Ive asked him the engine number to see how close it is to 308H1001 which is the first in the 253/308 sequence. HDT built a few 308 WB Magnum utes too. Sign-up here for your free weekly report on the world of. All I wanted to know was if the engines were 253's or 308's and it looks like the R or T digit follows the trend Holden told me. Most likely HT Brougham but by October/November 1969 308 was available across the HT range. The 308 was carried over to the HG Series Brougham. Because of its luxury positioning, the Brougham was only available with an automatic transmission, first a two-speed, then a three-speed after the HG's launch. James later became firm friends with Harry Firth and was the chief proponent for developing the XU-1 engine. Silins had always planned to use an alloy inlet manifold and front engine cover, and one of his first tasks was to get Bob Chamberlain of Rolloy Pistons on board, to assist with design and make the experimental alloy castings. 253 and 308 started in June 1969, engines probably a few months earlier. Or they may have simply made a large number of engines ready for HT release, may not have even been assembled until many months later. It was a hot version of the mighty thong-slapper too, with 10.1:1 compression, a big cam and solid lifters, making a claimed 240hp. Was this stamped at the factory? Over the next 30 years, more than 541,000 V8s ran down the transfer line at Fishermens Bend until 28 June 1999, when it was replaced with the LS1. GMH forecast that by 1970 35 per cent of Holdens sold would be V8s, rising to 50 per cent by 1975, which gave Holden engineers Fred James and Ed Silins plenty of justification to come up with their own design. vr is commodore i think,they are talking really early ones. Initially six capacities from 237-308ci were planned over a 12-year life cycle, but all but the 253 and 308ci capacities were dropped early in the development. Same as 308 in HJ-HZ tonner. Blowin' Gaskets: A very special Holden V8. [6], From 1969 to 1971 the Brougham was marketed in South Africa as the Chevrolet Constantia. The only engine available in the original HK Series Brougham was a Chevrolet 307-cubic-inch (5.0 L) V8. The boot was simply extended by 8 inches (200 mm) rather than increasing the 111-inch (2,800 mm) wheelbase. [4] The Premier's four-headlight grille was also kept. Coming soon....HT Belmont 80270, 253, Saginaw, Sports Dash, Pharoah Gold on Red. All Rights Reserved. The engine’s production life began with the HT in 1969, and ended in sedans when the alloy LS1 was introduced with the VT-II Commodore in 1999. This chart from 1965 shows the estimated horsepower that engineering was reckoning for three of the proposed V8s – the 308, the 263 and a tiny 237 – compared to the current Holden sixes of the time. With the release of the HJ, engines were designated 4.2- and 5.0-litre, and 5.0-litre auto blocks were drilled for the Turbo-Hydramatic. I've owned a factory HZ 308 TH400 3.36 tonner, and seen a 308 trimatic WB tonner. I understand that this designates that it was for a Statesman. The 1,000,000th Holden (an EJ Premier) is a completely different vehicle and for very good reason. WhichCar is now home to Wheels, Motor, 4X4 Australia and Street Machine magazines. and what does it really mean. Once disparaged as the 'plastic' motor, the Holden V8 has proven its worth on both the street and track, This article on the Holden V8 was originally published in the May 2015 issue of Street Machine. [8], Restored Cars No. Awesome (270th if my maths are right!). In the utes the Holden V8 survived a little longer; until 2000 when the VU ute hit the showrooms. There were two versions of the motor available, a low compression (8.0:1) and high compression (9.0:1). Note the oil filler on the timing gear case – this was relocated to the rocker cover from the HQ onwards. His thesis on the V1 rocket program earned him a role in the Luftwaffe as a pilot. There are thousands of Holden-powered cars in drag racing, burnout and circuit competition, and countless more doing duty as street cars. The HK series Brougham was launched in July 1968 along with the new Monaro coupés, six months after the HK Series Holden Belmont/Kingswood/Premier models. You could get a 308 in WB commercials, just had to be a special customer. This number contains vital information about the car, such as its manufacturer, year of production, the plant it was produced in, type of engine, model and more. [7] It utilised a 250 cid (4,093 cc) Chevrolet inline-six or, as an option, Chevrolet's 307 cu in (5,025 cc) small block V8. Sure, no problem. Holden tried to get the 253 into the HK but as 1968 dawned it was obvious that the Holden V8 would not be ready. Every Holden car has a unique identifier code called a VIN. Silins used an HR for testing, but it was later replaced with an XT Falcon. Once his expertise was known, he was made an engine project engineer. In race form, with a cam and carb change on top, L34s were said to be good for 350hp or so. Yours is a 15/10/69 block. I looked a 308 i have in the workshop today. It may have even originally been used in a HK for Engineering or testing purposes and made it's way into a "GMH TEST VEHICLE". Can you get a photo of the blank side, cast date and the engine number next time you are there? Ford and Chrysler had both released V8 variants of their Falcon and Valiant in the US for 1964 and it looked likely that they would follow suit in Australia. So yours is about 12,000 engines into the sequence. An added problem was that sales director John Bagshaw made a deal with David McKay to run the new Monaros in the London to Sydney marathon. Special steel cranks, lightweight pistons, Wade cam, dry sump, heavily re-worked head, Repco/Lucas fuel injection and much more added up to a 495hp monster that could rev at over 8000rpm. Picked up a 308 this week. James and Silins were fortunate that the V8 transfer line had already been ordered and it was too late to change, so in 1969 the first Holden V8s finally emerged, powering the new HT. It is quite possible xxxH1270 and 1272 were cast in early 1969. [7] In addition to the name change, the Constantia featured a unique grille and had trafficators on the leading edge of the front fenders (as did its little sister, the Chevrolet Kommando). We take an in-depth look at the history of Holden's Aussie-built V8 and the many changes it went through over 30 years. Quite likely the Holden guy span me some sh#t but if a reco was ever installed, I suppose the block could have come from anywhere. Yes, an early HT Brougham engine. The only engine available in the original HK Series Brougham was a Chevrolet 307-cubic-inch (5.0 L) V8. This is the Holden VIN decoder. The first in the 253/308 HT-HG sequence was 308H1001 in a HT Brougham. The WhichCar Network: Everything car buyers need and car lovers want. GMH concluded a new V8 for mid-1969 was a must! Will be looking for an original HQ Holden 253/308 engine for a future project soon.Was hoping someone could tell me at what numbers the engine numbers for 253's and 308's in the HQ's commenced and ended. The first in the 253/308 HT-HG sequence was 308H1001 in a HT Brougham. _______________________________________________________. 253 and 308 started in June 1969, engines probably a few months earlier. This number is assigned in sequence to a Holden after the body is placed on the line to be assembled into a complete car. The 253 was meant to debut in the HK, but delays meant it wasn’t introduced until midway through the run of the HT. It was based on the mainstream Holden Premier of the same years, but with a lengthened rear body. Probably because 308's were low volume until they became available outside Brougham. Ok, my 253 has an engine number of VR19685. The HR was first driven on 5 June 1967. The numbers are: From memory that must be real close to the changeover. Yours is a 15/10/69 block. [4] The HT series was launched with the new Holden designed and built 308 cubic inch V8, and was the first Holden to be powered by this engine (the rest of the HT range got the 307 until the 308 was made available across the HT range in September 1969). It was six months before machined parts arrived and it was not until October 1966 that the first engine was fired up. - In part two of our History of the Holden V8 feature, we look at the blue series motor of 1980, right up to the last Aussie-built Holden V8 of the VT Commodore and VSIII ute. WhichCar is the home of Street Machine magazine. Most likely HT Brougham but by October/November 1969 308 was available across the HT range. [5], Throughout its production life the Ford Fairlane outsold it by a large margin. We went out to the shed and he showed me a Holden 253 he had on an engine stand that he is about to rebuild. Jeremy, not sure how I came to the date this morning as I was typing in a rush to get out the door. The engine number is QT645289, the code above the water pump is 13E5 arrow points to 6 o'clock. im interested in a single outlet waterpump for my L34, what sort of $ are you asking, do they need rebuild. Not really, GMH never threw anything away so if it was around it would have gotten used. Vehicle Serial Number. Some of this development work spun off into the SL/R 5000 Torana’s L34 performance pack in 1974, which included stronger rods, improved crank, light flywheel, baffled sump, roller rockers and new headers. 174, Jan–Feb 2006, pages 26–28, Holden HK Brougham sales brochure at www.oldcarbrochures.com, 1969 Chevrolet Constantia sales brochure at www.moby302.co.za, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holden_Brougham&oldid=968530482, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Articles with dead external links from February 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 July 2020, at 23:25. A high-performance kit was also available through dealers. The carburettor was a WW2 Stromberg. Four days later, it failed after swarf caused an oil pump seizure. I do remember discussing this with a certain Monaro guru, and from what I remember the changeover wasn't instant. With the release of Ford’s 289 XR GT, all were scrapped, leaving the 253 and 308. The first public appearance of the 253 was in the Holden Hurricane concept car. Although I am uncertain as to how to upload the photo on this forum. [8] Either engine version came equipped with the two-speed "Powerglide" automatic transmission. In 1972 Repco had also developed a Formula 5000 engine using Holden 308 castings. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/308-MOTO...es?hash=item414d695ec2. Maybe new moulds were introduced and HP continued alongside 308 for a time period? Was there something special done to these engines? The Brougham then followed the model cycles of these mainstream Holdens: the HT series was announced in July 1969 and the HG series in August 1970. Repco turned the Holden V8 into a Formula 5000 warrior, sourcing strengthened blocks straight from the factory, modified to accept four-bolt mains. All I can find in my info at home is that 253 prefix was QS (Low Comp) and QR (High Comp) and 308 was QT prefix. So yours is about 12,000 engines into the sequence. Holden claimed the L34 modifications were for reliability only, making no more than the standard 240hp, but in reality, it made much more. In this special feature, we’ll examine how we came to have a unique, Aussie-designed V8 in the first place, and Bob Kotmel will give us the skinny on his favourite street-level combination, and we’ll look at some of the toughest Holden-based street machines and racers that are still out there flying the flag for the engine once derided as the ‘plastic’ V8. 276, 289 (yep) and 292ci versions were also considered. That was all the excitement the 253 ever got though; it remained an economy model for the rest of its life. In 1972 Repco had also developed a Formula 5000 engine using Holden 308 castings. One advantage of the motor is that it was the subject of much development.

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