My NOS headlights and parkers / indicators (yes, all GMH stock) finally fitted after three years in storage. I really think this makes a difference to the appearance as the original ones were pock marked and scratched from 90 odd thousand kays of use. Notice the rocker cover colour differs depending on the light. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Update: How EVILPET got it's Groove Back Engine bay is pretty well done! Part's that went away to be re-galvanised returned to my satisfaction and were promptly fitted. I think the re-galvanising process is well worth it. Intercooler piping returned powdercoated and along with custom red coupling hoses I got made up in China, were again promptly fitted. Build tag re-fitted and suddenly the spirit of HDT is there again.... I started playing around with Photoshop and decided that in the "concept" of a pulmonary system for the engine bay, there needs to be some colour bleed externally. So, brake callipers were painted. I have two red heater hoses to find this weekend (well a buddy of mine is rummaging through my shed on my behalf as I'm not in the country) and a new clutch slave cylinder to fit. The sparkie is out Monday to re-build the fuse box with some NOS parts I've been accumulating over the past six years so EVERYTHING in there is brand new as well as fit up the alternator with the adapter harness. Tuesday we're breathing some life into her by a key turn and sorting out any unforseen issues. Wednesday is back to the panelbeaters and finish off with the engine bay plastic parts like the radiator cowling polished (I'm told this brings it back to original condition rather than painting) before heading to another location to get the interior dash and console finished as well as the digital speedo LED inserted. So light finally at the end of the tunnel! Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Update: Just One More Thing.... Everything Briffa had to do with the engine and drivetrain is now done. Today the sparkie was still working on the fusebox. The car turned over but refused to start but the sparkie is sorting that out (you can see the fusebox is in pieces in the following picture). Here's what the callipers now look like and I got all rims re-machined and polished. I'm hoping the panel beater can finish by the weekend or Monday at the latest and then the car goes into it's final phase to get the interior modifications completed. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Are those VT calipers EvilPet? Did you consider some VN Group A calipers to be a bit more authentic?

Quote: Originally Posted by 5spdvl [View Post] Are those VT calipers EvilPet? Did you consider some VN Group A calipers to be a bit more authentic? The whole brake system is the proper Group A one upgraded for what "Just Commodores" had done to it when they owned the car. Stops VERY short. Briffa put them in 3 years ago. He's just detailed the callipers to match the red bleed elsewhere.

My bad, I didn't even look for a hub adaptor *derrrrrp*

Update: Time for a Final Dressing Engine, Drivetrain and undercarriage detailing DONE! EVILPET was trailered back to the Panelbeater for the final exterior touches which should finally be done by next Tuesday for pick-up. There's still some Meguiars products to rejuvenate all the engine bay plastics. The fusebox was completely rebuilt with a "revised" harness. There was a voltage leak that was finally identified with some redundant relays and the engine purrs like a kitten according to Briffa. I guess I'll experience this in less than 30 days when I'm back. Intercooler piping and revised wiring looks pristine. Now to watch the transformation over the next few days when the panelbeater does his thing. Then FINAL STOP......Interior modification completion..... Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

looks awesome, maybe you should put in one of those VS airbox top lids, would make it look slightly more futuristic?

Quote: Originally Posted by xAsh- [View Post] looks awesome, maybe you should put in one of those VS airbox top lids, would make it look slightly more futuristic? Good idea Ash but I'll leave it VL for the time being. The bay looks like how I pictured it in my head. Once I get back to Perth I'll figure whether I'm going to do anything else. Oh BTW: I got some AWESOME strut top covers made up replacing the ones on there. A bloke in Sydney did them for me and even laser etched "AERO" in the correct font on them. I think that and installing the NOS under bonnet insulator is all I had left to do (as well as re-install the polished battery box when everything is done).

If this is almost finished, maybe you could get it in the up and coming street commodores VL issue, it certainly deserves some recognition Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

I miss their deadline given I'm back in 4 weeks. Plus I still need to redo the boot subs / install a secondary battery and turn it back into something functional. The cowboys who attempted it really didn't do a good job for the cash I paid them. Getting back to the original project brief, it needs to be functional and look factory. My installer and I have something in mind. Hence I just bought a pair of Rockford Fosgate 4 ohm slimlines to work into the boot design.

Sick ideas dude, heaps of thought has gone into this obviously. btw I think you mean cardiovascular system. When you are talking pulmonary, you're talking lungs.

Quote: Originally Posted by red vlc [View Post] Sick ideas dude, heaps of thought has gone into this obviously. btw I think you mean cardiovascular system. When you are talking pulmonary, you're talking lungs. Thats correct Doc. CardioV. My bad. Yeah it's around 7 years of thinking and being disappointed for 5. I've found some awesome people finally to help me put thought into action.

DIGITAL SPEEDO - SPEED ALERT Question that i'm hoping someone out there can answer. Has anyone ever pulled one of these apart? Reason being is that now that my attention is turning back to within the car I'm fiddling around with the Digital Speedometer and Speed Alert and want the buzzer to sound "Holden". The current buzzer i've got is one sourced from Jaycar and although it sounds ok, I think it would be cooler and more to the scope of my project for the buzzer to sound like the ones released in Holden models. All I need to know is whether there are two wires linked to the buzzer module. In theory there should only be two wires BUT I presume this is all hard wired via the PCB (ie. no wires, it's all part of the board - but I could be wrong). If it is, I'll just buy the unit and cannibalise it just for the buzzer. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

great looking car man! imo, that red cooler piping looks so out of place, considering your trying to do a factory look for the car. there are way better cooler kits out on the net. have you tryed putting a black one in there, or maybe get someone to photoshop black for your first?. apart from that i love the car, so much effort and detail, it will looks million dollars when its 'finished'.

Quote: Originally Posted by zaksvl [View Post] great looking car man! imo, that red cooler piping looks so out of place, considering your trying to do a factory look for the car. there are way better cooler kits out on the net. have you tryed putting a black one in there, or maybe get someone to photoshop black for your first?. apart from that i love the car, so much effort and detail, it will looks million dollars when its 'finished'. The cooler kit is what was built by Just Commodores when they owned the car late 80s/early 90s and then slightly enhanced at HDT Sydney around 94. It's hidden in the guard and at Oran Park helped the car get to low 10s (time card is somewhere on this site). I'm leaving the setup the way it is and in my time owning it have not touched the setup except upgraded the brakes, leads and a few other minor things. Yes the piping was black previous to this. Engine bay was always going to be "blinged" and something very different and eye catching when the bonnet was popped - almost like cutting your gut open and seeing the insides. I have put a helluva lot of thought into what I wanted. The project scope is for upgrading technology and aesthetics for the cabin and the boot. I wasn't going to even touch the bay until some assclown degreased my engine bay with an acid based solvent. But I'm glad he did now. It's given me a excuse to finish the car the way I've always imagined it. Almost there!

fair enough... i didnt realise this car was good for a ten second time slip. or around that anyway, i thought it was just a stock motor with a custom cooler package... cant wait to see it.. good luck finishing it off.

Quote: Originally Posted by zaksvl [View Post] fair enough... i didnt realise this car was good for a ten second time slip. or around that anyway, i thought it was just a stock motor with a custom cooler package... cant wait to see it.. good luck finishing it off. Thanks. From what I've read in magazine articles on the car and from what the owner told me they spent around $20K upgrading the engine and drivetrain and Brookside Carburettors in Sydney sourced the program from the race version of the RB30 from Japan to top it off. The car has done about 30,000 easy kms after that until I bought it. So I'm not touching it.

So you're running a stock t3 turbo again right? I didn't know anhything about the 10s either. Any pictures of the cooler setup?

Quote: Originally Posted by 5spdvl [View Post] So you're running a stock t3 turbo again right? I didn't know anhything about the 10s either. Any pictures of the cooler setup? Briffa took it out sent it away and it returned - I wanted the whole thing re-kitted and as good as new. I'm told Just Commodores modified T3 but will have to dig up some articles on what they did to it. As far as I know - the intercooler core is off a SAAB with an AVO Stage II intake manifold. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.