Shane Jacobson and Classic Cars 17 January 2015 12:41 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareShane Jacobson is a man of many talents. An actor, comedian, writer and director, his resume is long and varied. Shane is also an avid automotive enthusiast, with a slant toward classic machines. For many in Australia, Shane became a household name through the 2006 mockumentary movie ‘Kenny’ where he portrayed a Melbourne plumber who works for a portable toilet rental company. Jacobson has also rubbed shoulders with those in Hollywood, playing a small role in the well known Hollywood movie ‘The Bourne Legacy’ as factory security manager. Many automotive enthusiasts will however know Jacobson from his two seasons spent co-hosting the Australian version of Top Gear with Steve Pizzati and Ewen Page. The Australian team was never going to fill the large shoes and chemistry of the dynamic hosts in the UK version, but it was unfair to draw comparisons, as the Australian version was simply trying to use the successful model and do it in an ‘Aussie’ way. The show was entertaining and the co-hosts did the best they had with a significantly lower budget than their UK counterparts. After two seasons, Top Gear Australia ended. Shane’s love of all things automotive continued and it was an affair that started early in his life. One day while on his BMX as a kid, Shane saw a candy apple red EH Holden cruising into the car park. “It was love at first sight. I was mesmerised.” His classic car passion had started. In 2009 Shane filmed a movie with Paul Hogan named ‘Charlie & Boots’ which had acquired a couple of classic machines as part of the set. The cars in question were a HJ Kingswood and a HQ Holden Ute. After filming, Shane was sad at the thought these cars could fall in to unappreciated hands and just like that, decided to purchase them himself, which started his ‘collection’. Despite his various car purchases over the years, Shane had never owned his one dream car, the EH Holden. Then one day a conversation with his plumber yielded information of a vehicle he might be interested in. One thing led to another and before he knew it, his dream had become a reality. The car needed a little love so the rust has been removed and it was recently treated to a birthday with a respray. The EH is everything he had wished for in a car. “These classic cars have character and that’s why we love them” said Jacobson. Jacobson's collection includes his treasured EH Holden and even a Kombi.
Auto One Rare Spares Super Saturday 19 December 2014 01:06 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareAuto One Rare Spares Roxburgh Park held a ‘Super Saturday Sale’ as a Christmas get together that provided customers the opportunity to stock up on gifts and car parts before the break and take in all the activities and special guests in attendance. Held on 13th December, the all day sale offered 20% off storewide and adding to the bargains on offer, a BBQ and refreshments were offered to feed the masses. Thanks to a lucky door prize, two winners walked…or should we say rode away, in new mountain bikes. The Christmas spirit was alive and well with Santa making an appearance despite his busy schedule. Kids were able to take some selfies with the man himself and also receive lolly bags. If that wasn’t enough, a Jumping Castle certainly provided fun times for the kids in attendance. Rare Spares royalty in the form of racing legend John Bowe also came down to mingle with the crowds and as always was happy to have a good yarn and share the passion for cars with other enthusiasts. To find out about upcoming Rare Spares special events sign up to the Loyalty Club so you don’t miss out on great savings and exciting events in 2015. https://www.rarespares.net.au/loyalty/
What's In Your Garage? 09 December 2014 02:35 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareWhat’s In Your Garage What’s in your garage? That’s what Rare Spares is excited to know. With potentially thousands of garages and sheds around the country containing so many interesting and uncompleted projects, Rare spares set up a promotion to find out what is out there. Australia has responded in force, by opening sheds, pulling off the covers and wiping off dust so Rare Spares can share your incomplete restoration project with the world. The best part is, as well as having your project shared across the Rare Spares network, you have the chance to win a $50 Rare Spares voucher if your car is voted a favourite to help you complete that pride and joy. Along with the fortnightly winners, two runner ups will receive Rare Spares mystery prize packs. To enter, it is as simple as uploading an image of your project and sharing. The more friends and family that vote, the better the chance to win! To enter simply click the below link and you will be in with a chance. http://woobox.com/cs53qc The competition begins on Monday 3 November 2014, noon AEDT and ends on Wednesday 10 December 2014, at 5pm AEDT. All entries (submissions) must be received on or before the time stated during that submission period. Sponsor reserves the right to extend or shorten the contest at their sole discretion.
The Love of a Mustang 26 November 2014 10:27 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareThe Ford Mustang is arguably one of the world’s most iconic cars and by the end of 2015, the Mustang will be once again heading for Australian shores.With the ending of the locally produced Falcon and the associated performance models of FPV, Ford will be missing a performance model to sell to Australian consumers and the Ford faithful. This is where the famous Mustang re-enters the equation and will resume a love affair that has existed in Australia for 50 years. [More]
Rare Spares Bayswater Project Partner Night 21 November 2014 01:33 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareFor a group of lucky car clubs, the evening of Wednesday 12th November was the date of a special Project Partner night at Rare Spares Bayswater. A group of Rare Spares Loyalty Member Clubs were invited to the evening, including the Lions Pride Holden Car Club, the Eastside Cruisers, Southern Early Holden Club and the Early Model Holden Club. A perfectly warm Spring evening encouraged a large number of car club members to bring down their special machines and enjoy the benefits of the Project Partners night. Not only did the 20% off storewide prove a winner for those looking for new parts for their own project, but there was a great bunch of door prizes on offer. The lucky first place recipient took home the awesome prize of a TCM Hot Lap around Phillip Island. Runner up prize was a double pass to Phillip Island and a Pit Tour, with 3rd and 4th prizes a $100 Rare Spares voucher and Rare Spares merchandise pack respectively. With Pizza provided for dinner, everyone had more time to spend mingling with the huge number of high profile special guests who joined the night. Aussie racing legends John Bowe and Jim Richards joined V8 Supercar star Jason Bright and a group for TCM greats including Les Walmsley, Tony Hunter, Wayne Mercer and Gary O’Brian. To be part of some fantastic car club evenings, simply join the Rare Spares Loyalty Club https://www.rarespares.net.au/Loyalty/default.aspx
Gold Coast Project Partner Night 12 November 2014 11:08 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareOn Thursday 23rd October Rare Spares Gold Coast held a Project Partner night for Rare Spares Loyalty Club and Rare Owner members on a perfect spring evening. Attendees were able to access a store wide 20% discount for the evening, with many eager to access the huge savings, scooping up some bargains for their own projects. The Kustoms of Australia Gold Coast car club was happy to be involved, cooking a delicious BBQ for those in attendance. John Bowe was the special guest for the evening and spent time signing autographs and mingling with the crowd who were keen to hear tales from the racing legend. Rare Spares Gold Coast store owner Reg Vine was keen to get involved himself by debuting his just completed, fully restored 1956 Corvette. “It was great to bring the corvette out finally. JB absolutely loved it and even took some selfies in it!” laughed Reg Vine. Another attraction for the evening was the great prizes on offer. A double pass to the gold Coast 600, a Rare Spare merchandise pack and a $100 Rare Spares voucher were all given away to lucky winners. “It was a fun relaxed evening and we look forward to the next one.” It’s free to join the Rare Spares Loyalty Club and you can sign up to receive exclusive invites to upcoming Rare Spares events and have access to prizes and huge discounts. Simply head to https://www.rarespares.net.au/loyalty/
Auto One-Rare Spares Show N Shine 01 November 2014 10:56 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareThe Auto One/Rare Spares Roxburgh Park certainly know how to host a great event and their recent Show N Shine certainly lived up to expectations. Held on the evening of Friday 24th October at the Roxburgh Park store, the weather gods proved kind with beautiful conditions resulting in an incredible turnout of quality cars. Spectator numbers were also large, taking advantage of the beautiful machinery, store savings and food on offer. The Show N Shine also doubled as a fundraising activity for the local CFA, with Auto One models collecting gold coin donations as entry into event which raised $690.00 when combined with donations via the BBQ which provided energy for the eager crowd during the evening. To reward those in attendance, the store offered a huge 20% discount across the entire range with bargains snapped up by eager enthusiasts throughout the evening. A Show N Shine wouldn’t be complete without awards, with the Old Skool, Aussie Tuner, Jap/Euro & Show stopper categories awarded to winners and runners up with trophies and prizes. “With roughly 200 quality cars on display, it certainly made for a great sight and a great night out” said Brad De Pasquale from the Auto One-Rare Spares store Roxburgh Park. The event would not have been possible without the support of a group of sponsors, including: Pioneer, SP Tools, TDJ, Somerton Tyres, Kicker, Penrite, High Chem, Meguiars and Naparts. For more information on Rare Spares evenings, simply join the Rare Spares Loyalty Club to stay up to date with upcoming events via https://www.rarespares.net.au/Loyalty/default.aspx
Roxy VIP Night 11 October 2014 12:25 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareRare Spares continue to dish out great events, with a pre Sandown 500 VIP Night at the Roxy Rare Spares store on 11th September. The night was exclusively offered to the Rare Spares Loyalty Club and Rare Owner members. Special guests were called in to aid in the festivities which included BJR V8 Supercar drivers Jason Bright and Andrew Jones as well as Aussie racing legend John Bowe and other stars of Touring Car Masters including Paul Freestone and Gary O’Brien. V8 Ute driver Adam Marjoram from Auto One was also in attendance. Not only was a delicious BBQ setup to feed the masses, but a plethora of prizes was offered to those in attendance. The major prize given away was a rare hot lap experience with Jason Bright in his Team BOC V8 Supercar. Also on offer were 2 double passes to the Sandown 500 thanks to TCM and BJR, a $100 Rare Spares voucher and TCM and Rare Spares merchandise packs. With a nice turnout, great prizes, high profile drivers and a delicious BBQ, the Roxy VIP night is becoming quite a tradition. If you are keen to be part of exclusive events like these, simply become a Rare Owner or if you are a member of a car club, simply join our Loyalty program.
X Why? 30 September 2014 10:47 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareMeet James Mackie. James loves old Ford’s. James also loves drifting. Finally, James loves the Holden V8 LS series engines. What do you get if you combine these three things together? One crazy XY Falcon. James would describe himself as a Ford man, but loves all cars. His previous collection included another XY Falcon, an XW Fairmont and an EB Falcon that he modified with a turbo and drifted over the course of a decade. He has also owned a VT Clubsport R8, so it is not just all about Fords. “I’d bought a XW Fairmont for a thousand dollars and then sold it on again not long after, but I regretted not putting the EB Falcon running gear into that XW so I kept a look out for another similar car. James bought the current Falcon XY you see for $3,000 but his original engine swap idea didn’t turn out as appealing as he had first thought. “I’m into burnouts, Performance Car Mania, drag racing, drifting and circuit racing so I needed the new car to be a real all rounder.” “I was going to put the engine and gearbox from my EB Falcon turbo in to the XY, but it was going to be complicated, expensive and require some cutting of the radiator support so I wasn’t keen on cutting up the chassis for an engine swap. James then spent time thinking through the various other engine options for the XY. “The two common paths are to build a Cleveland 351 or a 351 Windsor engine, but my budget was limited and to get the horsepower I was looking for (400hp+) I was probably looking at up to twenty thousand dollars to build one properly. A Toyota 2JZ engine is a super strong engine popular in the drift scene and James even considered this, however it was also going to require chassis modifications so it was ruled out. James remembered reading about a XY Falcon in a Street Machine magazine that was running a supercharged LS1 engine, so figured it could be an option. However going down this path, James knew he would be (according to some) committing a cardinal sin. “I knew it was one of Australia’s most iconic cars and it was a hard decision to make, but putting that aside, the LS1 seemed to be the smartest, most practical and cheapest swap available to be able to do all the things I had in mind.” A friend was selling a LS1 engine and gearbox for only $1,100 which was too good to pass up and very soon the build began. “I started by pulling the car down to fix some rust issues and also prepare it for a roll cage.” The cage is very comprehensive and not only stiffens the chassis but will keep James safe in any motorsport discipline he chooses. New engine and gearbox mounts were fabricated at this time in preparation for the engine. James also purchased some XY floor pan panels, sills and rubber seal kits from Rare Spares to assist in the restoration. The engine was modified with a camshaft, new valve springs and new oil and water pumps. A custom exhaust system was also produced, before a tune was carried out, which resulted in a solid 370hp at the wheels. “It took 12 months to build and was a full restoration, without the paint job. I love the rat rod look so the car doesn’t actually look like it has been restored” said James. “I nearly had three nervous breakdowns over the build and it really hit home what I had done when I got the car running. Many times during the build I thought ‘what the hell am I doing?” After unveiling the car on social media and at his first few events, James copped a lot of negative comments which he expected, but after explaining the reason he went that way, most people seemed to come around. One of the car’s early outings was at the Calder Park drags where it ran a solid 12.2 second pass down the quarter mile. The car remained bulletproof for a year but then things started to go wrong in 2014 when James competed in the Victorian Drift Championship. During Round 1 the wheels studs snapped. At Round 2 the clutch let go and in Round 3 he snapped an axle. Snapping an axle at Calder Park while going sideways at 100km/h was not part of the plan. The mid-season drifting festival resulted in a spun bearing so the engine was rebuilt properly with head work and pistons for Round 4. Unfortunately at Round 4 the motor self-destructed. James believes it was something oil related but the engine was so badly damaged he is not sure the exact cause. Although James is now in limbo with the car’s future, he hopes the next step will be a 6 Litre LS2 with a supercharger, which is the dream. A lover of all motorsport, James is keen to have a crack at hill climbs, circuit days and motorkhanas moving forward and the car will no doubt attract attention and divided opinions wherever it goes. James hopes people can look past the engine swap and just appreciate the car for what it is. “I absolutely love the car now and don’t have any regrets. I can drive it in just about any form of motorsport. There are not many XY Falcons that can do that and do it well.” “Nothing is over the top, it has a standard steering box, it still has leaf rear springs and is quite mild to drive. Anyone could take an X series Falcon and do what I’ve done without breaking the bank.” “I want to thank Mick, Mish, Chris and Dale for all their assistance in the build. I couldn’t have built it without them and of course my girlfriend Tanya for her support.”
The Rarest Parts 26 September 2014 11:57 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareThe Rarest Part As cars age and slowly dwindle from the roads manufacturer support eventually stops producing parts for these vehicles and this is where Rare Spares steps in, providing thousands of parts for all manner of vehicles without part support. Although rare parts are a speciality of Rare Spares it was time to explore deeper into the world of the Australian parts market. What are some of the rarest parts that exist in Australia? We asked Rare Spares Director’s to find out some of the extremely rare parts they know of within the market. A few years back, Director David Ryan remembers looking everywhere for a rubber seal that is at the base of the windscreen divider bar on the FJ Holden. “It was a very obscure part and we just couldn’t get hold of one, so we ended up producing one ourselves.” Said Ryan. Torana A9X ash trays are another random item that are available from time to time, but are at a huge premium. “An A9X ash tray could go from anywhere up to $1,000.” According to Managing Director Les McVeigh, FC front fenders and EH bonnets are another two items that are very hard to come by. “They are not in high demand, but if you were after one, it could be hard to track one down” said McVeigh. For Rare Spares, some of the most difficult spares to produce are the more modern vehicle body panels. “The HQ front panel that the grille fits onto was a challenge to get right” said Ryan. As for the most popular parts, they are often the newly released items that have been produced based on demand from customers. “Monaro GTS steering wheels have proven to be a popular item as has the GTS rear vision mirrors” said Ryan. Rare Spares is happy to look into producing parts as long as there is demand. If you have a query about a part please add your details to the Rare Spares ‘Wish List’. http://www.rarespares.net.au/Wishlist/Wishlist.aspx