Harv's HR Holden Premier wagon

[Harv]

Dumb HR questions for today:

The glovebox light is activated by an earth switch, just like the dome light. Is the switch the “rounded end” type like an EK door jamb, or the “square end” type like the HK/T/G/Qs? Mine is missing, and I have no round end EK ones in the spares department. I can buy the square end HK/T/G/Q ones from Rares, but it would be just my luck for it not to fit.

Did HR Prem wagons have a drivers front door lock? The Prem has only a passengers side one... like an FB/EK commercial. Just like a Grace’s ute, the absence of a drivers lock is driving me nuts.

Why, why would someone run the power lead for an aftermarket water temperature gauge from the coil + terminal? Surely it would have been easier to tap accessory power from inside the cabin. Wonder how accurate the gauge is when powered through a resistor wire...

Cheers,
Harv

[ardiesse]

Harv,

HRs used the "round-end" door jamb switches. I might have one or two floating around here. Unless they floated away on Sunday.
But the handbrake warning switch is a short square-end type.

Congratulations - you managed to score a Standard/commercial driver's door. Premiers definitely had a driver's door lock. Even the Specials did. (That'll be fun taking a rubbing of the passenger's door, reversing it, tracing the outline of the lock on the driver's door and then cutting the hole to suit.)

Accuracy is never a temp gauge strong point. It won't care if it's powered from +7 V rather than +13.8 V.

Rob

[Harv]

Many thanks. Let me know if you do have a switch please, if not I’ll post a Parts Wanted ad. The eBay alternative is somewhat steep:
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/PAIR-OF-COU ... xyXVBSM9cq

The door hole will be fun. Can you hole saw them (lots of coolant water to prevent paint burn) or is a big drill and filing a must?

The Sunday rain was heavy. I had 3” of water flow through the garage... thankfully most stuff is off the floor. Moved the spare crank to higher ground and WD40’d it just in case. Dining room ceiling decided to leak in a big way, as did Number 2 Daughter’s Mini sunroof. Found out the hard way that one of the Mini computer boxes is susceptible to flooding (after it started turning lights on at random, unattended), and that to get the Mini carpet out you need a good collection of Torx bits (I should have shares in Bunnings).

Cheers,
Harv

[mph]

Hi mate ,
You could run two central locking motors in the two front doors for cheap and just unlock the rear doors when need be as same as the past 60 years
Save unlocking each door individually and save cutting a lock in your door.
Kits are cheap and easy to wire

[gpi]

door switches:

https://www.danchuk.com/ItemForm.aspx?I ... 62a65d5336

the glovebox light is on the same page too

[FCEKHKZD]

harv,
i have done many door locks in skins, including some big $$$ resto's that have had skins put on them and they realise that they havent had a lock in the passengers side(falcons are notorious for this and the metal man overlooks it, so does the painter trick is to make a template with some cardboard using a old door or off another car using the door edge where the skin folds around and the body lines of the skin if you can. use a step drill to get it the right size, not a hole saw and then use a small file to make the locating relief, filing with inwards strokes only-slowly slowly being the operative word

[Harv]

Thanks gents.

I think the glovebox and door switches are different to the Danchuk ones though - they are just simple plastic bullet, spring and pressed steel can, like an EK.

Back to Bunnings... I need a step drill

Cheers,
Harv

[Errol62]

Instal a driver side lock in my EK215 was about the first thing I ever did to it. Not hard.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

[vmx-mxr]

Those Danchuk switches are the same as FB ones by the look of them
I've sent yo a PM

[Harv]

Black wire? we don't need no steeenking black wire.....

Whilst poking my head under the dash for the radio, I bumped the centre console. No hold down screws. Figured I'd lift it off to peek at the heater, as the heater fan doesn't work.

Found the wiring to the heater switch hanging loose, and the black wire broken/dangling.

heater wiring.JPG (90.17 KiB) Viewed 1165 times

Brown wire not shown in photo: provides 12-volt positive power from the fuse panel to the fan motor (protrudes from heater casing). Wire in place, and live.
Black wire: connects power from the motor to the heater fan switch. Wire busted, dangling, and waiting to find an earth
Yellow wire: provides an earth for the heater fan motor on high-speed.
Red wire: provides an earth for the heater motor on low speed (via the low-speed resistor).

How this thing has not turned into a phoenix I don't know.

Cheers,
Harv

[ardiesse]

You're going to need a heater fan switch. Got one of those. Do you need a centre console as well? Read post. No, you don't need a centre console. Does the heater fan work?

Rob

[Harv]

Not sure on the heater fan... that's one of this afternoon's tests. The quick look I made makes me think the ducts and demister nozzles are absent. Will have to have a better look whilst fighting the fan.

I suspect I can solder the black heater wire back together again, and remount that bakelite insulator. Might save me having to replace the switch (though thanks for the offer). Console is OK.

I managed to find a door jamb switch for my glovebox (with thanks to the gentleman in CQ).

Dumb HR question for today. I am keen to put a drivers door lock in. The MasterParts says that most early Holdens have the same door locks, but that HD/HR are different. Rares sells the door locks as common for nearly every pre-Commodore Holden. The Rares kits have two "end tangs" that are interchangeable - the two legged version like FB/EK (to the left in the photo below), and a bent flatbar version (shown to the right fitted to a door lock):

Rares door lock.JPG (46.1 KiB) Viewed 1138 times

I'm guessing that the two-legged version is for pre-HR, and that the bent flatbar version is for post-HR? The MasterParts reckons that the sliding lock-retaining plate is different for HR too.

Can I take an FB/EK door lock, use the FB/EK retaining plate, and make up a bent flatbar "end tang"? That way I don't need to buy a new Rares door lock, and only have to get one of my spare FB/EK ones recut to suit the other door.

Found this yesterday coiled up in the bottom of the driver's A-pillar, and run through to the rear of the car. 8' of multicore phone cable. Thankfully not connected to anything.

phone cable.JPG (98.06 KiB) Viewed 1138 times

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

You're going to need a heater fan switch. Got one of those. Do you need a centre console as well? Read post. No, you don't need a centre console. Does the heater fan work?

Rob

Spent a few hours tracing back and tidying up the speaker wiring, and terminating for the new radio. quite a few metres of spare speaker wire that had been curled up under the passengers carpet. Hopefully find some more time today after work and finish getting the old radio out. I bought a Custom Autosound radio, identical to the ones in my EK wagon and Grace's ute. Nice pushbutton fascia and chrome knobs. The bloke who sells them in Australia (Phil Weldon) is great to deal with, and makes up good fascias to suit the original Holden dashes. My fascia had been butchered. Phil was able to provide a full fascia for me, with the "ball mill grooved" insert. In theory, the Prem appears to have woodgrain vinyl over the insert, but the grooved version will not look out of place.

While I had my head under the dash, I had a play with the heater. Once I held the black wire back on, the switch and fan worked great - off, slow and fast (I thought it might have been off, dim and flicker ). I pulled the switch out to make the repair permanent, and think that you were correct - I will likely need a new heater switch. This one has been bodgied, with pop-rivets used to hold ring terminals on to the back of the switch. If you have a switch, I think I will use it please (let me know how much I owe you... the bill is growing). i forgot to check for demister cups while I had my head under the dash. The ducts are definitely absent.

Cheers,
Andrew

[Errol62]

Look forward to seeing some piccies of the radio and fascia Harv


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

[Harv]

Look forward to seeing some piccies of the radio and fascia Harv

Only have a photo of the existing one for now:

radio.JPG (651.92 KiB) Viewed 1115 times

It makes my soul hurt every time I get in the car. Will take some photos once the new one is in place. Need to keep my eye out for a roll of woodgrained Contact self-adhesive book covering to cover the new insert.

Cheers,
Harv