Just Got VS S pack ute.. suggestions for mods.. ima newbie

[mr_knockers]

Hey guys,
recently picked up my VS S pack ute for about $10k
only about 92,000kms, kept in real good condition,
as far as i can tell everything is still stock standard.
i was thinking getting full exhaust system from extractors
all the way through.. and perhaps twin pipes with a good note
how much you reckon that would cost? and what else should i do???


Cheeerrs

[rcnugget]

cold air intake, get foam on these forums and buy a new tune from him

10k isnt that a bit much for a VS S ? unless it is a SIII?

[jokerflingo]

It sucks you may have paid 10k but try get it insured for that amount and it aint gonna happen. Supposedly my Holden VS Series II 1997 Ute that is in brilliant condition is only worth $6100 if i got compo for it yet i paid $7000 and in Redbook its worth nothing.

Redbook

It truely sucks as these utes are very rare and sort after and worth much more then people think as you have found out also.
What do we do about it?

Thanks
Matt

[apoc585]

my old 97 VS II Spack ute was insured for 12k at the beginning of the year.

As for mods...
CAI & Exhaust(inc headers) definate firsts.
I'd then go with ported heads, plenum & TB (i got mine for nothing cos a mate did them for me, but it made a huge difference) I also got new spark plugs and leads at the same time.

When i got my ecotec, it ran so much better once i replaced everything. ie. spark plugs and leads, oil, oil filter, air filter etc. just having cleaner stuff on the engine helps.

[jokerflingo]

Please explain how and who you went with for insurance was it agreed value because my father tried that with AAMI the other day and she said the agreed value was the market value which was a miserable $6100, which was $900 less then what we paid for it and about $2500 less then what others around my area are selling for. For some reason here in SA these Utes and many others hold their value very well but why is insurance such a pain in the arse? I thought agreed was where you agree on a price with the insurer not just the market value

Any tips please? And where were u from?
Thanks
Matt

my old 97 VS II Spack ute was insured for 12k at the beginning of the year.

As for mods...
CAI & Exhaust(inc headers) definate firsts.
I'd then go with ported heads, plenum & TB (i got mine for nothing cos a mate did them for me, but it made a huge difference) I also got new spark plugs and leads at the same time.

When i got my ecotec, it ran so much better once i replaced everything. ie. spark plugs and leads, oil, oil filter, air filter etc. just having cleaner stuff on the engine helps.

[mr_knockers]

I've found out now it seems a bit much.. it is only SII but in saying that its a manual,
which seems more rare.. even though market value doesnt seem to agree :/
not to sure about insurance, im paying about $900 for it.
"CAI & Exhaust(inc headers)" how much am i looking at for that?
and "get foam on these forums and buy a new tune from him"
who or what is foam?

thanks for the help so far guyss

[undar8ed1]

cold air intake, get foam on these forums and buy a new tune from him

10k isnt that a bit much for a VS S ? unless it is a SIII?

For a sedan it would be, but utes tend to sell for that, or more.

[undar8ed1]

Hi, good score on the ute 92,000 for 10k is a good find though a V8 would have made it a absolute bargain, as for mods you`ve got 147Kw at the fly wheel/engine right now and less weight than a sedan so your in a good position already.
As for mods, go the usual CAI, (but don`t buy the bottom of the air box that you need to fit it, because you can use the old one and just mod the hole to make it bigger see the How to link I`ve added (you can also use a soldering iron to cut the plastic)., then of course get a good flowing exhaust, but not two big as you will lose bottom end and some tourqe ie..don`t do the twin pipes
unless there twin 1" jobbies, lol.
Holden CAI Installation

[apoc585]

im in sydney, i went with just car insurance... people say bad things about them but they looked after me and covered me for every mod i did to the ute, and i got the payout when i crashed. the only thing that really changes is the excess which goes up with age, license losses etc.

as for the CAI, an easy one for the ecotec is the supercharged v6 one off ebay. its too easy to install and utilises ur exsisting setup. and buy a good panel filter(lukey or B&M or something. ive heard K&N panel filters arent great but not sure)

for an exhaust, best thing ive heard is extractors and a single 2.5inch system all the way. opens it right up.

Foamy is a member on this forum known for doing quite good tunes, i dont know as i havent used him but i will be soon. the exact username is 'Greenfoam'. Best way to contact him is on ebay... he goes by 'nicefrog' as far as i remember.

getting a manual VS ute isnt as hard as it seems, you just gotta be lucky... i got mine for 7k, it was a bog stock white 5spd. but most go for up to about 10k so hope its in good nic.

best of luck

[undar8ed1]

im in sydney, i went with just car insurance... people say bad things about them but they looked after me and covered me for every mod i did to the ute, and i got the payout when i crashed. the only thing that really changes is the excess which goes up with age, license losses etc.

as for the CAI, an easy one for the ecotec is the supercharged v6 one off ebay. its too easy to install and utilises ur exsisting setup. and buy a good panel filter(lukey or B&M or something. ive heard K&N panel filters arent great but not sure)

for an exhaust, best thing ive heard is extractors and a single 2.5inch system all the way. opens it right up.

Foamy is a member on this forum known for doing quite good tunes, i dont know as i havent used him but i will be soon. the exact username is 'Greenfoam'. Best way to contact him is on ebay... he goes by 'nicefrog' as far as i remember.

getting a manual VS ute isnt as hard as it seems, you just gotta be lucky... i got mine for 7k, it was a bog stock white 5spd. but most go for up to about 10k so hope its in good nic.

best of luck

Remember, this guy is from W.A, so it is as hard as it seems, and as expensive as it seems to.

[mr_knockers]

thanks fer all ur help guyss, and mine is manual 5spd as well;; they are rather rare here in WA
im gonna go start looking at pricin everythin up now,, ny recommendations of wheres cheap?

[TA 91 WA]

For the air filter, Simota have an air filter supposedly better than K&N's but confirmation I will need as I have not seen a 1 v 1 product review yet.

Cold air intake is about $60? Someone back me up on this one? eBay is the place for those or your local Holden spares.

Exhaust and headers: Pacemaker, Lukey, Redback and HM do headers and exhausts. You can use eBay and install it yourself or just call around and get the best price. Also it would depend on what setup you'd want.. Like loud or bla bla.

Since I am lazy... follow this thread:
Buick and Ecotec V6 Performance Upgrades

[apoc585]

Remember, this guy is from W.A, so it is as hard as it seems, and as expensive as it seems to.

yea i suppose thats the one n only advantage of livin in sydney

if you want the most power, do the stuff you can by urself, then get ur headers/exhaust done last from an exhaust shop and they'll usually tune it for you too.

[TA 91 WA]

yea i suppose thats the one n only advantage of livin in sydney

if you want the most power, do the stuff you can by urself, then get ur headers/exhaust done last from an exhaust shop and they'll usually tune it for you too.

Wouldn't the chip be last to be configured to the headers/exhaust?

[undar8ed1]

oops double post.

[undar8ed1]

Yes, get all the mods you want first before you tune, you can buy a tune from greenfoam on ebay under the username nicefrog, this is good
for your minor mods your talking about, it will cost you between $50-$110 (I enclosed a link), but for major internal mods I`d recommend dyno tuning as its more accurate, though more expensive.

Here`s greenfoams/nicefrog`s link.
Maximum perfomance VN VP VR VS V8 Commodore memcal c/o - eBay Mod Chips, Performance Parts, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 11-Nov-08 13:53:05 AEDST)

[betts]

wow mate good buy, sounds pretty much exactly what i just bought a few weeks ago. 97 vs s pack ute, 96 thousand kms, but mine was 13 grand, and a v8. good luck with all the mods, the vs utes are awesome cars

[mr_knockers]

hey guys; are aftermarket rockers worth it?
i've been told they are by some people.. dunno if they were trying to sell it to me tho..
at the moment im gettin pacemaker headers n 2inch xhaust..

[vsutespack]

Hi Mate
Just joined the site. Have recently bought a vs spack ute manual 103000km for $6200.
I was wondering how your mods went as mine is standard.

[frase]

if you look at the top of this forum there is an extensive list of mods... its a sticky, you cant miss it
that list cant be improved on here...
or you could read on of the other threads that starts "um i got a new car what should i do to it now?"