wanted information on fe fc

[keithu]

 :-/ hi guys  i am new  here and was just wondering can anyone give me some info  on fe fc what there like  what s the best fuel to run them on  especially these days   with lrp or unleaded didnt these old girls come out   runnning on standard which i thought is a form of unleaded  , any other relavent info would be apreciated  , i want to buy one and use it for everyday family car , what other good and bad points are there about fe fc  if any one can help id like to hear from you all  your views and experience . on these ol girls, whats the best moderfacations if you want to put  better braking system on them ,    ect ect thanks   keith

[keithu]

Geeeeeee all these viewers and no replys
 im surprized  ! in the last club i was in yrs ago .
people were only to happy to answer and assist .
whats happened to good old days were people gave
a little of there time and some free info   so long guys .
 :-/

[RET]

Geez, not even 24 hours have passed since you posed your questions and already you've packed the shits and given up on getting a response.  You've asked a lot of questions, very few of which can be answered properly in a sentence or two.

Anyway, I'll try to briefly answer your questions as best I can.

Fuel?  LRP.  Not really much alternative.  This question has been discussed at length in this forum.  Have a read of this thread: http://www.fefcholden.org.au/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1019199340  Standard fuel was a lower octane leaded petrol, and disappeared from petrol stations long before ULP was ever thought of.

Buying an FE/FC for an everyday family car:
Unless you've got good mechanical skills and time to spare, it sounds like a bad idea.  A 40+ year old car is really not cut out for use as a daily driver in the city.  I dunno where you live, but I will say this:  if you buy a cheap FE/FC, you can't expect near-new car reliability.  If you spend a significant amount of money (like $8000 plus) on one, you're probably better off buying something newer, because you'll be wary of ever leaving it anywhere, which defeats the purpose of a daily driver.  Spare parts can be difficult to get, and they're often dear.  A reco grey motor will cost double what a reco red would cost you, for example.

Brakes?  Again, covered at length elsewhere in these forums.  Most common and simplest upgrade is HR discs + drums.  Check the Technical Board for discussions about this sort of stuff.

Other modifications?  Have a read of this thread http://www.fefcholden.org.au/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1020079564 which talks about costs and benefits of a few different engine swaps.

Hope this is some help to you.  There is a lot of quality information about all manner of things related to FEs and FCs in these forums.  None of the General or Technical boards ever get purged, so take the time to check them out.  Lots of good stuff there.

cheers
RET

[keithu]

 :-/ Well hi ret sorry if i sounded  like i got the shits but i wasnt really hey probably just  a bit inpatient ha sorry  ret hey  no i wasnt crakin the shits ok cool .
info is very help full ret i apreciate it and if you think your going to turn me off my  plans of getting an fc fe your wrong because i still intend to do so  ha ok .
ill check all the info and keep a copy of it  in my file .
ive seen many people driving thse ol girls around as a every day car too so carnt be that bad as long as you look after them  and check them regularly  and keep the maintainance up on them i honestly carnt see a problem .  once again youve been very helpfull with that info  hope to talk to you again some time and may be see you at a rally some time in the future  cheers  Ret regards keith

[mcl1959]

Keith,  you are quite correct about being able to drive an FC as an everyday vehicle and it is not my intention to persuade you from doing so - in fact I would encourage you to get an FC.
But (there's always a but) you missed a few of the points that RET raised which are as follows
1.  An FC has inferior brakes, steering and suspension compared with todays traffic and you can find yourself in trouble pretty quickly unless you drive VERY deffensively.
2.  The FC is a collectable vehicle and as such if you drive it every day - you leave it available to thieves and vandals, not to mention parking lot dents.
3.  The FC is over 40 years old and the bodies are prone to rusting when left out in the open repeatedly in poor weather.
If you are happy with these "risks" then go ahead with confidence.  The fact of the matter is that most FC's in the Vic club at least are NOT driven on a daily basis because of the above reasons.

Hope this info is of use and please don't take it as me trying to persuade you not to drive an FC as a daily driver - rather as information to help you make a decision.

Regards    Ken

[keithu]

Hello ken   well ive been really thinking about things , what  Ret and you have said  and  im still very keen to go ahead and buy an fc holden this has been my dream for a long time now i remember my dad yrs ago taking us to school and stuff in the old fc we had and how nice a car it was i have driven a few since then , and still luv em ' the points you and ret have mentioned are very important ken i know but im not getting any younger
and i can do all my own maintainance on these ol girls not like the new cars today  you have to take it to the mech  for service tune and all the other bull crap  and then foot the bill and thats not cheap nower days , especially when your just a middle aged workin man with a  small family   i have a garage  so it wouldnt be out in the weather  only when were out ha! of course  when it comes to  theft well one can only do so much to protect ones veichle wether it be an fc or an etype jag  so to speak  im not after a new bueat  top of the range  car i just want an everyday  nice alround old fashion family car to enjoy weekends here and there perhaps of to the shops once a twice a week and  for easy local driving i live in suburbs of outer brissy  little bit countryfied i guess you mite say . tuning is not a problem as my knowlege of  plugs points and timing is good  and regular maintanance  like oil grease and water is always on my agender everday  checking so to speak  carnt be any worse than my tarago van  which costs me  for a mech for repairs  because its all under the dam floor or dash  not like the room under the bonnets on an fc he he and there so basic as well . come to think of parts there not that much   if any dearer either some are much cheaper  than new cars today  dont you think so ken  and ita a known fact that in qld there aint as many thefts as nsw and vic  im glad to say  touch wood he he , i am really apreciative of your advice  thow very much it has given me a lot to think about  , were i live there are alot of these old fc fe fb  ek  & eh's around it must be there stomping grounds here in south brissy qld ha ha and there on the road every day too , so when it comes to the bottom line i think i will still stick top my plans and go  find one  .
but i'll make sure its a goody  im not just going to rush in and take anything , i had a guy was going to swap me his fc  for my tarago hmm clean swap until i saw it and checked it out   it was full of rust hidden  with black jack  from a-b ha he wanted 5k for it and wouldnt  get a rwc on it  i now no why ha < well thanks ken and ret for your advice and if theres anymore you can  let me know id be so much appreciated  cheers yours sincerly keith  

[FEHOLDEN]

gidday

just thought i would like to add my bit to ret and ken's advice. they are not joking!!!

a minor straw poll revealed a startling price difference in parts for fe/fc and say hr. this was one of the reasons [apart from ken's advice] which prompted me to modify to all hr underneath [thanks for the parts gt] and a red motor rather than restoring to original for my effie. the car will still look as if it came from the factory but will be easier and cheaper to miantain.

also on the subject of buying, have you checked out the cars for sale section of this forum? ret might have a better idea of what is still available and i havn't looked for a while so i don't currently know what is there but not so long ago there was a very clean looking fc sedan for sale in brisbane. just a thought.

hope this advice is of use to you


denis

[keithu]

Hi denis thanks for the info  and im on to a few  on line here and a few others just waiting for my rollover funds
to turn out at end of next mth b4 i do the deed .
while im here isnt the red motor more fuel expence i thought the 138 was very ecnomical rather than 186 or 202 motors  . ect    cheers keith.

[mcl1959]

Keith,   I'm happy we haven't put you off and I hope to see you with your FC at the Nationals next year on the gold coast


All the best

Ken

[keithu]

Hi ken thanks mate im looking forward to it , seeing you there at the nat's next yr should be all sorted by then .
and i can see all the other ol girls too ,  so ken what sort of ol girl have you got have you a pick of her on here , id like to see it  if you do cheers mate later keith

[mcl1959]

Keith,  I have a retro custom FE for the next nats - just being painted now.  No pic as yet.
Last nats car can be seen if you go to NSW site and look up "nationals" and check out "grand champion".

This will be my 6th different car to an FE/FC nats
So far I have had;
Maroon / White FE sedan - original
3 door FE van - full resto
2 tone green FC wagon - original
Grey FE Business sedan - original
3 tone green FC sedan - full resto


Ken

[keithu]

sounds like you have had  lotsa fun  and got some nice cars mcl  cool ill go take a look at the nats site seeya next yr cheers  ken   ill be there with bells on   cya  later keith

[EJ_Dave]

Keith,

I drive a standard EJ as a daily driver and have found it to be reliable and economical. Security has never been an issue (in Canberra). I did fit a thicker sway bar which has reduced body roll dramatically and plan to fit HR drag links to take some slop out of the steering. I am not going the full HR xmember at the moment but probably will at some time in the future. I have never had a problem with brake performance although Holden allegedly upgraded the brakes when the EJ was introduced- larger drums and dual acting wheel cylinders. So they may be slightly better than in FE/FC. The EJ stops straight and fairly efficiently. I'm sure the brakes would fade with repeated emergency applications but my emergencies are obviously far enough apart that it hasn't worried me. I did do a full rebuild of the brakes when I got the car so they are as good as standard brakes can be.

My car runs a 138 grey on unleaded and it uses about 13.5l/100k in city driving and about 10l/100k on the highway. Compared to my VS commodore (V6) it is more economical around town but not as good on the highway. Not sure how it would compare to a 186 or 202 in the same body.

I'm not sure whether EJ parts are a lot cheaper than FC/FE ones. Grey motor parts can be expensive and it did cost me over $2000 to have mine reconditioned with hardened valve seats fitted but I have had few other problems.  With the good economy of the 138 and its ability to happily run on standard ULP I think the extra cost over a red motor would not be great (if anything) over several years.

Maybe I've been lucky and can't comment specifically on FC/FEs but my EJ has been quite acceptable daily transport and a lot more involving than modern cars that insulate you so much from the actual workings of the car. For trips around town I always choose the EJ over my VS Berlina. For a long trip or if my wife or kids are with me (we don't have to go in that noisy old car do we?) I don't.

Food for thought.

David

[keithu]

Hi david thanks alot for your  reply its nice to here from u guys i really apreciate it sounds like its a cool car i like the eh ej too but im in luv with fe fc still hey  well , seem you have A LOT  of fun with the ol girl he he the car that is david he he  hope to keep in touch  thanks again for your reply cheers keith  ps see you on the road  some time still carnt beat the old grey motor for economi i think ?

[4hammers]

Hi Keith.
I own 2 FC's & use a wagon as a daily driver. I agree with what RET & Ken say, that it can be a problem, but with this car I have had a dream run.

It was a lowish milage car to begin with (Just hit 58,000) , as a lot of Tassie cars are, so that may be a contrbuting factor. I can say it is NOTHING like driving my wifes 99 model Nissan, but I do prefer it.

It is a pig in the wet (foggy & wipers), takes ages to warm up in the cold (those vinyl seats are COLD on your arse at 3am, 2 degrees!!).
Pig roots off the lights mid winter (mostly because I don't let it warm up enough!!), fogs up until the heater is warm & on full, but would NOT swap it for anything. It is just cool to drive.
I find myself grinning as I cruise. The kids prefer it, as the Nissan makes them car sick (too stuffy).
The best thing was yesterday, when I pulled up at the lights & there was another FC sitting next to me. We waved at each other, because we both new what made us happy.
In the not too distant future, I am planning on giving her a big clean up, as I will ALWAYS drive my FC daily. I have a nice VERY low milage ute in the shed, which hasn't been wet for 28 years, THAT is the one I baby.

But be warned. I did have a FC sedan as a daily driver 5 years ago, & it gave me hell. You have to find the right car.
Goodluck, & DRIVE IT, DON'T HIDE IT!!!
Rob
(4hammers)

[keithu]

hi rob thanks for your  advice mate  hey  it sounds like you really enjoy your fc  so cool Rob hey  i carnt wait to gewt in mine   and i hope i pull up beside you one day and give you that same big grin he he  in my fc   , i almost did the deed  with one  but it just wasnt rite hey Rob something about it and the guy was trying to  really press it on too  hec wanted to strate swap me   but it had heaps of rust  so i found and mech troubles too ,
plus he wanted 5,ooo or so  for it in cash value which is what i was asking about for my tarago on gas , but ive seen much better for 5ks so i didnt do the deal didnt feel right  hey , anyway ive got my tarago on the market  and im waiting for some rollover to come out see which comes first but ill be getting one for sure and ill besure its the right one too  like you say theres some pigs out there too Rob any how cheers mate  and seeyou on the road one day regards keith