straight-six engine
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...
that were produced by General Motors Holden at their Port Melbourne plant between 1948 and 1986. The initial ''Grey'' motor was so dubbed because of the colour of the
cylinder block
In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders and other components. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was attac ...
, later motors came in the form of a ''Red'', ''Blue'', ''Black'', and the four-cylinder ''Starfire'' engine. These engines were fitted to all Australian designed Holdens of the same years, and the four-cylinder ''Starfire'' notably also found its way into the
Toyota Corona
The is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota across eleven generations between 1957 and 2001. On launch, the Corona was Toyota's next to highest product in their range, just below the Crown. The Corona was marketed ...
(XT130). The ''Grey'' motor is a different engine from the others, while the ''Red'', ''Blue'', ''Black,'' and even the Starfire are all inter-related with many common parts and castings.
Grey
The ''Grey'' motor, built between 1948 and 1962, earned its name as the engine block was painted
grey
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be compos ...
. This
overhead valve
An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...
engine was first fitted to the
Holden 48-215
The Holden 48-215 is a mid-size sedan which was produced by the Australian automaker Holden between November 1948 and October 1953. A coupe utility derivative, coded as the 50-2106 and marketed as the Holden Coupe Utility, was produced from J ...
(and variants) and mated to a three-speed column change gearbox. A three-speed GM ''Roto-Hydramatic 240''
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
was an option fitted in the latter EK and EJ series. The engine was based on the pre-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Buick Straight-6 engine
The Buick Straight 6 was an engine manufactured by Buick from 1914–1930 and was exclusively used in the Buick Six platform, then later in the Buick Master Six and Buick Standard Six. They were OHV, like their previous engines, as Buick had been a ...
design, and saw only minor changes throughout its 15-year life.
It displaced in its original form as used by the 48-215 (1948). It developed 60 brake horsepower (45 kW). This engine remained in production for eight years - until the release of the FE series in 1956. At that point, power was increased to 72hp (53kW) by an increase in the compression ratio to 6.8:1. Holden replaced the FC in 1960 with the FB series, and its engine was bored out to . The compression ratio was increased to 7.8:1. It developed at 4200 rpm and 120lb.ft (162N.m) at 1400rpm, providing superior performance to the competing four-cylinder
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
,
Morris
Morris may refer to:
Places
Australia
*St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia
Canada
* Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry
* Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba
** Morris, Manitob ...
,
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
and
Ford of Britain
Ford of Britain (officially Ford Motor Company Limited)The Ford 'companies' or corporate entities referred to in this article are:
* Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan, USA, incorporated 16 June 1903
* Ford Motor Company Limited, incorporat ...
vehicles. The grey motor was a low stress design for high reliability and featured a low
compression ratio
The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values.
A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...
. Due to sheer ubiquity, they were popular for racing, and were fitted to many open-wheelers, as well as racing Holdens. With the engines' low-end
torque
In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...
, they also found their way into boats and machinery such as
forklift
A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various ...
trucks.
This engine ran a seven-port non-crossflow
cast-iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
cylinder head. There were three Siamese (shared) inlet ports for cylinders 1–2, 3–4 and 5–6, two individual exhaust ports for cylinders 1 and 6, and two siamese exhaust ports for cylinders 2–3 and 4–5 in a layout on one side of the head casting. The inlets were fed by a single-barrel Stromberg
carburettor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...
in common and fitted with a traditional Kettering ignition by coil and distributor. The electric system was six volts in the 48-215 and FJ. The earliest grey motors (approximately 100,000) were fitted with
Delco-Remy
Remy International, Inc. (formerly Delco Remy) headquartered in Pendleton, Indiana is an American manufacturer, remanufacturer, and distributor of light duty starters, alternators, hybrid power technology, and Delco Remy brand heavy duty systems. ...
accessories, although Lucas and Bosch equivalents throughout the motor's lifetime replaced these.
The very first production grey motor (1948) was number 1001, and they continued in a single sequence until July 1956, when the prefix "L" was introduced.Loffler (2006), p. 284 The change affected all engines numbered L283373 and above, signifying the 12-volt negative-earth engines as fitted to the all new FE model. The prefix "U" was introduced for motors with the original electricals as fitted to the FJ utility and panel van models, which ended in February and May 1957 respectively. The change was effective from engine U283384. The prefix "B" was introduced and the number sequence reset with the introduction of the displacement engine, and ultimately this was replaced by a "J" prefix for motors fitted to EJ vehicles in 1962.
Holden 48-215
The Holden 48-215 is a mid-size sedan which was produced by the Australian automaker Holden between November 1948 and October 1953. A coupe utility derivative, coded as the 50-2106 and marketed as the Holden Coupe Utility, was produced from J ...
Holden FE
The Holden FE is an automobile produced by Holden in Australia from 1956 until 1958. It was also the first Holden to be assembled in New Zealand, where General Motors New Zealand built their first example on 31 January 1957.
Overview
The FE mo ...
* 1958–1960
Holden FC
The Holden FC series is an automobile produced by Holden in Australia from 1958 to 1960. Introduced on 6 May 1958, the FC is a facelifted and improved version of the Holden FE series, which it replaced. Although it is exclusively an Australia ...
* 1960–1961
Holden FB
The Holden FB is an automobile produced by Holden in Australia from 1960 to 1961.Holden FB< ...
* 1961–1962
Holden EK
The Holden EK series is a motor vehicle produced by Holden in Australia from 1961 to 1962.Norm Darwin, 100 Years of GM in Australia, 2002, pages 232-233 Introduced on 2 May 1961, the EK series was a facelifted version of the Holden FB, which it ...
* 1962–1963
Holden EJ
The Holden EJ is a motor vehicle produced by General Motors-Holden's in Australia from 1962 to 1963. Introduced in July 1962,cylinder block
In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders and other components. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was attac ...
Holden EH
The Holden EH is an automobile produced by General Motors-Holden in Australia from 1963 to 1965. The EH was released in August 1963 replacing the Holden EJ series, and was the first Holden to incorporate the new "Red" engine, with a seven main ...
in capacities of and (or HP) producing respectively. This was a power increase of 33 per cent and 53 per cent over the grey motor.
''Red'' six-cylinder engines manufactured after October 1964 had the cubic inch capacity of the engine cast in raised numbers on the side of the block behind the generator/alternator location. ''Red'' engines manufactured prior to October 1964 had either no numbers cast (meaning that it was a 149-cubic-inch engine) or the letters "HP" cast (meaning that it was a 179-cubic-inch engine). All ''Red'' engines manufactured prior to April 1967 had forged steel crankshafts. This includes all 149 and 179 ci engines, and 161 and 186 ci engines manufactured before that date.
;Capacities
* 130 – South Africa, et al. HQ export
* 138 – LC & LJ Torana
* 149
* 161
* 173
* 179
* 186
* 202
Applications
Holden Standard, Special, Premier (1963–1968)
* 1963–1965
Holden EH
The Holden EH is an automobile produced by General Motors-Holden in Australia from 1963 to 1965. The EH was released in August 1963 replacing the Holden EJ series, and was the first Holden to incorporate the new "Red" engine, with a seven main ...
* 1965–1966
Holden HD
The Holden HD series is a range of automobiles which were produced by Holden in Australia from 1965 to 1966.
Overview
The Holden HD sedans and station wagons were released in February 1965 with coupe utility and panel van body styles following ...
* 1966–1968
Holden HR
The Holden HR is an automobile that was produced by Holden in Australia from 1966 to 1968.
Introduction
The Holden HR range was released in April 1966, replacing the Holden HD series which had been in production since 1965. In addition to a re ...
Holden Belmont, Kingswood, Premier (1968–1980)
* 1968–1969
Holden HK
The Holden HK series is an automobile which was produced by Holden in Australia from 1968 to 1969. Introduced in January 1968, the HK range progressively replaced the Holden HR series which had been in production since 1966. HK models were both ...
* 1969–1970
Holden HT
The Holden HT series is a range of automobiles which was produced by Holden in Australia between 1969 and 1970.
Introduction
Holden HT Belmont, Kingswood and Premier models were introduced in May 1969,Holden HG
* 1971–1974
Holden HQ
The Holden HQ series is a range of automobiles that was produced by Holden in Australia from 1971 to 1974. The HQ was released on 15 July 1971, replacing the Holden HG series. It was the first ground-up redesign of the Holden line since its ori ...
* 1974–1976
Holden HJ
The Holden HJ is a series of automobiles which were produced by Holden in Australia from 1974 to 1976. The HJ series was released on 4 October 1974 and was an improved and facelifted version of the superseded Holden HQ series which had been in p ...
Holden HZ
Holden HZ is a full-sized automobile which was produced in Australia between October 1977 and April 1980 by Holden in a variety of equipment levels and in several different body styles. It was also assembled in New Zealand.
Characteristics
The ...
Bedford CF
The Bedford CF was a range of full-size panel vans produced by Bedford. The van was introduced in 1969 to replace the CA model, and was sized to compete directly with the Ford Transit, which had entered production four years earlier. Its desi ...
(Australasian models only)
Blue
The ''Blue'' specification debuted in the 1980 VC Commodore.
The blue motor was a development of the earlier red engine, and incorporated several improvements. The biggest of these changes was the complete redesign of the cylinder head; this was now a 12 port design with individual ports for each cylinder. New revised T5 camshaft. The crankshaft for the 3.3-litre engine now had counterweights on each throw, and stronger connecting rods were used. A two-barrel Varajet carburettor was standard, as was a dual outlet exhaust manifold and a Bosch HEI distributor. It was made in 3.3- and 2.85-litre versions.
The ''Black'' specification was introduced in the 1984 VK Commodore. The black engine was produced in 3.3-litre displacement only in carbureted and fuel-injected versions. The carbureted engine was almost identical to the previous blue engine, the main difference being in the use of computer controlled spark timing (EST) taking its timing pick-up from the flywheel area. The ports were slightly wider spaced, meaning the manifolds will not simply interchange. The fuel-injected version used BoschLE2-Jetronicmultipoint fuel injection and featured a long-runner intake manifold, 6-3-1 tubular exhaust manifold and a conventional HEI ignition. It also had slightly different cylinder head intake ports for improved breathing (along with location notches for the fuel injectors) and revised camshaft specifications, and delivered superior performance and fuel economy over the carbureted version. This engine was painted red, slightly redder than the earlier "red" motors which looked orange compared to the VK EFI motor.
In the 1986 VL Commodore, Holden replaced the Australian-made and designed six-cylinder engines with the
Nissan
, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...
RB30E and RB20E engines. Pending emission standards and the requirement for unleaded fuel made it difficult to re-engineer the Australian engine.
This 1.9-litre (1,892 cc) powerplant, known as the ''Starfire'' engine, was effectively Holden's existing 2.85-litre 173 cu in straight-six with two cylinders removed. Designed and built in Australia to satisfy local content rules, it first appeared in 1978 during the UC Sunbird's production run, replacing the Opel 1.9-litre cam-in-head unit used in LH, LX and earlier UC Torana/Sunbird 4-cylinder models.
Peak power output for the Starfire was , with a 17.5 second acceleration time from in the VC Commodore. This variant's performance meant the need to push the engine hard leading to
fuel consumption
A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...
similar to the straight-sixes. Due to this, it was often nicknamed as ''Misfire'' or ''Backfire''. This engine was replaced in the Australian market by the Camira's OHC ''Camtech'' unit, however, it continued to be used until 1986 in New Zealand, where it was used to power four-cylinder versions of the VK Commodore.
This engine was also used by
Toyota Australia
Toyota Australia is an Australian subsidiary of the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota. It markets Toyota products and manages motorsport, advertising and business operations for Toyota in Australia. It is also responsible for Lexus vehicles in A ...
to meet local parts content regulations for the Corona XT130. Engines installed in Toyotas received some slight differences in the form of a unique camshaft, manifold, and carburettor. Toyota called the engine the "1X" and it had a slightly different power curve: at 4800 rpm and at 2400 rpm.
ADR27A was an Australian Design Rule specifying regulations for fuel evaporative and exhaust emissions for Australian passenger motor vehicles effective from 1 July 1976 in order to reduce air pollution.
The following engines were ADR27A compliant:
* Red (post 1 July 1976 only)
* Blue
* Black
* Starfire
These engines were fitted with emission control systems which generally resulted in reduced engine output. The following table compares the output of the 202ci Red engine in pre- and ADR27A-compliant versions:
See also
*
Holden V8 engine
The Holden V8 engine is an overhead valve (OHV) V8 engine that was produced by the Australian General Motors subsidiary, Holden (GMH), between 1969 and 2000.
The engine was initially fitted to the Holden HT series in 1969 and was later utilis ...
Holden Commodore VL
The Holden Commodore (VL) is a mid-size car that was produced by Holden from 1986 to 1988. It was the final iteration of the first generation of the Holden Commodore and included the luxury variant, Holden Calais (VL). Between February 1986 a ...
)
*
List of GM engines
This list of GM engines encompasses all engines manufactured by General Motors and used in their cars.
Divisions
When General Motors was created in 1908, it started out with Buick and soon after acquired Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Oakland. There ...
Notes
References
*
* {{cite book , last = Robinson , first = Peter , year = 2006 , title = AutoBiography: The inside story of Holden's all-new VE Commodore , location =
Woolloomooloo
Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woolloomooloo is 1.5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in a lo ...