Budget-built: Simon Major’s Valiant VG Hardtop & CL van

Looking back on two of Simon Major's DIY budget-friendly builds, Old Daze and Mr Juicy

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Photographers: Tony Rabbitte

First published in the August 2011 issue of Street Machine

I never planned to become a tight-arsed car builder but life had other ideas. The tricky part was how to build some cool rides but still juggle family and mortgage commitments — the solution was to mess with cars that provided maximum impact for minimal bucks, and to have a go at doing everything myself.

Old Daze began as a $500 VG V8 Hardtop, bought in 2001. The engine in it was stuffed, so I rebuilt the 318 and added a Holley, mild cam and 360 headers.

I freshened and home shift-kitted the 727, went right through the brakes, interior and suspension and then tore around in it as a daily driver.

I loved the thought of having a road-going pseudo drag car, so it was given a makeover in 2003. The turquoise paint is still as-bought; I just rubbed a heap of peel out of it and gave it a decent buff.

The missing vinyl roof and bonnet were painted silver and a signwriter mate (Jamie Smith) let me loose on his vinyl cutter in exchange for doing a service and brakes on his car. The front torsion bars were cranked right up and I swapped the stock rims and hubcaps for the Dodge Demon scoop.

Period stickers, blue window tint, swap-meet rims and a dumped twin-exhaust finished it off and it took out People’s Choice at the inaugural Nostalgia Drags in 2004. Nearly a decade later, it’s still loads of fun. I may treat it to a candy red and gold flake respray in the next few years to give a real John Mazmanian feel, but it’ll keep the Old Daze guise.

Mr Juicy came about because I’ve been having van withdrawals while finishing Disturbia (SM, July ’10). It’s a 1977 CL that just needed some TLC to get it up to speed. A Holley for the 318, new brakes and a decent polish brought it back to life, while the front spoiler and tramp rods were added to give it a 70s muscle van feel. My long-suffering mate Jamie again came up trumps with vinyl lettering for the tailgate, then a dose of sniffer rake and fat ’n’ skinny jellybean rims gave it the right van stance.

The interior is stock Diarrhoea Brown but that’ll change eventually, with a rework in black, and I’ll swap out the flat glass for a homemade set of bubble windows.

I’m the first to admit that they won’t win show trophies or set the dragstrip alight but they pull some serious looks and can be driven anywhere with no fuss, which suits me just fine!


THE DAMAGE – VG COUPE

COSTS (2011)
Car:$500 (circa 2001)
Engine & driveline:$2000
Carpet:$120
Rims:$65 (swap-meet)
Exhaust:$550
Paint:$65
Wheel alignment:$33
Blue tint$200
Decals:$50
Vinyl lettering:Free (labour swap)
Scoop:Free (swapped for original rims & caps)
Tyres:rear, spares from my other Hardtop; fronts, swapped off an on-seller
Labour:free (me!)
TOTAL :$3583

THE DAMAGE – CL VAN

COSTS (2011)
Car:$6500
Brake parts:$300
350 Holley & kit:$65 (swap-meet)
Spoiler:$30
Tramp rods:$20
Paint match-up for spoiler:carton of Coronas
Exhaust mods:$300
Rims:$420
Tyres:$600
Wheel alignment:$44
Tailgate lettering:free (labour swap)
Labour:free (me!)
CREDITS:Selling off unwanted rims etc: $491
TOTAL :$7788 plus a carton of Coronas

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