LS1-Powered 1981 VC Commodore Thrashes Aussie Dragstrip
LS-powered ’81 VC Commodore is currently taking a break from racing, but in its heyday, this car was a drag racing beast.
Drag racing enthusiasts from the land down under have a soft spot for LS swaps just like us. Recently, Australian car magazine WhichCar caught up with 21-year-old drag racer- Chris Schaper- who now drives his LS-powered VC Commodore to work. In its heyday, this car was a drag racing beast. The car has been off the track for about a year now, and Schaper plans to fit a turbo in it before taking it back to the racing stripe.
Schaper’s LS-powered ride is quite interesting. The car went through several changes over the years and was fitted with a plethora of performance parts. The drag raced bought his ’81 VC Commodore back in 2015, for a grand Schaper raced the car four years, before getting it street registered. The car still runs on an LS1 motor, which gets a VCM-710 cam and comes mated to a TH400 transmission.
Schaper and his father spent a year working on the car before Schaper took it to the Drag Challenge Event. His experience as a fabricator made it easy for him to build the body. The father and son duo made many adjustments, added parts bought from friends or online stores before readying the car for the event.
During the Drag Challenge Event, the VC Commodore performed impressively well on the track, but Schaper and his team did face some challenges. The car was stalling on the first day, and by the following Saturday, Schaper and his team needed a replacement fuel pump. This led to them making adjustments in the hotel’s parking lot, with most of the interior hanging out while they made the repairs.
With the crew’s hard work, and some parts from Haltech, Schaper’s car was ready for the track. On day three, Schaper’s Commodore ran the quarter-mile in just 11.94 seconds. Despite the problems, Schaper and his crew managed to keep the VC on track, and finished the event before eventually taking the car off the track for a while. At the moment, Schaper enjoys driving the car to work and hopes to take it back racing soon with more power.
Photos: WhichCar
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