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Lets play guess a price $$$

the_boozer

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If you don't care about bullshit personal stories check out the pictures and help me make up a realistic budget and mission list with estimated costs to finish, engineer, register an ek holden with a blue 6. All my mates only like to change oil tyres or relays they tell me to buy another house and scrap it.
restingek.JPG

I don't think the point of this car was to ever finish it as far as my Dad was concerned it sat aside while we fixed up vb-k commodores or H series utes mostly.
I gave up on the world for a few years after the oldman died. Now the ek is still in a thousand pieces with half the parts missing.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1em3lQ_PIDlNtN8rpaeapVhYbZNOG6EsM?usp=sharing
I haven't driven this car this century the oldman had a thing about ek's and wanted to make something of it he said, then we put a hd front end in it and kept the steering box then he made me pour acrylic paint on it, that turned to **** real quick. Alone with the fact the steering box doesn't work with the hq wheels building the never was is hard it needs a step back get a racknpinion cross member and sand all the paint off it and repaint, was about the big cry I had with my oldman on my birthday a couple of days before he died . My oldman was a tightarse he wouldn't let me spend the money on it when he was alive my uncle was telling us the whole time the front end wouldn't work the oldman liked panel beating for an hour a day on it then drinking piss and bbq'ing the rest of the day many times he gave me the arse or I went on strike over lets get help or spending money on it. He pissed off everyone I did try to get to help me. Half the time we did make time to work on it we'd end up fixing someone else's car or his car he didn't like spending money on that either jolley roger was the oldmans favourite parts supplier.
the oldman went off his head at me for wasting money when I came home with a heap of rechromed stuff and the rubbers for it. He thought we'd find usable original stuff at a swap meet we used to goto every swap meet with in 100k's and had found very little ek stuff that was any good in reality. Another time we went to castlemain to check out rod hadfield after rod charged us $5 to go in his museum and wouldn't turn the lights on buying a front end off him wasn't allowed that day..

Even if it drove it wouldn't make it up the driveway of the property i want to move to along with me being an ordinary driver all my cars are scratched dented covered in dirt what am I going to do with a car too good to drive. As I plan on moving house this year its time something happened. If I haven't worked on it myself in 10 years its unlikely I'm going to in the next 10 is it.
thanks for your input.
 

vc commodore

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Maybe $10K.....That is a real stab in the dark price.

Honestly by you posting this up, it does seem as though you want to do something with it, either to spite your Dad, by spending money on it, or as a tribute to your Dad.....Scrapping it doesn't make sense, despite what your mates have said....After all, it is something close to your heart, rather than theirs as shown by posting up this thread :D

If you continue going to swap meets, just as an off chance of finding something for the car, your Dad is still there in some shape or form. Also scouring country towns for old wrecks in the paddocks also goes a long way in locating alot of parts....Well, that's what my mates and I do anyways :)

As for the steering portion....I believe they use early commodore racks for the conversion...VB to VL, from memory....You also need to buy an oil filter relocation kit...From memory, the oil filter hits the intermediate shaft....Of course this is pressing my memory back 10 to 15 years, as it has been that long since I have seen this conversion.

I am also aware of a wreckers in S.A that should have some early Holdens of this era....What is on them I have no idea, but I have no issues passing on details, or even helping out if required to locate some parts.....

I also have a few contacts when it comes to the old 6 banger motor parts.......So again, more than willing to help out if you wish.

Anyways good luck with your decision.....I really do hope you actually get it driveable at the bare minimum, just to keep the memories of your Dad alive even more
 

Ginger Beer

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losh1971

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Paint alone will be $10k. Where do you live? I know a bloke that collects and sells F and E series Holden parts.
 

the_boozer

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Honestly by you posting this up, it does seem as though you want to do something with it,
I'm trying to talk myself into doing something with it but since the oldman has died lets say the love is lost I used to think Ill drive it when I'm an ole bloke but Id rather drive my Hilux.

I cant see it $20k getting it finished to be honest. As Im **** at finishing jobs sometimes I think Ill finish this if its the last thing I ever do, we are making me a realistic job list of what I'm going to hunt down to get it rolling as its going to move .

My thoughts are complete the mechanicals then worry about finish painting it
but to get some direction and stop dreaming so it doesn't blow out too much.
I all ready have a
reco blue 3.3 with an eh sump on
a reco trimatic.
It still needs
crossmember (change or put racknpinionn steering on existing hd)
diff rear brakes handbrake
seats
floormat or carpet
fuel tank carby or efi inlet manifold efi (stop dreaming on fuel system)
exhaust manifold exhaust pipes
radiator
make the steering column collapsible
2 speed wipers
heater demister fan (find warmride heater?)
thanks for your thoughts .
 

vc commodore

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Bugger it's a blue...I have 2 Redline and 1 long runner cain manifold to suit a red here...I also have 2X 350 Holleys....

I know I had a little trouble finding a blue manifold......Managed to find 2 in the end...One is on my current motor and the 2nd is at a mates place, having the centre removed, along with the holley adaptor...Don't know when he'll finish it, as he has had it for 6 months so far.....

Extractors for a blue....Haven't searched real hard yet for 2nd handies.....My current extractors had to be modified as they were in a HB Torana and the bend down the bottom pressed the base of them hard against the floor pan, where it met the firewall.....Got the bend removed and bingo, nice fit.....Might look for some others in the next month anyways....

Seats....I do recall someone putting Commodore seats into an early years ago....Not sure what was done to do it though....But I'm sure with a tape measure and a little nouse, seats won't be too difficult, if you want later model seats in there.

The rear brakes.....Hummm....Might be fun finding, but not impossible....Would an EJ to HR diff bolt straight in? Might open options up a bit.

The steering column is an interesting one...Having a collapsible column a requirement for rego?

Wipers should be too hard....Plenty of cars out there with those, so finding something cheap should be easy.

Rad.....Might be another hard one to find.

The heater fan...I think vintage air do that sort of thing.....Might be worth enquiring about.

Carpet isn't hard to get....Can't remember the name of the place that sells them on ebay, but shouldn't be too hard to find

So overall with that list, the majority of the parts should be easy to find and shouldn't break the bank per say......

Having that car there gives you something that can't be bought and that is memories...Fair enough you feel like you have lost the love to drive it, but I honestly believe if you start finding parts, piecing it together, the inspiration will come back and a sense of achievement will be accomplished which would make your Dad proud
 

UTE042_NZ

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I noted the one that Ginger Beer linked had an HR front end, and you said yours isn't right. There are a few complete HR front ends available on Gumtree. $450 for stock-drum-needing-rebuild to $1200-$1600 for rebuilt-with-disk. If you buy one of those, Castlemaine Rod Shop can modify the cross member for $650 - to suit your engine and you can choose which steering type (standard/front or rear mounted rack and pinion) they do it for.
 

RATBOX

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i've had FB EK holdens forever i know them inside out, i assume you are in VIC so not up on their regs but NSW just to do what is needed and get your engineering cert you will spend atleast 5k and that is if you are handy, the rest of the car depends on what you have and what you can do yourself could be another 5k could be 30k
in my opinion if you have no feeling for the car you are probably better off selling it they are an old car and it takes a lot to get them where they don't really drive like an old car
here's the one i currently have i built it 25 years ago sold it and bought it back 3 years ago
43399128_988632744640852_1988829239712940032_n.jpg

another i built years ago
conv1.jpg

and another
118557863_2791090654493530_229916525051691937_n.jpg
 

the_boozer

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the poor thing is sick of resting in the shed i struggle to maintain a hilux and will never finish it properly , if any ek lovers are itching to do an ek holden i will be selling it in the next year or so.
I don't see any point in me slapping together what I have as a true ek lover would rather do himself properly . My 80 year uncle told me you have to stick to what you're good at boy , in you're case its looking ugly go and work on a building or something.
My family and 2 close friends have been affected by road accidents in the past now they all drive cars with air bags an as big a safety rating as possible .
Ill start with I couldn't sell water in the desert when it comes time ill get a mate to help me sell it. message me if you want to come have a look at it Im not after unrealistic amounts of money
If you are a board old Holden lover feel free to put a estimated what you think its worth price on it , In what I spent on re-chromed parts, rare spares bits, ect I had to forget what that cost me long a go now I include all the beer and durries I brought that year along with sentimental and crap realist please with out dragging the nads down the driveway.
 

RATBOX

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hey could you message me some pics and details (condition of car, rust, what is there etc) a price you are after and where you are located, i know of a few people looking for these or i could post it on some facebook pages
 
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