19-year-old Jarred Fiorenza took a ratty-looking 1963 Ford XL Falcon ute, added a Holden UC Torana front end plus a blown 250 six and turned it into a rubber-killing fun machine

I’VE had my 1963 XL Falcon ute since I was 13 years old. I found it in a farmer’s paddock and ended up buying it off him.

The floorpan wasn’t in great shape, and the shock towers were that rusted that they eventually separated and snapped off from the inner guards.

When I was 15 I would finish work and head to Dad’s shed or Dennis Harley’s shed to work on it – we all worked together, and between the two of them they taught me everything that I know today.

Dennis helped me build a full chassis, replace the floor and modify the trans tunnel. I pulled a UC Torana front end out of an upside-down car in the bush, and made that work in the ute too.

I’ve had four different naturally aspirated engine combos in the ute, and this is its second blown combo. Currently it is a fully built 250 crossflow with forged internals, a 4/71 GM blower and an 850 Holley, and it runs on methanol.

It’s made 406rwhp at 10psi, through a C4 and a 28-spline Borg Warner diff.

I’ve been using the ute for burnouts, so future plans include fitting mechanical injection, winding up the boost, and I reckon I will clear-coat the body, as I like the patina just the way it is!