The console?
Just wondering why Pagewood would be different to other assembly plants? The vehicle build specs were dictated by the same mainframe that generated the parts requirement for all vehicles, and all parts were sourced from the same source for all all assembly plants.
Or are you thinking the consoles were painted at the assembly plants hence a possible local variation? I have always wondered if the known variation in these is actually early (initial) build versus later build. GTS and GTS327 volume production started about a week later than Monaro, meaning about 300 Monaros from both Pagewood and Dandenong and a lesser number from the other plants prior to regular production GTS/GTS327. I believe the delay in GTS/GTS327 was the console meaning all those early Monaro with V8 (and Brougham) would be column shift. My thought process was the build of GTS and GTS327 was delayed to a point until consoles were available, and maybe the first lot of them to be sent to the assembly plants were black only OR some of the assembly plants didn't have the time to wait to paint them so put them in black as they had hard trimmed and painted body shells ready to be assembled. The best evidence to support this I have is as follows:

1. The only thing mentioned on the pilot run HK GTS/GTS327's in GHM records as incomplete was a "mockup" console. Everything else on these that differed or was unique to a GTS, V8 GTS or a GTS327 appears to be correct.

2. My two Warwick Yellow cars. The chassis number on the GTS327 (2-H5) is about 30 less than the V8 GTS (20-H5), meaning the 327 left the Pagewood body plant before the GTS, but within hours. It was delayed for maybe half a day in assembly as the GTS went through the assembly plant first and thus got a PSN lower by about 150 than the GTS327. My guess is the GTS was completed as normal ie left the body plant and progressed to the assembly plant. But the GTS327 was done as a backshift car (probably that night or the next morning if it was Friday), ie was put aside and bought into the assembly plant later - it even sports the Pagewood backshift hand stamped data on the VIN plate prior to the PSN. My conclusion is this car had to wait for something before assembly commenced. My guess is that is the console IF there was a part delay. The other possibility is the stories about special shifts for assembly of certain Monaros, and this could also be a possibility (bodies got assembled as they found them). My guess on this is it would be fiddly ones like a GTS327 for special shifts, whereas my Yellow V8 GTS is a bog standard pre-August 1968 build ie V8, Powerglide, LSD banjo and 5" rims so was no more difficult to assemble than any other V8 HK to that point, other than of course the console shift (remember glass went in to the car in the body plant and that would be the hardest bit different to a sedan/wagon/ute).

Both of my Warwick Yellow GTS/GTS327 are Pagewood but both are 10X trim so they are no help. My mate’s blue GTS327 and Inca Gold GTS were also Pagewood assembly but they were 18Y and 10X - unfortunately when he got the GTS327 with 18Y trim in the 80's it had been fitted with a Toploader and the console was missing. My Silver Mink with Red trim GTS was a very late Pagewood build, like right near the end of HK and it had a red console if I remember correctly. I also know of another Pagewood V8 4spd GTS in blue with 18X trim. I first saw the car in the early 90's as a Survivor, and I still have the owner's number. So I will give him a ring and see if he still has it and what console colour it has. I have it's numbers here somewhere too, will let you know when it was assembled approximately.

The other thing to check is Pagewood console shift Brougham or Premier from that period, many of these won't have black trim so may give you a console colour hint. Looks for cars around chassis number HK23000-24000SS.

Edited by user Wednesday, 12 June 2019 8:34:58 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Those cars are restricted production cars, there was only 3 coupes initially. The sales promotion GTS (the first GTS) is the one with the "M11 special mockup unit". The photos the sales brochure of a black 4spd console shift will most likely be this car with the mockup console in the 1st GTS (1-A). The red 4spd console shift and the auto console shift photos will probably be studio bucks as that red Monaro is a column shift auto (look at the seat separator top in the photos) - it is the other sales promotion HK Monaro. I think the blue and yellow cars are the same car, it was blue initially and then changed to yellow soon after - I think it is 80737 1-A and the red car from memory is 80337 3-A. 80337 1-A was the Woodville tryout and I believe 80337 2-A body was assembled somewhere else (tags have recently turned up with an Acacia Ridge VIN plate). The 4th restricted production car is the Director's showing 80737 with L34, M21 and G88 ex-Engineering completed in the last days of April. All of these were assembled in April 1968, and there were no more until the pilots were built in Dandenong in the prove tooling run in late May and then the rest of the assembly plants in later June. There were still no GTS327's and no V8 manual GTS scheduled as Pilots - these were not scheduled to be built until volume production of GTS started in July.

None of the other restricted production or Pilots produced at the same time have M11 (console shift) listed in their options, so any V8 cars (Monaro, GTS or Brougham) are all column auto.

Edited by user Thursday, 13 June 2019 5:25:47 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Could be Warren, just wondering why Pagewood would be different as all parts came from the same source. Unless the consoles were painted at the assembly plants?

Not disputing there was a variation, just trying to justify why.

Pre-Monaro release is fine, as release was much later. Volume Production GTS's were being built in early July and the release was later in July so plenty of time for a console shift Premier to be built in that timeframe. There is no disputing the complete pre-Pilot and Pilot listing for Monaro and Brougham though - there is only a single console shift car in the entire lot and it is the first GTS with the mockup console.

I have a console out of a Pagewood HT Kingswood sedan, I removed it probably 20 years ago at a NSW wrecker. It was a bucket seat, 186 4spd. It isn't black and matches the trim colour of the car. I agree with you that not many coloured consoles were seen in NSW swap meets, and the only coloured ones I ever saw were the red one in my late Pagewood GTS (and I am only going by memory on its colour)and a blue one in my blue Acacia Ridge GTS (I still have pieces of the console out of that one as I cut that car up many years ago and only have some sections of it). I'm pretty sure the Danytona Bronze HT GTS350 I found in a paddock many years ago had a light console too and it was a Pagewood car, but I cannot guarantee it was original to the car although all of the trim was still in the car. The Pagewood Florentine Gold HG GTS350 had black trim so it is no help either.

Not sure how to explain a console in a Premier that early as the first GTS built in early April didn’t have a real console. Unless the Premier was a Styling or Engineering or similar car used to play with the console arrangement and it was fitted with a proper one before being sold to a dealer? The 327 driveline fitted to the GTS to build the Director’s showing car was ex-Engineering so maybe the mock-up console also came from the same source and was used in that Premier? Was it a V8 auto?

I remember seeing that too with the part numbers.

My Sydney built GTS 327 (#161) in Warrick Yellow & Buckskin Beige. Type 1, Early Sept. built is black.
Flem.

Should say that underneath is black, including under console lid and in the compartment which I guess explains only one part number

A simple yes or no would of been suffice but thanks everyone for your responses.

Radius rods would have delayed GTS327 and some GTS but not ALL GTS. I spend hours on this many years ago with Ben Stewart trying to figure out what would cause a delay in GTS production, taking into account the existence of mostly complete restricted production cars. When we saw the complete list of the restricted production cars and the fact the original GTS (the blue and later yellow car in the sales brochure) had a mockup console and appears to be the only car with a console, the console becomes the main suspect. Sure there are some other parts unique to GTS across the board, like the rear springs and tacho but most is exterior and it does appear on the brochure cars that the outside is pretty much sorted. The brochure GTS is missing it's exhaust but again that is like radius rods as it doesn't affect all GTS. Radius rods or exhaust or M21 4spd or even 10-bolt rear axle could all be why there are no GTS327 or V8 manual GTS in the restricted production vehicles. In fact all Pilot V8 GTS were scheduled as 4spd and 3.08 Salisbury rear axle but were changed to auto and 2.78 rea axle prior to being built.

Woodville only made one HK Monaro body: 80337 1-A. Woodville pressed the panels but the bodies were built at Elizabeth, Pagewood, Dandenong and Acacia Ridge, and assembled at those locations plus Mosman Park.

Edited by user Monday, 17 June 2019 7:43:38 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified