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Originally Posted by: commodorenut Tyres still doesn't account for the fact you could get the alloys on VC SL wagons (and VH SL/X). Early commodores were light enough not to be encroaching on any load rating, even when fully loaded with a V8 and power options. (and bear in mind everything in the way of mod-cons in the VC SL/E wagon was available at extra cost on the VH SL/X wagon just a year later too), with the exception of the tailgate applique.
The 8VL35 coding is common knowledge, especially as the VL Calais wagon had the same 8VL35, with the option pack of A9Y stamped additionally on the plate. Although I have read posts on that very forum in the early 2000s with people claiming to have VH wagons with 8VX35 on the tags.....
I'm still not buying that it snuck out and was stopped. Look at the wagon tailgate applique around the lock - it's an Opel part, and requires special holes to be drilled. It would have had to be engineered as no other wagon had it. The special trim done by Ashlors - as mentioned in the brochure too. And the brochure! These were well known about at many levels to have come that far along.
I still agree with Norm Darwin's musings that costs are what killed it - they under-estimated just how expensive all the unique processes and parts would be, and the cost accountants are the ones who had it tanked.
Fair call. I love the knowledge on this site. Between you, Warren, Byron and Dr Terry, among others, this would have to be the best Holden brainstrust on the net. I hadn't even noticed the different tailgate setup. Partially I guess because the one thing that isnt original on this wagon is the tailgate. It was hit from behind and has been replaced. Is the handle part on the VC SLE wagons, the same as the handle found on the later VK/VL models? Edited by user Sunday, 8 September 2019 2:02:10 PM(UTC)
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Yes, that handle is exactly the same as fitted to VK/VL, so it's easy to find. If you don't have one, I have a few spares - you can have one for the cost of postage. |
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Originally Posted by: commodorenut Yes, that handle is exactly the same as fitted to VK/VL, so it's easy to find. If you don't have one, I have a few spares - you can have one for the cost of postage. Thanks mate that would be awesome! Ill have to post up some pics. How do I put up photos these days now that photobucket has been killed off?
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Commodorenut
The SL/E wagon brochure i have notes the three colours, only hase the red one for pictures, oddly enough shows electric windows and manual window winders. |
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Yes brochures are interesting items, so much photo shop going on back in those days. Shows how long they have been "touching up" things. A lot of the time they are the model before, HRs are HDs, HTs are HK, HGs are HK and HTs, the HX LE is a HJ.
This is why you should never use a brochure picture for absolute reference.
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As Warren says the brochure cars are mostly very early cars, normally off line pilots built months before volume production starts or sometimes prior Series dressed up. |
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The date on my SLE wagon is 5/81.
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So , Is the winner VC SLE wagon at 67 ? Thanks Mark. |
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No ....looking back though the topic , must be VH Top 30 ? , Thanks Mark. |
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I reckon HJ BO6 would be close to 30 as well. Possibly WB BO6 or XU4 too. But no way to know how few. |
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Yes , also HQ 350 non-Monaro or Statesman , but no exact numbers. Thanks Mark. |
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Those HQ 350 that aren’t coupe, Statesman or XU7 aren’t regular production though. |
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Good point , I am still trying to find any mention in Holden or GMNZ literature of these other 350 HQs built . You think there would be something in dealer letters or service bulletins , maybe a special dealer order? Thanks Mark. |
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They are special order, either internal or by certain dealers. Not many made. There were 4 x Dandenong assembled HQ Premier wagons and 2 x Dandenong Kingswood utes one of which was Leo’s GTS ute which was later modified into the Ewe’t. These were all autos. There was a manual HQ Kingswood sedan too, Pagewood assembly I think. There are a couple of other Pagewood and Elizabeth examples as well but I can’t recall the specifics. There were a few others too where dealers got brand new LS with 350 and 253 auto van side by side and swapped the engines and transmissions, then registered and sold both so that the correct engine numbers ended up back in GMH records, as the cars were delivered new with engines that they didn’t leave the assembly plants with.
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Originally Posted by: HK1837 There were a few others too where dealers got brand new LS with 350 and 253 auto van side by side and swapped the engines and transmissions, then registered and sold both so that the correct engine numbers ended up back in GMH records, as the cars were delivered new with engines that they didn’t leave the assembly plants with.
I spoke to a fellow who worked at Suttons during the HD/HZ eras and they made all sorts of combinations from their "fleet". They stopped doing it in HQ as it became too difficult with some combinations, like disc brake conversions. Trim change overs stopped in HK due to the dash being trim coloured.
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So have progressed any further from the single Statesman with 308 and M21?
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Yes, if you go down that path the 350 powered HQ Monaro. |
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Righto, so let’s make a list of single production cars. They are the rarest Holdens made. M21 Statesman 308 is one.
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Originally Posted by: wbute So have progressed any further from the single Statesman with 308 and M21? If you go down the path of cars in different option combinations then remember that you could build nearly 2 million different HK Holdens (more like 3 Million by the time the Ute, Monaro and Brougham were released) and they only made 200,000 of them. So although there are many the same, there would be hundreds, if not thousands, of single build combination. The most interesting known car that comes to mind is a HK Belmont sedan, only option was 4 speed. Story goes they replaced a Morris and the wife like the 4 on the floor in the Morris.
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I have the details of a pre-coupe HK Belmont sedan that was 186 4spd floor shift and bucket seats. But it was blue with red trim. It’d be close to a one-off due to the paint and trim in conjunction with the M20 floor shift. |
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