Australians soon relegated to walking - or not?

[Junkman]

With the last remaining factories closing during next year, Australia will be left without any form of car industry. Or will it?

The demise of the big manufacturers down under is going to leave a host of suppliers looking for new activities and also will free up a plethora of car making equipment.

There will also be thousands of talented and knowledgeable car people looking for a job. And what do you think they are going to make?

 

Spares for classic cars, of course!

 

 

This is just one example, there will be parts made in each and every automotive sector, from rubbers to instruments, taillight lenses to interior fabrics,

dashpads to chrome trim.

 

And you can bet your stinking, worn out boots, that once they have served their home market, they sure will look into making things for Septic and POME chod,

maybe even Japanesish.

 

The future - for once - might indeed look brighter.

[DodgeRover]

Loads of British tin still in Aus but they rust in different places to uk ones. I'm thinking that once rust repair panels are covered for older Holdens, Fords and fingers crossed Aussie Chryslers they'll start on Japanese stuff before British unless it's dead common desirable mk1/2 escort parts.

[Junkman]

They already make all the rubber bits for P6es and I guess it's stuff like this we will see a lot more of.

You can see in the vid I posted, that they scanned a '32 Ford body, so export of repop panels to USA is imminent.

It all looks to me like there is an entirely new industry forming. I think this is the start of something big. And good.

They can also outsource the really labour intensive stuff to sweat shops full of children in their neighbouring countries,

an opportunity we have lost since they knocked down the Berlin wall.

 

One question remains, though - will spares made after 1986 be any good?

[vulgalour]

That's a great idea.  Rather than binning everything, actually make use of it to serve an existing market and help it expand!  Hey, they got quite a few British products over there, I wonder when they're going to start making Princess front wings?  I could do with a pair.

[cort1977]

Hope you're right Junkman.

 

In a way it's amazing that the Aussie car industry has lasted this long.   Essentially they have been building the kind of cars no one wants any more for the last 20 years for a population of 20 million.   Admittedly Canberra has given the industry a lot of grants over the years but it's still impressive what they were able to achieve.  

 

Saw a Chevrolet SS (latest commodore) the other day and for a modern it really did look good.

[Junkman]

I was just thinking that in maybe ten years from now, I may possibly be able to screw together a P76 from brand new spares.

You know, I can live with that thought. No, honestly, I can.

[AMC Rebel]

I've had a lot of help from the AMC boys in Aussie - they are great, I still get their club newsletter.  They helped me get the right Pitman arm when the Yank suppliers (who had stock but couldn't identify which one I needed) were useless.

[Noel Tidybeard]

That's a great idea.  Rather than binning everything, actually make use of it to serve an existing market and help it expand!  Hey, they got quite a few British products over there, I wonder when they're going to start making Princess displacers?  I could do with a pair 4.

 FIFY

[STUNO]

From an almost local perspective it seems the Aussies are a bit pissed off about their local car industry closing down. Holden have said that there will be a "replacement" for the Commodore but so far their efforts haven't worked. The Insignia was put on sale but appears to have sold hardly any, I think their first attempt sold in single figures during the time it was available. they have recently tried again.

The current range includes the Malibu, that looks commode size but Chevvy named.

 

https://www.holden.com.au/cars

 

Ford have apparently stopped producing Falcons and the real replacement for them may be the ranger utility ! Have a look below...

 

http://www.caradvice.com.au/263629/ford-australia-2017-post-falcon-territory-showroom/

 

the Territory is still being advertised here by ford, but it is probably runout stock.

[r.welfare]

Have Toyota said they are shutting their factory as well?

[STUNO]

Toyota will close next year . This article from 2015.

 

http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/toyota-camry-last-car-to-be-made-in-australia-starts-production-in-altona-plant/news-story/2f3ac1d907330beb3bc76facb2c767f8

[DodgeRover]

Got to say the factories closing has to be a backwards step for car buyers in Aus who don't live in a big city.

All the stuff that interested me was built specifically with Aussie conditions in mind, remember even now there are long stretches of unsealed corrugated highway to deal with, it can be continually friggin hot or below zero in the mountains.

I'm guessing that a lot of people will be keeping the last generations of Falcon and commodore wagons going for as long as possible like people did with the Holden one tunner pickups, loads of those were still working hard for a living long after they had become collectible.

I wonder what all the taxi firms will be using now?

[Supernaut]

 

You can see in the vid I posted, that they scanned a '32 Ford body, so export of repop panels to USA is imminent.

 

I'm fairly certain Ford themselves make 'heritage reproduction' or whatever body shells for the 1930s things, and the original 1960s Mustang already.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Can the y hurry up and make a Fiesta boot floor please I'd love to be able to drive my mk1 sometime this century

[Asimo]

What are British Hearse builders going to do without Ford Falcons to paint Mason's Black and line with formica?

[Pillock]

OK, so not knowing much about the Aussie classic car scene, I've tried to apply this to the UK.

This seems to be like all the UK car factories closing down (we're not there yet, but there's only a fraction left) and them starting to make panels and parts for Princesses, Mk1 Astras and stuff. Which seems like a good plan, at least for us - the owners of shite old cars that need panels and parts.

 

But imagine the tooling costs to set up a press to make Princess front wings. Now think how many princesses there are that are in need of front wings - you could probably make them in an hour, any longer you'd have more wings than cars left.

Now spend another day swapping the tooling to make a Mk1 Fiesta boot floor, and stamp out a couple of hundred. And repeat.

 

Then we'll all be moaning that a front wing costs £500

[cort1977]

From an almost local perspective it seems the Aussies are a bit pissed off about their local car industry closing down. Holden have said that there will be a "replacement" for the Commodore but so far their efforts haven't worked. The Insignia was put on sale but appears to have sold hardly any, I think their first attempt sold in single figures during the time it was available. they have recently tried again.

The current range includes the Malibu, that looks commode size but Chevvy named.

 

https://www.holden.com.au/cars

 

Ford have apparently stopped producing Falcons and the real replacement for them may be the ranger utility ! Have a look below...

 

http://www.caradvice.com.au/263629/ford-australia-2017-post-falcon-territory-showroom/

 

the Territory is still being advertised here by ford, but it is probably runout stock.

The Aussie press likes to make a fuss about losing our jobs and Chinese built quality but in the mass market sector the economics of manufacturing in a high wage country just don't make sense. That said gm can never seem to get their marketing right in Australia, weren't they importing Opel badged cars a while ago? How does that make sense? Also selling commodore, insignia and Malibu at the same time looks shortsighted, three saloons when no one buys three box cars any more.

[garethj]

OK, so not knowing much about the Aussie classic car scene, I've tried to apply this to the UK.

This seems to be like all the UK car factories closing down (we're not there yet, but there's only a fraction left) and them starting to make panels and parts for Princesses, Mk1 Astras and stuff.

 

If I had a car factory going spare I'd be using it to knock out Mk1 Escort bodyshells, E Type Jags and 1929 Bentleys

[Pillock]

The Taiwanese have beaten you to the first.... Mk2 is already available, Mk1s were following just after. It would be amusing to flood the market and see the price of forest-arched, zebra-striped jizz-wagons plummet.

[For Fiats Sake]

We've had problems sourcing metal fuel tanks for the 4x4 (later Italian models were fuel injection with submersible pumps in tank so no good for our carbed ones).

Plastic ones can be made to our specifications but the problem is getting enough people to put their hands in pockets to fund it.

Everyone wants parts but not everyone is willing to pay a price which makes them worth making!

 

Roll on 3D printing on a large (affordable) scale!

[17-Coffees]

I guess everyone in the outback will just use the LandCruiser 70 from now on? After the Ute's and V8 saloons they are the most Australian thing I can think of car wise...

[Junkman]

In a way it's amazing that the Aussie car industry has lasted this long.   Essentially they have been building the kind of cars no one wants any more for the last 20 years for a population of 20 million.

 

You certainly can't accuse them for not having an impeccable track record of unleashing grade A shite.

Make mine a beige V8 Holden Statesman with brown plush inside, please.

[Ghosty]

I guess everyone in the outback will just use the LandCruiser 70 from now on? After the Ute's and V8 saloons they are the most Australian thing I can think of car wise...

 

They still make them?!

[vulgalour]

The way you do it is to run the profitable stuff most of the time and for fun, create short-run specialist items for the enthusiast market.  Sometimes you stumble on something highly desireable by accident that way and can add to your main portfolio.  Not Princess wings though, but maybe Fiesta boot floors or Ka bodyshells or Tigra sills... it's funny what ends up working.

 

As an aside I can get fibreglass front wings for the Princess but they look, well, fibreglass.  Slightly oversized and soft looking on the edges they don't blend in well with the rest of the car.

[Mr Livered]

Can the y hurry up and make a Fiesta boot floor please I'd love to be able to drive my mk1 sometime this century

That can't be too hard for a decent fabricator to make up surely?

[AMC Rebel]

You certainly can't accuse them for not having an impeccable track record of unleashing grade A shite.

Make mine a beige V8 Holden Statesman with brown plush inside, please.

Kingswood wagon for me please.

[AlabamaShrimp]

That can't be too hard for a decent fabricator to make up surely?

I don't think it would but it's two bits of metal all shaped then joint in the middle. Thing is every other panel seems to be available apart from them.

 

It can't be that hard to make replacement bits as stuff milked the Mini and MG B have nearly everything.

[DodgeRover]

In a way it's amazing that the Aussie car industry has lasted this long. Essentially they have been building the kind of cars no one wants any more for the last 20 years for a population of 20 million.

 

 

Not sure about that nobody wants bit, I'm pretty sure they could have shifted modern Commodore and Falcon wagons over here in the UK without too much hastle, there's definitely a market for big estate cars that aren't people carriers or 4x4s, factory fit lpg was a sensible option that uk manufacturers should have been offering 25 or more years ago.

 

I'de have an XD Fairmont Wagon with the 351 for the other half as a daily happily.

Valiant Charger for the weekend and maybe a hardtop for daily stuff that didn't involve running the kids about.

 

Hell I might even consider an EA falcon wagon if one turned up.

[cort1977]

I should have said 'not many people want any more'.   

 

Presumably, if there was a market for large cars Ford and GM would still be making them but they are all being phased out in favour of either trucks or SUVs sadly.

[Guest Hooli]

Can they start making Falcon XB Coupes with Weiland blowers again please?