The EH Holden was unbreakable. I nearly rolled my bosses' EH Holden Ute but managed to keep it upright. A couple of years later a mate had an EH sedan that we took on a surfing trip via 4WD only tracks. The EH did it easily! One of the toughest 2WD cars ever built!
Thank you, this was fascinating. My uncle had a low mileage 48/215 that he'd inherited from his father, and had difficulty selling it, getting $5,000 in 1993. I wonder if anyone remembers vacuum windscreen wipers - they were horrible.
Glenn, I just want to say thank you for your promotion of your channel to which I have absolutely loved. My dear dad is a man on not many words but, we've sat down over this Christmas and he has lit up with so many fond memories and stories. In this day and age where most channels are poor to view or just a means to grab $$$ via sponsorship or subscriptions. Yours is addictive, interesting and delivers a wonderful record of the Australian way with vehicles. It's a credit to you and your production of this awesome show. Cheers mate 🍻🦘
Thanks so much Jade. It can be a tough gig at times, trying to keep it all moving forward from a time and cost perspective, but it’s feedback like this that keeps me motivated to continue on. Please say hello to your Dad for me and thank him for watching too.
Seriously,, cant believe Holden is no more ... Harley Davidson has been bailed out several times in the US, just to keep the icon alive !!! such a shame for Australia, my first car was a Holden EH, coastal trips, boards on the roof,rusted out floors, childhood memories ill never forget !!! , so many iconic motors and Aussie history made here by us for us !!! , from racing to utility vehicles ..Man we lost something we all should be proud of and get back again .. hell i was probably conceived on the back seat of one like many other Aussies out there ... Something must be done cant sell out everything that made us who we once were !!!!!!
Blame the tight arsed government of the day & the snooty Australian public for wanting to pose off in merc's, bmw's, audi's, & con job japanese/,south Korean & Chinese suv's
Man does this bring back a childhood memory. I used to stand at my parents' front gate and I'd get excited when I saw the latest Holden model soon after its release.
I don't care what anybody says you can't beat the looks of the old Holden,better looking than commodore .i had the F.B sedan and a HD panel van both great cars i wish i had them now.back in the day you could tell what make of car was in your rearview mirror by the headlights at night ,they all look the same now.one more thing you never worried about fuel economy when you are paying 2 bob (20cents)a gallon yes you heard me 2bob for standard or 2and5 for premium how things have change not always for the better
Top vid Glenn, alot of old memories in there. Thinking back now of how many of those models that we literally flogged to death, and wish you knew then what we know now Such is life
They are so beautiful it made me cry how lovely & original them gems are you are so luck to have been able to drive them Holden manufacturing may be gone but what was made will stay forever Holden’s rule 👍
The Hydramatic transmissions were also often called a "Sludgomatic" Transmission. Probably due to the drawn out gear change which made the engine sound like it was labouring between gears I guess. Yep, the EH was probably the best car Holden made back in the day. That flat deck bonnet and flat deck boot lid made for good vision all round and improved the drivability of the unit. I owned an FE then an FC and two 64s being a panel van with a 179 and a sedan with a 149. My next Holden after those was a HZ Station Wagon with a 4.2 auto. All very good cars, but you could not beat the red motor for servicability and those 7 main bearings. By the way, none of the designs were Australian, they were all scaled down versions of GM American cars and were designed in America according to some documentaries I have seen.
There was more than Holden vying for the Aussie consumer dollar. There were also such classics as the Ford Zephyr, Vauxhall Cresta, Ford Falcon, Humber Super Snipe, and the odd Simca Vedette V8 and the list goes on.
Wow. What a trip down memory lane. I'm South African and Holdens were available here in the 60's and 70's. Growing up my family had 4. I vividly remember sitting 3up in the front pew as the youngest while my 3 siblings sat in the back. Fantastic cars ideally suited to the similar conditions as Australia. The 4,2l with a 2 speed auto was a guzzler though. Thanks
The early FX had the internal door lock positioned at the rear of the door near the quarter window. The FX featured is obviously built later in the run..
I am involved with a club owned 1944 Lend Lease Chevrolet ex military tow truck. The plate on the old girls firewall says in big proud print "HOLDEN". I just thought you'd like that.
Really enjoyed this one. I'm learning more and more about the car industry in Australia and how intertwined it was with the car manufactures in the US. Lots of history that I was totally unaware of.
I cant believe the quality of the filming, as good or better than the TV show and just for UA-cam too. Hey Glenn there was another show worth saving on the same TV channel 64 as your old show, its called Guitar Gods goes Cosmic, if you have a few bucks left over can you resurrect that little gem ;)
Thanks Jethro! We will have our job cut out funding our content to a sufficient level to ensure we retain the high quality production values you've mentioned, but yes I do remember that show!
Glen, at 5:50 or so these 48-215s are 72 to 67 years old. Light because no chassis unlike all US GM products until the 1960 Corvair. Lightness for size gave economy and performance benefits. In 48 the biggest selling car was the Austin A40 with a 1.2 litre 4 cylinder. Soon swamped by Holden sales from November 48 onwards, especially when they got on top of the long waiting list for new Holdens.
My dad had a 64 EH wagon. I was only 4 years old and the EH represents some of my earliest memories. I remember having more than one nap in the back of it, sometimes with other siblings and going to the beach and drive-in. The noise of the upper tailgate mechanical stays with the click clack noise. We only had it for a little over a year before my dad traded it on a HD wagon which turned out to be a rust bucket in a short time.
Well my mother had the same vehicle for 29 years, however the gear boxes were terrible, I had to replace rear bearings at least 6 times in those years, one replacement box even managed to destroy a front bearing, and the engines had no tractability at low revs, they would jerk and snatch if you tried to crawl in second, however we had it sprayed underneath so it kept the rust at bay for a long time, however the mastic blocking the fuel tank breather nearly collapsed the tank with vacuum, till we found the problem.
@@erroneouscode Diff never a problem, our FJ had the diff centre gear shaft shit its cotter pin and and threw it into the pinion. mate had a king pin drop out on his FJ, finished up in a ditch on the wrong side of the road.
That was a great episode Glenn. I had a FC for a while back in the 60s. I’ve been to the traf Holden museum about 10 years ago. I’m going back in a couple of weeks with my grandson. It’s a crying shame ford and Holden stopped making cars in Australia. Sometimes we don’t realise what we have until we lose it. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
As a young bloke dad had a new EK sedan and we thought we had won the lottery, as Neil said getting a ‘new’ car was quite an event. A few years later he bought a EH Ute second hand with the 179 in it. I learnt to drive in the Ute, it was a top vehicle and we sure used it, dad being a shearer and travelling around following the sheds would have all sorts stuff under the back canvas cover.
Bought my first car from my boss 1977 a holden special 186 motor what a car. my second from my uncle a 202 Kingswood that was a beauty. the 90s the V6 VN took centre stage now 2020 my ride is a 04 rodeo 30ltr tdi and still smiling cheers
A little history lesson for you Glenn. before the first Holden was built, the then manager of GM Australia's operations, Sir Lawrence Hartnett first came up with the idea of building Australia's own car, and after doing his research, put forward his proposal to GM management in America. they flatly refused at the time..their plan being to just build their cars over there and ship them here, obviously to protect their industry over there. however, Sir Lawrence persisted, wanting to bring his dream of building complete cars here. so, in the end, GM management relented, with one caveat. Lawrence had to find the backers here to provide the finance for the entire project for it to go ahead as they flatly refused to give so much as a single penny towards it. so, with the then Prime Minister Ben Chifley being keen to get Australia back on its feet after the war, with his help and the backing of the Commonwealth Bank who provided the 3 Million pounds needed to get things underway, things finally went ahead. then, once GM in the U.S. knew the project was going to go ahead they stepped back into the picture and took control of things, and the Holden was born. so, if it wasnt for the persistence of one man and the Australian governments commitment to rebuilding our manufacturing industries after a long war it would never had happened.there is a video on here somewhere about it that I saw a long time ago that goes right into it in depth.
Independently I posted this just before I read this : A great background film answering many of Glens Holden questions : ua-cam.com/video/XOCILCfDo5A/v-deo.html Made in 1986 when many of the people involved in the development of the Holden 48-215 were still around to be interviewed. Provides so much more detail on the history of car manufacturing in Australia. Sounds like the film you are referring too, unless there is another one giving more detail.
From 0, naught to 50, fifty mph they were Holdens. From 50 to a screaming 80 mph they were "Holdons"... No grab handles in these old babes and no seatbelts either. I was fortunate enough to get a drive of a FJ sedan many years ago. I enjoyed it more than holding a baby.. Thanks Glen, it's nice to see you again.
What a great episode, so much history but the EH was the icing on the cake. A bit of trivia for you, did you know that the hydramatic in the EH was really a four speed? Three selectable and a split gear or ratio between 2nd and 3rd. It only engaged if you flattened it at a speed range too high for 2nd which gave it enormous overtaking power for the time.
My favourite Aussie car of all time is the HT Monaro 350. Stylish, fast, circular gauges, Bathurst history, great sound. What's not to like? I'm still incredibly angry at all those who played a role in the downfall of our manufacturing capability.......the unions, government and GM suits who didn't understand our market. Who decided that zero tarriffs were a great idea?? Great for the importers, terrible for our assembly line workers!!
@@davidbrayshaw3529 They didn't have to pay 'bribes' to make them stay. All they had to do was keep tarriffs at reasonable levels to make imported cars not unreachable, but expensive enough to keep local cars on buyers consideration list. Whatever was being paid to Ford, GM etc was easily being paid back with payroll tax, etc. You also had cashed up workers circulating money through the local economy. Then there were the local suppliers who relied on them. What do we have now? Whole suburbs were sent to the dole que. And as the video explained, manufacturing capacity is useful in times of conflict. Why don't you get this? Oh yes......'bribes' or something..... As for the unions? Whilst useful in many cases, they made our workers too expensive to employ in a global context. China, Thailand, etc offer labour and production costs that we just cannot compete with. That's why you need either high tarriffs, or lower production costs. High production costs and low/no tarriffs aren't conductive to a successful manufacturing sector.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 Well said, and thank you 😊 Releasing any new large car after about 2005 was suicide, yes. Hence my sentence that the heavies in Detroit didn't understand our market, or buyer trends. As I outlined above, several factors over a period of time played a role in the closures, not just one thing or one person. It's not just cars, but everything you purchase at Bunnings or Harvey Norman. Even our paint brushes are imported for goodness sake. Frankly, it's humiliating. Enjoy your day my friend 😃
Hey Glen, and Neil at the museum, the letters E H in Holden’s nomeclature actually stands for a particular year. 1963... He mentioned 1964 for the model year release, which is incorrect. I.E, E stands fot 61 - 64, and H stands for 3, hence, 1963 which is when it was released. August 29 I believe. Also no mention in this video of the WA model, which preceded the WB model. One exists...
@Michael Black there’s also the WA kingswood at the national motor museum at Birdwood SA. It’s basically an HZ Statesman body with a WB Kingswood grille, HZ shaped but different tail lights along with unique door trim. In need of restoration.
All correct, was my first car in 1979. Unassisted drum brakes, skinny tyres , king pin suspension, rear leaf springs. Driving in the wet made you a skilled driver😅
I had an EK two tone yellow white ,flash in its day ,very good car crossed Nullarbor three time when it was just a track ,no bitumen between Penong SA ans N[orseman WA
Every car I’ve owned have been Holden’s (HSV and HDT also) excepting 2 Honda’s for work cars. Bang for your Buck, best in the World as Top Gear would say!!!
I am pretty sure that the car that is on display, and you are driving is actually the second model that came out in 1952. The first model, I owned one, had the lock buttons for the rear doors at the rear of the door near the quarter window. Not being able to see underneath, again, the first model had knee action shock absorbers instead of upper wishbones and the '52 was fitted with ordinary upper wishbones and telescopic shock absorbers.
It also has FJ bumper overriders, fitted when the 48-215 was in run-out mode in 1953. My parents had one similarly equipped. 48 (year of release) 215 (2.15 litre engine).
Everitt, these films are great to watch. I like how that year Holden HK Monaro has a late 60s-early 70s Oldsmobile style to it. Then it appears the Monaro of the mid-to late 70s have more of a 70s Buick style to it. I think the styling of that HK 327 Monaro looks better. Since the mid-2000s my fondness for GM has waned considerably, I still like the older GMs though. GM putting Holden out of business in one example of their continued stupidity.
Glen, At 8:30 you asked why this size of car was chosen for the 48-215. The answer, from the Holden head at the time, is that what size of new car could the average man pay for a car back in 1948, as explained by Holden head Sir Laurence Hartnett in this great film made by the ABC going into great detail of the Holden Story and the Australian and world history impacting it : ua-cam.com/video/XOCILCfDo5A/v-deo.html Made shortly before Sir Laurence Hartnett, who could be regarded as the father of the new Holden, died . Sir Laurence Hartnett was a whizz kid from GM Vauxhall sent to Holden in the 30s to turn it around and stem the losses or shut Holden down. In the 30s he built on the talents of the staff to turn it around. Lots of background interviewing people from the pre war Holden development period when they were still around. The whole film is well worth a look for those interested in the history of Holden and the Holden response to the then Prime Minister Ben Chifley's 1945 call for a locally made car. Pre the GM takeover Holden at their peak made 35,000 bodies for 20 makes of car. I recall reading that Holden bodies of this era could be found on Fords, Dodges and the big Fiats of the era. Later they even made some bodies for Melbourne W class trams.
2 Adults + 3 kids and dogs, - or 5 Adults, with a boot that would take all the luggage, lots of headroom, all at 28MPG for holiday drives. Done that more than a few times in the Eh sedan & Wagon. Cant really find anything today that can do all that, either too small boot or small interior...
I’ve always kept an eye out for a stock standard EH, I Like the premier version myself. The good ones are never sold and why should they. Go the classic EH
What was that FX FJ wagon Parked next to the FX? I dont believe holden ever made those did that? would have been nice get some info on that one. But great story. Otherwise, thanks.
Apparently there was a body building company, whose name escapes my mind right now that did the conversions on them. you took your Fj sedan to them and they did the station wagon conversion to them.
I recall somewhere that the conversion cost was about 50% of the price of an FJ extra. So not many made at that price, and when the FE Station Sedan (as GMH called wagons) came along they stopped pretty quickly. Hope they did not spend effort on an FE sedan during the period before the FE wagon was released. This was much later than the sedan. Hope GMH told them what was in the pipeline.
What happened to the good old engineers, simple reliable and efficient, average person could do general maintenance , parts were easy to get because they didn't change things every year, we're not going ahead
It is bad thing we no longer de-coke? A bad thing an engine today will probably never NEED to have its head or heads off in it's lifetime, or any bearings replaced?
It's called micro economics, unfortunately a quick dollar is more important than the grass roots of a car manufacturer. Today cars look fancy with all their gimmicks but aren't made to last long. In today's world people don't appreciate the fine things, eventually im hoping all the old work ethics and morals will return in the not too distant future.
@@JohnJohn-gu4nw No. The mechanicals in to-days have the durability engineers 50 years could only have dreamt of. My old man got crumbs for his immaculate '09 Camry a few years back...it had 225,000 kms on the clock, had NEVER had the head off, was on the same water pump, radiator, starter etc etc. I remember my next door neighbours growing up had a shovelnose Corona; lining their fence all along were the Cylinder blocks it had gone through in it's life...!!! What it is is people want the latest, safest model they can afford, so when you see good cars being junked it doesn't point to any inherent fault, just fashion
@@stephenscholes4758 today fashion is crap, cars had stronger bodies than the flimsy bodies of today, plastic took over, people make cars to make money, one of the biggest cons is the 4wd supposedly built for the off road, how many 4wd's actually go off road isn't many, people shouldn't rely so much on safety otherwise they shouldn't be on the road, airbags are fine. You are right it's fashion.
What a wonderful collection!🤤 My first car aged 18 in 1980 was an EH Premier with the 179HP😈 One family owned from new, from father to son to brother, then me. By the time I bought it for $1150 it had extractors, K-Mac suspension, 4 speed Toyota box!😱 The interior was absolutely 100% original leather. I still have the original rego plates which is now on a European work van.😢 Nonetheless, each time I look at the plates it takes me back to my first love😍...the EH!🤣
You'd have to be a real die hard Holden fan , to buy an EH Holden with a little ,ancient design 179 ci ,and an unimpressive 2 speed slush box, instead of an AP5 Valiant with the modern and magnificent 225 slant6 , and unbeatable Torqueflite automatic.
Some horrible news on the radio 3AW at 4:38 12 October 2020 is that the GMH car collection at Fisherman's bend is being crushed. Hope the caller with the news is wrong. GM orders.
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Hopefully just a crank type call as I cant find any other reports searching with Google. The caller to the radio show said he first saw signage on the factory building being photographed then taken down and destroyed with photos taken of the remains taken to prove they had been destroyed. They said very high offers were made for the signs but the instructions for destruction stood. That seems a very determined process of deliberate destruction. They said inside cars were being crushed. We all hope there is just some confusion and it is just unsold Korean cars badged as Holdens being crushed, but time will tell. Unless the Government step in to somehow save our heritage. I fear things like the GTR-X, Hurricane and Effigy may be inside as well as other icons.
A great background film answering many of Glens Holden questions : ua-cam.com/video/XOCILCfDo5A/v-deo.html Made in 1986 when many of the people involved in the development of the Holden 48-215 were still around to be interviewed. Provides so much more detail on the history of car manufacturing in Australia.
This episode was shot a few years back for tv. We’re utilising some of our existing content to build the channel for a new audience until restrictions are lifted and we can get back out to shoot new content. 😊
Didn't know about the white goods interesting 🤔sorry I can't resist, low tariffs, Tony Abbott and Thai utes have a lot to answer for ,in helping to de-industrialize Australia, oh well least we have submarines ,I say this because people and politicians need not to make the same mistakes again with other industry's and encourage any automotive development or production in the future if it ever arises again , you never know what could happen post covide 🤞but in the next 30years maybe not . Nice collection thou, I'll take the HR out of this lot , even know I am a Ford man
Remove money and religion from politics, then Australia will have a proper democracy - the lnp will be in damage mode as they will have no 'donations' from foreign interests to set up shop here and not pay tax. The deregulation of the Australian market, which included workers rights, was also done by the howard gov. and furthered by other lnp pm's, where the lnp believe that 'foreign multinationals' take precedence over endemic australia commerce, local/interstate business and Public Infrastructure. The other issue concerning the lnp, is their idea that foreign companies here are allowed to outsource their work and also hire cheap foreign labour by importing them - these same US and european companies are also not made to use Australian products as an incentive for tax relief - they are just given this tax relief as they pay 'donations' to the lnp.
Good episode Glenn to my mind the only real Holden was the billion dollar baby the VE other than that it’s all rebadged Chevrolet or European Opel even going back to 1979 everybody thought the Commodore was ours it was an Opel Senator that had better seals against red dust ingress a different motor and different vinyl fabric to take the heat in Australia without oozing liquid from the vinyl due to the heat from our sun I wonder if there really is such a thing as the great Australian car maybe The closest thing is the concept of the Ute.......
Yes, the VE was one major leap forward, and one our engineers here should be very proud of. When they first came out I was still working in the performance tuning industry and out one up on the hoist. The suspension platform on the underside and engineering looking like something you'd expect to see on a BMW!
Glenn Everitt - Master of Machines Yes you’re quite right Glenn unfortunately the company was probably better off to not do it because it could be a factor that sent them broke....... but then again maybe they were gonna go broke anyway who knows It’s a shame that such a good and positive story had a negative ending
Yes, most Holdens were heavily influenced by GM but there was a lot more to the various Commodore models than different trim and badges. They may have looked similar on the outside and even borrowed some body panels, but underneath they were very different to their European cousins. The VB had to be re-structured from the Opel because it almost broke in half on outback roads. The VN sure looks like an Opel/Vauxhall but had a completely different platform. The differences are many and varied. As you say, not as Australian as people think but as Australian as possible under the circumstances I suppose. The ute versions are definitely uniquely Aus. Cheers
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Thank you. Just a long interest in cars and some research. The history is fascinating. Great channel, you are fortunate to see and drive these cars. :-)
Sorry Glenn...AUSTRALIA NEVER EVER built a complete car. HOLDEN was simply a copy of a European body later built by Holden..The engine was usually from America...so the Classic Holden was the body only. As an "expert" on vehicles I would have thought you would know this.....
Holden was Australian made, but owned by GM with global GM input and resources, and of course our models reflected that, sharing many similarities from not only US variants but also European examples such as Opel. Also, in most cases, our engines were unique to Australia such as the Holden V8, with occasional American alternatives used such as the small block Chevrolet. Our six cylinder range was also unique to Aus, but of course shared design similarities to variants available in the US, such as the Blue flame Six, as you'd expect being GM owned.
@@jb7591 No. Why would that person be an imbecile if they didn't enjoy the video and gave it a thumbs down? They may have found something offensive in it. You assume too much...
hOLY SHIT i'M 72, AND TO SEE THAT READ HORN BTONN AND THAT STEERING WHEEL. NOT GENUINE FOR THAT MODEL, BUT TO SEE THEM AGAIN!!!B i HAD FORGOTTEN . THANKS FOR THE MERMORIES AH FKN CAPS LOCK cheers
I don't want to be rude but the idea of collecting Holdens is a bit ridiculous....all of them are so mediocre...they were good for what they were intended for - tough, durable basic transport but not ever did they excel at anything
I love your work on the museum
The EH Holden was unbreakable. I nearly rolled my bosses' EH Holden Ute but managed to keep it upright. A couple of years later a mate had an EH sedan that we took on a surfing trip via 4WD only tracks. The EH did it easily! One of the toughest 2WD cars ever built!
Very beautiful amazing cars beautiful amazing colours amazing looks thanks friend have a very nice afternoon
Thank you! You too!
Thank you, this was fascinating.
My uncle had a low mileage 48/215 that he'd inherited from his father, and had difficulty selling it, getting $5,000 in 1993.
I wonder if anyone remembers vacuum windscreen wipers - they were horrible.
They were OK at idle..
Glenn, I just want to say thank you for your promotion of your channel to which I have absolutely loved. My dear dad is a man on not many words but, we've sat down over this Christmas and he has lit up with so many fond memories and stories.
In this day and age where most channels are poor to view or just a means to grab $$$ via sponsorship or subscriptions. Yours is addictive, interesting and delivers a wonderful record of the Australian way with vehicles.
It's a credit to you and your production of this awesome show.
Cheers mate 🍻🦘
Thanks so much Jade. It can be a tough gig at times, trying to keep it all moving forward from a time and cost perspective, but it’s feedback like this that keeps me motivated to continue on. Please say hello to your Dad for me and thank him for watching too.
Seriously,, cant believe Holden is no more ... Harley Davidson has been bailed out several times in the US, just to keep the icon alive !!! such a shame for Australia, my first car was a Holden EH, coastal trips, boards on the roof,rusted out floors, childhood memories ill never forget !!! , so many iconic motors and Aussie history made here by us for us !!! , from racing to utility vehicles ..Man we lost something we all should be proud of and get back again .. hell i was probably conceived on the back seat of one like many other Aussies out there ... Something must be done cant sell out everything that made us who we once were !!!!!!
Blame the tight arsed government of the day & the snooty Australian public for wanting to pose off in merc's, bmw's, audi's, & con job japanese/,south Korean & Chinese suv's
Man does this bring back a childhood memory. I used to stand at my parents' front gate and I'd get excited when I saw the latest Holden model soon after its release.
As did Peter Brock with the first 48-215. So you are in good company.
I had a HD X2 ,loved it , bench seat unassisted drum brakes , no seat belts , those were the days . Thanks for the memories Glen and of course Neil
Glad you enjoyed it!
I don't care what anybody says you can't beat the looks of the old Holden,better looking than commodore .i had the F.B sedan and a HD panel van both great cars i wish i had them now.back in the day you could tell what make of car was in your rearview mirror by the headlights at night ,they all look the same now.one more thing you never worried about fuel economy when you are paying 2 bob (20cents)a gallon yes you heard me 2bob for standard or 2and5 for premium how things have change not always for the better
Top vid Glenn, alot of old memories in there. Thinking back now of how many of those models that we literally flogged to death, and wish you knew then what we know now
Such is life
Just amazing! Love these old cars. Neil is a marvel.
True.
That yellow on the 48 is beautiful.
They are so beautiful it made me cry how lovely & original them gems are you are so luck to have been able to drive them Holden manufacturing may be gone but what was made will stay forever Holden’s rule 👍
What a fantastic collection of Holden's - love the road tests too.
Glad you enjoyed it
The Hydramatic transmissions were also often called a "Sludgomatic" Transmission. Probably due to the drawn out gear change which made the engine sound like it was labouring between gears I guess. Yep, the EH was probably the best car Holden made back in the day.
That flat deck bonnet and flat deck boot lid made for good vision all round and improved the drivability of the unit. I owned an FE then an FC and two 64s being a panel van with a 179 and a sedan with a 149. My next Holden after those was a HZ Station Wagon with a 4.2 auto. All very good cars, but you could not beat the red motor for servicability and those 7 main bearings.
By the way, none of the designs were Australian, they were all scaled down versions of GM American cars and were designed in America according to some documentaries I have seen.
Also known as the Hydra-dramatic
a new Bucket list destination after covid
Wow what a beautiful car collection and that pristine Premier
There was more than Holden vying for the Aussie consumer dollar. There were also such classics as the Ford Zephyr, Vauxhall Cresta, Ford Falcon, Humber Super Snipe, and the odd Simca Vedette V8 and the list goes on.
All those cars are great looking, enjoyed that, thanks....
Wow. What a trip down memory lane. I'm South African and Holdens were available here in the 60's and 70's. Growing up my family had 4. I vividly remember sitting 3up in the front pew as the youngest while my 3 siblings sat in the back. Fantastic cars ideally suited to the similar conditions as Australia. The 4,2l with a 2 speed auto was a guzzler though. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
The early FX had the internal door lock positioned at the rear of the door near the quarter window. The FX featured is obviously built later in the run..
Wow love these Holdens! Good job guys.
Need to bring this show back to TV, it's a cool show .
😎
Thanks so much! Digital is the future now for us, so we'll be producing a bunch of new content here starting 2021. :-)
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines cheers mate I'll be fixed at home and watching.
😎👍🤙
I am involved with a club owned 1944 Lend Lease Chevrolet ex military tow truck. The plate on the old girls firewall says in big proud print "HOLDEN". I just thought you'd like that.
Fascinating history of Holden Australia.
Really enjoyed this one. I'm learning more and more about the car industry in Australia and how intertwined it was with the car manufactures in the US. Lots of history that I was totally unaware of.
So good to hear that. Its quite fascinating with the whole GM connection and what filtered through.
I cant believe the quality of the filming, as good or better than the TV show and just for UA-cam too. Hey Glenn there was another show worth saving on the same TV channel 64 as your old show, its called Guitar Gods goes Cosmic, if you have a few bucks left over can you resurrect that little gem ;)
Thanks Jethro! We will have our job cut out funding our content to a sufficient level to ensure we retain the high quality production values you've mentioned, but yes I do remember that show!
A few of the Holdens I've had ,48 fx, 69 hb torana,56 fe ,65 hd,68 hk monaro,74 hq premier 308, 76 hx ute, 2002 vu ute (still driving) .
Looking forward visiting the Holden museum
Glen, at 5:50 or so these 48-215s are 72 to 67 years old. Light because no chassis unlike all US GM products until the 1960 Corvair. Lightness for size gave economy and performance benefits. In 48 the biggest selling car was the Austin A40 with a 1.2 litre 4 cylinder. Soon swamped by Holden sales from November 48 onwards, especially when they got on top of the long waiting list for new Holdens.
This one was shot a few years back now for TV, hence the 65 year quote. I thought there might be a few pull me up on that one. :-)
My dad had a 64 EH wagon. I was only 4 years old and the EH represents some of my earliest memories. I remember having more than one nap in the back of it, sometimes with other siblings and going to the beach and drive-in. The noise of the upper tailgate mechanical stays with the click clack noise. We only had it for a little over a year before my dad traded it on a HD wagon which turned out to be a rust bucket in a short time.
Well my mother had the same vehicle for 29 years, however the gear boxes were terrible, I had to replace rear bearings at least 6 times in those years, one replacement box even managed to destroy a front bearing, and the engines had no tractability at low revs, they would jerk and snatch if you tried to crawl in second, however we had it sprayed underneath so it kept the rust at bay for a long time, however the mastic blocking the fuel tank breather nearly collapsed the tank with vacuum, till we found the problem.
@@adoreslaurel Yeah the gearboxes and diffs for that matter were weak. In the 70's wreckers did good business on the mechanicals.
@@erroneouscode Diff never a problem, our FJ had the diff centre gear shaft shit its cotter pin and and threw it into the pinion. mate had a king pin drop out on his FJ, finished up in a ditch on the wrong side of the road.
Very nice vid, I was at that museum a couple of months ago!
That was a great episode Glenn. I had a FC for a while back in the 60s. I’ve been to the traf Holden museum about 10 years ago.
I’m going back in a couple of weeks with my grandson.
It’s a crying shame ford and Holden stopped making cars in Australia.
Sometimes we don’t realise what we have until we lose it. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
they were too slow to react to trends. And if people won't buy them you go out of business
Glen...can you please do an episode on the Hurricane.
Ian Duncan , you must have ESP! That’s on our list of upcoming content production. Both the GTR-X and Hurricane. 👍
Beautiful Works of art.
Awesome! What a treat to be driving a classic early model 48-215. Just like winning Lotto. :)
As a young bloke dad had a new EK sedan and we thought we had won the lottery, as Neil said getting a ‘new’ car was quite an event. A few years later he bought a EH Ute second hand with the 179 in it. I learnt to drive in the Ute, it was a top vehicle and we sure used it, dad being a shearer and travelling around following the sheds would have all sorts stuff under the back canvas cover.
Crushing cars like this should be illegal now, and attract a fine. Any that still exist must be preserved.
I agree 100%
@@catey62
Cheers 😃👍
John Gibson sorry mate Holden didn't even care about Holden as we have seen....
@@tonys8243
Yeah.......the suits in Detroit have no connection to Holden enthusiasts on the ground. We can still preserve the history though.
So true John.
My 2nd car ii bought was an FJ,wish I had it now,my 1st was a Vauxhall 1954 wish I had that too lol,it was good to be a teenager
I never owned a Holden (or a Ford or Valiant either) but it's great to see the old Aussie cars like these in wonderful condition!
Bought my first car from my boss 1977 a holden special 186 motor what a car. my second from my uncle a 202 Kingswood that was a beauty. the 90s the V6 VN took centre stage now 2020 my ride is a 04
rodeo 30ltr tdi and still smiling cheers
A little history lesson for you Glenn. before the first Holden was built, the then manager of GM Australia's operations, Sir Lawrence Hartnett first came up with the idea of building Australia's own car, and after doing his research, put forward his proposal to GM management in America. they flatly refused at the time..their plan being to just build their cars over there and ship them here, obviously to protect their industry over there. however, Sir Lawrence persisted, wanting to bring his dream of building complete cars here. so, in the end, GM management relented, with one caveat. Lawrence had to find the backers here to provide the finance for the entire project for it to go ahead as they flatly refused to give so much as a single penny towards it. so, with the then Prime Minister Ben Chifley being keen to get Australia back on its feet after the war, with his help and the backing of the Commonwealth Bank who provided the 3 Million pounds needed to get things underway, things finally went ahead. then, once GM in the U.S. knew the project was going to go ahead they stepped back into the picture and took control of things, and the Holden was born. so, if it wasnt for the persistence of one man and the Australian governments commitment to rebuilding our manufacturing industries after a long war it would never had happened.there is a video on here somewhere about it that I saw a long time ago that goes right into it in depth.
catey62 , wow! Now that’s very interesting! Thanks for sharing that, and I doubt too many people would know that story.
Independently I posted this just before I read this :
A great background film answering many of Glens Holden questions :
ua-cam.com/video/XOCILCfDo5A/v-deo.html
Made in 1986 when many of the people involved in the development of the Holden 48-215 were still around to be interviewed. Provides so much more detail on the history of car manufacturing in Australia.
Sounds like the film you are referring too, unless there is another one giving more detail.
@@johnd8892 , looks like a good story, will check it out. :-)
They use to make holders in Australia )))
Very nice thanks. Some nice HQ's and HJ's lurking in the background too.
Some nice old classic thanks for sharing
From 0, naught to 50, fifty mph they were Holdens. From 50 to a screaming 80 mph they were "Holdons"... No grab handles in these old babes and no seatbelts either. I was fortunate enough to get a drive of a FJ sedan many years ago. I enjoyed it more than holding a baby..
Thanks Glen, it's nice to see you again.
Great to have you here John! 👍
Awesome video on the early Holdens👍
Would LOVE to go there, its on my bucket list (ex Perth)
11:31 Could be anywhere is SA (South Alabama, US) where I'm from. 😃
What a great episode, so much history but the EH was the icing on the cake.
A bit of trivia for you, did you know that the hydramatic in the EH was really a four speed? Three selectable and a split gear or ratio between 2nd and 3rd. It only engaged if you flattened it at a speed range too high for 2nd which gave it enormous overtaking power for the time.
Interesting! they certainly were a unique trans! Glad you're enjoying our content. :-)
My favourite Aussie car of all time is the HT Monaro 350. Stylish, fast, circular gauges, Bathurst history, great sound. What's not to like?
I'm still incredibly angry at all those who played a role in the downfall of our manufacturing capability.......the unions, government and GM suits who didn't understand our market.
Who decided that zero tarriffs were a great idea?? Great for the importers, terrible for our assembly line workers!!
Spot on! Yes, once upon a time our government put tariffs in place to ensure our local auto industries were competitive.
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines
Logic and commonsense is lacking in today's politics.
@@davidbrayshaw3529
They didn't have to pay 'bribes' to make them stay. All they had to do was keep tarriffs at reasonable levels to make imported cars not unreachable, but expensive enough to keep local cars on buyers consideration list.
Whatever was being paid to Ford, GM etc was easily being paid back with payroll tax, etc. You also had cashed up workers circulating money through the local economy. Then there were the local suppliers who relied on them.
What do we have now? Whole suburbs were sent to the dole que.
And as the video explained, manufacturing capacity is useful in times of conflict.
Why don't you get this? Oh yes......'bribes' or something.....
As for the unions? Whilst useful in many cases, they made our workers too expensive to employ in a global context. China, Thailand, etc offer labour and production costs that we just cannot compete with. That's why you need either high tarriffs, or lower production costs. High production costs and low/no tarriffs aren't conductive to a successful manufacturing sector.
@@davidbrayshaw3529
Well said, and thank you 😊
Releasing any new large car after about 2005 was suicide, yes. Hence my sentence that the heavies in Detroit didn't understand our market, or buyer trends.
As I outlined above, several factors over a period of time played a role in the closures, not just one thing or one person.
It's not just cars, but everything you purchase at Bunnings or Harvey Norman. Even our paint brushes are imported for goodness sake. Frankly, it's humiliating.
Enjoy your day my friend 😃
Hey Glen, and Neil at the museum, the letters E H in Holden’s nomeclature actually stands for a particular year. 1963... He mentioned 1964 for the model year release, which is incorrect.
I.E, E stands fot 61 - 64, and H stands for 3, hence, 1963 which is when it was released. August 29 I believe.
Also no mention in this video of the WA model, which preceded the WB model.
One exists...
Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. Thanks for watching. :-)
@Michael Black there’s also the WA kingswood at the national motor museum at Birdwood SA. It’s basically an HZ Statesman body with a WB Kingswood grille, HZ shaped but different tail lights along with unique door trim. In need of restoration.
My first car, a 1963 EH Special with 179 and Hydramatic. Aqua colour with a white roof. Wish I had kept it
I don't know why I remember this but the colour was Portsea blue
Stavros
They had a generator too not an alternator as many folk think!
Stavros again
You are dead set right there Stavros!
All correct, was my first car in 1979. Unassisted drum brakes, skinny tyres , king pin suspension, rear leaf springs. Driving in the wet made you a skilled driver😅
I had an EK two tone yellow white ,flash in its day ,very good car crossed Nullarbor three time when it was just a track ,no bitumen between Penong SA ans N[orseman WA
1st car of mine was a fb holden, i now use dads hr as my daily driver
would have been nice to have a look at the wagon beside the beige fj
Every car I’ve owned have been Holden’s (HSV and HDT also) excepting 2 Honda’s for work cars.
Bang for your Buck, best in the World as Top Gear would say!!!
I am pretty sure that the car that is on display, and you are driving is actually the second model that came out in 1952.
The first model, I owned one, had the lock buttons for the rear doors at the rear of the door near the quarter window. Not being able to see underneath, again, the first model had knee action shock absorbers instead of upper wishbones and the '52 was fitted with ordinary upper wishbones and telescopic shock absorbers.
It also has FJ bumper overriders, fitted when the 48-215 was in run-out mode in 1953. My parents had one similarly equipped. 48 (year of release) 215 (2.15 litre engine).
Everitt, these films are great to watch. I like how that year Holden HK Monaro has a late 60s-early 70s Oldsmobile style to it. Then it appears the Monaro of the mid-to late 70s have more of a 70s Buick style to it. I think the styling of that HK 327 Monaro looks better. Since the mid-2000s my fondness for GM has waned considerably, I still like the older GMs though. GM putting Holden out of business in one example of their continued stupidity.
Interesting.
look folks this is when we made things.
Legend
Glen, At 8:30 you asked why this size of car was chosen for the 48-215. The answer, from the Holden head at the time, is that what size of new car could the average man pay for a car back in 1948, as explained by Holden head Sir Laurence Hartnett in this great film made by the ABC going into great detail of the Holden Story and the Australian and world history impacting it :
ua-cam.com/video/XOCILCfDo5A/v-deo.html
Made shortly before Sir Laurence Hartnett, who could be regarded as the father of the new Holden, died . Sir Laurence Hartnett was a whizz kid from GM Vauxhall sent to Holden in the 30s to turn it around and stem the losses or shut Holden down. In the 30s he built on the talents of the staff to turn it around.
Lots of background interviewing people from the pre war Holden development period when they were still around. The whole film is well worth a look for those interested in the history of Holden and the Holden response to the then Prime Minister Ben Chifley's 1945 call for a locally made car.
Pre the GM takeover Holden at their peak made 35,000 bodies for 20 makes of car. I recall reading that Holden bodies of this era could be found on Fords, Dodges and the big Fiats of the era. Later they even made some bodies for Melbourne W class trams.
Interesting, I'll check it out! Enjoying your interaction and glad you're watching our content, we appreciate it. :-)
Just think the first 48-215 Holden is 72 yrs old love Holden. My fave is the eh special
2 Adults + 3 kids and dogs, - or 5 Adults, with a boot that would take all the luggage, lots of headroom, all at 28MPG for holiday drives. Done that more than a few times in the Eh sedan & Wagon. Cant really find anything today that can do all that, either too small boot or small interior...
I’ve always kept an eye out for a stock standard EH, I Like the premier version myself. The good ones are never sold and why should they. Go the classic EH
Lol I had a pink Holden fridge and far out was it heavy.
What was that FX FJ wagon Parked next to the FX? I dont believe holden ever made those did that? would have been nice get some info on that one. But great story. Otherwise, thanks.
Apparently there was a body building company, whose name escapes my mind right now that did the conversions on them. you took your Fj sedan to them and they did the station wagon conversion to them.
@@catey62 wow that's cool. I've seen 1 or 2 but always thought it was someone's individual conversion.
I recall somewhere that the conversion cost was about 50% of the price of an FJ extra. So not many made at that price, and when the FE Station Sedan (as GMH called wagons) came along they stopped pretty quickly. Hope they did not spend effort on an FE sedan during the period before the FE wagon was released. This was much later than the sedan. Hope GMH told them what was in the pipeline.
What happened to the good old engineers, simple reliable and efficient, average person could do general maintenance , parts were easy to get because they didn't change things every year, we're not going ahead
It is bad thing we no longer de-coke? A bad thing an engine today will probably never NEED to have its head or heads off in it's lifetime, or any bearings replaced?
It's called micro economics, unfortunately a quick dollar is more important than the grass roots of a car manufacturer. Today cars look fancy with all their gimmicks but aren't made to last long. In today's world people don't appreciate the fine things, eventually im hoping all the old work ethics and morals will return in the not too distant future.
@@JohnJohn-gu4nw No. The mechanicals in to-days have the durability engineers 50 years could only have dreamt of. My old man got crumbs for his immaculate '09 Camry a few years back...it had 225,000 kms on the clock, had NEVER had the head off, was on the same water pump, radiator, starter etc etc. I remember my next door neighbours growing up had a shovelnose Corona; lining their fence all along were the Cylinder blocks it had gone through in it's life...!!! What it is is people want the latest, safest model they can afford, so when you see good cars being junked it doesn't point to any inherent fault, just fashion
@@stephenscholes4758 today fashion is crap, cars had stronger bodies than the flimsy bodies of today, plastic took over, people make cars to make money, one of the biggest cons is the 4wd supposedly built for the off road, how many 4wd's actually go off road isn't many, people shouldn't rely so much on safety otherwise they shouldn't be on the road, airbags are fine. You are right it's fashion.
well done Glen not 1 Dunnydore in sight only REAL Holdens
What a wonderful collection!🤤 My first car aged 18 in 1980 was an EH Premier with the 179HP😈 One family owned from new, from father to son to brother, then me. By the time I bought it for $1150 it had extractors, K-Mac suspension, 4 speed Toyota box!😱 The interior was absolutely 100% original leather. I still have the original rego plates which is now on a European work van.😢 Nonetheless, each time I look at the plates it takes me back to my first love😍...the EH!🤣
Thanks for sharing! Those Toyota Boxes were a good thing and and a common conversion, both 4 and 5 speed.
You'd have to be a real die hard Holden fan , to buy an EH Holden with a little ,ancient design 179 ci ,and an unimpressive 2 speed slush box, instead of an AP5 Valiant with the modern and magnificent 225 slant6 , and unbeatable Torqueflite automatic.
Chrysler had awesome drivetrains. :-)
Some horrible news on the radio 3AW at 4:38 12 October 2020 is that the GMH car collection at Fisherman's bend is being crushed. Hope the caller with the news is wrong. GM orders.
Oh no! Surely not!
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Hopefully just a crank type call as I cant find any other reports searching with Google. The caller to the radio show said he first saw signage on the factory building being photographed then taken down and destroyed with photos taken of the remains taken to prove they had been destroyed. They said very high offers were made for the signs but the instructions for destruction stood. That seems a very determined process of deliberate destruction. They said inside cars were being crushed. We all hope there is just some confusion and it is just unsold Korean cars badged as Holdens being crushed, but time will tell. Unless the Government step in to somehow save our heritage. I fear things like the GTR-X, Hurricane and Effigy may be inside as well as other icons.
A great background film answering many of Glens Holden questions :
ua-cam.com/video/XOCILCfDo5A/v-deo.html
Made in 1986 when many of the people involved in the development of the Holden 48-215 were still around to be interviewed. Provides so much more detail on the history of car manufacturing in Australia.
Umm... nitpicking here. If the 48-215 featured was made in 1948 the it is 72 years old, not 65.
This episode was shot a few years back for tv. We’re utilising some of our existing content to build the channel for a new audience until restrictions are lifted and we can get back out to shoot new content. 😊
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Okay...now I understand.
you did not mention the 161 motor
Hi Paul. The EH model range only offered the 149 and 179 variants. The 161 engine didn’t enter the equation until later on, in the HK range.
*I’ll take both*
Me: I’ll take the 1st Holden FX and the Winning Holden V8 supercar 2020
Didn't know about the white goods interesting 🤔sorry I can't resist, low tariffs, Tony Abbott and Thai utes have a lot to answer for ,in helping to de-industrialize Australia, oh well least we have submarines ,I say this because people and politicians need not to make the same mistakes again with other industry's and encourage any automotive development or production in the future if it ever arises again , you never know what could happen post covide 🤞but in the next 30years maybe not .
Nice collection thou, I'll take the HR out of this lot , even know I am a Ford man
Remove money and religion from politics, then Australia will have a proper democracy - the lnp will be in damage mode as they will have no 'donations' from foreign interests to set up shop here and not pay tax. The deregulation of the Australian market, which included workers rights, was also done by the howard gov. and furthered by other lnp pm's, where the lnp believe that 'foreign multinationals' take precedence over endemic australia commerce, local/interstate business and Public Infrastructure. The other issue concerning the lnp, is their idea that foreign companies here are allowed to outsource their work and also hire cheap foreign labour by importing them - these same US and european companies are also not made to use Australian products as an incentive for tax relief - they are just given this tax relief as they pay 'donations' to the lnp.
Good episode Glenn to my mind the only real Holden was the billion dollar baby the VE
other than that it’s all rebadged Chevrolet or European Opel even going back to 1979 everybody thought the Commodore was ours it was an Opel Senator that had better seals against red dust ingress a different motor and different vinyl fabric to take the heat in Australia without oozing liquid from the vinyl due to the heat from our sun
I wonder if there really is such a thing as the great Australian car maybe The closest thing is the concept of the Ute.......
Yes, the VE was one major leap forward, and one our engineers here should be very proud of. When they first came out I was still working in the performance tuning industry and out one up on the hoist. The suspension platform on the underside and engineering looking like something you'd expect to see on a BMW!
Glenn Everitt - Master of Machines Yes you’re quite right Glenn unfortunately the company was probably better off to not do it because it could be a factor that sent them broke.......
but then again maybe they were gonna go broke anyway who knows
It’s a shame that such a good and positive story had a negative ending
Yes, most Holdens were heavily influenced by GM but there was a lot more to the various Commodore models than different trim and badges. They may have looked similar on the outside and even borrowed some body panels, but underneath they were very different to their European cousins. The VB had to be re-structured from the Opel because it almost broke in half on outback roads. The VN sure looks like an Opel/Vauxhall but had a completely different platform. The differences are many and varied. As you say, not as Australian as people think but as Australian as possible under the circumstances I suppose. The ute versions are definitely uniquely Aus. Cheers
@@PaulinesPastimes , well said! You certainly have some great in-depth knowledge there!
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Thank you. Just a long interest in cars and some research. The history is fascinating. Great channel, you are fortunate to see and drive these cars. :-)
😍
Sorry Glenn...AUSTRALIA NEVER EVER built a complete car. HOLDEN was simply a copy of a European body later built by Holden..The engine was usually from America...so the Classic Holden was the body only. As an "expert" on vehicles I would have thought you would know this.....
Holden was Australian made, but owned by GM with global GM input and resources, and of course our models reflected that, sharing many similarities from not only US variants but also European examples such as Opel. Also, in most cases, our engines were unique to Australia such as the Holden V8, with occasional American alternatives used such as the small block Chevrolet. Our six cylinder range was also unique to Aus, but of course shared design similarities to variants available in the US, such as the Blue flame Six, as you'd expect being GM owned.
The torana is a vauxhall viva
I see there are a few imbeciles that have given this video a thumbs down, how is that possible? This is an awesome video, well done.
It's OK but not awesome...
@@shanemitchell5807 were you one of the imbeciles that gave it a thumbs down?
@@jb7591 No. Why would that person be an imbecile if they didn't enjoy the video and gave it a thumbs down? They may have found something offensive in it. You assume too much...
@@shanemitchell5807 offensive, seriously? Have you detected anything offensive?
@@jb7591 No but I'm not everyone.
hOLY SHIT i'M 72, AND TO SEE THAT READ HORN BTONN AND THAT STEERING WHEEL. NOT GENUINE FOR THAT MODEL, BUT TO SEE THEM AGAIN!!!B i HAD FORGOTTEN . THANKS FOR THE MERMORIES AH FKN CAPS LOCK cheers
I don't want to be rude but the idea of collecting Holdens is a bit ridiculous....all of them are so mediocre...they were good for what they were intended for - tough, durable basic transport but not ever did they excel at anything
Amazing ❤