FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Hi guys, really new to car building so please excuse my stupidity. Recently purchased a 58 fc wagon with the plans to rebuild and upgrade the car to give to my dad as a 60th birthday present. I have almost 2 years to get it done so want to start now because I know it's going to take me a while. My starting plans are to change out the front end to a hr front end with disc brakes and power steering (my dads only small so want to make it as comfortable for him as possible) and upgrade to a 202, I guess my first question is what do I need to know straight away in regards to changing things out and upgrading parts? I know I will have to get everything engineered but just want a direction to head in for a start. Will a hr power steering bolt straight on or are there any other power steering kits that will? Thanks in advance, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Craig

Hi Craig,

Welcome aboard. It sounds like a nice project you've embarked on. You've come to the right place, you'll get lots of good advice here.

One vital factor in your plan that you'll need to tell us is what state or territory you're in. The rules vary a bit on what you're allowed to modify, and what will be required to get the car legal.

Converting to disc brakes is very straightforward, and a common modification. You shouldn't have too many issues there.

Power steering, on the other hand... HR power steering kits are very, very rare. If you've got one, that's well and good. If not, you might be searching for quite some time. There are other alternatives, such as rack and pinion steering set-ups that might be worth exploring. Other blokes on here are more knowledgable on this front than me, and I'm sure you'll get some more responses shortly.

Again, welcome to the forum.

cheers
RET

Hi Ret and thanks for the reply. I knew I forgot something, I'm from Western Australia, who would be best to contact to find out exactly what can and can't be modified? I have been searching for a hr power steering but as you said so far no luck. Is it true that a rack and pinion set up will reduce the turning circle of the car? Thanks again.

Craig

Craig, give me a call before you go to your local engineer . I may be able to help with a few ideas .Like you have been told laws still vary between states and interpretations also vary between engineers . There are a few ideas I have wanted to try over here in QLD that have been shot down . One example is a jap power steer rack that I measured years ago and found a perfect fit but to my knowledge never tried because everyone uses the commodore or the torana . I use a commodore rack and believe I may have even gained a little on turning circle and don't think the power steer is needed unless you are running an extremely large motor . Haydn

hi all i have just put my fc ute through enginnering here in wa .the job is made much easier the fewer the modifications made .i installed hr front+rear ,an eh steering coloum , bucket seats,ht rims and 195x14 steel rims .i kept the grey through choice. the rims and tyres are the biggest you can fit while it is being inspected, you can fit a red motor but only a 186 ,a bigger engine requires a chassis kit and brake upgrades ,2 speed wipers ect. the enginners report is 36 pages long and costs around $400  if your dad  has no real need for speed and just wants a nice little cruiser i would stay with the grey and just up grade the breaks and handling a bit . if you want to look through the paper work feel free to send me a  message ,i live in butler north of the river regards clive

Hi Craig
I agree with Clive my FC sedan is a v6 conversion and I am just going through engineering the list of hoops you have to jump through can be debilitating I have been dealing with a great guy who knows his stuff PM me and I will give you his details.

Regards
Neil H

Thanks for the reply guys. So decided to go with a 186 instead of a 202 to save on the engineering headache, seems like the best choice and I think will be more than enough power with a nice mild cam and a 350 Holley. We are upgrading the front to hr disc brakes but wondering what the options are for rear? Doesn't need to be disc but something that would be a simple swap out would be nice. Thanks guys.

Craig

hi  i  used the hr rear as well as the front ,it stops well and the enginner will be happy.regards clive