TRADE SECRETS

> DAVE CARNELL’S HQ TONNER RUNS NINES, MAKES 780HP AND COMPLETED DRAG CHALLENGE WITH A CHEAP-AS-CHIPS TURBO LS!

- KIAN HEAGNEY

IT’S often said that less is more, and we reckon Dave Carnell’s HQ Tonner is the vehicular proof of that adage. The big ute has a PB of 9.50@138mph, successfully completed five days of Street Machine Drag Challenge torture, and made over 780hp at the hubs. And it did all that with a virtually bonestock, turbocharged, alloy-block LS!

The crank, rods, pistons, heads and even the plastic inlet on this L77 mill are all standard, with the only additions being gapped rings, an upgraded valvetrain and a VCM 16 camshaft to cop the boost from a Proboost GT42.

"I just like working with what I have, doing as much as I can myself," says Dave. "My goal was to run nines and drive to and from the track, and we've done that easier than I thought we would!"