FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Hi to everyone. I'm new to this forum but not FC's. I bought my first, a business sedan at 17 years of age and it's still with me. Only recently I decided to research the history of the car and found that it was the 219th business sedan body produced in Adelaide. My question is does anyone know how many business sedans were produced in Adelaide? I'm trying to get a rough idea of the build date. The engine looks like it's from an FB and there is no chassis number stamped in the engine bay so neither of these methods are helpful. Cheers

Hi, Welcome to the forum.
Have you checked for the chassis number on both sides of the engine bay?
My Adelaide built 57 FE station sedan chassis number should be on the upper left hand fender skirt.
But it is on the right hand fender skirt.

Cheers Stewy   8)

Thanks for the welcome Stewy.

I've had another look all over the engine bay and still no sign of a chassis number. I wouldn't think it's under the battery tray so I haven't removed that for a look.

Difficult question to answer mc59.
No records exist of how many of each model were made - even in the Adelaide library where all the old GMH records are stored.
I have been collecting vehicle ID data for about 20 years or so and have about 3000 numbers stored. The main reason is to answer the question you have asked.
So in 20 years of collecting and over 3000 entries I have found just 7 FC 217's :o :o
To say that they are rare is an understatement

Of the 7, 2 are made in Sydney, 4 in Melbourne and 1 in Adelaide

199 is the highest in Sydney
292 is the highest in Melbourne
185 is the highest in Adelaide - yours is now the highest at 219

I have full details of the 292 car which is September 1959, however the 217 model did not run till the end of 1959 and I believe it finished in September some time, but I have no documented evidence.

Your car would be at the very end of Adelaide production - probably Sep 59

I estimate from my experience that there were about 300 cars each made in Sydney and Melbourne and maybe 250 made in Adelaide, it's probably less than this, say between 800 & 850 in total.

It would be very helpful if you could find a chassis number as then I could date it very accurately.

Also, what are the other numbers on the ID plate?
A lot of 217 models were special build - my FC 217 was an Army staff sedan .

Ken

Being an FC, the chassis number is always in the one place on the driver's side skirt near the wiring loom.
Does the rear door window wind all the way down, or stay open about 1 inch?

Ken

Hi Ken. Thanks for that info.
The rear window doesn't go all the way down. They stop about an inch up. I've seen where the chassis numbers are on other Fc's and it doesn't exist on this one.
The only other info on the body plate is as follows

Body FC 217-219-A
Trim  4-644
Paint 253-6258
Insert
Top


When I bought the car all those years ago the seller told me that it began its career with SAPOL

My father in law was in sapol for 35 years and is in the historical society, will ask him about a black FC sedan. He started with the humpys so it was his era.
Cheers Stewy   8)

That's a coincidence Stewy. My dad was in SAPOL. He began in Adelaide in 1961 and said there was one black FC left as SAPOL were transitioning to the powder blue FB's. He said it was a patrol car as it had the lights and siren fitted,  but that was replaced with another FB within a few months of him starting.

Well that info helps me a great deal as the window change occurred in October 1959 so they were still being made in October!
That dates your car to October 1959.
Black 217s are common ;D
6 of the now 8 known are black, mine was obviously khaki green and the other one is (was) 2102.
But this one is a little controversial since I was given the details many years ago by a friend who saw it in Muirs dealership in Sydney. No one else has ever seen this car so I have some doubt about its correct recording.

Ken

What change was made to the window, Ken?

Pre Oct 59 the window winds all the way down.
The service bulletin says "To permit improved sealing over the rear door check link hole, the travel of the rear door window glass has been restricted slightly. The glass now, when in the down position, protrudes approximately 1 1/4 inches above the door belt line"
You can see the differences in the rear door winder mechanisms when you compare them.

Ken

Thanks again, that's some great information. :)
Pity there is no chassis number, possibly not the original front end?

Belated welcome.
I think we need a photo!
Nick

Thanks for the welcome Nick. I will do some research on how to post pictures and be happy to share some. Would this be the correct area of the forum to post pictures?

This is the FC 217 I restored


(https://s31.postimg.org/j7urgl7c7/image.jpg) ($2)

Ken

That looks like a very unique Fc, looks terrific :)

I'll try adding a picture.

 This is the oldest image I have, not long after buying the car. I was around 17 yo and had already added the hood ornament and 225 flash. I still have the parts needed to return it to original when it suits. Didn't appreciate it for what it was at the time.
(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q483/mceedjay2mc59/Fc1/fc01resize_zpsrlixq3tf.jpg) ($2)


I completed the transformation in 1995. Still runs the grey motor that came with it, 3.89 diff, 3 speed etc.
(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q483/mceedjay2mc59/Fc1/IMG_0513rs_zps11rme6w6.jpg) ($2)

This was our proudest moment a couple of years ago. Taken at GMH. They have given me permission to post it.

(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q483/mceedjay2mc59/Fc1/IMG_1528rs_zpsdhhsqbf1.jpg) ($2)

Wow, great opportunity on the production line.

Your car looks great and take heart, it is hardly modified at all.
The army staff sedan had a red motor, 4 speed gearbox and hr front and rear ends. It also had a smoothed firewall with all the wiring holes welded up, the battery was mounted in the boot and a power booster was mounted under the front guard, and worst of all, it had 4 inch wide flares welded into the rear guards.
I ended up replacing the rear quarters with NOS items.
Most of the front floor had to be replaced to remove the bigger trans hump, whilst virtually all of the passenger side of the firewall was replaced as well. Every original hole was returned whilst every non-original hole or bracket was painstakingly removed :P

Ken

I can see why, what a great opportunity. It looks fantastic!

Thanks for the comments. It looks like you've put a lot of effort into your car Ken, and from reading posts on this forum I think it's fantastic that there are so many people out there finding these cars and and going to great length's to get them back on the road. Keep up the great work, everyone. :)

mc59 One thing that's missing is the date you bought the car  ;D. Was the black paint the original paint or had it been resprayed already?

When you say that you bought the car as a 17 yo, was this 20 years ago or 50 years ago? ::)

Ken

I bought it in 1986... I think :)  My first car, I was still at high school, 30 years of memories now. I took a day off school and drove with my dad to pick it up. Broke down in the middle of a busy intersection on the way home  :D . It was my daily drive for nearly 10 years. Back when occasionally you'd pass another old one on the road. Rarely see one now.

I'm not sure if it had been resprayed. I've only just learned in the last few months that the original colour was black. I used to think the original colour was that of the dash face in this picture.

(http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q483/mceedjay2mc59/Fc1/fc09_zpsvdpyhjvt.jpg) ($2)

There was some bad crows feet / cracking in the paint on the rear panel between the boot lid and rear window which made me think it had been resprayed a bit thick in that area. I recently discovered it was originally a high gloss black with fall red interior so maybe it was the original paint.

Ah yes, the black sedans are a bit of a mystery, the all black specials almost always had a coloured interior. Either silver or red paint on the dash, doors and pillars.
Most black standard sedans had black interiors same as the exterior but the business sedans appear to have the coloured interior paint like the specials.

Ken

..On a general note, a  friends father had an FB 217 around 1976-77....much info on them ones Ken ?

If the FB 217 could be proved to exist, it would be pretty special since GMH never made them. ???
217 production ended in late 1959.


Ken

...thanks Ken  ..  it was a long time ago, and i'm probably confusing it being a 217 because it had been a taxi in her previous life and must've been a 215...Cheers

Hi MC59 beautifull car you have.

How did you fit the special stainless strips to the doors and guards? Did you make holes for the clips in the panels? I have new old stock doors I'd like to fit to my special but I really don't want to make the slotted holed in them.

Hi and thanks.
From memory I measured carefully where the strips were to go then inserted the clips into position in the strips. I then put a dab of grease onto the clips and screws and touched them to the panels. Where there was a dab of grease on the panels I drilled a hole. To do it without drilling you would need a good quality double sided tape. If you do end up using clips, I ruined a strip using too much force pushing it on. So use caution.

Blu-tac when your close ?

I've added stripe kits to cars before and the way I do it is to place masking tape along the area where the stripe goes and then place the stripe in position. Use more masking tape to hold a series of stripes on until everything is perfect.
Then with a pencil mark out the stripe position above and below.
Then Remove the stripes and Mark out a mid position at even spacings along the stripe.
The masking tape also helps stop drill slip as well.
I would use the S type clips which have a bolt attached. Insert clips in the stripes and Slide all the bolts through the newly drilled holes and then attach washers and nuts.

Ken

I slighty dinted the rear quarter strips on my grey one when I fitted them years ago. I reckon they are the hardest ones to fit on a '58 special if original clips are used.

I bought this one recently. Its a 215 and the stainless strips are all just siliconed on.

(http://i.imgur.com/rxhmAIYh.jpg)

That's a great picture Glen. Those 2 look like they have a lot of stories to tell.