Vehicle Model Time.

[Dr Terry]

I agree with the HQ doors. Chrome stuff was part of the XY7 special vehicle package though. Paint colour yes but late HQ's were in HJ colours, HX got late HJ colours, some colours continued into HZ from HX plus there were fleet colours common for all.
HZ got the RTS badge on the guards unless RTS was deleted.
Later ones would have had black wipers.
Possibly the lion changed on th ehubcaps but hard to see from a distance.
Drum brakes would indicate 6cyl HQ or some HJ if you could see at the right angle.
You might sneak a look at a rear swaybar on a HZ.
Passenger side mirror may have been mandatory at some stage but some States had in mandatory anyway.
Clear front indicators on 1972 HQ then maybe in the right light see the parkers on and see the headlights illuminated on later ones.

Pretty right. From that distance, I doubt that you could see the little triangle at the top which denote HQ doors. Standard hubcaps are painted, so you won't see the lion shape. You won't see the drum brakes or the rear stabiliser bar either. I believe that all One-Tonners had LH & RH mirrors mandatory in all states. Was this the same utes & vans by the HQ era, I'm not sure ?

The way I see it, most 1971s (very rare) will have no headrests. 71 & 72 had clear front parker/blinkers, 73 thru to HZ got amber front blinkers.

So HQs will be easy, either clear parkers or HQ-style headrests, or both. HJ gets tombstone style headrest but silver wiper arms. HX got black wiper arms, but no RTS badge. HZ got black wiper arms & the RTS badge.

I know that you could option textile radials on utes & vans, but I thought that all HZ One-Tonners got 10-ply steel radials.

Dr Terry

[wbute]

They would get slightly rustier the older they were? Most rust HQ, least HZ?

[Innuendo]

So what ye on the VE Commodore 2006 to 2013. That's a long run for a single model.
What are the sales figures and breakdown?

[Taily]

From what I remember HQ was bench with no headrests, wheels were silver (early to late build) with painted hubcaps/some were fitted with Kingswood hubcaps with more black than chrome), then white wheels (very late HQ - the beginning of the HJ parts inventory) with HJ hubcaps. Clear blinker lenses as you point out on early, orange later.

HQ hubcaps:

HJ also had white wheels and the predominantly chrome hubcaps, silver on black "holden" metallic decal on rear chassis light bar/near number plate introduced.

HJ hubcaps:

HX-Z as you put it Doc but not sure about left hand mirror. I do know that an interior rear vision mirror was around a 10 buck option, dependant upon which body type was going to be fitted (bread truck etc), so would think an external LH mirror would have been mandatory in that instance.

[HK1837]

Pretty right. From that distance, I doubt that you could see the little triangle at the top which denote HQ doors. Standard hubcaps are painted, so you won't see the lion shape. You won't see the drum brakes or the rear stabiliser bar either. I believe that all One-Tonners had LH & RH mirrors mandatory in all states. Was this the same utes & vans by the HQ era, I'm not sure ?

The way I see it, most 1971s (very rare) will have no headrests. 71 & 72 had clear front parker/blinkers, 73 thru to HZ got amber front blinkers.

So HQs will be easy, either clear parkers or HQ-style headrests, or both. HJ gets tombstone style headrest but silver wiper arms. HX got black wiper arms, but no RTS badge. HZ got black wiper arms & the RTS badge.

I know that you could option textile radials on utes & vans, but I thought that all HZ One-Tonners got 10-ply steel radials.

Dr Terry

I think you are right, the small details would be hard to pick from a distance. I think you are right about the mirrors too, it was the internal one that was an option. HQ utes still had the LH one optional but mandatory insome States.

I'll try and find the info but on one tyre option in HZ I remember reading somewhere that the dash lost the RTS badge as did the guards from memory. It may have only been a Govt Fleet option. I'll find it eventually.

But I think we can all get my original point, the HQ-HZ tonner didn't change all that much along the way. I suppose that was the point, it was a work truck and no-one cared.

[seavan]

Found this pamphlet in the glove box of a HJ ute the other day. Dont know if it is of interest to anyone but it answers a couple of questions being thrown around at the moment.

Attachment 10643Attachment 10644Attachment 10645Attachment 10646Attachment 10647Attachment 10648Attachment 10649Attachment 10650Attachment 10651

[Dr Terry]

So what ye on the VE Commodore 2006 to 2013. That's a long run for a single model.
What are the sales figures and breakdown?

I think you are correct with the VE being the longest running series. I don't have sales numbers yet (I put that enquiry in this morning), but a quick count from July 2006 to May 2013 makes it a 83 month lifespan.

This applied only to the SWB sedans, however the Statesman & Caprice are only 1 month less as they were released in Aug 2006. The ute came in Aug 2007 (total 70 months) & the wagon came in July 2008 (total 59 months).

Innuendo is correct & we have a new winner.

Dr Terry

[Dr Terry]

From what I remember HQ was bench with no headrests, wheels were silver (early to late build) with painted hubcaps/some were fitted with Kingswood hubcaps with more black than chrome), then white wheels (very late HQ - the beginning of the HJ parts inventory) with HJ hubcaps. Clear blinker lenses as you point out on early, orange later.


HJ also had white wheels and the predominantly chrome hubcaps, silver on black "holden" metallic decal on rear chassis light bar/near number plate introduced.


HX-Z as you put it Doc but not sure about left hand mirror. I do know that an interior rear vision mirror was around a 10 buck option, dependant upon which body type was going to be fitted (bread truck etc), so would think an external LH mirror would have been mandatory in that instance.

The base HQ-HZ One-Tonner to my knowledge, always had painted hubcaps, grille, front bar & nose lettering. The HQ/HJ were either white or grey depending on body colour & then in late HJ they went to a silver finish (matt silver paint). As HK1837 has said, the chrome bits & matching hubcaps came as part of the optional XY7 'appearance package'.

HQ front seats without headrests, to my knowledge were only seen in 1971, the headrests (actually head restraints) became mandatory due to ADR22 for 1972 onwards.

The metallic 'HOLDEN' decal on the rear of the chassis was there since day 1. Its part no. was 2823499, which is a 1971 era number. The decal changed to part no. 92009543 for some reason, around late HZ, because it didn't change in appearance.

Dr Terry

[HK1837]

WB eclipses HQ in series run as well at just on or over 60 months.

Although not a proper Aussie Holden (although they were assembled here with GMH PSN and compliance) the Chev C20 was around from April 1975 through to some time in 1980. CF Bedford was around for a long while too.

[Dr Terry]

WB eclipses HQ in series run as well at just on or over 60 months.

Although not a proper Aussie Holden (although they were assembled here with GMH PSN and compliance) the Chev C20 was around from April 1975 through to some time in 1980. CF Bedford was around for a long while too.

Yeah, as my example of the TF Rodeo showed, some of these commercial vehicles have very long model lives. Take a look at Toyota, the average Landcruiser or HiLux model run is quite often twice as long (or more) compared to say a Corolla or Camry.

The WB run is difficult to measure. They were released in April 1980 & production ceased around Oct/Nov 1984 & the excess sold into 1985, but not actually replaced by another model. The question is when do you consider the WB to have ceased sales, I usually just call it Dec 1984, which makes it a 57 month model run. I guess many sold well into 1985, but that happens with most models.

Dr Terry