fbekholden.com

Voting deadline closing, folk.... so far, we go with this one - might be an 11th hour rush on the original yet.... don't wait to outbid - get in now...
There will be no recount...

frats,
Rosco

Ok folk,
Too hot still to go outside... even the mozzies are holing up for now...
Idiot box is squawking away in the lounge and has not emitted any sound that thus far entices me to pay it any audience....

So, with my deadline coming rapidly to a close - I'm going to jump the gun assuming that we will continue with this thread and leave the original as an "archive"...

Continued...

Ok, as previously stated - the old chap purchased the car from Bill Patterson motors, Ringwood on 7th August 1961. He was allowed to drive it off the showroom floor at his request. I do not have any evidence that any family members were present and that access to any photographs taken by staff are now well and truly inaccessible..

The pics at the top of this thread show the car when it first arrived home - at 29 James St, Ringwood.
Below are documents of both registration and ownership... plus the first 1,000 mile service on 1st September, 1961 - which took the old chap just over three weeks to amass...

I have nearly every document that he obtained concerning this vehicle - he kept all of it in the glove box... most inside the little brown Holden vinyl folder, but also some of it loose-leaf on the floor of the box... including replacement batteries. Oddly, no mention at all of tyre replacement.
I acquired the delightful (almost new) vehicle in 1972... just over 10 years later - at a mileage of just 46,631... I would very much expect that the tyres which were on the vehicle were the second set - although, they were nearly worn out... maybe, just maybe - they were originals... he drove the vehicle like grandma.. it had never gone beyond 50 mph in his ownership.... I would very much doubt that he could have worn out two sets of tyres in just 46,000.... but, I simply don't know... and can't claim that even those were original when I came up to taking charge of it...

Ok - pix...

Here we have the certificate of ownership - I have deleted the registration number.. which I propose to do in all upcoming pix in this thread.
Next - the A side of the original registration document
and the B side - with cash register imprints... note the fees and charges for registration of a vehicle back then...
the annual registration fee of 9 pounds, 18 shillings ($19.80 in today's terms), an initial registration fee of 2 pounds 15 shillings ($5.50) a number plate fee of 5/- (.50c) and an insurance premium and surcharge totaling 10 pounds, 2 shillings.... ($20.20)... a total of 23 pounds (wow, that took me back.. had to write it all out and add it up)... which came to $46.oo in today's money.... wow - how we'd love to pay that for an annual rego fee...

pic -
And finally - the 1,000 mile service receipt - at mileage 968...

And so - we are going to continue with this thread..... the "tribe" have spoken (almost)

frats,
Rosco

Ok, we go a little further into the history of this vehicle now....
let's stroll ahead to 2nd December, 1962....

Among the documents, I found this little treasure... the "Tow Card" cardboard instruction for what to do in the event of an accident.
Note the Bedford tow truck used by Bill Patterson..
And the reason I add this now, and the above date - is because, even though the old chap drove this car like Grandma - and it was the mechanical love of his life... on 2nd December, 1962 - he had his one and only accident with the vehicle....
The old rule of "give way to the right" was in force at the time - and he failed to do so.
He recorded details of with whom, when an where on the face of the Nasco radio manual...

I will post this pic twice - for the benefit of those who want to read his handwriting ..

His collision happened at 5:30 pm on the corner of Flinders and William Streets with a "F-o-r-d" registered number HOK 555... I do not have details of what this vehicle was.. but the owner, a Myer Sutherlaand lived or worked at 27 Flinders Lane at the time.
The old chap's car was damaged considerably - I do know the front right guard, bumper and over-rider were replaced. Further, when I began to re-spray the saloon air intake cover - I found considerable amounts of "solder" filler where the original guard had come up and crushed the intake..

When I purchased the vehicle - there was hardly a mark on it.. a great gouging dent was on the rear right fender where his son "scraped" along a wrought iron fence from 12 Hygeia Parade, Ringwood whilst backing down the steep driveway... I lived with that too for many years until I re-sprayed the entire rear on 24 March, 2002...

Ok - Airchief Car Radio doc with accident details written in blue ink...
And finally, for tonight - after the death of the old chap to cancer (heavy smoker) to which I witnessed my first Masonic Lodge service and burial.
The old chap's car was driven to the Whistle Stop Tavern on Station Rd, Gisborne where it stayed in storage for a short time whilst a decision was made to its future - none of the siblings wanted to take ownership and it was not used. It lived beneath a lean-to type garage at the rear of the hotel for a month or so.

I was just 17 at the time, I had motor bikes from age 12 - having the freedom of our 3 1/2 acre property to teach myself to ride which later moved to my first car - a Standard 8.. where I learned to drive... and later, I purchased my sister's Morris Minor 850 and drove it on "L" plates which I made up out of two pieces of masonite, sprayed with an aerosol can and used insulation tape for the letters...

My father answered our phone on the afternoon of Saturday, 25th October 1972. It was Mr Rothnie's second eldest son, Brian - who owned and ran the Whistle Stop Tavern on Station Road at Gisborne... he asked my father if he believed I'd be interested in purchasing his father's car.. he told my father that the vehicle had generated a fair bit of interest at the back of the pub... and that he would prefer to see the car go to someone in the family... he further said that he had a chap at the bar who wanted to purchase the car now, and had $350 in his wallet to do so.
He told my father, if I was interested and would pay him the $350 - he would hold it for me.

My father told me the history of the car (which I already knew) and that it would be an excellent opportunity to get a car with so few miles on it.. and it should last me long enough until I could save up enough to purchase something better later on..

I was working as a junior clerk for the Victorian Railways at the time.. for a fortnightly net pay of $48.00.... I had very little to show for the two and a bit years I had been working.. but I was very keen to purchase the car... I had loved this car since I was a kid.. never did I dream that opportunity to own it would ever arise.

I spoke for a very short time with my father on how I could raise the $350 - whilst Brian was on the other end of the phone... we came up with a plan to on-sell the Morris to my brother-in-law, who was in earth moving and had a passion for little old Morris and Austin cars... and that I would need to raise a further sum to make the $350..
This all happened so quickly, even my would be accountant's head was spinning with numbers... we decided that I could raise the money and told Brian that I would come the following day to collect the car - with the cash...

I was happy to hand over the Morris.. but not so happy to be going into debt with my brother-in-law... whom I am eternally grateful to now...

On Sunday, 26th October 1972... at age 17, my brother drove both my father an I to the hotel in Gisborne... I was handed the keys and told to go and start up the car in the shed... which I did on my own... I cannot tell you the glee that possessed me in my "own EK Holden".. and this one especially. From when I first sat in the seat - I have been passionately in love with this dear old car ever since...

I drove it home with a smile from ear to ear for almost all the journey - it seemed "huge" to drive... and I was overwhelmed by the power that this big 6 cylinder motor had.. the ride of the car.. the amazing instrument cluster... it was all just "too" good...

The following day, I drove it down onto the property and took some photo's of it... as below.. this is exactly how I received the car.. with all the added accessories - after years of adorning gifts from the old chap's children..

I might further add, that the location of where these lastest pix were taken - is on the old front lawn of the now removed house in the bushfires pic above..

pix...




frats,
Rosco

Absolute gold Rosco.
Cheers
Clay

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One more for tonight - way too humid to sleep yet...

Ok - the next little chapter is mainly my official change-over of ownership... might be of some interest to young folk on the process back then, in 1972..

First up, we have the old chap's renewal notice for '72/73... current registration from when I purchased the vehicle...




It was some time before I could afford to have the vehicle subjected to a roadworthy - I had no idea what would be needed and dreaded there being money needed to have the dear old thing (bear in mind, just 11 years old) brought up to pass the test.
As it turned out, it flew through with flying colors - save that I needed to replace the factory tail-pipe which had holes in it at the top of the bend over the axle for some strange reason.
I could not obtain a sedan exhaust - and fitted that from a station wagon... which just wasn't quite right.
Further, up until 2005, before an exhaust was fitted by "Unique Exhausts" of Bayswater... the poor old thing suffered a progressive mis-matches of assorted parts from being a "quiet" car... to a noisy one with a vast array of differing mufflers including the trendy "torpedo" exhausts







Here is the first report of a roadworthy certificate...






Next we have the transfer of ownership application







- I was only 17 at the time of taking ownership, which was not legal - I needed to be a person of 18 years of age at the time... it went through to the keeper...


And in 1973 - the registration renewal with me now listed as the "owner"









frats,
Rosco

Ok, one more...

As mentioned, I was employed as a junior clerical assistant from when I first commenced with the Victorian Railways on 27 May, 1970 just after my 15th birthday...
During this time, I progressed through the clerical grade eventually ending up in positions within the accountancy branch where I was working with huge amounts of money... the Cashier's Office, the Cash Office and the Pay Office... my main position was in the Cashier's Office from around 1971 through to 11 March, 1974... lots to tell you about this... soon, but for now - we look at my life as in the clerical role...

I passed my motor car driver's license test on my 18th birthday - in a HQ manual sedan (hated that car... hated HQ's ever since).
The old plod who took me for my test started with the rules book.. we got through about six of them before he literally threw the book on the desk in front of me and said "you know this bloody well off by heart, don't you.... let's go see how you can drive"....

Now, bit of background - if it doesn't finally put y'all to sleep...

I latched into an instructor driver on my 17th birthday - I was dead keen to get my driver's license from about age 14 up.. if I could have been allowed - I'd have had it back then... I sweated on my 18th birthday for over 4 years...

On my first driving lesson - the bloke spent half of it telling me what he wanted me to do... I sat in the seat patiently waiting to "drive" and all he wanted to do was "talk"... when he finally told me to start the engine - I fully expected him to tell me to turn it off again and that would be our first lesson done.. but - we went for a drive.. the big cumbersome blasted monster of a thing it was.. wide as all heck - and I didn't have my lovely "fins" out back to see where the back of the car was... I still hate that model...

I slipped through the gears quite easily, being down hill ... just got it moving in first and went through second and into third in no time at all... I believe he was very impressed... we did a left turn up a very steep hill and I had it all set to power away in second right on my first lesson..

We came back, and he asked me how old I was... I told him I was just past my 17th birthday... his next words flattened me... "Ok, I could give you lessons for a year and take your money - but I won't... call me when you are a month away from your 18th"... I was stunned...

I waited and waited.. I did get some driving in the EK when family would find time to go out with me - but they were very rare..
I spent a lot of time driving the dear old thing on the 3 1/2 acre property and was told that I'd ruin it... I had no choice.. I wanted to drive..and I did.. but, with care. It didn't deserve to be a "paddock" car.. but I didn't deserve not to be able to drive it either.. so, it spent the next six months doing lots of running around on grass, dirt and stones... and whenever I could get someone to take me for a driving lesson - into the very much needed petrol station... I can remember this.. and it may come as a shock -

In 1972.... a packet of cigarettes (yes, I smoked then) cost 72 cents.... a bottle of beer cost 72 cents (yes, I had the occasional drink -but a bottle was way too much for me) and a gallon of petrol was ..... wait for it.... 72 cents.... everything lined up here in Vic in 1972...

Ok... back to the story - no pix yet, but they are coming...

I resumed my driving lessons a month out from turning 18.... I was confident with everything which I would be tested on, but for one thing... parking... I had never "done" parking... never... maybe on the side of the road which was a simple pull over and pull on the handbrake.. but never had done the reverse into a spot and move forward... it worried me.

The instructor (I now remember his name to be Jack).. told me we'd do the parking on the day of my test.. this freaked me out... but he kept on telling me it was simple.... just put this there, turn that, put that there and turn this... don't forget to put it back into 1st - most fail when they do....

He booked me in for my driver's license test on my birthday - I even kept the official request for leave that I sent a memo to the chief clerk for a day's leave of absence to "attend to some personal business"...

The big day came.... my 18th birthday... 10:30 am, Ringwood Police station... 4 years in waiting..

Jack turned up with enough time for a lesson prior...we were heading out to do our parking.. we got to the Police station and went to find a parking spot... "something" was wrong.. the horrible car was fighting with me.. I felt terrible.. my confidence was melting and I was getting pretty edgy.
Jack sensed what was wrong.... "bugger" he said... we've got a flat... don't worry, it won't take me long to change it..
With that - my lesson disappeared... and I hadn't yet learned to park...

"Easy" he said... "pull in next to those sticks, full left lock, move back until you can see the stick behind you in the quarter glass division behind you and full right lock" "don't forget to put it in 1st and then left lock and stop in the middle".... easy, you'll do it easily"...

I walked out with the old Plod and we got into the car.. Jack sat in the back. The Plod told me that we'd "do our parking" first... I shuddered.. confidence now all gone...
Started the engine, put the indicator on, checked the mirror and moved out... then he told me to "park it back where it was".
I did everything that Jack had said... but, forgot the 1st gear... let the clutch out without touching the throttle and "something" just kicked in that told me it wasn't right.... looked at the gear lever and saw it still in reverse... pushed the clutch fully down again, put it into 1st and parked it.
He opened the door then looked down at the kerb.. and closed it again... "I want to see you do that again... we are too far out"..

So - I did... and didn't miss the final gear change.... "ok - let's see how you behave on the road"..

I followed the Plod's instructions to the letter.. he even took me up to the "wait here for pedestrians" sign to see if i would... one miserable old cranky grey headed bloke wobbled across and I was free to go... we found a hill, made me stop and wanted me to do a handbrake start... too easy... took me around the back streets of Ringwood - and told me to take us back to the Station... and park... again.. I did...

He opened the door and got out... grunted and walked off to go inside.. Jack had been holding conversation about goodness only knows what from the back seat all the time... he had not spoken to me once during the test...

When the old Plod had disappeared, I asked Jack - did I pass?.. "of course you did - he did his best to fail you, and that's why I'll have to fill the car up again"... I asked him about why I had to park it three times... asked him how far I was from the kerb the first time "your little mistake with the gear lever... he thought he had you... and he made you do it twice more... you beat him at his own game... and - each park was perfect.. you were right in the gutter with each of them"..

We went inside... the paperwork was on the sergeant's desk. "Ok - where is your birth certificate, son".. I didn't have it.. the Railways still did, from when I was 15... I told him.. "oh well, I can't give you your license then"... I was mortified... tears almost went to my eyes... he beat me...

We went outside - Jack said to me "I can't let you drive home - you are no longer a Learner. and I can't let you drive - you don't have your license".

I got home.. totally demoralised... "did you get it?" my Mother asked.. yes, and no... I replied.. "what".. I told her.
We sat for some time - I would have to go and sort out the bloody Railways to find my birth certificate... it could take months, I knew how the "system" worked within...

My eldest sister phoned to find out whether I had passed... we told her... "Oh - that's nothing, that's an easy fix... I'll come down and take you to get a Stat Dec"... never heard of one... 'til then.... and we did.. and then we went to the old Plod.. he grunted and was not happy... and I had my license... two pieces of paper.. still have them (will post them up)... I carried these for two months until my Probationary driver's license arrived in the mail...

Ok - now we get to the pic......

I worked as a junior clerical assistant for nearly 4 years... in that time, the most of it was at Head Office - 67 Spencer St, Melbourne (now the Grand Hotel).. it had a small carpark at rear... it cost us .40 cents each day to park in it.
It wasn't so bad driving in from the corner of Spencer and Flinders, although it was tricky to get around the bluestone corner of the building and through the gate.... getting out was a nightmare... all that peak traffic, trams.. and trying to go "cross country" from one corner of the intersection to the opposite one and then into the main stream of traffic on Flinders St.. but, I managed it.. I only drove in once on a weekday.. did it a few times on a Saturday when there was hardly anything around (worked a Saturday every fortnight in the Cash Office for extra money).

The pic below, shows the car park... my old bus is in the rear row.. wedged into one of the very narrow spaces.. you might get some glee from the vehicles in this pic... it is now an historic pic... take particular note of what "clerks" were driving in April of 1973.. my colleagues EH sedan with sun visor is in the front row... he rolled that amazing car doing battle with some youngster who was trying to overtake him.. and this bloke wasn't having any of it with the "big 179 motor".... totaled the amazing EH - it was unmarked... even the gloss of the paintwork was unmarked.. not even a micro-scratch on it... until it ended up on its roof after rolling a number of times... what a waste.

Pic.. it was taken from our office window - the Cashier's Office, room 56... on the ground floor.

So folk, and - to your great relief... the end of what will hopefully be the longest novel that this thread will every be suffered...



frats,
Rosco

Absolutely classic. Apart from the odd falcon, a very dub and a mini, they’re all Holdens.
Thanks for sharing.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

Classic stuff. Your memory recollection is enviable. I thought you said earlier somewhere you had “old timers” disease. If that’s the case, I’m doomed

Cheers, John


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Well folk - voting has closed.. the tribe have spoken - we go with continuing this thread... promise to try and hold back on screen ink and add more pix.

Thanks Clay and John... I do have Old Timers' .. I know this.. going into rooms and walking out again shaking my head without the item due to failure to remember... sometimes in less than a minute...

But, my recollection to detail in early life is ever as good as it always was... things which were important to me, simply have "stuck". If I can "see" in my mind where I was - I can pull almost all of it back up... I've always had this gift. Only down side is that it has never worked with people's names... numbers - if everyone had a number - I'd remember it for life...

Will put another one together soon -

Have to ask the question though - how much detail do you think appropriate? and at what time intervals should I post up pix?

I was thinking every couple of years to begin with the early days, and perhaps more relating to the "projects" I have emplaced in more recent times...

frats,
Rosco

Ok - today's edition.... 1972, continued...
I was treasurer of the Doncaster and Templestowe Historical society from 1972 until mid 1974...

During this time, we did a number of tours to many places around Victoria. I even arranged for the society to "hire" a tram and take us on a tour of the city (much like the special Tram Lunch tour does now)... it was a most enjoyable half day trip - the Driver and Conductor loved doing these, because they were "easy" money... no fares, no stops for pick=up or set-down... and they enjoyed a tram with freshly lathed wheels which were quiet - compared to the "dunka dunka dunka" of wheels which had slid on wet rail...

We also did some runs to country locations - and in these runs, I was lucky to have my brother sit beside me whilst I drove the lovely old car (my car) to Kyneton and back on "L" plates... as mentioned previously - made from masonite and insulation tape.

Here are two pix of the car - this was in November, 1972 - I had owned the car for less than a month at this stage - but had already fitted new mudflaps (with a blue and red reflector on each one) and the spring return loaded "Wibroc" stainless/chromed white metal fender mirrors.. these were the first holes I drilled into the old chap's car.. I felt really bad about doing so, but knew that I'd need to have them in order to tow later after I obtained my driver's license (reference made to above "War and Peace".

Pix.... outside the Heritage listed museum in Kyneton.

As you can see, I am yet to fit the replacement wagon exhaust for purposes of roadworthy...

A special thank you to the lovely lady who sent me a PM... telling me that my driver's license test "book" was a good read.. and that she has now cancelled her subscription to Mills & Boon... expecting me to post a fully revealed romantic novel when we reach my "romance" recollections... sadly, this will not be forthcoming - so, before your cancellation goes through - retrieve it....

Ok - 'til next...

frats,
Rosco

1973....
The what seemed just "five minutes" of my life from April 16, 1973 to 1976 passed so quickly that my camera failed to keep up... couldn't keep me still enough for the auto focus to latch on... it was a blur photographically.
My first romance (yes, I will make mention of the precious "few") left little time for photography... and my life went into turmoil with its demise.. just a few weeks later.. throw in glandular fever and an ever increasing workload in the office and I went into what became the best outcome in my career... I completely re-formatted my life... and transferred onto locomotives on 11th March, 1974 -at age 18... still on white/red "P" plates.

I was besotted with this new way of life... and threw myself into it full on.. my social life disappeared altogether - as an "irregular" shift worker - I lost contact with the few precious friends I had previously kept... my new family was now those whom I worked with and became accepted by...
The poor old car suffered greatly - firstly because it was being driven 12 days a fortnight from one side of the city to the other (Donvale to South Dynon and return).... in the four years to follow, it was testament to how great this car actually was.. it never failed once, I was never late for work once - no matter what time of day or night I started or finished. The only thing which did happen was the rear left brake wheel cylinder let go, and both my regular mate (driver) and I decided that in the early hours of Saturday morning after coming off a night shift run to Bendigo and back on a freight -we'd "chance" going home on the gears and handbrake... I didn't get much sleep that day, due to having to source replacements.. and fitting/bleeding them -my first ever attempt at this... I returned to work that night with a brand new set of all four wheel cylinders and learnt the necessity to flush the system on a regular basis...

Appearance of the car started to take effect by mid 1974.... I tired of the "grandpa" look of this car - and I now look back and wished that I had not changed any of it.... but, there was much worse to come in 1983..

In the pix below, we see the replacement wagon tail-pipe, the removal of the Lowline sun visor, the Nasco weathershield, the hubcaps and the fitting of wheel trims, chrome domes, chromed wheel nuts, trailer socket, "Fedtro" aerial, windscreen strip and wiper "pressure wings"... for the trailer socket, I cut a second hole into the body which I was later to regret and was not welded back in until 2002...

I did get two pix of the car at the Historical society's home cottage in Doncaster with my famous "fitted" red on white P plates.. bolted to the rear number plate and wired to the left side of the grille - I will edit this when I locate them.

The pix were taken in July of 1974.. after the car had been washed... this is where I first heard the "gurgling and "slushing" sound of trapped water.. which I was later to find in the left sill.... I got to it in time, but it was years later I found out where it was... it perplexed me crazily - I could never find it down in the bowel of the left fender... if 'I had dropped something in there with the kick board removed - I'd have found the water.. but... I didn't...

I couple of pix of the dear old car in this time... it was getting the worst treatment in all its life here... dismantled, left out in the open permanently, exposed to diesel oil from the exhausts of locomotives in the car park.. and worst still.. the iron brake dust from the brake blocks as locomotives went past on the way to/from the servicing area... tying to keep that blasted stuff of my precious paintwork destroyed the paint..

We will get to respray later on...







And, for the first time - I add a pic of the dash... with the dash mounted tacho, my crazy set of "Arrow" below dash guages in my first attempt at a gauge cluster made from aluminium and sprayed gloss black (didn't last long), the "el-cheapo" tape player, rear view mirror over-lay and a Smiths radial core heater which came from an FC ... wow - did that bring some comfort on a cold and crisp pre-dawn morning going to work from warm bed in winter.... you can see that I have now drilled (mistake) and fitted two "push/pull" switches in the centre dash fascia - one for reverse lights and the other for wiper washer. The original floor mat is still in place... I was just 19 at this time (good name for a song)...

pic..



until next,
frats,
Rosco

rosco wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 2:31 pm...chrome domes, chromed wheel nuts... dash mounted tacho, my crazy set of "Arrow" below dash guages

Damn hotrodders

Love the story.

Cheers,
Harv

Thanks Harv,
am I going over the top this time... I can throttle it back a bit if you think so..

frats,
Rosco

rosco wrote: am I going over the top this time... I can throttle it back a bit if you think so..

Nuh


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Love those wibrocs rosco. Paint looks good still and remarkably you achieved a tough looking stance simply by pimping the stock wheels, no suspension tweaks?

I'm loving the detail. This is heritage mate.
Cheers
Clay

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