Very nice Craig. I have the same steering wheel here off mine too. Between the 2 of us we've owned VL's for 33 years !!! Sadly mine is gone, but not far. I'm looking forward to seeing it in another 20 years. Rock on. Oh yeah and mine clocked over 400,000 k's the day I sold it!

Quote: Originally Posted by aus880 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 I'm happy to travel pretty much anywhere. Maybe a "VL Preservation Society" gathering at an All Holden Day in Sydney or Brisbane ? We could enter as a club. Quote: Originally Posted by Alsynon 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. You'll have that record for a while I think. The sedan is retired and the wagon is in bits again pending a full resto so I'm madly clocking up VH miles at the moment, soon to be VE Sportwagon miles. I'd love to drive it everywhere but my main concern is parts, especially the Formula pack lip spoiler. I put a new one on a couple of years ago and am scared to death of anything happening to it simply because I can't get another one. It's a foam rubber thing and nobody wants to even think about trying to repair my old one. Headlights, lenses and everything else I have spares for so no problem there. Quote: Originally Posted by coastvl Very nice Craig. I have the same steering wheel here off mine too. Between the 2 of us we've owned VL's for 33 years !!! Sadly mine is gone, but not far. I'm looking forward to seeing it in another 20 years. Rock on. Oh yeah and mine clocked over 400,000 k's the day I sold it! Thanks. They're addictive aren't they. It makes an awful lot of financial sense to sell mine but then what would I do for exercise. All the washing and polishing keeps me fit I swear. What did you do with yours ? I'm sure the car would have kept rolling along, especially compared to some of the throwaway rubbish thats out there today. My mechanic sheepishly told me the other day that my front brake rotors are down to the limits so I'll need to change them at the next pad change. No worries I said. They're only the original ones that came with the car and at the rate I'm driving it that should last another ten years ! Compare that to the maybe 30 or 40K they're getting out of new Falcons and Commodores for rotors. Also watching the LS1 board at the moment really opens your eyes to how fragile these new cars are with so many warranty issues. My first non-service related problem (outside of oils, filters, greases etc.) was at 126,000km's (rear exhaust was shaken to death and a centre tailshaft bearing). So just what was wrong with eighties build quality again ?! Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

I can't wait for next years All Holden Day here, i love you idea of a dedicated orig VLT display

Quote: Originally Posted by aus880 I can't wait for next years All Holden Day here, i love you idea of a dedicated orig VLT display It's sounding like a plan. When is it on over there again ? It's later in the year isn't it ? For pure pose value what do you think of arriving in a red 2008 Calais wagon towing a red 1988 Calais wagon ? Big problem though, I doubt Holden will paint the bumpers silver for me on the new one. Bugga. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

my wagon could be ready next year where will it be

Nothing on their official website as yet but I found this on another site. Not sure how firm the dates are but I'm in, either driving the white one or trailoring the wagon (in my last two trips to Brisbane I wasn't 50km's out of Adelaide before trucks going the other way threw up enough stones to crack my windscreen twice and I don't want to risk it after spending mega-bucks on a rebuild). 23rd NSW All Holden Day 2008 2-3 August 2008. Hawkesbury Showground, Racecourse Road, Clarendon NSW (opposite RAAF Base Richmond). Between Windsor and Richmond NSW. Sunday 3 August 2008 is a display day for all Holden vehicles. Saturday & Sunday include a 2-day Swap Meet. More information and entry forms are available. Contact: [phone removed] or [email removed] Visit: www.allholdenday.com.au (http://www.allholdenday.com.au) Quote: Originally Posted by giantbrandon my wagon could be ready next year where will it be How's yours progressing Brandon ? Two freshly restored red turbo Calais wagons at the same show would be interesting. I got to see mine with the engine out today and I think it just sunk in how much work I've let myself in for. I should have it back next week, less engine so I can strip the rest and start from scratch.

il say it should be ready but most likely take longer its in lots of peices getting ready for paint its taken a lot longer cause i keep buying new parts 2 put on, still got to do the engine bay, hopefully going back to bare metal

any update? Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

^^on mine did some work on it on the weekend but i have brought more nos stuff ive got to buy parts for 2 cars

That's awesome (and quite a story as well). I'd love to be able to say in 16 years time that I've had my Calais Wagon for 20 years, mine definitely won't be original though . Though checking out the condition of this fine piece of automotive history I may be temtped to return mine to it's original condition one day (not for a while yet though). I particularly love how the engine bay came up after what could really only be described as a complete engine bay restoration (how long did that take?!?). I can't imagine it was much neater under the hood the day it left the factory. Congratulations Craig. Hopefully I'll get to see this in the flesh one day. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Wow!!!! That's a nice car. When you bought this car, I was still in nappies. lol

uh i dont know if anyone else mentioned it... or maybe it didnt need to be because it was obvious but... it appears you have a dead bird in you front bumper lol Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by FLYNVT any update? Thats the problem with stockies, there's never much to update. They just keep on keeping on. I do have a set of hubcaps for it now that I'll be getting painted up soon. Seeing as it's not a BT1 they seem more fitting. Also have to get a rear tail light garnish painted up SL-spec and put the SL lights back in. I'm still looking for an original tailpipe but may have to get that made up from the new wagon tailpipe I can use as a template. I even dropped into the original dealer the other day to see if they had any old dealer stickers left but they changed years ago. Yet another thing I'll have to get made up. Quote: Originally Posted by gf81 That's awesome (and quite a story as well). I'd love to be able to say in 16 years time that I've had my Calais Wagon for 20 years, might definitely won't be original though . Though checking out the condition of this fine piece of automotive history I may be temtped to return mine to it's original condition one day (not for a while yet though). I particularly love how the engine bay came up after what could really only be described as a complete engine bay restoration (how long did that take?!?). I can't imagine it was much neater under the hood the day it left the factory. Congratulations Craig. Hopefully I'll get to see this in the flesh one day. Thanks Graeme. The engine bay cleanup took about three days all up after some good advice from Russell and a few other guys here on CT. Apart from taking the headlights, battery and airbox out I didn't really remove much else. I didn't even use a lot of degreaser as most of the mess was caked on dirt and bugs. After that just good ole elbow grease, lots of rags and small brushes, then various metal, paint and plastic polishes. The battery tray was rust prepped and then airbrushed (saved getting paint everywhere) with some old two-pack I had laying around. What you see there was pretty much just sitting there under all the dirt. The wagon will be a different story, with a lot of re-anodising (to factory appearance) and new parts being used where I can. Quote: Originally Posted by GLD-086 Wow!!!! That's a nice car. When you bought this car, I was still in nappies. lol Thanks GLD. It really does seem old when you put it like that. Quote: Originally Posted by Avenged7X uh i dont know if anyone else mentioned it... or maybe it didnt need to be because it was obvious but... it appears you have a dead bird in you front bumper lol Yep, the first of many. I had one get caught between the bonnet and the front panel on a Brisbane trip once. It exploded in a shower of blood and guts up the bonnet which I should have washed off straight away as it stained the paint before the car was repainted. I think the score is about 8 birds (including a crow which cracked an indicator lens), 2 kangaroos (just gentle nudges after some extreme braking coming into Nyngan one night) and god knows how many cane toads out the back of Brisbane airport. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Great story, the stuff legends are made of. Long may you stay together Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by VLTWhite1 The wagon will be a different story, with a lot of re-anodising (to factory appearance) and new parts being used where I can. Haha Craig, if you need some new parts i may be able to help ya (hopefully). I've got some stuff laying all over the place. Just give us a yell.

Beautiful!

Quote: Originally Posted by fleas Haha Craig, if you need some new parts i may be able to help ya (hopefully). I've got some stuff laying all over the place. Just give us a yell. Thanks Jorge. I've got so much new stuff laying around the family reckons I could almost build a car from scratch. Problem is, the new bits I don't have are the ones everyone is chasing. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by fleas Haha Craig, if you need some new parts i may be able to help ya (hopefully). I've got some stuff laying all over the place. Just give us a yell. what new bits you got for sale there champ

Mainly just indicators and stuff and just found this morning: a mint boot striker, Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Great story dude, it might just be me but i'd like to see it fully restored with the B45's on it, between them and the V5's, you don't really see the classic Simmons' anymore Some original photos have not been recovered yet.