Quote: Originally Posted by Irontusk It also says front spoiler, sideskirts and mags?? More pics! 1 owner is crazy. Yeah, I'm kicking myself about the skirts and the mags now. All the holes from the skirts were welded up when it was repainted and the 15" ROH mags are long gone thank goodness. 16" rims were a rarity back then and anything bigger pretty much didn't exist.

That is just amazing that you have owned it for that long. Stick to your plan and restore it to how it rolled of the showroom floor even if that means how how putting your calais skirts back on. Id say you will apreciate it more that way.

EXCELLENT !!!!!!!!! standing ovation well done man that is sik wouldve loved 2 have owned 1 from new PS. where did u get that sticker from in ur engine bay on the right shocker tower forgot what it says on it but yeah mine looks lik what urs did in the first engine bay shot but u want it 2 look like ur 2nd engine bay shot cheers

Thats farken awesome man...total devotion to the one you love. And I think it looks better than ever in it's current state, right down to the bay! Great stuff!

Thats Mad Id Be Proud As Punch Of It To

Any plans for the 21st?

Quote: Originally Posted by CI-1968 That is just amazing that you have owned it for that long. Stick to your plan and restore it to how it rolled of the showroom floor even if that means how how putting your calais skirts back on. Id say you will apreciate it more that way. It's a tough one that. I don't know what I was thinking about with the Calais skirts. I really wanted a HDT but the budget back then was lucky to stretch to this. The plan is to convert it back to how she left Holden, just with the added black window paint outs. Quote: Originally Posted by PLZB-18 PS. where did u get that sticker from in ur engine bay on the right shocker tower forgot what it says on it but yeah mine looks lik what urs did in the first engine bay shot but u want it 2 look like ur 2nd engine bay shot cheers I had a bunch of them printed up as Holden had deleted them but I believe HDT in Sydney now have them in stock again. I still have a bunch if they don't for $5 each. They don't come with the mylar clear sheet over the top like the originals but I believe signwriters have a graffiti-proof clear sheet that can be cut and put over the top. The rocker cover stayed in pretty good shape and has never been repainted, just a couple of touch-ups. I'm trying to find the right type of paint for the wagon rocker cover but I think I'll have to spray it generic red crackle finish and then spray a colour matched brick-red over it to get the right shade. A new washer bottle and power steering reservoir do wonders too. Quote: Originally Posted by Alsynon Any plans for the 21st? I'm leaning towards doing something for it's 25th. The wagon will probably take me til then to get finished anyway. Maybe even it's 30th, just when she's eligable for the historic register. The biggest problem I have at the moment, if you could call it a big problem, is that it needs paint from the windscreen forward (years of stone chips) and has a little rust bubble under the rear screen that hasn't grown for the last five years or so. Trouble is the rest is so good it seems a bit pointless doing anything about it now. Same thing with the interior. I'd love to put in new carpet (factory one piece I have set aside) and new seat belts (also a new old stock set) but don't want to do that until the exterior is spot on. Aargh. Where do you stop ?! Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

awsome thread, made my day Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Love that blue interior Craig, best colour imho, and the engine bay is the best i've seen I love the way you've taken it all back to the look of when it was new

You realise that Craig you've probably spent more km's behind the wheel of a VLT than anyone else on here? *all bow* haha

You need to take the bumber cover off and repaint the re infocement black. It makes the bar opening funny in white IMO.

Well done Craig, definately an achievement to be pround of mate.. I've always like the vl's that look like they just rolled off the showroom floor - magic! Thinking of a rebuild any time soon? Or will she just putt-putt around for a little longer? You were saying about the windows, did you mean the black around the frames was an option back then?

top stuff buddy.. thats amazing... shows u got alot of heart for this car..

Quote: Originally Posted by aus880 Love that blue interior Craig, best colour imho, and the engine bay is the best i've seen I love the way you've taken it all back to the look of when it was new I have to agree on the interior as all old enough will remember that brown or tan was all you got before the commodore not many people had another colour. when you bought this car i could only get a loan for $2500 i was only making about $5k per year i took me until 95 to get a 88 wagon. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by ATMO_BT1 You realise that Craig you've probably spent more km's behind the wheel of a VLT than anyone else on here? *all bow* haha I reckon I could be a challenger for that title.....especially if it is is the one car. Some people are just hoarders, aren't they Craig......

I think it looks best with the 15" wheels (not the 5 spokes), and sideskirts/white front flip (but I know what you mean about the paint, it just doesn't stick, and it does look worse with cracked paint than no skirts) So do you mean you regret ordering it with the extras or having it patched up so you couldn't put them back on?? Black window surounds are a must for me..

Quote: Originally Posted by aus880 Love that blue interior Craig, best colour imho, and the engine bay is the best i've seen I love the way you've taken it all back to the look of when it was new Thanks Russell. It's still got a way to go. As I said above, where do you draw the line, especially when some of the bits you want to bring back to brand new aren't terrible....just not quite perfect. I picked up the hubcaps on the weekend (may just need one more as one is coming apart) so I'll get those painted up soon. Very partial to the police rims though at the moment. The exhaust is going to be fun. I've got the sample wagon turbo original that exhaust shops can use as a template but I'm rapidly learning that "custom exhaust" actually means custom pipe bending and using off the shelf mufflers, all of which have the tail pipe exiting through the centre of the muffler and not from the bottom. Quote: Originally Posted by ATMO_BT1 You realise that Craig you've probably spent more km's behind the wheel of a VLT than anyone else on here? *all bow* haha I worked it out actually. 285,400 in the white car + 23015 in the Calais wagon, so 308,415 turbocharged km's all up. Quote: Originally Posted by Alsynon I reckon I could be a challenger for that title.....especially if it is is the one car. Some people are just hoarders, aren't they Craig...... Yup ! You should see the parts stash ! How many km's have you done in yours ? I know it was a lot. Quote: Originally Posted by YEP_boost You need to take the bumber cover off and repaint the re infocement black. It makes the bar opening funny in white IMO. Yeah, it does a little but that was the way it's always been. Even the Formula Packs were body colour in there. Quote: Originally Posted by Calais355 Well done Craig, definately an achievement to be pround of mate.. I've always like the vl's that look like they just rolled off the showroom floor - magic! Thinking of a rebuild any time soon? Or will she just putt-putt around for a little longer? You were saying about the windows, did you mean the black around the frames was an option back then? I'll see how it's looking in another five years or so. I don't know if the black frames were an official factory option but the dealer would pretty much do anything you wanted and I never liked the look of them in the body colour so they painted them black for me. Quote: Originally Posted by trypsi I have to agree on the interior as all old enough will remember that brown or tan was all you got before the commodore not many people had another colour. when you bought this car i could only get a loan for $2500 i was only making about $5k per year i took me until 95 to get a 88 wagon. It was a stretch to get the loan back then thats for sure. I think I got the bloke on a good day, that and the fact that my father had been banking with them for years probably helped. It doesn't sound like an awful lot now but in 1987 it was a fortune. Quote: Originally Posted by Irontusk I think it looks best with the 15" wheels (not the 5 spokes), and sideskirts/white front flip (but I know what you mean about the paint, it just doesn't stick, and it does look worse with cracked paint than no skirts) So do you mean you regret ordering it with the extras or having it patched up so you couldn't put them back on?? Black window surounds are a must for me.. Knowing what I know now I regret the skirts, but all the holes have been welded up and properly finished now so no biggie. It actually did look kind of nice with the smaller Calais skirts on, but to put them back on now would just look like I was trying too hard. The black rubber Formula Pack lip spoiler I really like. It really finishes off the front bumper I think. More Astra or BMW-ish than a stark white bumper. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

that WAS a lot of money back then Craig, I got a housing loan for $70K the year prior and that was considered heaps. Thank god house prices then skyrocketed and my pay went up regularly too I also prefer the 15" steel wheels or turbo hubcaps, they more readily confirm the car to be factory turbo and yes the sideskirts were a mistake but we all made them back then One day we might get yours, Petes, Jims and mine together for a comparison and photo shoot Maybe at a 'central location' like Broken Hill or White Cliffs or SW Q'land Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by VLTWhite1 Yeah, it does a little but that was the way it's always been. Even the Formula Packs were body colour in there. Thats cause they used to remove the bar and spray it as an assembley either at the dealer or the dealers paint shop. It should be black though Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by VLTWhite1 I worked it out actually. 285,400 in the white car + 23015 in the Calais wagon, so 308,415 turbocharged km's all up. Yup ! You should see the parts stash ! How many km's have you done in yours ? I know it was a lot. In round figures 330,000 (bought it with 48,000 on the clock)...you have a couple of months to catch up while mine is resting.... After that I'll be racking them up quickly again, plans include monthly trips to Melb and at least twice a year to Qld in the next couple of years plus its fair share of the commuting duties. If you own it, drive it I say. Quote: Originally Posted by aus880 One day we might get yours, Petes, Jims and mine together for a comparison and photo shoot Maybe at a 'central location' like Broken Hill or White Cliffs or SW Q'land Interesting idea Russ, my car and I are camera shy though, also it's aging much more gracefully than I am....rare spares don't seem to sell rust replacement panels or "carpet" for my body...as for a central location...make it half way across the Hay plains so they can stretch their legs a bit. But then again Mad Max territory is a good idea too. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.