1979 Holden HZ - Reader Resto

By: Kylee Crawford with Guy Allen - Words & Photos

Date: 01.07.2023

Kylee fell in love with this HZ and, after tracing its history, discovered it's a rather special car

Spotting the red Holden glowing in the driveway, you’re immediately struck by what a handsome car it is. Owner and restorer Kylee Crawford clearly sees it as a bit of a favourite in her modest fleet and is justifiably pleased with the way the car has turned out.

Some of the history of this HZ has inevitably been lost over time. However Kylee with good reason speculates that this car was ordered by a dealer principal as a bit of a show piece. You see it has much of the GTS gear on board, including four-wheel disc brakes, but without the spoilers and badges.

You’d be pretty pleased to have this parked in the driveway, wouldn’t you?

Under the bonnet, it’s running the 4.2lt (253ci) V8 with four-speed manual transmission.

It was first registered to the dealership, before eventually being sold on to an individual in Shepparton, Victoria.

Kylee is clearly in love with the car, so does she have a special connection with HZs? "Just have a look at it, look at the shape! It’s just a beautiful car. My dad had an HQ and that’s what really stayed in my mind.

The satin-finish aluminium wheels look great

"I saw this one and really liked the colour and didn’t realise how special it was until I started researching it.

"I’ve had the car for about 11 years and it took about three to restore it. It’s still not finished, they never are.

"It wasn’t going when I bought it but it didn’t have a lot of rust.

"There was a little in the scuttle and that was about it.

"The interior looked okay but a lot of it had gone hard. All the carpet was disintegrating. The wheels were stuffed in the boot and it was rolling around on plain rims. Overall it was a bit sad."

Kylee decided there was nothing for it but to give the car the full resto treatment.

"In the end, I took off everything. I tried to re-use the original nuts and bolts, but there were some that had to be replaced."

Firethorn Red suits the sedan to a tee

This isn’t her first restoration. We featured her 1983 Holden VH Commodore SL/X wagon back in 2018.

She reckons she learned a lot from that first project. "The are mistakes I made on the VH that I didn’t make on this," she says, "I took my time a little more and didn’t scratch this one when I put it back together!

The body was in pretty good shape, and was stripped and given a fresh coat of paint

"Patience was the big thing.

"I had the engine (a 253 V8) rebuilt by Carrick Motors in Tullamarine. It’s got Yella Terra heads and a mild cam. It’s the original motor with a few improvements. We also rebuilt the transmission.

"I rebuilt the brakes myself – took the callipers apart and put a kit through them, painted them, made them look pretty and put them on."

Typically Kylee does much of the bodywork and assembly herself. "I paid someone to tackle the rust at the front as I’m not a good welder.

"I stripped and undercoated the body and had my painter come around and go over it to check for anything that I missed. Body Tech in Seymour did the paint, in the Firethorn Red."

The choice is a little unusual for a sedan of that era. Kylee confirms, "You see the colour on HZ Sandman but not on sedans."

Engine is the original and mildly-worked 253 V8

Much of the body trim was reusable, including the side mouldings, though Kylee had to find some end pieces and comments that they never go back on as easily as they come off – getting them right is fiddly and time‑consuming.

The wheels are aluminium 15-inch with offset sizes. "I just liked the satin finish and it was close to the original." The widths are seven up front and eight rear.

Kylee clearly loves driving it. "It’s absolutely sensational. Very smooth and rides really well."

And the next project? "I’ve got an SS in the shed. It’s a VR in a rare colour – the Anthracite Grey. I haven’t seen many of them and I grabbed the opportunity."

THE RESTO:

Suspended animation

Yep, even the most basic suspension components got pulled out and refurbished.

Brake revival

The brake callipers were rebuilt and given a cosmetic freshen-up.

Drying rack

We like the ad-hoc drying set-up.

Missing piece

With the V8 and transmission hauled out, it was time to get busy.

Shiny bits

A fresh set of headers to help the V8 breathe.

No surprises

The Holden may have been tired, but the chassis was solid.

Firewall fun

Yep, even the firewall copped a strip and new coat of paint.

Years of wear

The underside of the car looked like it had done plenty of work.

Clean derrier

We can only imagine how much effort was involved in this.

Original car: 1979 Holden HZ
Owner: Kylee Crawford
Length of restoration: 3 years

1979 HOLDEN HZ

Body: Four-door sedan
Engine: 4.2lt V8
Power/torque: 120kW/325Nm
Performance: 0-100km/h 10 sec
Top speed: 190 km/h
Transmission: Four-speed manual
Brakes: Discs
Wheels: 15 inch 7/8" front/rear

From Unique Cars #479, June 2023

Unique Cars magazine Value Guides

Sell your car for free right here