Fitting VY SS Front Bar + Skirts ...

[nEb.]

Hi guys, i purchased a VY SS front bar from the wreckers the other day although im missing the grille haha but its on its way through ebay, i was just wondering, if anybody could link me to a thread/site with a detailed How To on removing the standard bar + skirts and fitting the new ones, both the bar and skirts dont need to be painted or anything theyre the same colour and in gr8 condition, if anybody knows how to remove the bar + skirts please let me know how below,

hmm just by looking at the new bar it looks like a few screws and and a few clips

[Silver surfer]

yer thats pretty much it undo the screws under the bonnet aroung the grill area and the screws in the wheel arch and then it should be off if i remember correctly and the new bar goes on the same way,

justremember that the ss grill is smaller so the new screws will go in different places,

guys if i left something out just add it in
hope it helps

[The Windsurfing VY Wagon]

Silver Surfer is pretty much on the money with the front bumper.

With the SS grill you will need, I have seen them on EBay selling for the same price as what you can buy them from Holden for, (Funny that) so grab a new one, just as easy.

There are two or three Ph head screws in each fornt wheel arch. Take them right out.
(easy to do with the front of the car on the jack and the front wheels off or just use a stubby screwdriver to get in there or even turn the wheels so there out of the way.

Next remove the screws at the front of the bonnet holding the top of the grill on.
Then the Exec grill is either clipped to the bumper or screwed on either way remove it.

I think under or around the number plate area are some scrivits remove those little buggers as well and try not to stuff them as you can use them again and there bloody expensive new.

Once all that is done go to the left hand wheel arch and place you left hand around the end of the bumper towards the top and the right hand gently against the bumper to give it support.
Now pull the bumper with your left hand and there are a series of lge white clips across the top, they should all pop off and the right hand like I said is just supporting this move.

Do the other side and the bumper should just fall off.
Then repeat in reverse to fit the SS bumper but the grill goes on slighty differently, no biggy tho.

The side skirts, now let me think.
Two or three Ph head screws at the end of each skirt in the wheel arches, take them all out.
Open the doors and remove the lge rubber seal and under that you will see oh say 10 or so scrivits (bloody things)
Gentley remove all of them apart from the two end ones as I left them till last then popped them off last.
The skirt should pretty much fall off if I remember correctly.....

Oh and with the skirt there is a end cap as you will see, it goes on last, I'm pretty sure.

It was a while since I did mine.

If I have missed any thing out then please feel free to add it in.

In the pics I have added it should go from this to that....


Windsurfing.....

[madgamer2006]

nice work that wagon looks a treat... i just got my clubby kit after 3 weeks and ill be putting it on soon, thanks for the hints

[nEb.]

thanks for that guys ... thing is ive changed my mind lol,
im goen after the clubby skirts - alot more chunkier
so yeah i got rid of the SS ones lol sold em for the same price as i bought em
but yeah ill keep u guys posted on what its gona look like when it gets done

- Wind Surfer thanks mate, ur a legend! always in full detail with pictures!

[Silver surfer]

argh you already sold them!!!!! I am still chasin a set I got the front and rear on but need the skirts and don't feel like paying the 200 for new ones when i paid less then that for the fron and rear.

arrrrrrrrr.

[nEb.]

ahahah im kicking my self in the mouth!!! lmaoo i should NOT have gotten rid of those skirts, after a little browsing of the internet, i came across this VY on carsales .... lol i drive a 6, id like to drive an 8 but havnt got the finance nor the pocket deep enough to pay for petrol, insurance etc. lolll so ive decided to mock up my acclaim into an ss ... and look how beautiful it looks... (note to self; must buy Senator Signatures + SS Headlights)

Is it just me or does the Martini colour give the VY's such a Classy edge!?!?!








I know alot of people say "You shouldn't mock up blah blah blah but to them i say .. f*** that! why not lol it looks great! my car, my cash, my good feeling when people look at my car

[batemada]

I have exactly th same colour on my VY but i still have the stock exec kit on mine and the rubber door protectors are still black.

[nEb.]

nice, hope the pics have motivated you to mock it up a little :P

[batemada]

Ive considered it but getting kits over here in NZ is not cheep. For example a full VY HSV clubsport kit (not even genuine) you are talking $2000-$2500NZ not painted or fitted.

[davey g-force]

I know alot of people say "You shouldn't mock up blah blah blah but to them i say .. f*** that! why not lol it looks great! my car, my cash, my good feeling when people look at my car

It's SOOOO obvious that car is an Exec that's been bastardised. The colour to start with, then there's the headlights, mirrors, boot garnish etc etc.

What if someone was to look at your car and laugh? Would that give you a "good feeling"?

[GOTMYN]

It's SOOOO obvious that car is an Exec that's been bastardised. The colour to start with, then there's the headlights, mirrors, boot garnish etc etc.

What if someone was to look at your car and laugh? Would that give you a "good feeling"?

Typical comment from someone who is in the position or who can afford an ss, clubby etc, Let the people who are not quite as grown up/setup or cashed up to have a bit of fun with their ride and feel good about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[davey g-force]

I'm letting you mate - don't worry! You can do whatever you like to your car, just don't expect too much street cred that's all.

Yeah sorry, my comment was probably a bit harsh - I just don't understand why some people do the things they do. Just my 2c...

[nEb.]

Yeah ur probably right about the "street credit" but last time I checked we werent playing need for speed underground. As far as im concerned if anybody in an ss/clubby laughed at my car, I would laugh just as hard back because more than likely they're simply being pretencious, and chances are they'll be paying that thing off for many years to come, that they pay twice the amount for petrol than I do and the fact that they're insurance is through the roof, they can laugh all they want, all the way to their empty back accounts. And who in their right mind drives around in a nice car and laughs at other people? Whoever does than congratulations to them, they are the apitomy of the word Scum.
I get that "good feeling" to know that im 18 years old and my car is paid off (And NO mummy and daddy didnt pay for it), and that my car is a rocken 04 Model Commodore.
My car is not the main thing in my life, but just like everything else I own, I like for it to look good, if you can afford to pull out 40gs on a car, then do so. Although to me thats ludicrous, 40 thousand dollars is a downpayment on an investment property.
*Shrugs* IMO - That commodore looks awesome, all it needs is SS headlights, but if I saw it at the local car wash, yes I'd smile at it, but not out of spite, out of appriciation of a good looking car.

eh, my 2c

[dan-wess]

There are always people putting others down on this site for changing kits and stuff on there cars. If you have nothing good to say at all keep you comments to your self. If people wanted comments putting their choices down they would post about their commodores on another car compaines forum. We should be helping fellow drivers not critising them.

Their car, their money, their choice.

Well said nEB, well said.
Dan

[madgamer2006]

I for one cant afford a 40K car, being 18 y.o. So i bought an executive VY 03 which is great for someone this age. I wanted it to look a bit sportier so i bought a clubby kit and i couldnt give a crap what others think as its all about what i think looks cool...

There are plenty of people out there who wouldnt even know what a clubby is and they think my car is totally rad so whats the big deal, let us have our fun and keep our cash for the real stuff, like a house deposit.

Ive had enough raving now lol,
Catch ya's

[nEb.]

were in the same boat bruv, im 18 years old aswell, MOCK IT UP ASMUCH AS POSSIBLE!! LMAO

[davey g-force]

Your comments are fair enough - I appreciate where you're coming from.

But try and look at it from my perspective as well. I CAN afford a $40K car and I bought my SS in 2003 brand new for closer to $50K. After spending that money, I want my car to be a bit distinguished from a run-of-the-mill Commodore. So I don't really appreciate when 18 y.o's buy an Exec for $14K (or whatever they're worth these days) and mock them up to look (to the untrained eye) like an SS. It's unfair to the people who have forked out the extra cash for the real thing. Even more unfair to HSV owners IMO.

The above is one of the main reasons I'll be selling my car and upgrading next year. Sorry but I do feel quite passionately about this one, although unfortunately there's not much I can do about it. 95% of the time I DO hold my tongue (keyboard?) at these sort of threads and keep my comments to myself, but sometimes it slips out. It seems that lately there are more and more of these sort of threads for VY's presumably because VY's are getting more and more affordable for younger guys I spose.

Like I said, not much I can do about it.... Anyone wanna buy a "grandpa special" VY SS?

[nEb.]

That is a fair arguement, but mate, in my opininon you BLEW 50K right out the window, because now, the average VY SS goes for around 22-25k, my cousin yesterday purchased a VZ Clubby R8 with 40thousand km's on the clock, LS2, 6L GEN 4 (pictures added below) for $43,000, i think buying a brand new car doesnt pay off in the end, and if you wanted to be distinguishable, then you should have set your sights a bit higher than an ss. IMO. 50K for a brand new VY SS, 43K for a second hand VZ R8 Clubby? lol the SS seems like a poor investment?

[nEb.]

ok also, one more thing to ask, about the original topic of this thread:

I've ended up purchasing the entire kit, (Front,Rear & Skirts) ive been quoted $1,300 fitted and painted, i think this is fair as the: i. Skirts are brand new (thus need priming), ii. front bar is painted (in my colour, but needs to be filled, rubbed back, primed n painted again) and iii. The rear bar has been primed and just needs paint. Anybody know of a good panel beater, with an oven etc. no backyard jobs, in the Melbourne area? Or if you have had similar work done, how much did it set you back?

[davey g-force]

That is a fair arguement, but mate, in my opininon you BLEW 50K right out the window, because now, the average VY SS goes for around 22-25k, my cousin yesterday purchased a VZ Clubby R8 with 40thousand km's on the clock, LS2, 6L GEN 4 (pictures added below) for $43,000...

pfft, mate that Clubby is a used car - still very nice - but a used car. It's not even the current shape any more. When I bought my car, it was the sh!t, the latest shape and would turn heads everywhere. Think about that "good feeling" you were talking about before and multiply that by 100.

...you should have set your sights a bit higher than an ss...

I find that funny coming from someone who drives an Acclaim!

There is some merit to what you're saying, and I don't know if I will buy a new car again, but it's something you gotta do at least once IMO. Hey, I could afford it, so I did it. If nobody bought new cars, there'd be no used cars for guys like you to buy!

[nEb.]

Regardless of whether its a used car, or a brand new car mate, that thing is IMMAC, and if you're arguing that its not the current model, its newer than what you're driving so your rebut holds no logic. You're car was the "sh!t" for like a few months, his car will be the "sh1t" for years mate. Its proven that clubsports hold their value and alot longer than an ss does.

My Acclaim is my first car mate, i would love to hear what you drove as your first ride? Im setting my self up for the future, so that maybe one day i can be as great as you and buy a brand spanking new SS.

And buying a new car i totally disagree with you is something you must do. Skydiving is something you must do at least once, hang gliding is something you must do at least once, visiting a city like Amsterdam is something you must do at least once. Buying a new holden is a waste of money.

I see that holden's marketing people have gotten to you very well, and that is true, people like me buy cars off people like you that come to realise that buying their car brand new was financial suicide, inorder to be able to brag to your friends that you were able to drive the newest model for a few months, before something bigger and better was released.

BAH lol bad investment in my opninion man, for 50 k you could have bought a brand new BMW which would have held its value for years to come. EH IMO

[davey g-force]

You just go on believeing what you wanna believe mate. You obviously don't have too much of an idea. I'll leave you be with the original topic of this thread. Good luck with copying my "waste of money".

[Calaber]

Guys

This thread has wandered right off track, but some of the views expressed so far concern me as a mature, (56 years old) Commodore owner and Holden lover for nearly 40 years.

A person's vehicle is much more than an indication of their wealth. It can be an expression of their personality, their creativity and their skills to take something and turn it into something else. I don't give a damn that the Martina coloured VY shown above is based on an Exec, to me it looks superb and is a sensible blend of the right body bits and wheels to make that Exec a real stand-out. The VT-VZ body has been so long serving and so versatile that the number of genuine GM and HSV models is too many to count. Some looked great, others not so. Personally, I don't like the front design of the VY or VZ SS, as I feel that there is too much basic plastic and not enough detail to provide some relief. For that reason, I like the Berlina and Calais front ends far more.

I have just traded a current series Golf, which I bought new three years ago, on a VY !! Berlina. The Golf didn't light my fire and my affection for Holdens was too strong to ignore. I intend to play around with the Berl, changing those details that I feel need changing to make the car suit my ideas. I could have done that with the Golf, but don't like the way that Euro cars look when they have been modified. As well as which, the parts are stupidly expensive.

Guys, you go ahead and do what you want with whatever you have and whatever you can afford. The elitism of "up market" purchasers is a problem they will have to live with. You can feel comfortable knowing that when you drive past me, I won't be looking down on your Exec or Acclaim and laughing.

Regards

pj

[nEb.]

Thanks PJ, very open minded view =) good advice from the more mature.

Well the project is well on its way, i have now in my posession the entire SS body kit, including:
*Front (Including grille)
*Rear (Including black garnish)
*Skirts (Including end caps)

Still need to purchase = SS Headlights, Fog Lights, VZ SS Tail lights (I like the chrome circles) and VY Senator Signature Rims. Before the kit gets sprayed and fitted. I want to do a complete car make over in a single weekend

I also have leather coming in from Germany, (the same leather that gets fitted into BMW's, Mercedes' Porches etc. etc.) that should be arriving sometime either this week or next week) note: Holdens leather packages arrive from Japan. German leather has a different texture, appearance, ultimately same shi_t except its a bit softer.

CANT WAIT TO GET THAT INSTALLED! - Ordered extra material to redo headliner aswell as seen in the "How To" section.

Will keep this thread updated regularly with progress, however will mostlikely begin a "My Ride" thread, seems more relevant.