A beginning of a long restore

[V3N0M]

well my 1st day of my 1st restoration of my baby YAY!!! gonna take a while but eh it all starts with the 1st step will get pics soon and keep takeing them time to time till im done n post them.. dang its gonna take a while ^_^

[vkberlina]

Good luck with the resto, mine was going to take 6 months that was just over 12 months ago

Cant wait to see some pics

[Goon]

Goodluck mate

Every need some advice just ask

[V3N0M]

hehe thanks will do

[Goon]

What engine do you currently have mate ?

casue you were asking about the 350 chev before.

[SL/ENUT]

Its a learning experiance i tell you that. Still dreading the day i have to strip the sle for a full resto job.

[V3N0M]

got a 202 in it atm but i dont no if it still runs.. so i was gonna try sell it eventually and make the mods and put either a 308 or a 350 chev.. not sure yet.. still going bullistic trying to find a *new* full dashboard and center console.. i can easy get my hands on all the other bits and bobs.. ( theres no reckers round here for atleast 100km )

[Goon]

Might have to see if a store or the wreckers could place items on a bus for you, its cheaper then a couier.

[V3N0M]

yeah probly from mackay or rocky.. thx

[SL/ENUT]

Thats the killer these days for the VB-VHs, alot of the parts are just to hard to come buy.

[V3N0M]

its possible to just fit a diffrent center console? for a 3 spd auto ( goin to keep current motor get it recond and put a 186 head on it )

[craigvk]

Good luck with the job mate

The underbody bushes is one of the things I started doing with mine. For a whole set, you'd be looking at hundreds. On an old car, the bushes would probably all need replacing. Get Nolathane ones. They are red in colour and are about as flexible as standard rubber ones, but much stronger. Car fans like myself usually prefer them over standard bushes. While you are at it, get a pair of adjustable strut mount tops. It will give you extended alignment options. Something earlier Holden's didn't have. You could maybe get all the bushes packaged into one deal and save you heaps instead of buying them seperately. I hydraulic press and a lot of patients help when replacing them. Some of them need a hydraulic press, others you can use a clamp or make up your own tool out of what's lying around in the workshop.

I bought mine at Autobarn.

Here's a couple of links to the Nolathane site:
http://www.redranger.com.au/proc_selection.php
http://www.redranger.com.au/

Here's a link to an eBay auction with many bushings in one package:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/COMMODORE-NOL...QQcmdZViewItem

You'd probably save a lot!

I thought I'd post about the bushes because I don't think many people even look at them. They are very important because you want to make your car as tight as possible. You don't want the front or back end wobbling around.

[Goon]

If you have an auto the center console should fit from another auto.

a 202 with a 186 head that's some mad compression.

[V3N0M]

dont have to many tools going to be getting them as i go along to. thanks for the tips craig ill deffinetly do that. im thinking of makeing a custom center console out of galvenized steel and then adding coushening and then some black leather of some sort.. good idea? im going to go all out on this project.. gonna take me a year of sundays lol.. but owell bit by bit

[craigvk]

A custom console made of steel with leather and padding sounds nice. Maybe you could make me one?

Like everything in this world, if you have the money, the skills and the tools, you can do anything you want

[V3N0M]

hehe its all still in the drawing books.but if it it turns out as good as it is in my head sure ill make u one :P. worried it wont pass road worthy tho haha that would be my luck.. all that work then i cant get it RW...

[craigvk]

Mate you can get a roadworthy rejected for moisture in the headlights. They aren't there to be nice Afterall, wouldn't you rather having a car that is 100% on the road? I would never be driving around in a car on the road that I thought would be unsafe. i.e: could kill someone.

[craigvk]

Oh yeah, the first inspection always never passes unfortunately

[V3N0M]

well in that case ill have to take care to detail

[craigvk]

hehe. Heck they check the brake pad wear on the report too! Another thing to watch I hear all over the radio and TV these days that the cops are getting tough on unroadworthy cars. Especially car tyres. My mate got done for bad tyres and a bit of metal showing. i.e: rust. He got a quote and it was going to cost $2500 to fix so he ended up getting rid of it.

Just remember, you'll never get your money back on what you spend on your car.

[V3N0M]

yeah i do have new tyres on it atm.. mum got them a wile back ( i have no idea y ) but yeah i will be sanding it down and fillin up the holes and painting it, u no the hole 9 yards lol. the only bit im worried about is the wireing.. never done it b4 ^_^.. but i hear its not all that hard to do if u have the manual 4 it....

[craigvk]

Wiring is fine. You just need to do it properly. Soldering & heatshrinking. Not twisting wires and using electrical tape etc. I did lots of wiring on my car before the road worthy. I ended up replacing the alternator lead, negative leads and starter motor lead plus the starter motor solenoid lead, plus heaps of other wiring. I also replaced the battery terminals and of course used heatshrink over the terminals. It all looks mint now. Just don't take shortcuts because it will end up in failure eventually.

[V3N0M]

yeah i will make sure to do a propper job. thanks heaps for the help and advice ^_^. as i siad earlier i should have pics soon-ish :P

[Demons1964]

Good luck with it V3N0M. I'll be joining you whenever the 202 decides to pack it in. It's showing no signs yet so it could be a few years away. My plans are a total strip of the body, and fixing of all rust on a rotisserie. Then a 304 EFI conversion and bodykit, leather interior and I'll be done. Might take me a few years because there's no rush with it. I love my VC (first car I owned and will never part with it) so it will be a labour of love.

So Craig, the wobbly back end on the early girls isn't desireable? Whoever bought my car new didn't tick the box for the optional cracked floorpan under the driver's seat so they must have opted for the wobbly back end handling pack!!

[V3N0M]

funny u should say cracked floor pan under the seats.. im wondering how the seats was still in the car haha, i think i might just get a sheet of 5mm thick steel and weld it over the excisting floor, also nood to weld in new boot and back end where the bumper bolts onto ( inside boot and out) shouldnt be to hard.. does anyone no how much a auto elecky would charge to do a full re-wireing front to back?.....