01 Caprice

[WHCapriceHBD]

Anyhow, I spent a few hours today and got it all finished and on the car. I'm really pleased with having smoothed out the ridge line around the mouth of the grille, and having it body colour actually doesn't look too bad. I'm very happy with it for the cost, effort, and outcome of saving a rare part.

I also JB-Welded the HSV badge on, so it can't be prised off by any opportunistic scummy types in a carpark situation..

I left the raised centre badge-bulge thing chrome, so it ties in with the chrome/stainless mesh. The rest of the grille became body colour.
Overall I'm glad to have saved a $1000.00 grille from the scrap bin, and its unique.

 

[Skydrol]

Well done, the rescue mission was a total success :spot on: My opinion is that is much harder to make a factory correct restoration that just modifying the living hell of it.

Remember reading about a 70s Dodge Challenger restoration that took over 10 years. Took that long because was going to be 100% factory restoration, exact copy of the vehicle as it left the assembly line, including the markings. The article stated that was so hard to do because factory parts are not easy to find (people upgraded and tossed away the OEM parts for better ones); on top of that, finding the correct assembly instructions to replicate every marking. At the end, was well worth it. Is like having a brand new 100% OEM 70s Dodge Challenger.

Keep it up, love the "time capsule"

 

[kangavxss]

Looks great..well done on the resto of the grille..body colour suits it fine..

 

[Jecs]

i thought you were gunna do it chrome, now that ive seen it colour coded im actually glad you didnt re-do it chrome. it looks great and you did a awesome job

 

[WHCapriceHBD]

Thanks, I'm very happy with it. Was a good little project over the Christmas break while shops were closed and things were fairly quiet.

The afternoon I bolted the grille on, we drove down to the inlaws place for lunch. We were standing around the barbecue and the car was parked off in the distance with the front facing us. The father in law looks up from cooking the sausages and says "You know, something is different about that Holden of yours... That grille is different... It wasn't like that last time I saw it. I like that a lot better." Everyone turns around and has a look and replies "Nah, its always been like that hasn't it?"

Made me realize that the father in law must be more observant than I thought. The grille was bolted on for less than 3 hours and he's probably only seen the front of the car a handful of times yet he picked it without me saying anything!

 

[VS 5.0]

Great work OP.

Made me realize that the father in law must be more observant than I thought.

Fathers in Law are like the CIA. They see and hear far more than we will ever know.

 

[WHCapriceHBD]

Starting to look at exhaust systems now...

It never really ends does it. There's always something else to improve or change.

I might just see what I can do to make it flow better. I'm not really looking for noise, just flow and breathing without going nuts.
Maybe a slightly deeper idle...

Oh god I can't help myself.

 

[wraith]

I put a twin system on the VZ because the factory Berlina exhaust suck. 2 mufflers and a rear res. Really quiet around town but when you sink the boot you really know it's an 8. Be the way to go.

 

[WHCapriceHBD]

Yeah as far as I know the restriction is having both pipes merge into one small pipe at the rear of the car with the factory exhaust. So my thoughts are any true dual-pipe system would get rid of that restriction.

I also think that the rear resonator would be a restrictive design as it looks large and boxy (and heavy) and it would have to be internally baffled, to be so big.

People have said put a twin system on it with just straight piped rear section, but I think that would be too loud for what the car is.

I'm thinking you're right with your suggestion- 2 mufflers, twin pipes all the way back and a rear res (but a better res than the huge box thing it currently has). I want something subtle around town and shopping duty, but at wide open throttle I don't care if it's loud.

 

[WHCapriceHBD]

Also, I have to consider the neighbors- my old 2001 BMW M5 V8 was louder than balls, and it caused a few noise complaints and the car even got vandalized once (I assume it was the neighbors).

I have to be mindful of when I start up my RX7 as its got a street port and 3 inch pipe all the way through with glasspacks, and the neighbors have said "not after 10pm".
The Centura, they have said the same, and other neighbors have asked if I would sell it or consider please toning it down. They know its a drag car, but there is some tension about some of the cars I've got.

The Caprice is the daily grocery getter/all purpose car so it comes and goes at all hours, so can't be obnoxious.