My VS III Maloo

[Gilly91]

Thanks mate! I'm very happy with the wheels and have had time to test them out fairly well including driving up the mountain out to Canberra. The fat rears only scrubbed on a couple of corners where the axle flexed but other than that the suspension can hit the bump stops and they tuck just inside the guard. Mind you I don't know how by looking at them as there isn't much room, but there isn't any damage on the lip.

Yeah I've stopped there for a feed on a few occasions when I've driven through there! Yeah some of those country roads can have some serious obstacles in the tar just waiting to ding your rims or rip the exhaust off the car if you're not watching!

 

[MADDNE33]

Nothing like a clean un molested vs maloo. Very nice man!

 

[Gilly91]

Chucked a short shifter from eBay in the ute the other day. Someone had cut the top off the original gear stick in attempt to make a short shifter and in doing so removed the gear knob locating slot so my knob wouldn't stay still...giggity.
So rather than buy an original gear stick to fix the problem, I decided to try a short shifter. I got one of the cheap $90 ones off eBay, and it works fine. Tightens the gearbox up a lot and eliminates most of the sloppy Getrag wobble that everyone has. Only thing I've found is that gear changes are clunky which may just be the shaft of the gear stick hitting on the metal base of the shifter assembly. It also moves the position of the gears forward because there is no bend in the shaft so 4th is about where neutral should be.
These things are only minor issues and other than that I'm happy to have a a solid knob back...
Not sure if the expensive short shifters are any different?
Here is a picture before and after installing. The first picture already has the stick disconnected underneath so it is sitting a bit lower than neutral but the second picture is the short shifter in 1st I think. Also, I need a new shifter boot cos mine is too short and keeps pulling the whole surround out of the hole when I'm in 1st, 3rd or 5th which is annoying.

 

[Gilly91]

Oh and the handbrake is missing the button because it kept getting stuck in and I couldn't engage or release it! Yet to buy a new one haha

 

[VS 5.0]

.....other than that I'm happy to have a a solid knob back...

Everyone loves a solid knob.....#nohomo

 

[dobesz]

Ute looks good mate, the FRs suit it. I only went 8.5s on my one as didn't like the stretched look on the rears. Was going to tub n shorten diff but got lazy haha. Any future mods?

 

[Biglachs]

Hey mate , quick question about your rims. Did you get to choose any offset you like

 

[Gilly91]

Thanks for the kind words dobesz, I have never really liked the look of stretching skinny tyres over fat rims as it looks like something is wrong haha. I still agree it isn't ideal but unfortunately is necessary to fit bigger wheels under the old ute without tubbing it like you say. Even my front ones are stretched to fit the 8's under there. The fat rear tyres and the nice bit of dish make the stretched tyres worth it though haha.

As for future modifications I really want to put some altezza headlights in it because I like the look they give to the front of the car, and my passenger side headlight is really dull due to having a layer of dirt on the inside surface which has been let in from a crack I found in it so I want/need to replace it anyway. I also want to paint the black tonneau cover white to give the car a cleaner look and make up some exhaust tips you can actually see from the back cos it seems like a waste of a twin system at the moment haha. Oh and I need to figure out why the air con isn't working and fix that too.
Performance wise I don't have any plans as yet except rebuilding the tired old 304 one day; trying to keep it original due to being a Maloo. That has to wait till my Torana project is finished and the Torana has to wait till I've bought a house to store all my projects!!

Biglachs, I'm not sure about the choice of offset as I bought mine second hand and just hoped for the best haha. You'd have to ask them at MC Racing

 

[VS 5.0]

That has to wait till my Torana project is finished .....

More on this please !!

 

[Gilly91]

Haha well... I bought my dream car, an LX Torana sedan, last year. I've wanted one forever and I found one in my small, uni student price range down in Victoria (which seems to be where all good cars are!) so I drove down with a trailer and carted it back to Wollongong! I have since bought, stripped and sold a donor car for the drive line but haven't done much else because neither parents want to let me use their garages even after saying they would if I bought it!! :rant:
So it is now sitting in a tiny shipping container literally just big enough to fit the car and it's future engine/gearbox in, waiting for me to buy a house so I can give it some love. I figure now that I have it, it isn't going to lose any value by waiting in it's current condition...that's what I tell myself to make me feel better about not being able to do anything anyway...

This is it as I bought it: 202 with Supra 5 speed and not much of an interior

The goal (with some differences):

All going to be pushed along by an LS1 in front of a 6 speed manual

But like I said I need a garage first! Hopefully soon!!