Sam's 304 VN BT1

[savage1987]

So I'm in Sydney for a while and I needed a car here to get by until my LS1 one can be brought over from Perth next year...

I was going to buy a real cheap VN V6 and just fix it up and drive it around but then I just thought "bugger it i want another 5L" so I looked around online and found a 304 VN just around the corner. Automatic, but it was close by and looked OK in the photos so I figured I'd be dumb not to at least go and have a look.

Anyway turned out that was a top idea, because I've owned it for a bit over two months now and I'm pretty happy with it.

When I bought it, it already had the exhaust done - HSV 185i package short 4-1 headers, and a single 2.5" cat-back that has a mean burble to it, although I would change this in a perfect world to a true dual 2.5", twin cats, with some nice long tri-Ys just for the sound and probably dump before the diff just like my old VR 304 . It also already had the tint done (dark!) and the bucket seats in it which I do like.

Also it was already lowered with the 16" SV89 wheels on it, which I LOVE and will not change! I think it gives it a very era-muscle look, you might disagree but it's exactly how I like it. Tough.

Oh, and it only had 140,000km !! on it according to the clock which is potentially extremely wrong, but the overall condition of the car does seem to agree with it.





Enough words, here you go





















OF COURSE I couldn't leave it alone. As much as my intention was to buy it and drive it and not fall in love, I can't help myself.

• Stereo done: decent head unit, AD6 splits for the front with VS door pods, RE audio 4channel amplifier and a 15" FLI sub (until my 15" memphis arrives) (thanks to Joe from shoppingsecure.com)Air intake: flexi pipe run straight down from bottom of lower airbox to the front bar, using some fiddly but good top secret hints from greenfoam that my life probably depends on me keeping to myself
• Fuel tank: sprayed up silver to show it off, mandatory for long range tanks in my opinion (others will disagree), breather lines redone
• Slotted front brakes
• A very large transmission cooler plumbed in-line after the factory one
• L3 instrument cluster (thanks to 88greenVN on justcommodores forums)
• Greenfoam tune

That's all I can think of for now.

Sam

[VKCOMMO]

Nice Sam

When can we see it?????

Agreed about the tank being sprayed

[savage1987]

when I can be bothered taking it out on a cruise, probably not til next year.

[wrx884]

looks great Sam and i must aggree the rims do set it off nicely and make it look mean deff dont change them. tho i would b considering an engine swap and have the LS1 in this and the 5L in the other ahaha

[88GreenVN]

Those plugs arrived in good order Sam - thanks.

[mischa]

Hello fellow white VN BT1 304 owner Looks alot cleaner then mine!

[Krisp]

dont like it, looks like a hotted up camry

[88GreenVN]

dont like it, looks like a hotted up camry

Get some glasses - it's a white VN - nothing like a camra

[savage1987]

Krisp, hahaha!! for a second your comment had me a little confused, but I saw the tata and I understand now

cheers guys,

as for engine swaps, no I don't think so, however maybe MAYBE if I decide to keep this car I'd turbocharge it

[DERTY]

sits perfect

[VKCOMMO]

Sam, Your handbrake is down.. Just letting you know.. LOL

[fuzzy2308]

Looks tuff. the front seats are ugly imo other that it looks hella tuff.

[savage1987]

Sam, Your handbrake is down.. Just letting you know.. LOL

hey champ, it's a VN. The handbrake, as per factory specs, barely works.

In 300,000 or so km of owning my LS1 VN when it still had a V6 auto in it, I found that the park pin in the gearbox works fine unaided in most/all situations.

Now that she's a 6 speed, leaving it in gear does the trick.

So yes, I know that my handbrake is down.

[VKCOMMO]

ahaha.. Fair enough.. Well just to show off.... Mine works

Those rims are the same as walkies arent they?

[savage1987]

ahaha.. Fair enough.. Well just to show off.... Mine works

Those rims are the same as walkies arent they?

Yes. PS, both my handbrakes do work, I'm just not in the habit of using them because I don't see the need.

[HamaTime™]

Still looks good all these months later Sam!

[savage1987]

Thanks man, she is in Townsville with me now

Not sure if I'll keep or sell and move on to another daily.. will give it consideration over the coming months.

Or just sell it and end up using a cam and heads LS1 VN for a daily.. but that might be pushing the boundaries of sensible.. (seems actually like something I would do.. is a possibility for sure)

[wnt 17]

mate this is so so clean its fun driven something thats camed and drinks fuel like its going out of fashion my vn with in less than 1 hour driven it gose throw half a tank of fuel
but i reckon u keep it some one else will distroy it

[savage1987]

Yeah it's a tricky choice. I'm pretty sure if I keep it I will eventually go overboard with it, which financially is something I don't need at this point in my life - one project car is quite enough to keep me occupied for now. I know it'd probably just get thrashed and crashed if I sell it off, but it would give me room to go down a different path and maybe buy another BMW, or heaven forbid a Jap import, just to learn the ropes of a new scene.

Having said that, I'd probably end up spending just as much if not more on any of those cars as I will on this one.


Turbo 5L.. anyone live near here with a welder?

[88GreenVN]

Sam - is on line - WOW. How the hell are you young fella?

I have the 88 wagon back in my keeping

[savage1987]

I'm doing great thanks Shane

Good news on the wagon!

I still need to sort out my intermittent issue with the trip computer fuel readouts in this car also I've been lazy! Although I'm starting to suspect it's an earthing issue.. I'll revisit the head unit install as that's dodgy, hopefully something will sort itself out.


As for the other car, well there are some big things in the works for the LS1 I'm getting excited


I'm only online stealing my mate's internet at the moment but as soon as telstra get their act together I will be here properly again

[savage1987]

There's a set of front brakes on the way for this car - 330mm GrpA rotors with 4pot skyline calipers.

Hopefully they fit under the 16s, because if not I will sell the brakes off again ..

[savage1987]

I am looking for opinions / feedback on gilmer kits for these. Procomp's $250 offering would do the trick, but, well, it's Procomp... and ever since I saw what happened to a set of Procomp timing gears in a 304 I owned previously (were in there when I got it) I can't say I've much faith in their products at all.

Then there's this one for $390 with air con on a V belt and the other two belts are gilmer .. HOLDEN V8 POWER STEERING & AIR CON. GILMER KIT...NEW | eBay

And this one for $450 with all three belts upgraded. .. HOLDEN V8 POWER STEERING & AIR CON. GILMER KIT...NEW | eBay



Thoughts? Not really keen on this becoming a 'should I or shouldn't I' sort of discussion, because I'm quite set on where I want this car to end up and this is in the plan


Cheers
Sam

[savage1987]

I have an annoying metallic knock/rattle coming from the front/centre/somewhere in this car that is really pissing me off.

Only happens on uneven surfaces, and only after driving for ~1/2 hr or so, once things have really warmed up.

When the car is hot I can bounce the front left corner up and down and hear it clearly. Getting down beside the passenger wheel it seems to be coming from up near the starter motor so I'm stuffed if I know what it could be

This lead me to think engine mount related, but I popped the bonnet and did the load test in forward and reverse, nothing unusual and no knock / rattle.

I went hunting under the car for things it could be, and saw that my transmission fluid metal lines aren't held on by all the brackets they should be, so I cable tied them to some stuff to hold them away from things.. this could still be the problem I guess but the location doesn't seem to line up.

Anything else commonly die in these?

Checked auto mount for any missing bolt as I know 5 litres have a habit of throwing those onto the road which usually manifests as a vibration in 3rd gear, but they all seem fine.

It sounds like a suspension bush is missing from inside the car but I checked everything is mounted ok and bushes still present

[savage1987]

OK this is starting to make me really crazy

I'm thinking the rattle is actually less of a rattle and more of a creak in a joint somewhere. I got the car up on a raised ramp setup and stood under it while a mate bounced the front end up and down. It seems to be coming from somewhere on the passenger side control arm, but listening under the car is useless - seems to come from EVERYWHERE - so we're pretty much going by feel. I thought I pinpointed it to the bush to the K-frame. I took that bolt out this morning and re-greased it (was bone dry), because a couple of wear marks on that bolt suggested it may have been grabbing on the bush's inner sleeve. I was pretty sure that between that and the auto transmission hard lines I sleeved in rubber the other night that I would surely have cured the rattle/creak/whatever.



Fail.




Now I have a new theory that I may have been in the right place but done the wrong thing - there's a fair bit of slop between that bolt and the bush sleeve. Seems to me that bolt is smaller than it should be (>1mm play). It's the bolt, not the sleeve, as I checked it against a new set of the same bushes I have in the shed. How much play is there meant to be in those, if any? I'd be guessing none, and that could be my stupid bloody noise :P



Honestly need to fix this bastard. It's gotten to the point now that I'm getting embarrassed to drive it, because it's such a nicely presented car that just has this one MASSIVE FAIL (it's quite a loud noise). The most embarrassing part for me is that I have tried all these things and cannot seem to fix it. I really hate driving it solely for that reason now







Anyway tonight I decided to fix a couple of other things that have been bugging me on the car.

Got the high mount brake light working (just needed the socket fished out from under the parcel shelf, and a new bulb)
Painted the sub box black (still looks like a shitty MDF box but at least it's not MDF coloured any more so it doesn't grab your eyes so much)
Sort of half fixed the interior light in the roof; the map lights were a bit hit or miss, you'd often have to hit the assembly to make them work. Figured out what needed adjusting - a little metal contact needed bent slightly on each map light. First one went perfect, second one broke its shitty plastic mount so I'll have to find a whole new part at a wrecker
Fixed up the glove box light - needed a globe
Tried fixing the boot light but it stays on permanently (guessing a failed switch because pressing it does nothing) so I unplugged that again.



Also gave the car a solid clean underneath with a big ass industrial pressure cleaner, 20 years of shit peeled away and left it actually looking pretty nice




Still preparing to sell this car, just need to get it roadworthy checked and transfer into QLD rego, then it's time to seriously advertise Not going to be easy, I will miss it.