Bill said he's reliving his youth with his project Torana now ready to rip and roar.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
There is a lot more to Bill Dopper’s 1973 LJ Torana GTR than first meets the eye.
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In the court of public opinion, Bill said most people who see his project car tell him three things about it. It sounds good, looks good, and goes well.
“A lot of them comment, ‘You’ve done a good job, it’s well presented’,” he said.
“They were legendary cars back when I was a young bloke.”
Nobody would know that better than Bill, whose first few cars included a Torana.
So when he got the chance to rebuild one, almost from scratch, he didn’t hesitate.
Bill gave the interior of the Torana a do-over in grey leather.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
Bill said there was some work to do before he could get his Torana to where it is today.
“All the running gear, that was rebuilt,” he said.
“I stripped it right down to the last nut and bolt.”
Bill had to find replacement panels, for one, because the original panels were rusted out.
Bill said he was proud of how his Torana turned out.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
An Edelbrock manifold, exhaust extractors, a full-barrelled carburetor, standard three-speed transmission and limited slip diff are just a handful of some of the good stuff Bill later added or improved.
The other good stuff also bound to get tongues talking includes a formidable 5L 308 V8 Holden engine, which Bill fitted himself.
And now, two and a half years later, he wouldn’t change a thing.
Bill reckons his car has a work rate of at least 400 horsepower, helped along by 70L unleaded fuel tank which he collected from a Torana XU-1.
While perhaps not as much of a workhorse as his 1970 Holden Monaro HT 350, Bill’s Torana still has enough guts to it to make it a serious piece of muscle.
Bill’s 1970 Monaro.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
They say the devil is in the details, and the Torana is no exception.
To top it off, Bill re-upholstered its interior in grey leather. The Torana cruises along on a quartet of custom Centre Line mags.
Bill decided the Torana also needed a paint job.
He added a touch of sunshine to its gold pearl finish, and the Torana became a sparkling chariot.
At the upcoming Shannon’s Show ‘n Shine Car, Truck and Bike Fest, Bill will bring along his Torana, Monaro, a Porsche 911 Carrera, and a 2024 C8 Corvette.
The event, presented by Cobram Rotary and major sponsor DeMaria Mitsubishi, will be held at the Cobram Showgrounds on Saturday, March 22.
Gates open at 7am.
Admission is free for under-14s and $5 for adults.
For more information, contact organiser Andrew Gilmour on 0448 778 072.
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