WE will be following the progress of father and son restoration team Ian and Matthew Budden as they bring a classic car back to life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Matthew is restoring a 1972 Valiant Charger and hopes to have it on the road by Christmas.
He remembers watching his father Ian’s meticulous restoration of a 1973 Valiant Charger.
It was off the road for 13 years as the restoration took place.
“It was a family day out and people would look at you and wave."
- Matthew Budden says of their family outings in their 1973 Charger
“I grew up helping him – I was only young,” he recalls vaguely, but has much clearer memories of outings to car club shows in the fully restored vehicle.
“It was a family day out and people would look at you and wave. Other families would be there too and we would all park the cars somewhere maybe near the water together – it was a good family day out.
“I want to be able to do the same thing with my family.”
Matthew and his partner have a four-year-old; two-year-old and a newborn.
The main challenge for now is getting the body work right on the ornate back ‘wing’.
“It’s a really distinctive shape and it’s where the badge goes, so you’ve really got to get it right,” explained Matthew.
Stay tuned to see how they go – will it really be on the road by Christmas ?
Janine Watson
Group digital journalist for the NSW Mid North Coast covering Forster to Bellingen, Wauchope and beyond.
Group digital journalist for the NSW Mid North Coast covering Forster to Bellingen, Wauchope and beyond.
