Dom Luci’s big-bodied HJ Kingswood has pounded burnout pads around Australia for over a decade now. The car has long been known for its high-revving LS combos, but Dom has changed things up in a big way with its latest rebuild, unveiling a new look and a wild, blown big-block powerplant. And to think the car came into Dom’s life as an unwanted giveaway.

First published in the January 2025 issue of Street Machine

“It’s a sentimental car for me, because my late father-in-law, Robert Raiti, gave it to me,” Dom says. “Robert was building an HQ Monaro for his son, and he knew a guy with this Kingswood that had been sitting under a tree in Bargo. The guy who had it only needed it for the engine, so we went around to get it, but it turned out to be an HJ, not an HQ. It was useless for Robert, as he wanted the panels, so he offered it to me instead.”

Dom got the more-door home and wasted no time in hooking in. “I painted it orange in the backyard,” he laughs. “I did a 6.0-litre LS swap – not because I knew what they were but because they were cheap – got Chris and Justin Russo to throw a cam in it, put a double-pumper on top, and that combo lasted four-and-a-half years. My biggest thing was to make it rev, and then I had to really drive it on the pad to keep the wow factor up.”

While the combo has been updated over the ensuing decade-and-a-half, the basic platform has stayed the same, with a hot Gen IV small-block between the rails. “It has gone through a lot of different stages and had a few different looks and engines,” Dom says. “It had a Russo Performance LS combo for the past 13 years, and I tubbed the car at home eight or nine years ago with a rear clip. But, when I pulled the car down to rebuild it this time, I decided to change it to a big-block Chev.”

Rust issues meant Dom ended up doing a lot more than just an engine change, which had led to the epic, 1100rwhp blown baddie we see here. “The front window started pushing out of the seal,” he explains. “It was off the road for two years, which isn’t too bad.”

Doug from Resolution Smash Repairs & Restoration took the tired shell back to bare tinwork. He repaired all the rot and smoothed the engine bay, before laying down the PPG Tangerine for that retina-bashing 70s tang.

Another change for this latest rebuild was the switch to GTS Monaro visuals. “It used to have a single-headlight front, then I went to the Premier front, and now I’ve decided to make it a Monaro lookalike,” Dom says. “As I’ve gotten older, I realised I like the cars to have the original look, but with tubs and sitting low. For the paint, I wanted an original Monaro colour, and the colour-coded Simmons wheels are so 90s pro street – they just go with it.”

Of course, a tough-as-teak powerplant was required to back up the pro street vibes, and LITMUP has that in spades. Westend Performance built the stout blown fat-block, which BNR Engines tuned up to rock the dyno with 1100hp at the hubs, running methanol and a lazy 12psi worth of boost. “I need to re-learn how to drive the car again, but we really aren’t pushing this engine,” says Dom of the new mill.

The 509-cube combo rocks a Dart block, Callies crank, Oliver rods and JE flat-top slugs, while a Comp solid-roller provides the womp, and it’s all topped by Brodix heads. Good gear like BAM lifters, a Peterson dry sump and Crower shaft-mounted rockers round out the big-inch rat motor.

“With burnouts, the engines are revving for a lot of time, so our idea is to try and reduce the stress on the valvetrain where possible,” Dom says.

While the old LS and current big-block don’t share much DNA, one part that’s been carried over from LITMUP’s previous incarnation is the Holley Terminator X ECU. “The ECU controls the ignition system,” Dom says. “I have coil packs instead of a distributor, and it uses a crank trigger and cam sensor. This means we can log everything, so we can see exactly what the engine is doing – especially oil pressure; that is the biggest one I look at.”

The 5000rpm TCE converter and Al’s Race Glides Powerglide make the drivetrain simple, while the nine-inch out back has been built by Diff Technics to handle all Dom can throw at it. There are 35-spline axles and a full spool, which keep those 15×13-inch Simmons B45s out back frying hard.

Having previously ascended the Burnout Masters podium at Summernats 34, where he came third, we’re sure it won’t be long until LITMUP’s new bigger and badder form sees Dom standing on that top step. When he does, he’ll know exactly who to thank. “It’s a family sport,” he says. “My son and eldest daughter help with tyre and oil changes, and the rest of the family is always there supporting me.”

With such sentimental ties between the HJ and the Luci crew, it’s no wonder everybody gets involved.

DOM LUCI
1975 HOLDEN HJ KINGSWOOD

THANKS
Justin, Christian and the boys at Russo Performance; Con at Diff Technics; Al’s Race Glides; Doug at Resolution Smash Repairs & Restoration; Crazy Carl at South West RingTread; VP Racing Fuels Australia; Johnny and the boys at Westend Performance; Johnston Speed Shop; BNR Engines; my old man for sharing his passion for cars with me; Frank Fenech for all his help; my mates for always coming to support me; my wife and kids for putting up with my hobby and travelling around to events with me.