Valigrunt Performance

Putting the Muscle back into Classic Cars

Classic Car Tales

Each Classic has a story to tell, not just how it was made, but some of the adventures that have been had. These pages are dedicated to those stories as told by a member of the Classic Car/Ride Family.
Taken at Cora Lynn 2015

"I found it 5 years ago at Toowoomba Swap.  Saw a wheel, tub, guard and bonnet and thought that's the start of a car."

"I just want a car I can take the cover off, turn the key and drive."

Taken at Wandin Cruise Night

 

“Like father like son. Back in the day, Shane's Dad Daryl built an EK for me, with very similar specs to the FB. 40 years later Shane's inherited knowledge plus truck loads of his own give me great confidence that this project is in expert hands. FeeBee's a relatively new member of our family and it's great to see her progressing”

Taken at Classic Rod Club monthly Wednesday Cruise

“I’ve had it for 30 years, that’s when I met this old fella (referring to Daryl Withers, Shane’s Dad).  I got it for $200.00 in Lara, “Found it in a paddock, chickens were living in it.”

I always thought there was a funny smell in the car, when my brother and I pulled the front seat out there was a dead rat weaved into the springs under the seat, “every time we sat down it would release a little bit of smell”.

Taken at Classic Rod Club monthly Wednesday Cruise

I was importing some cars from the states and a friend of mine said “You’ve got to get this one”.  It was the beginning of the Global Financial Crisis and the price was right.  It was owned by a mustang restorer in the States who built this as his racecar. 

“It’s my first Mopar.”

Taken at All American Day 0215

 

“It arrived just before Christmas and I registered it Christmas Eve.”  About 5 years ago this woman’s husband died and the family finished restoring it to sell.  They couldn’t sell it so the wife decided this was the one of her husbands cars that she was going to keep.  I kept thinking about this truck and kept in contact with her, about four years later she decided that it was a waste to have it just sitting in the garage and agreed to sell it to me.

Taken at All American Day 0215

 

I bought it off a mate, he built it.  I harrassed him for years till he agreed to sell it to me, I wanted it since I first saw it.  “I want to put my own touches on it” make it my own.

Picture taken at All American Day Gembrook 2015

All of the trims were hand made by the original owner. 

“I remember seeing it when I was a kid driving through Springvale.  I was about 10 years old at the time.”  

 

When the owner died it got passed in at auction, I didn’t have the money at the time and it ended up going to Canada.  Later on I ended up buying it and bringing it back here.

Taken at Classic Rod Club monthly Wednesday Cruise

What is one of the best memories you have of the car?  “Wasn’t when I got it that’s for sure”

Pontiac Nationals are always good memories, especially Narrandera.  We went to Wintersun via Nimbin, that was fun.  “They treated us like royalty”

Wife reminded us of the Shepparton Anniversary run where he saw some “Blondies” on the footpath and started hooning around.  He blew the power steering and Shane had to help him fix it.  “No it wasn’t, it was because we had six “heavyweights” in the car. Don’t put that up.”

Taken at Classic Rod Club monthly Wednesday Cruise

“Me Dad had one when I was growing up”  He used to put the kids in the front “there was five of us” and we would go and get a load of wood. 

This one was imported by the Major of Young and can still get me to Korrumburra and back on a tank of fuel.

Taken at Classic Rod Club monthly Wednesday Cruise

 

When I first got it we went for a drive with all the kids in the back.  They were saying “This is so slow Dad.” We were doing 90 m/h.

Taken at San Remo 2015

I found it sitting in a shed “couldn’t just leave it sitting there”

The MG had a rollcage, dash and no motor when I got it, I had an old Toyota lying around so I put that in there to keep it in period.

The car is “Just randomness, bits of me in it everywhere.”

Taken at Manhattan Hotel

We were building our Firebird and it was off the road and we didn’t have anything to cruise in, so we decided to get a GTO, because we really liked the shape.  I searched on Ebay and I remember I found it.  It was early in the morning and I woke ‘my wife’ up all excited and said “Babe I found it.”

What is your favourite memory?

“Halls Gap (Pontiac Anniversary Run). It was scraping and slamming but the speed was incredible.”

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