“MY NEW project started off as a 1973-ish Mini Clubman panel van shell, which I’m building into a crazy burnout car with a lift-up body.

When I got the car it had already been cut down into a ute and had the two-inch roof chop. I then fabricated an entirely new chassis for the Mini at home in my shed, and the reason for the tilt-body was mainly to make changing the tyres easier.

I plan on using a fairly standard LS1 fed by a pair of Chinese GT3582R turbos, with aims of 500-600hp. Backing up the budget LS will be a Turbo 350 and a custom four-link/Ford nine-inch rear clip and diff. I’ve dubbed the build ‘The Jnr Dale Truck’, as I want it to have a slightly modified and personalised version of the Dale Earnhardt livery on Cleetus McFarland’s NASCAR truck.

I got hold of a used BMW E30 M Tech bumper, which I’ve modified and narrowed to help the NASCAR truck theme. The bumper will be mounted to the chassis, with the body cut to fit around and close on top of it, so I won’t need to lift the heavy bumper up to change tyres.

I still need to work out some kind of side skirts for it too. I’m aiming to get it to Summernats, cruise it around a fair bit and enter the burnout comp to see how it goes. I’ve been documenting the whole process on my Tas Tuned YouTube channel.”