Blow Your Cool

Grey motors are great and all, but how about this supercharged LS3-powered FJ!

- Simon Telford

TALKING to Peter Hampton and his dad Geoff, I instantly recognise childhoods spent around FX-FJ Holdens. Peter debuted his blown LS3-powered FJ at the FX-FJ Holden Nationals at Murray Bridge late in 2018, and while it is a high-tech car, it’s the culmination of three decades of tradition.

Geoff recalls how it all started: “My father bought an FJ new in 1956. He gave it to me when I was 16 to get my licence. The condition was that I couldn’t modify it, so I built up a hottie later on [see breakout, p. 73].”

Peter and his three siblings grew up around Southern Earlies FX-FJ Club activities, so it was almost inevitable that he would be drawn into the humpy orbit. “My first one was an FX with a full-house grey and a five-speed,” he says. He’s still got the ’48, but he wanted something more. “The idea was to build something with a lot more grunt and as low as it could be, practically and legally,” says Peter. “And it had to look as close to standard as possible.”

When his FJ build started almost 20 years ago, the plan was to go with a Holden V8, but as time went on, an LS swap looked more sensible. “We found a written-off VE Senator with low kilometres, which gave us the LS3 and six-speed auto,” Peter says.

A good plan, but one that would require some serious engineering to be safe and pass rego.

“We love these old Holdens, but they are pretty flimsy in standard form,” says Peter. “We got Josh and Joel Smith from Autest involved to ensure we were on the right path from the outset.”

The solution included the usual boxed Y-frames and chassis reinforcing but added in a few twists, including the rear floorpan, diff and suspension from a VK Commodore.