Michael Schena turns a basket-case Holden HQ Monaro into a cruisin’, show-worthy burnout-and-drag machine

First published in the October 2016 issue of Street Machine

When Michael Schena bought a dilapidated Monaro coupe back in 2009, he quickly realised he’d bitten off more than he could chew. But he didn’t let it get the best of him; he just kept on chewing!

Putting aside the fact that it’s one of the most beautiful shapes ever to escape Fishermans Bend, this Monaro’s body – if you could call it that – had nothing going for it: no floors, no wheel tubs, no K-frame; it wasn’t even straight!

“It came with a pair of 15×15 alloys and a set of tubs ready to be welded in, but I wanted this car to drive on the street and I wanted a back seat, so I ended up selling the only good parts that came with it,” Michael explains.

A boilermaker and diesel mechanic by trade, Michael was working on tractors and potato farming equipment by day, grabbing dinner, then working on the Monaro by night. “If I couldn’t find the hours after work, I would get up at 3am and do stuff before work instead,” he sighs, rubbing his eyes at the memory. “I was determined to not be one of those guys with a car that sits in the shed in pieces for 20 years and never gets touched.”

Jamie now lives in the USA, but during the build he was working for Holden as a clay modeller. “I thought the body was looking pretty mint, so Jamie got this crazy idea,” Michael says. “He brought over some special foil they use on the clay models; you wet it down and lay it over the clay to make it look painted. We laid some over the bare Monaro shell, then pushed it out into the sun.”

With the bodywork taking so long, Johnny Pilla at Powerhouse Engines had plenty of time to pull together a stout driveline. Knowing Michael’s intention to cruise, show, burnout and drag the trusty HQ, he suggested a Dart Big M block with plenty of meat in the walls.

Inside, he installed Mahle slugs, pushed by Callies Compstar H-beam rods attached to a Manley Performance crank. Up top, a pair of AFR heads, Edelbrock manifold and a big Pro Systems Dominator four-barrel complete a package that makes 785hp and has already seen plenty of action on the burnout pad, plus returned a swift 10.3 at Heathcote.

The combined result of all this hard work is evident; the paint looks a million bucks, and Michael’s shredded over 25 pairs of rears with nary a hiccup.

Being an industrial designer for Holden meant Jamie’s eye for awesome is finely honed. “Jamie drew up this design and we knew it was going to be mint!” Michael enthuses.

I can tell from Michael’s voice that it’s not about the money; the moulds and the Monaro will both stay in his possession until he’s deep underground. It’s about family and it’s about brotherhood – a constant reminder of his best mate who now lives overseas. Jamie was with him every step of the build and helped craft that awesome bespoke dash with genuine Holden ingenuity.

Sometimes people get cranky at Michael for chopping up what is now a valuable Aussie classic, but as he says: “It was so far gone; there was no way I was going to get it back to original.

Besides, what really counts as original? A brand-new dashboard styled by one of Holden’s own designers? C’mon guys, that’s mint!

MICHAEL SCHENA
1971 HOLDEN HQ MONARO GTS