FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Gedday all,
I`m building an FC special from ground up with the intention of towing a 1950`s bondwood carravan. I`m wondering if anyone has any advice on modifications to the Grey to make it more suitable for pulling the 950kg van. I have restored the van, it`s ready to go. I would like to keep the car as original as possible, however modifications to increase safety would be good. Brakes, suspension, etc will all have to be considered.
I`m a member of the Vic FE/FC club but as i`m from the country I find this forum more convenient.
Regards, BrendanC.

If you want to keep it original, get a Towing cam in your engine. Perhaps a ute center for your diff.
If you can modify it slightly, perhaps a trimatic, thermo fan, a oil cooler for your gearbox and disc brake front end. A decent torque converter for the auto perhaps. If you want a manual get a syncro three speed out of  an ej or eh. The more gears the better a toyota 5 speed. All depends on how origional you want the car to be.
The engine itself can handle the power needed, its just that the rest of the vehicle was not designed with towing in mind. Make sure that you can keep it cool.

Thanks Pabs for your suggestions.
I couldn`t find anything in my FE/FC workshop manual about ute diffs being different to a sedan. I assume you meant the ratio is better suited to towing?. The manual says 3.89. If there`s a lower ratio I`d be interested.
Thanks again...(Yes, cool is a big priority!!)
Chow..

Modify it slightly?  :o  I shudder to think what you would call hotted-up  ;D

All FEs and FCs had 3.89 diff centres.  Utes did have extra leaf-springs in the rear, which might be worth considering.  The EH/HD/HR had 3.55 ratio diffs (typically in autos) and 3.36 ratios in the manuals.  The 3.55 goes well with the grey motor.  IMO the 3.36 puts a bit too much strain on first gear, but YMMV.

And ditto on keeping it cool.

Hope that helps,
RET

In relation to towing, bear in mind that any trailer with a gross mass of over 750 kg must be fitted with brakes of its own. With this in mind,  consider that the overall effect of the trailer in braking situations should be neutral ,apart from the handling aspects. Normally a manually adjustable controller is fitted at the driving position to adjust the braking proportion of the trailer brakes and mine has a control to operate the brakes without touching the cars brake pedal. this is a good way of checking operation of the trailer brakes.

Also pay particular attention to the adjustment ( left to right )
of the effort of thr trailer brakes. if one side is stopping more than the other, it has a tendency to slew the car to one side at the towbar. This is a dangerous , or at least disconcerting, effect and not at all pleasant when slowing from highway speeds.

Another area worth getting right is the trim level of the trailer and the car. if they are both level ,handling is best. If not ,the trailer can create negative effects in handling and braking. This is particularly important if the trailer chassis is high at the front ,as it can lift the rear of the car under high braking situations.

My special sedan is fitted with FC ute springs and takes a fair load to push the rear down, however any spring works can set springs to your exact towing height, to the point that they would like to view the laden trailer and car in their workshop before deciding on the "set" to put in the springs.

Another thing worth considering is installing old fashioned air shocks. Being adjustable they save setting up the vehicle for load situations that account for a low percentage of annual mileage ; ie , don't set up your susupension for the van that compromises day to day handling and appearance of a lovely classic sedan.