A 1978 Holden HZ 1 Tonner ute led a convoy of bikes and cars in the 2019 Limestone Coast Toy Run recently.
After spending a nine months working on the vehicle, owner Jezza Young can finally sit behind the wheel of the car.
Mr Young estimated 150 hours have been spent working on the car’s body work alone.
“I do not know how many hours we have put into it all together, but it has been a long nine months,” Mr Young said.
“It has been painted in Toyota Lexen Black, which is the only pure black on the market.
“There is no pigment in the colour at all which is rare as most blacks have browns, blues, yellows or another tinge to the paint.”
Mr Young said he painted the vehicle black as it was the car’s original colour.
“It was tuxedo black which has a brown tinge to it and just looked dirty,” he said.
“My friend Geoff Coulter who is a painter, painted the vehicle for me.”
Mr Young said the vehicle was fitted with a custom tray and alloy drop tank built by BKM engineering.
“The tray is lined with Merbau Wood and is finished with oil which lets it stay nice and smooth,” he said.
“The previous owners had glossed Tasmanian Oak which started cracking and began to not look very nice.
“A friend of mine told me to not varnish it and just oil it twice a year instead.”
The vehicle features a full WB Statesman front end and interior, 308 V8 turbo 400 automatic, powersteering, air conditioner and mild engine work.
Mr Young said the car’s custom dash was complemented by an Alpine entertainment system from Tonkins In-Car Solutions.
“I ended up with the vehicle because a guy from Mount Gambier traded the car in for one of my Harley Davidson bikes,” he said.
“I decided to keep it because you can just not get them any more and I ended up getting a little bit carried away with it.
“They are just one of those things which are getting harder and harder to come by.”
Mr Young said the automotive industry was not just a business for people in the South East, but also a passion.
“It can be easier to go to Adelaide or Melbourne to get things done, but I find the people living locally have a bit more passion for it,” he said.
“Everything has basically been done locally with the wheels, tyres and suspension sourced from Trident Tyres centre.
“The interior has also been completely re-trimmed by Sew Unique with factory red leather.”
Mr Young said he was excited to drive the vehicle.
“It will probably just go in the shed and sit there with the other car, but my plan is to actually use it,” he said.
“I have had a bench seat installed so I am able to take one of the kids with me as well.
“Being a 308, it is also just nice to drive.”
Mr Young said the most frustrating thing about the build was the time frame.
“It was meant to be a three week job, but it blew out to nine months along with the budget,” he said.
“I ended up just wanting it back and just wanted to go for a drive in time for summer.”
Since being put together, Mr Young has had a lot of comments on the vehicle and is constantly being stopped by interested community members.
“It was down the street getting work done and there were people taking photos of it,” he said.
“I have seen a couple of photos pop up on Facebook of it already which is kind of cool.
“It is great to see kids interested as you do you not see it very often.”
Although the car currently has an an exhaust leak, Mr Young said the vehicle will be ready for the Limestone Coast Toy Run this weekend.
“There are always plans to do more, but it comes down to budget as well,” he said.
“It is now reliable and I can hop in, turn the key and go.”
Around 500 participants left the Mount Gambier Marketplace at 12:30pm on Saturday November 30 for the main run of the event and will finish at the Railway Lands for a family day featuring live music, performers, stalls, food and a show and shine.
