I was wondering if we were up to expressing the product of cars evolution starting from FX on and Ford and Valiant and Datsun if you will.

Thinking of all the std equipment I have in my 2015 car, such things have got everything nowadays.

I was looking into the VB Commodore SL/E and I just though that they had P/W std but no they were an option.

Then I thought about cruse control was first in the WB and the VC Commodore would of got a SL/E with such but no nor the VH I think, but for the VK when that came in and the Statesman was gone, so the Calais took over from the Statesman duty.

Things started getting high tec with the VK with EFI 3.3l 6 CYL and the new age instruments and leather seats in a Commodore, boy that takes me back to the EJ Holden Premier with buckets seats and all, well all but nothing well back then she was the bees knees with a automatic and heater standard.

I would not own a car without cruse control now, nor P/W, A/C, Power mirrors and now folding even ? well I could do without that, all tho it does come in handy, I even make them fold if the sun is shining into them at times. Central locking is fine, bit I have left the rear window down a bit once to my surprise. rear camera is great idea that I once thought was just shit.

But over the years we have just taken to all such things as normal.

1972 Look at the first Statesman de vill they had f all, even the first Ford with P/W was a 1972 Fairlane top of the line even the 1972 Galaxie LTD did not have P/W option.

Could I drive an old Holden as my main car nowadays ? would I want to well no, but what could I live with, well maybe a VK 3.3L EFI Calais would be as early as I could put up with as a family car. or could it be a 308 HG Brougham of Premier with A/C but for the fuel cost. But anything before that forget it, I hate 2sp autos so that left out the HK-T.
Could I put up with a red motor 6cyl don't think so or a carby Black and as for the old Grey motors just forget it.

How about a RV-1 Valiant with the big 225 6cyl well no, how about the Hemi 6 No ! Falcon 250 forget it ! 351 no, forget all such as a family car that you drive 30,000km a year. maybe a Datsun 260C, 240k 180B ? no way.

What old car would you drive doing 20,000km a year plus, as all round family hack Nowadays ? F100 4x4 maybe, Ford Customline ?

sorry but a correction.... VB 8VX69 SL/E sedans had power steering as standard

was one of the advertised points about this car ... see brochure (open pic in a new tab)
and yeah I had a number of SL/Es as GMH co cars





ps.. power steering was a delete option on VBII and VC SLE with L14 6 cyl engines
and later also on VH and VK government (inc RTA, police and fire) vehicles with V8s

I can tell you a VK BT1 with LV2 304 engine + M21 box without power steering is a terrible
thing to drive. Let alone when you mod the front suspension and have 7° castor and 5° neg camber
I have fitted pwer stg to mine ....

Edited by user Wednesday, 26 May 2021 6:15:06 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I must say, when I bought my Pagewood built ‘57 Chevy in the early 90’s, it was about the same age and similar km to my Premier when I got it. At 63,000 miles it was very original, still had its original driveline, radiator, drums etc. Had only had normal maintenance done for its first 30 odd years like brake shoes, tyres etc. it still had a 1960’s tar top battery in it.
It drove really nicely, apart from the no synchro 1st gear. It easily cruised on the freeway between Sydney and Newcastle with good acceleration still at 110kph, was good on fuel and the steering and brakes were adequate in traffic. Whilst it was sort of unnerving driving without seat belts, I never noticed any lack of power steering or even lack of A/C. Whilst it did have an old oil bath air cleaner and no oil filter it still didn’t seem to suffer from that. It did have a modern stainless exhaust system.
Comparing the driving experience to other GMH product I’d owned and/or driven, it was no worse than a HQ 6cyl and was a far nicer engine than a 202. It was streets ahead of any FE-EJ I had ever driven, and was a far more comfortable car than any HD-HK I’d been in that was comparable (6cyl, crash box and drums with bench). I know it was a level above a Holden in price, size and luxury but was a great car. I’d happily have a modernised version today as a regular driver, something like an injected SBC, overdrive auto, air, steer, modern seats and power front discs.

I never knew that any VB did not have P/S.

Thinking of them 57 Chevy I like the looks of them and the 1956 and 1958. back in the days I would have gone for the 1955 to 1958 Ford Customline tho. in the USA the 1957 Buick looks great.

I can't say that any Holden does anything for me until the EH, The Aussie built from 1964 4 door hardtops Pontiac look good and the Impala 4 door hardtops look good. but the Ford Galaxie from 1964 to 1972 were the more advanced car to drive and not to mention the Compact Fairlane's 1962-4, look at a Compact Fairlane to a XL-M Falcon, a part from XM Hardtop being class it's Fairlane all the way. what Holden EK EJ C'mon, RV-1 SV-1 Valiant well not bad.

MOST VB-VH Commodores had NO power steering.

Remember they sold 50 Ls or SLs for every SL/E & the SL/E was the only one of the early girls to get p/st as standard equipment.

Dr Terry

That’d be cool Warren. Other examples: bucket seats, console shift, LSD, A/C, power steering, radial tyres, alloy wheels, 7” wide wheels just to name a few.

I see disc brakes as a turning point of a cars evolution, I was always thinking if it has drum brakes forget it.

Standard disc brakes on HT 253 V8 and up I believe.

HR 186S I think were disc standard and I think HD X2 were disc as well.

The days of the old rag tyres being gone that was another milestone.

my old HD was an X2 'Special' sedan with front discs ....but being the 3rd or 4th
owner and no paperwork, no idea if they were part of X2 or added separately...

As Dr Terry says, HG is where front discs became standard on V8 models. Old memory but I remember reading that in some States it was mandatory with V8 HT models, it was a State requirement. Actually in early HK optioned with V8, drums were mandatory if you had Aircon fitted as the power booster interfered with the compressor.

Late in HJ, basically around LX release JL2 disc brakes became almost standard across the range. It was only on Belmont sedan, Belmont Wagon, Holden ute, Holden van and Holden cab-chassis with the 2850 engine and 3spd manual transmission that drum brakes were fitted. Everything else was fitted with JL2 discs, and the order procedure does say it is highly unlikely that any deviations from this would be approved. Even if you simply optioned a 4spd (M22) in HJ cab-chassis (which was the only WM model you could get a 4spd without an engine option) behind the 2850 you automatically got JL2, same with a 3300 engine in any of those WM models automatically got you JL2.

Can anyone remember when radials became standard? In HZ you could option non-radial tyres on some models (bias ply I think they were), and I think they also lost the RTS badges. May have only been Govt or export vehicles though.

Edited by user Friday, 28 May 2021 3:32:11 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified