A spectacular modified duo of Chevys, one on top of the other, shows the extreme talents of Queensland’s Dion Domin.
Summernats is the Big Dance for Australian car modifying, tuning and street machines, and the self-proclaimed “world’s largest horsepower party.”
Every Aussie in the car business should see our country’s largest automotive festival at least once, where you’ll experience some of the most spectacular high-dollar car builds imaginable, often in scorching Canberra summer temperatures.
It takes a lot to stand out at this show.
But Maryborough’s Dion Domin expertly found a way with 8.5 metres of modified brilliance; his outlaw 1955 Chevrolet 210 Handyman wagon piggybacking on an equally madly modified tow truck – a giant 1977 Chevrolet Scottsdale dually (dual rear wheels) with modified 1949 Chevy pickup cab.
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The scale of work here is off the charts. Both truck and car have been treated to full rebuilds, custom body work, high-horsepower engine modifications, air suspension and bespoke and brightly finished interiors.
Chasing Chevies
“We ended up getting in the Summernats Elite Pavilion this year, and it had a bit of a crowd, which was really nice,” Dion said about his standout duo of vehicles. More than that, the two Chevys snared Top Exhibition award at Summernats 37; and such is the calibre of car build at this show, coming away with any sort of silverware is special indeed.
We caught up with Dion at Cooly Rocks On, another giant car festival on the NSW-Queensland border, and his setup once again proved quite the crowd pleaser. Let’s just say there was no way of getting people out of frame during our photoshoot – the truck and car were constant attention-grabbers for festival-goers.
Starting with the tow truck, its face is hugely different to the late 70s Chevy hauler it’s based upon.
“It’s a C30 chassis that I bought from Portland Oregon, and they come out with more or less a square body,” said Dion. It’s far more curvaceous now, with beautiful lines for the rear wheel guards, tray ends and then, of course, to the immediate post-war front end.
The ’49 pickup’s chrome front end is a standout, but then so’s the colour scheme here. “I’m particular about colour and wheels; everything’s got to be right or it just won’t flow,” said Dion. His choice of hues may not be for everyone – for both truck and car – but Dion makes an important point about not being a sheep and sticking to your beliefs.
“I don’t take anyone else’s opinion; when it comes to cars it’s your own thing and you should stick to your decisions,” he said.
The pickup’s cab, doors, and bonnet colours match the tray’s, but bright yellow’s been used for the front and rear wheel guards. The interior? Well, that’s Fire Engine red. “That’s from a Dulux Duramax rattle can,” said Dion, “and I’ve used the same but in orange for the wagon. So of you scratch it, you’ve got a good chance of being able to quickly patch it up.”
Bells and whistles
It’s obvious Dion’s something of a perfectionist, and while exterior and interior paint looked exceptional to my eyes, he was still picking holes in it for not being 100 per cent. Little wonder it took around four years to complete the Chevy wagon’s build, and another three to do the pickup.
A huge amount of work went into the front guards to have the giant wheels fit; the bonnet’s been completely hand modified, and the whole vehicle’s chassis was extended by around a metre.
“It’s got about a two-and-a-half metre overhang on the back, so all up it’s about 8.5 metres long including the bumpers,” explained Dion.
With the Chevy wagon on the back, the combined weight is about 5.8 tonnes.
To ensure the pickup could cope on modern roads, a 2006 Chevy Silverado 6.6-litre Duramax diesel engine’s been employed, mated to a six-speed Allison 1000 transmission and 14-bolt differential.
There’s a healthy 330 horsepower and chunky 660lb ft of torque to help with hauling.
Inside are SASS seats modified to fit and a half roll cage, while the tilt tray features beautiful wood-panelled built-in storage boxes.
There’s a winch to safely haul up the car, while the tilt tray neatly seesaws until the precious cargo is sitting flat.
Said cargo is the 1955 Handyman, finished in Sky Blue paint from a humble Toyota Camry, while the roof is Toyota Prius white. Setting it off are the acres of chrome for the grille, bumpers and trim, and you won’t miss the hefty 22-inch deep-dish wheels on the back, joining 20-inch ones up front.
Brembo big brakes with six- and four-piston calipers from a Porsche Cayenne sit behind, while it uses Ridetech bolt-on four-link suspension, replacing the ancient old cart springs.
Not only does it ride and handle properly now, but the lowered stance is deeply impressive.
“The car came from Arizona, and I bought it from an importer on the Gold Coast,” said Dion. “I bought it for my wife, and it’s set up like a drag car, but it’s a street car really so it’ll go around corners.”
Comes in handy, man
Why the Chevy 210 Handyman? “We used to watch Home Improvement on television, and Tim had a Chevy Nomad,” said Dion. “I couldn’t afford a Nomad wagon as they’re way to expensive; the Handyman’s the more down-to-earth wagon.”
The work to turn it into an Australian outlaw-style high-performance standout has been phenomenal. The beautiful curved body is one thing, but move inside and the drag car inspiration’s clear with the roll cage, metal door trim, B&M shifter, Racepak digital driver display and gauges in the driver’s door.
Dion’s completed a full right-hand-drive conversion, and the firewall incorporates a 1950’s fridge door “because fridges of this era have a really nice contour to them,” he said.
The bright orange cabin’s roof has been signed by numerous well-respected modifiers and racers, while seats are modified 1992 Nissan Skyline chairs up front, and folding Mitsubishi Pajero ones in the rear to maintain the wagon look and practicality.
Where does he come up with such ideas? “It’s trial and error coming from my plans,” Dion said. “We used to be able to walk around the wrecker’s yard with a measuring tape, and just work out what might work and fit.” Hence why this Chevy now has a VR Commodore’s steering rack… it was one of the parts that worked.
The engine is a 388 cu in small block Chevy with Dart block and Holley Sniper Super Stealth injection. “That’s good for about 800 to 1250 horsepower,” said Dion, “the block’s good for about 1200 horsepower and the Garrett T38 turbos are good for about 1000 horsepower.”
Massive numbers, but Dion’s not yet put his Handyman on the dyno to see what she’ll do, but he’s hoping for 650 horsepower at the rear wheels.
The hardware’s mighty. A forged bottom end, SCAT crank, Pride pistons, CNC-machined Aeroflow alloy heads, Edelbrock manifold, mandrel-bent three-inch exhaust with a crossover, Turbo 400 transmission and Ford nine-inch diff with 4.11 gears.
And to work with the airbag suspension and giant wheels, he had to raise the engine, transmission and diff up 100mm to keep things legal.
Yep, big dollar build here, but Dion’s been able to do the vast majority of the work himself. In fact, the ’55 Chevy never left his shed during its restoration and modification.
“I do all the stuff myself, because number one, I really can’t afford to spend $100 an hour for somebody else to do it,” Dion explained.
Impressive for a self-taught mechanic whose varied working life has seen him be a baker, work in underground mines and for trucking companies. Seems he’s the kind of person who can turn his hand to most things.
No burnouts here
While this Chevy Handyman’s performance is exceptional, Dion’s not about to hit the burnout pad at the likes of Summernats.
“I don’t like breaking stuff or thrashing cars,” he said.
“I like good acceleration, so I may take it to the track to see what it does over the quarter mile.”
After all the years of hard work, little wonder he’s not keen on damaging this incredible Chevy that’s hauled by an equally incredible tow vehicle.
“You’ve got to be addicted to this sort of work,” he said. “It absolutely fuels me, and I’m in the shed working most days.” As you can see from the results, it’s all been worthwhile.