Losh's VR Ute build thread

[vc commodore]

Ordered some Bosch rear rotors and a heater tap today. Still need to order QFM rear pads. Place in Adelaide has seal kits for 10 bucks each which is about an $8 saving compared to the Protex ones on eBay. I found before that the Protex dust seals are about 1mm to big and won't push into a VR caliper. Hoping this other brand will fit or it will be a matter of reusing the original dust seals like i did on the front. I want to get new front rotors when i head to Adelaide. But they have gone up from 27 each to 40 each. These are RDA streets, which are about 130 a pair on eBay. I replaced the old fronts with Bosch but im keen to try something a bit better quality on the front. I have found the Bosch are showing signs of wear and i still have 2/3s of the pads left. I think Bosch on the rear will be fine, especially when i fit QFM HPX pads and braided lines along with rebuilt calipers.

Did you get the seals from Power Brakes, North East Road Holden Hill?

 

[losh1971]

No i haven't grabbed them yet. Not heading over until October. Getting the seals from Car Parts Plus at Lonsdale. Just called them re prices to compare with eBay. I used to use them a lot when i lived there. Have used Power Brakes in the past but they were at Norwood back then.

 

[vc commodore]

I bought a M/C rebuild kit from them about 12 months ago and that's where they were....So easy to deal with too

 

[losh1971]

I bought a M/C rebuild kit from them about 12 months ago and that's where they were....So easy to deal with too

Yeah Power Brakes are great. I used to buy caliper seals for my race bike from them as they are really hard to buy now, pretty much non-existent. Power Brakes have 1000s of seals and can match up without part numbers.

 

[losh1971]

Received an email from Spares Box and the Bosch rotors I ordered are out of stock. I had the option of a refund or a free upgrade to DBA Street's. Hmmmmm, hard decision, not, I chose to accept the offer of DBA's, of course.... . Definitely getting QFM, HPX now for the rear. I might as well help improve the rears even if the difference won't be heaps, it's still worth the few extra dollars and making the stock brakes work as good as I can. Really hoping I can find the funds for braids on the rears now before my pads wear out completely. I'd really love to do the entire job properly in one go if I can.

 

[losh1971]

Ordered a tensioner pulley from Spares Box. Listing said fits VR V6, nup they have listed it wrong and I now have one for a Ford, which is almost identical except the diameter is too small. Hoping they refund me and send me bag to send it back.

 

[losh1971]

Good news they are going to give me a refund and I get to keep the part. Really love Spares Box they have certainly been one of the better eBay sellers. I have had a shocking one or two sellers in the last year or two that cost me a lot of money because of a parts failure but Spares Box nup they are great, highly recommended.

 

[losh1971]

Fitted a new ignition switch tonight under the light of my interior light and my Aldi LED torch. Ended up being easier than i thought and i only needed two screw drivers to do the entire job. Had a set back with another coolant leak. Im not sure if it was the thermostat housing clamp but there was a weep coming from it. Also the clamp was faulty I'm pretty sure, even though I couldn't turn the screw anymore it wasn't clamping the hose properly. To top things off i find a shredded drive belt. Only thing i can think is i didn't run the engine to check the alignment when i removed it the other day to change out the idler pulley and found out it wasn't the right one. I hope it was my error and i don't have a buggard bearing in something. On a good note Repco has 20% off this month so I will grab a belt tomorrow. I can't remember but i might have an old belt at home unless i binned it when I replaced the crank pulley. Wishing i threw it under the seat now as a spare for times like this. Also found a busted connector on the charcoal cannister this arvo. So looks like i need a trip to the wreckers this week now that i have a few things to pick. I noticed a couple weeks ago im missing a rad clip and a screw in the grill. Not sure how a rad clip could fall out but it has. As for the snapped vac fitting im quietly hoping this is the reason I am getting lean codes. If it is that will be a really easy fix for the error codes i am getting.

 

[losh1971]

Far out, now I have a knackered valley cover gasket..... I can not win, every time I fix a coolant leak it starts leaking somewhere else.... Engine rattle seems to be getting worse on cold start so need to have it listened too before the mech pulls the manifold apart to repair it. Doing my head in because I had hoped I had seen the last of the expensive repairs, so much for renewing the rear brakes just have to try and make them last as long as I can; because I am not going to get them done this year unless I have a miracle.... I'd do the repair myself but I starting to think that every time I touch something on the ute, something else breaks.....

 

[VS 5.0]

every time I fix a coolant leak it starts leaking somewhere else

Not unusual with a pressurised system. The next weakest point will fail after the first is repaired.