The Holden Story

The FC introduced on May 6 1958 was basically the same as the FE. The car was re-styled and simplified. An ornamental fin was fitted to the rear quarter panels and the name Holden included on the front of the bonnet.
A simpler grille incorporated the parking lights as extensions of the lower horizontal grille bar.
New interior features included new trim on the seats, dialectrically embossed door trims, a black plastic reflector shield around the instrument cluster and a half-circle horn rim.

Engine modifications were made to the cylinder head combustion chambers to lift the compression ratio but power output remained the same as the FE. Torque was improved. The valve rocker shaft supports were re-designed for increased strength. The camshaft lobes were modified for less valve noise and less valve bounce at higher revs. A 'slinger' was fitted on the crankshaft between the timing gear and harmonic balancer to stop the possibility of oil leaks from the timing gear cover seal. A 7 lb/sq. in. radiator pressure cap and higher calibrated thermo-switch assembly were produced to increase coolant boiling point. A modified throttle linkage was also introduced to stop throttle valve opening variations caused by engine vibrations.

Some of the mechanical changes were actually introduced on the later FE models.

A total of 191,724 FC Holdens were built. That number remained a record until the EH in 1963.