Andrew Quinn
Ford XW Falcon wagon

“Here is my XW wagon project that’s been seven years in the making. I’m trying to do a lot myself, learning along the way! It’s running a 2015 5.0L Coyote with a five-speed manual ’box.

“It also has independent front suspension with power steering, and a four-link rear, with coil-overs under all four corners.

“I’m just going through the bodywork stage now, so hopefully it’s not long until it’s ready to see the road. It’s affectionately known as the ‘Rusty Car’ by my children, who help when they can.”

Ben Amos
Chevy C10

“I am building a ’bagged, body-dropped, single-turbo LS1-powered Chev C10, with the goal of it being the lowest square-body pick-up in Australia. It has a two-inch body drop, a lifted tub floor, raised inner guards front and rear, rollpan on the tub and deleted rear bumper.

“It sits the chassis rails dead on the ground! The engine is an LS1 with valvetrain mods and a turbo-grind cam to suit the Garrett GT45. The rest of the driveline comprises a Turbo 400 and a HiLux diff.

“It will also feature a fully boxed chassis, Porterbuilt front end with rack-and-pinion conversion, airbags front and rear, custom four-link rear with Panhard bar, and a disc-brake conversion.

“The wheels are 22×9.5 in front and 24×11 in the rear. The exterior will be getting a fresh new mustard-orange paintjob, while a whole new interior will be built featuring a sliding back window, heater and even air con. I’m hoping to get the car done for the next Summernats in January.”

Hudson Cambridge
1947 Studebaker H5 Pick-up

“This is our 1947 Studebaker pick-up, which has been in the family for over 30 years.

“It has had a full restoration from the ground up, updating the front suspension from a leaf-spring front to a more comfortable ride using a Mitsubishi L300 van front end.

“It has also had a 100mm roof chop, and all the work has been done in the shed at home. Everything on the car is new, from bushes to all-new window rubbers.

“Power comes from a supercharged 350 Chev backed by a Powerglide and 9in diff. It has disc brakes all ’round from an XC Falcon; there isn’t much left under the car that is original.”

Jason Woller
Holden HT Brougham

“I’ve owned this car for 15 years, but I’ve only driven it twice. I stripped it to a shell and shipped it off to Jamie at Full Flight Engineering to get chassis connectors, 35-spline four-link rear, raised tunnel, new floor from the front seats back, a six-point rollcage and much more.

“Simon at AutoDome helped out with some rust repairs, front coil-overs and other bits, and then the HT was off to Gambier Kustom Autos for the rest of the bodywork and paintwork.

“The car was initially supposed to have a simple LS1/Turbo 350 driveline, but it evolved into a twin-turbo 6.0L backed by a 2000hp-rated, transbraked Powerglide. It’s expected to be finished in the next couple of months.”

Michael Gandolfo
1980 Holden TE Gemini

“I am in the process of fitting an SR20DET to my 1980 Gemini. It’ll have a matching five-speed manual ’box from an S13 Silvia. It has been a labour of love with a few challenges on the way, but we are almost ready to turn the key.

“A couple of mates and I have done all the work ourselves (mostly my mates), including rebuilding the engine and all the custom fabwork required to get it in the car. It has been my dream to have an SR20-powered Gemini since I was a kid, and it is closer than I ever thought it would be.”

Jaiman Trento
Holden VY Commodore wagon

“I have been working on this project for the past five years. It’s a genuine VY SS, which I’m building to be an HSV-enhanced vehicle, using as many HSV parts as possible. I wanted a tough street car but luxurious at the same time; it also had to be practical so that it could do the long trips.

“I found the LSA supercharger from Harrop, did my research to make it all fit to the original LS1 engine, rebuilt the motor, re-upholstered the interior, made custom gauges and brackets, and upgraded the brakes and suspension. The supercharger, AP Racing brakes, Coulson seats, gauges, LX8 cargo interior, wheels, and even the ashtray are all HSV items.

“Being quite a rare wagon (only 87 in manual and this colour out of 850), I didn’t want to take away from its original form too much, so body-wise the only thing that has changed is the bonnet. It is now in the final stages of the build; I’m currently waiting for bumpers to come back from paint, and then it’ll be ready to have a first start-up and tune.

“Once it’s running, I’ll have airbag suspension installed and all the minor details finished off soon after. I have the whole build documented on instagram @obnxss”

David Munce
Holden VY Commodore

“My V6 VY Commodore has been my on-and-off project since 2022; I’m in the process of turbocharging it. The car has been kept on the road the whole time, as I’ve been building the parts over the weekend and then putting the VY back to stock so that my daughter can keep learning to drive in it.

The turbo kit I’ve been building uses a Pulsar GTX3584RS with a 60mm wastegate.

“The exhaust is a 3.5in system, and so far I’ve chosen 850cc injectors. It’s still running a standard ECU and Ecotec for now, but I have an L67 that will be getting sorted to make big power with the turbo later on.

“I look forward to hitting the strip and doing some roll racing later this year when it’s finished!”

Got a sweet ride that’s currently in the build and want to share it with our readers? Email photos of it (2MB+ each) along with some details on the build to [email protected].