VL Calais Turbo w/Sunroof

[spike77]

Name: Mick
Model: 1986 VL Calais Turbo Series 1
Colour: Alpine White / Asteriod Silver
Engine Type: RB30ET
Engine Mods: Autronic ECU, Hidden Intercooler Kit, Machined/Ported exhaust manifold/intake, TX2 Camshaft w/Heavyduty springs,
GT35/82R, 1000cc Injectors, Custom Fuel Rail, 044 pumps, 48mm Pro-Gate, Catch Can, Braided Lines.
Power: ***rwkw @ ** psi (PULP)
Exhaust: 3" from turbo back, magna hi-flow cat, 3" dump pipe.
Gearbox: 3spd fully manualised incl transbrake and 3500 tce stall
Diff: LSD 3.7's
Brakes: PBR 296mm Kit including Braided Lines, Bendix Ultimate Pads
Suspension: Koni Fully Adjustable Shockers, K-Mac Struts, King Springs (Front) and Pedders Touring (Rear)
Wheels/Tyres: 19" VE SSV's
Interior: Series 2 Blue
Stereo: New Setup Soon
Build Period: Ongoing.. have owned the car since 1999 (2nd Owner)
Future Mods: Paint & Panel Repairs, New Audio Setup, Customised Interior, Engine Rebuild, New Rims...

It all started on the way back from Summernats 12, when I first saw this car and at the time I was in the market for a VL turbo.
I had a chat with the owner and turned out he was from Melbourne. So I took a much more detailed look when he got back to Melbourne and decided this was the car for me.
My 1986 VLCT back in 1999


It stayed stock for a number of years until in 2005 I got a major defect for a cracked windscreen. This is where it all began. After removing the windscreen I found a heap of rust,
so decided to take the car off the road to do a ‘small restoration’ job. During this time I also brought a S2 blue Calais interior to replace the fading S1 interior.


So after I had the rust fixed and interior installed, the car headed off to get re-sprayed in the original alpine white over asteroid silver.


A custom roof lining was sourced as the lining from the interior I got wasn’t suited for a sunroof and along with a new front window was fitted.
Almost 3 months had passed and the car was now ready to be re-registered using the plates WHT-747 in which had been sourced over a year before.

Not long after it was on the road again I decided to upgrade my suspension from the standard shocks/springs to a set of koni adjustable and kings springs
Making a huge difference to the ride, I also purchased some 18” VY SS rims.
A month had passed and I purchased/installed a GK tech hidden intercooler kit with the help of a few of my mates.
I was then on the hunt for a new turbo and had my eyes on a T3/T4 highflow, but I came across a new GT35/82R (same as the BA XR6T).

This is when the Calais came off the road for some mild work.
A custom one off grind cam with heavy duty valve springs was fitted along with the turbo after the block was stripped down and acid cleaned and checked.
The VLT intake and exhaust manifolds were ported and an oil catch can was added to the bay.

Also a 3” custom dump pipe with matching exhaust system and a magna-flow cat was also bolted up.
A link plug-in ECU later added since the stock 3TM was having issues with the cam and some 444cc injectors.


Since then I brought a Autronic SMC ECU for the build. Also brought a JPC upside down style plenum and runners to suit are yet to be made.
After this some of the engine bay wiring has started to be hidden with the help of a few mates.


Not long after this, I had an accident after my front drivers side DBA disk rotor snapped, therefore damaging suspension components,
K-frame and rims by forcing me towards the gutter.
As a result I upgraded my front brakes to a 296mm PBR kit and replaced all the damaged components.


It has since returned to the tarmac and more to come in the near future.
After all the modifications completed and tuned, I hope to be making in excess of 300rwkw and would like aim for 10 second pass in street trim.

Taken at C4C (2007)


Not long after the DBA incident, I upgraded my rims to VE SSV's


But now riding on 20's


More updates to follow soon...

Cheers Mike

[Wagon_Wheel]

Very impressive build up mate, glad to see you stick with it and make it what it is now, and not just buy it off some dude already like that.
How the hell did you snap a rotor? Thats crazy ive never seen that before

[padrickz88]

I've already told you what i think of this car mike, ****ing insane and clean, i love it

looks good with the 20's, looked tuff with the vx gts's and the ssv's but

[Cobez]

Jeez man, i'm not usually a fan of VL's, but yours is real nice and tidy. Just watch those 20" Sig copies, even the 19" copies were prone to the whole rim face snapping clean away from the rest of the rim with a small amount of force (eg: hitting a gutter, small accident etc), so the 20" Sig copies would be even weaker in diameter than the 19" ones.

But yeah it's got the goods man, nice simple basic set up and still pulling 215rwkw! Good work mate you should be proud!

[spike77]

Wagon_Wheel:
Thanks mate
Yeh it has been a while, but it's slowly coming together. Built not bought.
I like to try and do things myself as far as I can do though as I see it's the only way you'll learn and then be able to help others as well.

That was a quality DBA product.
Was driving about 30km/h when I felt something snap and pull me towards the otherside of the road and hit my brakes which were now useless and the front right hit the gutter and the back right went up on the gutter snapping the rod.

padrickz88:
Thanks mate

Cobez
Thanks man
Like I posted in the thread on the sigs...
Cause of an incident or someone over testing the limit of a rim, everyone seems to be against them. Even with the SSV's I was careful over potholes in the road.
I'm aiming for the sleeper look, obviously minus the rims
Hidden cooler, all goodies to be well hidden, etc
When I can get the funds up after the panel/paint repair, I was looking at whitewalled FR 19's
She's still got a bit more to go, as 215 feels slow now... lol
But gotta love the sunroof

[Cobez]

Hell yes, sunroofs FTW!! I couldn't drive a car without one now!! And the FR19's whitewalled would look MINT on your car dude, i really like Simmons FR rims. Nice, tidy, simple, yet a really good looking wheel overall.

[nasty1]

wow this is nice sort of what mine is gona well sposed to look like this time next year.one thing i dont like is the vt rubber around windscreen but hey each to there own

[cxcxcxvcvcvc]

Sweet ride mate!
I love VL Calais, i hope to own one someday and do it up into a real nice streeter!
Its a shame that VL,s cop so much Flak due to young bogans who drive them ect they really are such a nice/tough looking car!!!

[nasty1]

lol bogans drive vn's haha

[STEALTHY™]

Hey mate, have you thought of buying a lip for the front, to help hide the cooler and match the sides?

[Jo3_Blo]

Wow, that looks awesome. Very clean, nothing over the top.

It looks good on every type of rim shown in the pics.

Sunroof is a very nice touch as well. And I've never heard of discs snapping before.......


Oh yeah, tends to be like this - Bogans drive VNs, VLs tend to be more of a wogs thing.

[spike77]

Thanks for the comments

FR's as much as I hated them before, I reckon a set whitewalled would stand out

As with lips... it's a calais, doesn't need them
Plus down the track you won't see those pipes

It's not a VT seal, but a universal one as the VT one is too thin and lets water in just like the factory strips

Ohh when did bogan's drive boats, that's VK owners...

[padrickz88]

lmao screw you mike..... i love my boat!

You have a fair amount of replies for a thread that's a day old :P

We're going to have to take some pics when my car is working right (mine doesn't compare but pics are fun )


btw you still in that repco comp thingy?

[spike77]

Yeh pics aree fun.. tryin to organise a few cars and go take some

Yeh sure am Rick

Please vote... can be done once every 24hrs

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[boonga]

nice vl mate did you do the paint yourself or by a pro and how much did it cost

[Joey_21]

very nice and clean bud nothing over the top which makes a good car a great car not the biggest fan of Vl's but i really like urs have u still got the ssv's lol id buy em off ya lol

[Sav]

looks tuff as spike now with them 20z bro
just dose it.

[padrickz88]

SUTUTUTUTUUTUTUTUTU!

when the auto is good you need to show me your dose man .....


btw "needs spool"

[spike77]

boonga:
Thanks mate
Some of the prep work was done myself, so the rest and the re-spray was done by a mate who I don't talk to now. It has to go back in to get all the ****-ups fixed up and to get my bay smoothed out. I think I got stung 3200

Joey_19:
Thanks
Yeh I'm not into bling bling... lol
The SSV's were traded in for the sigs

Sav:
Thanks bro
Notice any difference from pics to in person??

padrickz88:
LMAO

Gotta sus out where it leaked from last night

SPOOL

[spike77]

Off the road now... gearbox ****ed, sprung a leak

[padrickz88]

ya poor bastard

[eko]

nıce rıde champ do u lıve up ın hallam area by anychance because ı thık ıve seen the car round that area once cant really remember though...keep the good work up nıce rıde

[spike77]

Thnaks mate

Nah, just visiting mates in the area.

Probably seen me at hallam kebabs...

[terry1991]

wow this is a very nice vl and i dont usualy like vls but i like this one and a good write up about what you've done Thanks and good luck
-Terry

[padrickz88]

Probably seen me at hallam kebabs...

muzza............