Darryl Nielsen’s RB30-powered custom FJ ute

Classic style meets modern grunt in this red hot FJ ute

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Photographers: Tony Rabbitte

First published in the September 2004 issue of Street Machine

For a car that was just going to be a tidy streeter, Darryl Nielsen’s custom FJ ute has collected a serious haul of trophies in a short time. This year alone the ute has picked up Top Ute at MotorEx, Top 10 at the Brisbane Hot Rod Show, Grand Champion at the Queensland FX-FJ State Titles and a Meguiar’s Showcar Superstars nomination.

Despite its showcar credentials, the FJ is a driver too, and fully legal. Darryl recently drove it from home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast up to the Rockhampton Motor Show. Come Christmas, he’ll head all the way to Adelaide for the FX-FJ Nationals.

Darryl will ride in comfort too, ’cos this ute has all the mod cons. Try a silky smooth RB30 six-pot from a VL Commodore matched to a four-speed auto for swift and economical cruising. Throw in leather-trimmed sports seats, a/c, fast glass, disc brakes and a thumping stereo system, and you’ve got an old Holden ready for the new millennium!

The project wasn’t meant to reach such heights but like many before him, Darryl got carried away. “The trap was when I put the shell up on a rotisserie,” he laughs. “I started seeing things that I could smooth out — one thing led to another!”

A wrecked VL Commodore provided the raw material Darryl needed to bring the FJ up to speed. The RB30 is a cool swap because it not only fits in with the Humpy’s straight six heritage, but it also has Holden stamped firmly on the cam cover.

“When I started this project, Queensland rego laws forbade engine swaps greater than 3.3-litres into FJs,” says Darryl. “So instead of the usual red motor swap, I went for the Nissan. Since then, they’ve made VL turbo motors legal, and small V8s too, but I’m happy with how it’s turned out.”

The FJ’s VL Commodore DNA extends deeper than the driveline, with the floor being cut out and replaced with VL metal. Darryl also fabricated his own rear floor to seal in the tray section of the ute. Unlike sedans, FJ commercials came with a ¾ chassis, so all Darryl had to do was box the front subframe and strengthen the area around the pillars. A recessed firewall made room for the six pot to fit nicely in the bay.

Legendary Humpy-fettler John Keen provided the modified HR front end, complete with rear-mounted VB Commodore rack-and-pinion steering. A CRS adaptor allowed Darryl to fit a set of beefy WB discs and calipers in the front end. A Hi Ace master cylinder and booster sits behind the dash, keeping the firewall neat and fuss free.

The VL also sacrificed its rear end for the FJ — which copped WB stoppers too. Lowered springs give the ute the necessary stance, with Nolathane bushes, sway bars and Koni adjustable shocks for good handling and a firmer ride.

Bodywise the FJ is a standout, a tribute to the customiser’s craft. Jim Humphreys performed most of the job, assisted by Darryl and Matt Kilpatrick. The number one attention-getter is the flip-forward bonnet, which uses Bluebird wagon tailgate hinges. Pumped front guards, welded-in tailgate, recessed headlights, smooth fuel filler and rear roll pan are all common custom techniques, executed perfectly and with Darryl’s individual style.

Details you might not have noticed are the push-button door handles in the shape of pistons, the tiny quarter vent windows and the inner door skins, which have been modified to match the shape of the dash. The whole lot is covered in PPG Scarlett Red, applied by Luke Mellington of Mellington Smash.

The interior treatment is something else — a house of luxo Humpy heaven trimmed by Chris Bakker. What you’ve got to remember is how basic FJs were. No indicators, no heater, no seatbelts and a push-button start! Any switches the factory did give you to play with were located on the dash. To some Humpy owners this is all part of their charm but if you want to perform any kind of serious engine swap, you’ll need to make some mods — though not many blokes go to the kind of extremes that Darryl has.

Everywhere you look are schmick details, like the Darryl-made centre console, which houses the heater controls, the B&M shifter, a/c vents, power window buttons and centre-mount handbrake. In the roof is a custom-made fibreglass hood lining, which houses the a/c controls, CD head unit and a pair of concealed speakers. The seats are highly modified Aerotech items, teamed with a pair of SAAS harnesses. A VL Commodore column gives fingertip-control of his headlights and wipers, topped with a Dragway Flame tiller. Darryl gives a big nod of approval to the boys from Sound in Motion for their tidy work on the stereo installation.

The tray is just as cool, fully trimmed, with a lounge in the back to allow Darryl to kick back and watch some DVDs or thrash his Playstation 2! The tray is sealed up with a very slick custom-made hard tonneau.

The whole car is a tribute to Darryl’s persistence and his seriously overactive imagination. “Old Holdens have been so popular for customising over the years that just about everything has been done before,” says Darryl. “I just like to come up with my own spin on things. I drive around with the radio off and come up with some ideas, then I get out in the shed and see if I can make it work.”

Got the hump

We last saw an FJ Holden from Darryl Nielsen back in SM August 2000. That car was a two-page reader’s ride and a fine example of a classically-modified early girl. Mild custom bodywork included frenched aerials, FE tail-lights, guard flutes and bumperettes front and rear. Under the bonnet was a beautifully detailed 192 six-pot with triple SU induction, backed by a Celica five-speed. Darryl still has the sedan, does lots of miles in it and is planning to fit a 283 Chev V8. He says the sedan definitely won’t go to the extremes of the ute.

“I can tell you one thing, there won’t be any braided line in the sedan. It looks good, but it’s expensive and cuts the hell out of your fingers!”

DARRYL NIELSEN
1954 FJ HOLDEN UTE

Colour:PPG Scarlett Red
MOVING
Engine:Nissan RB30
ECU:Chipped factory
Extractors:Mandrel bent extractors
Gearbox:Jatco 4-speed
RIDING
Front end:HR crossmember, Koni adjustable shocks, 2-inch dropped Lovells springs, 22mm swaybar
Steering:Rear-mounted VL Commodore
Rear end:VL Commodore diff, Koni adjustable shocks, heavy duty springs, 16mm sway bar
Brakes:WB discs all round, Hi Ace master cylinder
LOUNGING
Seats:Modified Aerotech
Trim:Leather/cloth
Stereo:Pioneer
Tiller:Dragway Flame
Shifter:B&M
Instruments:VL Commodore
ROLLING
Rims:Dragway Flame, 16×7 and 16×8
Rubber:Dunlop 205/45 and 225/60

THANKS
Darryl’s girlfriend Bea, as well as Adrian, Jim, Bev, Andrew, Luke, Matt, Kev, Ron, Warren, Frawley Engine Reconditioning and Sunstate Gearbox and Diff.

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