Noah Moskwa
Holden VK Berlina

“I bought this VK Berlina stock-standard from an older guy off Facebook Marketplace in November 2024.

“I was just going to get it registered as a stocker and go to some car meets while I was on my P-plates, but that didn’t happen.

“Instead, I took all the running gear out with the idea of doing a turbo Barra swap.

“It now has exactly that, backed by a Powerglide ’box, and we shaved the engine bay and treated it to some fresh paint during the conversion as well.

“All the underbody was Raptor-lined, with everything either new or painted, aside from the body itself.

“It now makes 680hp – pretty cool for a car built by me and my old man in our shed.”

Andrew Moularas
VF Valiant Regal

“My brother and I bought this 1969 VF Valiant Regal 700 from its second owner in Bendigo.

“It’s a factory black car with red interior, but it needed a full restoration, so my father, my brother and I got to work straight away.

“Three years prior to buying the Valiant, I had built a 265 Hemi in the back shed when I was 15 years old, adding some slight modifications like a bigger cam, 60thou oversized pistons, some head work and roller rockers. Since that was already built and ready to go, I figured the 265 would be perfect for the VF.

“Over the winter of 2025, my brother and I decided we wanted to take the car drag racing, so since May this year, we have been collecting aftermarket parts to get the car ready for summertime off-street drags at The Bend.

“We’ve bought a single-stage nitrous kit, an Outlaw shifter, a nitrous kit and delay box, and a line locker, all from VPW Australia. We are now buying an ignition system for the car, and we’re ready to wire up all the gauges.”

Stuart Brindley
1974 Datsun 1500 ute

“I was on a drag team called the Blue Oval Bandits, and the driver of one of the vehicles in the team asked for a hand to move some of his old cars to the tip.

“When I got out to his property, he had this 1974 Datsun 1500 pick-up. I dragged it from Corrigin to Narrogin, and within 45 minutes of it being off my trailer, I had the thing running off a bottleful of fuel.

“From there, I cut and riveted roofing tin over the rust in the floor, and got it driving and stopping. I then installed some Recaro buckets and drove it as it was for a bit.

“It used to be a BnS ute, so I decided to revive its glory days – I fabricated some 4in slash-back stacks, hooked them up, and took the car to the Corrigin Motor Show. I then bought a 2WD Toyota HiLux and chassis-swapped the Datsun, and it’s currently running an aspirated Barra with a manualised four-speed BTR auto.

“It carries two 50L kegs for water as the cooling system, and has a radiator mounted under the tub with AU Falcon thermo fans. I’ve currently got the cab back off the chassis, as I’m rust-proofing and trying to seal the patina on the cab.

“This is going to end up as a drag, burnout, street parade, BnS-style rat rod, without the typical rat rod look.”

Jaiden McCann
HQ Holden wagon

“When I was 24, I got the chance to get my hands on a bare HQ wagon shell, so I jumped on it.

“The wagon had a crashed front end, but I’ve since evolved it into what it is today.

“It has had a range of engines – a 202 with a side-mount supercharger; a stock 253; a stock 308; a cammed 308 – but it now runs an early-headed 355 stroker, built by the guys at Automotive Super Balance in Shepparton and assembled in my shed by me and a range of mates.

“It’s backed by a Burko Transmissions gearbox and a Shaun McCarroll shortened 10-bolt diff.

“It’s not quite working for my right foot though, so I can feel another change coming.

“I would like to keep the car’s patina look, but my partner Mikayla and I are attempting a roof respray in her garage.

“Hopefully we will make it to Bright Rod Run 33 and Summernats 38.

“My kids will inherit the car, and hopefully by then it will have a supercharger hanging out the bonnet and a couple of nitrous bottles in the boot. My boys absolutely love this car, and I love driving it, even if it’s only to the corner shops and back.”

Joshua Miller
1985 Datsun 1200 ute

“I’m currently doing a resto build on this Datsun 1200 ute.

“It’s been a rough time so far; I’ve spent countless hours in the shed at home fixing the rust, but it’s all been in the name of some great fun!

“I’ve still got a few years left on the build, but day by day I’m seeing the progress.

“The end goal is to have it as a street and roll racing car, powered by a turbo 12A rotary, and with plenty of exciting parts to match.”

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].