EJ is top of the heap
Hello, just to add to t he debate. I have had two EJs. Both were purchased in the 70s. One was a sedan with automatic transmission and the other a manual ute. Both of these vehicles were honest and reliable. Both were brought as second cars and were cheap. They were used as daily commutes to work.
The automatic took about a city block to change gears at times and t he only troubles I had wit h it was, at one stage, t he radiator carked it and she overheated. At one point I had six adults in the car, driving up and down steep hills. The transmission let us know it was working but she never let us down.
The other problem I had with the car was kind of my own fault. I had built a house and there was a heap of soil where t hey had put in t he sewer pipes. Being lazy, I decided to use the car to pack down the heap of soil. It worked fine until the heap got taller. Using a bit more throttle Iran the car up t he heap. This felt great until it ground to a stop on top of the pile with both front and rear wheels off the ground. Not rea l good. The next problem was I had to get out of the window as the body must have moved and I couldn’t undo t he doors. The solution was to get a shovel out and digit off the mound. When she was back down the doors all opened and there were no squeaks and rattles in the body. The only thing I bought for the car was an eyebrow trim and a set of radials. Very cheap motoring.
The ute was purchased to move some soil for the garden. It was cheaper than buying a trailer and a lot easier to reverse. I used it as a commuter car for a couple of years. It was Katrina Beige. A mate of mine had an EH 179 wagon. I liked the power it had so I decided a red motor was the way to go. My mechanic checked everything out and said the motor would be great and easy to f it. There was one problem, the body would have to go. The body near t he rear lea f springs was just about rusted through. The follow ing weekend the ute became a Honda Civ ic.
Like a ll updates t he EJ was bettered by the EH, but both were honest and reliable workers, so what’s the debate about? Brian Tonkin, Email.
Morley says...
I THINK it goes without saying, Brian me old mate, that an EJ Holden was never designed as a piece of earthmoving equipment. That said, I’ve used my utes over the years to uproot small trees, pull down fences and as short-wheelbase tipper trucks. The best one was a HJ with a 253 and loose old auto. The only thing missing was a three-point linkage and a pivot to mount a blade. And speaking of EJ utes, my dad owned one many years
“IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT AN EJ HOLDEN WAS NEVER DESIGNED AS A PIECE OF EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT”
ago; a car he bought from the estate of his uncle (or something). It was a great car, but I refused to drive it until he put seat-belts in it. He never did. And it wasn’t because he was concerned with originality, he was just lousy.
Rust finally got it, too. Because the window seals were all shot, the ute leaked like a cabinet meeting. Eventually, I pulled the seat out, grabbed a hammer and cold chisel and cut a few holes in the floorpan for the water to drain. But the damage was done. Probably wouldn’t tackle the same problem the same way today…
But you’re right, the EJ Holden was a fine piece of Aussie engineering, made at a time when we, as a society, genuinely favoured steak over sizzle. My only question for you, Brian, is how the Honda Civic was at carting soil and packing down earthworks? Bit light for that, I’d have thought.