HG panel van
John Jackson

“I BOUGHT this car eight years ago. It was originally an RACV service vehicle and is now being transformed.

It will be running an LS3 with a TR-6060 manual gearbox, nine-inch Truetrac, Motor Fab rear suspension, Rod Shop front end and Wilwood discs all ’round. It’s also getting mini-tubs, modified chassis rails and a few other mods. Hopefully the car will be finished mid-2022, as it’s currently in the paint shop.”

EF Falcon
Harrison Carey

“THIS is my EF XR8 that’s not quite finished yet. It’s running an AU 5.0-litre V8, so it has GT40P heads. I’ve put in a large Camtech cam with hydraulic lifters and Crane Cams roller rockers. The intake is a BBK set-up with a 75mm throttlebody. It has a custom three-inch exhaust with high-flow cats and Di Filippo headers. I have the battery and a 60-litre fuel cell in the boot, a four-point chrome-moly ’cage, and Recaro race buckets up front.

It runs a big brake kit on the front and rolls on a set of Street Pro wheels – 15×9.5in rear and 17x4in front. The gearbox is a fully manualised BTR auto with a 2800rpm stall converter, and the diff is a mini-spooled BorgWarner. I’m not sure how much power it makes yet as I haven’t had it on a dyno.”

VL Commodore
Josh Stewart

“HERE’S my 1988 VL SL. It has a Warspeed-built 6.2-litre LSA backed by a Shift Right TH400 and Castlemaine Rod Shop nine-inch. There’s a Forced Induction Interchiller and it runs a flex-fuel tune. It made 418kW, with air con! Paint and body were done by JGN Autobody, with a full respray in Hyundai Veloster grey. They also did the custom bonnet with FG Falcon bulge. It’s currently getting a full custom interior done by Southside Stitching. It’s been mini-tubbed and rolls on billet Intro Twisted Vista II wheels. 

The car was built to be driven on weekends with friends and family. My goal is to make Summernats or even just local meets. Over the past four years I’ve been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and I’m now in a wheelchair full-time, so the car has been keeping my mind off the bad and I’m focused on finishing it.”

HQ ute
Dylan Hall

“THIS is my ’74 HQ Belmont ute that I’m currently building in the shed. I’ve ripped out the 202 and three-on-the-tree for a 6.0-litre LS with all the usual gear, plus two Precision 5862 turbos hanging off the side. It’s run by a Holley Terminator system.

The ’box is a built ’Glide matched to a 35-spline nine-inch and a McDonald Bros four-link that was installed by my mates at Tin God Solutions. There’s also a recessed fuel cell and tubs in the tray. Hopefully I’ll have it finished soon and enter it in Drag Challenge next year.”

Pontiac Parisienne
Anthony Kasem

“I HAVE an odd vehicle for you; here are a few photos of my dad Teki’s 1966 Pontiac Parisienne pillarless four-door sports sedan, which has been in the family since new. Check out the original ‘From Southern Motors’ sticker on the back window! Over the past few years, he has been slowly restoring it to make it a nice modern-day cruiser. We’ve had the car repainted in Chrysler Blue with a white roof, installed a new Vortec 350 SBC, upgraded the original Powerglide to a Turbo 350, changed out the drum brakes for modern discs, added 18- and 20-inch Boyd Coddington rims, installed a new a/c unit, had the steering wheel restored by PearlCraft, and changed a few other little features for uniqueness. We are now putting the final pieces together.

We need to get the car tuned, doors and panels aligned, install the front quarter windows, and give it a nice detail and ceramic coat. Because of a few issues with COVID, my dad’s surgeries and parts-sourcing issues, we’ll be cutting it close to get it ready to take to MotorEx. I’m not sure if we can make it in time!”

HJ Holden
Mark Galvin

“I BOUGHT this car as a project to have fun. It was a going car with a 253, Trimatic and whatever diff. I got it registered and the 253 let go, so I started pulling it down six months before COVID hit. Then came COVID, so I had plenty of time. It was going to be my cruiser while my HK Monaro is getting done, but I went overboard and completely rebuilt everything. I mini-tubbed it before it went off to my mate who painted it Atlantis Blue.

I had a 355 stroker and full-manual Turbo 400 sitting around, so I put those in and got a 3.55 nine-inch diff made to suit the Pro Stocks, which my mate custom-made. I’m currently waiting on the interior to get done and it should be running in the next few months.”

GOT a sweet ride that’s currently in the build? Send photos of it along with some details to: In The Build, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email: [email protected]. Please note: Send us copies of your prints as we are unable to return photos.