| Everytime BIGV8 heads out on the pad, you can be assured of a great show. A true crowd pleaser in every sense, it has the mechanical muscle bulging out the bonnet, ear bursting exhausts and instant tyre smoke. The only downside to watching any of Leroys burnouts is that they are very short lived, a brand new set of 17? tyres last on average 90 seconds when the loud pedal is flat to the boards.
“My specs for the car were for it to be big powerful and f*%^ing loud”
Ever wondered how these burnout guys manage to see amongst all the smoke and mayhem? We asked Leroy and he reckons before he goes out on the pad he picks out a few structures so he can find his bearings once emersed in the smoke ie a light pole, rooftop etc…
Whilst the car was built originally to blast the tyres off in burnout comps, Leroy tried his hand at some Off Street Racing at this years Powercruise in Darwin and came away with the winners trophy. Asked what it felt like to actually get the big Statesman upto speed and Leroy replied with “It felt like my ass was trying to suck the leather off the seats it was puckered up that much, but I loved it!”.
The drag racing bug seemed to bite and Big Leroy is keen on taking it down to the strip to lay down a few numbers.
“I don’t want to go too fast, cos I don’t want to have one of those poofy looking shopping trolley handles strapped to the back with a nappy to slow me down”
Leroys son James Rees is the brains behind the engine and he is a really clued in guy. He himself owns a 253 powered VC wagon running 11.20’s which looks set to run into the 10’s shortly. This is without a bottle, running on meth and naturally aspirated, the fastest 253 in Australia?? Hopefully we can bring you James’ wagon in the not too distant future.
Ask Leroy what engine specs he gave James to build to and you’ll get - “My specs for the car were for it to be big powerful and f*%^ing loud, I don’t know about how this bolts to that thing, I just wanted to drive the bastard.”
Engine Details (this is going to be a long one)
Normally we give a pretty brief rundown of the motor, but in this case James wanted us to publish the lot. So here goes.
Engine
Built by John Pilla, Power House Engines 03 5623 3447 / James Rees.
509 cube Bigblock Chev
Compressoin : 9.2
Crankshaft : 4” Steel
Rods : 6.135 Carillo
Pistons : JE Flat Top
Rings : Total Seal
Mains & Rod Bearings : Clevite
Heads
Ported and polished alloy heads
Valves : Ferrea 2.250
Valve Spring : Manley nextek
Retainers : Titanium
Valve Covers : AMP
Cam & Valve Train
Camshaft : Clive Cams
Lift : 730
Duration : 275/285
Lobe Seperation : 114
Lifters : Howard Cams
Push Rods : Manley
Rockers : Crane Gold
Rocker Ratio : 1.73
Stud Kit : ARP
Timing Chain : AMP
Oil Pump : Standard
Water Pump : Standard
Induction
Carby : Enderle Bird Injector Hat
Blower : Weiand 871 17% overdriven
Injector Size : 56
Electrics
Dizzy : MSD
Coil : LX92
Spark Amplifier : Hi-6
Exhaust
Headers : 2.5” 4 into 1 headers
Power : 900hp estimated
Torque : 1000ft lb estimated
Drive Train
Transmission : Power Glide Full Manualised
Stall Converter : TCT (3800rpm)
Driveshaft : 3”
Diff : 9” Full spool, 35 spline
Ratio : 3.25
Special Thanks
James Rees – brains behind the motor setup
John Pilla – Powerhouse Engines 0356233447
TNT Auto Parts – Terry
Bryan Jones – HQ Restorations
Mick Zahra – Drouin Steel Sales
Ian Bennet – Bus N Body Shop
Dave – Warragull Auto Interiors
Steve Mcgreggor – Warragul Exhaust
John Williams, Norm Hoult, Paul Jensz
Special Thanks to my wife Janine, kids Jaimee, Shae, Emma and Eden
Full Gallery Of BIGV8
Video Compilation of BIGV8
Discuss BIGV8 (i’m sure leroy will be more than happy to answer questions)
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