WILD HART

AFTER HALF A CENTURY ON THE TOOLS, LOCAL ROD AND CUSTOM PIONEER DAVE HART CAN TELL SOME WILD TALES

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TAKING up the tools more than 50 years ago, Dave Hart has pretty much done it all when it comes to customising cars. Mechanic, painter, ’beater and graphic artist, he has designed, built, beaten and painted countless cars, vans and bikes, and he’s still building them today.

Dave has a rare blend of vision and skill, which he has applied in a variety of arenas throughout his life. While he has done his fair share of your typical ’32-34 hot rods, he isn’t afraid to tackle unusual makes and models, and he can put seemingly mismatched stuff together with the best of them. He has also painted surfboards for world champions, created crazy T-shirts for his club mates, and fixed choppers for the Hells Angels!

He’s a founder member of the Northern Beaches Hot Rod Club, a veteran of the NSW Street Rod Committee, and a chronic collector of all things rod and custom.

We stopped by his Central Coast shop to have a long chat – about the only kind there is when someone has as many stories in the vault as Dave!

How did you get your start working on custom cars?