BIG TIME
Street Machine Magazine|Yearbook 2021
TIM HADDOCK’S VJ UTE MAY LOOK UNASSUMING, BUT THERE’S SOME SERIOUS GEAR LURKING BENEATH ITS DIE-STRAIGHT PANELS, INCLUDING A TORQUEY CHRYSLER BIG-BLOCK
JACK HOULIHAN 
BIG TIME
WHEN Tim Haddock arrived at Chryslers On The Murray in 2015, he had $2000 in his pocket and an eye for a fresh project. The 49-year-old builder and Mopar addict had recently sold a tidy VC to help fund a raft of house renovations. But with home duties sorted and some petty cash left over, the Melburnian made for Albury-Wodonga.

It was there he found a rolling VJ ute shell, fortuitously priced at $2000. “I didn’t really want a ute at the time,” Tim recalls, “but I thought it was a good buy.”

While Chrysler’s body looked straight and dry from life in outback NSW, Tim didn’t realize just how good it was until later on.

“Initially we were just going to put a little 318 in and paint it a basic color,” he says. “Then I had it sandblasted – that’s what reveals the truth behind cars. It came through 100 per cent rust-free; it was unbelievable. So we pretty much re-evaluated what we wanted to do from there because you don’t find them in this condition very often.”

Shortly after, Tim snapped up another half-finished Valiant ute – this one with a 383-cube Chrysler V8 between the rails. With that purchase, the VJ’s fate was sealed, and Tim got to work on a classy, factory-style ute with an engineered big-block grunt.

With his sights on an angry, supercharged 383, the engine was pulled down and crack-tested. But by the time Tim drew up a list of US-sourced parts, the first wave of COVID had tanked the Aussie dollar and thrown shipping arrangements into disarray.

Denne historien er fra Yearbook 2021-utgaven av Street Machine Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Yearbook 2021-utgaven av Street Machine Magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA STREET MACHINE MAGAZINESe alt
ROYAL CARRIAGE
Street Machine Australia

ROYAL CARRIAGE

BENNY ROYAL TOOK A FAMILY HEIRLOOM TOYOTA CORONA, SHOVED A 1JZ IN IT AND HEADED OFF FOR FIVE DAYS OF DRAG-AND-DRIVE

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
DEBUT TOUR
Street Machine Australia

DEBUT TOUR

WITH A SCREAMING HOLDEN SIX, DEAN TROUNSON'S HOME-COOKED HR STEERS WITH THE BEST OF 'EM

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
FULLY FRANKED
Street Machine Australia

FULLY FRANKED

A SNEAKY 670 HORSES OF FRANK MARCHESE POWER MAKES ROB GORGIEVSKI'S CONCOURS XW A PROPER TREAT

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
NOMADIC LIFESTYLE
Street Machine Australia

NOMADIC LIFESTYLE

DON'T BE FOOLED BY ITS DEMURE APPEARANCE THIS '57 CHEVY NOMAD IS A RAUNCHY RESTOMOD PACKING MODERN MUMBO

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
PERFECT 10 '!!!!
Street Machine Australia

PERFECT 10 '!!!!

THE SYDNEY HOT ROD & CUSTOM AUTO EXPO TURNS 10

time-read
3 mins  |
July 2024
VAN WILDER
Street Machine Australia

VAN WILDER

PETER MARRIOTT BUILT THIS TOUGH, 350 CHEV-POWERED HK PANEL VAN IN TRIBUTE TO THE LONG-LOST HT VAN OF HIS YOUTH

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
EXPRESS DELIVERY
Street Machine Australia

EXPRESS DELIVERY

IF YOU'VE ever been to the Bright Rod Run (and you damn well should've), odds are you've seen Joel Beatson lapping in an early Falcon.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
RED HOT & BLUE
Street Machine Australia

RED HOT & BLUE

A REBORN PROGM8 SHOOTS FOR THE TITLE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST SHOW-AND-GO COMMODORE

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
PEOPLE LIKE US
Street Machine Australia

PEOPLE LIKE US

WHEN Michael Gonzalez isn't busy making eight-second passes in CHOCTOP, his street-driven, LSA-fed VC Commodore, or cruising one of the many other cars in his collection, he can be found managing Springmount Raceway, home to Far North Queensland's biggest horsepower hoedown, Northern Nats (see p. 48 for full feature).

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024
DRIVING INNOVATION
Street Machine Australia

DRIVING INNOVATION

EVER WISH YOU COULD HAVE A BRAND-NEW VERSION OF AN ICONIC 1970s AUSSIE MUSCLE CAR, FULL OF THE LATEST TECH? DRIVE SOUTH IS WORKING TO MAKE THAT A REALITY

time-read
2 mins  |
July 2024