Vn Wagon With A Difference

[GypsyNz]

Thought i might as well throw up a thread on my Vn Wagon - Had it for about 8 months now, found it sitting on a guys front lawn where it'd sat for 2 years after he got a company car. Cost me a fair whack of coin as the guy didnt want to part with it but i was determined lol.
Being a 6 seater column change one it was exactly what i wanted, guy had spent a bit of coin on lowered suspension & some ugly 17's otherwise she was pretty standard.
Took it in for a warrant of fitness check which it passed 1st pop so i new then i'd found a good one, didnt plan on doing anything major to it but things kind of evolved over the last few months. Think i've had 4 or 5 sets of alloys on it, had a vr clubby style front kit on her for a while to.
Put a cold air intake on the 3.8 & a set of headers & full 3 inch system that really woke the old girl up but that caused the trans to crap itself so that's when things kinda got a bit carried away.
Pulled the motor n trans out & thought id flick some paint in the engine bay whilst it was out, that meant the engine needed painted but would need gaskets done. Got offered a 3.8 out of a rat rod at a good price with lower k's so ended up buying that painting it up & chucking that in, had all new gaskets so made life easy as & goes a lot better than the original....
Whilst all that was going on a got a vr wagon in to wreck with a mint front so thought id have a crack at swapping that over which worked well, easy as to change over, had a genuine hsv plastic front bumper & grille to go on then i got offered the Statesman so that's where shes at now getting all converted over.
I've got a full new interior in the shed to go in her to, recovered seats roof lining & carpets...

Well i'll chuck up some pics of when i 1st bought her then some along the way till now......

 

[GypsyNz]

So thats her as bought i'll chuck so photos up of how things have progressed in the last 8 months.......

 

[GypsyNz]

So after the photos above i carried on with the engine bay, spent a fair wack of time in there. Didnt go overboard as this ones a driver.....

 

[GypsyNz]

That had things looking a lot better, in the last 2 weeks ive painted the engine & trans & fitted that & got her road legal. Rocker covers & top off the engine still to cleanup & paint but can do that in place easy, managed to get the engine back in without 1 scratch to luckily...

 

[GypsyNz]

And then to finish this lot off of where shes at at pres is with the new front fitted, still got the side moulds & side skirts to fit. Had to buy another set of alloys after putting the statesman front on as the vr senator alloys plain didnt suit so bought the 18x8's for her....

 

[GypsyNz]

Needs lowered in the back to which ill sort pretty soon, get the outside done then ill get stuck into the inside. Got a black suede like roof lining - new black carpets & recovered front and rear seats out of another bench seat wagon. Seats are done in grey & black material & look real good, cant wait to get those in. Can chuck the rest of the sound system in when the interior goes in as well....

 

[sleepa]

Nice work man. Should look real nice when it's done.

I love these conversions, I'm building a Caprice wagon myself, but it's nice to see some others being built.

 

[GypsyNz]

Nice work man. Should look real nice when it's done.

I love these conversions, I'm building a Caprice wagon myself, but it's nice to see some others being built.

Cheers & yeah they sure look good, i read through you post the other night. Yours is looking real good, doing bits to mine as i get time. Fitted one of the statesman front doors yesterday, easier to do that then pull the moulds off. Just going to keep working away on this as time allows....

 

[sleepa]

It would be nice to build it as time allows
Mine kinda has a deadline, but on the plus side it does keep me motivated to get it done.

I thought about just using the Caprice doors on mine but it had hail damage so would have been more work doing it that way anyway. If all goes to plan I should be dropping a 5L in within the next few weeks.

Are you planning on keeping the 6, or have any mods planned for it? Not that they need it, very comfy cars. Although a great upgrade is the Caprice leather seats, SOOO COMFY!
I keep finding myself resting in it when I should really be working on it instead.

 

[GypsyNz]

It would be nice to build it as time allows
Mine kinda has a deadline, but on the plus side it does keep me motivated to get it done.

I thought about just using the Caprice doors on mine but it had hail damage so would have been more work doing it that way anyway. If all goes to plan I should be dropping a 5L in within the next few weeks.

Are you planning on keeping the 6, or have any mods planned for it? Not that they need it, very comfy cars. Although a great upgrade is the Caprice leather seats, SOOO COMFY!
I keep finding myself resting in it when I should really be working on it instead.

Im doing this one while i drive it, sticking with the 6 i love them. Dont no whats been done to this one but she gets along quite nicely, i do like the Statesman/Caprice interiors but one of the reasons i bought this wagon was it's a factory bench seat column change one. Not many of them made over here so its something different, the other wagon i bought for the interior was the same so got recovered seats & a lot more to go in. Probably wait till it's painted before i put that in, the bench seats good. Comfy to lol & a mean cruizer.....