STEVE FLANAGAN
EH HOLDEN UTE“I’VE had this ute for 27 years and we
recently did some upgrades. It’s flat black
but will be painted again soon. It runs a
very healthy black 202 with two-inch SUs,
custom inlet manifold and custom headers.
It has a T5 gearbox with Mustang rear case
with hydraulic thrust bearing, a Rod-Tech
coil-over front and four-link rear with VL
turbo LSD diff and Watt’s link. She’s in the
shakedown stage at the moment. It will be
pulled apart again in the coming months
and a full rotisserie job will be done.”
“SIX years ago I purchased the HX – dubbed The Reverend – sight
unseen on eBay for $1200. It was being stored in a hayshed in St
Arnaud in Victoria and the owner said it hadn’t been started for three
years. So my mate Aaron and I made the trek five-and-a-half hours
north-west, armed with a permit, battery and a few tools. We put
the battery in, pulled the choke out, cranked it over and it ran quiet
as a mouse. It then didn’t miss a beat for the long ride home. Once
home I found all of the paperwork in the glovebox from when it was
purchased. It was first owned by the reverend at the local church- hence the nickname. Initially I had just wanted to freshen it up a
little and put a decent motor in it, but things quickly got out of hand.
It got stripped down to a rolling shell, the front end was rebuilt and
powdercoated, then it was sent off to Lukes Custom Fabrications
for the metalwork and on to Ringwood Body Works for the off-white
paint and reverse-cowl. For the interior I wanted a standard look
with a modern twist, so I handed it over to Lyndon at Croydon Motor
Trimming and asked him to trim in maroon, use twin stitching and
wrap the dash. I then fitted out the dash with VDO gauges set in
the original positions, RetroSound stereo and B&M shifter on the
floor. Under the bonnet is a mild 350 Chev and Turbo 350 trans.
Stainless brake lines run to Wilwood brakes. The hidden wiring and
first start-up was done by Scott at SG Auto Electrics, who does
an immaculate job. The HX was finally finished three weeks prior to
marrying my amazing wife (I knew she was the one when she helped
put the motor in) and was the perfect wedding car.”
ANDY AUSTIN
HX KINGSWOOD