All

After a number of years looking around, I picked up this (below) HK Monaro around 5 years ago. While it looks the part and runs well, it is in need of a good tidy up. Since I bought it, it has done just on 1000 miles (wow) and I have done nothing apart from oil changes and a recent carb rebuild (2 bbl holley) which was suffering from a lack of use. And I've washed it a few times. But that's about it. Sometimes I just think of it as a work of art.

The car is quite an early Sydney build (less then 100) but is by no means original. It does have some original early components (including a 50 year old windscreen - never removed) but lots of non original gear. The whole drive train (307 PG) is from a Brougham, but this car was first sold before the first Brougham was produced (EDIT - not correct - see below) so could not pass as a matching numbers car - not that I would want to do that anyway. It was tarted up as a GTS about 30 years ago when it was apparently saved from a speedway career.

I believe it originally sported a 161. Tags say it was Ermine White over Goya Red - my favourite combination!!

So the question is how to approach a rebuild.

It is an early build so some might put value in that. But given its lack of originality, is there any point in going to all the effort of chasing the right Ajax fasteners for the battery tray.

My preference is for a nice tidy unit with the current power plant and back to White over Red. Maybe some small mods for the engine for a bit of extra punch. It was never a GTS but the guards are there already and I cannot imagine being able to find *non-GTS guard blanks for HK* on eBay. I could replace them with Rare Spares versions if I wanted the more original look.

So here are a few options

A. Tidy up as original early 80337, with non-original but standard running gear. Make it look as original as possible - engine decals, etc. As if it was delivered with this 307 engine - even though it could never have been.
B. Don't fret about originality but still build as an early 80337. Leave the guards with the flutes and maybe include a couple of the GTS badges and the boot trim, just for show. Keep the running gear but modify as desired.
C. Mock up as an 80737. Get hold of a 327 and include all the GTS fruit.
D. Forget original - go HOT ROD. LS3, 9", tubbed, Custom interior. 36" wheels sporting bands of liquorice for tyres ...

I'm keen on all options - so long as it stays a Monaro. I came home from the hospital in a HK Premier and drove the same car for four years when I got my licence. Anything HK is all good. Anything Monaro is even better.

What would you do?

HKM

Edited by user Sunday, 4 June 2017 7:14:18 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Enjoyment from the car that you want to drive. Someone made the car that way because they liked that look, do the same. Less than 10% of Monaros are restored to original condition, and of the 90% that are not most would take far toooo much money to do it.

It almost seems these days that we just think about how much the car is going to be worth when we sell them, but have no intention of selling them.

I am enjoying my CV8Z by driving it to work and on weekends, others are enjoying theirs by not driving them, but know they will be more valuable than mine in the future. I do not intend to be here for ever so driving is my "return on investment"

Warren

Edited by user Saturday, 3 June 2017 5:25:05 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

It won't have been ordered with the 161. GMH made all the early cars as stock order. That is why there was a massive surplus of 80337's made prior to release and many didn't actually sell as new cars into 1969. The public didn't want the 2 door Kingswood - they wanted the sporty GTS.

Thanks for the correction about the Broughams. It turns out, the engine number is something like 30740500 or there abouts, so it is definitely not even close to matching.



Agreed. I am not really worried about the monetary value - I paid too much for it and will spend too much tidying it up. I just want to avoid the I can't believe you cut the tunnel on that car type of comment.

So since it is already a frankenstein, it sounds like the general opinion is do whatever gets it driven. Excellent. I reckon it will end up Ermine over Goya with some GTS badges and a delete stripe option.

Thanks all for the replies.

HKM

Edited by user Sunday, 4 June 2017 7:31:35 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

That is an engine from an early Dandenong HK. Will almost certainly be from a Belmont, Kingswood or Premier sedan or wagon. If you PM me your car's data i'll see if I have a Pagewood 307 that goes close to being timeframe correct for it, if you choose to go down that path. Your car, if it has its original doors may well have the 1967 frames on them. Look in the corner at the inner rear. Early doors had an inner frame that is shaped like a HR. Sometimes they are different side to side. You should also have early windscreen pillars (compare to a later HK or HT-HG coupe and you'll see the difference). It should also have 3 x holes punched in the inner panel behind the quarter but above the parcel shelf. These were for a quarter pillar badge, looked something like the pillar badge on HK ute. If you have a copy of the magazine with spy photos taken of a yellow HK coupe at Lang Lang you can see the pillar badge on it.

HK1837

You have provided me a bunch of detail previously (thank you very much) and it was this that made me think I should *take care* of this car. Thanks for the offer but no need to look up the numbers for a close Pagewood 307 - I think I'll just keep the 307 as is. I guess finding the right one would be a bit of a challenge anyway. The car does have one original early door (the other has been replaced), the crease in the A pillars and the quarter pillar badge holes so the body itself appears genuinely early. It is also missing the wrinkles in the FR inner guard so I suspect this may have been replaced.

HKM

It looks the goods as is, and it has the all important Warwick Yellow factor.
Whatever you do, it is never going to be an "original car", so there's no point being too precious about originality.

Forget about what's worth more money, since, with the possible exception of survivor cars, that's a fashion which changes like the seasons.
Build what you want, enjoy it and ignore the begrudgers.