10-05-07, 13:46 GMT+10#1
Alright guys she's nearly done so i thought i'd share the story with some people, excuse how dirty the car is in most of the new pics, the parts had been in storage for nearly a year! haha
This is Jack’s 1987 Series 2 Calais Turbo 5 speed manual, which he has owned since towards the end of 2004. Having previously only owned a VN V6 Commodore auto and a VL Auto naturally aspirated Commodore, obviously jumping into the Calais was quite a different experience, especially being just 18 years of age at the time of purchase.
When the car first arrived in Jack’s garage, visually it was fitted with a mixture of HDT and HSV body parts which really made the car stand out, attracting both the right and wrong kind of attention. It was also very low and rode on a set of 15 inch Simmons V5 mags. Luckily for Jack the car was straight as an arrow and had received a full respray in the original Alpine white, however 2pak paint was used giving a much cleaner appearance, especially when combined with the mint condition series 2 blue interior.
The engine was already holding claim to a few tasty mods, enough to satisfy almost any 18 year old appetite, with a full 3 inch exhaust system, forward facing intake plenum, cut down truck intercooler, plumb back blow off valve, rebuilt turbo and a catch can. Running 15psi and with a just rebuilt Limited slip differential, Jack was lucky to survive his first wet season in the new ride. The weak point however was that the car had been converted from original turbo automatic to 5 speed manual, however only the n/a 5 speed gearbox had been used.
After about 6 months of ownership, Jack was pointed in the direction of Sonny from Ultratune Fairfield for a more efficient intercooler set up. Sonny fitted the intercooler which was made extremely obvious by the Group A front bar, which Jack blames for an unsightly amount attention from the boys in blue. At this point a set of larger DBA brakes were also fitted as well as Bendix pads to help the Calais pull up that little bit quicker. The VLCT also received a GFB boost controller and Bosch 984 fuel pump courtesy of Magic Performance Brookevale. The suspension was also revamped and King Springs 2 inch lowering springs were fitted along with new pedders shocks.
At this stage Jack found the dyno’d 190rwkw (11psi) to be more than powerful enough, however he was frustrated in having to take it so easy due to the weak gearbox backing the engine. Too remedy this, a Nissan R33 Skyline turbo gearbox was sourced from these forums and installed along with a 5 puk Exedy Brass button clutch. The gearbox gives considerably smoother shifts than the VL 5 speed and certainly improved the overall driving experience.
Around the same time as this, the car received a minor bump from behind in traffic while returing home from a Calaisturbo.com cruise and as such the rear bumper and bodykit was destroyed. Jack took this opportunity to re-create the car in the style that he desired, which happens to be completely stock barring a lowered ride height. The entire lower half of the Calais was painted silver and a new boot and bonnet received a bare metal respray. The exhaust was now cut before the rear differential and an alarm, immobilizer, Bilstein shocks and Greenstuff pads were also fitted.
A couple of months after this bodywork had been finished, the factory RB30ET’s piston rings decided to give in before the motor finally worked up the nerve to spin a big end bearing. Jack took this opportunity to build the motor he had been dreaming about since he bought the car.
The bottom end was sent to Jack’s mate Willy at STONE RACING for a rebuild using Arias Forged pistons, Steel rings, ARP Mainbolts, ARP Head studs and ACL Race series bearings, A 2nd hand VL head was sourced from Willy and sent to MIA Engine Reconditioners for reconditioning and porting, at this stage a custom ground Camtech Camshaft (essentially a stage 2 �) was also purchased.
While the engine was being built, Jack and Justin stripped the Calais to near a bare shell, and sent it back to the panel beaters to have any present rust removed, a VT window seal fitted and the engine bay fully re done with almost everything deleted including batter tray, airbox mounts, factory dints, holes and the gaps where the factory loom once ran. This means that when the bonnet is lifted, the motor itself is quite pleasing to look at.
Some original photos have not been recovered yet.
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