Rodney Plowman Restorations

02/01/2026

09/10/2025

An unusual order from factory, this beast has factory stripe delete (gold stripes had been applied after delivery), bonnet pin delete & radio delete!

With an original 95,000 on the clock it was time for a complete, ground-up restoration with the only modification from original is the Sniper EFi system.

The vehicle was purchased at auction and shipped directly to us (the owner hadn’t even laid eyes on her!) and has spent the last two years being completely stripped and rebuilt/restored back to her original beauty.

She’s now enjoying laps of Sydney Harbor, lapping up all the attentions she’s getting!

13/08/2025

Cobra 275! Once again another 'shell, ready to paint' that was full of rust, massive body damage (poorly attempted repairs added to it) and the list went on....it was pulled from another resto shop and shipped to us to start again.

After extensive re-work/metalwork the body was ready to paint....the correct way....blue first, then white. Yes that's right, Ford painted these full blue, then white.....not white then add blue stripes.

Whilst not mechanically a concours resto, she's moreso a resto-mod with the customer supplying a stroker motor and Tremec 5-speed, Strange diff centre and more. We fitted our in-house chassis connectors, modified fuel tank, custom twin 3-inch exhaust and finished with a Sniper EFi system.

It's now back home in WA, ready for some serious cruising!

12/03/2025

Another recently finished, complete top to bottom restoration has left the building!

Unlike our usual factory spec builds, this Track Red GT has a few upgrades including styling/suspension/brakes to HO spec, engine now 400 cubes and roller cam.

Taking care of cold start and drivability is the Sniper EFI kit, custom tuned in-house via laptop rather than the hand-held and the usual self-learning.

Destined to be driven, not hidden, she’s now happily racking up the miles around town!

16/01/2025

We had to make sure the tie-downs were taught for this one! 😂

We recently had this classic Mercedes 1958 220S booked in for a full engine rebuild (customer diagnoses) as the engine wouldn't turn over.

We did our own diags and found #5 cylinder was hydro-locked with fuel and the engine oil was 50% higher due to excess fuel. We flushed the oil system, rebuilt the carbys and now she purrs....very, very quietly!

Whilst here, we also did an electronic ignition system upgrade and gave her a dyno tune. 👌

13/11/2024

Todays episode of "rate my resto" Torana...

29/10/2024

Okay so as promised here's just a very small sample of some of the issues we came across when assessing the complaint list the owner had for this poor girl. The more we looked, the worse it got....stay tuned for more!

22/10/2024

Do you like a good story? Man have we got one coming for you! But for part one, here's the finished product of an RPR "Make it Legal" or "Make it Roadworthy" or "Make it Safe" AFTER a "Full Restoration"....

Yeah sounds weird we know, but this poor Torana came to us after another SA shop had completed a two year restoration. Dropped off via Tow Truck she has some, uhem, err, issues.....

After only having the chance to drive the car once since delivery, which resulted in it overheating (electric fans weren't plugged in), it then refused to start and showed a lot of electrical issues. Giving the car a look-over, the owner wasn't happy with what he was seeing so brough the car to us, which is where the fun began...

The owner supplied us a two-page list of complaints to be rectified, but once we spent a few minutes on her this was only the tip of the iceberg. In over 20 years of seeing what can be passed off as 'restored' by other shops, this one even caught us off-guard. The sheer level of unsafe, poorly installed mechanical and electrical components was off the charts.

There was so much it was hard to believe, and rather than posting 100's of photos at once we'll share some of what we found in dribs and drabs over the coming weeks.

Sadly, the entire car had to be completely stripped to a shell and started again, with the majority of parts having to be replaced due to negligence....ie incorrect parts mis-match, damaged parts (poor installation) etc. We used/salvaged as many parts as possible and kept the original styling that the customer was after to try and keep costs down. This included leaving the body/paintwork as is, because doing so would blow the budget.

The good news is, 12 months later and she's finally finished and running and the customer is stoked with the final product, which is now chalk and cheese to how it rolled in!

Keep an eye out for some of the 'what we found' photos next week!

19/07/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/XRpwwpzCze7rzvbu/

13/06/2024

ATT: MECHANICS! We're looking for a couple of highly motivated, mechanics with high levels of attention to detail to come and join our team!

If you're interested or know someone who might be, give us a call on (08) 8326 0351 or drop past the shop and say g'day!

23/04/2024

It's about time we shared some of the new products we've been working on this year!

Incoming and available now are some of our new lines including:

XR-XA Boot Light Mercury Switch
XR-XA Boot Light Mercury Switch Repair Wire
XC Falcon Vent Gaskets (No A/C)
MK1 Perana/Capri Headlight & Tail Light Gasket Sets
LH-LX Torana Fire Extinguisher Mount
XR-XB Battery Lead Set (Clapper)
XR-XH Auto Trans Shift Selector Floor Seal
MK1 Cortina Fuel Tank Boot Seal
XR-XY Roof Frame Bow Gasket
XR-XY Heater Core Foam (Full Foam Rebuild Kit Coming Soon)
MK1 Capri/Perana Heater Hose Gasket....

With plenty more in the process!

20/12/2023

New Product Drop! We're now manufacturing replacement Boot Light Mercury Switch Harnesses for XR-XT-XW-XY-XA Ford Falcon/Fairlane. Coming early 2024!