
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.
この記事は Street Machine Australia の October 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Street Machine Australia の October 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン

RETURN OF THE King
PETER GRMUSA IS BACK ON THE PAD. AND HIS THUNDEROUS XA IS ALREADY BRINGING HOME THE BACON

SOUTH QUEENSLAND CRUSHER
DAN KUMMEROW WANTED HIS HG KINGSWOOD TO BE A FAMILY CRUISER, SO OF COURSE IT SCORED A TURBO V8 READY TO MAKE FOUR-DIGIT POWER!

FLOWN THE COOP
SAVED FROM A CHOOK SHED. ROBERT CROSBY'S VH CHARGER UNDERWENT A 500HP, 15-YEAR ODYSSEY

BLOWN 383CI HOLDEN V8
PROFLO PERFORMANCE, CAMPBELLTOWN, NSW

PONY EXPRESS
MARION BRESKI'S BLOWN AND INJECTED, PROFLOMUSTANG IS AS SHARP AS THEY COME, AND THERE'S PLENTY OF GO TO MATCH THE SHOW

KING HIT
A CLASSIC DATSUN BODY, S15 FRONT END AND A SCREAMING BLOWN LS COMBINE TO CREATE A NEXT-LEVEL SKID MACHINE

BUILT TO LAST
IT SEEMS EVERYONE'S BUILDING A TURBOCHARGED LS COMBO THESE DAYS - BECAUSE IT WORKS. HERE'S HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY, ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE BEST IN THE BIZ

ARMS RACE
MARIO BUSLJETA'S MONARO IS A SIX-SECOND-CAPABLE NUCLEAR WARHEAD WITH A BIG-BLOCK UP FRONT, TWIN TURBOS OUT BACK, AND CLOSE TO 3000HP ON TAP

BACK TO YOUR ROOTS
TIM LAIDLER'S TWIN-CARB, HOLDEN V8-POWERED CALAIS WAS ONE OF JUST TWO ROOTS-BLOWN MACHINES TO TAKE ON DRAG CHALLENGE 2024

WILL TO LIVE
PETER DENING'S EXQUISITELY CRAFTED WILLYS BURST ONTO THE SCENE IN 2000, SCOOPED UP A STACK OF AWARDS, THEN SEEMINGLY VANISHED. WE CHAT TO PETE AND THE CAR'S TWO SUBSEQUENT OWNERS TO GET THE FULL STORY