New Guy with a VC

[Gunns VC]

Hey Guys, Im new so i would just like to say hi to everyone. I have a VC SL/E commodore that i picked up for FREE of my dad. I am slowly cleaning it up and repairing what i can. My dads a mechanic so we are going to rebuild the motor together. The body has no dints and has minimal rust. Is there anything i should look out for and check when i am tearing it down? My plans are to respray it (sky blue), lower it, put some nice mags on it (calais internationals or centerlines), fix the interior, new stereo, a nice exhaust system, switch it to gas and get some extras for the motor. This sounds a bit farfetched for me (a 15 yr old) but i want to make it happen. What do u guys think?

Thanks everyone.

[Shifty1]

its doable if you have the $$$$$... ive learned from mistakes.. buy a new gas system.. 2nd hand is not the best.. is it the 4/6/8?

[Nobody Actually]

i don't think they made sl/e's in the 4's

good luck with the vc gunns, sounds like you've got your plans sorted.
only 3 things can stop you from doing whatever you want to your car, imagination, money and the rta

[Goon]

Nice to meet yah matea nd goodluck with your ride

Remember to shop around first before you buy stuff, places may have items cheaper.

2nd items from the wreckers can be cheap if you know how to clean the certain items up.

[craigvk]

Just take a look around this forum, in the VB-VK of course. There has been tons of tips and tricks and even some gas stuff I have posted that would be useful info for you.
Remember when you undergo a project like this, you'll never get your money back. It's like buying a brand new TV and trying to sell it for the same price you bought it the very next day. Won't happen.
It's all about the experience and knowing what effort you have put in. You really get satisfaction when you get your car on the road knowing that it might have cost you an arm and a leg and over 100 hours of labor but it's worth it, espeically for cars that are much older than many people here. Remember, any car over 20 years old is a classic.

[Gavdog15]

Nice to meet ya mate. im young too and i hav a VC. there great once there done. ive got some serious plans 4 mine aswell, like paint lowering, interier (which is in the process),motor(redline manifold, 350 holley, extractors, ect.), some rims and so on. could go on about it all night. u might b on soon wondering about the window winders. THEY ARE HELL but ask the guys on here. they helped me and they no wat there talking about.
GOOD LUCK MATE

[V3N0M]

possibly check for cracks in the floor where the front seats are connected to the floor. heaps of people i no that own older moddel commies have had the floor crack there..

[craigvk]

Is there anything i should look out for and check when i am tearing it down?

Yes, under the car. Many people might not look there but mechanics do. Replace all the bushes or bushiings whatever you want to call it that look stripped out or worn. Probably half of them at least would probably be cactus because of the age of the car. You can get full bushing kits from your local auto shop or ebay. Nolathane or urethane bushes is what you want. Many of them require access to a hydraulic press as they are difficult to remove and install. They play a very important role in the drive of your car. Without them, your car would be wandering and woblbling all over the road. Road worthy joints check them.

Almost forgot to add the Web site to the bushes. You can look up their catalogue:
http://www.redranger.com.au/

Bushing kits are around $300-$400.

[craigvk]

u might b on soon wondering about the window winders. THEY ARE HELL but ask the guys on here. they helped me and they no wat there talking about.

No, they aren't hell. You are trying to scare gunns off. It's simply a matter of fiddling with the winder joint with a 1/4 inch flat blade screwdriver and the clips pop off. No big issue and I don't know why it was such a problem for you!

[V3N0M]

haha yeah i took my winders off today and got sconned in the face with one of the clips it kinda just flew out.. ( shoulda lisned to the other posts hehe ) so yeah be carefull!

[Jimboss]

No, they aren't hell. You are trying to scare gunns off. It's simply a matter of fiddling with the winder joint with a 1/4 inch flat blade screwdriver and the clips pop off. No big issue and I don't know why it was such a problem for you!

Yeah, they're not too hard, a bit tricky at first, but once you've done one, they're easy as after that. I personally use an old tea-towel (strong fabric, denim would be best), cut it into strips, slide behind the winder and pull the two ends together and then rotate them around, then the clip will pop off and will get caught in the fabric, so no need to go off on a treasure hunt when it comes time to put them back on

[craigvk]

Yeah they can be a swine to find. I had to get a couple from the auto joint because I lost mine. Now I don't need to worry as I have electric windows

[Jimboss]

I really want to get the electric motors and change mine over, but i heard that it's a bit of a job and that put me off, maybe over the summer break i will get to it.

*mmm, thinks of the laziness power windows would create

Edit: Sorry to hijack the thread welcome to forums, hope you enjoy your time on here, everyone is very helpful, i myself am only new at this and have learnt alot from searching these forums, and asking any questions i had. Also make sure you have a Gregory's (or similar) workshop manual, they're great to have even if you don't use it much.

[craigvk]

You'd have to do all sorts of mods. Not only you would have the doors to worry about, but you have the wiring and where would you mount the console switches? You could somehow get a set of 4 Calais doors and mirrors and do a conversion. Then you'd need to worry about getting a console to mount the bits. Personally I ain't a fan of changing VK bumpers on VH's and bits and pieces. I like to keep everything original.

[Gunns VC]

Hey guys thanks for the helpfull replies. I keep you guys updated on how everything goes.