Widebody HQ Monaro ‘SHQRP’ in the build – video

Down Town Kustoms are almost finished fabricating Peter Sharps wild wide body HQ Monaro - we check in to see where they're at

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PETER Sharp’s Down Town Kustoms-built wide-body HQ Monaro is getting close to the final stages of metal fabrication. Originally the car was meant to be a Mad Max-style, rough and ready rig to drive around Australia in, but when the original Monaro body was stripped the DTK guys found it was severely infested with rust. It needed a lot of fresh metal welded into the body, so Peter decided to go down a different path with the build, creating the widebody car you see here.

HQ Monaro Wide Body Build 1We’ve been following the build for the last few years, and without seeing SHQRP next to an original Monaro it’s tricky to really appreciate just how much custom fabrication has gone into it. Every panel bar the roof skin has been chopped up and massaged in some way, and the rear quarter panels were made completely from scratch. At its widest point – the centreline of the rear wheel arch – SHQRP is about 100mm wider each side than an original Monaro, and that meant the sills and front panels all had to be redesigned to ensure nothing looked out of place.

HQ Monaro Wide Body Build 4The front end and engine bay are completely custom, the latter housing a 376ci LSX crate motor with a Harrop 2300 blower that should be good for 850hp. The interior is from a VZ Commodore, though it will be completely customised before the car is finished.

HQ Monaro Wide Body Build 3So far it has almost been a five year build, but Peter and the guys at Down Town Kustoms are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, with the bodywork close to completion. The bonnet and front bumper are still left to do, then it’ll be pulled apart with the undercarriage details finalised before being reassembled for engineering compliance tests. The engine will then be dyno tuned while the body is put in primer and the first bits of interior trim installed. Then it’s time for paint, before wiring and number plates!

HQ Monaro Wide Body Build 2A car with such extensive modifications might sound like it could be a bit of a trailer queen, but Peter is adamant it’ll be driven and he’s not scared of stone chips!

HQ Monaro Wide Body Build 5There’s still no completion date in mind, but here at the SM office we’re hanging out to see what will undoubtedly be one of the craziest HQ Monaros ever built! Peter takes a more relaxed approach, saying he has no deadline for the car to be finished, as he’d rather the DTK guys take their time and get everything spot on. He’d rather do it once, and do it right!

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