FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

For those newish to the forum, Brett's FC is a prototype for the FB exterior colours and trims. It is one of a handful made in September 1959 and would have been used as an executive car for GMH management through late 1959 and maybe early 1960 and then sold to the general public or via the GMH employee purchase scheme. Brett purchased the car from the second owner who bought the car from GMH
This is Brett's car

(http://s30.postimg.org/hugdpl26l/image.jpg) ($2)

Anyhow we were discussing key rings at the meeting and Brett showed his set of keys with the circular disc on it. He had assumed that the old guy whom he had bought it from made the disc but I am convinced that this was made by GMH since the car was probably pooled and the keys would have needed to be readily identifiable
This is the key ring disc.

(http://s22.postimg.org/yy6pzgzh9/image.jpg) ($2)

curious

Ken

That is a lovely car Brett, well appointed with accessories also, let alone it's provenance

The key tag ID would seem plausible, especially if the number plates are of the same period as the car

Yes the rego is correct and unchanged from new.

Ken

Beautiful car by the looks, I see 8 accessories in that photo alone...Cheers, Jamie.

A fantastic time capsule of a car.
I see 10 accessories ;)
Thanks for the story.
Regards
Alex

...shes a fascinating old rocket and i can count about 7 accessories ....what would they all be?

A steering wheel!
Seriously though any more photos?

 1 Heater package inc. switch and demister vents
 2 Parcel shelf
 3 Radio
 4 Holden embellishment on speaker grille
 5 Steering lock
 6 Wilsonia gauge
 7 Accelerator heel pad
 8 Handbrake warning light
  ;D

Nice Car :)
9 Seat Belts,10 Floormats and i think i can see a weathershield  ;D
ACE  8)

Wilsonia Gauge?

Wayne b

As usual Ken has come up with a totally plausible and rational answer to what I always thought was the original owners home made key ID !! Anyway the car I have owned 20 years and I bought it off the original owners son. Robert Sholes was the original owner who owned a mechanics in South Melbourne, he loved the vehicle and whilst his health was in decline with dementia etc always remembered to ask about the car and insisted the Rego be paid and the car monthly started. Robert died aged 92 in 1994. I bought the car totally off a random look in the Wednesday age Motor market section. I cant get photo bucket too work so Alex may have some more recent photos from the Tassie nationals?
Thanks
Brett

Jesus Christ you have good eyes

Hi Ken,

I have a key ring exactly the same HBY-484, my car is a December 59 car

Mike

Challenge set....challenge met!!
Here you go Brett.
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5143_zpscsfwpjyu.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5146_zpsvln9frog.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5145_zpsy328g6sd.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5148_zpsvk6575aj.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5151_zpsd4danu0g.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5152_zpswojr2zq6.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5153_zpsrmj5sdkv.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5147_zpsgqseecvf.jpg) ($2)
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i28/fefcnats06/Hobart%20FEFCNats14/IMG_5144_zpstazrsdoh.jpg) ($2)
Regards
Alex

...she's as flash as a rat with a gold tooth!....very nice car that one 8)

Mike, can you post a photo of your disc. Any idea about the history of your car?

Ken

(http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y472/davidbolton1/Like_zps00308cb4.jpeg) ($2)
Neat unit Brett.
Great shots Alex.

Thanks Alex , appreciate it  ;) :) :)
Brett

Hey Pete ya better start production of these discs with our number plates on em!!

Hi Ken,

My car is a FC standard skyline blue and was originally purchased by Moulded products pty ltd 559 Collins St in Melbourne in December 1959.
It was then traded to Southern Motors, probably for a new fleet car in December 1960. It was then bought by the person I bought it from in December 1960, he was a bit of a nutty professor type and would not drive it in the rain or to work, he would catch a tram. I have books and books of his mileage and servicing of the car, even the paperwork of the purchase price of 860 12 & 4. It still has its original engine and has done 118,000 genuine miles and has NO rust whatsoever. The chassis number is FC62699M, I am sure you have the rest of its details. Do you have any later FC's on your databases. Also my personal thinking of the key rings is that I wonder if Bretts car was purchased through Southern Motors as being a big dealer Holden would have sold them ex GMH cars once they were finished with them, a bit like now with ex lease cars. I wonder if the key rings are a Southern Motors thing, a big board with all the keys hanging on hooks.
(http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo202/mhawke59/keyring%202_zpsivrbraab.jpg)
(http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo202/mhawke59/keyring%201_zpsillvpp2c.jpg)

Hey mike that's fantastic. They look to be the same as you suggest. It very well could be from a dealership.
Brett, do you know whether this is a possibility for your car?

Ken

Mike, I have 5 standard sedans later than yours. They are body numbers 4849, 4884, 4918, 4960 and 4972. The highest chassis number I have for a Melbourne 215 is FC 64091M

Regards. Ken

...could Moulded Products Pty Ltd possibly have been a supplier to GMH?...that would be one way they came to have an ex GMH car...if it wasn't entirely new to them in the first place  ??

Hi detective

They could well have been a supplier, but I believe that it was purchased new by Moulded Products as I have their rego papers in my records and its in their name from 02/12/1959 to 02/12/1960

Mike

...Hi Mike  ..  i just conducted a quick google search and Moulded Products indeed were a supplier to GMH merging with Nylex at some later point in time....

...also, as an aside...a GMH or Dealer registered car was, and still is, not considered to be the first "private" owner so that may be of some consequence in the story of your car....cheers mate

The logo of Duperite on the back of the key tags may be the key to which company used these.  Duperite was actually a company with a subsidiary called Moulded Plastics.  Duperite was the former name of a  well known Australian brand NYLEX.

Hope this helps, please see link below

Cheers Wayne

http://ianwongresearch.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/duperite-dads-day-1956.html

...the name Duperite may also be a throwback to when Dunlop were tied up with Moulded Products earlier on

That is interesting, Brett is there anything on the back of your key ring?

Mike

...was gonna ask the same thing Mike!.. LOL

Hi Guys
The back of my key tag had nothing on it at all ,no hallmark , makers mark etc it is plain metal totally clear. the stamping is quite different as well?? Ken .....Joe Galea said he had a similar tag on his ex police HR Divisional van ?
Brett

The brass key tags may have been just an easy identifier of which keys were which and possibly used a fair bit before the advent of the plastic key tags we have now. A lot of people probably threw them away because if that was their only family car they would know what the keys fitted anyway.
So I would guess with my key tags the car would have been a fleet car for duperite/moulded products/nylex and the chap I bought it from never threw anything away, still have all the original papers for insurance, stamp duty and transfers from 1960 onwards. Like Bretts key tag, GMH needed to know what keys fitted what car, imagine going through all the keys if they didn't have a rego number on a tag and same with Joe Galea on his ex police HR Divisional van, imagine an urgent call and having to sort the keys before you could rush out to throw someone in the back of the van.

Mike

Hi Ken,

I wonder do those later cars still exist and as an aside this year is pretty special for my 2 cars, my 56 will be 59 and my 59 will be 56, that's never going to happen again.

Mike

G'day Mike,

My FC is a 59 model and I think the original rego was HBY-644 so pretty close to yours. I'd have to check the body number etc, the rego might just mean it was registered later than some others. Derrick

Hey Mike, that's is a fascinating play on numbers. Love it.

I checked the data on the 5 cars younger than yours and at the time of recording they were all on the road. I assume they all still are.

Ken