First published in the May 2026 issue of Street Machine

“I bought this 1980 XD as a roller, and that’s being generous, as it had no diff or rear suspension – just a trailer axle and hubs.

“There wasn’t a wire in the whole car; it had no glass, interior, dash or lights, and the front panels and doors were tied on with rope.

“It sat around in my driveway for two years like that, but after doing the five-day Drag Challenge 2018 in a mate’s VK, I thought, ‘let’s slap this thing together and get it ready for the next Drag Challenge’.

“With the help of good mates and lots of late nights, we got it running and regoed about three weeks before DC 2019, going from a crayfish (all shell, no guts!) to a runner in just 11 months.

“With just three passes and about 50km of street driving on it, we loaded it up for DC in the DYO class – four fat blokes, a trailer, and 4.3 diff gears.

“The 40-degree days were a huge test for the old girl, but she finished the event with minimal issues.

“The driveline consists of an alloy-headed 408-cube small-block, transbraked C4, and a shortened 9in.

“The interior is all original trim from a donor car, with a bolt-in, six-point rollcage from HBR added after getting roused on for running low 10s without one!

“Since we got it going in 2019, the Fairmont’s done everything from airstrip drags to the Winters, with heaps of street driving and events like Summernats in between.

“My young bloke even took his girlfriend on a date in it, driving around the Newcastle foreshore.

“I can’t thank those mates enough for helping screw it together; without them it’d still be a bare shell sitting in the driveway.”