Owen Scott has loved EHs since he was a little kid, and after emptying his piggy-bank as a fresh-faced apprentice back in 1998, he purchased a bone-stock EH ute. But while it would later become his trophy-hauling pride and joy, his new toy seemed keen to sabotage their relationship before it had even really begun.
First published in Street Machine’s Yearbook 2024

“I didn’t drive it before buying it; I just knew that I loved EHs and this one was pretty neat,” Owen recalls. “Turns out the original drum brakes were so bad that we nearly put it into a wall on the drive home!” Fortunately, both ute and new owner made it to the Scott family residence in one piece.
One day, Owen noticed a few meagre specs of rust in the tray, which turned out to be all the impetus he needed to begin transforming the EH from a humble grey stocker into the candy-painted, Elite Hall-gracing vision now before you. “That was the last time I drove the car for 20 years!” he laughs.


While rust repairs and a few subtle body modifications were underway, Owen received the harrowing news that he had testicular cancer at age 21. “To keep my mind off the cancer treatment, my parents paid for the EH’s paintjob,” he says. “I was looking at a few factory colours like Hackett Gold from the HSV SV99, but I ended up choosing Wine Fire from the PPG range,” he says. “Candies were only really coming to prominence in the early 2000s, and the first time I saw the car in colour, I was in awe. I don’t think there’s a better colour you could put on an EH.”


The ute’s engine bay has been home to a few stout engine combos over the years, including a 202 stroker that Owen was considering swapping for a Nissan RB after going for a ride in his brother’s Skyline. His mates had other ideas: “They talked me out of the RB30 and convinced me the EH needed a V8, so I set about fitting a 308.” At the time, it seemed every man and his dog in Canberra was building a 355, so Owen decided to bump the stock-block Iron Lion out as far as physically possible to 383 cubes.
The aspo Holden makes a stout 596 ponies at the flywheel – serious grunt on 98-octane fuel and without any boost or bottles in sight – but making the Holden bent-eight fit neatly into the EH’s bay wasn’t without its trials.

“We’d done the best we could to fit the engine using a combination of off-the-shelf kits, but Paul Sant and the team at ProFlo Performance went through and changed a lot of that so that the engine fit properly,” Owen says. “The car had been painted for years at this stage, as I’d never planned a V8 conversion, and I wanted to avoid cutting up the engine bay to fit the headers.” ProFlo’s solution was to fit a front engine plate to do away with the conventional engine mounts, freeing up enough space to squeeze a set of custom pipes between the block and chassis rails.

“Fitting a V8 into these things is no picnic,” Owen says. “You’ve got to modify the wiper motor, and we made a custom sump and customised the front end for more clearance, and then we were still really close to the radiator.”
The ProFlo crew are also responsible for the car’s slammed stance – something of a signature of theirs – which tucks staggered, pro street-styled bigs-and-littles way up under the EH’s luscious burgundy guards.




“When I originally built the car, I had billet wheels on it. I got mixed feedback about them, so I ordered the RC Comp wheels, because that was the direction everyone was going with their builds,” Owen explains. “They arrived two days before Summernats in 2019, and the refresh of the car’s look was enough to get it into the Top 60 hall, even with its 20-year-old paint!” The RC Comp rims measure 17×4.5in on the nose and 15x8in on the rear.

Those rear beadlocks might be the only outward suggestion of the near-600hp stroker lurking beneath the EH’s bonnet, and while the wheels give the car a racy vibe, Owen is quick to point out that despite the car being a bit of a toughie, he treats it with plenty of respect.
“I think I’ve only ever done three powerskids in it since I built it, and it was only the other day I did an actual burnout because my son revved me up!” he chuckles. “The NRVOUS number plates came about because I was always too scared to take the car out and enjoy it!”




Owen’s patience has culminated in a car that simply refuses to act its age. “Some elements of the build are 20 years old, yet it doesn’t look dated,” he says proudly. We’d say that probably means you have a true classic on your hands, Owen!

OWEN SCOTT
1964 EH HOLDEN UTE
Paint: | PPG Wine Fire |
ENGINE | |
Brand: | 383ci Holden V8 |
Induction: | Harrop single-plane intake, Holley Sniper throttlebody |
ECU: | Holley Sniper |
Heads: | ProFlo-ported VN |
Camshaft: | Custom-ground solid |
Conrods: | Lunati |
Pistons: | JE |
Crank: | COME steel |
Oil pump: | JP Performance high-volume |
Fuel system: | Custom fuel cell, Aeroflow in-tank fuel pump and hanger, Aeromotive pressure regulator |
Cooling: | Shaun’s Custom Alloy radiator, SPAL fans, electric water pump |
Exhaust: | ProFlo headers and twin 3in system |
Ignition: | Holley HyperSpark |
TRANSMISSION | |
Gearbox: | TH350, manual valvebody |
Converter: | TCE 3500rpm |
Diff: | Fabricated 9in, Truetrac, 3.5:1 gears, 35-spline billet axles |
SUSPENSION & BRAKES | |
Front: | King Springs, Koni shocks, Torana steering rack |
Rear: | Leaf springs, Koni shocks |
Brakes: | VT Commodore discs and calipers (f), VT Commodore discs and VL Turbo calipers (r) |
Master cylinder: | Underdash pedal box, remote-mounted vacuum booster |
WHEELS & TYRES | |
Rims: | RC Comp Torx; 17×4.5 (f), beadlocked 15×8 (r) |
Rubber: | M&H Racemaster; 185/55R17 (f), 245/55R15 (r) |
THANKS
My wife Kel for putting up with my car obsession; my kids Taylor and Owen; Paul, Sam Charlie and the team at ProFlo Performance; Peter and Aaron Fitzpatrick at Fitzpatrick Speed Works; Ray Nelson for the panelwork; David Brown for the paintwork; Shaun and Josh at Trims By Shaun; Harvey Miles the EH guru for the parts and expertise; my brother Elliott for always being there for me.
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