92: DREAM SHED — NEW HOME FOR OLD TOYS

BEVAN CHAPMAN MAY LAY CARPET DURING THE WEEK, BUT IN THE WEEKENDS HE LAYS RUBBER

Oamaru, with its population of around 14,000, is the largest town in North Otago. The town’s largest tourist attraction is its little blue penguin colony, with people flocking to the harbour to watch the little birds come ashore each night. Oamaru also has some important archaeological sites, which date back to the moa-hunter phase of Māori culture, and is steeped in history. Driving through the town, one can’t help but be impressed by the large number of grand old limestone buildings that not only line Oamaru’s main street but also makes up the majority of the historic precinct in Harbour Street. The limestone, or ‘Oamaru stone’ as it is better known, has been quarried out of the hills nearby since 1860, and still is, being shipped not only around New Zealand but also around the world.

Bevan and Sue Chapman have chosen to make the rural hills around Oamaru their home, building a house on a couple of acres of land, with a large shed to house their toys. The couple’s discussions about building revealed that Sue really wanted a new house while Bevan wanted a new shed; an agreement was reached that saw the shed built first.

“I had a mate who had just built a shed similar to mine,” Bevan says, “so I built mine just a metre longer.”

The same mate had an old derelict house on his property, so Bevan approached him about buying some of the weatherboards from it for a project he had in mind.

“I really wanted to build an old facade down one wall of the shed, so when he asked me what I wanted the timber for, I told him I had run

out of money and needed it to line the shed,” Bevan laughs.

Bevan took only two months to complete the project, and, like most people who see the finished product, his mate was floored by what he saw. Bevan’s father was a car guy, and Bevan remembers his dad always buying Autotrader magazine, which he also liked to read — and even credits it with teaching him how to read.

“Dad had cool cars,” Bevan tells us. “He had Toranas and Skylines, and we used to do car shows and go to Meremere.”

After thinking for a moment, Bevan recalls his first car, a tidy wee Mk2 Escort, which got used and abused, and eventually ended up on its roof. He also had a couple of Toyotas, one being a front-wheel drive, but admits that he likes his car’s rear-wheel drive.

A stint in Australia saw Bevan working in the mines for a few years, and, on his return to New Zealand, the car bug bit really hard. He bought a genuine VK ‘Blue Meanie’ Commodore, which he kept for quite some time, but, because it was so rare, he was unable to enjoy it as much as he would have liked — Bevan likes to drive his cars — so it was moved on to a new owner and work began on a ’62 Impala that he imported from the land of kangaroos and snakes in 2010.

The plan was simply to do a tidy-up but, as we all know, plans always change. Bevan ended up with one hell of an Impala, with matching numbers, 327 V8, four-speed manual, and Positraction rear. As immaculate as it is, he enjoys driving it. A ’69 Camaro took up parking space for a while, as did a ’61 bubbletop, which he sold to a local.

“The bubbletop is the one car I have regretted selling,” says Bevan. “As with all my cars, I have asked that I get first option should they ever sell, so who knows?”

The white VK Commodore in the shed is a very cool car and needs a closer look to be fully appreciated. Having collected a few old petrol bowsers, Bevan made the decision to sell them to fund the VK build — after all, they were only collecting dust. The Commodore came into his ownership as a fairly tidy car, with a standard 308 V8 and running gear. Wanting to fit an LS motor, Bevan bought another VK and used it to mock everything up in and ensure that things fitted as they were supposed to. Castlemaine Rod Shop played a massive part in supplying parts and information for the build, and Bevan can’t speak highly enough of the team. Bevan tells us a funny story about a trip to Summernats in Canberra. He had arranged to pick up a lot of the parts needed for the build back home. Unbeknown to his seven travelling companions, each of them was tasked with carrying some items on their return trip.

The LS1 sits in a smoothed and tidied engine bay, fitted with a carb instead of injection and backed by a Tremec TKO 600 five-speed manual. The BorgWarner diff is fitted with 31-spline billet axles and a CRS rear-disc-brake conversion. A chassis strengthening kit has been fitted underneath to tighten things up and has made a massive difference to how the car handles.

UNBEKNOWN TO HIS SEVEN TRAVELLING COMPANIONS, EACH OF THEM WAS TASKED WITH CARRYING ITEMS ON THEIR RETURN TRIP

“When I started out building the car, I had three purposes for it,” explains Bevan, “track, street, and drags.”

Judging by how mild mannered the Commodore is on the street, and the fact that Bevan drove it three hours north to drag-race it, putting down a 12.7 then driving home without a problem, we would say he has hit two goals already. Plans are to hit Timaru International Motor Raceway next to show the naysayers that all three can be achieved. Bevan’s blue Commodore is a VL Calais and is destined for the burnout pad and a bit of a paint touch-up. The VK’s LS1 is soon to jump ship and power the burnout car, while a supercharged LS2 sits in the wings for its turn in the VK.

“I’m really keen to get out there and lay some rubber,” Bevan mentions.

The old cans and tins surrounding the cars have just accumulated over time, with the odd person dropping one off from time to time. The old bottles are the same, with Bevan arriving home from work on occasion to find a bottle sitting at the garage door. There are a bunch of number plates hanging from the roof trusses that have been picked up here and there, and there are also plenty of signs hanging around the walls. Bevan has constructed a magazine rack to display some of his collection, which gets changed around now and then.

At the north end of the shed, you will find Bevan’s workbench area, and, at the south end, you will see his boat and his trusty ride-on mower. As for changes, Bevan doesn’t have any plans, as he is quite happy with the shed the way it is.

“I still have some room, but I like having the space and being able to open all the car doors without hitting anything,” he says.

Now, he just needs to find the time to do the engine swaps and start entering those burnout comps — after all, he may live in whitestone country, but they don’t call this the ‘land of the long white cloud’ for nothing.