1996 VS Statesman 5L Cruiser Build Thread

[AussieStato]

Just Bought a 96 vs stato off a mate at work... not bad nik... 300000 on the clock but that neither here nor there... rebuild will be first up... so i thought id post a build thread cause i dont see many of these running around all sexed up and angry...

This is the only pick i have at the moment... dont pick the car up till the 12/05/12... so stay tuned for more picks and the list of upcoming plans...

 

[Demonica]

So true. The lack of sexed up 5L cars seem to be getting less and less. Kinda understandable considering how much cheaper mods are for the LS1. Always had a soft spot for the 5Ls though. Congrats on the new ride and look forward to seeing what you do with it

 

[AussieStato]

yeah its true the ls1 parts are so cheap these days... was going to put one in my vn but i love the 5L way to much... you just cant beat it for sound and im a big fan of keeping cars with the heart there supposed to have... and there some tough ass 5Ls out there that destroy ls1s but atm the moment im just interested in build a nice cruiser to go on mad cruises with my club and mates without the worries of blowing a motor or sucking the fuel tank dry every 5 minutes...

 

[iChris]

The vr/s statesman is a darn sexy car and I'm proud to own one.

I'm slowly doing up my vr, as it is now it looks just about the same as a vs on the outside.

 

[AussieStato]

OK heres the current plans for the build... may change over the period of the build as i have a habbit and changing my mind...

Engine:
Rebuild bottom end(rings and bearings)
Deck block
New Cam(possibly a 272/282 custom) open to suggestions but wanna stay hydraulic
Valve Springs to suit
Port and polish heads
Some sort of inlet manifold(std one is ****) not sure what one yet...
70mm Throttle body(depending on manifold selection)
High Volume Oil Pump
Procomp Gilmer drive with aircon
Alloy radiator with thermo fans

Suspension and Brakes:
Front:
Coil Overs with adj ride height/stiffness/camber&caster
30mm adj sway bar
All new super pro bushes
vs gts front brakes

Rear:
king springs lowered to where i want it
replace all bushes with super pro bushes
outer crossmember bush kit to stop axle tramp
pedders big bore shocks
20mm swaybar
Camber kit
replace rotors with 4000series dba's

Wheels:
I have a set of 20in VCT Massinos on my vn that ill be transferring over

Gearbox and diff:
for the time being im just going to shift kit the t700 until i can save the dosh for a fully manualised t400 shift kitted and built by als race glides
Open for suggestions on diff gears but learning towards a 3.7:1 gears set... not sure on how it'll go behind the t400

Exhaust:
it already has a single 2.5in system with pacemaker extractors (bit quiet for my liking)... ill be converting it to a twin 2.5in system and changing the std cat out for 100cell balistic racing cats and high flow muffler

interior:
going to retrim the door trims as there a bit ratty from age
new carpet
new headliner
put a woodgrain steering wheel on it(hate stock wheels)
put some semi racing seats in the front(std leather ones are destroyed and i hate leather)
rear seat is fine but will look out of place so will retrim
15% tint all round
put woodgrain back in the centre console(dont know why its not there)
add in a volt meter gauge and oil pressure gauge for piece of mind

Sound System:
JVC Head deck transferred from my vn
2xShok amps for subs
1xFusion Digital Amp for speakers
2xFusion ppsw120 subs
2x kenwood 7x10 speakers in parcel shelf(out of my vn)
2xFusion Powerplant 6.5in speakers in front doors
All work done by Dynamic Car Installs(DCI) mate of mine eric

This is all i can think of at the current time... if i think of ne thing or you can find something ive missed ill put it up later...
90% of the work will be done by yours truely... everything minus the gearbox and the sound system install...

 

[iChris]

To remove the pinstripes, You can get what's called a "caramel wheel" attachment for your grinder, it basically removes glue and the like.

I did it by using a hair dryer, I heated the strips up and they just peeled off, and I then used a glue remover to remove the glue left behind.

 

[AussieStato]

I was just going to go over it with the buff... Would that work?

 

[AussieStato]

Ok my mate twisted my arm... Im going to stroke it to 355... Found a scat kit from high performance world... Scat 355 crank and rods with hypertek pistons... Should give it a bit more punch having more liters and higher comp... And only costs $1400... Pritty cheap hp if you ask me...

 

[Boonz]

Theres a pic on here somewhere of whats left of my cheap 355 crank. Yeh its cheap up front but you need to get it balanced and xray checked before you fit it. So it ends up being the same price as a c.o.m.e or harrop crank.
From experience, broken cranks are not fun nor cheap

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[AussieStato]

Yeah balancing is not expensive for me... Got a mate that does it for half price for me... And the scat cranks have proved themselves in the market for quiet a few years now... I had a good ol chat with some engine builders and they recommended it to me... They said you really wont get a better crank unless you go to a steel... But if u not running a blower the cast one will be fine... And doesnt matter wat crank you buy u still have to balance it...