
They were 2-doors but they were NOT the Valiants we know here... they were the Dart frame,
wheelbase, interior and uni-body. The tail lights and front clips were pure Aussie though
w/single rectangular headlights! The A-bodies never got a factory convert. in AU but that
didn't stop the owners! I was amazed when I saw all the convertible A-body
Dart/Valiants there... damn its like every third one was a conv... and they looked cool as
any GTS Conv. in the states! Turning hardtops A's into conv's was very popular back
then and the survivors look just as cool today!
They never got the 70-76 fastback A-bodies like our Dusters/Demons.
Chrysler disappeared from Australia in the late 70's after the musclecar market turned
into oil-tankers w/four wheels like it did in the states. Although Lee Iaccoca was able
to convince the US gov. into helping Mopar out of its hole here in the US, the Aussies just
lost Mopar altogether. They're back in AU now though with the Neon, Pt's and
Vipers. Ford and GM stuck it out in AU and kept building 'utes! And they
never looked back man! Today you'll find the evolution of Ford Ranchero's (Ford
'utes) and Chevy el camino's (Holden ute) in AU with factory 'vette/GTO engines
topping (500 HP) w/6 speed trannies and state of the art brakes/suspensions! They put
'em in 2-door coupes now too (how do you think we got our new GTO in the states... by the way our GTO is de-tuned and nowhere as fast as the Aussie model).
It's a new 'super-musclecar' shoot-out happening in AU with Ford and Chevy and
it's just as hot there now as it was back in the hay day of musclecar era here in the
US! I was too young to catch it in the US but I finally got my visa to live in AU and
I'm gonna enjoy it there! Of course my '74 Ramcharger convertible 4x4 1-ton and
'72 Demon 340 will be what I'm cruising in Oz on the weekends.
again... correct me if I'm off about anything Ken but I was only in Oz a couple years. I look fwd. to getting back next week!
 
If any more Aussies show up you better start bringing beer... Few flats of 4x Bitter and Some VB
 
Wow!!! Time gets away!!!!
I must apologise for not responding to welcome replies.I've been head down and *** up getting my cuda in shape.
Anyway,many thanks for the warm welcome.

Re the Oz muscle car era - Australia never got bigblocks.GM made their name with 350s.Ford used 351 clevelands and the 1971 XY falcon GTHO is the undisputed king of the Oz muscle car era and is the most sought after and valuable collectable Aussie muscle car today.Chrysler pinned it's fortunes on the locally built Aussie hemi 6cylinder and in it's ultimate form ran 265cid at 10:1 with 308degree/0.480" lift camshaft fed by triple 45mmDCOE twin choke weber carbs for a claimed 302bhp fitted to the Valiant charger and designated as E49.In it's day it was the quickest production 6cyl sports sedan in the world turning 14.4 quarters.

The only bigblocks that were factory sold in australia were in luxury cars which were US models sold by Oz dealers.GM sold chev belairs and impalas till 1968 but only in smallblock guise.Ford sold the Galaxie LTD till 1972 with 390s but the last were 400 clevelands I believe.Chrysler sold what you would call a Plymouth Fury but was badged a Dodge Phoenix over here till 1972.4 door post sedans had 318s and the 4 door pillarless hardtops had 383s.

Re the Aussie utes(or pickups)-as there seems to be some interest I may start a thread on them with a picture of each model? What do you reckon?
 
Welcome nqkjw. And thanks for the info.
I enjoyed reading your post, I am a native American here in Arkansas{Cherokee}.
Some day I must see your country. Glad to see another Aussies here.
I hope you hang around and keep us updated on your next move on your great cars.
 
Welcome. I thnk the Utes are cool looking wish we had some over here. I think the closest we have here to a Ute would be the little Dodge Rampage.
 
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