In full hindsight, until Monaro was released the only manual HK you’d want would be an M15 optioned all synchro 3spd column shift. Later you could option a Saginaw 4spd in most 6cyl cars or you got it standard on a HK commercial if you ordered a 4spd. If you were a young fella and were going to fang it a bit especially if you modded it a bit you wouldn’t have wanted the standard M20 4spd. But you’d have been buying it new as I don’t think GMH made many passenger HK with 6cyl and M22, fair few commercials though.

If I could time jump I’d be going to somewhere like Southern Motors and getting them to order me a HK Kingswood Ute in Silver Mink with red trim, cloth inserts, bucket seats, 307 manual with 3.36 Salisbury, D70 tyres (which gets you 6” rims and GTS caps), radius rods, front discs and A/C. That would be real close to a 1/1 car. So would the same thing but with 186S (which of course would have a banjo).

Edited by user Wednesday, 11 September 2019 9:11:35 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

There were 6.0L Cross8’s. I’ve seen at least two.

Well didn't know that.
So a MY06 6L 4 door cross8 Ute. Now there's a rare batch of car.
So only a 8 month run!!

I wanted to buy a AWD tonner but bloody Holden got it wrong again and only offered it with a V6. Like the V6 crewman it was pretty useless as it could only tow 2100kg which is not quite enough to tow a car float with a Holden on it. The V8 Crewman and Cross8 were rated for 2500kg. I did look at a really low kM X6 tonner at one stage to buy a wrecked Adventra and put the V8 stuff in it, but I would have been stuck with the 2100kg towing as there was no V8 version for the Engineer to compare with. The V8 VZ 1-tonner was 2250kg towing which just fits for me and it is the same as my 2011 Hilux, but it is borderline for my trailer and a Monaro, have to make sure there is nothing in the car on the trailer, not even fuel.

The topic was, which is the rarest Holden. The answer is there are possibly 100’s of single number cars built by Holden.
What is the most desirable single number Holden? Well that’s entirely up to the individual.
Effectively, it seems as soon as someone actually made the dealer order a car that wasn’t a stock order or a simple common order, it potentially could become a single number build car.

I’d like HK 80737 3-A. This was the XT2 GTS as far as I know, the car that was the pilot GTS327 used for the Director’s showing and I think ended up in the UK. This is a one off car as it is a GTS as in 80737 but optioned with the L34 engine package via code XT2 which is L34, M21, G88 plus the other bits that came along with it. It was Warwick Yellow with black trim of course. Probably rusted away in the UK somewhere.

HZ L31 M21 Premier is infinitely rarer than a Kingswood as it is special order. L31 was a normal option on Kingswood and came standard with M21 but on Premier auto was standard, M21 not normally available. Here is a sedan:

https://www.australianmu...l-v8-speed-manual-244112

Mick...
alloys were never a factory fit on VB VC or VH wagons of any luxo level.. not on 8VK35 and 8VL35 models
I write this with the VB VC and VH Production pack and options lists in front of me... no wagon came standard
or could have an alloy wheel/tyre fitted. The VAP BOMs I have also support this.

It did sneak out, and as it had no approval the whole batch was to be scrapped (Whitesell was so angry)
but Chapman made him see sense, got the engineers to put the necessary engineering ECS bulletins
in place and the product planning committee sign it off .It was now legal

Manufacturing had made a vehicle model that Sales and MArketing wanted... and had bypassed Engineering approval
(and essentially Board approval too) BIG No-No ...

I know Norm Darwin (we catch up at the Holden employees lunches now and then) and he is wrong about the costs.
I was one of the cost accountants (I was in charge of national VAP Production costing at the time) and what stopped
VC SL/E wagons was how they came to be .

It is worthwhile noting that GMH learnt their lesson with VC and did it all by the book with VL.

Curiously, I find those opening comments above mostly describing me (...and a few others** from my time at GMH)
I think I know what GMH Costing and Engineering dept were doing. I was working there.. in both for some of the time.

In the mid 70s GMH management were after new blood (mainly in Sales and Engineering... but also Finance) I joined in 76 about to finish a Business degree
at night and just about to turn 23. After that, I did an EDP Computer degree (paid for by GMH) at the urging of Graeme Ford at the Dandenong DP centre

All new starters, we went thru a rigorous induction for 12 months... I worked at the back of FB as the Grey Iron Foundry Tally clerk and the (both grey and nodular)
Foundry Output costing Clerk. I got sent to Zones Sales in Albert Rd (still in touch with a few from there), went thru an annual budget process working with
various plant Comptrollers (Nanscawen at FB, Cox (RIP) at Dandenong, Norfolk at Woodville etc) Went to Acacia Ridge and learnt CKD Import/export costing,
back to FB to learn GM global inventory analysis and control techniques (under Chris Evans) Off to Design and Engineering as their budget expenditure accountant.
Became a 'signatory' and added Proving Ground Expenditure Control (one R.W.Borrett was the PG Manager at the time) to the portfolio. Went to DISCO plant in
Williamstown rd and rewrote a lot of their production systems with several of the FB plant accounting guys. I was the finance rep in supply for a while.
Did a number of courses at MATEC.... I still have my course notes. Into Product and Strategic planning with Roger Gibbs and then to learn the ropes of
'Forward Models' and Forward Model Costing.. and provide financial data to the Product Approval Committee

I worked with Tom Marshall in GMP&A Costing after a spell in their 'Parts Cataloguing' area being taught parts interpreting ( a skill I still have)

I led an EDP team who re-wrote the Company car test fleet control software, I was responsible for the FB service garage admin
and after a meeting with Messrs, Rock, Chapman, deLong, Sorenson, Brock, Harvey and one Vin Kean got told to set up the
admin system for vehicle despatch/parts return thru Dandenong Traffic to HDT's new road car venture in North Melbourne . The
Finance dept special projects manager, Leo Sorenson (who knew John Harvey from Brisbane Speedway days) offered me up
to the wolves on that one. One of the toughest jobs I have ever done. That's enough. I could continue here but won't...


Yes I know Norm Darwin and catch up with him at HRC luncheons when we can.


and sorry, the tyres were the VC SL/E wagon 's main issue in relation its manufacture. They made the car at Dandy VAP and then
AFTER ... re-wrote the book to make it legal. 15" alloys were never offered or available ex factory on any Commodore wagons VB-VK ....
except of course for some of Mr Brock's offerings and the VC SL/E. Oh and maybe as a favour to a dealer .... or employee. I had a few.
One company hack.. ? VC L wagon with 5.0/M21 HD axle with LSD/4WD, N10, tinted windows etc was a 'favour'. Drove it around
Australia on annual leave and then ordered another one when I got back( exceeded the fleet kilometre life on one trip )


**
the few others? I had a desk in Plant Accounting (in the old 30s Art deco building upstairs in Salmon St) next to Kevin Wale. He did very well...
Sure everyone knows Kevin's CV at GM. To end up as Chairman - GM China is impressive.
Dave Venticich and I (and Col Richards) worked on a project for a few months to upgrade the FB Mechanical Production Costing Function.
Dave also did well, he got his Finance degree from Melbourne Uni while at GM ... and got moved around like me. He went to Zone sales
and then off overseas, even GM uni and before retiring a few years ago now, he was brought back to Australia in about 2000 to work on VE.
He was prior to coming back, Marketing and Planning Director, GM Middle East.



ps.. yup I am eligible for the pension ( if only I stopped fulltime work. I still work in Manufacturing....nearly 50 years after starting work)
and what has age got to do with internet forums? ... LOL

And I have the copies of the my 'House' account invoices addressed to me at MP A109 F/Bend. That staff account was most useful
building up old Holdens and Toranas at the time Cheers

Edited by user Wednesday, 6 May 2020 10:28:28 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

thanks...
have quoted names above (of ppl that were GMH when I was there and a Google gives you their CV at GM etc) so no secrets

VC SL/E wagons rolled guards? .. nope to that as far as I know. Don't recall dandy VAP having anything like the gear to do that
either in the body shop or in the 'Rectification' area.

My recollection is the VH Top 30 were a present of sorts .. for the top 30 dealer DPs, a special build ordered by Sales dept
to give these guys something special

Brock engines....? in GMH speak, there was no such thing but of course HDT did modify (not make .. as they had no ability to do that)
GMH engines. The only engine that could sort of fall into the category of 'Brock' engine in my opinion is...
the 'red' 304 A9L engine fitted to the VK Grp A SS 'blue meanie' Commodores. The HDT 5.6 stroker engines
could also be argued are a 'Brock ' engine.

Don't confuse the GMH hi-po engine options (V5H and V7X) as being Brock engines .... more of those hi-po engines got fitted to various
police force and state government (RTA, Vicroads etc) cars than Commodores that came out of HDT !


VC wagon..? 308 4 speed? wouldn't be blue with twin exhaust by any chance?. I had one, same as (a blue one with N10) as one of my company cars
and yes.. it was a 'special' employee order

final comment.. write a book? well I have ... sort of.
Late last year Holden commissioned the ANU and Uni of Adelaide in conjunction with the National Library in Canberra
to write a 'social' (people related) history of Holden (from 1948 to 2019). The social history project being done by the unis is based
on ex-employees and their experiences at Holden.
Out of thousands who were employed at GMH and Holden, they selected 200 to be interviewed ( plus the opportunity to provide
memoribilia etc as well) . I was one of those .....

Not exactly sure what is happening with this project given the 'collapse' and shutdown of Holden but I did receive at the end of a March,
a copy of the recording of my 3 interviews and a transcript document (all on disc) from the National Library in Canberra...