So a decade on and I'm still buying Holdens.

This LX8 Adventra was top of the line in her day with LS1 V8, Sun roof, leather seats etc. The clock ran to 1/3 of a million km's and had a few niggles but was lovely (and expensive) to drive.

She was replaced with this VE Sportwagon. With the 3.0 motor a drive in the country is far more reasonably priced. Seen here doing some duty at work, this one is the Z series - the run out model before the VF where they threw in extras like leather seats, fog lights, reversing camera etc. Beautiful to drive intercity and probably the last late model Holden I'll own.

And then I couldn't resist getting another AWD Holden. This is a 3.6 V6 (which uses just as much juice as the V8) and having the longest wheelbase Holden ever produced it tracks wonderfully on the road.

Now I'm having a push at getting the EK back on the road. It turns out some valves were stuck so the head is getting reconned and hopefully the block is all good. A new floor panel needs to be welded in and then a tidy up of the paint. I'm looking forward to some back road adventuring in the summer.

I still have the WB camper and hope one day to do some extended touring. 
That's four Holdens I currently own which ought to be enough for anybody.

A more sedate kind of panelvan

This is my current Holden. A 1983 Crestacraft campervan on a WB one-tonner chassis with 202 tri-matic. Nicely fitted out and well preserved. It serves a a second function as my "office" at home when I don't want to be found. Fitting a rear anti-sway bar was a worthwhile endeavour.

EK Wagon today

This is the state of the EK today. It was improperly stored (by me) for a couple of years and since I live close to the sea that means trouble. However, it shouldn't be too much effort to bring her back to a nice condition.

EK in garage where she's been for last 10 years. Rego is live and on hold with the original number plate.

I'm not sure what the bonnet ornament is from, I don't think it's EK original.

The surface is a bit rusty from several years of partial cover in a salty environment.

Head lining is in good nic.

Upholstery is pretty good except for the driver's seat.

Floor is rusted out on passenger's side.

I don't know what the valve radio came from originally but it used to work well.

These are the original miles.

Mechanically this car always ran sweetly. Hopefully with a bit of a service she will start up and run sweet again. Note the optional oil filter, window washer and brake booster.

EK Wagon

This EK wagon was advertised for tender from a farm at Millar's Flat. I had just sold my BSA B-44. I won the tender for $1200 and hitch hiked up there to collect. I bought it from the farmer's widow who told me how meticulously he maintained it. 80k on the clock and ran smooth and tight. I had this and the HQ and used them both pretty much daily.

I stopped driving the EK and kept it under a cover in my driveway. It wasn't properly stored and the paint suffered for it. Also the from floor rotted out under the ribber mat. Eventually it was properly garaged and I would start it up and go for a run a couple of times a year. When it refused to start about 8 years ago I just left it there and concentrated on other things.

The time has come to have a go at getting her running again. I don't intend a restoration, just some repairs and possibly a respray. In the time since I bought her old Holdens have become fewer on the road so it would be all the more enjoyable to be able to go for a slow comfortable cruise again in my EK wagon.

FC Sedan

This sedan was in pretty good nick and I intended to get it running but ended up swapping it for panelbeating on my recently returned HQ panelvan.

FC ute

Tony's HK wagon, Gibby's black HT and my FC

Midway through the front end and donkey transplant.

It ended up with a stock 202/3 speed on the floor, HR front end with HQ discs and a rear end from an HG (I think). I ran the motor with no fan and only carried a spare wheel for the front half of the vehicle. I had a pretty good trip up the west coast in her like that.

This FC ute was one of the coolest of my Holdens. I got it with a red oxide primer paintjob, wide rims and twin pipes fitted to the 132 grey motor. It was as gutless as you'd imagine but it sounded and looked great.

I set to work on it as a project one winter and with the help of my friend John installed an HR front end with HQ discs, a stock 202 and 3 speed. I think the rear end was from an HT, any way the front and rear studs didn't match so I only carried a spare wheel for the front. The engine was a tight fit against the radiator so I ran it without a fan and had no problems. Power was ample.

After a couple of years I was missing my HQ panelvan so much I swapped it back for the FC ute.

*Update* after a bout of Utelust recently I went to see the fella I swapped it back to. I was hoping he still had it and felt like selling it to me for a song. He told me he had sold it on to some young fellas who promptly wrapped it round a lamp post. He thought about buying it back in that state and went looking for it but was told it went to the crusher. Ah well... there's a lesson in that somewhere but don't ask me what it is.

HQ panelvan 2

My second HQ panelvan was originally a NZ Police telecom van. It was 202 with manual trans.

This vehicle was great! Finally I had the panelvan I wanted for traveling and sleeping in. I did a few circuits of the South Island and many runs into Central Otago.

I met this guy with some old Holdens; FX and FJ sedans  and an FC ute. I took a fancy to the ute and did a swap for the panel van. The FC ute story is the next post. After a couple of years I began to miss the traveling qualities of the panelvan and sought to swap it back. We did and I had a happy second ownership of my HQ. It came back to me lowered at the front, shod with mags and fat tyres and a rear sway bar installed. For the next few years I made good use of the road friendly campervan. Eventually, in one of those "why did I do that?" moments I sold it cheap for cash.