Old cars were more fun

[Calaber]

im having all sorts of fun with my project ute, 1979 model isuzu kb20, it has am radio thats about the extent of its bells and whistles, maybe you should get a project car calaber. something to play with in your spare time.

Maybe I should get out my old album and scan a few hundred photos of the many projects I have done in my earlier years and post them here. The four year HT GTS 350 resto from a bare rusted shell, the complete rebuild of my HT 327 Premier after it was stolen and half cut apart before the thief was nabbed, the Mini I restored for my wife, two Camiras rebuilt from wrecks, the EH I restored and worked over and had an article published about in a magazine in the mid 70's.......

I love projects - it's just that I have other priorities these days

 

[nemesis_adrasteia]

the complete rebuild of my HT 327 Premier after it was stolen and half cut apart before the thief was nabbed

really makes me angry that this kinda thing happens.

i really like the simplicity of my ute, you get in look at the dash and all youve got is you speedo, tacho, fuel and temp gauges. to the left is heater controls and the am radio. thats all.

 

[Calaber]

really makes me angry that this kinda thing happens.

Yeah, sorta pissed me off at the time, too. Had to scrounge sections of rear roof pillar from wrecks in the tip because shithead had cut holes in the outer skin to get access to the inner pillars when chopping them. I actually posted a pic of the car as it was when I got it back recently in a thread dealing with petrol prices.

 

[greenfoam]

Mate, I'm not having a go at you by any means, but I have to laugh when I hear someone refer to a VP as an "old" car or even as a "new" car. Within the context of this thread, it's definitely an "in-betweener", about mid way between current models and true (pre-ADR 27A) golden oldies. You're right about the early emissions models - the HX was without doubt the worst full sized Holden ever released (for its time), but anything prior to emissions legislation was really simple stuff.

Yes, the basic mechanicals of an LS1 are no more complex probably than a 350 mouse, but it's the crap you have to remove to even see the LS1 that makes life less fun.

Just trying to gauge what you define as old For me old is pre HQ, but really a HQ shares the same engine as a VP, apart from a couple of extra plugs it's the same (and much less complex in the engine bay than anything in the HX-VL range of years). In the end apart from the ADR27A B and C cars I don't think anything right up untill current day is anymore complex than anything else. It's much quicker to change the cam in a ls1 than a 202, quicker to tune. All around more simple really, You have diagnostics which 9 times out of ten will tell you exactly whats wrong with the car, you dont have a carby that will bugger up which is allways the biggest pain in the ass on most older cars. I can remember mechanics whinging when VN's came out about how you can't work on them anyone because they were so high tech. But look now they turned out to be once of the most simple cars ever made, it was just fear of the assumed unknown that made people say that. I think it's still the same story now.

I feel your pain on the GTS I had a HK and HG and sold them both just before the price rise , the were my favorite car of all time but in the end if I be honest with myself apart from the sexytime look they were a pretty average car

 

[nemesis_adrasteia]

was it insured? did ya get a decent amout to get it back together?

 

[lil lucifer]

I use the traction control in the morning on the way to work when im not at my best but have it off when Im giving it a hit and Im happy for the option. The warnings that need to be shut off by a mech or tech are just ****. they should be acessable to the DIY mechanic like any other option in the menu.
The amount of times ive been saved by the safety features of another drivers car justifies their existance as far as Im concerned. it scares me to think of the possibilities of an inexperianced driver behined the wheel of the new skyline (for example, unlikely given their cost) without ABS, Traction cntrl and the like. Lucky they have em.

 

[Calaber]

was it insured? did ya get a decent amout to get it back together?

No. It was a reasonably costly lesson for me. I did all the work except for the rewelding of the body and the paint. The thief had cut both rear and centre pillars, then ran out of gas before he could attack the front pillars. If he'd cut the, the car would have been scrap, but it was able to be saved by putting it on a Mayrack to ensure body integrity before welding back together.

Total cost in 1978 was about $1300 for labour, new laminated screen, new cassette player (shithead had hocked the original before his arrest) and re-trim of hood lining. I must have saved a fortune by doing the rest myself.

I'll get a few pics of before and after and post them. Unfortunately, they were all taken long before digital cameras had been invented, so scanning is called for and I'm no expert.

 

[383 hatch]

two Camiras rebuilt from wrecks

lol, i wouldn't be telling too many people about that mate.....They were wrecks when they were new.

 

[Calaber]

lol, i wouldn't be telling too many people about that mate.....They were wrecks when they were new.

I knew someone would pipe up about that. Those who reckon Camiras were heaps obviously know bugger all about them. I've had four, one of every model. They were much better cars than people give them credit for. It was only Holden's piss-poor quality control and assembly standards that stuffed them - the engineering was bloody good and they were fantastic handlers for their day.

I've now loaded up a few pics from the 70's and 80's. The first three are the HT shortly before being pinched, immediately after recovery and after rebuilding.

The next four are of the Monaro, from the day I got it for nothing, to four years later.

 

[383 hatch]

Nice.

But, whats with the seats in the Monaro? :bang:

Hope you got better taste in wheels these days.