Hey everyone, My name is Mark, I know my alias is Kylie but that is another story... This is the third VL that I have owned over the years and since I recently finished the project, I thought I would post some photos of it and a story of the journey so far. I bought the car back in 2007 when I was living in Darwin about a week before my birthday as a present to myself of some sort. The Aero bodykit had already been fitted and it also had a monster tacho, which was removed the very next day and promptly listed on eBay. A week later, on my birthday, the automatic gearbox stopped selecting second. I started enquiring about getting it rebuilt however around the same time, my circumstances changed and it appeared that I would be moving back to Queensland, so I put things on hold for a while. A few months passed and I had the car shipped back to Queensland. I immediately started work on the suspension, brakes and fuel system. I replaced the front brakes with custom UPC Callipers and 330MM Rotors. Both the front and rear rotors were also slotted and cross-drilled. The suspension was replaced with stiffened Whiteline Swaybars, Urethane Bushes, shortened KYB Shock Absorbers and lowered King Springs. The fuel tank and fuel pumps were also removed, cleaned, painted, polished and tested before being refitted. Next I had the automatic gearbox removed and rebuilt at Paramount Automotive and Performance. It was strengthened and completely manualised to handle more power. A B&M Pro-Ratchet shifter was also fitted to augment the manualised gearbox. The whole process took 9 months but eventually I got the car back and I was very pleased with the results. I only took the car for a brief drive before it went back into the garage for work to continue. I then started working on the engine bay. Basically everything except the engine block and head were removed and either replaced, painted or polished. Parts of the engine bay itself were also repainted. With all the parts finished and the engine bay now looking presentable, all I had to do was put it back together. At this point though, I started a new job and also started seeing my girlfriend, Bec, so the project was yet again, put on hold for a while. It was now 2011 and the good news was, my relationship was going well. The bad news was, the VL was still in pieces and we needed to find a new place because mine was too small for the both of us. I didn't want it to be towed so worked as hard as I could to get it running in time for the move. Thankfully, even with some issues along the way, I got the engine all back together again and running so the VL could be driven to its new home. Next was the interior, which I completely removed and either restored or replaced. While the interior was out, I fitted the alarm, stereo and aftermarket gauges. This process included the boot where I tried to make the aftermarket stereo look as factory as possible. The car has also been fitted with a NISTune ECU and Z32 AFM. Since it has been finished, the car has been to Willowbank and run 14.45 seconds down the quarter but it was only running 10PSI at the time. Since then, the car has been back on the dyno and made 238HP at the wheels at 15PSI. I am yet to take it back to Willowbank however I am hoping to do that soon! I am very pleased with the way the car drives at the moment. It had a few teething problems after it was finished but those have all been sorted now so I can finally enjoy it. It comes on boost very early and quickly as low as 2000RPM and if you are not careful, you will get huge wheelspin when trying to get it off the line! Below is a list of all my modifications: EnginePod Filter Front Mount Intercooler Mandrel Bent Intercooler Piping Z32 Air Flow Meter Rising Rate Adjustable Fuel Regulator 3" Mandrel Bent Exhaust High Flow Catalytic Converter TurboSmart Boost Controller TurboSmart Vee-Port Blow Off Valve Thermo Fan with Electronic Thermostat Control PWR Heavy Duty Transmission Cooler Power Steering Cooler Stainless Steel Power Steering Reservoir Stainless Steel Oil Catch Can Bosch 120A Alternator Heavy Duty Fuse Rail with LED Diagnostics 9MM Silicone Ignition Leads Steel Braided Fuel Lines SpeedFlow Hose Fittings NISTune Programmable ECU Remote Start and Turbo Timer Engine Bay Illumination Driveline and SuspensionRebuilt, Strengthened and Manualised Gearbox 1" PBR Brake Master Cylinder Front 330MM Ventilated, Slotted and Cross Drilled Brake Discs Front UPC Twin Piston Brake Callipers Front Steel Braided Brake Lines Rear 277MM Solid, Slotted and Cross Drilled Brake Discs Front Strut Brace Super Low King Springs Shortened KYB Shock Absorbers Front 30MM Whiteline Heavy Duty Sway Bar Rear 22MM Whiteline Heavy Duty Sway Bar Fulcrum Adjustable Panhard Rod Polyurethane Suspension Bushes 18x7" ROH Fury Shadow Chrome Wheels InteriorMSD 89631 Programmable Shift Light Auto Meter Water, Boost, Oil and Transmission Gauges Digital Volt Meter B&M Pro-Ratchet Shifter Sports Steering Wheel Alpine CDA-9855 Single CD MP3/WMA Head Unit Alpine HDA-5460 Hard Drive Player 2 x Alpine CHA-1204 12-Disc CD Changers Alpine 4" 2-Way Type S Front Speakers Alpine 6x9" 3-Way Type S Rear Speakers Alpine 12" Type S Subwoofer Alpine MRV-F345 4 Channel Amplifier Heavy Duty Amplifier Power Cables High Fidelity Audio Cables 24K Gold Audio Connectors Fitted Plush Pile Floor Mats Cabin Temperature Display via LCD Alarm Pager Courtesy Light Delay BodyHDT Aero Bodykit Hollandia 700 2-Way Electric Sunroof Tinted Windows Personalised Slimline Number Plates Gas Bonnet Struts Thanks for looking!

I removed the security details you listed for obvious reasons

Great work. Congrats.

Wouldn't mind seeing this and evilpet in a photoshoot. That engine bay is sweet, perfect combination of stock and custom looks. Great work!

Thanks for the comments! Here are some more photos...

I think the car is sexy Blue cooler piping is different and nice! But i hate the rims lol sweet ride good build. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Great build, the kit turned out well, interior needs a black momo.

Hey everyone, I thought I would give you an update on what's been happening with the VL since I last posted back in 2013. Shortly afterwards, I ended up making the following changes: Bosch 440CC Injectors Top Feed Fuel Rail Fuel Lab Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator Turbosmart Electronic Boost Controller The NISTune ECU was also completely remapped. The car has since run a 13.69 second quarter mile at 102.18 MPH. I also won the first round of the Street Compact series at the 2014 Brisbane Jamboree. More recently, I decided to install air conditioning which had been removed by a previous owner. I sourced all new components with the only exception being the evaporator which was cleaned and pressure tested. Even the fan switch was replaced by a rare NOS item that I managed to find for $200! Adding the air conditioning compressor also meant that the short 45 degree pipe from the intake of the turbo to the pod filter had to be lengthened and the pod filter relocated behind the passenger side head light. The result of this is that the induction noise is now quieter and the sound of the compressor surge is a higher pitch. It's not a deal breaker though as it sounded like a jet taking off before! While the air conditioning system was being installed, the front bumper had to come off so I took the opportunity to get it repainted and refitted. Immediately after this, I then made the following changes: Raised the Ride Height with 'Low' King Springs 18x8" F-Series Wheels Momo Montecarlo Steering Wheel Finally, I gave the car a complete detail including: Cut with Meguiar's 105 Compound Polish with Meguiar's 205 Polish Applied Meguiar's Paint Protection Applied Meguiar's Carnauba Wax I took a few photos this afternoon and I'm pleased with the results. The air conditioning is excellent and it is a surreal experience for me to drive a car from the 80s with air conditioning that works so well! Hopefully this means that I will drive the car more often and take it on more long distance trips. I've only done 3000 Kms in it since 2013! Let me know what you think. Thanks, Mark

More Photos Including Time Slips

Looks awesome on the new shoes!

Looks mint mate!

stunning car!