First published in the November 2003 issue of Street Machine

Like what you see? Well, look long and hard, because this baby is the only example of ’49 Dodge Coronet Coupe in Oz. From its long, shapely rump, to its imposing and even-lengthier front, the Dodge is all class and a breath of fresh air on a scene dominated by tri-five Chevs. Owner Damien Veness has left the sweet bodywork, factory chrome and jukebox-style dashboard largely alone, but has transformed the car’s stance, driveline, trim and paint to create one heck of a unique streeter.

Damien, who hails from Lismore in northern NSW, bought the car from the states on the strength of a few tiny pictures in American Old Car Trader magazine, and after parting with $US2100, the Coronet was shipped from Reno.

While our man was stoked to be the first to bring such a beast Down Under, he found that being a pioneer does have its drawbacks, with no-one to turn to for advice or for those hard-to-find parts. Nevertheless, Damien applied his noggin, used a bit of ingenuity and overcame the obstacles.

The build began with a total strip back to the firewall, the plan being to graft on a complete HT Holden rubberised front end. This involved cutting the Coronet’s chassis rails just behind the front wheels then bending them in to line up with the HT sub-frame and bolting the two together using brackets and gussets. Further effort was involved in getting the new front-end framework to accept the body.

To achieve the cool cruising ride height, a lot time and thought went into engineering the front-end set-up, using 2in drop spindles combined with 2in shortened King springs and Munroe gas shocks. On the end of the spindles are P76 integral hubs and rotors clamped by HX Holden calipers.

Damien’s plans for the Coronet didn’t involve turning it into a monster with a blown Hemi sticking out the bonnet, however hauling around 1650kg did require the grunt of a hefty V8. This turned out to be a lot harder than it sounds, as the hole left by the old six was too narrow for the 360 Mopar.

To get it in comfortably, four inches had to be taken out of the inner guards, while the firewall had to be pumped and a new 300mm section added across the tunnel entrance.

Dominating the engine is the Weiand tunnel ram topped with twin 450 four-barrel Holleys.

“I saw the manifold at a swap meet and I thought, ‘Shit, that’d look all right’, so I grabbed it,” Damien says. “I get 16mpg with a set of four barrels. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

The motor got a freshen-up courtesy of Ian Anelzark, who spent many of his early years spannering on race cars driven by the legendary Leo Geoghegan. Inside are 9.4:1 hypereutectic pistons and a hydraulic Crow cam, while everything else is mostly Mopar.

“The good strong stuff you’d have to buy for a Chev comes standard in Mopar motors,” Damien reckons, and these words come from a guy who was once a GM nut with 20 of their cars under his belt. “Yeah, I’ve gone over to things that hold together.”

Other goodies include Mopar electronic ignition, large-volume oil pan, windage tray, well-ported J-type heads and uprated valve springs.

Behind the motor sits an unbreakable Torqueflite 727 self-shifter, feeding power to a shortened
3.23:1 9in LSD located on CM Valiant rear leafs. XC Falcon vented drums are controlled by a VJ Valiant master cylinder and booster that was installed as part of the right-hand-drive conversion. A VC Valiant column attached to a VB Commodore power rack now sits on the correct side.

The body was pretty good except for rust in the lower doors and the front floor pans. Peter Lofts, a local coach builder, showed Damien the ropes of metal shaping to the point where he could do it all himself, which he went on to do. Damien crafted replacement panel sections, even going so far as forming factory-styled ribs into the floor panels. He then moved on to some subtle bodywork changes, starting with frenched ’54 Ford Mercury headlights. The front bar is actually a rear bar off an Aussie-built ’49 Plymouth, and has been pushed in two inches.

At the rear, ’42 Chev taillights have been blended-in and the rear number plate has been repositioned onto the bar which, you guessed it, is actually the front bar off an Aussie ’49 Plymouth and is recessed three inches into the body. The fuel filler is also recessed.

To give the car its show-winning final touches, Damien had no doubts about using local Lismore talent. The paint is a custom-blend Glasurit mixed and applied by his close mate Trevor Pethers, while Denny’s Upholstery sacrificed six cows in the name of comfort and style. All chrome work was handled by Lismore Platers.

An interesting point with this car is that the 1949 build date excludes it from being classed as a hot rod, yet the body style was also produced in 1948. “My Coronet is a street machine, not a rod. I class hot rods as things that have slippery-dip guards. But hey, depending what type of show it is, it can be a classic, mild custom or a street machine.”

Since she was finished 18 months ago, FAT49D has racked up 18 trophies at top-level shows, including a place in the Elite Top 20 at Summernats 16. The biggst compliment of all has been the offers from the United States to buy it back!

For three years, Damien spent every night and every Saturday working on the car, and he talks of the Coronet possessing him and not letting him go. His wife and three sons almost forgot what he looked like – something that many of us have experienced. Therefore, he would like to send a special thanks to his wife Susan and his three boys, Cary, Thomas and Benjamin for putting up with his obsession.

Hmmm, wonder if he’s told them about the Dodge Charger he’s got his eye on?

THE WINNINGS

Damien has been to a host of shows in 2003 and taken out a bunch of trophies including:

• Summernats 2003 – Top 20
• Brisbane Hot Rod Show 2003 – Top 10, Best ’49-’70 Coupe
• Chrysler Expo 2003 – Top Street Machine, People’s Choice
• Sydney All Chrysler Day –Top 10
• Ballina Street Machine Show 2003 – Top Street Machine
• Inverell Street Machine Show 2003 – Top Street Machine
• Summerland Sports and Classic Show – Most desirable Hot Rod/Street Machine

DAMIEN VENESS
1949 DODGE CORONET COUPE