Holdens?

Very carefully.....Thru photobucket or another source like it.
I like Choppers, but I dunno about the rest of them. I think I'm kinda partial to Mai's.....his has the same lines as a mid 50's car. Reminds me a little of my Pontiac, with a dash of the 55 Plymouth Plaza thrown in.

I'm fuct.

 

Looks like all the questions have been answered already.

The car is the handywork of John "Chopper' Katsanis and yes it started life as a lowly 1948 Holden four door sedan.

The 1948 to '56 Holden was designed in detroit as a light car suitable for Australian driving conditions and sold alongside the full sized Chevrolet's in Australiuan GM Dealerships. It very soon became the nations most popular car. The styling was basically a scaled down Chevrolet although the construction was completely disssimilar as the Holden featured monococue construction rather thenn the Chevrolet's separate chassis. The engine was also a scaled down version of the stovebolt at 138c.i.

This car now has a separate chassis, as the floor has been modified as severely as the body in order to facilitate comfortable seating and a good driving position.

Since I'm pretty busy at present with the global launch of the first ever Aussie designed T car, I don't have time for more then this at present. However, I'll post some more pics of the car as soon as I'm able, so you cann see it in more detail.

The flat black '48 coupe '0229 SR' belongs to another freind of mine Phil Curzon, it took him a few years to build and maybe this year will wind up in shiny paint, then again, maybe not. It runs a very strong 327 Chev and TH350.

 

Awesome thanks for the details.

 

Most people think they are billet and immmediately dislike them because of that. fact is they are like the rest of the car. Backyard built and cast, NOT billet. I think they quite suit the car, however we are going to fit my wide whites and lancer capped wheels to the car for a photoshoot as soon as i can do it.



PS - The two tone green car is exactly what mine looked like when it was new.

 

Chopper appologises for the lack of response to your email. He's good with metal, shit with words and a total mess when it comes to computers.

To build tha car two original were sacrificed, one a totally rusted and otherwise wasted shit box, which was used to figure out where best to cut the almost pristine car in order not to mess it up. So despite it appearing that the basic chop and section was done in only two days, the job required a great deal of planning, measuring and trial and error. Chopper also made up many of the 'filler' panels plus the nnew longer door skins, in the week leading up to the 'public sacrifice'. Point here is, this was not a job for the feint hearted even tho Chopper made it look piss easy on the weeekend the work was done in public. The car had many hours in it before then and there's been maany hours spent since, in order to make it all fit together perfectly.

I'lll post the 'new' photos here just aas soon as I get them shot, maybe this weekend, maybe next.

 

How a pic or two of the wagon version of the early Holden (someone mentioned they were available as wagons and utes also....)

Does anyone know what it would cost to ship a car from Aust to the US?

 

The car pictured was originally built in the arly sixties and recently restored. uses VC Valiant tailamps, Austin 1800 headlamps and a Simca Aronde grille. The rear doors were welded closed but front doors remain 'stock' length and the top os stock height although the roof has been 'pancaked.

The two door hardtop that you mention was originally built by John Comber and sold to Nevill Haynes. The doors were extended and the rear pan rolled with Chevy tailamps but the front remained largely stock in appearance. The roof although hardtopped, remained stock height. The workmanship was so good that the car was painted with many coats of black to highlight it's perfectly straight panels.

It was then and remains one of the best proprtioned and tastefully customised FJ's ever.

It was later owned by butch Floate who chopped the top and customised the front adding a rolled pan, peaked headlamps and Desoto grille housed in a FE Holden grille surround.

The car is still around although it's seem more road miles than most of us and last I saw it was a bit dillapidated. Hoever its general condition is testament to the workmanship of the original builder and butch's later alterations.

If I can find some pics I'll post them too.

 

Whew, look at Carps.............a virtual fountain of cool information.

It's neat to know and even cooler to see someone answer all the questions......

 

The 48/215 and FJ series, know here as 'Humpy' were only ever sold as a four door sedan, coupe utility (Yoot) or Panel Van (sedan delivery) although a coach builder in Brighton did make a handfull (five or six cars) of station (ranch) wagons based on the '48/215 model. GMH (General Motors Holden) also built a prototype FJ Series wagon but it was never approved for production. I haven't seenn it for a while but I believe the original is still 'alive' and owned by it's designer who always said it was NOT FOR SALE and would go to the grave with him. I hope that doesn't happen, even if it ends up in a museum, since like Lew Bandt's orginal '33 Ford Coupe Utility prototype, it's a chucnk of Aussie motoring history that should be preserved.

FWIW, the original Forde Coupe Ute was being driven by it's then 80+ year old designer when it was destroyed in a fatal crash that killed him instantly. it was his daily driver. The car was later restored by the members of the earrly Ford V8 Club using '34 model front sheetmetal, (it was originally based a '33 model and introduced to market as a 34 model), and is now housed at the Ford Heritage Centre in Geelong. The restored car also appeared on an Australian Heritage postage stamp as did the original '48/215 Holden.

 

Just a shame he can't type properly.

And I forgot to answer Boone's other question. I think the container shipping cost is around three grand US depenfding on your carrier. There's a few companies in the US aarrange shipping of your stuff over here, so I'm sure they could do it for the return trip.

Of course I don't know what imprt tarrifs are applied at your end but I believe they can be a little stiff just as they are here. So it could be that a car you bought for say. three grand, might cost more than double that landed in your US driveway. On the upside a car you paid say,, twenty grand for, would only increase by about 20% to land in your driveway.

 

Nope, the car is stock length and wheelbase. The rear doors were discared and the skind modified to become quarter panels with a new inner structure fabbracated using some of the door shell parts and a lot of scratch built panels. The front doors were lengthened and new skins fabrcated from flat sheetmetal, wich is no less a monumental task than your comment implies.

 

Some pics from Wintersun......

 

Went to Johns last night, heres a couple of shots...



Hope he doesnt have to turn too many sharp corners...

 

For those who have not seen this, the Factory GM tribute to the FJ introduced recently. It is great to see something really different like all these Holdens, FJ , FX ,sedans ,wagons and that way cool purple F? ute.

 

I always dug the early 60's FJ?Holdens like what Mai Ki Ki has,They look like mini versions of the tri five Chevies i.e the 55.56 and 57. but i have a soft spot in my heart for the HQ Holden Monaro's specially the 2 doors but alas,they were 70's cars and are forbidden to speak about on here

 

Thank you for all the info and thanks to everyone who has contributed. Its awesome that I a (old North Carolina Boy) can get a chance to learn and see pics of a kool kustom from the land down under. I hope to travel there someday and see some of these cool cars in person.

Thanks for the pics and additional info. What kind of drive train does Chopper have planned for it?

 

All the new Pontiac GTOs are rebadged and nosed Holden Monaros from what ive heard.

 

Yup, that's a fact jack.

 

Yea they are nice. Way OT but I like the racing you guys do over there with the Holdens vs Fords and whatever.

Saw a super chevy article about it once.

Are the Holden motors say from the 60s and 70s equall to the SBC? Or did Holdn have there on Version of small block like other GM companies?

 

My pleasure, nothing more enjoyable than discussing my second favourite topic.

Drivetrain is still under eview, we've discussed many options from a hot grey motor, via a MOPAR Hemi to a high tech laate model or maybe even a flatty or Y blockk Ford.

As for the comment about steering, the car will ride on airbag suspension so it can be driven comfortably but sit 'right' when parked.

 

Real race cars don't come with a taxi option.

The original Holden was a baby version of the original Chevy Stovebolt and the later engines introduced in '64 were also a miniaature version of the later Chevy sixes. In the '80s the Holden six was phased out and replaced with...... wait for it.... a more powerful OHC six sourced from Nissan! This engine was ultimately replaced with the venerable buick sourced 3.8 litre pushrod V6 as used in most US GM products albeint turned around and driving the rear wheels via a TH750 slush box or five speed manula trans. This engine was recently phased out in favour of the Isuzu designed multi OHC V6.

The first Holdenn V8s were all Chevy sourced, starting with the first 327 Monaro (the local interpretation of a Pony Car, 2 door coupe built on the platform of the current family trucksters and using the same front sheetmetal, rear styling and interior) in the late 60s. The family models were also given the 307c.i. Chevy as an option. In the early seventies, the Buick design was modified and adapted for local production as the Holden V8 in 253c.i and 308c.i capacities. The 253 version featuring a 2bbl carb and the 308 identified by it's 4bbl. The sporty Monaros could also be had with a 350c.i. high performance Chevy engine, which was eventually phased out in the late seventies.

The 'Aussie' 308s developed quite a formidable track record and later when they engine was phased out and replaced in the racing taxis with a purpose built Chevy based engine, one Larry Perkins proved beyond any doubt the mettle of the 'Aussie' engine by trouncing a feild of Chev and Ford powered Taxis at Mount Panorama, Australia's toughest endurnace race, otherwise known as 'Bathurst'.

Strangely the Aussie V8 is not well acceted by hot rodders, which suits me fine because it means they are dirt cheap and those of of us who prefer to dance to our own tune rather than follow the traditional flatty or SBC powered sheep, have built up a good collection of the things for almost no outlay. Parts remain plentiful and cheap and there's still a bit of speed equipment available for them.. Edelbrock even manufacture a dual plane maanifold which is what I have on mine.

 

Thanks Carps. SO the 308 is just a 3.8 buick with two extra cylinders xtra.

Very interesting stuff. I love it.

 

More like a 455 with smaller bores and destroked crank.

Funny thing is that here people will turn their noses up when I tell em the engine in my '33 is a Holden. So recently I told a couple of people it was a Buick and the resnse was much different, like, "WOW! a Buick huh? That's pretty cool."

 

hey carps just wanted to say a big thank you for all the info you have provided on this post re my favorite car choppers FJ when ever I see this car at a show (the picnic, melbourne hot rod show, kustom nationals) i spend hours just staring and whishing it was mine.

hope to get to one of the cruzes you guys run some time in the future (if i can ever afford a spare tank of petrol from my poor student budjet.)

thanks again for all the info and tell chopper he's officaly a living god in my book

 

That's not a nudie book is it? Because that could be SO wrong on SO many levels.

Carps, you call those motors Rovers don't you?

 

Any links to more pics from shows or show coverage? I just can't see enough of this car.

 

hahahaha...that's sweet! I'm gonna remember that one!

My mate used to have an old police HQ station wagon that ran a hot little 253...they couldn't kill that thing for years...they're a really tough little motor. It did many years of tour duty to Bathurst and back as well as daily duty.

Holden blocks are now available in alloy and have been designed to share a lot of componentry with Chev motors, so private development hasn't stopped on them by a long shot.

 

That is freakin sweet.