VN Calais 355

[thewhisper17]

Bought the car from Victoria 3 months ago(May), picked it up at 11pm, drove straight back to sydney, back at work 7.30am next morning. Very tired during the day...
Spent a bit of coin getting this car roadworthy and back to a good standard. It's now registered and running a lot better than when I first got it. Bloke I bought it off, said that its making 187rwkw.
I doubt that though seeing the condition it was in. After a proper tune, fuel pump upgrade and the new intake manifold, hopefully it should be making between 220-230rwkw.
Fuel economy at the moment is shit, only getting about 240kms to a tank.

Feel free to leave any comments. Always good to get other people's thoughts and ideas.

Car: 1989 VN Calais Series 1

Engine: 304i stroked to 355i, 10.5:1 compression courtesy of some Hypertek pistons, bearings and rings,
304 Crane hid cam, bigger injectors, roller rockers, shaved head

Odometer: Dash - 299700, Motor - 55,000

Exhaust: Stock headers, standard cat, 2.5" cat-back piping.

Gearbox: 5 speed manual

Colour: Two-tone champagne gold and silver

Exterior: Standard

Interior: Standard

Diff: Non LSD 3.08

Suspension: Front - Monroe GT Gas struts, Lovell springs
Rear - Pedders Sports Ryders, Pedders Touring Springs

Brakes: Front - Slotted rotors(standard v8 size), Bendix GCT pads
Rear - DBA slotted rotors, Bendix GCT pads.

Wheels: 16x7 VN SV5000

Tyres: Front - Bridgestone Adrenalin RE002 225/50/16
Rear - Bridgestone Adrenalin RE001 225/50/16

Bad Points:
Plastic gearstick surround broken
Needs new rubber boot seal
Instrument panel surround missing trip computer button
Needs dyno tune
Exhaust manifold leak
Rust under LHR door rubber
Carpet in boot is needs re-laying
Daggy interior
Tie rod ends
Inner lower control arm bushes(urethane)
Castor rod bushes
2 x rear tyres
Needs a better exhaust system
Rocker cover gaskets

What I've Done:
All 4 power window regulators
All 4 central locking actuators
New alarm + immobiliser
Replaced ignition barrel(had to start it with a screwdriver when I first bought it)
Rear shocks and springs(Pedders Sports Ryder shocks, Pedders Touring Spring)
LHR & LHF Door Seal
Replaced both tail light looms
Reversing lights re-wired
Horn re-wired
Replaced pod filter with stock airbox w/ high-flow lid
Spark plugs, engine oil, oil filter, K&N air filter, fuel filter, new radiator cap, brake fluid, 9mm Eagle leads
New rear tyres
Slotted front rotors + new pads
Slotted rear rotors + new pads
New master cylinder
New exhaust piping from cat-back
Replaced globes behind the instrument panel
Adjusted the handbrake
SAAS steering wheel
Bought engine covers
HSV Hi-flow airbox lid
RH hi-beam globe
VN SV5000 wheels 16x7 w/ RE002 Adrenalin 225/50/16 x4
Replaced tired diff with a lower km diff from VN SS, spray painted it chassis black
Upper and lower trailing arm heavy duty rubber bushes, urethane swaybar link-pin & D-bushes
Replaced tailshaft centre-bearing
80ltr long range fuel tank with a single in-tank Wahlbro 255l/hr hi-flow pump
Fuel pump relay
Second hand R/H side bracket for rear bumper bar
Replaced front struts(Monroe GT Gas)
New strut boots and bump stops
Nolathane Adjustable strut tops
New front upper spring seats
New lower ball joints
Procomp Output Coil
Second hand L/F body bracket for the front bumper
DBA Slotted Rear rotors with Bendix GCT pads
Alpine Head unit, Kicker front speakers(mounted in VR/VS factory door pods), Kicker rear speakers, Kicker 12"sub and Kicker amps

Future Plans:
C.O.M.E. Racing Intake Twin Throttle Manifold
Braided brake lines (F + R)
VN/VP SS bodykit and spoiler(?)
VY/VZ SS complete interior
1 3/4 extractors, twin hi-flow cats, 3" mandrel-bent to a twin dump-pipe tip
Air-Fuel ratio gauge
Bigger brake set-up (343mm front rotors, 315mm rear rotors)
VE Thunder Charcoal Grey respray
VN SS letterbox grill
Inner lower control arm bushes(urethane)
Castor rod bushes(urethane)
Oil cooler
Gearbox cooler
Low 12sec 1/4 mile

Pictures:

[thewhisper17]

Bought a complete set yesterday for $150. Fairly good nick, soon to go on once I've put new 225/50/16 Adrenalins on them.

[MADSS]

She looks pretty straight, some 3.9's and come manifold and its happy days.

SS kit will look cool. you may aswell paint it atlas grey if your putting the ss kit on.

[thewhisper17]

Yeah, grey seems to fit commodores well.
Spoke to the guys at Silverwater Auto Services, pretty happy with what they had to say. I'll be taking the calais down there soon so they can put on the new manifold, upgrade the fuel pump, put a new set of headers and a hi-flow cat on and give it a good dyno tune. Lad I spoke to, reckons I'll probably get around 240-250rwkw mark, all going well.

[MADSS]

Yeah, grey seems to fit commodores well.
Spoke to the guys at Silverwater Auto Services, pretty happy with what they had to say. I'll be taking the calais down there soon so they can put on the new manifold, upgrade the fuel pump, put a new set of headers and a hi-flow cat on and give it a good dyno tune. Lad I spoke to, reckons I'll probably get around 240-250rwkw mark, all going well.

Did you get a qoute for the tune mate???

i woundn't worry about hiflow cat, your standard will be just fine.

[thewhisper17]

Excluding headers and the cat, looking around the $1400 to $2000, depending on if they find any problems.

[88GreenVN]

Have you changed the engine covers around? they are on backwards

355 on a single pegger - LSD will help get the power down.

[thewhisper17]

I don't see how they're on backwards. :S
Yeah, bloody oath. I'll be getting a 3.45 LSD soon. Just gotta source a good one.

[Bz Kn33z]

The gap on the top covers are suppose to be at the back not the front. so you just swap then over

[thewhisper17]

Picked up a disc to disc 3.08 LSD from a VN SS off ebay. Should be better than the single pegger I have now...
Changed the engine covers. Looks better. :P

Sprayed the calipers today.

[thewhisper17]

Pulled the rotors and calipers off the diff that I bought. Gonna rebuild the calipers, new slotted rotors, new pads, new hubs, brake shoes, handbrake cable(s) and re-spray it, put new bushes in when I bolt it in under the car. Will be much better than the single legger I have now...

[MADSS]

I have 3.45 diff gears if your interested.

[thewhisper17]

I have 3.45 diff gears if your interested.

I am interested. How much and what car are they from?

[MADSS]

I am interested. How much and what car are they from?

VL turbo and chasing $130.

[thewhisper17]

Over the past 4 days, I've taken out the old diff, and started to prep everything for the new diff. New upper and lower trailing bushes, urethane swaybar bushes and urethane link-pin bushes. Also painted all the trailing arms, the new diff, rotor hubs, swaybar, link-pins and panhard rod 'chassis black'. I'll post some photos tomorrow of the work done so far.

Had a closer look at the diff center, and it turns out it isn't an LSD. Feeling pretty ripped off. My own fault though, should have checked before handing over the money. At least
this diff is in much better condition. Thinking about rebuilding the old diff; new axles, new LSD center, 3.45 gears, etc, eventually.

[thewhisper17]

Finally put a long range tank in and a hi-flow fuel pump, made a big difference. Will post pictures later on today.

The long range tank before it went in.


And some recent pictures of the car.

[AtlasGrey]

Hows the car going mate, did you sort it out?

[AtlasGrey]

Any updates??