Kris Chenoweth’s ‘DOGSNUTS’ custom burnout car started out as a Holden FC ute that was transformed into a shooter’s rig by his dad in the 80s. It’s now a 650kg Barra-powered burnout beast tearing up the pad at events across Victoria and South Oz. Here’s Kris’s brief story on the car’s build from humble beginnings to what it is today.

First published in the January 2025 issue of Street Machine

“This crazy thing we call DOGSNUTS was originally built in the 80s by my father. It is a non-production vehicle that he built into a shooter’s rig; he used it to chase wild pigs in the desert scrub around Balranald, NSW.

It started as an FC Holden ute; my dad used all the running gear but threw the body and chassis away. He then built a whole subframe around it, to which he attached bolt-on panels, based on the looks of a Willys Jeep body. Back then, it ran a Holden grey motor, and as a teenager, I took an interest and began tinkering with it.

We rallied it hard until the old grey gave up, and then it sat dormant for a dozen years. That’s when my interest in burnouts gave me the idea to smash a Ford Barra into it and turn it into a burnout beast!

Nowadays, the only FC ute parts left are the rear leaf springs, and the entire driveline is all Ford stuff: 4.0L BA Falcon Barra with twin BA throttlebodies on a custom intake, AU Falcon fully manualised gearbox, and an NL Fairlane diff with a mini-spool and 3.23:1 gears. It also has a BA Falcon K-frame and steering system.

It was dyno-tuned at Falconoath Performance, where it made 246hp and around 295lb-ft of torque. It only weighs around 650kg, so it’s a handful to drive, but it goes hard-as and does awesome burnouts, with big tip-ins.

Events I’ve taken it to include LOO5ENATS, Sunraysia Burnouts, Riverland Revs, Burnouts at The Bend and Tyre Carnage Port Pirie.

Check out the Just the Dogsnuts channel on YouTube to see it in action!”

Photos: Skid Mum Media and Ruciak Photography Motorsports.