21-year-old spray painter Jack Jones’s XC 500 panel van project started out as a forgotton shell tucked away in the corner of a farmer’s tractor shed. He has started a full ground-up resto to bring it back to life as a killer Sundowner replica. Here’s his brief story.

First published in the June 2025 issue of Street Machine

“My current build is a 1977 XC Falcon 500 windowless panel van. It was originally sold at Anderson Ford in Perth, and we somehow found it in the corner of a farmer’s tractor shed near the SA/Victorian border.

“As it had spent many rough years sitting incomplete and rotting away, I decided it was time to restore her to her former glory.

“All rust was cut out, the panels were straightened, the door gaps were welded up to match, and it was high-filled twice.

“While only being 21 years old and having just finished my painting apprenticeship last year, I repainted her in the original Blue Steel colour in an inflatable Temu booth I set up in the backyard.

“She’s destined to get a nice lumpy Clevo and a single-rail as per factory specs. I’ve also ordered a groovy set of blue Sundowner decals to pair with the Doeskin houndstooth interior trim, which should make it a killer Sunny replica!

“Although she’s not on the road yet, she’s definitely on her way.”

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].