vn rolling shell, how much effort....

[PUSHIN]

I'm thinking of purchasing a rolling shell, as my boot is pretty severely rusted out, the lip holding on the seal for the boot is VERY bad. and 3 years ago my windscreen was replaced, after it was replaced i was informed there was rust beneath it. -.-' aswell as the previous owner cutting holes in the parcel shelf for speakers, which i have had steel plates welded over the top of. and i'm sure there'd be more. So, i'm thinking instead of paying to get the rust repaired i'll just buy a new body.. i spoke to a few people about it, and one said they knew someone with a vn rolling shell.. apparently it's rust free, straight, factory sunroof, etc etc. apparently it's only missing seats, bumpers, engine and gearbox, probably a few other peices but i'm not too fussed, it's more then i need.

bottom line; What sort of effort will it take to take required parts from my car, and put them into the other one. seats, bumpers, small things like that are simple, but is there any big issues i could come across..? i'm aware changing the engine and transmission most likely won't be the easiest of jobs, but if i'm in need i have people who can help with me with them.. but what other issues could i find..?

Any inputs much appreciated, cheers guys.

[wraith]

Buy another VN that's ready to go. They are cheap as now days anyway so why bother putting any effort into it.

[JustDylan]

I reckon go for it, you know your car is reliable etc. Just make sure to run the rolling shells numbers to make sure it's not defected or anything like that. Seats are really easy, engine and box aren't too hard really, Bumpers are easy. Can't really see any major problems, just check the rollers bushes etc VN'S are like Lego!

[mr calais 5.0]

Should be straight forward swap.. Is the other body have the wiring loom? If not just take lots of pics and number plugs to make it easy..

[lemusa]

All simple stuff if its running the same loom as mr calais said. But there isnt much difference anyway as long as its a 6. Engine and gearbox are very simple to do, heaps of room

[Andrew426]

All simple stuff if its running the same loom as mr calais said. But there isnt much difference anyway as long as its a 6. Engine and gearbox are very simple to do, heaps of room

Even if its an 8 body, its still a pretty easy swap to put a 6 into it. Im doing it on my VP, il start a thread tomorrow maybe

[wortus]

What version of the VN motor was in the rolling shell? If it's the VP tye you will need to change a bit of wiring and you won't be able to use your current radiator etc. When you get the rolling shell it might be a good time to check the front end and replace any bushes that are shagged and check things like the bearing plates etc.

[PUSHIN]

not 100% sure of all details, my vn is a s1 calais 6. this shell has factory sunroof, vy power window switch's were mentioned... guess thats a plus? lol. but yes, to my knowledge they will be leaving most, if not all of the wiring. i don't know if it's series 1 or two, or even if it's 3.8 or 5l, i'll have to find these things out.

Thank you everyone for the unputs! i've changed, removed and refitted my front and rear bumpers many of times, no issue at all there. the engine and box were my main concern, however i've changed engine and transmission mounts before, so i didn't think i was a no-hoper.. bushes and all the rest of it, i'll most likely be taking the suspension out of my current vn for the roller, as i dont know what it has, and i know i have ultra low rears, fairly decent adjustable panhard rod, etc etc. but i'll suss all this stuff out, had more then enough money spent on various items on my car to know what thing will cost to fix, should be alright another thing i'm thinking, is while i've got a roller sitting there, i should maybe convert my auto to a manual..? i'll most likely end up doing it within 12 months after anyway, would it be worth getting it over and done with then and there..?

Thank you very much for all inputs everybody, much appreciated!

(And the reason i want to go to so much effort is, i already purchased a vn before, i dont wanna make that mistake again i've put WELL over $10k into that shitbox, and it DOES NOT look like it, runs well, i trust it. took a bloody long time to get it to this point, alot of things buggered up and whatnot, but it got there. pretty much, i spent far too much on it to give it up completely. probably take as much as i can use from it aswell. i shall look forward to this project, thank you for all inputs!)

[PUSHIN]

i'm yet to get the body numbers for this car, let alone look at it, i've been told there was a website i could search the number on, and it would bring up the info on the vehicle (stolen, write off, etc etc) is this true or just plain bullsh**? i've also been told i can call vicroads, and retrieve the same information.

Another small question i have is about the sunroof, on further research there was APPARENTLY... NO factory VN with a sunroof, out of a dealer YES, but from factory NO. again not 100%, i didn't even call holden to verify this yet, just the places i found this information seemed pretty straightforward and correct, i'll be soon to find out, but i was told to 'press' on either side of the sunroof, (not sure if they mean the sunroof itself, or the roof..) to see if there was any structural support done whilst the installation of the sunroof was in progress, i was told that if not, the car could fold, not real keen on that, so if anyone could give any info on this would be much appreciated, and also if it turns out it DOESN'T have good structure, what would it take for me to make it strong enough to get an engineer to give it a go ahead and then pass a roadworthy.(even if the engineers say so is NOT needed, i'd rather get their two bobs worth aswell, as IMO they should know best.) i NEED my car to be safe, i will not drive something that's unroadworthy. or i know it's a long shot, but could i call the nearest holden dealer and ask if they could tell me if it was done at a dealer or not..? (as i said i know its a long shot, just wondering if anyone knows if they could possibly find out or anything..?) any information would be much appreciated, as obviously i'm no professional, and as i said i feel as though my car HAS to be safe, or i will not want to drive it. Thank you anyone for any help.

[VKCOMMO]

AS far as I am aware, Sunroofs for Holden aren't out of the factory.. All are dealer optioned..

[PUSHIN]

i was told i think it was vt onwards or something arather had SOME factory, like monaro's and whatnot. again, not sure but yeah, thanks for the verification mate, no idea how i could verify if it was dealer optioned or a home job, or even done by a sonroof company..? thanks mate!

[Andrew426]

to see if there was any structural support done whilst the installation of the sunroof was in progress, i was told that if not, the car could fold, not real keen on that, so if anyone could give any info on this would be much appreciated, and also if it turns out it DOESN'T have good structure, what would it take for me to make it strong enough to get an engineer to give it a go ahead and then pass a roadworthy.(even if the engineers say so is NOT needed, i'd rather get their two bobs worth aswell, as IMO they should know best.) i NEED my car to be safe, i will not drive something that's unroadworthy. or i know it's a long shot, but could i call the nearest holden dealer and ask if they could tell me if it was done at a dealer or not..? (as i said i know its a long shot, just wondering if anyone knows if they could possibly find out or anything..?) any information would be much appreciated, as obviously i'm no professional, and as i said i feel as though my car HAS to be safe, or i will not want to drive it. Thank you anyone for any help.

I wouldnt worry about it mate, if the car has been driving around for 10-20 years without breaking in half, chances are its not going to any time soon.

Plus, I caved the roof in on a VR I was scrapping a few weeks ago, and I can tell you the strength of the roof is down the sides (tops of the door frames and pillars), not in the skin.

[PUSHIN]

ah fair enough mate Thank you very much for your input, but eh kinda lean against it anyway. i went to a local panel shop today.. ripped my boot open and asked him to have a look at the damage done from a pathetic childish accident (Which someone won't take responsibility for, dunno if it's previously stated, but a couple of months ago someone rammed the back of my car, i wasnt even driving, doing 60km, probably hit me at 70.. so i've noticed that the weld underneath my tail light on the left hand side is completely broken, all the way back to the boot seal.. and the other sides all warped and cracked as well, plus not to mention all the rust through out my boot, i assumed it wouldnt be worth fixing, would just be too hard. so went to the panel shop, and they said it'd be far cheaper to buy a roller and go from there, so now my concern is, where do i find a straight rust free shell to suit a vn. i have a full car, all i'd like to get is the body, i guess including doors, windows, and a boot, doesnt need bumpers, nor front guards o r anything probably carpet, wiring and dash just for the convenience. plus my dash is pretty well rooted because of the previous owner, when you start pulling it apart.. its a bit deformed underneath, i dont even understand how to properly disassemble it. i looked up on here, went back on mine and was like oh.. this isn't the same.. thats a problem. -.- so that would be nice if icould get a dash too, if not i can just buy one, not hard. but does anyone have any idea where i could pick up a straight rust free shell with roughly (give/take..) those parts on it, and what it would cost me? (i understand theres a fair possibility i'll end up with a diff, struts, etc to make it roll. dont really mind. just yeah, neeeed the body and the other parts would be convenient to get. any help much appreciated, thanks guys.

[Pub247]

Haha i got one you already know that mines perfect for what you want

[PUSHIN]

hmm anyone have any good ideas on how i could move an empty shell, (completely bare, no wheels.) from a trailer, to the back of my yard..? can anyone tell me the rough weight on the full bare empty shell of a vn? Cheers!

[hi_ryder]

can you throw some stockys on it? just for rolling... or are the suspension bits gone too? it would be heaps easier