Cars you don't see many of anymore

[roKWiz]

J40 Landcruiser this morning, even had a canvas water bag strapped to the bullbar.
Anyone younger than 30 might have to Google it.

[mondeomatureguy]

Hi guys,
I saw two Holden Sandman Panel vans one was yellow and other was White and they were parked out side a park.

I cant remember the last time i was a Holden Sandman Panel Van apart from at a Car Show. They were both HZ Models they had full GTS instrumentation and V8s.

I usually have my camera in the car but that day left it at home.

[anobserver]

Panel vans are essentially collectible now. Its weird being old enough to remember when they were mere work cars.

[Loonar]

A passing parade past here over the last 24hrs or so of street/strip vehicles.

I'm guessing they had been to Morgan Park (Warwick) and maybe heading to Willowbank.

All sorts, predominately Commo's but a couple of decent Chargers, some Camaro's, Holden 1 Tonners, quite a few tasty Fords, some Seppo classics, Torana's, Corty's, Capri's and many assorted others. All sounding v.tough, could hear them coming for some way off. Many with trailers (reckon we could smell the fuel on them)

Very hot here today, so hope they had no issues.. would have got worse heatwise once you get down the Toowoomba range and heading east..

[five 7]

Originally Posted by Loonar

A passing parade past here over the last 24hrs or so of street/strip vehicles.

I'm guessing they had been to Morgan Park (Warwick) and maybe heading to Willowbank.

All sorts, predominately Commo's but a couple of decent Chargers, some Camaro's, Holden 1 Tonners, quite a few tasty Fords, some Seppo classics, Torana's, Corty's, Capri's and many assorted others. All sounding v.tough, could hear them coming for some way off. Many with trailers (reckon we could smell the fuel on them)

Very hot here today, so hope they had no issues.. would have got worse heatwise once you get down the Toowoomba range and heading east..

Probably the drag challenge cars heading to Willowbank

Originally Posted by Cav

Current job

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by anobserver

Panel vans are essentially collectible now. Its weird being old enough to remember when they were mere work cars.

I had a HX Sandman P van green 308 4sp.

Also a XC Falcon 5.8L 4sp GS wheels bonnet and grill extractors and dual exhaust stock engine gutless. some drugged up dude owned it before me.

I used them for work and play, wish I still had the HX van.

I still have the XC but it's under the ground now as a mate drove his dozer over it for me righting off his XY GT-HO into a power pole. he was the one who said into it back in 1982 and it just went side ways instantly and into a pole and a fence. he bought a HZ van all decked out not a work car at all but a 308 hotted up to much for a road car fuel, it just about wheel stand taking off, but cost him to much in engine repairs and killing T400 autos.
His van handled real well, but the XY they do not handle, I think I saved his life for sure getting rid of that XY.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by mick taylor

I had a HX Sandman P van green 308 4sp.

I used them for work and play, wish I still had the HX van.

.

So do I Mick, so do I.

[ford71V8]

Originally Posted by mick taylor

I had a HX Sandman P van green 308 4sp.

Also a XC Falcon 5.8L 4sp GS wheels bonnet and grill extractors and dual exhaust stock engine gutless. some drugged up dude owned it before me.

I used them for work and play, wish I still had the HX van.

I still have the XC but it's under the ground now as a mate drove his dozer over it for me righting off his XY GT-HO into a power pole. he was the one who said into it back in 1982 and it just went side ways instantly and into a pole and a fence. he bought a HZ van all decked out not a work car at all but a 308 hotted up to much for a road car fuel, it just about wheel stand taking off, but cost him to much in engine repairs and killing T400 autos.
His van handled real well, but the XY they do not handle, I think I saved his life for sure getting rid of that XY.

Please try and avoid saving my life
Thanks

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by ford71V8

Please try and avoid saving my life
Thanks

It's the rear springs that are the problem, I would invest in getting them sorted best you can, they are a shocker, the ute and P van spring setup is so much better and I am sure something can be done to make the sedan rear much better.
Look at how good the AU utes handled with leaf springs.
My stock from new XG Longreach was fine you could drive it with complete control at all times.
XC van was fine as well.
A mate crashed in his XY 302 Fairmont real bad in 1979, if he only knew better how to set such a car up.

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by mick taylor

It's the rear springs that are the problem, I would invest in getting them sorted best you can, they are a shocker, the ute and P van spring setup is so much better and I am sure something can be done to make the sedan rear much better.
Look at how good the AU utes handled with leaf springs.
My stock from new XG Longreach was fine you could drive it with complete control at all times.
XC van was fine as well.
A mate crashed in his XY 302 Fairmont real bad in 1979, if he only knew better how to set such a car up.

Yeah... Bathurst lap times woulda been much improved if they’d of raced superior handling utes or panel vans instead of Phase 111s with their crap rear suspension!
(And I thought I’d heard it all?.... what tripe!)

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by mick taylor

It's the rear springs that are the problem, I would invest in getting them sorted best you can, they are a shocker, the ute and P van spring setup is so much better and I am sure something can be done to make the sedan rear much better.
Look at how good the AU utes handled with leaf springs.
My stock from new XG Longreach was fine you could drive it with complete control at all times.
XC van was fine as well.
A mate crashed in his XY 302 Fairmont real bad in 1979, if he only knew better how to set such a car up.

Well there must be something wrong with my eyesight.Pretty sure that every pre XE sed I ever looked under had the same leaf spring rear suspension as the utes and panel vans,but according to Mick I got it all wrong.

[wodahs]

well you do know Charlie n Tass
a good operator always blames his equipment
isnt that how it goes ???

some thing musta been wrong with my XY as i never had this problem
but it did go like stink when asked for what it was

[Franco Cozzo]

What's a leaf spring

Next you'll be talking about drum brakes on the front

[wodahs]

dont be silly Franco

drum brakes ! isnt that what reverse is for

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

Well there must be something wrong with my eyesight.Pretty sure that every pre XE sed I ever looked under had the same leaf spring rear suspension as the utes and panel vans,but according to Mick I got it all wrong.

Looks the same to you does it, have a good look they are not at all the same in fact.

Even the GT HO rear spring is different to the normal sedan rear spring not to mention shocks valving.

[mick taylor]

Charllywool the Bathurst XY rear end was not the same as factory.
I was going to ask Dicky boy what they truly did to the rear end of them XD leaf springs.

The XE race cars do not have the same rear end as well as factory they even modified that a hell of a lot.

Drive a AU ute on, not a bad leaf sprung rear setup in the XR6-8 not to mention I think 4 different types are all good setups for what they are. they got the geometry sorted much better you know. but hey ignorance is bliss.

So what I am pointing out is that not all leaf sprung cars are the same at all, like most claim such to be, it's like oh leaf springs are @%&! well that's not a fact. a good setup leaf can be way better than most think.

I could modify a XY Falcons rear leaf springs setup and if you can truly drive you would be amazed at how much better it is than the stock rubbish.

[lumen8]

Saw a Camira wagon today. Faded red.

Cant remember the last time ive seen a Camira, especially a wagon.

"The Holden Camira is a mid-size car which was produced by Holden between 1982 and 1989. It was Holden's version of GM's J-body family of cars—GM's third "global" car platform. The name "Camira" comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "wind."

After an initial good sales run, Camira sales dropped significantly and the model was discontinued in 1989. The Holden Apollo, a rebadged Toyota Camry was introduced as the Australian market replacement, with New Zealand instead offering the European-sourced Opel Vectra.

In all 151,807 Camiras were built (85,725 JBs; 36,953 JDs; and 29,129 JEs)"

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by lumen8

Saw a Camira wagon today. Faded red.

Cant remember the last time ive seen a Camira, especially a wagon.

"The Holden Camira is a mid-size car which was produced by Holden between 1982 and 1989. It was Holden's version of GM's J-body family of cars—GM's third "global" car platform. The name "Camira" comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "wind."

After an initial good sales run, Camira sales dropped significantly and the model was discontinued in 1989. The Holden Apollo, a rebadged Toyota Camry was introduced as the Australian market replacement, with New Zealand instead offering the European-sourced Opel Vectra.

In all 151,807 Camiras were built (85,725 JBs; 36,953 JDs; and 29,129 JEs)"

And by the time they were making the 2 litre JE they were a fairly reliable car with a lot less rust problems than the JBs, but alas too late

[xkxlxm]

Chev Biscayne, 1965-66, 4 door sedan, right hand drive, personalised plates, lady driver who was possibly old enough to be the original owner. (There couldn't have been too many of these around back in the sixties.)

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

Chev Biscayne, 1965-66, 4 door sedan, right hand drive, personalised plates, lady driver who was possibly old enough to be the original owner. (There couldn't have been too many of these around back in the sixties.)

The only Chev Biscayne sold new in Australia was the 1958 model. From 1959 to the last Aussie built Chev in 1968, they were Bel Airs or Impalas.

A 1965-66 Biscayne would be a private import & very rare in Aust.. By 1965-66 the Biscayne was basically the 'Belmont' of the range. The only ones that I've seen in real life were military vehicles used for officer transport. They were painted Army green all over.

Dr Terry

[GT450]

Correct me if I am wrong but XE was the first all coil sprung Falcon sedan and the leaf springs were only used on utes, panel vans and wagons, and the sedan I had certainly had them.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Fairlane 500

An Australian icon,

The great Ford Falcon Taxi.

You can't be serious? Falcon taxis are everywhere in Melbourne. I'd say somewhere between 15-20% of taxis would still be Falcons these days.

Cars you don't see many of - 1950s classics! Very few here in Australia, whereas if anyone has ever been to America, they're everywhere. Every other house in the US seems to have some classic car sitting in the driveway or garage. I'm not sure why this is - maybe the Americans are just more car obsessed. Or the fact that 1950s cars were plentiful in America back in the day, and there were so many good models. Here in Australia, cars were relatively scarce still in the 50s, and we had very few models worthy of collection.

[lumen8]

Originally Posted by GT450

Correct me if I am wrong but XE was the first all coil sprung Falcon sedan and the leaf springs were only used on utes, panel vans and wagons, and the sedan I had certainly had them.

I think that is correct.

And XE to AU are very similar, other than the width of the lower arms changing where the bush is, and some variations in the top arms, the pickup points all seem to be in the same place? and are even there in the AU IRS cars, ford just left out the bolt sleeve for the top arm bolt in the IRS cars, wouldve saved them a few cents per car, but the chassis rails are the same.

[lumen8]

Originally Posted by MrZ

Cars you don't see many of - 1950s classics! Very few here in Australia, whereas if anyone has ever been to America, they're everywhere. Every other house in the US seems to have some classic car sitting in the driveway or garage. I'm not sure why this is - maybe the Americans are just more car obsessed. Or the fact that 1950s cars were plentiful in America back in the day, and there were so many good models. Here in Australia, cars were relatively scarce still in the 50s, and we had very few models worthy of collection.

There was a time nobody wanted them here. A lot of chevys ended up at Norm Teppers joint in Murtoa.

The old holdens and fords, so many just rusted away on farms, or got scrapped in cities.

In the US, the 57 chevy for one was always popular in different forms of racing so although many got demolished by accident (and sometimes on purpose) , im not sure they were ever undesireable. Heck they now make the bodyshells new, you can build one from scratch having no original parts.

Everywhere in this world has become somewhat of a throw away society, but I think there are/were more hoarders in the US, people who couldnt bring themselves to throw cars and parts away.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by lumen8

There was a time nobody wanted them here. A lot of chevys ended up at Norm Teppers joint in Murtoa.

Who's that?

[lumen8]

Originally Posted by MrZ

Who's that?

I thought id replied earlier but I mustve lost the post

He was a farmer who was collecting chevys and pontiac cars and trucks for decades, buying whatever he could on the cheap when nobody else wanted them.

I went and saw his place once in the late 80s as a kid. By then people started knowing about it, it had been mentioned in magazines, and whatever he had in 55-57 was flying out the farm gate by then.

Norm didnt care for the shoebox chevys and said so, he liked the big 67s and 68s and if I remember right had 2 or 3 of those in as new condition that were garaged.

All of them were the Australian assembled ones, so no 2 doors or anything exotic. 4 door post cars mostly, if not all of them.

Apparently when he passed, whatever was left there got scrapped.

[barra240t]

It is my mission to get this on the road in 2021! I've just been very lazy.

I rescued this old duck before anyone else could buy it, it was too tidy to see it be run into the ground by a P plater. 64k on the clock. Once one of Ford Australia's best selling vehicles, put together by Australians in Sydney's Homebush plant.

A cheap piece of Australian automotive history, slowly creeping up in price, but it isn't about money, its about showing what wind up windows were and no power steering.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by barra240t

It is my mission to get this on the road in 2021! I've just been very lazy.

I rescued this old duck before anyone else could buy it, it was too tidy to see it be run into the ground by a P plater. 64k on the clock. Once one of Ford Australia's best selling vehicles, put together by Australians in Sydney's Homebush plant.

A cheap piece of Australian automotive history, slowly creeping up in price, but it isn't about money, its about showing what wind up windows were and no power steering.

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Nice example, My brother 2 door sport model with 5 speed manual in silver and was a pretty good looking car for the time.

But it did amaze me how long these Australian examples kept running carby E5 engines when the E5F was available in japan with EFI.

to put in perspective My jap import AE86 was the same year and had the 4AGE
Toyota Australia was selling sprinters with the same chassis also with carby engines?

[BlueBear]

Citroen BX 16V, haven't seen another one since I sold mine 13 years ago now.
It was a truly amazing little car.



Prior to that I had a BX 19GT, it too was a far better car than most people ever realised.

Cheers,

[Adamz Ghia]

Originally Posted by barra240t

It is my mission to get this on the road in 2021! I've just been very lazy.

I rescued this old duck before anyone else could buy it, it was too tidy to see it be run into the ground by a P plater. 64k on the clock. Once one of Ford Australia's best selling vehicles, put together by Australians in Sydney's Homebush plant.

A cheap piece of Australian automotive history, slowly creeping up in price, but it isn't about money, its about showing what wind up windows were and no power steering.

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My favourite memory of that car is when we took it camping from Mildura to White Cliffs, via the Menindee Lakes. We loaded that thing up to the hilt, roof racks and all. Every time we got to a floodway we had to stop and unload everything to make the car as light as possible, then once over the other side pack it all up again.

We didn’t make it to White Cliffs, we were a couple of hours out and we got stuck in a flood way, bogged to the doors. Had to wait a few hours before a LandCruiser came through and pulled us out. The Laser took everything we could throw at it and then some (except the last floodway)!