pre 56 holden utes

[michael loffler]

i would like to find some infomation on old chevys sent to aussie and remodled to become holden utes as me and freind have found one and are looking to restore itand would like toknow more any help welcome

[Richard Thomas (Guest)]

How old is old?  I suspect what you have is a Chev that was assembled by Holden.  The company called Holden have been around since the 1850s.  From 1917 onwards, they were in the business of importing chassis from the states for Chev, Pontiac, Buick, even Ford, and bodying them.  It had to do with the trade protection arrangement that for every fully imported vehicle, two had to be locally made.  Holdens were bought by GM in 1931, and until 1948, building bodies for GM chassis was all they did.
You will find that your vehicle is still badged as a Chev, but there will be a little plate somewhere (possibly the body ID plate, depending on the age of your vehicle), which says "Body by Holden", or something similar.
For much more detail about this, see either "The History of Holden since 1917", be Eddie Ford, or "The Heart of the Lion", by (I think) Evan Green.
Hope that helps, Richard