HAPPY HUMP DAY

WITH A STOUT SIX-POT, TOUGH STANCE AND IMPOSSIBLY CLEAN METALWORK, JASON AND SAM EVANS'S MOSTLY HOME-BUILT FJ TAKES WEEKEND CRUISER BUILDS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

- IAIN KELLY

ONCE the staple of the Aussie street machine scene, the iconic FJ Holden has faded a bit in recent years. That's a shame, as while we love seeing tough, clean 70s and 80s builds, the nostalgic hit you get when you see a humpy riding low and clean on fat wheels is hard to beat.

And when you see an FJ as clean and well-built as Jason and Sam Evans's example, it shows what a great piece of design Holden's second-ever model was. With carefully smoothed-out lines above and below the car, a sumptuous interior, and a grumpy, triple Weber-fed 202ci Holden six under the curvaceous bonnet, the Evanses’ sedan drips with details.

“We got the car from my wife Sam's grandfather after he passed away,” says Jason. “It was a car he drove around Geelong, but it had been parked in a shed for a while, so while it was still registered and driveable, it wasn't really safe to take out with the family. Thankfully, it wasn't a basket case, and what needed repairing was all the usual stuff like the sills. But at least this one was kept in the shed, so it wasn't too rough.”

Getting the seven-decade-old Special safe for modern roads was key, as the curvy sedan was to serve as family transport on sunny weekends. While he doesn't have a long history with early Holdens, Jason, his brother and their dad have all played with plenty of cars over the years, and this made them the dream team to breathe new life back into the vintage Holden.

“I'm a car guy in general, and I like all cars, but I was more into smaller cars like Mazdas and Escorts,” Jason explains. “This car was built in the shed at home by my father, brother and me, and we tried to do as much as possible.”

Jason had a couple of Street Machine