Words: NZV8 Photos: Isaac Western
Growing up in New Zealand, there’s a strong chance you spent most of your childhood in the back of a Holden. Come summertime, nothing beat cruising along the coast in one after a long day at the beach, even if you drew the short straw and were relegated to the middle seat between your siblings. It’s that exact experience that Michael and Colleen Walters’ 1964 EH Station Wagon Special epitomises — an LS-swapped two-tone wave of nostalgia that captures the feeling of a classic Kiwi summer perfectly.
In setting out to find the perfect starting point for this build, Michael had just one main criterion in mind: it had to have good bones. After sifting through less desirable options, he landed on a bare shell, with most of the bits thrown into boxes by the previous owner, who had given up on their own project. For most people, buying a dismantled 60-year-old car in pieces is a red flag. For Michael, it was a blank canvas that he could rebuild to last at least another 60 years. The concept that guided every decision was simple: old-school character on the outside, modern driver underneath. Think HSV refinement in a 1964 body — the kind of car Holden would make if it were still around today.
With the vision in mind, Michael’s first call was to Dale Stevens at Automotive Design & Development Ltd, whom he asked whether he could shoehorn an LS into the engine bay. Dale’s response wasn’t confidence-inspiring, but it wasn’t dismissive either. Michael tracked down a 6.0-litre LS2 from a 2008 HSV R8 Clubsport, which was rebuilt by Franklin Engineering with stock internals, ARP fasteners, Comp Cams valve springs, a Comp Cams Stage 1 cam, and a four-inch cold-air intake. The fuel system was custom-built by Dale’s team, consisting of a 68-litre aluminium tank, a Walbro in-tank pump, a rear-mounted Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator, and custom aluminium half-inch hard line in a dead-head configuration. The result, tuned by Wayne Anderson at Pro Tune — who Michael describes simply as ‘the LS guy’ — is 298kW at the rear wheels.
The next task was to make the motor fit, which required a 100mm recess in the firewall to position it as far back as possible. A custom front end was then developed to ensure the engine sat low enough to preserve the original lines of the bonnet, which brought with it the headache of making the exhaust fit. The extractors — one of the genuine mechanical highlights of the build — were fitted one pipe at a time in a precise sequence to thread through millimetres of clearance and integrate into the rest of the exhaust, which follows the same route as the original system, just with a bigger pipe. Michael didn’t want any giveaways as to what’s under the bonnet. All of the wiring was completed by Ryan Darrah at OCD Performance, who connected the car’s, count ‘em, four different computers and installed the power distribution module system, tucking everything out of sight in the process to achieve a clean, uncluttered engine bay.
Behind the engine sits a GM 6L80E six-speed automatic gearbox, which required a custom transmission tunnel to be fabricated in order to make it fit, featuring OEM internals and a Lokar tap-to-shift sports shifter housed in a custom centre console. The driveshaft was built to specification by Beattys Driveline, connecting drive to a BorgWarner M80 differential narrowed to suit the EH’s body — running a rebuilt LSD carrier from an HSV R8, with custom billet axles.
In preparation for the new driveline, the chassis was seam-welded, reinforced, and fitted with custom connectors, eliminating any slop the stock frame possessed. From there, attention turned to the suspension setup: a double wishbone front end running QA1 adjustable coilovers, while the rear retains its original leaf-spring setup on a solid axle, with new 50mm-lowered heavy-duty leaves and adjustable Koni shocks. The braking system is all Wilwood — top-hat style rotors up front with four-piston callipers, matching Wilwood rotors and four-piston callipers at the rear, controlled by a Wilwood non-assisted master cylinder, and followed up by an electronically actuated Wilwood handbrake. As for the wheels, Michael kept up the classic look with a set of Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dogs in 17×7- and 17×8.5-inch, wrapped in 215/45R17 and 245/45R17 Bridgestone rubber, front and rear, respectively.
In keeping with the restomod theme of the car, Johnny Antonievich at Antonievich Restoration painted the EH in what looks like factory Amberley Blue at first glance, but is actually a modern take on the old Holden colour. This involved laying down two blue pearls over the main body colour and a pearl coat over the Fowlers Ivory white roof, both PPG products, making the car glow in the sun and come alive under light at night. However, the best part isn’t revealed until you open the bonnet, where talented airbrush artist Anthony Brodie meticulously reimagined Michael and Colleen’s dream Kiwi summer — an EH on the beach with their kids, Matthew and Brooklynn leaning on the car, alongside their late border collie, Storm, whilst kids are playing in the sand. It’s touches like these that really characterise this build, and show how even the humble family car is indeed a member of the family.
The interior is another space that Michael and Colleen wanted to get right, retaining as much of the original look as possible while bringing everything up to today’s standard. The factory white steering wheel remains in place, sitting in front of the factory gauges, which were rebuilt and recalibrated rather than replaced with digital units. A separate computer drives a mini motor to the original analogue speedo cable, with GPS backing up the accuracy. One of the coolest features you won’t find on any other EH is when you flick the stock radio on, a Kenwood DMX9021S multimedia screen rises out of the dashboard, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and a reversing camera. Sounds are pumped into the cabin via Alpine six-inch front component speakers with tweeters and a crossover system, Alpine 6×9-inch rear speakers, and a Focal power amplifier.
The original bench seat was resprung by Vicki at Taupiri Customs to give bucket-seat support at the sides while retaining the classic look and softer centre, which is highlighted by LED lights underneath, providing a gentle glow at night. The centre console, crafted by a coachbuilder known only as Gavin — one of Dale’s contacts — houses the six-speed shifter, two phone holders, and cup holders without breaking the period feel. The rear ashtray stayed; that was one of the non-negotiables.
As for what’s to come, the original plan was to hitch a retro caravan to the back and hit the road, but due to the quality of the finished build, that idea has been put on hold for the time being while it heads to a few shows before hitting the road for a great NZ road trip. Whilst it’s a small change to the plan, Michael and Colleen are enjoying talking to people about their stories and memories as they head around the country. We first came across the car at Repco Beach Hop 26, where it won People’s Choice at the Waihi Warm-Up Party, no doubt because of that neat artwork under the bonnet acting as a window into the past for the grown-ups and one into the future for the young’uns. “Seeing people connect with it the way they have makes the whole journey worth it,” says Michael.
OWNER Q&A
DRIVER: Michael and Colleen Walters
OCCUPATION: Landmark Homes Auckland
DREAM CAR: Not a dream car, but the General Lee started the passion.
WHY THIS CAR? The EH Holden wagon represents the classic Kiwi summer to me — the whole family piled in, heading to the beach. Life felt simple and good. That feeling stuck with me, and it’s exactly what I wanted to capture.
BUILD TIME: Four years
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Six years
THIS CAR’S HISTORY: Acquired as a stripped bare shell with parts in boxes, previous owner had been developing their own EH wagon project, supplied with two engines
MICHAEL THANKS: Dale Stevens at Automotive Design & Development Ltd, Ryan Darrah at OCD Performance, Johnny Antonievich at Antonievich Restoration, Nick Black at PPG Paints, Counties Auto Glass, Ian Walters at Franklin Engineering, Wayne Anderson at Pro Tune, Mark Stokes at M.S. Vehicle Certification, Vicki at Taupiri Customs, Gavin (coachbuilder), Anthony Brodie (airbrush artist), Beattys Driveline, his wife Colleen, son Matthew, and daughter Brooklynn
SPEC LIST
VEHICLE: 1964 Holden EH Station Wagon Special
ENGINE: LS2 6.0-litre V8, stock block, ARP fasteners, stock cylinder heads, Comp Cams valve springs, Comp Cams Stage 1 cam, custom four-inch cold-air intake with external filter mounting, custom 68-litre aluminium tank, Walbro in-tank pump, rear-mounted Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator, custom aluminium half-inch dead-head hard line, Bosch fuel filter, stock coils with ceramic-booted 8mm leads, custom 1.75-inch primary full-length stainless headers with merge collectors, twin 2.5-inch stainless into single three-inch tailpipe, custom AdrenalinR mufflers, modified Desert Cooler radiator with twin thermo fans, custom transmission and power steering cooling systems, Vintage Air air conditioning, stock GM engine management
DRIVELINE: GM 6L80E six-speed automatic, Lokar tap-to-shift sports shifter, custom driveshaft, custom narrowed BorgWarner M80 differential, rebuilt LSD carrier from HSV R8, custom billet axles
SUSPENSION: Double wishbone with QA1 adjustable coilover shocks and springs up front, solid axle on leaf springs, 50mm-lowered heavy-duty leaves, adjustable Koni shocks at the back
BRAKES: Wilwood non-assisted master cylinder, reinforced original pedal box, Wilwood top-hat style rotors with four-piston callipers up front, Wilwood rotors with four-piston callipers at the rear, Wilwood electronically actuated handbrake
WHEELS/TYRES: (F) 17×7-inch Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dogs with 215/45R17 Bridgestone tyres; (R) 17×8.5-inch Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dogs with 245/45R17 Bridgestone tyres
EXTERIOR: PPG Amberley Blue with two blue pearl coats and PPG Fowlers Ivory white with two pearl coats, chassis seam-welded and reinforced with custom connectors
INTERIOR: Resprung original bench seat, LED underlit halo lighting, PDM fade control, original EH steering wheel, Lokar tap-to-shift shifter, original gauges rebuilt and recalibrated, analogue speedo driven via separate computer and mini motor with GPS verification backup, hidden Kenwood DMX9021S 6.8-inch multimedia unit actuated via original radio switch, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Focal power amplifier, Alpine six-inch front component speakers with tweeters and crossover, Alpine 6×9-inch rear speakers, Kenwood reversing camera, custom centre console, four-computer electrical system with Power Distribution Module, underbonnet airbrush artwork
PERFORMANCE: 298kW
