My VK Berlina, purchased 6 years ago with 110,000k on the clock and the original injected 202/trimatic combo with the usual ignition problems which I persisted with through a few coils, then ign modules then I cracked a **** and started planning, meanwhile I went through and replaced all the bushes, lowered it on chopped lovel springs all round, added sway bars front and rear, pan hard rod and strut brace, and vlt front rotors behind vs clappers with way darker than legal tint (it fades) and with what I was about to undertake I felt tints would end up the last thing I have to worry bout.
My first car was a VN ser1 wagon which ended up with a ser 2 conversion so I was confident I could throw one in the VK to make a nice little cruiser to hold my stereo and to keep me happy for a few years without allowing me to blow too much cash on upkeep or upgrades. A few years down the track and i still see it as the best money/enjoyment investment made ever
Anyway.... it started from a 330,000k automatic VP wreck I had sitting out the back. I took a week off work and got stuck in, all the usual suspects, entire vn front end, vl intermediate shaft, front of the new driveshaft and back from the old. Already had the discs in the rear although it was only the open centre small Salisbury. Off to the electricians for two weeks to get the wiring done (no crs adaptor at that stage). Two months later and I couldn't stand it any more so I insisted on picking the car up finished or not(after the usual phone run around, on the plus side I gained an awesome towie who I've used ever since), it was mostly finished so I paid through my teeth and ran to the exhaust shop.
After a few hours (to my great relief) The stock cast manifolds had a custom 2.5 in y piece joining them to my already installed 2.5in exhaust from the injected motor, also giving me a totally unique sounding v6 (in my mind anyway) nice and deep but not as harsh as extractors. Next I made up a gearbox crossmember with my cousin, mounted a brand spankers B&M mega shifter (big decision to chop up the interior, by this time my old stereo had grown and I made the decision to install it after I'd finished at the drags, so in went the shitfa) and finished off the fine details.
Once on the road I Had issues with a very tired automatic compounded by the fact that the ecu had no speed input signal, couldn't fit the adaptor in the trans tunnel and as I planned to do a manual conversion ASAP I didn't bother. So I hit willowbank for the first time over a few wed nights, my cousin was in the testing phases with their slant six hambster so I was having fun trading times/hanging **** with/on him during his first ever runs. Started around 16.7 I think and ending at a frustrating 16.002 after two meets, when I sourced a replacement auto. After changing that i returned for a last time and got to 15.89. I also had it out on QR a few times during this period on drift days during their 'cruise laps'.... Spun off through the bends and tore off a swaybar mount at one stage, mad fun, only cruising of course
After rewelding and strengthening the crap outta the sway bar mounts I took pity on the old girl and stopped abusing her, installing and developing my stereo to keep myself outta trouble.
I've played guitar since I was a kid so music really had been most of my life till my interest in cars came about, and with heavy metal being my focus I enjoy blasting the doof doof brigade with my more death from above style, when baited of course.
3 amps running a total 4 pairs of splits and a Kicker 15 inch sub. from memory ran 138ish decibels which isn't heaps but used to be enough to place top 10, and look heaps better than your average Hyundai doing so. These days it's still there going strong though run hard very little as I usually have at least one of my two sons with me at all times
Blew the Salisbury, threw in a crappy vl drum diff (yay 3.45 gears), and swapped in a manual then went back to the drags full weight with stereo but with the manual and the quicker gears, 15.9 runs we're now easy (total novice with the manual at this stage, and experimented with air pipe length and filters over the night and got down to 15.5 which i was happy with until the clutch wore in properly. Haven't been back to run since.
A few months later a fresh hd clutch and shortened shifter, I started snapping clutch cables then the fork due to the extremely heavy clutch (never had a Mano since so that's what I learned with, I now have a hulk sized left leg, haha) fixed that along with freshening up the box and sorting the cable. As far as wheels go it started with the original Berlina rims, then the bimmer rims while I dragged it, I picked up a set of VE 18inch wheels while I was In the club scene for a while showing it off here and there but they're crashey as hell with my suspension setup so end of the day I'm back at the good old painted black painted steelies, 16 inch from a VE for a little less sidewall roll, which gives me the compromise I need to drive on our awesome Brisbane roads :/
Added an electric supra seat, went through various pinstripe themes and many a dashboard zombie, done countless miles of family city driving still averaging 10L per 100k's on our recent 3500km trip though the outback to airlie beach, broke down once on the way home, 130km out of the nearest town lost spark all of a sudden. Stopped, checked spark on all cylinders, one coils pack totally dead, another weak and the other fine, thought we were done, started the car and BAM spark was back and ran beaut all the way home, jus wanted a little attention
Time for a birthday I think....
More pics as I dig them up.
Tim