BROWN Sugar

THIS EJ WAS MEANT TO BE A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PRESENT, BUT IT EVOLVED INTO A SWEET SUMMERNATS TOP 60 STUNNER INSTEAD

- IAIN KELLY

CANBERRA'S Steve Santos is a man of many talents. While some enthusiasts knock out a ton of killer builds with a common style or brand, Steve takes a broader brush to his art- everything from 1000hp Walkinshaws to killer ProCharged Falcons, and even a turbo slant-six AP5 Valiant wagon (SM, Apr ¹22).

That Mopar was built as a present for his father, though his dad was originally meant to get this sweet EJ wagon. The EJ was purchased locally in the ACT to build as a surprise present for Dad's 70th birthday, but these plans changed during the build, as I believed the car wouldn't be appropriate for Dad, Steve says.

Luckily, Steve was able to knock out that awesome Valiant for his dad instead, and now gets to cruise this slick, LS-powered wagon. However, it took a bucket-load of work to get the five-door cruiser to the Summernats Top 60 Elite level it is now.

I started the project off by dummying up the running gear and got all the fabrication work sorted, Steve begins. Then I got it blasted and discovered the horror show. It had rust in a lot of places and very poor repairs to a previous rear-end accident. The K-frame also resembled swiss cheese.

On the plus side, the sorry condition of the shell made it easier to get hacking away with the long list of body mods, as Steve wouldn't be chopping up a cherry, museum-ready example.

I purchased an EH wagon from a wrecking yard and began replacing the EJ's rear quarters, beaver panel, front plenum and K-frame, Steve says. Other work included making a custom exhaust outlet; shaving the front indicators; replacing the floors; fixing the door gaps; notching the K-frame to allow for the alternator and low-mount air-conditioning; adding a third brake light above the tailgate; and sneaking a hidden LED light bar behind the grille.