Leigh_G
..forgot the sump bolt
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2004
- Messages
- 154
- Reaction score
- 77
- Points
- 28
- Location
- Adelaide
- Members Ride
- '81 VH SLX, '08 Prado Grande
(specs last updated 1/5/2021)
Hi all, been a long time away from these forums, but I'm back, with a new money pit.
Bought this 1981 VH SL/X a few weeks ago, figured I'll chuck it up here as a bit of a progress log as I fix things on it, and see where it ends up! A mate spotted it for sale at a local tyre shop and flicked me some photos - I took a pretty big gamble and bought it sight-unseen. The wife was not too impressed!
A quick rundown:
So far, I have:
Pics:
Model | VH Commodore |
Year | 1981 |
Engine | EFI 304 (originally 202) |
Transmission | 4L60E (originally Trimatic) |
Diff | VL 3.45 Borg Warner (originally Salisbury) |
Brakes | VT master cylinder, VS V8 booster, VS disc rear |
Exhaust | Pacemaker PH5600 headers, 2x high-flow cats, Hooker Aerochamber and resonator, dual 2.5" into 3" mild steel system |
Suspension | King Springs (ultra low front/rears) - Monroe Shocks, Nolathane bushings, strut tops etc. Nolathane rear trailing-arms |
Other | JP double-row billet timing chain, Boot battery relocation, Alloy radiator |
Hi all, been a long time away from these forums, but I'm back, with a new money pit.
Bought this 1981 VH SL/X a few weeks ago, figured I'll chuck it up here as a bit of a progress log as I fix things on it, and see where it ends up! A mate spotted it for sale at a local tyre shop and flicked me some photos - I took a pretty big gamble and bought it sight-unseen. The wife was not too impressed!
A quick rundown:
- Interior is alright - seats are great, carpet is pretty good with no wear-through.
- Door cards are also nice except for the speaker holes someone's cut out... Driver's door card is also worn and has a split where someone's arm has been resting for 30 years
- Centre console's missing, as too are the eyebrow chromes on the bonnet.
- It's had a closed-door respray at some point, the engine bay, boot-lid and door jambs are all the original colour
- At some point, someone has done a hack-job of the radio wiring loom, and also installed ridiculously thick subwoofer wiring down one side of the carpet
- Only rust I have found so far is a couple of bubbles in the normal spots under the front and rear windows, and a bit on the rear guard lip. Bottoms of doors/sills/spare-wheel well are all clear.
- Bumpers are mint, nice and shiny and no dings
- Engine is the original 202 but with a 350 Holley that's tuned horribly and runs faaaaarr too rich
- Compression test looked really positive till I got to cylinder 6 which is shagged - looks like the rings are worn/broken
- Car has had some nolathane bushes, monroe shocks and king springs installed in the last year or two by the looks of things
- Car is definitely a "10 meter car" - up close, there's a few shopping dings and nicks down the sides - all minor though, nothing a PDR person couldn't tidy up.
So far, I have:
- Removed all the tint except rear window
- Removed all the crappy speaker wiring and fixed all the loose carpet and scuff plates
- Installed new exhaust hanger rubbers to stop things rattling around
- Replaced oil and plugs
- Installed gas struts on the bonnet
- removed the seats and given them a wash and vacuum
- peeled back the factory carpet and given everything a clean out (the owner before the current one lived in Clare, so the car was full of the fine dust you find up north)
- bought a replacement end-cap for the front bumper plastic (see pic where it is missing)
- Begun diagnosing and labeling all the chopped wiring in the dash, to slowly fix up
Pics:
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