National Register

[Effie C]

Copied from Street neat thread.

"Sounds like at great idea a national registar,
RET is it possible without taking up too much room?
Maybe a tick and flick type entry like the paintcode section, then Ken and all the others who collect numbers will have a National source."

What do you all think??

John M

[RET]

John,

I'm always willing to consider adding anything to this site that promotes the FE and FC.  However, one has to be mindful of privacy and other considerations (such as not publishing people's email addresses so they get spammed to death like I do).

I can definitely see plenty of benefit in having records of vehicles from all over Australia for research purposes.  Is that what you have in mind?

Could you please expand on what the purpose of this Register would be, and how do you envisage it might operate?

cheers
RET

[-KIWI-]

could or should this be expanded to include new zealand based fe/ fc holdens as some were australian assemblled and some new zealand assembled (for which we have avaliable the production record sheets for every nz assb ckd fj/fe/fc/fb produced by the general motors plant in wellington   )



kiwi - bird with access to nz production records

[craiga]

John,

The National Registers I have seen are generally designed to document the existence of rare and exotic vehicles, and these vehicles are almost always of low production volume.

We all know Ken McLean does a wonderful job of maintaining a list of FE/FC ID Plate details, something he has admirably carried out for many years.  He also has an excellent photograhic record of most paint schemes of the diffferent body styles, therefore I feel we should make the effort to help him by sending him our ID plate details and a photo of our cars.

I personally can't see a lot of value in duplicating the information here, especially when it includes modified cars like Streatneets beautiful example. How happy will the purists be when its discovered it used to be an FC Business Sedan with a factory S11 option

And Andrew, welcome to the FE FC Holden Car Clubs of Australia forum, I've seen your posts on oldholden.com and know you'll be a great asset here. I also saw your car at the last Club Nationals on the Gold Coast and was amazed at the workmanship and quality. Cars like that DO raise the bar within the club movement.

Cheers,

Craig.

[Sarge]

Does Ken just keep tabs on members car ? Or does he want details from old wrecks found out in the bush as well ?

Regards
Sarge
(6)  

[robbzfc58]

yep sarge  ken wants id info from all

[craiga]

That's exactly right. Send Ken (username mcl1959) a P.M and picture of any FE/FC you come across - wrecks or otherwise.  

Cheers,

Craig.

[Sarge]

Well Ken here is My ID plate

No              FE-225-20940 S

Trim No      200-708 AO

Paint No     253-7471

RPO            253-7463    

If you need any other information just call out

Regards
Sarge
(2)  

[RET]

Sarge (and anyone else who needs to know),

I know Ken would also very much appreciate the engine number and chassis number.  The engine number (if it's original) is extremely useful because it is the only number on the vehicle that had one national sequence .  All the others are sequences that were local to the factory where they were built and/or assembled.

The chassis number identifies the plant at which the car was assembled, and this info is not on the ID plate.

Hope that helps,
RET

[mcl1959]

Hi guys - I've never seen my name on a thread so many times without me saying anything!!!!
Can't let that last can I
My register is as close as you can get to a national register thanks to a lot of VERY helpful people who continue to seek out plate details and send them to me. These people know who they are and I appreciate them very much - I don't want to name them all as I'm sure I'll forget someone and that wouldn't be fair.  But I now have a lot of info from all states where manufacturing took place and have over 2000 vehicles logged.
Basically the register serves 2 functions.
To further the knowledge of the model and its variations and to act as a stolen vehicle record.
My goal is to determine how many of each type of FE and FC were built and in what state.
I was very sorry to hear when Alex's car was stolen and I searched every car I could with the faint hope that I would find it - since then I have devoted a lot of energy into collecting this information to hopefully find a rebirthed car if it is stolen in the future.
These are the things that can be added to the register
Owner - or condition (ie wrecked or just plate only)
ID plate details
Chassis number
engine number
rego number and state
rego date
Information supplied is optional of course if the owner would rather not supply rego details, and my register is not open to public perusal although the information within, once graphed, is invaluable and I am quite happy to share this info with those who desire information
Hopefully this clarifies what I do.
Ken

[Effie C]

Basically the register serves 2 functions.
To further the knowledge of the model and its variations

how many of each type of FE and FC were built and in what state.

These are the things that can be added to the register
Owner - or condition (ie wrecked or just plate only)
ID plate details
Chassis number
engine number
rego number and state
rego date
Information supplied is optional of course if the owner would rather not supply rego details, and my register is not open to public perusal although the information within, once graphed, is invaluable and I am quite happy to share this info with those who desire information
Hopefully this clarifies what I do.
Ken

RET
I think Ken has said it all as to what should go on the register, I don't see it as a 'rego' tool or anything like that but as a reference tool, how many of each model / style still survives, which state appears to have the most, as to restored verus modified, it just adds to the interest.
By adding a section like the paint section (don,t know if possible) that keeps a record of the numbers / state, a self entry system could be used and the results available to all, just like the paint section no names address's have to be entered therefore no chance of Spam.
Alas I am not a computer "Guru" and would not really have the foggist as to how to set up a section like this
but I think it would take a fair bit of time.

Enough waffling, seems like a good idea but the big question is a the bottom of the poll.

See Ya's
John M

[4hammers]

Hi all.
I am just busting to get hold of Ken's book.
I like the idea of a register, but how it is set up & what it contains would be something to look at. I, myself, for example, am not that interested in the modified versus standard ratio, or how many are left where. My biggest buzz is finding the rarer ones. I would like to  be able to find out which colour, interior, model, etc, was the rarer ones.
Say if I found an FE with a single tone "Elk Blue" exterior. I would like to know if that was a common colour, or a rarer one. Maybe find out how many of that colour are still left. That is what gives me a buzz.
The rare ID plates are another story.

I don't know if that is possible to blend in with the ID Plate Identifier that we have on this site. If you entered the numbers, it would  be great if it not only told you what it was, but also added some info on how common or rare that particular car is.

But like John said, it is easy to come up with these ideas, but harder to put them into practice. Who could do that?
Regards,
Rob J

[Effie C]

I agree Rob, can't wait to read the FE FC book of Kens, if it is half as good as Don Loffers books it will be a good read. Hey Ken any closer to print?How about a draft copy for proof reading  
John M

[mcl1959]

Craig - I've not seen Streetneats car but it doesn't really bother me that it is a rare car which has been modified.  Another FE or FC is on the road with a happy owner.  That's the main thing.
But can you get me the actual details from the ID plate as I only have a couple of S11 cars (which are yellow cabs by the way) and I would like to see where his car fits into the scheme of things

Regards  Ken

[Effie C]

One and All

After 226 views of this thread but only 28 votes I decided to close the poll.

Only 12.3%of people who viewed the thread voted,out of that 60.7% thought the idea is good, 3.5% don't want it and 7.1% couldn't give a rats.

Good idea but alot of workwhich someone would have to do.

I sick of playing the devils advocate so its up to someone else to persue this if they are willing.

See ya
John M

PS To those who directed their replies direct to me, please refer to original posting,it was someones elses idea(Which I agreed with) and RET requested that one of us start a new thread to find a reaction,I played the Devils advocate (again), never again. RET you think spam is bad try hostility emails.

[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

I think Streetneat's idea got a little twisted in the translation. My impression was that he suggested a National Club of sorts, not unlike what we currently have here on the Forum.
I am not real fussed either way myself, but it would be interesting to see a table maybe. With Models, Years, Styles, Colours etc No personal information though.
Actual figures vs currently accounted for cars.
If Ken wants to provide me the figures I am happy to knock up a table of some sort, put it on the web-site proper maybe?

[streetneat]

Attention KEN... I would love if you were to include my FC in your book. I spoke to Don Loffler and even took him for a ride in the FC Coupe. Don told me of your writing of the book on FC 's...
Don saw fit to include some modified versions of FX/FJ Holdens in his books ..will you be doing the same? I too ntend to write some books... but this will be a bit later when I retire from panel beating...if that ever happens. I currently write for a few well known publications and hope to expand on this later.
The info I have on my car is that it was a FC Special and at one time belonged to Brisbane Early Holdens Club .. I still have the  aluminium sticker stuck to my hoist...The car was truly an orphan as the previous owner had sent parts of it away to get refurbished or reconditioned with the results being terrible. He sent the trim away and the trimmers went broke... he sent the motor away and the reconditioners went out of business and he sent the Chrome away and they too closed down... He thought it wise to give up b4 his car totally dissappeared and there were no businesses left...  One of my motorvations was originally to stick it to the purists but as I became more and more involved with FE/FC Holdens my attitudes changed. This national register thread was inadvertantly started by myself when I said I would not join a club but would join an association or a register of FE/FC cars...
OK the info I have retrieved from my FC Coupe is as follows...numbers on subframe ; 8- 8499 B
Body:FC 225-7310A
Trim: 236-623
Paint: 253-3664
RPO 255-7770
What can you dechiper from that ? I know its a Brisbane assembled car and it was a Special and possibly by its paint scheme when I bought it it was Built b4 may 1959. I hope these numbers have some bearing as the paint build up on the id plate makes for hard reading. But clever use of a spot light and shadowing revealed the numbers reasonably clearly.....Cheers streetneat. BTW The reason I dont post my email is due to spammers...Phone canvassers are bad enough....

[mcl1959]

Streetneat, thanks for reply.  Absolutely - in my opinion a book on FE/FC without modifieds would only be half a book!
Whilst I certainly like original cars, I also love the modifieds as well.  my current driver is a retro custom which is a blast to drive.
re your car details.
Late 1958 model in India Ivory over Blaze Red.
The only thing unusual about the car is the Blaze Red paint.  This colour ran from 4th September 1958 when it replaced Flame Red until November 1st 1958 when the colour scheme was dropped altogether. Apparently the red and white colour was just too much for Joe average in 1958 and didn't sell well.
I have very few numbers on red and white cars.  

This is why you only ever see the Red and White cars in 1958 paint scheme.  Panama Red and India Ivory was introduced later in 1959 as a darker red colour. The Panama red and India Ivory also did not sell well as I have even less cars in this colour (maybe 2 at most)
Even rarer is a colour called Pandour Red which I have listed in GMH records but have never seen on an actual car ID plate. (Its number is 253-7592)
Regards   Ken