1979 Holden HZ Ute from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

This vehicle started life in 1979 as a government car. Then was purchased by a retired man to use basically as a trailer once every now and again, so it received very little use over the next many years, until I purchased the vehicle and used it as a daily workhorse.

I feel that most of the troubles were due to lack of use.

During the first few weeks of use the car used water at an alarming rate, but there were no leaks to be seen, suspected head gasket. This did not fix the problem, however, shortly after this I noticed under the rubber mats was wet, the heater unit had a leaky core, replaced for about $100.

The next problem occurred only a short time after, while I was 100km away from home! The harmonic balancer decided to split into two pieces, leaving me stuck on the other side of town. A quick (yet expensive) trip to a close by auto parts shop and I had everything I need to fix this (this includes buying tools!) 4 hours later I was back on the road, headed for home.

Not surprisingly the engine now ran a lot smoother,... for a week or so anyway. The car suddenly became horrible to drive, another trip to an auto parts shop and $30 later, new leads did the trick.

The transmission started to slip under load. $180 for a trans service and this was fixed.

An on going problems (for the 9 months I owned this vehicle) was trying to set the idle. No matter how it was set, or who, set the carburettor up it just would not run right. The carburettor probably needed a rebuild, but I was not going to spend any more money fixing the car.

This vehicle was in immaculate condition (body and interior wise) apart from one small rip in the drivers seat.

The seat (one bench seat) was like driving from a lounge suite, just don't corner too fast or you'll slide on the vinyl.

The engine (when running) had heaps of power, just not much acceleration and revved very high on the freeway, And like all old holden 6's, (and most of their owners), didn't like cold mornings.

A fantastic car to drive, with loads of character, unfortunately not reliable enough.

Every man and his dog knows that those old autos were wallet enemies!

I've had my HZ ute for 20 years and it has never, NEVER, broken down. Not once have I ever had to take it for repairs (apart from an irregular maintenance) I would say my ute, although age has rendered it relativley 'old' looking is the singular best car I have ever owned. I tow a 4.2 meter boat 1000's of k's every year with it and have never had need of assistance from anyone.

Look after your HZ and it will out live any modern vehicle by a millenia!

I own a Hz 1 Tonner. Have had it now for about 12 months. It runs like dream. I have only had to change the motor in January because it got tired. It was the original motor from new. Nothing wrong with it now that a new paint job won't fix!!

Crap get a new ute.

I have owned three Kingswood Utes any have never had any serious trouble with any of them.

The first car I ever owned was a WB Ute with a stock blue 202 and three speed column shift manual, I later reconditioned the motor (that had done well over four hundred thousand kilometres) and added a floor shift 4 speed. I still own that Ute and drive it every day, I have since cut some rust out and painted it in original sky blue.

My second was a stock one tonne HQ with a stock 308 (with three hundred and fifty thousand kilometres on the speedo) and four speed manual, I drove that car all day everyday for work for three years until it was hit up the rear on side of the road by another car and unfortunately written off.

My third is a HZ that I purchased about a month after I lost the tonner, It had a mild 253 that was built for gas and a trimatic gearbox, I am currently restoring the hz with a chev motor and turbo/hydramatic gearbox.

Apart from only having small wear and tear problems with all three of these vehicles, i have never had a serious problem with them.

As long as you change and check the fluids regularly, there are only the normal things that will wear out like bushes, shocks, springs, tyres, brakes, belts, bulbs, and ball joints, But like I say if you grease them every ten thousand kms you shouldn't have problems (i still have the original ball joints, bushes and rear springs in the wb after 460 thousand kms)

I have had a bit of rust cut out of the WB in the usual places, cowl, bottom of doors, and bottom of rear wheel arches, the Tonner was also full of rust, yet the HZ didn't have any rust on it at all before I painted it, as it has always been garaged.

If you are looking at buying a Kingswood Ute there are a few things worth looking at

* oil under bonnet or anywhere under the car (could mean previous oil leaks.

* if you can pull the carpet back to check rust in the floorpans as some Kingswoods leak at the bottom of the windscreen in the cowls

* rust around the rear window, cowls, bottom sill, doors.

* if you can put it on a hoist, check for rust in the chassis

if they are looked after and maintained well they will go for a million plus kays.

I will always own one or two.

I have just bought a 1976 HJ series ute. OK its not a HZ, but it I reckon it was a damn good buy at $600. It has a stock spec 253 V8, Muncie 4spd, 10 bolt Salisbury LSD rear end. It also came with 5 spoke Cragar mags (old school-yeah!). Bull bar and roll bar. I have since fitted a HZ Premier dash, Kingswood SL bucket seats, a HX Statesman steering wheel and it also has the wagon rear bumper. I have owned a HZ 6cylinder ute previously, also a HJ Kingswood sedan as well as a HT Holden Panel Van. The ute was red when I got it, but thanks to my wife it is now matt black! She also shone the wheels. These ute's are the best to own, drive and work on. I will be doing major rust and bog removal over the next few years and the ute will be eventually white with gloss black sills and Holden and GMH logos all over it. Plus a special tarp I am designing, (not giving anything away here) It will be something to catch the judges eye at ute shows.