Birthdays at my time of life arrive far too frequently, but at least they provide a reason to be out after dark and have somebody else cook your dinner.
At a recent celebration I was chatting with someone who had arrived in a quite unsatisfactory rental car because their regular ride had been involved in a relatively minor crash and was waiting in the repairer’s yard for parts that weren’t stocked here and had to come from ‘overseas’.
The car was nothing special; one of thousands sold during the past 15 years and which remain familiar sights on local roads. You might suspect that parts for cars like that would be falling out the doors of automotive ‘recyclers’, however, the bits that are available are often too far gone to be accepted by repairers.
This got me to thinking about the prospects for keeping significant older cars on the road should they be involved in a crash that hasn’t seriously damaged the structure.
In this age of distracted drivers, hits to the rear are annoyingly common. In the case of my own solidly built, 1970s British sedan, the damage would likely be limited to the hefty steel bumper and its rubber embellisher, however, tail-light units, the light support panel, stone tray and boot lid could be involved if the other car was travelling quickly.
Parts like those are unlikely to be acquired via local wrecking yards, but other sources exist.
First would be a plea to other owners via the car-club website. If you own an older car and think that joining a relevant club isn’t worth the annual fee, consider how useful those contacts might be when scarce spares need to be found. Immediately I see in Parts for Sale a pair of used but very clean tail-lights at just $120. Tick those off the list.
If other club members can’t come up with a spare bumper – which I do happen to have already – or replacements for the damaged panels, have a talk to local sources of mechanical parts for your model. These places will over the years acquire cars for wrecking and might have some used panels stored somewhere.
A friendly supplier might even allow you to take your torch and go poking around their stash of long-forgotten bits, perhaps turning up other rare items that can be bought and tucked away under your own bench for future use.
If this source fails to deliver, then the Internet again becomes your best friend. In my case I would be contacting the Spares Secretaries at the various UK clubs that cater to my brand of car, seeking advice on parts sources.
People with experience of the market might also recommend the suppliers who will deliver product that doesn’t need attention from the gas axe and four pound persuader before it will fit.
Within a few minutes and even without seeking club advice, I managed to find a UK-based supplier which had in stock a support panel for the rear lights, new boot hinges and hardware (but not the lid itself) and a lower valance.
Including freight to Australia, import duty and GST the whole lot could have been on my garage floor within six weeks for a total less than $1600. Not a big outlay when your quest is to keep a treasured car out of the wrecking yard.
If you own an Australian-made 1960s-70s model, some European or British brands and many kinds of post-1950s American car, you will find newly made, New Old Stock or quality used parts available everywhere and not yet expensive.
The thing to remember is that might not always be the case, so building up a stock before they get scarce and costly isn’t a bad idea.
‘Parts’ cars might be included when you buy a usable classic but can create bigger problems than they solve. If you’ve got five empty acres then, sure, park a few wrecks out the back and progressively rob them of anything useful before calling in the scrap-metal merchant.
In a suburban setting, though, a multicoloured wreck decorating the front lawn while parts are progressively removed, is going to be unsightly. It is also going to cost you money for a trailer or tilt-tray to get it home and then when ditching the shell. Best leave those dogs where they lie.
DODGE PHOENIX 1960-72
Owning a Dodge Pheonix signaled to the world that you had achieved success at something. Nobody cared that the car claimed to be luxurious in our market was very likely in North America to have been a poverty pack Dodge or Plymouth.
Chrysler Australia in 1959 had retired its finned and chrome encrusted Dodge Custom Royal and began importing kits of right-hand drive Dodge Darts from Canada. The standard engine was a 5.2-litre V8, transmission a three-speed Torqueflite.
Phoenix styling changed four times in five years, finally settling for 1965-66 on the conservative shape used by North America’s Plymouth Fury. The cars were wide, low and massive but still powered only by the long-serving 318 V8.
Chrysler’s insistence on conservatism for its big-car line thawed a little in 1968 when the local Phoenix range expanded to comprise a restyled sedan and four-door pillarless Hardtop.
Bigger news than the new knife-edge shape was the Hardtop’s engine, which displaced 6.3 litres or 383 cubic inches and delivered 201kW. Features included bucket seats in the Hardtop, power steering and dual-circuit power brakes but no discs, even when they had been made standard on Chrysler’s mid-priced Hillman Hunter.
A year later came another rebadged North American Plymouth, designated for Australia as the Dodge Phoenix 400 Limited, and finally including power-boosted front disc brakes.
Chrysler, in a stroke of marketing genius, knew it had only 400 each of the sedan and hardtop to sell, so elected to number them 1-400 and create some contrived exclusivity.
The ploy didn’t work though, because the immense Dodges proved hard to sell and used values during the 1970s plunged. By the mid-1990s prices were climbing again, but not to levels which suggested the 400s were any more desirable than earlier models
Early 1960-64 versions would, were they human, have qualified for the pension but they retain some appeal. Twenty years back we were seeing early ones with big-block engine transplants – an option in the USA so easily approved here – plus flash paint and huge wheels that sometimes sold for more than $40,000.
Most common today are 1965-68 sedans, some in excellent and original condition which can reach $30,000. The 1967-68 Hardtops are scarce and $5000-8000 more.
Least costly but probably the best for family cruising are the Limiteds. This final series Phoenix has loads of space and might even be air-conditioned and will cost around $25,000.
HOW THE PRICES MOVED
2010
Phoenix Sedan 1960-62: $5500-$15,000-$22,500
Phoenix Sedan 1963-64: $3500-$9500-$15,000
Phoenix Sedan 1965-68: $2500-$7500-$11,500
Phoenix 400 Sedan 1969-72: $2000-$6500-$9500
Phoenix 400 Hardtop 1969-72: $2500-$8000-$11,500
2016
Phoenix Sedan 1960-62: $5500-$15,000-$24,500
Phoenix Sedan 1963-64: $4500-$12,500-$20,000
Phoenix Sedan 1965-68: $3500-$9500-$14,500
Phoenix 400 Sedan 1969-72: $3000-$8500-$13,000
Phoenix 400 H/Top 1969-72: $3500-$10,000-$15,500
2019
Phoenix Sedan 1960-64: $7500-$22,00o-$32,500
Phoenix Sedan 1965-68: $6000-$15,500-$26,500
Phoenix 400 Sedan 1969-72: $5000-$13,500-$24,000
Phoenix 400 H/Top 1969-72: $6500-$16,000-$28,500
2025
Phoenix Sedan 1960-64: $10,000-$26,000-$37,000
Phoenix Sedan 1965-68: I/D-$18,000-$27,000
Phoenix Hardtop 1967-68: I/D-$24,000-$33,000
Phoenix 400 Sedan 1969-72: $6000-$15,000-$23,500
Phoenix 400 H/Top 1969-72: $7000-$18,500-$27,500
HOLDEN HK-HG 1968-71
Holden had lagged behind its Big Three rivals ever since Chrysler put the first V8 into an Australian ‘family’ car and Ford changed the game with its American-influenced XR Falcon.
Giving the others more than two years start really didn’t hurt Holden though. Its controversial HD and hastily restyled HR both sold more than the Valiant and Falcon combined, and when the HK appeared in 1968 it was the others that could only watch as Holden marched off with 183,000 sales in 16 months.
Most HKs and the HT-HG models that followed had 161 or 186 cubic inch, six-cylinder ‘red’ motors, derived from the engine introduced to power the EH. A V8 was added in 1968, with sales growing significantly once imported Chevrolet engines were replaced by 4.2 and 5.0-litre versions of the Great Aussie V8.
Most 1968-71 Holdens carried Kingswood badges – a name embedded into Aussie folk speak via a 1970s (You’re not taking the Kingswood!) television programme.
These were the mid-range HK-HG model with front bench or optional bucket seats, three-speed manual gearbox with column shift and automatic extra. Drum brakes were standard unless buyers specified V8 power, in which case front discs were included.
As had been the case since 1962, Holden offered a better equipped Premier version with the 186 and automatic transmission, but the option of a V8 and automatic or four-speed manual.
Above it sat a new model called the Brougham, which tried to kid buyers into believing it offered the same space as Ford’s Fairlane or a Valiant VIP. Really though, it was a Premier with the tail extended by 18cm and vertical tail-lights giving the impression of extra length.
Broughams came with 5.0-litre V8s (imported or local) and automatic transmission, plus Cadillac-style brocade upholstery and a vinyl covered roof.
HK-HGs of all kinds rank with the most popular enthusiast cars in Australia. From total production, excluding Monaros, of almost 517,000 cars there are numerous survivors and a lot of excellent cars.
A decent proportion have been modified; some with V8 engines where once there was a six or more powerful V8s in place of the original. Authenticity seems not to bother most buyers though, who look for a car that will deliver low-risk motoring and stands out from the traffic.
Six-cylinder HK-HGs in excellent order cost $30-35,000, with V8 Kingswoods $20,000 more expensive. Some Premiers and Broughams have sold for around $80,000 but need to be exceptional.
HOW THE PRICES MOVED
2010
HK-HG 1968-69: $1600-$4200-$7000
HK-HG V8 1968-69: $2700-$6000-$9500
HK-HG Premier 1968-71: $2400-$6000-$9200
HK Premier V8 1968-69: $3000-$8000-$12,000
HT-HG Premier V8 1969-71: $2600-$6500-$10,000
HK-HG Brougham 1968-69: $3500-$9500-$14,000
2019
HK-HG Six 1968-71: $6000-$18,500-$27,000
HK-HG V8 1968-71: $ 10,000-$25,000-$34,500
HK-HK Six Van 1968-71: I/D-$24,000-$33,000
HK-HG Premier 1968-71: $9000-$24,000-$36,500
HK Premier V8 1968-69: $18,000-$39,000-$53,500
HT-HG Premier V8 1969-71: $13,500-$32,500-$45,000
HK-HG Brougham 1968-71: $12,000-$28,000-$40,000
2025
HK-HG Six 1968-71: $11,000-$17,500-$25,000
HK-HG V8 1968-71: $16,000-$44,000-$52,500
HK-HG Premier 1969-71: $14,000-$34,000-$48,000
HK Premier V8 1968-69: $25,000-$52,000-$72,500
HT-HG Premier V8 1969-71: $20,000-$47,000-$68,000
HK-HG Brougham 1968-71: I/D-$45,500-$57,000