By JEFF MCCLURG
Jacko Kendall from Parkes is certainly reliving his youth with this 1965 EH Holden panelvan.
He missed the opportunity to own one back in the 1970s and he's finally achieved his goal of owning a purple EH van.
"I was in my early 20s and working for Sid James Removals in Sydney when I saw a purple EH van for sale," Jacko said.
"I knew I didn't have the dough so I asked the boss for a loan and he flatly refused," he laughed.
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"Everyone had a panelvan in the 1970s so I eventually found a grey one that was cheap.
"It didn't last long but I always wished I'd had that purple one."
Many, many years went by and Jacko bought himself an EH van in 2006.
"There wasn't much there for what I paid," he laughed.
"Just a rolling shell, no doors or front guards and no engine: but it was a starting point."
He's been working on it on and off since then, sourcing parts and swapping out bits and pieces.
He and his 3 brothers worked on it at different times with different ideas and eventually they settled on a 186 six cylinder engine with a single carburettor mated to an Aussie 4 speed manual gearbox.
The brakes are still drums all round and it's rolling on 15x7" old school Dragways.
The colour is modern though - Morpheus from the VE Commodore range.
The interior is pretty simple - just the obligatory mattress in the back, custom door trims and a bench seat across the front.
"I wanted the style of the 70s," Jacko said.
"So I'm still on the hunt for a pair of low back EH Premier bucket seats to complete the look."
After it being painted 11 years ago, it's taken a long time to get the mechanicals completed and sorted, and to have the van on the road, but after a 52-year wait, Jacko's finally happy to be cruising in his purple EH.
Jacko is a member of the Central West Car Club which has members in Parkes and Forbes, and around the Central West.
The club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at Parkes Leagues Club at 7:30 pm and welcomes new members and guests.
For more about the club look them up on Facebook or go to their website www.centralwestcarclub.com.
