MY RESTORDED 1964 HOLDEN
THE SALTBUSH GREEN HOLDEN
Time to move on. I owned for a number of years a two tone green FJ Holden that was the second model Holden produced, they hit the market early
in 1956 a great car. Alas, it was time for a change. After selling my restored 1956 FJ Holden. I picked up the EH, a 1964 built Holden sedan and have recently
completed the restoration.
Why upgrade to an EH?
My younger years saw me work on various FJ's with my brother Robert; at one stage we had five FJ's in our Mums back yard. Robert would teach me how to change axels,
drivelines etc, I now know that the day we chopped the roof off one of them with an axe and a mattock would today be deemed as sacrilege by FJ enthusiasts.
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My very first car I had owned when I was old enough to buy one (aged 17) was 1964 EH Holden wagon. It was in saltbush green with a white roof.
I had widened the back guards with a piece of timber and a hydraulic jack, not to wide but wide enough to suit my wheels they were shod with new Dunlop Aqua jet tyres.
The wagon was all original, 179 red motor.
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I had installed a Smiths clock and NASCO heater only. Oh yes it had light orange curtains in it, made by my Mother. Mattress
in the back was mandatory as I needed for my speedway trips away. I had been looking for an EH wagon similar to one described above, I had been looking for four years, but to no avail, I wanted similar to what I
had, not blue, not and it red, but Saltbush Green.
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I had found a similar coloured vehicle, but it was a sedan, I took one look! and I decided it was coming home with me. The owner said "Lance is this car going to a
good home"? I said OH yes it sure is. The car had been recently painted as the owner gave the car to his Grandson for a present, BUT his Grandson did not like it. The car
was not registered and had sat idle in a shed out at Londonderry (a suburb on the outskirts of Sydney NSW) for the past 25 years.
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It started first time, but did need some TLC. Along with the car were several spare parts, guards, windows, three boxes of small parts.
I had the car brought home on a tilt tray truck and ran it straight into my garage, I proceeded to pull the seats out, the carpet which revealed rust on the back
floor pans, they would need to be replaced. The engine bay was very ordinary as was the boot (trunk) area. The car would need new shocks, springs, tyres, carpet,
seats re upholstered, basically everything except body work.
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First off the floor pans were done, Rare Spares in Sydney supplied those and they have supplied a lot of gear to me over the years. Mainly for
our Variety Bash car, but more about that later.
With the help of the boys at Blackshaws Smash repairs the floor pans were replaced, (its amazing what a carton of grog and a few bucks can do) next came the carpet.
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Whilst this was being done, the engine department was being cared for by a very good friend and Holden expert Frank Tedesco,
(this guy knows everything about Holden's) frank striped the motor, repainted it in the original red motor colours, the radiator needed re coring so I upgraded to three
cores rather than two, just in case I venture more distanced than I normally do.
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It was then onto EBAY to locate an original Astor or Diamond Dot radio, AM of course, NO FM here. I finall found one at more cost than I
thought, but what the heck I wanted original. This was intalled by another great mate and speedway champion Craig Geering from C&A Mobile Sound, if you are in Sydney and
need sound this is the guy to talk to.
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With the floor and new carpet replaced it was time to refit the seats, a lot better since new springs and framing had been replaced.
New kick boards freshly painted of course were fitted, along with newly painted rear parcel tray, (Mmm, can you smell the paint yet),
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With Frank helping out with the mechanicals, and the gear box need serviced "as we do not know when it had been done last, may have been 25 years
ago", there were no records to indicate, now with the underneath of the car replaced it was time to re fit the new set of white wall tyres. Oops can't do that till
we repaint the wheels. Once they were done the tyres were fitted.
After a stringent inspection by an engineer the car was ready to be registered. The car passed with flying colours. Off to the RTA (Department of Motor Transport)
and rego is complete. All I needed then was to replace my black and white number plates, yep LW369 were back on a car where they belong. These plates have been a part of my life since 1979 so
I did not want to let them go.
The car drives like a brand new one, you won't get better. Beautifully smooth changing hydromantic, bumped up drivers seat, radio set on 2CH all that is to do now is
go cruising.
YOU to can do this, join a car club with the car of your choice, in the case mine in an 1964 EH Holden Special Sedan. (By the way, I am still looking for that elusive
wagon)
Here's all the stats on the eh Holden EH Stats .
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