VS Wagon Rod

[Crazy_C]

I am now the proud owner of my mate's old parts hauler. It's a 1996 Holden Commodore VS 3.8L Ecotec V6, with some very very nice modifications (and a few more done in the few days I've owned it too! :lol: )

This must be one of the most well traveled cars in the world!! The guy who imported her, drove her back from Australia!! hock:



Strangely enough, she's got some gender issues, and called Bruce :lol:

She's not on the roads yet, as she has no MOT or tax, and no exhaust either, but all of that is getting sorted and she should be raring to go real soon


Here are some pictures of her progression over the years.


How she was originally:








After a bit of a hit with the old lowering stick - looking better eh?







After some matt black paint:







As she sits now:






First modification - leather front seats out of a Vauxhall Senator:






I've also fitted some JBL 6" 3-way coaxials into the front doors too. Pain to take the door cards off as there's loads of screws all over the place, and I'll have the fun of changing the stereo over too at some point! Eeep!!!! Thank god for the how to's on here that's for sure! LOL



She'll certainly be a very nice, tasty piece of kit The plans are to give her either a red metal flake roof or a red lace paint roof (still undecided which), get some subs in the back, get the sounds running nicely, and then maybe I'll find more to play with. Also thinking of some red ghost flames on her too

[VS_Pete_1]

Don`t mind them wheels

[Crazy_C]

Cheers, yea, I love the wheels, especially how they tuck under the rear arch nicely too

[2DIE]

How did that car end up in the UK?

Know any history about it?

Always love to see Holdens from other places around the globe.

[Crazy_C]

Yea, know pretty much all the history on it actually.


The original owner of it bought it back in early 1996 when it was new in Australia, filled the back up with as many spare parts as possible (including a spare windshield which is in a massive box!!!!) and then got driving. He drove it up through Australia, got a ferry across to Asia, and drove along through Asia, across through Europe and then got another ferry to cross over from France to the UK where it was first registered here about 4 or 5 months later.

The guy was rolling around in it and the gearbox started having some problems, and there was a suspected diff whine coming from it too. The car was then sold to my mates about 2 or 3 years ago with these issues, which were easily sorted. They refurbed the gearbox, and sorted that out. The suspected diff whine was sorted out by a change of rear tyres, that was all!!!

My mates then lowered the car right down, initially by cutting the springs on the rear and fitting Vauxhall Astra springs on the front. They then fitted front springs out of another Vauxhall Astra to the rear suspension to improve the ride. Then along with the new wheels, she then got a full respray on the outside in matt black paint, which is how she's been ever since. The exhaust that was on there, and the new one that is going on there, is all custom fabricated by one of my mates. A lack of parts readily available means that there is a fair amount of custom work, or making things suit which weren't originally intended to suit (ie the Senator seats)


Whilst she was owned by my mates, she's been used as a parts hauler, picked up all sorts of stuff, including a Ford engine! Yes, that's right, the good old Holden had to go and get a new engine to fix a silly old Ford!! Hahaa!!! Other bits that she picked up was a complete interior for a Vauxhall Senator, which is what the leather front seats are from. I will try fitting the rear seats at some point soon too, see how well they fit, and go from there.


There's a lot of history (as well as a lot of kms, about 240k of them) behind this old girl, but she's still going strong.

[Surfwagon]

Good to see Holden really is a world car.
Love the stealth paint job.
I still miss my old VS wagon.

[Trayner]

that black is growing on me , looks sorta stealth

[Crazy_C]

Hahaa, cheers. Yea, I love matt black cars, my last 3 cars have been matt black. She'll be getting either some silver ghost flames, or red metal flake roof, or maybe both or something else. No idea but she'll be looking hot that's for sure!!

[Crazy_C]

Well I've done a photo shop on the basic thing of how she's gonna look. There will be some red airbrushing too on the lower half on the sides too but I don't know what yet so won't photoshop it in.

What do you guys think?

[cherryblackhsv]

And that is why they should never have taken it to the UK..
CAn you please not destroy a dear old wagon.. its made it all that way and
You painted it matte black? Now you want to gay it up with red stripes.
NOt to mention on a previous thread you said you wanted flames??
When people in Australia see pieces of doodoo like that done to cars
They don't clap in approval the piss themselves laughing at how shit it looks.

I'm begging you to go get a decent paint job some 20"s and as you can't get a hsv
Interior, some recaro seats.

[Dum*P*ster]

lovin it

Also btw.. I watch a bit of "Road Wars" which is a TV show.. about cops doing there thing in the traffic in the UK

What is MOT? - I hear that alot in the show.. 'You're car has no MOT' etc

[Crazy_C]

Haha, yea, I don't do things normally that's for sure. But my mates have pointed out that it could look a bit A team ish so I'll try silver on the body like the wheels currently are.

Mot is an annual test our cars need to have do be allowed on the roads. Tests things like lights, wipers, brakes, emissions and other bits too. It's a pain in the ass!!!

[Trayner]

dont do the red strip mate , put it on some interceptors with white walls like my car has would look mint

click my link to see \/ \/

[Crazy_C]

I would love to run her on those wheels but we just don't have them here in the UK I would love a set though but only thing that matches on pcd and offset is the BMW 3 series!

I'm gonna see about getting some red paint and do the slats on the roof first and see how they look in red, and go from there. They can easily be repainted so no loss if it doesn't work out.

[Trayner]

I would love to run her on those wheels but we just don't have them here in the UK I would love a set though but only thing that matches on pcd and offset is the BMW 3 series!

I'm gonna see about getting some red paint and do the slats on the roof first and see how they look in red, and go from there. They can easily be repainted so no loss if it doesn't work out.

mine are bmw stockies dude , just painted them the holden colour lol

[Crazy_C]

Ahh, that's cool, might have to look for some nice beemer rims then


Well this is now the plan, but with airbrushing coming up from the base as well, and maybe some pinstriping too






And this is what I've done today





Need more red paint for the wheels. Done the passenger side sill red too, just need to do the other side and the bumpers as well now too

[VS_Pete_1]

Mate Red is my favorite colour.
That looks shit sorry.

[Crazy_C]

Not expecting it to be everyone's cup of tea, it's just something a bit different. If it ends up working, sweet, if not, I have matt black paint still to repaint it if I want.

[Crazy_C]

A splash of paint on the sills n wheels, looking good I think

[Trayner]

looks like the A- Teams wagon :P

[Calaber]

If you did that sort of paint job over here, you would cop a razzing. What sort of response do you get in the UK?

[Crazy_C]

Get a fair bit of Trayner's response of "A Team" but most people like it, and all my mates from oz all love it too. It's just something a bit different, and a big of fun

[Crazy_C]

She's no longer airborne so took some photos

[Crazy_C]

Well she now has a red rear lip too, so the red ground bits are all done now Yay!! She's also pumping some bass too now, only a little bit though :lol:






The bass is a pair of 12" JBL power series subs, running off a JBL GTO 14001 amp. That's 1500W RMS going into the subs!!!!! Mmmmm, tasty bass!!

[Crazy_C]

Oh yea, she also does this too now she's had a decat!