Tony’s Ride – Using Mothers® to Restore & Preserve his 2001 Holden Astra

It’s always great to hear how people take care of their rides with Mothers®.

‘The painted surface is as good now as it was when the car was new. There have been no repaints, just the use of the Mothers® products for 16 years.’ – Tony, Mothers® User Since 2005.

Recently Tony reached out to us to express his love for Mothers® products and how easy they are to use, having used Mothers® for many, many years to help restore, shine and protect his 2001 Holden Astra.

Tony’s work proves that no matter the age or condition of your ride, Mothers® will always help revitalise, nurture and preserve it, all while making detailing a highly enjoyable activity.

Tony was prompted to use Mothers® when he acquired the Astra in 2005, after noticing some blemishes in the clear coat on the vehicle’s roof.

‘The previous owner parked the car under a tree inhabited by bats, and the acidic nature of the bat crap is what etched the clear coat.’

Luckily, with a bit of Mothers® magic, Tony easily sorted out this problem. Since then, he has become an avid Mothers® detailing enthusiast for over 16 years, regularly maintaining his Astra to ensure it is always at its optimum. He has also contributed over 1000 posts to the online Mothers® forum back in its heyday and is now getting his family into detailing with Mothers®.

‘The upshot was that I then started using the range of Mothers® products, not just to try and solve the problem, but to protect the paint for the future, and that expanded into all products for “work” on our car, paint, glass, plastic, trim, internals, etc.’

Talking about his detailing process and what he loves from Mothers® to care for his ride, Tony said the following:

‘I still have a preference for the California Gold® Pure Carnauba Wax in the “big tin”, probably the most used product on my Astra, except maybe the many versions of spray wax used as a ‘topper’ after each wash.’

But after a long time of care, Tony is moving on his idyllic Astra and making way for a 2018 Toyota Corolla, and is looking to change up his detailing with the help of our ceramic CMX® products.

‘I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for making available a range of car care products that are easy to use, and give such excellent results, and I know that my Corolla will be just as easy to look after.’

We’re glad to hear that Mothers® has helped so much with your detailing Tony.

Joel’s Ride – 1955 Chevrolet Belair

A Show Car With The Heart Of A Monster!

This 1955 Chevrolet is not your typical car, it’s something very special.  Joel has always maintained his car using Mothers Polishes.

Some of what makes this monster:

• BLOWN 572” running E85 – 1400 HP + Nitrous
• Speedtech pro 1 Nitrous System and stand alone Fuel system
• Penske double Adjustable Shocks
• Chromolly wheelie bars
• Custom ET 15×15” 33-22.5-15 QTPRO Hoosier’s

Ben’s Ride – 2000 Subaru GC8 WRX

My passion started at a young age when my Dad had me helping him in the garage in the smallest overalls he could find. From handing him tools, to learning about the car parts, to starting to work on them myself… I was hooked at a young age.

I had always wanted a GC8 WRX since I was a young kid when they first came out. After building a few different cars to how I wanted at that time, when I found a girl who had the same passions and love for Subaru it was time to build the one with her and my Dad, a car I could drive and enjoy for years to come.

I searched for the perfect one and found it in this beautiful red original condition GC8 body shell. The driveline and engine didn’t matter as that would all be changed to make the powerful yet “stock” looking car it is today. First on the priority list was safety, making the car stop and handle before adding power to the mix, a lesson I was taught from a young kid being brought up with race cars in the garage. Week by week, adding new parts to the car, building it slowly but meticulously using all the best parts I could afford but sticking to “do it once, do it right the 1^st time”.

Next came the engine build. I had a closed deck built motor to go in but things didn’t work out that way so changed to a brand new EJ207 Semi closed deck motor from Subaru. Adding the nice little extra’s like 264 cams to make it still driveable on the street averaging 5-600kms to the tank thanks to a 6 speed gearbox but a fun weapon on the track. Being so light and nimble it is a dream to drive and steers exactly where I want it to whilst looking like a beefier version of the original.

It is polished up nicely with Mothers products in these photos, ready to be used as one of my wedding cars.

I can’t pick just one favourite Mothers product, it is a tie between the foaming wheel cleaner, VLR and synthetic wax. But ALL the products in the Mothers range are great to use and get exceptional results.

In the future I hope to do a full respray of the car in the original colour and continue to enjoy building it with my wife. End of the day, the car isn’t perfect but it’s mine and has been built with passion and family.

Brendan – 1987 HSV Walkinshaw

This is my Dad’s pride and joy.

Bought in 1990 after his original one (purchased brand new off the showroom) was stolen, stripped and burnt out. The car was purchased with the intention of being used for club level racing. Heavily modified by the original owner the car was a great purchase with the insurance money after his first one was stolen.

The car came with full Harrop touring car suspension and brake package, a Larry Perkins built engine good for 380 WHP (pretty decent figure back in those days) and a 9-inch rear end conversion. The car was used for many years to compete in club level Super Sprints. It won its fair share of trophies in that format and was considered a very quick car (for the time). It was raced from the 90’s into the early 2000’s when they suddenly started to go up in value.

The decision was made in 2005 to take the car off the road for a full strip down restoration and to restore it to original specification.

During that time, the car was re painted in original Panorama Silver, the engine was rebuilt to original spec, suspension removed and replaced with original items and of course the 9-inch was removed to be replaced with the original diff and brake package. This process took the better part of 10 years (working weekends and some week days) to complete.

The end result is fantastic as you can see in the photos, thanks to Mothers Polishes and Waxes for the outstanding gloss, shine and water beading!

As a family we have many fond memories of driving around in the car, trips to the beaches in summer and up to the farm during winter and other school holidays. The rumble of the V8 would send chills up my spine as a young boy and the power never ceased to put a smile on my face! (I personally blame this car for my obsession with HP!) My personal favourite is when you shut the engine down, it gulps in a huge amount of air through the 8 trumpets hidden under the twin throttle plenum, something akin to Darth Vader breathing!

Today the car is still driven regularly, and it’s wonderful to see the look on people’s faces as you pass, or when younger people ask “What the hell is that thing?!”

The car gets out to the odd show now and then so people can enjoy it up close.

Hopefully we will be able to enjoy it for many years to come!

Brendan’s Ride  – The Sigma. 1983 GJ Mitsubishi Sigma GLX

This is my own personal car. Purchased in 2015 with a measly 36,000 original Km’s the car was too good to pass up. My very first car was a 1982 Peter Wherret Special Sigma and I’ve always had a soft spot for them. Wanting to relive my youth and build the Sigma I’ve always wanted, the decision was made to snatch it up at a very fair price. Once I purchased the car it was given the good old Mothers treatment (full cut and polish then waxed). There was no way I was going to leave it stock, so I tossed up on what engine to put in it for a few months. I stumbled across a fully built Astron 2.6L on Gumtree with all the hard work done (forged internals, turbo conversion, all the good stuff really) at a bargain price and jumped on it. Shipped up from outside of Adelaide, it arrived and was everything I wanted. Being a mechanic and self taught fabricator I jumped straight in to getting the old donk out and replacing it with the new.

Whilst the engine was out I re painted the engine bay, sub frames and converted the front suspension to VL Turbo brakes with coil overs with Nolathane bushes. With everything looking brand new I installed the engine with a slightly unconventional yet period correct “blow through” Weber carby kit and a good old T3/T4 turbo with external wastegate. Pumping out a measly 8psi saw 238 RWHP with a chunky 450NM of torque! Needless to say I was very happy! It gives more than it’s fair share of newer cars a run for their money!

The car has recently been pulled off the road for a full re spray and general tidy up, and will be looking very “showroom” condition soon.

I love the looks the car gets, the comments of people who owned (or parents owned) a Sigma, and those who learnt to drive in one. It’s nice that people still enjoy this Aussie classic. I also love the shocked look on peoples faces as it passes them when they aren’t expecting it too!

I’m looking forward to having the car back on the road looking brand new, and for the public to enjoy it at car shows and motor sport events.

Vehicle
1959 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery
Mothers® Red Paint
Built by Rad Rides by Troy, Manteno, IL

Background
The Mothers® ’59 Sedan Delivery was acquired in 1984 and has been an icon of the Southern California company ever since. Having had a few makeovers, it has graced the pages of many car magazines and has been shot by legendary photographers. In its latest iteration, construction began at Rad Rides by Troy on February 3, 2014. It was completed in time for a shakedown run during the June 2015 Hot Rod Power Tour driven by owner Barbara Holloway and co-piloted by Judy Trepanier (Troy’s mother). At the 2015 SEMA Show, it won the honor of “Best Chevrolet of Show” during the GM Design Awards.

Powertrain
Lingenfelter LS3 (aluminum block; balanced)
6.2 liter (378 CI) V-8
10.7:1 Compression
670 HP; 565 ft/lbs
Aluminum Cylinder Heads
Billet Specialties/Lingenfelter Valve Covers
Pure Power Lubricants
Pure Power Oil Filter
Custom intake runner by Rad Rides
Magnuson Supercharger, 7PSI
C&R Intercooler
K&N Custom Air Cleaner by Rad Rides
Bosch Fuel Pump
BigStuff3 ECU (runs on any standard pump fuel, including E85)
Custom Fuel Cell by Rad Rides
Custom Spark Plug Wires by Rad Rides
Exhaust Headers by Rad Rides
3″ Exhaust System by MagnaFlow
Oxygen Sensor by GM Performance

Vehicle
67 Chevrolet El Camino

Powertrain
GM Performance Parts ZZ572 Crate Motor
572 CI Tall Deck V8 (cast iron)
9.6:1 Compression
Forged 4340 Steel Crank with 4.375-inch Stroke
Forged 4340 H-Beam Rods, Shot-Peened
Forged Aluminum Pistons with Full-Floating Wrist Pins
Balanced
Rectangular-Port Aluminum Cylinder Heads
Hydraulic Roller Cam w/ 0.632-inch Lift
Stainless Steel Valves
Hardened Chromemoly Retainers
Roller Rocker Arms
Dual Valve Springs
General Motors Valve Covers
Aluminum Rectangular-Port Intake Manifold
850 CFM Demon Carburetor
Flex Plate
HEI Distributor
620 hp @ 5500 RPM
650 ft. lbs. of torque @ 4500 RPM (on pump gas, SAE standard)
Milodon Oil Pan
Pure Power Oil Filter
Pure Power Lubricants
Barry Grant 220-lph Fuel Pump K&N Air Filter in Custom Housing
Performance Fabrications by Paul Gonzales
Custom Headers w/ Stepped Tube Diameters of 1.875, 2.00 and 2.125 inches
MagnaFlow Exhaust, 3-inch
Be Cool Radiator
Stewart Components Water Pump
Spal Electric Fans
Fuel Safe Fuel Cell (36 gallon)
Optima 2 Battery