Recent progress. Bleeding revolution After many hours and let downs in the name of bleeding my beloved cooling system iv decided to go all out and install a header tank (total cost is around $100 for all fittings ect). looking forward to seeing it in action. Ill post diagrams and pics soon. I am rely happy with how its turned out as I'm not a huge fan of adding things to an engine bay, but it was defiantly well worth it. 5-Speed issues persist hard in and out of gear... not askin for help - Recently bled the hydraulic lines with minimal improvement. - I also noticed the slave boot is completely gone so i bought a slave repair kit - should be a fun little job. - Next when the temp drops below what ever degrees of hell ill dive under the dash and inspect the clutch peddle rod n see if i cant extend it. - Then I'll see if i can find a longer slave push rod. I Don't think any of these will make an real noticeable improvement, but at least the components will be at their best when it comes time to install the new clutch, spigot bush and throw out bearing. X/Over In other news bought a second cross over pipe. Polished with a neat provision made for a Blow off valve. Plan to sell it n make a quick buck. 3" Dump Bought a 3" turbo dump pipe with a T3 flange but need to weld the stock waste gate flange to it. $120 not to bad. have a 3" dump to cat already so this will be an upgrade on the original system. Body The bonnet, boot lid and SL nose cone arrived yesterday! bought them over new years in Perth for $250 they all need miner touch ups and a good buff but are other wise in good condition. Freight Got some pretty shocking quotes (Removal company's) form $900 to $750 "Iv had whole VLs transported longer distances for less" 8O . Any way gave Toll a call and they did it for $250 Dirty interior door trims Gave the interior door trims a good clean. bought $25 worth of stain removers which goes along way, dish washing liquid and carpet shampoo mixed with what ever else i could fined around the house lol -Used two bucket of warm water to rinse the cloth twice, don't want dirty crap going back on to the material) -Spray bottle filled with every cleaning product i could fined -spot stain remover -carpet foaming shampoo -Agitator - Hard plastic lid with a 1.5 cm lip. (its used to squeegee the water out of the material, the lip helps run the brown water away from the trim and onto the ground when held at an angle. Pretty simple how i did it. you may have a different way 1 Spot remover on bad areas 2 Spray cleaning ****tail on to door car soak it. 3 Scrub with water soaked cloth rinse, rinse repeat 4 Squeegee with lid 5 Add carpet foaming shampoo and repeat 2, 3 and 4 6 Then to finish a quick dry with a terry cloth bought new one for every door if you can. Preferably do it on a hot day as it will help the drying process The above method allows you to soak the material but also to draw moisture and dirt out, avoiding subsequent mold and warping. Considering that i only had to squeegee the doors twice before the water was coming out clear would suggest its a very effective method of cleaning. The door cards came up beautiful no warping or mold. car smells nicer now to lol Paint Next up is just fitting the bonnet and boot lid and giving them a freshen up with a touch up brush (iv learned to stay away from spray cans the work that goes with them when i can. they turn a small scratch into a panel job and large flat panels and cans dont mix. But will be respraying the nose cone as the paints pretty bad. l should get some time to add some pictures in the next week. Thanks for stopping by Dusty ---------- Post added 05-03-14 at 02:05 ---------- Pics Engine bay Before the header tank went in Bleeding fun (under left wheel) New Bleeding bit I ran the Header tank return through the trans cooler; theory being it will cool the fluid - reducing it volume, causing a vacuum effect. From above Replaced Peddles Went on a bit of a mission to cover the holes in the doors (befor the doors got a clean) Just the fronts atm. Am happy with how they came up but may change the material down the track. just glad the holes are covered was good fun ---------- Post added 05-03-14 at 02:20 ---------- Lack of consultation by the Shire lead to the shade sail being replaced while the VL was immobile. We came to a compromise... Just before cyclone hit their are No trees in back yard now need all the trees we can get up here. ---------- Post added 05-03-14 at 02:21 ---------- Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Great work. Why not just do whole new door panels? Or at least put new backing on the back of the original one?

I would of preferred to just re ---------- Post added 06-03-14 at 01:45 ---------- ... Replace the whole panels with original Series 1 but due to lack of availability I just preferred to cover them. If I put a new backing on it it would still have an ugly hole in the material. Wanted to do something a little different. May try it again in the future through the lower of the front and rear door panels. Lighter stain and a lacquer or as a thin divider between the two materials.

- Fitted boot lid and gave it a lite blocking with 2000. The old white/YELLOW paint gave way then it gave it a buff and a little touch up. Hanging to get some time off so i can get some more work done on it. 12 hr shifts, up at 4 am every day leaves little time for anything els so only 6 days left of a 16 day stint and i should make some progress looking forward to my 1 day off lol Scored these 20s a few months ago, need tires but other wise good condition. Previous owner powder coated them black. Asked 600 got him down to 500. I bought them to sell with the SL king springs when i sell the VE if they don't sell ill trade them for something. Paint code - There is still air in the radiator and top hose. Im quite surprised at the amount of air bleeding into the over flow. Due to faulty radiator hose so i replaced top and bottom hose clamps. I also bought 3 radiator caps as i need to try and make a non pressurized cap for the radiator. Engine parts i panted a while back. The first calais turbo attempt back in 08 [COLOR="Silver"] Ended up being a faulty bottom rad hose clamp. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Removed the fuel tank today. Best part: pulling it out from under the car. Worst: lying in a puddle of de-greaser, oil and petrol on 41 degree day Seems a break line junction that eventually runs along the diff to both discs has been leaking for some time, causing a serious build up of "oil/break fluid" i guess covering the under side of of the car. I was very happy to see it was a VN or later model tank with a Floating Filler pipe I de-greased every thing as best i could before exposing any fuel lines to O2. The breather lines that had fallen to peaces At the time the tank was filed with over 25 L of fuel. I used the fuel pump prime to empty the majority of the tank which drained my battery some what lol but it got the job done. Yes it a fuel pump with some calcium residue left for the Hard water, glad it a white car. I heard allot about the mysterious pipe that runs through the hole, well i soon found it and though screw stuffing with this thing so i cut it off. Plan is to just run a long "flexible being the operate word" peace of fuel hose from the tank side and work with the length on the filler length once its in. Tank finally came out Minus one strap bolt located under the tow ball bracket, as some previously nuffy decided to strip the four bolts on the under side of it. Oh and the muffler is going I felt water was a must as there was at least 4 Ltrs of fuel under the car. **** burns but smells so good lol Next the pump came out. Dog hair lol I then set about installing the new VDO brand pump. Long story short Connectors didnt fit, tested the resistance as i contemplated replacing the wires altogether but they came up with a value of 1 to 2 Ohms witch is nothing. so new clips went on along with bolts. Pics of old pump I used the original end bracket rubber grommet and cut it down then pushed the new sock on. was a bit concerned as there isn't allot of overhang where the sock site on the end of the pump in comparison toto the original. but its on never the less. i also put some lock tight over the electric connector bolts. wire brushed, decreased and applied rust converter to the tank. did the same to the top of the tank as insurance for the future Used some mentholated spirits to rinse the tank and nothing rely came out except one tiny bolt lol then i looked in side of the tank Then at the end of the day i thought i may as well check the disk break diff tags with the Red filler cap... Which after a quick search... Turbo - these diffs have 28 spline axles and disc brakes Sedan FE2 or V5W suspension, LSD 92030910 Lead to ---------- Post added 20-03-14 at 04:09 ---------- Fuel tank sprayed pressure pack quality Had a mate come over and fit the new bonnet, just needs a lite 2000 and a buff. Nothing to flash but its getting there, im happy with the progress. His r31 Boot lid before.. 1/2 way there.. Dodgy shot of the bay and a few repairs that need work Cheers Dusty Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

coming along nicely mate, that r31 shmick,

Tuff r31.. Turbo?

Thanks Give me something to do, I enjoy the process of taking something unloved and neglected and breathing new life into it. it gives me great satisfaction. Sure i may do some more mods to it down the track but but im enjoying the full scope of the restoration in the process. Maybe its a good thing that i have not been able to drive this car more than a few hundred meters at a time because its allowed me to get the basics sorted. I think boost is a motivation that will take me in a different direction (as iv hear its a drug) but i know my limits as saving for a deposit takes up most of my income. Iv seen countless example where people have learnt the hard way and have had to sell up. Iv had 8 vls so far lol I'll take my time on the funding side and do the work my self. I hardly drink, eat take out and don't smoke or go out to clubs (helps living in a mining town) so theirs a good saving of cash there that i can attribute to the project. Yeah he is selling it. I Think its the only one in town lol, he has an rb30 high mount set up on a patrol that goes good once we got it going . Felt good to be able to help some one else out. ---------- Post added 20-03-14 at 23:09 ---------- N/A Muss but he has got a full set up in the patrol 3 inch turbo back and fmic. Sucks that hes moving back to Brizzy maybe we'd dump the lot into the r31 and do it up... the patrols a bit rough. ---------- Post added 20-03-14 at 23:43 ---------- He scored the station wagon for $500 i think that had sustained minor front end damage (no air bag deployed) its a good car low ks. think he sold it for $500 i may just float from owner to owner for a few more years as a lot of projects do up here. People buy it when its winter mid 20s every day then summer hits and it goes on the back burner literally. :P This is his place. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Little more progress.. Bought a Xtreme clutch kit containing a 1200 kg force suffix which should be plenty for the type im after. going in in the next few weeks Got a quot for $300 (cashy) to paint the front bar at a local panel shop. [B]Moved the battery to the boot.B] Never thought id do this but as iv recently aquired a grinder and a number of other tools I thought id give it a go. I heard it takes 2 to 3 hours but i knew that it would take me a good few days to make it neat. 2 gauge cable had already been threaded through the cabin for the rear amp. Shortend the wiring and removed all unused plugs, useing the starter as the B+ juntion. Earthed battery to body (boot) and engine to body (engine bay) with a 0 gauge cable an auto elec made up. Also needed to sand the earthing point on engine mount as there was very little metal exposed from factory. Ran the sense wire from the altinator plug to the starter motor as well as the fusable links with the eyelet hammerd flat and ground out with a file to fit the s/m bolt lol. Used new conduit over the freshly taped looms so it all ran neat. I'll make a tray for the corner that will accomidate a fuse box and help hide the wiring Drilled the tray out very easy jimmy bar helped then grinded and linished the rest. Coat of rust converter then some House paint, as it last 10 years in the sun and no one will see it and made a plate for it. Ran the radiator overflow tube over the front of the engine through the lift eyelet Just working out where to mount the powersteering with out creating to much mess. Thinking next to the radiator inlet hose. zip-ties look like ****. Wiring still needs to be hung against the gard. Iv sealed the under side of the tray with white sikaflex and will seal around the tray and paint it white in the next week. The bays had some a hard time so im repainting the drivers side again and removing the over flow bottle. Tested the circuit with an amplifier fues before connecting it for good. kicked over fine and reads around 14 volts. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Bit O Progress. Kind of snowballed... Removed Fuse Box (still to fit in g/box angle grinder made easy and neat work of plastic) Extended loom on both sides Removed guards ( Rust Repaired stone guarded still to paint the outer before refitting ) Stone guarded arches Hung loom Relocated Char Can under guard (Catch can will go in its place with simple black hose from fittings). Extra fitting to adapt to smaller hose size see pic. Neatened up wiring in corner (properly) Relocated over flow behind scuttle panel. (will do the washer bottle eventually lol) Pics in nor order at all. And my solid getto over flow till i fine a better solution. So all that's left in the engine bay is the air box. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

cool as dusty! getting there looks good! How did you find pulling through the fuse rail ect, with the fan/blower in?

Quote: Originally Posted by dougall83 [View Post] cool as dusty! getting there looks good! How did you find pulling through the fuse rail ect, with the fan/blower in? Hello nice new shiny DP. Had to drop the blower motor. Their are a few bolts (10mm) excuse me I'm not sure if you have done it on yours. Getting the blower fan back in is a little hard but it pays to take it one angle at a time and think through each step. Same process I used to get the fuse rail the wall find who is next in line and push them threw. Contemplated not putting it back in as its a fair amount of dead weight if its not needed, but air con is a must up here. Just have to find something to block the hole in the F/W. Also because the engine bay has become some what a construction site I think it will need a respray. So left is alarms and security gear paint- front bar, 2 x front and rear quarters, pillar and, then the new clutch and cut the exhaust cannon off a/c list of little things will go on. Good to know every major external component has been checked replaced or reconditioned besides Engine and Majority of the wiring. The fuel in the tank has been in the car 4 times as long as the fuel pump lol

Yeah I didn't put my blower back in a/c,cruise ect all long gone lol And if the 5 0 pull me over the last thing there gunna check is my fan lol

Just don't get defected. Keep all the gear so u can put it back in.

Yeah that's it, got a long range tank lined up and some vx gts 19s so will update soon, did u end up throwing those gts 20s on just for a photo?

Quote: Originally Posted by dougall83 [View Post] Yeah that's it, got a long range tank lined up and some vx gts 19s so will update soon, did u end up throwing those gts 20s on just for a photo? Not a fan of GTS's I'm selling them for $500. Just trying to work out how to spray the lower calais plastics door plates. So many opinions with no one really having a clue. They all have factory paint that I wet rubbed with 600, i have rub through (scratch etc) I'll 400 all plastics again, prepsol them, prime them, rub the primer back with 600 lightly, then prepsol them again, hope they don't smudge, and paint. Using cans: solid alpine made up pressure packs, and repco bumper primer. Should come up ok.

So paint... 2 jack stands, some wire and water strait out the hose n I had my own little booth. I primed any bare metal n plastic, rubbed every painted surface with 400 and got to work. Bought the paint (alpine white) spray cans off eBay. Amazing gear, the fan and finish are both brilliant or it's just me lol but I've worked with some dodgy paint cans and paint before. Overspray rocks my little she'd looks like I'm splashing round in a coke addicts wet dream. On that note I was fully PPE'd up. Any way pics!! Plan to have both rear quarters done by tomorrow night. ---------- Post added 18-06-14 at 00:34 ---------- ---------- Post added 18-06-14 at 00:35 ---------- The only bit o crap in the paint; whore island. ---------- Post added 18-06-14 at 18:39 ---------- Rear quarter: of the 400ml can ($38) used about 350 ml's on the face and 50 ml's cutting . Total cos per panel $65. 1st coat 2nd coat Not the cheapest way to buy paint per ml but for the simplicity and no overheads it's a quite impressive result in the end. Remembering that it's a home build and for fun. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Looks like it'll have a good finish mate! How's it matched compared to the rest of car?

The Aerosol king, wish you had taped up the strut tops and nuts. Wish you had done the interior plastics in original, these are thirty year old classics. Looks as if you are enjoying yourself and is better than it was, good luck with it.

Quote: Originally Posted by dougall83 [View Post] Looks like it'll have a good finish mate! How's it matched compared to the rest of car? The match is quite acceptable. But I'm working with what I can get n up here it's not easy. The boot is from Perth (1500 ks south), the door is factory, the bar has been re sprayed in the past and I sprayed under the rear window panel with a VHT white. But it's all pretty close - take that and the fact it's sunny 340 days of every year and it's white you can't tell... To busy trying to protect your retinas from permanent damage. I'm betting my self I can pull it off haha ---------- Post added 18-06-14 at 22:44 ---------- Quote: Originally Posted by Boyracer [View Post] The Aerosol king, wish you had taped up the strut tops and nuts. Wish you had done the interior plastics in original, these are thirty year old classics. Looks as if you are enjoying yourself and is better than it was, good luck with it. I have all respect for originality and I'm not a fan of sprayed interiors, but a miss-matched interior is uglier than a respray one. I do have plans for a beige interior. Nothing special about plastic VL dashes their all the same any way only the colour varies. It's all a work in progress, the engine bay will be getting a respray. The strut tops of a commodore are nothing sexy to begin with in my opinion and are the reason why I plan to get some flat plate covers (not domes) when the price comes down. To cover them up. No dressy stuff for the sake of it, makes an engine bay look takie IMO. Don't want to much standing out. A few hoses, An engine and Some paint. Perfect Some original photos have not been recovered yet.