A classic Holden that is bad in a very good way

Friday, 24 September 2021

Allan Norris' EH Holden is bad, in a very good kind of way. OctaneFix Online checks it out.

This article was first published in Octane Fix Online magazine.

Now doesn’t this take you back a fair few years; looking at a Street Machine magazine thinking “OMG that’s cool!”. And it still is.

That’s pretty much the same thought that went through Allan Norris’ mind when this creation started to evolve in his head.

The number plate may say it’s bad, but Allan and Anita Norris’ EH Holden is very good indeed.

Already owning a left-hook Camaro, Allan just wasn’t comfy with what he was cruising in and knew that he had to own a fat looking street machine with huge tyres and a huge blower poking through the bonnet that just screamed Aussie Muscle.

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The EH’s interior packs a roll cage for the drag strip and full leather upholstery for cruising.

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This ain’t no show pony - the EH has racked up almost 30,000km since Allan built it.

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Clearly a well-loved car, the EH looks as good as it did when it was fully rebuilt 18 years ago.

So blocking all the grief from his mates about selling the now rare and collectable Camaro, this EH started its journey to becoming the staunch muscle car you see here.

The Bad EH is built for comfort, as well as speed.

There’s no doubt by these photos that Allan knocked that goal out of the garage, and you would be hard-pressed to find an item in this very cool custom build that hasn’t been modified and customised somehow.

This isn’t just a showpiece either, everything about this build is intended to have it cruising the streets putting smiles on bystanders faces. And definitely Allan’s!

Packing a supercharged 355 Chev V8, the EH is a rocket on the drag strip.

It is hard to believe when crawling under and over this car that most of this was built around eighteen years ago – the body and paintwork is still stunningly smooth and straight and this doesn’t just sit in the shed either.

Since being finished and driven from Auckland to Muscle Car Madness in Rangiora, in the South Island, the very same week eighteen years ago, the EH has clocked up around 28,000 kilometres.

It’s no slouch either, running a strip time of 10.6 seconds on the quarter mile while still wearing mufflers and in street trim.

It is honestly amazing to see this build still looking as stunning as the day it was finished, and Allan’s prep work before the final colour was sprayed on certainly shows his skills and determination.

This could easily be regarded as a straight-out drag car by the looks of with that huge blower, but upon looking inside to see the full leather interior wrapped around the roll cage and the extra dickie seat custom-built to sit between the huge wheel tubs in the back, you can see there is a lot more to it than just the strip.

Allan’s goal to be able to cruise it on the streets was fully thought out, with a massive metre wide radiator slotted in up front with electric fans to keep the 355ci Chevy happy while idling around.

The space framed front end also allows plenty of room for working on the engine, plus allowing the hot air to disperse easily away from that grumbly big V8.

Underneath the car is just as stunning as the rest, with the chassis and undercarriage being colour coded to match the body and those massive stainless steel exhausts running straight through under the 9-inch diff to dump out the back.

The boot area is also dressed up to match the interior, with leather lined inserts around the fuel cell and the battery box tucked away.

The goal of a building a very staunch yet drivable blown street machine was certainly nailed here, winning various car shows and clocking up miles of smiles on both Allan’s and Anita’s faces, you can tell it's there to stay!

Car’s name: Bad EH
Year: 1963
Make: Holden
Model: EH
Engine: 355ci Chevrolet, 40 thou overbore, Milllerdon oil pump, steel crank, crower rods, TRW 8.5:1 pistons, Crower 290-degrees cam, oversize valves, triple valve springs, Crane roller rockers, Brodix alloy heads, twin 750 quick fuels, BDS intake manifolds, BDS 6-71 blower, Barry grant fuel pump, four-port fuel pressure regulator, MSD 6ai ignition, twin three-inch exhausts, custom radiator.
Transmission: Auto TH350 3000rpm high stall with B&M Shifter
Diff details: Nine-inch diff, 3.5:1 lsd
Suspension: HR front end, leaf rear end with cal tracks.
Brakes: HQ brakes all round.
Wheels and tyres: Weld wheels, 15x4, 15x12 rear Mickey Thompson 29x15x15
Interior mods: Recaro fishnet seats, custom rear seat, Momo steering wheel.
Stereo mod: JVC head unit, Alpine speakers front and rear.
Other modifications: Tubbed rear end, full roll cage, chassis connectors.

Octane Fix is an online magazine for the grassroots car enthusiast – check out the latest issue here.