3 Months and a VS Acclaim to play with.

[LuciusFox]

Hey guys I have a VS Acclaim. It's a '96 model I think and it's my first car. The guy that had it for about 9 or so years treated pretty poorly so I'm going to get it looking nice. Here are my questions:

1. I have washed it,replaced the fluids, cleaned the interior and am currently getting replacement parts for the broken dash ad some carseat covers. Is there anything else that's basic that I should do?

2. How do I get the inside door cover thing off, I can't google it without it's name. The door unlocks remotely but won't lock so I need to get in there.

3. Do you guys reccomend anything else in general? I'll get around to doing the performance upgrades and power windows in due time but not before the easier stuff is done.

[F l a k]

Welcome to the forums mate.

You could get some floor mats, ditch the mud guards, if they have them, give it a detail (as in a polish and wax).

Ok, you mean the door trim? Your best bet is to buy a workshop manual, you can get them from any parts store. Gregorys ones seem to be the go. It'll have all the info you need. But before you get stuck in, spray some teflon lube in there, mine did the same thing and that fixed it. I put it in all the locks as well and they felt much nicer.

But basically, you remove the circlip from under the window winder and pull it off (a trim removal tool helps for this job), then pull out the orange plastic part of the lock with a small flat bladed screwdriver (or the removal tool), the pull the lock and stuff out.

Pry out the cover on the armrest, unplug and pull out the mirror control. Pull out the armrest and airvents, levering from the inside of the car. After that you pry off the trim, it's held on by push pins all around the outside. That should get you close

And for 3 I rekon do wheels, tint, brakes and suspension before any power upgrades. But once you get there hit up MACE for some bolt on goodness. Other things are just replace whatever is worn or broken and make sure everything is mechanically good before adding anything.

[seq4x4]

Have you done a major service? Checked brakes? Checked for error codes? That would be a good start.

[LuciusFox]

Thanks for the tips. I'll try the lube bit first and if that doesn't work the wrecker might have that workshop manual. I haven't done a major service, only small stuff myself like new brake pads and a water pump gasket.

[LuciusFox]

I took a look at the MACE website. Most of the stuff there looks nice but what do you guys reccomend I start with? I was looking at the cold air intake as it looked relatively cheap and easy to drop in compared to their other stuff.
COLD AIR INTAKE TO SUIT HOLDEN VR-VS V6 - Mace Engineering Group

As always any advice is appreciated.

[FstStig]

CAI with a K&N High Flow Panel Filter and 2.5" exhaust. Apart from what has been suggested, just give it a major service, Oil, Oil Filter, Fuel Filter, Transmission service (Gasket, filter and oil), Drop the Diff Oil, Spark Plugs, give the throttle body a clean and also the Plenum.

[F l a k]

Do a search about the MACE stuff, you'll find your answer but basically spacers and a CAI. PM Steve and if you get a few things together he might be able to do a bit of a deal

[seq4x4]

He said timing belt... I think you mean timing chain..

[LuciusFox]

[ strike ]Thanks but what's a spacer? Do you mean a wheel spacer? What purpose do they serve? I googled it but they gave me mostly 'don't do it' results. [ / strike ]

EDIT: Just had a another look at the CAI and I think you meant a manifold spacer. So I'll just order them together off the site and bolt them in when they arrive. Thanks guys!

[dwerbnok]

im pretty sure the mace spacer is to lengthen the intake runners to increase power/torque evenness? im not 100% sure about that one though. i have been modding my ecotec vs acclaim for a few months now and have found that a combination of polishing the intake plenum, moving the AFM closer to the engine and installing a pod filter have given me noticeable results and all up it has cost me around $40. either way i doubt you will get very much power out of an NA ecotec without spending mega dollars but if you only want to make it a little bit quicker and nicer to drive then trying to work on how the engine breathes will give you results for very little money. if you want a decent amount of power for the money look into installing a supercharged l67 engine, thats what im going to be keeping busy with over the next few months

[LuciusFox]

I'm not looking to turn it into a beast. I just want to make it nicer to drive and personalize it a little bit. I want it to look and feel like one of those cars where you might say, this car's been looked after. I can't get a supercharger for my engine because I'm still on my P's and that little plate in my back window gets me all the attention I could possibly want from the police.

Log:

10/11/2011
Went to the wreckers and got a new airbag, buttons and a glovebox lock. Bought some more coolant and filled it up. Interior wise it's looking a little beaten up there the door trims have been removed but it's clean. Found a dragon airfreshener, it looks nice.

11/11/2011
Washed it, vacuumed and polished it. The Airbag needs a torx screwdriver so I'll buy one of those around the same time I get it serviced in about 2 weeks.

15/11/2011
Got the cash ready for a rundown of what needs servicing. I will service it with my father to understand the car better.
Was given some front seat wool covers. Very comfy and clean, not old or damaged looking.
Bought a better conditon airbag vinyl front to replace the old one with.

22/11/2011
Got my CAI and plenum spacer in the mail today. Installed them and also cleaned the windows and wheels. The plenum was black on the insie probably from year of neglect, cleaned it up.

26/11/2011
Organised to get an exhaust. It's almost funny how I've got all these things for my car and still haven't fixed the fundamental problem of the serpentine belt.

10/12/2011
Installed exhaust. Very easy job just a couple of bolts.

19/12/2011
Got my gas retuned. Runs pretty well now but I'm out of money. Might get the other stuff one day and the service is sceduled for over christmas if all goes well.

Still needs:
New serpentine belt.
Window tinting.

Service
-Brakes
-Suspension
-Oil changes

[dwerbnok]

yeah i totally get what you are wanting from you car pretty much the same as me, and i didnt realise you were on your Ps :P if you work on your suspension and brakes youll be able to drive the car much faster without any more power...

[LuciusFox]

Hey after reading your post I started paying attention to how mine handles. Argh, It's so bad! I never noticed how much it bounces around before it's like it has no suspension at all.

[PplateVs]

Mace engineering is the way to go series 3 memcal and a 25mm plenum spacer made my car more responsive cold air induction and exhurst

[James39]

Still needs:
New timing belt.

Known as a serpentine belt.

[Fun_Bucket]

I'm still lost at the thread title what does 3 months mean?

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

I would hazard a guess and say that's the time he has to play with it?

Any exhaust, suspension or brake parts you need I can do them at good price.

[LuciusFox]

Mace engineering is the way to go series 3 memcal and a 25mm plenum spacer made my car more responsive cold air induction and exhurst

I have a 12mm Plenum spacer and the MACE CAI. I'm not going to buy a new memcal just yet but I'll keep it in mind.

NAAF your PM quota is full. Just confirming it's IRS and I sent you the payment via PayPal. If I need any other parts I'll keep you in mind Thanks.