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.
Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Street Machine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
ANIKA HODGES
THE CAR DROVE INTO OUR SHED AS A CREAM 202CI VC AND DROVE OUT AS A SILVER CAR WITH A 355 V8
STAGE FRIGHT
IT TOOK OWEN SCOTT MORE THAN 20 YEARS TO BUILD A TROPHY-WINING, 600HP EH HOLDEN UTE THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME
THE Ummmal SUSPECT
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MINI-TRUCKS. THIS SUMMERNATS TOP 60 HILUX IS A PROPER STREET MACHINE
FULLY UTILISED
HARDWOOD ROD & CUSTOM TURNS DARREN ISON'S HAND-ME-DOWN HT INTO A SMOOTH OPERATOR
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
PEOPLE POWER
WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT 36 YEARS OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS - AND MOST DEMOCRATICALLY AWARDED - HONOUR IN OUR SPORT: STREET MACHINE OF THE YEAR
OUT-AND-OUT MAYHEM
STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE IS ALREADY A ROLLICKING GOOD TIME, BUT WHAT CAR EVENT CAN'T BE MADE EVEN BETTER BY ADDING A BURNOUT COMP? INTRODUCING OUR INAUGURAL RODS OUT!
BAD TO THE BONE
THANKS TO HIS SON, ANDY, THE LATE MARIO COLALILLO’S 39 PLYMOUTH COUPE IS BACK ON THE ROAD AND STILL ONE OF THE BADDEST HOT RODS IN THE COUNTRY
THE CHALLENGE IS REAL
FROM TRACK DRAMAS TO SOARING TEMPERATURES, DRAG CHALLENGE 2024 THREW US SOME OF ITS TOUGHEST TESTS YET, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT SOME OF THE QUICKEST TIMES THE EVENT HAS EVER SEEN
