New toy. VU ss VZ front conversion project.

[elless1]

Thanks a heap guys it means a lot. Don't know if anyone picked up on it or if i mentioned it in the thread
but i went with the vz calais front bar. Glad i did. Doesnt seem like much off a difference but with the different foglight
surrounds and the front lip being different i reckon it gives it a meaner look.

I'm going to keep the vu mirrors i think,when looking at them from the inside they sort of follow the lines
of the dash and i dont mind them. Probably pull them off and repaint them though. Along with the tailgate
and hard cover.

There's a few small things to do but she's complete at least. Tossing up what to do with the tail lights. Not sure whether
i like the vz ones or not. I'd like to stay with the holden theme and i'd never put them clear rubbish altezza style
lights near any of my vehicles. No offence to anyone that has them.

I showed the blokes from the wreckers today and they said it looked good which was nice. Thought i may as well
show them what i did with the parts.lol. Got some new lock nuts which should let me put my plastic caps on them.
The old ones on there now are pretty stripped and too big for the caps. So i have one missing on each wheel. Little
things like that annoy me.

From now on the thread will be mainly little maintenence things i'm not happy with. The hardlid cover,the tailgate
and the drives bumperette need some attention i reckon and i gotta stop procrastinating and get a new rear 1/4 plastic
thingo.

Just thought i'd mention an idea i had for a future project and it's a big one. Vf front on one of these utes. Dont even know if it's possible
as i havent taken any measurements as far as width and if even if with all the custom work,if the size difference would make the
front look squashed. Not sure how physically big the ve/vf's are. Have to park next to one and find out.

There would be a LOT of fab work on panels bonnet and bumper. The bumper and bonnet might not be too bad but getting the guards
and lights to gel would be a nightmare. Would be the only one in the country though.....
There would be a **** load of cutting and shutting and bending and blending, but hey
anything can be done. Would it be worth it? probably not. But the bragging rights would be second to none. haha

Cheers.

 

[Risky]

I'd get the VYII-VZ rear lights. It'll bring up the rear of the car to VZ spec. I've had the aftermarket ones on and I only bought them as Holden were out of rear lights at the time & the original ones I had were way too far gone. Holden have them cheaper than the aftermarket ones.

I like your idea of the VE-VF look from the A pillar forward but you'll be spending time & a lot of money fabricating the near impossible. You may as well enjoy what you have. The money you save can go towards engine/mechanical/brake upgrades.

After I had the body done on mine, I spent my time going over the small things that needed attention. I still need a few bits & pieces to replace but getting the leak sorted is priority number 1. It'll be ready hopefully tomorrow afternoon. I spent the morning repairing a couple of rips in the carpet. You cant get original carpet for love nor money.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread & watching the work you've put into it. It's one of the best conversions I've seen & the paint job is fantastic. I know you're going to re-do your seats but they do match your missus' hair lol. Now go enjoy that beer!

 

[elless1]

Haha cheers. I was wondering if anyone spotted the missus' hair and the seats. Dont drink beer anymore but ive given myself
a good pat on the back. I'm real proud of how it turned out. I hope this go's to show people you can do this sort of thing in
your driveway with a bit of mechanical knowledge and some care.

For the vf idea, i wouldnt be using this ute, the utes nearly done and is really a daily/workhorse and i'm happy with it being stock.
Plan would be to get another ute preferably v8 and go from there. I was thinking of keeping most of the donor car as is and
grafting the vf panels into the other panels. The bonnet skin could be played with and the bumper cut and shut i call it.
Really it's a case of how different the guards are and the problem with parts availability on the new vf.

If it could be done at a reasonable cost whatever that is and it was just a matter of the time it took i'd probably have some guards and parts here
and be kicking off with the measuring tape,some templates and a cutting wheel.lol

The money would be in the parts. As for the rest, well a 4 inch grinder, some 1.6mm steel and some fiberglass can do wonders. haha

You must be able to get carpet man. Dont think anyone would notice if you got non genuine carpet?

 

[Tonner Matt]

I have been keeping an eye on this thread from when you first started and I gotta say.....
You have done an awesome job mate, your ute looks great. :spot on:
Those rims really suit your ute too I reckon
I have been seriously contemplating getting a set for my 1 Tonner for a while now, seeing them on yours has really sold me on them though.

 

[Risky]

I've had a look at the non-genuine carpet and it doesn't look that good. I'm sure down the line there will be a company that can reproduce it.

I agree with Tonner Matt about the rims. They set it off excellent.

 

[Sandman]

Check out Knox auto carpets Risky, heaps of people using them in restorations on older holdens and the quality is meant to be really good, can do custom fit items as well.

Utes looking great man, having the calais front sets it apart too, though I agree that it needs the VZ tail lights and mirrors to complete the transformation.

 

[Husky]

I also suggest the VZ lights. I have the same on my VX wagon and had them on my VU, I cannot express how much better they look than the vx/vu design.

I would avoid the VF front. I've seen ve body kits on VX's and VY's and they just look meh. Plus even with a proper kit, it's going to be a lot of work to fit properly.

Also, for future reference where you had the jack stands isn't designed to support the weight of the car(Looks like the are near the castor bushes?). You want to put them behind the wheels on the chassis rail.

 

[elless1]

Thanks again fellas i'm pretty chuffed whenever i look at it. Surprised myself really, not as far
as swinging spanners but not bad for first time painting. I've had no training at all,basically with
anything ive learned but youtube videos and DVD's. If anyones interested i watch the video's of
this yank bloke Kevin Tetz. Bought his dvd's years ago when i was cutting rust out of the kingswood.
He's sponsered by Eastwood now and has heaps of youtube videos. He does talk a bit about the
Eastwood products but theres good info in there.He makes terrible jokes on some of the videos but
he knows his **** with painting and prep.


Well youve talked me into the lights,i'm going to go buy some today.

Husky, i know where youre coming from and agree completely,the kits look ****. The only time
i saw one that looked not horrible was a Bright pink vx calais with the whole ve kit and other batmobilish
type glass work on it. Big hood bulge etc. Had a lot of matt black accents around the car and a new
bright pink paint job on the right wheels. It was done well and looked good, but i still didnt like it.

My idea wont involve a kit. It would be me splicing and grafting the guards,and bonnet from the donor
and the vf. Lots of metalwork and shaping to get it to look right. It would be a massive job to say the least
and there would be a lot of swearing going on. Me being a fussy bastard would be even worse. I'd
want it to look like it should be on there, not just a vf front bodged onto an old commodore.

Easiest way i've thought of so far is to leave the old guards bolted on,cut the guts out of them and do the same
with the vf ones and use the skin onto the old panel. Sounds simple and in no way would be but it would
be fun to have a crack. Probably a good thing i dont have unlimited funds and room to store ****.
I could really get myself into some trouble.. Especially with some more tools.

A mate at work has a ve,might try and jump around it with a tape measure and get some dimensions,
the whole front is different from the vf but theyre based on the same platform i think. just some
rough measurements for me piece of mind.

Here's the vf front that i like-

It does almost look impossible doesnt it. haha. Would look bloody good but, especially in black

 

[Risky]

Dont forget those bonnets are aluminium. I was at Holden spares today & you'll find that the VU-VZ nose is longer than the VF. I hate those bodykits myself.

Had I not decided to keep mine as original as possible, I would have done the same as you did with your ute. The Calais front is excellent. Given a huge budget, I would have transformed it completely. I remember an old workmate years ago who had a VG ute. He put on a VQII front & interior and it was great.

 

[elless1]

Didnt realise the bonnets where alli. It's all a pipe dream for now, hopefully by the time/if i do start that
rabbit hole of a project the prices or at least availability of vf parts might be a bit better.

I still have my corolla project that hasnt even started yet. I also need to work out what to do
with my vx calais international. She's got a noisy lifter and a few squeaks and a rough idle.
It's at the point where it gets a lot of money spent on it or i sell it to someone else to
deal with. It's a shame because it's a lovely car.

I put the vz tailights in yesterday. Got some new ones from sss and didnt realise the bulb holders
dont fit the vz lens. You either have to get the little loom that holds the bulbs, or use a file and
dremel like i did to get them to fit. I've got no money so i modified them to fit.

The pic below shows the difference in mounting pins for the bulb holders.-

If your thinking of putting vz tallights in your ute, just get the small loom for them if you can.
It's easy to do as its just the 3 bulb hoders on a tiny loom that pulgs in.
Filing and dremeling them out (properly so they go together right) isn't real quick or easy.
Anyway i chucked them on and they make the back a lot more modern.

Still tossing up the wing mirrors,and waiting for a few descent days so i can pull the tailgate
and fix it.

One thing ive noticed with this ute is the petrol tank must be triangle shaped. As it gets empty,
it gets empty quick. Twice ive left it till the last minute to fill up and the "distance to empty" goes from
30kms to 0kms in a matter of seconds.Then i have to drive having a panic attack and switching car off at lights
hoping i make it to the nearest servo.haha. Lesson learned.