CHRIS ANSCOMBE 1974 XB FALCON UTE

RUSSELL HULM WB HOLDEN VAN

“I DRAGGED the ute from a rubbish dump near Glenmorgan, Queensland in 1985. It has had several builds over the years, starting with a 250 six, three-speed on the floor, Emerald Fire paint and 14x7in jellybean mags. In the 1990s, it went 351/ FMX auto/nine-inch, with dark Mica Green paint and Stryker rims. Then in the mid-90s, I built another 351 with 310rwhp, backed by a Top Loader and 4.11:1 diff, sitting on 15x8 and 15x10 Drag Lites. Since then, I fitted billet Intro rims, did a bunch of mild custom body mods and added a two-tone green/magenta paintjob. It now runs a 500-cube, roller-cam BBF with Fitech dual-throttlebody injection and an 8/71 blower. There is a JW Bell-kitted TH400 and a Truetrac 3.55:1 nine-inch behind it. Underneath is a Mcdonald Brothers front end, A1 coil-overs and Kelsey-hayes fourspot brakes. The custom interior features Recaros, a Racepak dash, harnesses and rollcage. I recently gave it a satin green metallic wrap, and am currently switching it to E85 so I can wind up the boost.”

“I BOUGHT my WB panel van in 2002 from the local wrecking yard. It was the classic project I’d been looking for. My initial plan was to rebuild the mechanicals and give it a lick of Barbados Green paint, so I stripped it down straight away. As it had a good body and front end, I set about the panelwork and getting it painted; me being in the trade helped give the project a handy start. But that’s when the build’s direction changed. I was convinced I should go all out and produce something different, and with Harlequin paint being all the rage at the time and panel vans being on the wild side anyway, well, you can see how it turned out! I turfed the 253/four-speed for a slightly better 355/TH400 combo, then set about doing the interior and tidying up the look of the van. I did 90 per cent of the work myself with help from some talented mates and local businesses. All up, I spent 10 years building the van, eventually finishing in 2012. In 2015 I travelled to the Van Nationals in Bathurst, where the van won Top Paint and the Frank Lee award. I never meant to build it as good as it’s turned out – it just sorta happened!”