albeit receiving a full recondition and healthy four-inch drop front and
rear. Sumitomo whitewalls in 185 and 195 sizes are considered a
pro street combination in the sleeper scene, and those 195 rears
struggle terribly to provide anything resembling satisfactory traction.
People have been building H/K/T/Gs for nearly 50 years, so it
can be difficult to create a fresh and innovative interior, especially
if you retain the standard fixings; Reece has broken through that
barrier thanks to clever colour choices and an eye for detail. “I was
keen to use red vinyl so it would pop against the beige exterior, but
didn’t want it to be one big solid blob of colour when you opened
the doors,” he explains. “I took a gamble and chose to fit buckskin
carpet instead of red – when I pictured it in my mind I was confident
it would work – and I think it provides the perfect balance of contrast
without clashing.”
We couldn’t agree more, and the use of black instead of chrome
for the scuff plates complements the seatbelts and the selective
use of black detailing featured throughout the HT. The super-neat
rollcage is more handiwork from Extreme Custom Engineering,
which along with the stock twirler was colour-coded to suit.
At just 22, Reece has accomplished more than many twice his
age, and it’s the result of a massive amount of his own hard work
plus help from his family and friends: “I work the landscaping gig
full-time and have my own part-time business as a personal trainer,
so I pretty much work all day, every day. But I know what I want, so
sometimes you just do what it takes to afford these sorts of toys.
“The HT came home as a painted bare shell on 12 Dec 2015, so we
only had 21 days to assemble it first time ’round for Summernats 29.
It was a crazy build. Our mate Keven came down from Maryborough
and stayed for two weeks to help, while another friend Joe gave up
plenty of his spare time to pitch in too. It was trimmed and had a
custom exhaust made in that time also!
“I have to thank my mum and especially my dad. He busted his arse
to help me get the HT finished, but I think it inspired him a little too
and gave him a bit of the bug back for his own projects. He has an
HT Premier in the build and it’s going to be killer; you just wait until
you see that thing finished!” sREECE PAGEL
1970 HT HOLDEN
KINGSWOOD
Colour: Driftwood
DONK
Engine: Holden 383ci
Block: Factory cast
Intake: Bliss Custom
Machining billet
tunnel-ram
Carbs: Twin 750
Pro Systems
Heads: COME 590 alloy
Crank: COME cast stroker
Rods: COME H-beam
Pistons: Probe
Cam: Crane solid-roller,
261/[email protected], .692in lift
Ignition: Crane
distributor, MSD leads
Exhaust: Custom 1^7 / 8 in
four-into-one headers,
twin 3in V-band system,
MagnaFlow mufflersSHIFT
Transmission: Al’s Race
Glides T400, full-manual,
reverse-pattern valvebodyConverter: TCE 5200 stall
Tailshaft: Hardy Spicer
3.5in mild steel
Diff: 9in, Truetrac centre,
3.89 gears, 31-spline axlesBENEATH
Front: Kings Ultra Low coils
Rear: 4in-lowered leaf
springs
Shocks: Koni
adjustable (f & r)
Brakes: Wilwood master
cylinder; HQ discs & PBR
calipers (f), HQ drums (r)ROLLING STOCK
Rims: HQ 14x5.5 (f & r)
Tyres: Sumitomo
185/75 (f), 195/75 (r)THANKS
Craig Walpole, Extreme
Custom Engineering;
Andrew & Megan
Ruhland, Bliss Custom
Machining; John and his
team, Archerfield Auto
& Marine Upholsterers;
Josh Cardeno, Swains
Motor Body Repairs;Wes Race Engines; Cory,
Street Elite Restorations;
Tony, Pacific Plating; all
of my mates who helped
including Keven, Joe and
Giz; a huge thank you to
my dad Wayne who has
busted his arse on this
thing, my mum Sandy
for her on-going support
and help, and my fiancée
Eden who has been
so understanding and
extremely patient with
my dreamReece’s mum Sandy owns this Beetle, which was
bought new by her uncle back in ’63. “He passed
away three years ago and it was a little beaten up,
so we decided to restore it in his memory,” Reece
says. “There’s a lot of history in that VW too, as many
family members learnt to drive in it.” The original
grey was deemed a little bland, so the paint was
redone in beige with an aftermarket flash kit- C
ONCE
ALED^ WEA
PO
N-