HK/T/G NATIONALS

OLD HOLDEN ENTHUSIASTS NEVER DIE – THEY JUST HIT THE SUNSHINE COAST FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL HKTG NATIONALS

The masses gather to celebrate one of Australia’s favourite generations of Holden

WITH a camera in one hand and a beer in the other, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the HT Holden turning 50 than riding shotgun in a Monaro as the power pedal hit the floor. More than 150 survivors, restored and ratted builds travelled from across the country to the Sunshine Coast for the second annual HKTG Holden Nationals. The four-day shindig began on Friday night, where the HKTG Holden Owners Club of Queensland started the party at the Aussie World theme park for registration and a couple of cold ones.

On Saturday morning, the Glasshouse Mountains Sports Club hosted the hordes of old Holdens. Entrants lined up in rows, bonnets popped for onlookers to admire the many rebuilt originals, a salute to the survivors. Monaros, Broughams, Premiers, Kingswoods and Belmonts were all on display, each row of the show ’n’ shine representing a moment in Holden’s history. Every year, make, model and colour was on display.

Era-correct restorations sat among Ls-swapped rigs and blown, injected beasts. A variety of cars made the trip from Perth, Adelaide, Victoria and New South Wales. The turnout was impressive. There was even a Kingswood that sat on a boat for month to get there from New Zealand!

If you ask me, the late 60s was the pinnacle of automotive sexiness, both Aussie and Yankee. So it’s no surprise that it was a red-hot ’69 Monaro that first grabbed my attention. She’s definitely the hot sister in the HT’S line-up; nice curves, not exactly pure, but everyone wants a peek of what she’s hiding. The show-spec GTS drew a crowd with its slick and smooth engine bay, which holds an impressive, mirror-finished fuel injection set-up attached to a 5.0-litre Commodore-donated donk.

If we’re going to talk custom, there was an HG Monaro from South Africa, or at least half of it. The imported front end has been bolted onto an HK panel van, and show-goers loved the combination.

While there were a bunch of welded, bolted and heavily

EACH ROW OF THE SHOW ’N’ SHINE REPRESENTED A MOMENT IN HOLDEN’S HISTORY. EVERY YEAR, MAKE, MODEL AND COLOUR WAS ON DISPLAY

modded builds, a glimpse of patchy patina caught my eye. Sitting a few rows behind all the polished paint, I hit the jackpot with a beauty of a shed find – a rough and ratty HK! The ’69 GTS looks old, smells old, and has clearly had a tough life. It took home the award for HK Top Rat, which might’ve had something to do with the mummified rodent that died in the dash and now rides up front.

As judges finished circling the show ’n’ shine, clouds gathered overhead. While the threat of hail sent some packing, the convoy continued as entrants cruised through the Coast’s hinterland, out to the Archerfalls Airfield for some dirt drags, spear-a-spud and go-to-whoa.

“Everyone’s having a hell of a lot of fun tearing up the dirt,” said event organiser and president of the HKTG Owners Club of Queensland, Adrian Peacock. “We’ve even got kids out on the track having a go in Mum and Dad’s car. There’s a father-and-son team from Adelaide; we haven’t been able to pull them off the track!”

RETURN OF THE KING

WHILE most entrants made the road trip to the nationals in the same steel they competed in, 74-year-old Kiwi Gordon Merrett put his 1969 Kingswood on a boat! With a factory 5.0-litre, Saginaw four-speed manual one and Salisbury diff, the HT is of two special-ordered wagons built with Monaro drivetrains. “It’s rare for these options to be fitted to a Kingswood,” Gordon said. Apparently two sales reps wanted Monaros for business trips, but needed the space of wagons. The cars were built at Sydney’s Pagewood plant, with full Monaro running gear and Sports Pack features. As a member of the Early Holden Club of Auckland, 50 Gordon was in Oz celebrating years of Holden when he found the car listed in the Trading Post. “I bought this car in 1998 and shipped it home,” he said. “It was restored and has been used as a club car, at shows and club runs.”

After attending last year’s HKTG Nationals in Adelaide, he decided it was time to bring the Kingswood back. “I shipped it into Melbourne and drove 2300km with the Victoria club to get here. It’s been away for 20 years, now it’s back again!”

And this time it’s staying here, because Gordon was offered a deal he couldn’t refuse and sold it at Saturday’s show ’n’ shine.

ROAD SERVICE

Victoria in their ’69 HT Belmont DAVID Smith and Cherie Baird led a convoy from who founded the HKTG Club of survivor panel van and ’68 HK Monaro. The couple, other club cars. Victoria, made the four-day road trip with 15 Bombala, NSW. “We camped Hitting the road from Geelong, the first stop was along the Monaro Highway,” David on the first night then made our way to Bathurst at the Big Merino at Goulburn, said. The crew cruised through Cooma, stopping to get to Mount Panorama. before taking the scenic drive through Crookwell a few laps.” “Everyone got out there on the track and had Museum in Bathurst, the convoy After an afternoon at the National Motor Racing through Mudgee, Tamworth and set up their swags. They then followed the map Harbour, followed by the Big Prawn Ebor. Then it was on to the Big Banana at Coffs Coast. at Ballina, and then the final stretch to the Sunshine made it to the Nationals, and to the The couple and their convoy of HTS, Ks and Gs Big Pineapple as part of Sunday’s mystery cruise. 50 years are as reliable as they were “It proves that, if maintained well, these cars ago,” Cherie said.

EVERYONE’S HAVING A HELL OF A LOT OF FUN TEARING UP THE DIRT. OUT ON WE’VE EVEN GOT KIDS IN THE TRACK HAVING A GO MUM AND DAD’S CAR

According to the rule book, if you want to be in the running for Grand Champion, you’ve got to get down and dirty. This means a bunch of builds were off the blacktop and onto the dirt for the first time!

Hesitation quickly disappeared when drags turned into powerskids and entrants hauled the few hundred metres down the dirt stretch. The rain hit just in time to keep the dust out of everyone’s eyes.

It was then that I jumped into a tidy 500-cube HT Monaro. Piloting the modified muscle was Glenn Wheelehen and backseat driver Neil. These boys were on the track and in their element all arvo.

“It’s been a great, relaxed weekend, with so many likeminded bogans,” Glenn said. “The variety out here is endless – there’s new, old, restored, original and rusty.”

The spear-a-spud looked like a scene out of Mad Max, with panel vans, wagons and high-powered utes that would make the old ‘Pursuit Special’ coupe proud. Cars lined up as passengers hung out of the windows, stakes in hand, game faces on. Tyres spun and mud went flying as the light turned green. I’m surprised we didn’t lose anyone out the window as drivers hooked around the stacked tyres, snagged the spud, then raced back to the startline, trying for the quickest time, though some couldn’t help but sacrifice seconds to throw hoops for the crowd.

The go-to-whoa wrapped up the driving events as we lost light, but not before entrants put their cars through their final paces. Here, drivers were timed as they pedalled around the tyres and back, to test speed, performance and driving skill. A blown HT wagon dominated the dirt, and a super-tidy Monaro put on a show for the last of the spectators.

With minimal carnage, the old Holdens parked up, ready for Sunday’s beach cruise, followed by an action-packed day of hot-lapping at Lakeside Raceway, 35km north of Brisbane. I guess the survivors have lived to see another day, and will hopefully be back next year.

IT’S BEEN A GREAT, RELAXED WEEKEND, WITH SO MANY LIKE-MINDED BOGANS. THE VARIETY OUT HERE IS ENDLESS – THERE’S NEW, OLD, RESTORED, ORIGINAL AND RUSTY

What do you get when you cross a GQ Patrol chassis, an injected 304 out of a VN, a 1969 HT and a madman? Shane Tapscott and his wild 4WD Monaro! With a three-inch lift, a set of muddies and light bars all round, the rig was ready to take on the Old Telegraph Track. “I’m driving it to Cape York straight from the Nationals,” Tappy said. “I’ve just had bars made for the rooftop tent so that I don’t become croc bait!” Good luck, mate

02 01 “Driven, not hidden” are words Darren Shelton lives by. Not that there’s anything discreet about his blown HT wagon in any case! The 350 small-block Chev is an impressive bit of gear, with forged pistons, RHS alloy heads, a massive cam, twin 650 Holleys, MSD electronic ignition and a 9in diff fitted with Caltracs 02 Young guns Daniel Gaskin and Clayton Barness from Aussie Shed Talk impressed with their backyard-built utes. Dan’s ’71 HG is powered by a built LS1 with a Turbo 400 and custom 9in. Bullet holes add to the character of Clayton’s 03 01 patina-covered FJ rat rod, which was target practice before the firewall was cut and a 202 red motor thrown in Ricky Allen’s immaculate ’69 HT Monaro just went through a two-anda-half-year restoration. The 5.0-litre Commodore donk is made pretty by a Bliss Custom Machining inlet manifold and rocker covers, and is backed by a T5 manual and Ford 9in. Wilwood discs up front and F100 drums in the back bring the beast to a stop. Annvid Auto Upholsters took care of the interior, while J’s Customs & Fabrication smoothed the steel and worked the bonnet to keep those throttlebodies hidden 03

The boys in the VB delivery van blew the fan belt, but with a couple of beers, a ratchet strap and some good old bush mechanics, the welded-up HT wagon made it home 01 Everyone was talking about the ‘rat HK’, but not because of the patina! “When we first opened the glovebox it was full of rats’ nests,” said owner Rob Watson. “I saw a tail sitting over the cigarette lighter, so I undid the vent and found him mummified!” That rat has been riding up front ever since. “We figured if we’re going to rat-rod the Monaro, we may as well leave the original rat in it!” Rob chucked a 350 in the 1968 GTS to get it to the show, but has the original 307 at home 02 Karen Fiedler brought out her work ute for a thrash in the dirt. She drove the HK Belmont hard, taking home the title of Fastest Female. Hubby Des recently swapped out the factory 161 for a tricked 308 for some extra grunt 03 This super-clean 500-cube Ls-powered HT has run 10.75@127mph. Glenn Wheelehen bought the Monaro for $150 when he was 14, and over three decades he’s given it four overhauls, swapping out the 400ci small-block and tidying the body, boot and interior. An LQ9 block now sits in the smoothed bay, with AFR heads, Super Victor manifold and Comp solid cam, running through a 4L65 auto with a 5800rpm converter and Truetrac 9in 04 This survivor ’69 Kingswood sat under a mango tree for 20 years before Jeremy Green adopted it. Jeremy and his uncle, who rebuilt the 186, drove 26 hours from Melbourne to run amok with their mates at the Nationals. “It’s a good birthday party for a 50-year-old car,” he said 01 02

Patrick Tahnie Feeney with bubba been so Sheridan. “The event’s great day awesome. We’ve had a [Clayton] in watching Uncle Shane said his Kingswood,” Tahnie

01 Grant Winchester’s vision came to life when he bolted an HG Monaro SS front end onto his HK Belmont panel van. He sourced the HG half from South Africa and got to work installing the imperial clusters and controls and throwing in a 307-cube Chev and Turbo 350. “Everything’s been modified to how my wife and I wanted it,” Grant said proudly. “It’s done three tours around Tassie” 02 Luke Dimech’s real-deal HT rally car has done more than 200 events and won the Victorian Historic class in 2001. “Colin Bond did a parade lap around Bathurst in it, and Brocky stuck his head in for a chat,” Luke said. The Monaro once ran hand-me-down parts bought from Harry Firth and, while it’s undergone some restorations, Luke has always maintained its heritage 03 Richard Jeffery’s slick ’69 HK ute turned heads with its Poison Ivy green paint and polished timber tray. The Summernats Top 60 car is neat underneath with a Ford 9in and Wilwood brakes 01 02 03