Typically, it would take several goes and decades of experience to build a car capable of taking on the country’s best and win the Street Champion gong at Street Machine Summernats. But Dave Darcy was able to do just that – among many other accolades – with his first red-hot crack at a build.

First published in the June 2026 issue of Street Machine

“The intention from the start was just to build a nice street cruiser; it was never meant to win trophies like it has done,” says Dave of his immaculate HJ Premier. “A lot of friends have street machines or are still involved in building or showing their cars, and I’ve always wanted to have one of my own.”

So, as a 40th birthday present to himself, Dave found himself a running roller in this HJ Prem and got to work. “I grew up in the old man’s HT Kingswood in my early days and have always loved V8s, so it was always going to be a Kingswood-type Holden,” he says. “Not being a mechanic, panel beater or painter, and never having built a car before, the learning curve was through the roof across the entire build.”

Luckily for Dave, his good mate Adrian Haynes – owner and builder of the HHH LX Torana hatch from our December 2022 issue – lives right around the corner. “He was instrumental in the build; without him I’d be completely lost,” says Dave.

Despite being quite green, Dave made sure he well and truly put in the work on this HJ from start to finish. “That included stripping the car back, and fitting the Rod Shop tubular front end, custom fuel tank and the LS driveline, prior to sending it off for some proper panel and paint work,” he says. “We ended up grafting the front section of a VF Commodore floor with the tunnel to help fit the TR6060 manual ’box.”

Once Dave, his father and Big Damo had made inroads with the basic bodywork, it was over to the lads at Exclusive Customs to tidy it up and lay down the Savage Ocean Blue hue. It was there that the build escalated in terms of quality, thanks to a lot of extra painting of engine and driveline components. “They really went the extra mile, painting brake calipers and many other parts, and making it a lot more than what it was ever intended to be,” says Dave.

From the outset, Dave was always going to go with an LS for this build. It’s nothing too crazy, though – just a modest 6.0-litre L77 rebuilt with little more than a Crow Cams bumpstick and still using factory GM engine management. “I just knew it’d be reliable and perfect for a street cruiser,” Dave says. “I’m an old-school guy and I love steel-bodied cars, but I wanted this to drive as well as a daily driver. So, we put the new drivetrain in with the L77 and manual gearbox, along with Wilwood disc brakes all the way ’round and the Viking adjustable suspension on every corner.”

Along with a top-notch finish, driveability was always front-of-mind for Dave. That’s why the HJ’s tubular front end incorporates a rack-and-pinion steering conversion, and the front wheels are eight inches wide rather than four. “I wanted to actually drive it!” he says. “If I’d wanted to go for an auto, I would have built a big-block and gone and done some skids! But I wanted this thing to fight me; I want to swear at it when I drive it hard. That’s the fun part!”

Despite the modern tech under the car’s skin, Dave was pretty firm on keeping the exterior 70s Holden. “We didn’t modify any of the bodywork for that reason, and on the inside, other than the centre console to accommodate the new tunnel, I wanted it to be as HJ as possible,” he says.

After a three-year build and the HJ’s grand debut in the Elite Hall at Street Machine Summernats 36, the crowning glory for Dave was winning the Street Champion gong two years later at ’Nats 38 – and that’s just one award in what’s already become quite a full trophy cabinet in those two years (see more below). “We debuted it in 2024, and judge Drago Ostric insisted we go in Elite, which was a great experience to be up on blocks alongside FORGED at our first show,” says Dave. “But I built it as a driver, and after getting close at ’Nats 37 in Street Champion, winning this year was just phenomenal.”

Where the Summernats Elite category is for purpose-built show machines that often contest the Grand Champion sword, the Street class is for street-registered, properly used road cars, and that’s what makes the Prem’s Street Champ win so satisfying for Dave. “I love how a key part of the judging comes down to the driving,” he says. “I think that’s where the car and I excelled, because we do the driving events at nearly every show, and plenty of street cruising too.”

When he isn’t travelling the country with the HJ chasing silverware, Dave doesn’t lock the car away. It still gets used as a true streeter with his family, just as he always intended. “If the weather’s good, we’ll take it out two to three times a week, easily,” he says. “Granted, the underside isn’t as nice as when I debuted it, but it’s more than worth it to drive the car.”

So, with the Summernats Street Champion gong wrapped up so early in the car’s show life, where to from here? “It’s going to MotorEx [which will have been run and won by the time you read this], but obviously that’s a static show, so we’ll just kick back and enjoy the weekend,” says Dave. “I’d love to have another crack at the Summernats Elite Hall one day, and I have tossed up the idea of either turbo or ProCharging it and neatening up the bay while we’re there. But for now, I’m just going to keep going to events and enjoying it.”

Top Tier

Winning the Street Champion award at Street Machine Summernats 38 is just the tip of the iceberg for Dave’s HJ. Check out the long list of other trophies the car has already garnered.

SUMMERNATS 36 2024
Top 60
Judges’ Choice

SHOWCARS MELBOURNE 2024
Top Five Street Machine

KILLER RIDES LIVE #6 2024
Best Street Car
Best Interior (Street Car)

ACT HOLDEN DAY 2024
Sedan of the Day

SUMMERNATS 37 2025
3rd Top Interior (Street)

BATHURST AUTOFEST 2025
Runner-up Top Sedan (Street)

SPRINGNATS SHEPPARTON 2025
Top Standard Paint
Top Sedan (Street)
Top 10
Champion Overall Street Car
Grand Champion

SUMMERNATS 38 2026
Runner-up Top Sedan (Street)
Runner-up Top Standard Paint (Street)
Street Champion

BATHURST AUTOFEST 2026
Top 10
Grand Champion

DAVE DARCY
1975 HOLDEN HJ PREMIER

THANKS
My beautiful wife Em and family; Adrian Haynes; Jason, Glenn and Rick Coburn at Exclusive Customs for their phenomenal body and paint work; Pete Hamilton and Kit Hunter at Profection Automotive for the engine rebuild; Bec Lloyd at Trims By Bec; Matt Sturgess at Canberra Custom Joinery; Zach Churchill at Can-Fit Automotive for the stereo; Dad and Big Damo; United Speed Shop; Castlemaine Rod Shop; Billet Works Australia; Jam-It Fabrication; LS Motorsports; Integrity Signs.