My 5L VN Berlina Project/Donor..?!

[Zeussy]

Heyya every one, finally got myself a donor 304 engine, only thing is it would be a bit of a shame to break it apart - just needs paint...

Straight as body, 99% rust free,
304 injected, auto,
Extractors, near new exhaust,
H/D towbar,
Tidy as interior,

The roof bonnet and boot were faded/clear coat peeling, so the previous owner scratched it up and re-primed it. So its pretty bogan spec atm. But good bones.

Plans are so far to get it all dialled in, fix the front end - it wanders a little bit, could be the fact it has chopped springs (previous owner) and possibly no wheel alignment? Or bushes, rack etc... Then drive it around fixing other little things that come up, make sure the engines sweet then either re-rego it, or pull it apart for the VH!!

Pics:




















I need ideas, common problems/easy fixes, 'must do' engine mods etc, hoping to learn from everyone else's successes, rather than not know where to begin!!

Kgo...

[Sik_Cordz]

what did the car set you back mate

[Zeussy]

$1435 + a drive into Sydney to pick it up. (1 & 1/2 hours)

[nemesis_adrasteia]

my vote goes to use it as a donor. having multiple projects is a pain.

[Astranomical]

If you have the time and money I'd do it up...with a bit of work (and a respray) that could come up as a really nice car.

[DAVIDC]

my vote goes to use it as a donor. having multiple projects is a pain.

Agree'd.

Chucking all the running gear into the VH would be awesome, plus a lot cheaper than having two half finished cars type thing.

[mr j-man]

hey mate can u tell where the engine loom with the branch wiring to the oil, air and throttlebody plugs runs across the engine?????
cheers mate

[Zeussy]

my vote goes to use it as a donor. having multiple projects is a pain.

LOL, well, the VY is pretty much finished and the VH will 'most likely' go to scrap metal if the VN stays as a whole car... So really only one project car still

But I know what you mean, one car always gets neglected and it seems like you never get anywhere, plus it costs twice as much!

If you have the time and money I'd do it up...with a bit of work (and a respray) that could come up as a really nice car.

Don't really have the time, but will have the money to do either option.
I swear there would have to be a saying along the lines of "you either have the time, or the money to work on cars - not both.."

Pretty much both cars need a respray, VH some rust repairs aswell - not structual, just a bit of fiddling.
All the running gear from the VN will go into the VH, engine, gearbox, front crossmember, shocks, springs, brakes etc... So getting it all running perfectly - mechanically won't be a waste either way.

So now its just the body styles to consider - VN or VH. Aswell as the time and effort to swap it over.

Got til the end of June to figure it out, come to a decision and get it all sorted, (thats when the VN's rego runs out).

Agree'd.

Chucking all the running gear into the VH would be awesome, plus a lot cheaper than having two half finished cars type thing.

Agree'd aswell

I love the look of the VH's, espescially the SLE's. So, an injected 5L in one would be a nice touch!

hey mate can u tell where the engine loom with the branch wiring to the oil, air and throttlebody plugs runs across the engine?????
cheers mate

Um, I'm not 100% sure off the top of my head, (first 5L I've owned/seen in the engine bay!!) can't see much just popping the bonnet but will pull the covers off and have a look, if some one else doesn't beat me to it

[DAVIDC]

SLE's <3

Don't know why, But I have always had a thing for a clean VH SLE, probs blue over silver for me but yeah! Would be interesting : )

[VKCOMMO]

Nice Zeuzzzzzz.. I personally recon you should strip it out and toss the running gear in the VH (you know why), get that going and then see the mods...

[hi_ryder]

if it didnt have power windows and cruise id say off with its head. seems a waste to chop it. but ive seen a vh gettin around with a 5 litre in it and liked what i heard and saw. dosent matter what car gets done theyle both look nice... but one is alot more work than the other, so you gotta think of that too...

[Pub247]

Nice car zeus havent seen this thread till now but trust me keep the VH and put this friveline into it i always regretted selling my VH

[VQ-Assault]

Depends on what you want, you can get VN shells for as cheap as you want, straight VH bodies on the other hand aren't as common. My suggestion take the driveline and everything else you might want for the VH out of the VN, perfect donor car, everything is basically interchangeable and on the VN better than what comes with a VH stock. An injected V8 VH SL/E with retrofitted injected VN drop tank is about as tough as you get

[VKCOMMO]

Depends on what you want, you can get VN shells for as cheap as you want, straight VH bodies on the other hand aren't as common. My suggestion take the driveline and everything else you might want for the VH out of the VN, perfect donor car, everything is basically interchangeable and on the VN better than what comes with a VH stock. An injected V8 VH SL/E with retrofitted injected VN drop tank is about as tough as you get

I agree.

And Hi-Ryder, those bits will be going to a good home... Don't worry

[Zeussy]

SLE's <3

Don't know why, But I have always had a thing for a clean VH SLE, probs blue over silver for me but yeah! Would be interesting : )

Yeah I love SLE's too, soo sexy. A clean VH is sex on wheels. But, mines all hacked up/shaved etc.. So, see if I can find a shell or some doors and start again.
Colours though, is another story! lol. I can't come to a decision for it, will probably go back to original morone, but spiced up a little. I love the look of a gun metal grey, or even a lighter silver...

Nice Zeuzzzzzz.. I personally recon you should strip it out and toss the running gear in the VH (you know why), get that going and then see the mods...

I'm sure you do! We'll see...

if it didnt have power windows and cruise id say off with its head. seems a waste to chop it. but ive seen a vh gettin around with a 5 litre in it and liked what i heard and saw. dosent matter what car gets done theyle both look nice... but one is alot more work than the other, so you gotta think of that too...

Yeah, thats what I was thinking, its a resonably nice car, seems a shame, but I got all emotional over a VP we wrecked a little while ago, and didn't want to pull it apart either!!
I see them (cars) for what they could be, not how bad they are at the moment.

The VH needs a little bit of rust cut out of it, but not irrepairable. Just a few days extra work.

Nice car zeus havent seen this thread till now but trust me keep the VH and put this friveline into it i always regretted selling my VH

For real??! I wish you guys had commented before easter, just before the long weekend I went out and bought all the paint needed for the VN, in a shade similar to the original blue. But a bit more of a silver base to it.
Half way through prepping it as we speak, all those patches of primer on the car when I got it need to be re-done, and a few other bits and pieces...
When I was blocking back the bootlid it looks like somebody had been dancing on it... Ripples/dents all over it - not too bad, came out with a heavy blocking but enough to know that you can't trust other peoples work.

Depends on what you want, you can get VN shells for as cheap as you want, straight VH bodies on the other hand aren't as common. My suggestion take the driveline and everything else you might want for the VH out of the VN, perfect donor car, everything is basically interchangeable and on the VN better than what comes with a VH stock. An injected V8 VH SL/E with retrofitted injected VN drop tank is about as tough as you get

Yeahh, I'm hearing you!!

I've got a few people at home saying "but if you put all that effort into changing it all over to the VH, it will basically be a VN, in a VH shell - spend the time and money on the motor..." etc..
With my response being "well, thats exactly what I want!!!"

Always prefered the VH to a VN anyway.

And, like you're saying everything bolts up, full driveline, suspension brakes etc... Even the diff, just a little too wide, might go on the hunt for a VL Turbo/V8 diff, if I go down that route.

I agree.

And Hi-Ryder, those bits will be going to a good home... Don't worry

Ahahahaaa, We will see!!

Just loading up some pics half way through primer-ing...

[Zeussy]

Pics....

[VKCOMMO]

Primer means you plan to paint doesnt it..

Ive got a great idea, Make this as light as possible, Lose those daggy power windows and have my manual ones

LOL

So you're not going to shave this one?

[VKCOMMO]

Can I make a quick suggestion (as long as its still in primer)

Why not shave over that bit that connects the C pillar to the rear quarter, as well as remove that sort of press bend under the light?



Edit: P Plates???

[Zeussy]

LOL VKC, nah, not shaving this one, every other car I own is shaved. This one was ment to be a donor/temp car anyway, so thought incase I needed to sell it then it might be better to leave it alone.

Seems I've been a bit slack with pics lately, big hours will do that too a bloke!

Got passenger side in colour, pics soon, and now drivers side also in colour, no pics yet, all I can say is don't spray at 4pm if you don't have some where to roll the car out of the evening dew/mist that settles on the car. It ####s the clear, had to redo the bootlid completely, and reclear the passenger side tops of the panels. Shit ####.

Pics uploading now...

Ohh, and I may have bought my sisters HQ 1 Tonner... lolwtf??!! So, this may indeed turn out to be a donor for the VH, as plans so far are to LS1 and T56 the HQ. If not 350 chev carby.

Colour going on...





And some clear...

[Zeussy]

Ohh and P Plates were my girlfriends, she drove the VY back from Sydney when we picked up the VN...

Lets just say the ol' 5L is quicker than the V6 lol.

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Nice job, but shit your neighbours must hate you...

If i was your next door neighbour and i saw you spraying 2K in your driveway, i'd walk out and spray the whole car with a garden hose. Stuff having to get overspray off all my cars because some dude is painting there car next door...

[mr calais 5.0]

Looks like a nice project.. Would love to paint the Calais in pearl white..

[Zeussy]

LOL... Thanks

Nah, neighbours love me, I go and tell them when I'm about to spray, so they put their cars away/in the garage. But this time no neighbours were home.
Goldish Magna was my sister, who arrived after the painting was done. The nearest car - if the neighbours were home would be 20meters or so away...

My VY is always the closest car, never got any over spray on it. Even the VH is over spray free - right next to it!!? lol

[Zeussy]

Looks like a nice project.. Would love to paint the Calais in pearl white..

Cheers mate, its future is still undecided yet, but it should look tidy in the mean time!

All I can say is - there is a shit load of wet rubbing/sanding involved, if you don't want to end up like popeye - on one arm, don't bother lmao,

Nah, it's pretty rewarding when it works out well, I just stare at it while it dries with a big cheesy grin, not sure if its the paint fumes, or...


Pearl white would look mint as, duuiiiiit!

[Krisp]

LOL... Thanks

Nah, neighbours love me, I go and tell them when I'm about to spray, so they put their cars away/in the garage. But this time no neighbours were home.
Goldish Magna was my sister, who arrived after the painting was done. The nearest car - if the neighbours were home would be 20meters or so away...

My VY is always the closest car, never got any over spray on it. Even the VH is over spray free - right next to it!!? lol

direction of wind saved your vh and ive seen 2k stuff all the cars at work from 100 meters away with barely any wind