Who is Ken Cusack
Ken Cusack has completed more Rallys in a Monaro than anyone else!
Ken has competed in over 200 rally events in the Monaro, normally squeezing 10-15 events in a year over the decades . While Ken does not have the notoriety of Colin Bond or Peter Brock, none other than Ken Cusack has had such a long continuous racing relationship with a Monaro Rally car. Like Peter Brock’s 6 lap Bathurst victory, Ken Cusacks 200+ Monaro rally event record is unlikely to ever be beaten. Like a loving Grandparent Ken has stuck by the Monaro Rally car its whole life. From the early days when they were still rolling off the production line to 50 years on with the Dimech Brothers at the Classic Outback Trial as Crew Chief. With this dedication to Rally Monaro, Ken has respectfully been dubbed Grandpa Duke.
Memories of the past
Life is collecting stories, Ken has heaps and shared the Rally Monaro Initiators
What must be remembered is that my old car is a Replica of a 1970 Ampol HDT Rally Car. It is not an actual HDT car . . . but it once inherited many parts off those HDT Ampol Rally Cars . . . but I doubt many are left now after 200+ rallies and all that wear and tear.
I believe there were 3 HDT Race Cars and 3 Rally Cars made by HDT . Rex Monahan bought the 3rd Race Car – Rego KJV 339 that had been ran in the HF 1000 1969 as 42D driven by – Peter Macrow / Henk Woelders. It did 128 laps Qualified 8th and finished 6th O/R – 2 laps behind winners and 1st HDT car of Colin Bond / Tony Roberts (RIP) who Qualified 7th. Rego was KJK-345. 2nd car was Peter Brock / Des West who finished 3rd, on the same lap, had qualified 10th. KKB-336.
Rex ran 2 Rallies – one with Tony Wunderlich and one with Peter Coffey. They had mechanical difficulties, including a collapsed control arm point (Luke replicated this in the first Kanacross) and retired from both rallies. Rex approached Norm Firth (Harry’s Brother) and bought (?) a car off them (it was actually owned by GMH). Rex wanted to turn it into a Rallycross Special – just to beat a Torana driven by some upstart called Peter Brock. He stripped the Monaro down to a bare shell and moved / chucked everything out. Removed the radiator to the rear etc. etc.
About Then ; I decided to turn my HK 307 into a Motorsport Rally Car for fun :
Ken Builds Rally Monaro
Rex Monahan, Harry Firth and a pile of parts from the HDT Monaros
Then, I approached Firth Motors in Queen St Auburn for a tune up. Harry was unimpressed – “you should get a Torana”. Norm pointed to a heap of tyres and parts in a corner of the outside workshop. “Some of that you can have – we were about to dump it all down the tip!” There was about 15 wheels and tyres, and a 350 engine “Its a bit smokey – needs rings and a bore out” lots of other bits and parts. A whole trailer load. 100’s of bits. A Gearbox and a LSD 3.08 Diff. Norm said $40 the lot ! SOLD . . .
He also gave me Rex’s address : “He’s got all the other good bits . . .”. I visited Rex in Malvern and got the sump guard, 25 (114 ltr) gallon fuel tank, front bird cage light bar and the extra fuel tank that sat on top of the 25 gal tank. He didn’t want money, just help (labour) with building the new Rallycross Car. We became good friends in 1972. The Monaro Rex “purchased” from Harry became a Rallycross car with dual back wheels.
My Car : I fitted all the parts from Harry to my car in 1972. But – I rolled it in the Heathcote forest in 1973 and it needed a full rebuild. I painted it white and did the 1973 BP Rally 4 days 2,200 miles. Broke a rear axle, so finished down the list. After that, I did 1 x Calder Rallycross Div 3 Clubman and then went to Catalina Rallycross with Rex as a Pit Crew. I was convinced to enter and compete on arrival that weekend – Twice in Div 3 Clubman – I actually won 2 heats at Catalina and finished 2nd in the final Clubman Final behind a HOT Mini. I won $30 ! !
Then I fitted up Harry’s 350 engine and gearbox. Scary performance, so much torque, and yes it used lots of fuel and oil but I kept tipping old oil into it. The manual M21 was useless – all you did was change between 3rd and 2nd. – the wheelspin was excessive on dirt due to power and torque. I couldn’t afford the tyre bill, as I had used up all Harry’s old tyres in the 73 BP Rally and subsequent events.
The Journey
Engine, Transmission, Diff, General Wear and Tear and Life Goes On
I used to drive it like a demon . . it had so much grunt and torque. But fuel was cheap 40c a gallon. Later – On the way home from a ski weekend at Mt Hotham, 1975 along the Hume Hwy, I gave it a big boot of grunt to get past 10 trucks – – – BOOM ! Electrical problems, the starter motor was missing due to a conrod problem. ! ! ! Even the heads were damaged. I got a lift home that night in a slow Toyota Corona !
After a lot of talks with Rex (and others) it was decided to fit a modified warmed up 308, with a 2sp Powerglide. Ahhh Joy. . . . Enough power and a easy drive with plenty of power between 50-75ks /hr – as most of the rallies in those days were navigational events, not road races like the Alpine now and others these days. I fitted a 3.36 LSD Diff as well. But as the years and events wore on, and marriage and kids arrived, most of Harry’s HDT bits had worn out, busted, cracked, and secondhand parts had to be found at wreckers. After Over 190 Events, I retired from Rallying, for a while, and concentrated on aeroplanes where the nickname “Biggles” came from and the title Captain Ken Cusack.
Then in 1999 / 2000 I got some money from my Dad’s Estate and my oldest Son and I built a new Rally Monaro (Re-shelled plus some). The Car the Dimech Brothers have. The old shell went to Sims Scrap. We won our class in the HRA category of the Victorian Rally Championships in 2001.
I doubt there are any Ex HDT parts left on it, just the switch panel the Navigator had. Even the sump guard wore out (cracked) ! Rex’s original half roll cage no longer was approved. The mechanicals, suspension and other parts have all been replaced, with Pedders and other vendors. She has been a real Grandfathers Axe and the Dimech Brothers are thankfully keeping that tradition going.
The Monaro is the "Camp Fire" that Friends and Family gather around. Strangers are drawn to her, Memories are refreshed and New Memories made. Work, Laugh and Learn together. This is Classic Rally.