News » NZ Rodder: Shed Raid

This article was published in March 2014 edition of NZ Rodder magazine
Story and pics by Alistair Davidson

Shed Raid Pic 1
It’s a good job that Blenheim’s Big Shed Customs is actually located in a big shed because demand for the company’s services is such that floor space in the well equipped shop is in short supply.

Mark Stead is a panelbeater by trade. His apprenticeship was primarily spent doing smash repairs, and that continued right through until the mid ‘90s when, as Mark puts it, “I’d basically had a gutsfull”. He’d been doing the occasional bits and pieces for people with old cars, working in their sheds. Realising there was a demand for quality restoration and custom work he took the plunge and rented a tiny workshop in Blenheim. “It grew from there,” explains Mark, “so six years ago we built a big shed-type workshop at home and Big Shed Customs was born.” Mark is joined by full-time qualified mechanic Steve Mitchell (who has also just about finished his time as a panelbeater) and Mark’s partner Tanya Borck who helps out as much as possible once she’s finished her day job as a primary school office lady. Big Shed Customs has morphed into a true one-stop shop, handling basic tidy-ups through to full concourse quality restorations and jaw-dropping custom work.

Mark and Tanya’s Cab Over was supposed to be a workshop hack, but Mark got carried away, as you do. More than 3000 hours were invested in the project, which has a totally hand fabricated body. The couple has put 13,000kms on the injected 302 Ford powered truck since it was finished 15 months ago.

Mark and Tanya’s Cab Over was supposed to be a workshop hack, but Mark got carried away, as you do. More than 3000 hours were invested in the project, which has a totally hand fabricated body. The couple has put 13,000kms on the injected 302 Ford powered truck since it was finished 15 months ago.

While Big Shed Customs has rolled out a lot of high calibre work, two recent builds have really caught hot rodders’ attention: Stu and Glynis Windle’s ’37 Ford cabriolet hot rod and Mark and Tanya’s totally custom built Cab Over that started life as a pallet of panel steel, both of which have won multiple awards.

Almost all work is handled in-house thanks to the team’s varied talents and a comprehensive range of equipment that includes an invertor spot welder, Pulmax power hammer, an alignment machine and electrostatic spray equipment in a purpose-built booth. Be it a chopper, a vintage car restoration or a custom, nothing’s too big an ask and it all gets the same level of craftsmanship and attention to detail.

If you’d like to know more check out www.bigshedcustoms.co.nz, phone (03)577 9573 or find them on facebook.

’53 Customline is getting the full resto. The chassis and running gear are completed, the bodywork’s done and the doors are in the spray booth. It’s got new rear quarters, sills, trunk floor and the front section of the floor was also replaced.

’53 Customline is getting the full resto. The chassis and running gear are completed, the bodywork’s done and the doors are in the spray booth. It’s got new rear quarters, sills, trunk floor and the front section of the floor was also replaced.


Mark chopped the Falcon ute’s roof 2”, and reskinned it (while lengthening it for better proportions) using part of a Falcon wagon roof. Five and a half sheets of panel steel have been used to fabricate new rear guards, door skins, sills and a complete floor from firewall to tailgate. The tailgate’s inner and outer skins were also handmade at Big Shed Customs. Mark has repowered it with a 5.4-litre late model Falcon Boss V8.

Mark chopped the Falcon ute’s roof 2”, and reskinned it (while lengthening it for better proportions) using part of a Falcon wagon roof. Five and a half sheets of panel steel have been used to fabricate new rear guards, door skins, sills and a complete floor from firewall to tailgate. The tailgate’s inner and outer skins were also handmade at Big Shed Customs. Mark has repowered it with a 5.4-litre late model Falcon Boss V8.


Big Shed Customs has carried out all the work on this ’48 Chev pickup. It has a HQ Holden front end, brakes and steering grafted into the stock chassis, and the running gear is all 5.0-litre Holden Commodore. It has a new floor, inner and outer skins on the back of the cab, new firewall, a 3” roof chop, new door skins and inner fenders. Headlights are Subaru Impreza. The running boards and fenders will be moulded into each other, but can still be unbolted separately.

Big Shed Customs has carried out all the work on this ’48 Chev pickup. It has a HQ Holden front end, brakes and steering grafted into the stock chassis, and the running gear is all 5.0-litre Holden Commodore. It has a new floor, inner and outer skins on the back of the cab, new firewall, a 3” roof chop, new door skins and inner fenders. Headlights are Subaru Impreza. The running boards and fenders will be moulded into each other, but can still be unbolted separately.


Big Shed Customs restored this 1922 Cadillac from the ground up. The door skins were replaced, and while they were apart new timber frames were made - which, along with chrome and upholstery - was the only part of the work that was farmed out. The Caddy is dead stock apart from a secondary 12-volt electrical system (6-volt was retained) which powers H4 inserts in the headlights, plus indicators and stereo.

Big Shed Customs restored this 1922 Cadillac from the ground up. The door skins were replaced, and while they were apart new timber frames were made – which, along with chrome and upholstery – was the only part of the work that was farmed out. The Caddy is dead stock apart from a secondary 12-volt electrical system (6-volt was retained) which powers H4 inserts in the headlights, plus indicators and stereo.


Mark has given his dad Graeme’s ’28 Plymouth a tidy-up and repaint. Graeme’s owned the coupe for more than 50 years.

Mark has given his dad Graeme’s ’28 Plymouth a tidy-up and repaint. Graeme’s owned the coupe for more than 50 years.


A tale of two choppers: the customer didn’t want his chopper (left) to look like a kitset bike, so he imported the Ultima 140cu.in. engine, six-speed trans and wheels, and had Big Shed Customs build the frame. The smaller project (right) is a pushbike for the upcoming Graperide bike race in Blenheim. Three guys bought choppers, are installing 50cc engines, and Mark is doing some fabrication work and has made the chopper style fuel tanks. Sure beats pedalling!

A tale of two choppers: the customer didn’t want his chopper (left) to look like a kitset bike, so he imported the Ultima 140cu.in. engine, six-speed trans and wheels, and had Big Shed Customs build the frame. The smaller project (right) is a pushbike for the upcoming Graperide bike race in Blenheim. Three guys bought choppers, are installing 50cc engines, and Mark is doing some fabrication work and has made the chopper style fuel tanks. Sure beats pedalling!


Top: Mark and Tanya’s latest personal project is this fully scratchbuilt ’37 roadster. Mark fabricated all the panels, which are based around a Saab power operated top. The engine came from Mark’s brother, who lives in Dallas, USA. The 6.8-litre V10 is out of a wrecked Ford F250 pick-up. Left: No tape measure needed here! Big Shed Customs sets its chassis up on a wheel alignment machine (not shown) so everything is in the right place and square before the welder is fired up. Right: This ’70 Boss 302 Mach 1 is in for panel, paint and a refinished engine bay. It’s not ready for paint in this photo; it’s just parked in the spray booth.

Top: Mark and Tanya’s latest personal project is this fully scratchbuilt ’37 roadster. Mark fabricated all the panels, which are based around a Saab power operated top. The engine came from Mark’s brother, who lives in Dallas, USA. The 6.8-litre V10 is out of a wrecked Ford F250 pick-up.
Left: No tape measure needed here! Big Shed Customs sets its chassis up on a wheel alignment machine (not shown) so everything is in the right place and square before the welder is fired up.
Right: This ’70 Boss 302 Mach 1 is in for panel, paint and a refinished engine bay. It’s not ready for paint in this photo; it’s just parked in the spray booth.


’64 International pick-up truck and ’42 Merc convertible are in for full restorations.

’64 International pick-up truck and ’42 Merc convertible are in for full restorations.

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