I’VE always had a soft spot for VJ Valiants. My twin brother, younger sister and I spent many years of our childhood in the back of my dad’s taxi-spec Ranger as we made the six-hour trek from Kalgoorlie to Perth, thankful that the high-back bench seat meant Dad couldn’t reach over and give us a clip over the ear. Dad’s car was Hemi-powered, but unfortunately it was just the 265 six-cylinder version.
Mike Roycroft’s VJ, on the other hand, has a proper Hemi bent-eight. And what’s the only thing that makes a Hemi better? A blower, and this car has an absolute doozy.
But more on all that later. For now, let’s backtrack a bit, because this VJ’s got a bit more of a story to tell than what parts went into its most recent build.
Mike bought the car back in 2009 when he was still a teenager. “I spotted
