New Member

[robmmartin]

Hello All from sunny Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.

I have been watching your site with great interest for some time. Thank you for the ongoing wealth of useful ideas and information. There are some very ingenious and creative 'inventors' out there. Many thanks to all.

With the plethora of cheap Chinese products that saturate our tool markets these days, it is always great to see craftsmen/people doing their own thing - particularly where specialty tools are not otherwise available. Or are only available at considerable cost.

I am particularly interested in innovative tools that assist any automotive repair work, be that mechanical, general fabrication, bodywork and paint. I also have an interest in electrical and woodworking projects and tools that assist.

Please keep up the good work and keep those ideas flowing. An idle mind is an unhealthy mind.

With thanks again

Rob

[Jon]

Hi Rob - welcome to HomemadeTools.net

You'll it in well here with those interests.

What kind of cars do you like? Street rods, muscle cars, Holden, overlanding trucks?

[robmmartin]

Thank you for the welcome, Jon.

I am a collector of 60's-70's muscle cars and certainly have Australian Holden's, including a 1968 Monaro, amongst my collection. Unfortunately, General Motors, in their wisdom, will be shutting down their Holden manufacturing plants within the next year or so - as will Ford Australia.

The history of Holden dates back to 1856, when James Alexander Holden started as a saddlery business in Adelaide, South Australia.

The firm evolved over the years, progressing from repairing car upholstery to the full-scale production of vehicle body shells.

In 1924, the company became the exclusive supplier of American car manufacturer General Motors in Australia.

Throughout the 1920s Holden also supplied tramcars for Melbourne.

In 1931, the two companies merged to become General Motors-Holden Limited (GM-H).

The first Australian-built Ford was a Model T that came off an improvised production line in a disused Geelong wool store in June 1925.

Sad times for Australian motoring enthusiasts as these companies depart. And they call this "progress" ... Somewhat like Detroit re-visited.

All the best

Rob