With 572 cubic inches of big-block and a ProCharger under the hood, there’s much more to Alan Messenger’s XY than just a tough look
Given that Alan Messenger’s car ownership list is basically a list of Australia’s all-time greatest automotive creations, it should be no surprise that he’s ended up with arguably the toughest XY sedan in the land. He was in the right place at the right time when the previous owner moved offshore, and since the car already looked the part and was packing a big-block under the hood, he knew it was the perfect starting point to make it his own.
That process started slowly with a few tweaks to get the car looking how he wanted it to, which, given he loved the paintwork and overall finish, was focused mainly on upgrading the wheels and suspension. The 15×6 and 15×10-inch Globes he opted to fit are about as iconic as the XY shape itself, and the pair go together to give exactly the look he was after thanks in part to the 275/50R15 rear rubber. Of course, that look is substantially aided by a reduction in the car’s ride height, courtesy of some re-set leaf springs.
Of course, that was just the start though, as Alan always had plans to make the 460ci-big-block even tougher, so in preparation he set about replacing the brakes with a Wilwood package far more suitable for what was to come. With the mechanicals sorted for the interim, the car remained in this state, albeit with some bodywork touchups being undertaken.
It wasn’t until life threw Alan a curveball in the form of a heart attack that the car progressed further. He tells us, “While heading into theatre for my second lot of stents, and being told this would be quite tricky, I jokingly said to the wife, ‘If I survive, can I have a supercharger?’ and she said yes!” We’re not sure if that means she really loves him or expected it was a promise she wasn’t going to need to deliver on, but needless to say he survived, which meant forced induction was now on the menu.
It was while he was in Whangamata at Repco Beach Hop 22 that Alan got talking to Steve Walker, owner of Mike’s Engines about the best approach to that force-induction dream. “We went down the roots blower track but soon realised to get it certified with a mountain blower sticking out of it would be too much of a mission,” he tells us, explaining the logic behind opting for a ProCharged combination.
Rather than tear down the existing motor, he wisely decided to move it on and start fresh, but rather than just selling the motor itself, he dropped it into an XD Falcon in an effort to make some extra cash. With the engine gone, he also took the opportunity to give the bay a tidy up. Sadly, but not completely unexpectedly this turned into a can of worms, or more accurately, a section of rust, when the wiper cowl was opened up. On the plus side, he had Jordan at Whangarei Autobody on hand to handle all the required repairs. While the grinder was out, knowing the bay needed repainting anyway, the pair also took the chance to install RRS shock towers to give the big-block a bit more room. This both enabled and necessitated the installation of an RRS coilover front suspension to which an RRS rack-and-pinion steering assembly was connected.
Meanwhile, not far away, the mother of all big-block Ford motors was being built. While most people associate the 572 moniker with GM products, we can assure you the over-bored 460 block is 100-per-cent Ford Racing. Steve worked his magic to assemble it with a Scat 4340 steel crank, Scat rods, and Wiseco pistons that offer a boost-friendly 9.0:1 compression ratio. The top end is equally as impressive, based around AFR Bullet CNC-ported 3816 heads fitted with Crower roller lifters and T&D shaft-mounted rockers. Below these is a set of sturdy Trend pushrods that move to the tune of a custom camshaft. It’s a serious bit of kit, but it needed to be for what was planned to be strapped to the outside of it. The key piece is obviously the F2 ProCharger, but there’s far more to the package than just that.
Initially, it was put together with a carburettor, but a later re-think of the combination saw it adapted to feature a Tick Performance water-to-air intercooler that sits below a custom billet intake manifold.
The conversion to EFI wasn’t without its share of challenges, as Alan recalls, “Being an XY there’s not a lot of room in the engine bay. So we came up with the idea of running a water-to-air intercooler — as there is no room left with a big-block Ford. So we got in touch with Dan at Kiwi CNC in Cromwell. Dan ended up 3D-scanning the AFR manifold that matched the heads and a Holley LS High Ram top section for it to fit and match the Tick performance intercooler.” The amount of work in that process shouldn’t be underestimated, and it included setting up the fuel rails that house 1650cc injectors.
Once completed, the car was taken back to Glenn Suckling at GDS Automotive for tuning, while the carburettored setup had made 989hp and 890ft/lb with 12psi boost, the EFI combo offered so much more. That turned out to be an accurate assessment, as the car didn’t just break the 1000hp barrier, it blew past the 1100hp mark!
While a Link ECU is now running the show, Alan decided on a Haltech digital dash to help monitor the combination. Rather than try and butcher the dash, he hit up JMB Draft and Design in Australia for one of their custom 3D-printed cluster surrounds. The remainder of the interior is as it was when purchased, which sees a half-cage out back and race seats up front. Similarly the driveline was built tough enough from the start to be able to handle the massive power now thrown at it. That being said, Ian at Advanced Automatics was called upon to freshen up the C6 transmission and supply a 2500rpm stall converter.
He’s now owned the car for five years and over that time it’s essentially been through three different phases, but now, with the look that he loved to begin with and 1100hp on tap, it’s easy to see why there’s nothing else left to do but enjoy what is possibly the ultimate XY streeter.
Vehicle: 1971 Ford XY Falcon
Engine: 572ci big-block Ford, Ford Racing A460 big block, Scat 4340 steel crank, Scat rods, Wiseco forged pistons, 9.0:1 compression, AFR Bullet CNC ported 3816 heads, custom Crow Cams hydraulic roller cam, Crower roller lifters, T&D shaft mounted rockers, Trend pushrods, custom billet intake manifold, Fast 102mm throttle body, Tick Performance water-to-air intercooler, F2 ProCharger, twin intake pumps, external regulator, Bosch 1650 injectors, Link Storm ECU, LS style coil packs, MSD leads, Pacemaker headers, twin three-inch exhaust, Flowmaster mufflers, custom radiator, twin Spal fans,custom water-to-air cooler core, Mr Gasket electric water pump
Driveline: Ford C6 Ridgeback, 2500rpm stall converter, nine-inch diff, Strange alloy head, chromoly 3.5-inch driveshaft
Suspension: RRS coilover struts, reset leaf springs, Caltrac bars, Koni rear shocks, RRS rack-and-pinion steering, Holden Astra electric power steering
Brakes: Wilwood manual brake booster, Wilwood four-pot calipers
Wheels/Tyres: 15×6-inch and 15×10-inch Globe wheels, 195/50R15 and 275/50R15 tyres
Exterior: Toyota Magnetic Grey paint
Chassis: Strengthened chassis
Interior: Race seats, Momo steering wheel, Haltech IC7 dash, half cage, custom dash
Performance: 1100hp, 1035 lb/ft
Driver: Alan Messenger
Age: 57
Occupation: Painter/Decorator
Previously owned cars: BA XR8 ute, EF Tickford Fairmont, XY Falcons, XD Falcons, BF Typhoon, Chev Silverado, VG Valiant, LH Torana, LJ Torana
Dream car: ’70 Hemi Cuda and too many others to list
Why the Falcon?: Loved the staunch look of the car and the fact that it had a big-block in it
Build time: Ongoing
Length of ownership: Five years
Alan thanks: Firstly my wife, Steve and Casey at Mike’s Engines, Whangarei Autobody, Prestige Auto Customs, GDS Automotive, Advanced Automatics, MTS Electrical, Super Natural Auto Electrical, Quinton at Mag and Turbo Whangarei, Checkered Flag Motors
Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Leo Batger
Issue No. 224 — Buy Here!