Iron Empire EP 70 - HQ Holden gets 3 day facelift!

[@kerrypierre9494]

As an American I really like the Ranchero and El Camino but you just can't beat the visual appeal of an Aussie Ute 😎👍🇺🇸

[@eamonnmunroe6102]

True . The Australian ute keeps going if they're looked after, Holden Ute the best. HQ -HZ the best

[@alexritter8899]

This is the sort of shit I love. Turning paddock finds back into road going cruisers, all without spending mega bucks. I dig it. 👍

[@reecemartin453]

i moved out of my mums house, she sold my hq ute for $600. sucks, cuz it had a rebuild 202 and a 4sp body was shot though. gf at the time parked it in the shed... literally

[@mcd3379]

I grew up in one of these as a kid. My grandfather drove one installing clotheslines, cutting lawns, collecting odds and ends. I must have spent half my primary school years sitting in the back in the tray on top of rubbish and building left overs "so that they wouldn't fall off the back". Those HQ Belmonts did a million miles and were the heart and soul of Australia. They were worked hard and driven until they dropped or rusted to death, and like their drivers, they were tough as nails.

[@TheMasterMoto]

Love seeing an Aussie legend being brought back to life, wish I was so lucky. Beautiful piece of motoring history

[@smelly.ballbag751]

Good to see a nice old hq getting saved like the channel guys keep it up all the best west Aussie

[@John-vk4gs]

Living in Melbourne I look forward to these videos every week. We haven’t been able to cruise at all for months on end and the enjoyment these videos have given my son and I have been a great help. Always loved the channel and I love it even more now !

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers John! I hope you and you lad can get cruising again soon!

[@melodeekeays229]

The ute looks great. Good that it came from up north in SA nowhere near as much rust as Adelaide cars. I live in the north west corner of Victoria. Well done.

[@80ZX]

I am a Ford Man, but how can you not love a HQ, they are cool as F!@k, particularly the HQ Coupes. Great video once again Mate, that old girl looked very cool.

[@patrickbryant5224]

That HQ was in remarkable condition to start off with and you have made it so much easier for the next owner. Well done on a great job!

[@evalpacer1396]

You are the master at turning Pig Shit into Strawberry Jam. Ute looks killer, wish I'd bought it! Nice work.

[@davegalloway2841]

Love the videos, Your a lucky man to have a lady who will get in and help.

[@user-ih9qi8xv7e]

This is great to see an Aussie show, awesome work. Thanks for creating these

[@BorkenGarage]

Its amazing what a difference a nice seat makes!! The ute turned out great and I don't think you did anything to it that was too difficult. You obviously know what needs to be done to take it from an old beater to a nice cruiser......it looked great in the end.

[@Man-bc8wv]

I love seeing a car getting revived instead of being left in a field to rust, hq’s are a aussie icon and we need to hold onto as many as we can 🙌

[@malcolmmathers2690]

gold .// wish i kept my hj ute it was a tidey ol girl and reliable I moved my shit from hervy bay in QLD to the rock in riverina NSW with it and drove it around fora few years after that

[@jonlowing7907]

In 1977, starting at the Gold Coast, a schoolmate and I drove right around the country on highway 0ne (excluding Tas; did that eight years later, different friend, different car) plus a visit to Uluru from Darwin. We drove a '72, 3-on-the-floor, cab/chassis version of this car with a homemade canvas canopy on the tray, a Yamaha 175 trail bike plus our other gear and a dog. We picked up a kitten in Darwin who rode in the cabin and finished the journey with us. He went on to live with me 'til he was 20 yo.The journey included thousands of klms of currugated dirt roads in the 14,500 ks approximate total. The ute never missed a beat throughout the 3 month saga; not even a flat tyre! Which was lucky for us because, at 17 and 18 yo, we were virtually clueless about vehicle maintenance. I don't remember ever even checking the tyre pressures! No wonder I haven't been able to win the lottery ever since; I think I used up all my luck in that one adventure!!

[@ogaugeclockwork4407]

I miss my telecom orange HQ Ute so much!

[@1953beetle]

Great job in saving an Aussie classic.

[@damor4878]

Holden styleside utes of that era rust just about everywhere including underneath along the bulkhead behind the seats so apart from the bit of bog on the plenum it was a good find. Cleaned up pretty well,original belmont spec too,at least it used to be lol.

[@KtmHoleShot]

HQ came up a treat I liked the way you did your white walls on the tyres.

[@jasonlavertu6894]

Would love to see more treasures you have for autos down under!!

[@offclan2141]

The Aussie wheeler dealers amazing.. these videos are way better than your usual stuff

[@TheIronEmpire]

I don’t want to do too much buying a selling 😔

[@seanworkman431]

It is amazing what can be achieved in a small amount of time and the new owner can do some upgrades but still have a running driver. Well done.

[@julesknight9504]

Great result Mark. The ute looked really good. You should be very happy with how things turned out. Your stuff is very inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing. Jules @ Jive Talking Garage

[@1972prem]

Ah, finally a HQ. Great stuff mate. Love the channel

[@jimduggin5535]

Good vid, the paint was a huge transformation

[@markcremona1807]

NOTHING BETTER THAN CRUZIN IN A CLASSIC AND AS THEY SAY ONE MANS TRASH IS THE OTHER MANS TREASURE..GREAT WORK GUYS ..SEE YOU ON THE ROAD...

[@madivan3638]

Thanks for this. So many memories of my own HQ Ute. I was fortunate to able to cast my own inside door release tabs, they always seemed to break so easily.

[@oliviashephard3356]

Looks awesome! The kick panels you made look pretty spot on! At Better Auto Rubber in nerang on the Gold coast we manufacturer them frequently 😎 they exist!

[@TheIronEmpire]

Haha sorry, I meant they don’t exist on this particular car! We used Better rubbers on the rear window install and also the pedals 👌🏼

[@oliviashephard3356]

Awesome stuff!! Hope they fit well 👌 love seeing our stuff in these videos!

[@TheIronEmpire]

I’ve used your stuff in a few of my videos. Im open to working together if interested at all? [e-mail]

[@michaelwhite8396]

Love the old survivor look

[@jamesmccristal209]

Bloody mint work mate always like your projects and yous are all hand on and show what can be done with some good diy 👌

[@swagmanexplores7472]

Great job on the Ute, love your work guys !

[@kona8832]

i got an old 79 hz kingswood chasis cab model, would have liked the style side but this old car has its original motor and it was road worthy so im happy.

[@joshiecdsxcharlesy2283]

Loveing the easy builds your doing & Adelaide based cool as too man do more holden stuff

[@imanenigma3348]

Great episode mate! Nice to see a low budget, purchase to profit in 16 minutes. Sure it's not a full show stopping resto but you demonstrated the true meaning of "bang for buck!" As you said, someone can pick up the ball and go from there or just enjoy now. I have owned a few cars but never a Holden but the old Q has a nice front end and lowered with white walls well, very cool. Four wheel drums, small six and three on the tree, oh yeah! Not everything has to have a blown big block, costing a squillion.

[@TheIronEmpire]

100%

[@Seiskid]

Enjoyed this one. You did just about all that could be done without completely starting all over again. Loved the wheels. The silver trim really made them.

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate

[@grantbellinger7403]

Very well done,your wheel work is wonderful ,I really do think it is terrific. Good onya cobba !

[@robertcorbin1235]

Sweet effort... id cruise in that for sure!

[@towking_]

Saw this thing with my own eyeballs. Looked amazing. Well done Mark.

[@Zackarlaftis]

What a change! That’s awesome

[@sheel2]

Hey Mark I really liked the cruising footage portion. A minute or 2 of footage just seeing the finished result cruising in action is really satisfying to watch. I think this episode was really well edited. Nice one.

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate! I appreciate the feedback!

[@pauls3585]

You did an awesome job cleaning the old ute up for a quick sale. It looks like a solid project vehicle.

[@lachlano269]

Looking the goods there mate. Your channel is very motivating I must say- great work!

[@TheIronEmpire]

That’s what it’s all about! Cheers

[@daverappazzo2515]

Hey if you don't like it I'll take it someday I'm going to Australia just to see some of the cool cars we missed out on

[@foord09]

Very impressive mate. I wanted that Ute and I’m a Ford fan.

[@xMadmike01]

I think I actually saw you advertise this on facebook and was very much considering purchasing it.

[@brucebarlow6604]

Great work reminds me of my HQ Belmont SW that I had in Perth in 1989 while there on a working holiday. Worked at Scarbrough Garage saved up enough cash to buy it of another work college mechanic. Great times.

[@psychedelicprawncrumpets9479]

You wouldn't recognise Scarborough bch now if you visited now. I lived there in the 70s and 80s and visited recently. All modern and touristy now

[@brucebarlow6604]

@@psychedelicprawncrumpets9479 unfortunately every beautiful popular place has now changed for the worse at least we saw it at it's best great days.

[@wallynuku3857]

The HQ ute came up awesome good work love your channel guy's

[@dantolo817]

Awesome build loved the build in the 1 episode awesome worked some magic there

[@honorrolls5415]

what a great. facelift shows folks what devotion to detail and a little time and energy can do to make your ride pop and look so much more respectfully to drive. CHEERS to your unproperly introduced girlfriend to us for being by your side and not being afraid to get her Hands dirty.girls like her few and far between, a keeper. Great video thanks again Bill in Fort Wayne Indiana USA

[@johnallen372]

Hey mate your videos keep getting better and better, very inspiring 👌

[@Jo_Wardy]

Love the HQ Ute. I miss my HQ premier one tonner project Utility. I love bench seat cars. That would make a great Daily Driver

[@simonlambe8347]

The Ute came out looking pretty bloody good

[@stringybarkin]

Great result, looks wicked, love the white walling mint!!

[@angelo7124]

I.had few hq in my time i always liked the bench seats ,i recon 3 on colm is great .

[@pablostark1665]

Great work. This is fast becoming my go to/favourite KZbin channel.

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate

[@robinmcgavisk2025]

The ute came up sweet Mark👌 Love the low stance and the white walls looks killer👍 Keep up the good work

[@scrapmetalgarage]

Haha I was going to say looks like something from coober Pedy where I grew up and now you're finding opals in there 🤣🤷‍♂️

[@tonyfeltham9051]

Nice job. Great result.

[@ralphmason95]

Looks fabulous Mark

[@alancure8841]

Great video love the old utes I'm currently tidying up a vy ute gets more work done that's my project but I love the old utes . Like your work guys 👍

[@darrenwilliams3072]

I really enjoy watching your channel, keep it up 👍

[@richardtravers2436]

Well done, looks amazing end result. 👍

[@glennman5619]

That turned out alright. Would love one like that to put a 350/400 in. Big cam, big exhaust. Would be sweet.

[@stanleymatthews7851]

Love the Chanel just got Steve at stitches and sound to do my roof lining he did a killer job and I’m so happy defanatley would recommend him

[@TheIronEmpire]

Nice man!

[@aly-tek7190]

Digged the edit of this one. Thanks for the ride along :)

[@michaelseal9714]

Hey, just found your channel. Love your work, awesome that you show what can be achieved with simple work ethic. Cheers mate.

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate

[@shawnhill68]

You done a sterling job on the old HQ Mark.👌

[@barrywing888]

The ute looks so good!

[@SchueysBBQ]

Mate, loved the final product. Would have made a great pigeon pare for my HG Belmont.

[@Brendan.Wheatley]

It came up a treat, would be cool to leave it as it with the exception of tough driveline! You've really stepped up the production value of videos Mark, really enjoyable!

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate

[@jaysonperryman4212]

Hey Discovery Channel where are you? Sign this man and his crew up!

[@Lidog99thesigma]

That looks mint mate.

[@Symphony_of_Destruction_346]

Top backing music bro, 1 of my favourite movies Thrashin.

[@TheIronEmpire]

Great pickup mate

[@aidan_rickard_v8303]

Awesome vid, really cool to see how these gumtree specials look with a little time and effort 👍

[@HighCountryHughesie]

Great work. Just wondering if this was 'Pommy John's' HQ from Coober Pedy! He died last year. He was featured on some youtube TV shows by Rebel Films. Good idea flipping the car. I had one for 20 years and kept buying panel vans to replace the rust in the ute's doors, guards and tail lights. You always find stuff under the seats when they come out. I bought a HZ panel van off an outlaw motorcycle club for $150 and the engine was mint, Repco refurbished and like new. I won't comment on what I found under the seats but it easily recouped my $150! Great work Mark and team, South Australia is leading the way right now for this great country. Hughesie - The Mallee

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate! Cool memories! No this car wasn’t owned by pommy John… haha it was an Andrew something

[@RussellBooth1977]

It needs some bodywork & a front disc conversion would go astray. My dad used to drive a 1972 Model HQ Kingswood station wagon which still had the MPH speedometer fitted but it just rusted out & my dad pulled it off the road in 1993 about 13 years after he bought it back in 1980,he gas axed it because it was full of rust. A person such as myself would cut the rust out of it & I probably wouldn't keep the 202 engine (if it's a 202 engine that's fitted) since they're a 66 kilowatt engine which is very thirsty,my GENIII 5.7 litre Chevrolet LS1 V8 powered Holden VY SS Commodore uses less fuel than one of them does as it's a bit more on par with the 173 cubic inch Holden six which was pretty good on fuel for back then. I would bolt something which is a bit more modern into it !

[@johnathanlalas4460]

Great work...

[@FernandoDIY]

you can buff rust wow that's amazing

[@TheIronEmpire]

You probably couldn’t

[@SuperDolta]

Amazing work!

[@BarnesysBuilds]

Nice turn around!

[@jimclarke1108]

More Australian classics, excellent

[@b_gonzz]

Wish I had your skills and talent, that Ute is a dream car of mine

[@TheIronEmpire]

Dude, old beaters like this are perfect to practice on!

[@matthewwillshire4418]

You make all thses old rigs look balla man 💪🤌

[@bradclark6916]

Great ep mate 👍🏻 amazing what can be done with a little foresight and some hard work. This one really did turn out cool! I don’t know how you part with them at the end haha

[@peterhoulis1184]

You remind me of the greek father in my big fat greek wedding spraying everything with window cleaner and the HQ looks awesome

[@simcard027]

great episode that hq looked boss

[@brendanroberts8762]

Favourite episode this is really cool

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate! The quick ones are fun!

[@kiwikingi1]

Good job mate, saved another one.

[@Exitwounds666]

That HQ Ute looks sick bro 👌 Done a great job on cleaning her up. Reckon you should of kept her though and made it a gts Ute with a small V8. Oh well you have another Ute in the shop I'm looking forward to seeing done 🤘😎

[@jordytaylor_]

Loved this mate! Great content. Saved that car

[@gearheadindustriesmedia6890]

This is awesome, great watch, cheers ✌🏽

[@Hq73monaro]

Very cool, great job.

[@reecemartin453]

makes me really miss my old ute =(

[@paulharrison1543]

Great video, feel like there could have been more of a backstory to buying the car. Where it came from, you mentioned the opals and then didn't follow up, it would be great if you can share more about how much you bought the car for, spend (budget) and final sale price whether it's at an auction or private sale. Besides that turned a beater into a much better looking car.... well done

[@TheIronEmpire]

Cheers mate! I tend to exclude some details for the privacy of others… I don’t actually know any more history on the car that I told. Although I am happy to say that I purchased the car for $6500, spent $1500 and around 50 hours on it.

[@paulharrison1543]

@@TheIronEmpire oh wow....that's pretty cool...thanks for the info...and great job on the video...keep the great content 👍👍

[@ericharrison2440]

Best one yet! Love HQ’s

[@Looking-great]

All fun to drive until the front ball joint snaps. Like my old HQ. 🤣

[@bnetolldnataman]

Been there. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@robbo8566]

Love this channel bro

[@mickgatz214]

Hi, correct me if i'm wrong, but wasn't the Belmont the budget car of Holden? I don't think it even had a interior heater! My neighbours dad back then had exactly the same but with a V8. I used to hear it rumble every morning! lol Cheers! Oh!, well presented video btw.

[@TheIronEmpire]

Yea mate, pretty sure the Belmont was the Pov Pack

[@concreteheat6396]

Awesome job on that bro.