FULLY CHARGED

IT MAY HAVE TAKEN SIX YEARS, BUT ADRIAN ROMANDINI'S DODGE CHARGER IS NOW A QUINTESSENTIAL BIG-BLOCK STOMPER

-  JACK HOULIHAN

WHILE a good chunk of Street Machine feature cars these days have been bundled off to a workshop, only to reappear a year or two later as an immaculately W finished artwork, there's certainly something to be said for giving things a go and getting your own hands dirty. For Adrian Romandini, his ultra-tough '69 Dodge Charger is hard proof that patience, persistence and a willing attitude can pay off in spades.

Adrian's decade-long journey began when he snagged the left-hook car from Just Mustangs in 2011. It was far from perfect, with a 383 between the rails, turquoise paint, and a black vinyl roof hiding its fair share of tin worm. "I'd been looking for a tough muscle car for a cruiser, and had always been drawn to the look of the '68-69 American Chargers," he says. "As much as I love Holdens and Fords, I wanted to buy something that was different to what everyone else had."

Though Adrian set out to be different, there's nothing pretentious about the build's origins. "I took the car for a spin around the block a few times and decided to freshen it up with a quick blow-over," he recounts. "Little did I know that it would turn into a full rotisserie, nut-and-bolt, ground-up restoration!" It was always bound to be an extended process, too, with Adrian tied up running his own cabinetmaking business and raising three kids with wife Maz.

The vinyl roof had done the Charger's turret no favours, and the rest of the car wasn't much better, so Adrian started by stripping it down, welding in new floors and sorting out much of the sad metal, before enlisting the help of Andy McDonald of Andy's Rust Repairs. "I tried to do as much as I could myself," says Adrian. "The mini-tubs I did myself with guidance from the panel beater, and I fitted up the chassis connectors and he welded them in for me.