“I’ve owned my ’71 XY Falcon for 39 years, and 12 months ago I finished the last resto I’ll ever give it,” says Heath Lloyd.

“It’s now running a Dandy Engines injected 434 4V Cleveland, with a custom inlet that I made from a Weiand 4V tunnel ram. Controlling it is a FuelTech FT550 ECU, and backing the engine is a Burko Transmissions fully manualised C4, with a 9in under the bum.

“It uses strut front suspension with a rack-and-pinion steering conversion and disc-brake upgrade, all from RRS, and in the rear, it has a Gazzard Brothers mono-leaf set-up with CalTracs. As things go with a resto, it started as an engine swap from the old 351, but now it’s progressed to have almost twice the horsepower and torque of standard, so I wanted make it stop and steer better as well. While it was apart, a few touch-ups turned into a full bare-metal respray.

“I did all the mechanical work myself in the shed at home, but the paint and panel was all done by JZ Paintworks and Hammond Refinishing. Matt at Rat Race Garage did all the wiring for me, and there was plenty of that with the FuelTech.

“I drive the wheels off it, clocking up nearly 14,000km in the past 12 months. That included a trip to the Cooly Rocks On festival last year, which was 1400km each way, and I headed back there this year, too. She ain’t no trailer queen!”