TThere may be faster XYs, better XYs, but tougher than that! I know that’s a bold statement, but the screech of the 8/71’s Huffer and Gilmer blower drive, combined with the roar of nearly 1,000 horses barreling through the three-inch track, would certainly make anyone want to see this Falcon. Will stop as it rumbles by. Shaped by Roy and Frank Velardi and the team at Sydney’s V Resto Garage, this Ford cuts a formidable figure to say the least.
This article was first published in the September 2019 issue. Street Machine
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Despite the craziness of the engine combo, it was built to be a driver. It starts easily, can handle traffic, doesn’t seem cornered and doesn’t overheat even on hot days.
Before we go any further, let’s deal with the elephant pulling the bonnet out. It’s a 438ci World Products Man O’War tall deck block with World Products heads, an Edelbrock intake, a Blower Shop 8/71 pump and a genuine JBR carbon fiber hat – all with a Blow Speed Shop in-heat EFI set. It is fed by you. .
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The only way to get this XY from any squat is to cut the floor and lift it up – as soon as it sits, it’s a belly-scratching falcon.
The imposing mill was initially screwed together by renowned American engine builder Rick Waters. When first dropped in the Australian four-door, it featured an alloy big-and-eagle hat and a thick plate sandwiched between it and the blower, with side-mounted EFI injectors. With this setup, the cap sat too high at roof height. Oddly enough, it was considered too flashy for the street.
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Joe Schembri of Blue Speed Shop came to the rescue. He reduced the overall height considerably by switching to a shorter carbon fiber cap and eliminating the sandwich plate. Joe’s trick EFI setup installed eight Bosch injectors down in the guts of the cap. Very clean arrangement.
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With the original rebuild beginning more than 10 years ago, the V Resto Garage crew completed the bulk of the work over the past 18 months, including painting, driveline, plumbing and assembly.
The Holley ECU was dialed up in the US, and once Angelo Kelly of V Resto Garage finished the complete rewire and the car was running, Dale from Castle Hill Performance took it to his dyno to complete the tune. Back up. It starts with the key on the first kick, and, for what it is, behaves quite impressively on the road.
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Closing the hood’s two outer doors is key to the Falcon’s admirable street manners, as the two inner butterflies are on their own capable of blowing enough air to feed the 934hp mill.
Rounding out the driveline is a 1000hp C4 from Al’s Race Glides, while out back, a Smithfield Diff & Gearbox uses Bosnjak Engineering’s two-piece 31-spline axle and a slightly narrower nine-inch with 4.11:1 Truetracrecent. Loaded Connecting the two is a Ricky’s Drive Shafts 3.5-inch chrome-moly tailshaft.
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Vee Resto Garage sectioned off the 36-gallon fuel tank to install baffles to combat fuel leaks, while adding provision to accommodate the Aeromotive in-tank EFI pump.
To prevent the Falcon from going wild in the bushes, it is equipped with an all-wood brake system. Heavy 330mm rotors reside at each corner with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers behind.
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Give it some pedal and the Nitto NT01 R-spec tires grip and take the Falcon down the road. And unlike drag-style tires, they’re epic under braking and in the twisty stuff
Bathurst Globe style wheels are quite special. Sold by Roy at V Resto Garage, they started life as a set of one-piece 19x8s, but for the rear, AA Welding carefully cut the centers and welded nine-inch-wide hoops. The fat 19x9s are wrapped in 285-wide rubber, which was about wide enough to squeeze under the stock rearquarters with factory leaf springs.
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The tires are also quite schmick. They are Nitto’s super grippy NT01 – R-spec circuit-style treads designed for maximum stopping and cornering. A great choice for anyone looking to have a track day, they provide a smart level of grip, yet are long wearing and runnable enough to make them (barely) street legal.
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The EFI wiring and fuel lines go in through the back of the JBR hat – the original injector hoses are there for show only. V Resto Garage cut out the hole and built the bonnet surround around it to look like the factory shaker surround. Although capable of quite a lot, the TBS 8/71 Bullet Blower is only developing 5-6psi of boost. On E85, that equates to 934 easy ponies.
A reconstruction on this XY was initially started more than 10 years ago. The donor car was actually old. Sm characteristic car; GRACIE (as it was called back then) appeared in the October/November 1995 issue. Progress on construction was on and off over the years: “Paul [owner/customer] We wanted to complete it and so did we,” says Roy from V Resto.
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Along the way, Peter from John Street Smash had done a great job of completing all the bodywork, but there was still a lot more work to do. “It was inspired by the ‘chrome the lot’ construction philosophy of the 1980s,” says Roy.
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V Resto Garage got stuck into preparing the body for paint and setting up the rest of the driveline, as well as tracking down a mountain of GT gear, with Gary Coleman in Sydney proving an invaluable resource. All factory moldings were retained, reshaped by V Resto Garage before re-polishing or re-chroming. An in-house spray painter, Joe Painter (we kid you not!) laid on a darker PPG Jet Black, with First Stripes then adding the iconic GT Stripes.
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The cabin is wall-to-wall XY GT – even the super fringe radio and single speaker in the center of the dash works
Inside is pure XY GT, including a genuine Ford Windback sunroof. Little has been deviated from the stock; There’s no shaft shifter (V Resto Garage adapted the factory shifter) and no aftermarket gauges scattered all over the place – the reproduction GTHO 8000rpm tacho and 140mph (225km/h) speedo are more than up to the job. Bottom line is the same – stock, stock, stock. With new bushings, springs, shocks and ball joints supplied along with the pads, this XY now runs great.
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This in-your-face beast is a far cry from Paul’s first XY. He has owned several of them, including the car that became John Saad’s FAT XY (SM, Nov ’17). Paul is now considering his next build. Details are scarce at this time. However, given its penchant for black color and low ride height, it’s a good bet that these will once again be distinguishing features. If his current arsenal is anything to go by I can’t wait – bring it on!
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V Resto Garage
1971 Ford XY Falcon
paint: PPG Jet Black
engine
Brand: Global Products 438ci
Heads: Global products
Inlet manifold: Edelbrock
Manufacturer: Blower Shop Bulletin 8/71
EFI: Joe Blue Speed Shop
ECU: Holi
Injector: Bosch
Camera: Hydraulic roller
Rockers: Jessel
Conrods: Oliver
Piston: SRP
Crank: Callies
Sump: Melodion
Oil pump: Mailing
Fuel System: Aeromotive in tank
Cooling: XY GT; 16in and 10in Spall fans
Headers: Custom made by ProFlo
Emissions: Mandrel bent 3 inches
Ignition: MSD
Transfer
Gearbox: Else Race Glides C4
Converter: Dominator in 8, 3000rpm stall
Difference: Full-floating 9in, 4.11:1 Truetrac, 31-spline
Tail Shaft: 3.5 inch chrome moly
Suspension and brakes
Front Rear: Factory
Springs and Shocks: Padre (f&r)
Steering: XY GT 16:1
brake: Wilwood 330mm rotors and six-piston calipers (F), Wilwood 330mm rotors and four-piston calipers (R)
Master Cylinder: Willwood
Wheels and tires
password: Bathurst Globe Style; 18×8 (f), 18×9 (r)
Rubber: Nitto NT01; 225/35R19 (f), 285/30R19 (r)
Thanks
Roy and Frank Velardi, Joe Painter and Angelo Kelly at V Resto Garage; John Agazi at CWD and VP Racing Fuels; Peter in John Street Smash; Nick in turbo mufflers; Ralph and Anthony at Smithfield Duff and Gearbox; Else Race Glides; AA welding; Rickey’s drive shaft; Paul St. in Pro Flow; tan (internal); mark the padder; Scotty at Rocket Industries; Damien at First Stripes; Joe Schembri at Joe Blue Speed Shop; Frank Marchetta (headliner and assembly)