Horsetan Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 This is my mid-life crisis mobile. 6 litres of SSV redline..... The Holden utes I most enjoy are the ones which have the backs fitted out as a giant fridge/freezer for the tinnies. Pity Holden/GM never saw fit to market the ute range over here as a lifestyle/work vehicle, in the sector now dominated by such things as Nissan Navarras and Mitsu L300s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 (edited) G'Day Gents Talking Aussie cars, had a great Ford XB Coupe, back in the early 90's, it had a breathed on 351 cu in, huge tires etc, could be well over a 130kph before it shifted into top gear, and kept on going, even dragged off a 'big' motorbike one night and beat it, when the day came to sell it, I had a guy turn up to look it over, and was very impressed, he then said it was for his son, I asked how old he was, he said 17, it told him it wasn't for sale to him, as it was far to powerful for a 17 year old who had just got his license. He got the hump on, but I wouldn't sell him the car. manna Nice. There definitely was a high attrition rate back then. Big motors and drum brakes, modifications you'd do yourself, rubbish lap seat belts, poor safety standards. For instance my Torana had a little latch that you'd lift to fold forward the drivers seat and let the rear passenger in. But they only had a lap belt so if I had hit anything they'd have hit the front seat, breaking the latch and pushing my chest into the steering column, or - if they were a particularly fat person - propelling me through the windscreen But you didn't think of those things then, you just wanted a cool looking car to impress the ladies. Every Australian town has a cenotaph with the names of those who gave their lives at Gallipoli and the fields of France in WW1. But from the 60's through to the '80's I reckon in any given small town there would probably have been a similar number of young killed in the same 4 year period on the roads. My school year somehow escaped the carnage, but the year below me lost 9 out of 45 to car and bike accidents between 1981 and 1985.. Edited October 17, 2017 by monkeysarefun 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 (edited) The Holden utes I most enjoy are the ones which have the backs fitted out as a giant fridge/freezer for the tinnies. Pity Holden/GM never saw fit to market the ute range over here as a lifestyle/work vehicle, in the sector now dominated by such things as Nissan Navarras and Mitsu L300s. Ahh but - they did send the V8 ute over there for Vauxhall to flog , and it was the best one you can get! The HSV Maloo. Richard Hammond liked it, the others just talked about pie keys or something - whatever that is. Edited October 17, 2017 by monkeysarefun 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Ahh but - they did send the V8 ute over there for Vauxhall to flog , and it was the best one you can get! The HSV Maloo..... ...and to this day, I've yet to see a British-registered one on the road. Did they manage to sell any? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 (edited) ...and to this day, I've yet to see a British-registered one on the road. Did they manage to sell any? Well as they say in the Old English homilies - , you can lead a horsetan to water, but you can't make him drink! Even the Americans think they are a good idea Edited October 17, 2017 by monkeysarefun 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Even the Americans think they are a good idea Except that they pretty much don't. These days the El Camino is considered the punchline to a joke by most. Here the Ute does not really stand up to the machismo necessary to compete with a full size truck like a Chevy Silverado or Ford F series. The small light duty pickup truck market has largely evaporated in the US and even there the Ute would be too expensive to compete. Most of the people who bought compact pickups did so because they couldn't afford larger trucks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Well the way Australia has gone they will all be the 4x4 dual cab 1ton load. The reason why there was an explosion of V8 utes in the early to mid 2000's was a ute was FBT exempt, the VY-VZ SS V8 Utes took off big time as they were a coupe with a big boot and there was no fringe benefits tax. Along came the VE in about 2006 and the Ute the fashion continued The same could be said fro the ford utes based on the AU sedan from about 2001 or so...as long as they were V8's they were acceptable... infact I dont think I have seen a AU falcon in years from about 1996/7 As they had been hit with the ugly stick....repeatedly. They weren't a great step forward from the holden VN-VS but they were ugly. That was until Holden released the VT which stole most of Falcons sales. The VT was the forerunner of the Monaro reappearance. Getting back to topic, the Tax situation changed to be as long as the ute can carry 1 ton it is classed as a work tool and tax deductibility increases again. The car based utes with V8s can barely manage 600KG so with that and the end of Aussie manufacturing cars the ute I am sorry to say is dead I almost bought a Dual cab ute but the guys where I work convinced me to go to the wagon version due to the practicallities. They have had the dual cab utes which they said the tray is too small to carry the stuff we do at times, the cab is compromised and again is too small to be comfortable or carry long things, So now with the wagon and having seen what you can throw in it I have to agree. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ikks Posted October 17, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 17, 2017 Well the way Australia has gone they will all be the 4x4 dual cab 1ton load. The reason why there was an explosion of V8 utes in the early to mid 2000's was a ute was FBT exempt, the VY-VZ SS V8 Utes took off big time as they were a coupe with a big boot and there was no fringe benefits tax. Along came the VE in about 2006 and the Ute the fashion continued The same could be said fro the ford utes based on the AU sedan from about 2001 or so...as long as they were V8's they were acceptable... infact I dont think I have seen a AU falcon in years from about 1996/7 As they had been hit with the ugly stick....repeatedly. They weren't a great step forward from the holden VN-VS but they were ugly. That was until Holden released the VT which stole most of Falcons sales. The VT was the forerunner of the Monaro reappearance. Getting back to topic, the Tax situation changed to be as long as the ute can carry 1 ton it is classed as a work tool and tax deductibility increases again. The car based utes with V8s can barely manage 600KG so with that and the end of Aussie manufacturing cars the ute I am sorry to say is dead I almost bought a Dual cab ute but the guys where I work convinced me to go to the wagon version due to the practicallities. They have had the dual cab utes which they said the tray is too small to carry the stuff we do at times, the cab is compromised and again is too small to be comfortable or carry long things, So now with the wagon and having seen what you can throw in it I have to agree. I had a short trip(maybe 20 km) in the rear seat of a Dual cab Holden, it was the most uncomfortable car journey I have ever been on. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Well the way Australia has gone they will all be the 4x4 dual cab 1ton load. The reason why there was an explosion of V8 utes in the early to mid 2000's was a ute was FBT exempt, the VY-VZ SS V8 Utes took off big time as they were a coupe with a big boot and there was no fringe benefits tax. Along came the VE in about 2006 and the Ute the fashion continued The same could be said fro the ford utes based on the AU sedan from about 2001 or so...as long as they were V8's they were acceptable... infact I dont think I have seen a AU falcon in years from about 1996/7 As they had been hit with the ugly stick....repeatedly. They weren't a great step forward from the holden VN-VS but they were ugly. That was until Holden released the VT which stole most of Falcons sales. The VT was the forerunner of the Monaro reappearance. Getting back to topic, the Tax situation changed to be as long as the ute can carry 1 ton it is classed as a work tool and tax deductibility increases again. The car based utes with V8s can barely manage 600KG so with that and the end of Aussie manufacturing cars the ute I am sorry to say is dead I almost bought a Dual cab ute but the guys where I work convinced me to go to the wagon version due to the practicallities. They have had the dual cab utes which they said the tray is too small to carry the stuff we do at times, the cab is compromised and again is too small to be comfortable or carry long things, So now with the wagon and having seen what you can throw in it I have to agree. It was also comfortable for six people - four adults and your young Master and Miss DougNs as well, with the 'rumble' seats in the very back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Those sure are noice cars - (for Fords!) Does the XC have Radial TAs? How good were THEY in the wet! My Torana had them and whenever it was raining I didn't bother to use the steering wheel because the car would just go wherever it wanted to anyway. The Blue XC did have Goodrich TAs all round at one point and as terrible a tyre as we all knew them to be, they were still a huge step up from the Widow Making Kelly's and Mickey Thompsons that I had on at one time or another. When the picture was taken it was fitted with the T/As on the Front but the (then) brand new Yokohama 352 on the back which were pretty good. Eventually I put Yokies on the front as well when they eventually wore out. Although Bridgestone had started to make pretty good Wide tyres by then too. For some reason I usually went through 4 sets of rears to one set of Fronts If older Me could go back in time, I think I'd belt young Me around the ears. (Although to be honest I'd be more likely to regress to a bogan state of being). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougN Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Blue streak I think you would arm wrestle the car off him and bring it back saying something like you'll appreciate it better later in life... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 (edited) Look at the sheer length of the bonnet! The side profile of the cabin and boot reminds me of the last Ford Zodiac, too.... Probably because the Family / Taxi / Garden Variety Versions had a 4.1 litre inline 6 which were even by the standards of other inline 6 cylinders were looooong. Although the width of the engine Bay was a bit compromised by the Shock towers eating into it. When Changing the plugs on the Cleveland V8 versions you could almost guarantee losing substantial amounts of Bark off your knuckles when you got to the 2 rear ones on the Drivers side. We tend to look at these old girls through rose tinted glasses I think. I had the opportunity to drive one that was the same as My Yellow one, just recently and although really well maintained, well quite frankly I was a bit astonished how rugged they were compared to the Modern Stuff. How We managed to drive them around with all that grunt and such abysmal handling and brakes and live to tell the tale - I dont know. No wonder We don't worry too much about snakes and spiders ! The most dangerous things were the cars Edited October 18, 2017 by The Blue Streak 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 Chrysler hedged their bets both ways with the two 2-door coupes. Their hardtops were actually longer than the 4-door cars, while the Charger ("Hey, Charger!" - remember that campaign?) really captured the public imagination more. This was mine - 265 Hemi, and 4 speed. Went like a shower of #### . (The E49's with the triple webers would hose off a Factory Phase 3 GTHO to a Hundred MPH). However mine just had a fat cam, extractors and a Holley, but still fixed up most V8's on acceleration, although it didn't really have the legs at the top end. If you blokes aren't bored with Aussie cars yet I'll put up some pictures of My Toranas (I mostly had Ford leanings, but I liked all of them all and it didn't matter which factory they came from, I owned a pretty good cross section over the years, they all had their good and bad points). 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 How We managed to drive them around with all that grunt and such abysmal handling and brakes and live to tell the tale - I dont know. No wonder We don't worry too much about snakes and spiders ! The most dangerous things were the cars Yes. Back in the day the family transport was (if I recall correctly) a 1974 Kingswood HQ wagon (with the straight 6). It was two toned silver with a while roof. The silver paint was Holden's first attempt at this and while it looked nice when new it rapidly deteriorated in coastal Queensland conditions. To this day my brother bears more than just scars on his leg from when he lost control and totalled it, sometime (I think) in the early 1990s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 The Blue XC did have Goodrich TAs all round at one point and as terrible a tyre as we all knew them to be, they were still a huge step up from the Widow Making Kelly's and Mickey Thompsons that I had on at one time or another. When the picture was taken it was fitted with the T/As on the Front but the (then) brand new Yokohama 352 on the back which were pretty good. Eventually I put Yokies on the front as well when they eventually wore out. Although Bridgestone had started to make pretty good Wide tyres by then too. For some reason I usually went through 4 sets of rears to one set of Fronts If older Me could go back in time, I think I'd belt young Me around the ears. (Although to be honest I'd be more likely to regress to a bogan state of being). And young you in return would probably belt future you back for selling it for a song about two years before the prices went crazy! (If that is in fact what you did do of course!) 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 And young you in return would probably belt future you back for selling it for a song about two years before the prices went crazy! (If that is in fact what you did do of course!) That's pretty much exactly what happened, I have a knack for that sort of thing 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I wonder how long my old Ford eight would have lasted on Aussie roads...Doubt if it would have ever had made it to Alice Springs without several overhauls and a new engine or two on the way. I read somewhere that the longest dead straight stretch of road in Oz, is longer than England is wide ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I wonder how long my old Ford eight would have lasted on Aussie roads...Doubt if it would have ever had made it to Alice Springs without several overhauls and a new engine or two on the way. I read somewhere that the longest dead straight stretch of road in Oz, is longer than England is wide ! The 90 Mile straight near Balladonia is the one you might be thinking of. How wide is the UK ? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 (edited) The 90 Mile straight near Balladonia is the one you might be thinking of. How wide is the UK ? sign-to-balladonia.jpg Of course that's a trifling amount compared to the longest dead straight stretch of railway line at 297 miles (478 km) on the Trans Australian. Edited October 19, 2017 by The Blue Streak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp1 Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Isn’t there a long road in the USA that has bends put into it deliberately to keep drivers alert? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp1 Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 The 90 Mile straight near Balladonia is the one you might be thinking of. How wide is the UK ? sign-to-balladonia.jpg That static grass under the sign looks as if it has been bleached by sunlight- perhaps you need to install some curtains:-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 The 90 Mile straight near Balladonia is the one you might be thinking of. How wide is the UK ? sign-to-balladonia.jpg 25 miles at its narrowest point, apparently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 I wonder how long my old Ford eight would have lasted on Aussie roads...Doubt if it would have ever had made it to Alice Springs without several overhauls and a new engine or two on the way. I read somewhere that the longest dead straight stretch of road in Oz, is longer than England is wide ! There is a bit on the Eyre highway where you can take your hands off the wheel for a while because it is just under 150km between bends. As to your car lasting Australias roads, there is amazing archive footage of the early motorists fanging it through deserts and tropical jungles and geting through it all pretty much unscathed. I think the first few years of road travel from Sydney to Melbourne was basically through cow paddocks with many stops to open and shut gates along the way. If you are interested, here is a bit of a potted history, there is a better series put out by the ABC but I can't find it on youtube so this will have to do.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted October 19, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 19, 2017 This was mine - 265 Hemi, and 4 speed. Went like a shower of #### . (The E49's with the triple webers would hose off a Factory Phase 3 GTHO to a Hundred MPH). However mine just had a fat cam, extractors and a Holley, but still fixed up most V8's on acceleration, although it didn't really have the legs at the top end. Charger sml.jpg If you blokes aren't bored with Aussie cars yet I'll put up some pictures of My Toranas (I mostly had Ford leanings, but I liked all of them all and it didn't matter which factory they came from, I owned a pretty good cross section over the years, they all had their good and bad points). Hey Charger! Haven't seen one for a while. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted October 19, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 19, 2017 (edited) I first saw this when on the ship out to Australia (RHMS Ellinis). Not much has changed with Puffing Billy, except much more of the line is reopened and Garratt G42 has been restored. Certainly the legs out the side has not. Sorry about poor film quality & worse the watermark, but been looking for this for ages. I suspect that these days the kid in the guards van, instead of sandwiches & fruit, would be eating Maccas and sipping on Coke and be twice the size! Edited October 19, 2017 by kevinlms 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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