This 1966 HR was my grandfather’s work ute and the first car I learned to drive in. It was sold at a clearance sale, brought back, sold again, then offered back to me, as the owner’s car club would not let him keep the signwriting on it.

Once back home, a look-over discovered a patina clean-up was out of the question thanks to subframe and spring hanger rust. A donor HD wagon restored the floor. It had a 173 and 2.5 Reilly four-speed that my father fitted, but I wanted to put my own twist to it.

So a red 202, Aussiespeed supercharger kit and manualised Trimatic were on the cards, backed up with a VL LSD diff.

he blower is a Weiand 142; I wanted it to look like it came from the showroom with a blower. The mods meant it would have a bit of poke and be reliable.

There’s a Premier heater and original X2 gauge cluster to finish it off, plus a set of 13- and 14-inch period Hustler mags. The tray is covered with Tasmanian oak.

My many memories of my family of five delivering chaff in the old girl and riding home in the back meant I had to do this right, and the project would never have been possible without the help from the HR man of Barnawartha, Shane Spence. Without his knowledge and help, I would have been lost.