Holden Retirees Club

 Engineering Related Articles

 Engine Development

The Design of the Holden V8 Engine

Holden Stationary Engines

Most people think of Holden engines as only for cars but quite as few found industrial uses as Stationary engines.
Here Warwick Bryce gives us a glimpse of this little-known application for the iconic Grey and later Red motors.

 Holden Industrial engines

 1951 Holden Military Qtr Ton 4x4 vehicle

In 1951, the Government was keen to have GMH manufacture the  Willys 'Jeep' under licence.  GM scotched the idea, but suggested GMH could study designing and manufacturing their own similar vehicle. if the Government were insisting on such a vehicle being made in Australia.

The correspondence and vehicle comparisons of a proposed vehicle are shown here.

1956 Holden One Ton Conventional Truck 

The basis of this proposed vehicle was the 1956 Chevrolet 3600 series truck of 123-1/4 inch Wheel base, fitted with a 3-1/16 inch bore Holden FB engine and having the gearing suitably modified to maintain satisfactory performance with the smaller Holden engine. 

The Program did not proceed.

Click here for Preminary Specifications

1960 Perth to Sydney in a '48-215' Holden.

Warwick Bryce as contributed  a story of the  earlier days by friend Phil Randall, about the challenges of driving 4,000 km across the country against all odds in “Australia's Own Car “, and then more recently finding out just how special his old car really was - with a little bit of help from Holden Historians and Warwick Bryce.

The Chamberlain Beetle racing car

      The Chamberlain 8 Story  is a rundown on the background , development , resurrection and finally preservation of the Chamberlain brothers, Bob and Bill, home made racing car over the last 90 years.

      The machine  incorporated many innovative features for the day including front wheel drive  and manufacturing techniques for pistons and spark plugs that went on to become standard automotive practice so is considered an important  part of Australian Automotive history .

      Not only that but the Chamberlain family empire had a long association with GMH including war time production and later on Holden cars through their  ball bearing  and piston manufacturing with their Rolloy factory being at the other end of Salmon street .

     Particularly for HRC members there is the personal side with many of us becoming friends with the Chamberlains through school days, GMI and common interest in motor sport. For me it was  having  Geoff Chamberlain , Bill's son , as my first supervisor in Rig Test in 1973. Geoff went onto to have a long career with Holden at Fishermans Bend including Engine Section Head  then moving over to Administration . He also did a stint as advisor to the Transport minister in Canberra.

       I put together this article in conjunction with Peter Lynch for the Steam Clubs newsletter Steam Supreme . It is not only based on contemporary information but we had personal communications with some of the players including Geoff Chamberlain, Chris and Judy Hawker and Len Hanks plus my own experiences so it  includes some info and photos not previously published.

Warwick Bryce