FINE LIME

JAMIE SKEWS RESCUED THIS XA HARDTOP FROM A SLOW DEATH VIA A 640HP CLEVO HEART TRANSPLANT, A THIRD PEDAL AND THE BRIGHTEST GREEN HUMANITY HAS EVER SEEN

- TAS McMILLA

FROM an early age, Jamie Skews was steered towards an appreciation for Aussie muscle by his parents. “I was born into it,” he says. “My old man had a bit of everything: an HT Monaro; an XW GT; hatchback Toranas. I’ve had Commodores, XYs, HXs and Monaros, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Falcon hardtops; they’ve got a nice big arse you can fit fat tyres under.” Too right!

This particular XA has been living in Jamie’s shed for about eight years, but it hasn’t always looked quite so magnificent. “I was at a job in western Brisbane and saw the hardtop sitting in a backyard,” he says. “I knocked on the door and asked about it, but old mate said he was going to do it up. I was back that way two years later and it hadn’t moved, so I knocked on the door again. We ended up meeting the following weekend and I bought it.”

The coupe had been the subject of a rebuild in the distant past. The original Calypso Green and vinyl roof had made way for a heavily weathered mustard yellow, while the weak 250 drivetrain had been binned in favour of Henry’s finest: a 351 Cleveland, Top Loader and nine-inch.

The previous owner said the hardtop didn’t run, but Jamie discovered the cause of the problem was a clogged fuel filter. One filter change later, the fat Falc was back on the road. “We had good fun in it,” says Jamie. “I caned it everywhere and didn’t worry about it because it had crappy paint.”