Holden body

[153624]

Hi new member here, Im trying to gather information about the australian Holden bodied Austins, Ive been told my car is an early Holden body chummy but Ive got no way to prove this. 

Any info someone can provide will be appreciated. 

Thanks, Luke

[JonE]

Hi Luke- pictures might help start something off....
Has it been in UK for a while or is it newly returned?

[153624]

I will get some photos as soon as possible. This one however is identical to mine apart from the headlights and the colour. I am located in australia as is the car.

[steve davidson]

The photo looks very much like the Holden Family Tourer (1927/28).  Pages 134 and 135 of the Austin Source book have a few details, scans attached 

[153624]

The photo looks very much like the Holden Family Tourer (1927/28).  Pages 134 and 135 of the Austin Source book have a few details, scans attached 

It does look quiet similar they only thing that doesnt look right is the swage line which im told is a trademark on the later holden bodied austins, were as my vehicle doesnt have it.

[Bill Sheehan]

The photo looks very much like the Holden Family Tourer (1927/28).  Pages 134 and 135 of the Austin Source book have a few details, scans attached 

It does look quiet similar they only thing that doesnt look right is the swage line which im told is a trademark on the later holden bodied austins, were as my vehicle doesnt have it.

Hi Luke.  For a start, just about everybody thinks they have a Holden body and most won't be told when they're not!   Many bodies were made in OZ under licence to Longbridge's specs & the Dealers didn't care or specify which firm produced them - they were just an Austin Seven.  To track down exactly would be like trying to find out the actual name of the worker who put a body together at Longbridge!  I used to point out that many bodies with the distinctive swage weren't necessarily Holden, but made by Melbourne Motor Body Works as well.  However, some years ago I discovered that the latter had been bought out by Holden, so it then became a matter of the chicken and the egg!  You are correct, some Holden bodies in 1927/early 1928 were allegedly made without the distinctive swage, but is your car of that vintage?  Reason I'm confused - the small-radiator type shell was not originally plated, the windscreen brackets are wrong for what looks like the lower scuttle, bonnet line, small radshell of say a 1927/8, if of this model the headlights weren't originally large and front-mounted.  (For clarification, the taller plated radiator, higher bonnet-line, large headlamp model,  although introduced in UK late 1928, didn't appear in Oz until April 1929).  There were two heights of Ozzie one-piece windscreens and it's difficult to see which from the photos.  Does your dashboard have pockets and where is the speedo located -centrally or on the left?  All of the above is really academic, as it looks like a great little car and I'm sure you'll get great pleasure from it.  Incidentally, I'd suggest you ignore Source, the examples shown aren't very original either.  Hope all this helps rather than confuse you.  Good Luck, Cheers, Bill in Oz

[153624]

The photo looks very much like the Holden Family Tourer (1927/28).  Pages 134 and 135 of the Austin Source book have a few details, scans attached 

It does look quiet similar they only thing that doesnt look right is the swage line which im told is a trademark on the later holden bodied austins, were as my vehicle doesnt have it.

Hi Luke.  For a start, just about everybody thinks they have a Holden body and most won't be told when they're not!   Many bodies were made in OZ under licence to Longbridge's specs & the Dealers didn't care or specify which firm produced them - they were just an Austin Seven.  To track down exactly would be like trying to find out the actual name of the worker who put a body together at Longbridge!  I used to point out that many bodies with the distinctive swage weren't necessarily Holden, but made by Melbourne Motor Body Works as well.  However, some years ago I discovered that the latter had been bought out by Holden, so it then became a matter of the chicken and the egg!  You are correct, some Holden bodies in 1927/early 1928 were allegedly made without the distinctive swage, but is your car of that vintage?  Reason I'm confused - the small-radiator type shell was not originally plated, the windscreen brackets are wrong for what looks like the lower scuttle, bonnet line, small radshell of say a 1927/8, if of this model the headlights weren't originally large and front-mounted.  (For clarification, the taller plated radiator, higher bonnet-line, large headlamp model,  although introduced in UK late 1928, didn't appear in Oz until April 1929).  There were two heights of Ozzie one-piece windscreens and it's difficult to see which from the photos.  Does your dashboard have pockets and where is the speedo located -centrally or on the left?  All of the above is really academic, as it looks like a great little car and I'm sure you'll get great pleasure from it.  Incidentally, I'd suggest you ignore Source, the examples shown aren't very original either.  Hope all this helps rather than confuse you.  Good Luck, Cheers, Bill in Oz

Sorry for the delay, hopefully this is useful. Ive been told it is an early holden body car built in october 1927.

Any information will be appreciated 

Thanks, Luke

[Tony Press]

Sorry for the delay, hopefully this is useful. Ive been told it is an early holden body car built in october 1927.

Any information will be appreciated 

Thanks, Luke

Hi Luke,

As Bill said - it is very difficult to say which of the local body builders made which car. I believe Holden and Company Motor Body Builders together with Melbourne Motor Body Builders were among the more prolific so yours could be a 'Holden' body.

Up to 1928 Holden bodies were sometimes fitted with an identification plate as below on the body, inside in front of the passengers door.

Later saloons had an aluminium Holden car body number plate under the back seat, some had the new Lion and Ball ID plate  . 


  1928 Holden badge.jpg (Size: 86.6 KB / Downloads: 415)

---

This is my 1928 Holden bodied Chummy - you might note that the headlamps have been moved from the brackets on the screen supports to the front guards- which alteration was carried out probably at delivery - there is another Club Chummy some 400 numbers different from mine which has the identical  modification. The radiator cowl has also been plated - not sure when but possibly at delivery - well before 1955 anyway.

The body swage is visible as is the position of the single piece screen 'hinge' point.

I have the original Victorian Motor Registration document signed by the great T (Thomas) A Blamey, Chief Commissioner of Police and other than a repaint (and a 1928 coil motor M 71801)) this car has not been altered since 1955 - I still have the original magneto motor M 69139.    

   

[Bill Sheehan]

Sorry for the delay, hopefully this is useful. Ive been told it is an early holden body car built in october 1927.

Any information will be appreciated 

Thanks, Luke

Hi Luke,

As Bill said - it is very difficult to say which of the local body builders made which car. I believe Holden and Company Motor Body Builders together with Melbourne Motor Body Builders were among the more prolific so yours could be a 'Holden' body.

Up to 1928 Holden bodies were sometimes fitted with an identification plate as below on the body, inside in front of the passengers door.

Later saloons had an aluminium Holden car body number plate under the back seat, some had the new Lion and Ball ID plate  . 

---

This is my 1928 Holden bodied Chummy - you might note that the headlamps have been moved from the brackets on the screen supports to the front guards- which alteration was carried out probably at delivery - there is another Club Chummy some 400 numbers different from mine which has the identical  modification. The radiator cowl has also been plated - not sure when but possibly at delivery - well before 1955 anyway.

The body swage is visible as is the position of the single piece screen 'hinge' point.

I have the original Victorian Motor Registration document signed by the great T (Thomas) A Blamey, Chief Commissioner of Police and other than a repaint (and a 1928 coil motor M 71801)) this car has not been altered since 1955 - I still have the original magneto motor M 69139.    

---

Tony - only problem with that, is although there may be a few altered or updated after purchase, it doesn't really establish that they were like that on leaving the showroom floor, does it? The Victorian Motor Registration document for all cars & motorcycles was first introduced in 1932 (and they were all completed by end of 1933) so it doesn't tell us who was the original owner or even the original chassis number for the car. I once had to track down a 1928 Seven's history and found it had had 4 owners prior to the one current at the time the 1932 Document was issued. It had also been repainted in the intervening time. (Admittedly two of the four were dealers, but perhaps illustrated that some or maybe many cars could have had a non-original history before the Certificates were issued? Cheers, Bill in Oz

[Tony Press]

Sorry for the delay, hopefully this is useful. Ive been told it is an early holden body car built in october 1927.

Any information will be appreciated 

Thanks, Luke

Hi Luke,

As Bill said - it is very difficult to say which of the local body builders made which car. I believe Holden and Company Motor Body Builders together with Melbourne Motor Body Builders were among the more prolific so yours could be a 'Holden' body.

Up to 1928 Holden bodies were sometimes fitted with an identification plate as below on the body, inside in front of the passengers door.

Later saloons had an aluminium Holden car body number plate under the back seat, some had the new Lion and Ball ID plate  . 

---

This is my 1928 Holden bodied Chummy - you might note that the headlamps have been moved from the brackets on the screen supports to the front guards- which alteration was carried out probably at delivery - there is another Club Chummy some 400 numbers different from mine which has the identical  modification. The radiator cowl has also been plated - not sure when but possibly at delivery - well before 1955 anyway.

The body swage is visible as is the position of the single piece screen 'hinge' point.

I have the original Victorian Motor Registration document signed by the great T (Thomas) A Blamey, Chief Commissioner of Police and other than a repaint (and a 1928 coil motor M 71801)) this car has not been altered since 1955 - I still have the original magneto motor M 69139.    

---

Tony - only problem with that, is although there may be a few altered or updated after purchase, it doesn't really establish that they were like that on leaving the showroom floor, does it?  The Victorian Motor Registration document for all cars & motorcycles was first introduced in 1932 (and they were all completed by end of 1933) so it doesn't tell us who was the original owner or even the original chassis number for the car.  I once had to track down a 1928 Seven's history and found it had had 4 owners prior to the one current at the time the 1932 Document was issued.  It had also been repainted in the intervening time.  (Admittedly two of the four were dealers, but perhaps illustrated that some or maybe many cars could have had a non-original history before the Certificates were issued?   Cheers,  Bill in Oz

Bill,

No wire holes in the scuttle seems to indicate the lamps were moved before it was first registered - possibly in 1928- or 1929. Unfortunately no prior history is available from the early records held by the Association of Motoring Clubs.

The January 1933 Registration document shows the colour to be typed in as Buff & Maroon, Wheels Do (I assume ditto) then Cream, next Buff crossed out and Grey written with the wheels Blk, (black) followed by ? Faun (sic) and Black with Blk wheels. The body is now white with black guards and wheels but from my memory the white was creamier in the 50's. If this was Fawn then it was a very light Fawn !

Cheers, Tony.