If you take an earlier model Chevy shape and squeeze it about, you'll finish up with a Holden. I used Holden parts to fix my Camaro. Suspension, door handles, hinges, etc, they're all the same. Just like Falcon's use Mustang parts. So there's nothing wrong with it.
Never did go much on HQ's, but the early Monaro's were special.
phillip.weston,
Feb 25, 9:16pm
the Carlton was only ever a four door, the only two door V-body car was the Opel Monza, which due to its obvious heavy European influence, looks hardly like a Holden Commodore of the same era. There were mechanical differences as well, the Monza had recirculating ball steering and IRS while the Commodore had rack and pinion and live axle diff. Even the interiors were vastly different.
Fitting a V8 into it and slapping on some Monaro badges will not make it a Monaro.
ema1,
Feb 25, 9:27pm
The correct name for that particular Vauxhall product was CARLTON and it only was produced as a 4 door. Opel Monza was the coupe version and some were rebadged as Vauxhalls for the UK RHD market. There was a German guy that worked with the German consortium building the Clyde Hydro dam that had an Opel Monza and I got to work on it and drive it the odd occasion. It was an inline 6 cyl OHC not sure the capacity but it was quite a goer, very much the same appearance to the VB-VC Commodore front on. The dashboard though LHD in this car was virtually a mirror image of the VB Commodore unit. The Opel was a 5 speed on the floor I recall.
ema1,
Feb 25, 9:43pm
The Holdens up to the last of the HZ models were mostly Australian indigenous designed with tendencies towards the Detriot GM products and from the VB Commodores onwards the designs were Australianised German Opel designs and latterly the Australian input has increased greatly and the very latest Holdens are virtually all Australian desisn. The Toranas though were to start with nothing but glorified and reworked Vauxhall HB Viva's (remember the Brabham Viva!)and then they extended the basically Viva HB body strengthened it and fitted the 161-186 initially then onto the later 173-202cid GM-H Red 6 cylinder engines in their various forms & states of tune. The later LH & LX etc Toranas-Sunbirds & derivatives were more or less loosly redesigned Opel designs and strengthened for Aussie conditions and they were one of the first cars world wide to offer 4 cyl, 6 cyl & V8's in the same basically body shell.
peejeles,
Feb 25, 10:04pm
yeah me too. it looks a good buy to me. 350 crate engine and a fix up=nice car
icemans1,
Feb 25, 10:33pm
i'd have one if i won lotto
franc123,
Feb 25, 10:45pm
V was simply Opels designation for the GM global medium/large car developed in the mid '70's, which became among other things the VB Commodore, they were of course sold as Vauxhalls but that isn't where the name came from.In that period Vauxhall was being changed into simply GM's UK nameplate, as opposed to having any design or engineering independence.The last true Vauxhalls were the HC Viva and the FE Victor, everything from Chevette onwards was Opel based.
icemans1,
Feb 25, 10:48pm
hc viva's, been there, done that, wish i hadn't
lookoutas,
Feb 26, 12:17am
Glad you said 'One of the first' But there again, most Mustang owners wouldn't care to admit to being in that club.
phillip.weston,
Feb 26, 2:12am
I miss my HC Viva! I shouldn't have sold it.
nathanmac,
Feb 26, 4:03am
haven't heard of a 4 cylinder Mustang, but as far back as 1941 Ford offered a 4, 6 or 8 in at least one line of vehicles.
lookoutas,
Feb 26, 5:52am
4 banger mustangs were produced from 74 to 93. In fact, there wasn't a V8 in 74 - just a 4 inline & V6.
I'd like to see more on that 4 cyl in 41. They intro'd the first 6 cyl since 1909 in that year, but can't find anything relating to a 4 anywhere through the 40's. Always keen to learn tho.
But that's off the subject - Still like the old Monaro's
icemans1,
Feb 26, 6:19am
LMAO, are you crazy, or did you just like having to repair it all the time!
ema1,
Feb 26, 6:35am
Chevette was a GM early entry into the "world car" scene, along with Commodores etc around the same era. There were variations from Germany-Opel Rekord , UK-Vauxahll Chevette , USA- Chevrolet Chevetteand Japan-Isuzu Gemini( Badge engineered for a spell in Australia as Holden Gemini and Daiwoo Sth Korea (aka Pontiac LeMans). We had a LHD 1973 Chevrolet Chevette here locally that an American lady had bought out from California with her, it was about 1800cc I believe and it was a right pain to get odd parts for too I recall, 4 door hatchback it was but obviously from the same Chevette world car family. Seen the odd Opel Rekord here too when the Clyde damn was being built. The Germans working there had 2 or 3 of them LHD jobs they were, plus the Opel Monza I mentioned in an earlier post. There were the odd LHD BMW, Audi and Mercedes there as well. The yank Chevette went rather well actually, would leave those enemic Torana/Sunbird and Commodore 1.9 litre Opel and later GM-H Starfire 4's in the dust!
ema1,
Feb 26, 6:41am
Geeeeez there's some right dreamers out there Pffffffft! Then again there are idiots too I guess!
phillip.weston,
Feb 26, 6:58am
it wasn't *that* bad. mind you I did do the starter motor, alternator, water pump and the ignition components in my ownership and I don't think I travelled more than 1000 miles total. I had my fun modifying it - I swapped on a Magnum front end and gauge cluster and lowered it with the original steel wheels widened
The Opel Rekord isn't built on the T-car platform, it went on to be the platform for the Commodore.
rsr72,
Feb 26, 7:09am
The GM Chevette came from their Brazilian plant at the time. A horrible little beast.
franc123,
Feb 26, 7:37am
Yes it would perform better, it would have to. Both of those 1900cc engines were a disaster that as you no doubt know didn't deliver performance or economy.Have seen pictures of those US market Chevettes-they had an ugly American style nose on them but had the same rear end as the European/UK versions of the T car.It looked a bit silly on a small car.One of the lesser known facts about the VB Commodore was the fact it was very much a hybrid vehicle, it used a Rekord rear end and a Senator front end, the latter being of course intended to house Opels straight sixes, the Rekord front was shorter being only designed for fours.Holden apparantely found out the hard way when they tried to fit the 253/308 engines that they weren't going to fit due to Opel fitting a recirculating ball/linkage steering box system like someone mentioned earlier, the whole lot had to be turfed and a rack and pinion developed and fitted from scratch.A highly unwelcome development cost given Holdens financial woes at the time.As well as a few other problems like prototypes breaking in half in the outback and the need to strenghthen the thing from end to end!
icemans1,
Feb 26, 7:54am
i had mine for about 3 years i replaced the engine, gearbox, rack and pinion steering, rear wheel cylinders, brake master cylinder and rockers as the push rods used to punch holes in them
phillip.weston,
Feb 26, 8:01am
I guess I was lucky enough not to own it long enough to have to replace everything. I wouldn't mind an HA or a HB sometime down the line, I think they're a pretty good alternative to the Escorts etc.
icemans1,
Feb 26, 8:04am
i think the HA and HB were better built
rsr72,
Feb 26, 8:08am
#49 - !
lookoutas,
Feb 26, 7:48pm
Great stories - but what the hell have they got to do with Monaro's. The fact is that Holden (and others) have always pinched from their relatives.
phillip.weston,
Feb 26, 8:20pm
ironworks I would say alot of us knew those facts already given that many of us are or have been Viva/Chevette/Commodore/Kadett- /Gemini owners.
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