Leroy the EK Ute

[EK283]

Hey Joe,

(Good name for a song !!!)

Better wash that moss off the left of the wheel arch, you know it will grow and get hungrier !!!!


Regards Greg

[thebrotherj]

Better wash that moss off the left of the wheel arch, you know it will grow and get hungrier !!!!

...this car ain't no rolling stone either! (it rarely gets driven)

Maybe one day I'll do something about it, but meh. So many more fun things to get done first. I really should take more pride in presentation huh!

[FJWALLY]

throw a booster in - for a few hundred bucks it makes a big difference to stopability - that was my experience anyway.

[thebrotherj]

throw a booster in - for a few hundred bucks it makes a big difference to stopability - that was my experience anyway.

It’s already got one! Its a factory 307 Chev car with skinny solid discs and the narrow Girlock calipers up front.

Being an early HK (Jan 68 build), it has the very weird cantilevered brake booster mounted on a bracket away from the firewall, actuated by linkages from the brake pedal pivot. Sucks to R&R let me tell you!!

It’s a pretty weirdly optioned machine actually - Kingswood wagon with 307, Powerglide & 2.78 LSD banjo.
When it was sold it had sunvisor, towing pack, chrome bonnet spear, recliner buckets, Deluxe 11 radio... but no heater and vinyl floor and the basic Kingswood spec vinyl doortrims and seats.

Anyways. I’m now upgrading it a little with the wider (spaced) HT-G V8 callipers, thicker, slotted disc rotors & some modern-style brake pads. Along with a new master cyl and reco rear wheel cylinders, I’m hoping all that will improve things a little...


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[Errol62]

That’s the same packaging graphics that were on the nos door I got for the van from thommo.

I remember a mates ht wagon doing that rear axle crab back in c1980. He had just driven the 700 km from port Lincoln back to Adelaide.

Good to see Leroy working.


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[ardiesse]

Joe,

There'll be a bit more than just the rear spring rubbers had it on the HK. The rear spring centre bolt will be broken on the left, and the right hand one will be a bit bent out of shape too. I think broken rear spring centre bolt was Spencer Martin's undoing in 1963 at Bathurst.

BTW, I don't recognise the wheel rims. Volvo?

Rob

[FJWALLY]

LOL - sounds like a real eclectic mix there - sounds like a northern car with no heater / bonnet and low gearing - perhaps a country big open roader - Love the HT though - thats my birth year Holden so one day I'll find the one for me to go with the EK

throw a booster in - for a few hundred bucks it makes a big difference to stopability - that was my experience anyway.

It’s already got one! Its a factory 307 Chev car with skinny solid discs and the narrow Girlock calipers up front.

Being an early HK (Jan 68 build), it has the very weird cantilevered brake booster mounted on a bracket away from the firewall, actuated by linkages from the brake pedal pivot. Sucks to R&R let me tell you!!

It’s a pretty weirdly optioned machine actually - Kingswood wagon with 307, Powerglide & 2.78 LSD banjo.
When it was sold it had sunvisor, towing pack, chrome bonnet spear, recliner buckets, Deluxe 11 radio... but no heater and vinyl floor and the basic Kingswood spec vinyl doortrims and seats.

Anyways. I’m now upgrading it a little with the wider (spaced) HT-G V8 callipers, thicker, slotted disc rotors & some modern-style brake pads. Along with a new master cyl and reco rear wheel cylinders, I’m hoping all that will improve things a little...


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[Blacky]

Are they wheel spacers I see ????? How do you go getting rego with them fitted ?

[thebrotherj]

Joe,

There'll be a bit more than just the rear spring rubbers had it on the HK. The rear spring centre bolt will be broken on the left, and the right hand one will be a bit bent out of shape too. I think broken rear spring centre bolt was Spencer Martin's undoing in 1963 at Bathurst.

BTW, I don't recognise the wheel rims. Volvo?

Rob

Are they wheel spacers I see ????? How do you go getting rego with them fitted ?

heheh they are indeed, most hideous things: hub adapters to fit Commodore rims to early Holden stud pattern. They are not legal.

Blacky, I should've explained better - the stock HK rims are off the car at the moment, being renovated by moi, as I wait for new white wall tyres to arrive ahead of rego. I have this set of Commo wheels that are on as a stop gap for moving the car around the workshop etc while I do the brake upgrade. Took the HK for a spin with these wheels on out of curiosity to see how the old girl steered with them on...and to diagnose the rear suspension issue.

Gotta say, the wider track and big wheels felt quite good through the steering wheel, may just be that the Commo tyres are brand new. Ride was nicer too, I put that down to the heavier unsprung weight of these wheels.

Rob, I am unfortunately quite familiar with this failure, like old Spencer. My bro's HR suffered this also after the 202 and Supra 5 speed went in and we started giving it all kinds of hell 'roud the mean streets of Killara back in the day. I am hoping the centre bolt/dowel is still there or that what's left of it comes out ok. Never a fun task...

Cheers, Joe

[thebrotherj]

That’s the same packaging graphics that were on the nos door I got for the van from thommo.

I remember a mates ht wagon doing that rear axle crab back in c1980. He had just driven the 700 km from port Lincoln back to Adelaide.

Good to see Leroy working.


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Ha, yeah, amazing what they'll pout up with. I reckon Dad's wagon has been like this for quite a while too. Gotta love horse and cart suspension!

Loading up Leroy sure is satisfying, even if driving it when loaded is not... but good to put him to work indeed

[thebrotherj]

[quote=FJWALLY post_id=236613 time=1547466225 user_id=8531]
LOL - sounds like a real eclectic mix there - sounds like a northern car with no heater / bonnet and low gearing - perhaps a country big open roader - Love the HT though - thats my birth year Holden so one day I'll find the one for me to go with the EK

[quote=thebrotherj post_id=236610 time=1547455408 user_id=7120]

do it, they're such great cars the HK-T-Gs. Weird transition from the early Holden to the new age that followed, so unique and cool. Dad bought this one just before I was born so it's family to me. I had an HT Monaro for years too, but I sold that like the fool I am. Let's never speak of that again

You're probably on the money. Dad thought it might've been a salesman's car - it had huge miles on it when he bought in 1976, as well as a rail between the b-pillars to hang things on. It had no oil pressure at idle but the 307 hung together till 1979 before my Uncle rebuilt it. The wear was reportedly astonishing... I understand it was cheap at the time to do so - he bought a brand new block for it. He also threw in a 327 Impala cam, so it really boogied that motor. He got to wondering that it must've done over 200,000 miles, which ain't bad going in just 8 years. I built it again in 1999 after another 200,000 miles but only cos it leaked from the rear main, was still going strong.

Anyway. I'm rambling. Sure love this old beast, despite the huge mileage and it being bent.. my bro and I both crashed it when we were on our P's haha! Sorry Dad

[thebrotherj]

Axle seal went into Leroy one night last week and the leaking has ceased! Also nice to have the car pulling up straight again: the linings needed a good wash with brake clean...



The Ute-factor has been handy of late, lugging new tyres back and forth for the old man’s car and assorted parts gathering to get the rear suspension repaired. Lost a leaf (it had 7!) and replaced the sheared centre bolt on both sides. The old hearse is driving like an absolute dream now.



Yes that’s a KMac shock absorber in the background for those of you that remember them - I built this car in the pre-internet days where Street Magazine magazine ads had an influence on what I used hahaha



Met a bloke near me meanwhile who built a WB Ute as a Sandman ‘what if’ replica... he wants to swap it for Leroy. Not sure how I feel about that! Can’t blame him really

Cheers Joe

[Errol62]

Yeah but nooo but!


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[Patrick_R]

Don’t do it mate.

You know Leroy intimately, and exactly what has gone into him, with no short cuts, passion and work pride.

The WB could be a can of worms.
Plus, it ain’t like Leroy is.
Ric.

[thebrotherj]

Just a quick note to say that Leroy has been running like an absolute dream, working hard too. Engine is bedding in nicely and is dead silent after a tappet adjustment 600 miles in.

And this being the first early Holden that I’ve ever fitted electronic ignition too, I’m kicking myself that I hadn’t done this sooner! Starts every time and always runs so well, even after stalling it in heavy traffic on a blistering hot day...

Oh and I’ll be putting him to work even more than this soon: looks like I’ve secured a new living arrangement that will include more shed. A lot more shed.

More on that soon! Joe




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