As a visual representation of what our Different Strokes department is all about, Simon Upham’s EH Holden drift wagon is right on the bloody nose – a case of classic (if somewhat dishevelled) Aussie tin meeting modern mumbo and suspension and going for a walk on the wild side.

First published in the March 2025 issue of Street Machine

If the thought of using a classic 60s Holden for a drift build triggers you, your blood is likely to boil over when you learn that Simon disposed of a big-block HK Monaro in order to take this path less travelled. “I couldn’t bring myself to cut up the HK to do this to it, so I sold it and built this EH instead,” he says. “Old Holdens are what I know, so I wanted to build one into a drifter for something a bit different, to give drifting a go.”

The build took around three-and-a-half years of Simon plugging away with some good mates at his Lincoln Tyre Centre workshop in Henderson, Auckland, during the height of COVID. Despite the considerable crustiness he’s kept in the wagon as you see it now, Simon reckons its bones were pretty solid when he got it. “We just bid on it on [NZ auction and classifieds website] Trade Me; once we had it back at the shop, before we knew it my good mate Zak Edgar had gone from putting a rear clip in it to cutting the whole floor out and making a new chassis,” he says. “Zak probably has over 700 hours of fabrication in the thing; he worked tirelessly on it.”

The reason for a new chassis was to allow for a rethink in the suspension department to suit drifting; let’s face it, Holden’s best efforts in the mid-60s weren’t going to cut it. “The original plan was to do a Nissan subframe and suspension, but, long story short, with the help of Alan and Paul Dunkley at DunkWorks, we CAD-drew all-new front suspension and a crossmember,” Simon explains.

The latter item is a one-off, fabricated IFS unit, and hanging off either side of the subframe is a US-sourced FDF lock kit designed for Corvettes, with rose-jointed upper and lower control arms to give the EH all the steering lock Simon could need to hang out sideways.

Up the other end of the car, the nine-inch diff is suspended in a three-link set-up with MacPherson strut coil-overs, self-adjusting Panhard bar and traction arms. “It drives so nicely; it turns, stops and points exactly where you want it to,” says Simon.

The EH now rocks to the angry tune of an aspirated 6.0-litre LQ9 with a Kelford bumpstick, sucking through a Holley twin-tunnel ram intake. It thumps out around 380rwhp through the six-speed manual TR-6060, which Simon has converted to use a sequential shifter.

“An LS just made the most sense for power and bang-for-buck,” says Simon. “The first engine I put in was actually an LS1, but it didn’t last long, which I’ll cop, as I built it with guidance from YouTube! This one I built as well, but with the help of Anton from LS West and Automotive Anarchy.”

Initially, Simon wanted to add a blower but keep things all under the bonnet. “We tried a few blower set-ups, but no matter what, it just wouldn’t fit,” he says. “So, we tried the tunnel ram, and instantly I knew that was the look this car had to have.”

As for the wagon’s, er, ‘lived-in’ exterior, Simon never had the slightest interest in sprucing it up with a new paintjob. “It gets a funny reaction, for sure,” he says. “People either love it, or they just don’t understand why I haven’t restored it – it really depends which crowd you’re from.”

Since the wagon’s completion late last year, Simon has already taken the life of several rear treads at events like Chrome NZ, Autofest and Mad Mike’s Summer Bash. “We did some burnouts and the cruise sessions with mates, but I wasn’t quite there yet to try drifting,” he says. “That’s the plan for this year – hit up some drift events. I’ve never drifted before, but we’ve built the car for it, so now I just have to learn!”

SIMON UPHAM
1964 EH HOLDEN WAGON

THANKS
Zak Edgar at Edgarfab; Anton at LS West and Automotive Anarchy; Dan Chalmers; DunkWorks’ Alan and Paul Dunkley; Phil Dean at Key West Bolt & Supply; Troy at Parlato Fabrication; Ramo Simpson; Big Karl for the rust work; Steve Rutherford; Crazy Craig at YHI NZ; James Kirkham at Haltech NZ; Matthew Busing at MBR; Keith Hughes at West Auckland Diffs; Luke Metcalf at Met Design; Ray the sparkie; Cardwell Racing Supplies; Racer Products; Ken Hopper; Autopaint Henderson; The Krysler Shop; West Engineering for steel supplies; Pete’s Autos; Lincoln Tyre Centre; Azhar Bhamj.

Got something in the shed that you reckon is particularly unusual or interesting? Tell us about it! Send pics and info to [email protected].