Story by Alan Cooper
I was nipped by the hot rod bug after I purchased the Beach Boys album,Little Deuce Coupe.
Through 64_65 I went to shows and met up with the guys in a local rod club, the Pharoahs. I became president of the Pharoahs, and was a founding member of Assosiated Hot Rod Clubs.
In 65 a tech college aquaintance sold me his clean 34 Chev sedan. I drove it stock and slightly modified for about 15 months. I started rodding the car firstly with a 53 flatty and then a 272 y block. The chassis ran a coil 4 bar front and rear end. Twin fuel tanks were fitted either side of the drive shaft. A general shortage of money and a career move, to Canberra in 68, really messed things up at that time. The chev was moved to Canberra and a work mate bought the body. The 34 chassis was stored then stored for a time.The 34 is still owned by fellow Meteors member Brian McLinden, you know, Raider McLindens dad.
 
During the winter of 69 I stumbled across a 32 Austin roadster. The car was hidden under a lean to in dickson. Had I not been on the roof of the house next door I would never have seen it and some said it would be better if I had not. The car had little potential as a rod but I could not resist trying a very low buck approach at building a channelled roadster. I owned a 272 y block, 3speed and a 64 Studebaker rear end.
The frame was made from 3*2*10G tube using a 48 ford axle(suicide style) with a peugot 403 transverse spring. The rear was a 4 link with coil overs running on the lower arms.
Finished in red primer with no interior the car cost $400 complete with rego in Dec 69.(5 weeks wages for me at that time). It took 16 weeks to build and was improved over the following year after which it was sold.

During this time a Meteors member, John Ettama decided to buy the 34 chassis and I agreed to
fit a 23 bucket and front fenders while John built a flat bed body. This vehicle was first registered in about 71 and passed through the hands of many owners down through the years.

I sold the Austin in 72 after getting interested in classic chevs. I found a 55 Belair 3 cars up a 4 car stack at Waterloo Wreckers, in 73, and set about returning it to respectable condition. The blue flame lasted a year and since I had a 396, muncie and 4.11 rear sitting in a wrecked 67 chevelle ( bad story) it was natural,I thought, to fit it all in the 55. The car had purple paint ( the 70s, you know), cragar ss wheels and hauled ass. Sold 75 to finance refurb on Austin.

In 75 I was looking for a cheap rod (dammed money again)and heard that the Austin was still about. It was found in Turner in somewhat neglected condition after spending time as a bush buggy.
I purchased it and did a major refurb, including 283 chev with 3 spd manual trans, chrome firewall and complete interior/top for the 75 nats at Narrandara.
The car was redeveloped over the next couple of years. Bodywork altered, paint and a new tube wishbone front using coilovers. I sold the car in 78.

During a rod run in 77 we all stopped in the main street of Goulbourn for a coffee. When we returned to the cars a local was checking them out. He mentioned that he had a 38 ford part built and we wrote down his address. On the way back home next day I called by and decided to buy the car.
It had no motor but still had the original front and rear end. The front fenders had been customised using, probably, customline head light buckets and trim.
I did a 6 month frame off rebuild using HG holden front, 57 chev rear, 292 chev and powerglide.
The car had column shift to the auto and turned out to be a good long distance cruiser.
The car was sold at the same as the Austin during a bout of severe domestic problems, read divorce.
In 79, as a way back into rodding, Cheryl and I bought the one and only 1912 C-Cab replica that had been around the runs during 74_78. The car was neglected and had no engine or trans. I had new fenders and valences made by Dave Robinson and fiddled with the car many times but could never quite decide what style to build it. It still sits stripped down awaiting a new lease on life. I still think it will happen, many do not.

In 81 I found a 48 chev truck, 3/4 ton, in fair running condition. This was bought as I had aspirations to build a low step side pick up. After a false start using a 63 chev frame I got the truck on the road in time for the chev nationals 85. It was very in the weeds and ran a 4 bolt 350, glide and twelve bolt rear. It was radical for that time and took out every major trophy leaving many better prepared cars out in the cold. The truck also got best engineered at Valla 85 and was a great cruiser that ate up the miles easy.
We ran the 48 for 7 years and enjoyed many runs and good times.
During 87 a friend, Ray Mansell, put his 28 coupe up for sale. We could not resist the prospect of owning a fairly neat A coupe and it was ours till a move to the states in 90 required funding. In any case our daugter Michelle was born in 89 and the pick up, being larger, got more use on car runs than the A model.

Just to complicate and diversify my car building exploits, I decided to build myself a Jeep based 4WD. I had a WW2 Jeep and so that set the theme for a replica. It was planned to be a fairly brief diversion from rodding that blew out to 20 months work. The result was excellent and I still (2000) drive it 3 or 4 times a week. It even does trips to the local mountains most winters and aquits itself well in 4WD in deep snow or rough off road.

In 91 we bought Greg Redman's 56 210, a car I had had much to do with over our long friendship with Greg. The car sat stored till 95 when it got back on the road, for the ASRF Nationals at the Gold Coast, with a triple carb 235 blue flame, saginaw 4 speed and 3.55 classic rear. Disc brakes were soon added and the car saw many runs in that guise. In 98 the 56 got a nice fresh resto style interior. It is currently testing a warm 305 V8 with T700R4 trans.
In early 99 fellow Meteors member, Peter Claydon, put his 31 Vicky in the ring. We could'nt see a better way to get back to owning a Model A.

The Vicky needs quite a bit of work and the next few years will see many changes, hopefully culminating in a frame off rebuild.