Jamie Hague
Volkswagen bus
“Meet The Hooligan Drag Bus. It’s a custom build that I started by making a chassis jig and then the rest of the body from there.
Engine is a stock LS1, just PAC valve springs.
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Bolted onto it is a second-hand Chinese GT42 turbo that uses a water-to-air intercooler.
The gearbox is a turbo 400 with a bullet valve body, reverse pattern shift and transbrake with high stall converter.
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There’s a nine-inch rear end with full spool, 35-spline multi-axle with floating hubs and 3.89:1 gearing.
35-inch tires and steel rims are for transport and dyno only. Its original wheels are 15×14 Weld Draglites with 32.5×14.5 Goodyear slicks for racing. I recently did an LS1 ECU flash tune, and the result was 392whp at 9psi, so that’s a great, safe tune to push it.
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That way I can get the rest of the suspension and chassis tuned and get the bus time to get used to it before throwing more power later. I built 99 percent of the car myself, and it’s been a fun ride.
Next job is to get the bodywork sorted so I can get a tech inspection and have some fun. You can find construction on social media; Just look for The Hooligan Drag Bus.
Damian Lowe
Holden VB Commodore
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“This is my VB SL/E restoration that I’m in the middle of doing for my dad. It won’t be a full nuts and bolts restoration to the original specs, but it will look similar.
The engine will be a hot 5.0 liter, but the gearbox will be a T56. The diff is a crewman, and will have VT brakes on all four corners.
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The interior will look mostly like a standard SL/E but with some mod cons. So far I have acquired NOS quarter panels, front guards, bonnet, nosecone and a rear door.
The roof skin and floor were all lifted and repaired. Arthur at Parallel Automotive is doing the bodywork. Once that’s done, I’ll bring it back to my shop and start the assembly process.
Jesse Scott
1956 International AS162
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“My dad and I bought this AS162 International truck around June this year. We sold our XF ute to buy something with a bit more toughness, and it seems to fit the bill.
The body sits on a HQ One Tuner chassis, and for power it has a VS Mallow’s Holden 304 with a Turbo 700 box. We swapped the cab for one that was much less rusty.
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We also changed the 304 to a carby and added a baby cam and some extractors.
The rear is a 10-bolt diff, and it rolls on some SS Cragars, which are definitely the flashiest part of the whole truck!”
Jarrod Howell
Holden HQ Kingswood
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“This is my HQ at Kingswood which I’m currently converting to a Turbo-LS with the help of some good mates. Before we started the engine change, the car was a mini-tub with 3.9:1 gears and a 31 -A nine-inch differential was added with the spline axle.
The engine is a 6.0-liter L98, and my good mate Scott and I tickled it with a VCM 16 cam, Manley pushrods, double valve springs, ARP head studs, a Mailing oil pump and a 102mm throttle body.
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My good mate James McKee has donated a spot in his shed to build, and we’ve just finished baying the engine with the turbo 400 box. It has a 3500rpm converter, and we just got our hands on a GJ Drivelines tailshaft.
We are in the middle of test fitting turbo manifolds, and this will help us figure out the positioning of the intercooler and radiator. You can watch the entire build on James’ YouTube channel XYYNOT DRIFTING.
James McKee.
Ford AU Falcon
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“This amazing piece of Australian history is going to be my primary and affordable drift car, dubbed the AUKIDDING. I started with a CAMS-approved, bolt-in roll cage and harness bar built into the Drift Cat. , with harnesses by the legendary Nathan Ranson.
In the last few weeks, I’ve installed a mini spool I had lying around, cut two mufflers from the exhaust system and made a blast pipe.
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I took a $50 race seat and fitted it with AU rails – big thanks to Jase (commonly known as Dr1ft8) for helping with this. Raceworks also provided a lot of things to go into the car like tow points, exhaust wrap, steering wheel etc. I have a lot of love to give. Sm Photographer Sean McCann for designing and installing 13DRIFT and Silver Fox taxi stickers.
Nathan from Hackshop Garage also donated a J-pipe manifold for when I finally go turbo, and the car isn’t far from its first outing. Be sure to check out XYYNOT DRIFTING on all socials and YouTube to see the action.”
Mick Nocaris
Ford XP Falcon
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“This is my XP Falcon ute project, all done brilliantly by Psidup Fabrications in Melbourne. It features a Southern Chassis Works IFS front end, Wilwood brakes all round, and a one-off, 20×12 Intro Twisted Vista II exposed. There is a custom rear end with 5-bullet rims.
It will also feature Kindig It door handles and will be powered by a one-stroke Windsor built by Cone at Pro Race Engines.
Paint will be handled by Polo Body Works.
Luke Eastham
Holden H. G. Kingswood
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“I’m building my HG Kingswood out of my shed at home. It’s been through a complete resto with a complete rust repair as well as a custom IFS installation. It has rears to fit 29x15s. There is also a clip of
For panic, there’s a 427ci small-block Chev with a Pro Foger nitrous kit, backed by a ‘Glide’. It’s slated to be painted in the original two-tone blue-over-white combo later this year, and is set to be a streetcar.
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Have a sweet ride that’s currently under construction? Send pictures of it with some details: in the blood, Street Machine, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166 or email inthebuild@wheelsmedia.com.au. Please note: Send us copies of your prints as we are unable to return images.