holden ID plate

[SkippyThBushKangeroo]

hi all .. i read somewhere that holden did at one time assemble a few beddys with a 253 motor over the usual 6 cylinders... have been looking at my compliance plates..   and 1 am not really sure how to dechipher it an 2 there is no mention of engine no in it..  tho it is registered as having a 253 V8 in  it also it is registered as a "touring van" was just curios as in was this a factory manufactured V8 or if someone had done a conversion with eng reports..any of u guys know how to read the compliances pictured below .. cheers skippy

[Sammy]

i don't believe any of them tell you what motor is in them.

i know commodores have the axle, motor, gearbox codes all stamped on a plate but i don't know when this started happening.

[rumax]

if anybody wants some light reading, look at http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/motor/design/adr_online.aspx This is a link to the ADR's and each number links to a "rule". it gives a listing of each "rule" and when it came into effect & if no longer applicable.

Cheers

Russell

[BeerBeddy]

I worked in a Holden dealership in my early days. Did my apprenticeship during the Beddy years (surprising I still like them really).

The first pic is of the manufactures plates. Model designations, body style, trim etc etc. Holden didn't list engines until later, Commodore I think but I could be wrong as I was out of the Holden world by then. Interestingly, Ford did, and from way back. So by looking at a Ford plate you could actually work out everything fitted to the car from original.

As for V8 Beddies. NO. I have heard this so many times. We sold a lot of Beddies right from the get go, with the little shitbox 4cyl engine that would blow up taking it down to get registered! Plenty of 6's as Holden replaced the Bedford badge AND the engine. A look in the genuine spare part books has no listing for anything V8. So another motoring myth like the one where Holden made a car called the FX. No it didn't. FJ was the first Holden to use letters for a model designation. the "FX" was actually called a "Series 48 215 or 225 (standard sedan and special sedan).

OK off topic slightly.

The second pic is a compliance plate. All Australian vehicles had these fitted from 1969 (I think or it may have been 1971) This was when our vehicles had to meet some standards set by our government, ADR's. Prior to this, there were no ADR's and vehicle just had to meet some regulatory requirements. Ahh the good old days!

I would need to dig out my old service books that I have kept for 40 years to be more definitive but my long term memory serves me much better than my short term these days. Sorry what was I saying?

By the way. Think about this. Why would Holden put a V8 in a Bedford when they had the H series panel vans in direct competition with a variety of engine sizes, trans options etc. They wanted to sell local product not imported modified stuff.

Thats all from me. Happy new year.

Beerbeddy

[likemagic]

Hi,
I have heard that Armour Guard in NZ had V8 Bedfords to cope with the weigh of the armour and bullet proof windows. As normal Armour Guard practice the vehicles were scrapped under supervision so no second hand parts were available.

[LS120]

i know just before they stopped making them in the 80s they did make i think 8 or 12 special v8 beddys for some racing teams. cant remember where i did see that, but it was when i was looking for some info on beddys.

[BeerBeddy]

they did make i think 8 or 12 special v8 beddys for some racing teams

I would have to concede that it is possible some 'special' V8 vans were made, but not by GMH. Some may remember that in the '80s a company called Overlander built 4wd HZ Holden wagons. These were then sold through dealerships as a special order. (I did pre-delivery on a few) There was no listing of parts or service procedures on these vehicles.

I suspect, IF, some V8 Beddies were built it would have been the same sort of thing where they were done by an external company and either sold at the dealers before or after conversion or some other conversion company did a run of them. I never ever saw a new Beddy V8 sold at my dealership (and we sold a lot of V8 Sandmans). Not only that, like the Overland conversions, there is no reference to V8 Beddies in parts or service books.

Regards