However cluster gears are hard to find, so Ken had to seek a complete replacement gearbox. The challenge here is to find one better than the one you already have! Some teeth on the flywheel showed excessive wear, so Ken planned to replace this as well. The suspension has been completely reconditioned, with kingpins, bushes and shock absorbers all being replaced.
Ken has also replaced the tailshaft yoke with one from a later model which uses a more readily-available universal joint. As with the gearbox, original parts are now very hard to find and expensive. The car has very few niggling issues. Ancient Bake-lite starter switch bodies crack and are hard to replace, but Ken manages to keep his working.
He had intended to enter in the Stock class, but the scrutineers decided that the inline fuel filter and larger battery tray to fit a modern six-volt battery meant that it had to be entered in the Improved Stock class.
However it promptly won second prize in Improved Stock. Ken was happy with the trophies, but equally delighted that the car could easily compete in the Stock class. The FX, as it became known, was an immediate success, as was the FJ, launched in The Holden transformed suburban Australia, boosted national pride and quickly become a national icon.
Prime Minister Ben Chifley, on seeing the first Holden roll off the production line:. From the late s Australian governments were captivated by the idea of a wholly Australian-made car.
In the federal government invited General Motors, through its Australian subsidiary, to build a family car for Australian conditions. American and Australian engineers hand-built three test Holden sedans at the General Motors experimental workshop in Detroit, Michigan.
In , after months of durability and performance tests, the cars were secretly shipped to the Fishermans Bend plant in Melbourne. Holden Prototype Car No. Made in , this is one of three test sedans which became the definitive model for millions of Holden cars. National Museum of Australia. These became the definitive model for thousands of Holden vehicles. The first Holden rolled off the assembly line at Fishermen's Bend on 29 November Many saw the event as evidence of national maturity, proof that Australia had escaped its pastoral beginnings and embraced the modern industrial age.
The Holden , also known as the FX, was the first car wholly manufactured in Australia — it was economical, sturdy and stylish and was immediately popular with the public. By the Holden had captured more than 40 per cent of total car sales in Australia. After eight years of the same shape and design, Holden was ready to rework its star car. Compared with its predecessor the FJ , the FE had a larger body, roomier interior, longer wheel base, wider track, lower roof, larger rear window and flatter bonnet.
It also included a recirculating ball steering box, volt electrical system, front stabiliser bar, wider wheel rims, a one piece rounded windscreen and pendant type pedals. This coupled with smaller wheels and the other changes resulted in a car that handled much better than its predecessors and was much safer on the road.
While it was much more modern looking than the FJ, the only significant mechanical upgrades were to engine power and brakes. The FE also came with new colour schemes and models for personalisation, coupled with redesigned seating and better sound insulation.
The dash was completely redesigned with a large centre-mounted radio speaker grille. Options on the FE included windscreen washers, reversing lights and a de-mister.
Changes included a larger grille that included parking lights, bolder vertical and horizontal bars, increased body decoration, improved interior trim and a new radio and speaker grille.
Engine capacity did not increased in the FC but a new camshaft gave the car more torque. The engine had an improved compression ratio that resulted in slightly more power. There were minor improvements to the suspension, brakes, gear change linkages and steering box. Due to the popularity of Chevrolet-styled cars with the Australian public, Holden decided to continue with the same design for their new FB series.
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