Colin Will’s Ford collection, drag cars, and memorabilia

First published in the December 2007 issue of Street Machine

You’ll need a lot of time if you get a chance to look in Colin Will’s shed. Actually, make that sheds. Ford fans in particular will find a lot to look at.

The recently retired fireman’s always been into cars and throughout most of his working life he’s spent his free time building hot cars, from street cruisers to a full-house seven-second drag car.

“I started my trade as a mechanic at Holden in 1960,” he says. “Then I joined the fire service, and after years of doing two jobs [fireman and car building], now it’s just cars.”

“In the past 10–15 years I’ve gone around the countryside looking for old Customs and Customlines, collecting what I could so I can keep modifying these old cars in my retirement and keep them alive. Some of the things I’ve built have pretty much been basket-cases and could’ve been wrecked forever but I’ve made something out of them”

Ford Customlines form a recurring theme for Colin. The most ferocious example is the 1949 single spinner ute salvaged as a rust bucket and transformed into a full-chassis drag car. There’s a 408ci Dart motor waiting to be dropped in and Colin’s hoping for sevens on the track. That’s a familiar place as he had a wild orange Star-model Customline two-door for years, which ran a 7.3@193mph with Keith Black power.

Red and rusty twin spinner four-door is now an immaculate tubbed two-door, with sheet-metal firewall and floor

Parked nearby is a ’51 twin spinner that the previous owner wouldn’t recognise. “It was a red four-door sedan, very rusty, with the original motor. I’ve changed a lot of things over the years, making it a two-door, putting in a sheet-metal floor, firewall and tubs, a Holden front end, four-wheel discs, and an injected motor from a ’93 Mustang.

“I’ve been collecting for around 25 years — lots of old Cussos. Over the years, so many have been crashed, crushed or wrecked that there are very few around now. I’ve collected what I could so I can keep them alive.”

Cusso (left) was once a four-door Star but Colin built it as a two-door to replicate his old racer. T-bird (right) was created from a Top Doorslammer mould on a Hilux chassis and includes Falcon parts and a 302 Windsor

Lurking in a corner is another Cusso that Colin converted to two-door — SM featured the chopped and tubbed rare ’58 Star model (the same as his old drag car) in the September ’07 issue. It makes nearly 1000hp from a blown Clevo. Parked outside are more Cussos, Mainline utes, and even an old Cusso ambulance, all waiting their turn.

Fast forward a decade or so of Ford lineage, and Colin’s built up an XY or three. “This one was rusted and basically screwed!” says Colin, pointing to the stunning purple example parked behind the spinner ute. “Now it’ll do high nines over the quarter. I’ve got another three XY GT look-alikes over the next 12 months to get sorted.”

Colin persists where others would consign a car to the graveyard: “I had a good set of doors, and I thought I might as well do an XY GT! It runs a 383ci with Yates heads and the best of everything, with 14:1 compression. It’ll do high nines”

There’s a T-bird Colin built on a Hilux chassis from a Top Doorslammer mould, with a combination of hand-made and adapted Falcon parts. It runs a 302W mated to a C4 ’box. Parked alongside are an XC GS Falcon and a ’65 Galaxie with 351 Clevo. A recent addition is a two-door Escort being transformed from 1.6 litre asthmatic to 289 Boss-powered handful, complete with four-link rear.

Another drag car on the go is the AU II, for which Colin’s knocked up the chassis, struts, coil-overs, tubs, linkages — and just about everything else for that matter! Supporting his hectic build program is a parts collection featuring countless Clevelands and Windsors, the odd 460 Keith Black block and even a ’34 sidevalve V8, complete with a water pump on each bank.

“I’ve been going to the US for a long time — I’ve done 17 trips. I bring back lots of bits and pieces for hot rods and street cars, and when I was racing I used to bring back ex-John Force Keith Black race engines.

“I’m pretty friendly with John Force and he helps out with parts and information. Going to the US every year is excellent — I always come back with my bags over-full!”

Any kid would love a granddad like Colin as he built this mini T-bucket for them to play with. It runs a 1600 Cortina donk and would do 100mph if Colin wasn’t such a spoil-sport!

Colin’s American trips have yielded an impressive collection of memorabilia, including a John Force racesuit, team clothing and race boots, as well as engines and parts to join the pieces of history from his own competition days. On the lighter side, Colin’s building a Rover chop-top with 318ci V8, and has created a Funny Car soapbox racer for the grandkids, along with a crazy mini T-bucket with Cortina 1600 power.

Another reason the grandkids loving coming to visit their grandpa is the ultimate soapbox racer he built for them — a Funny Car with monster tubs. Check out the rear rubber!

“My grandkids look forward to coming up to see me and drive the T-bucket around the backyard,” he says. However, he’s limited the throttle potential given it’s theoretically capable of 100mph!

As the grandkids grow, there’s a fair chance they’ll follow the family love of cars. Their biggest problem will be which toy to play with as there are many more to come.