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What next will they try to flog for stupid money ???

Ginger Beer

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People laugh, but look at the prices the VL's are commanding.

Some people ate dreaming of course, but if your rebuilding or fixing up a car that some young guy has wrecked by adding aftermarket tail lights, seats, wheels, interior trim, body kits, then finding mint NOS is a priority.

It will boost the cars resale value no end, and will seperate the average cars from your mint one.

When I went looking for a old fairly stock looking commo V8 for a project/ classic, the first model on my list was a VL, a stock auto Calais 5.0 to be precise, there was nothing good for under $50k, and even the one car that I was close to buying needed some TLC, there was alot of rubbish cars as well or cars with horrible modifications.

I passed on the VL and ended up with a 2002 VX SS auto, but, if I did get the VL it would have needed OEM front seats (car had recaro's), plus OEM rear lights (car had altezza), and an OEM steering wheel (car had some MOMO thing), OEM rims and tyres (it had Simmons), plus a heap of other "modifications" that I would return to standard.

I pay top doller for NOS or mint parts when required.

Luckily parts for the VX are still cheap as chips, which has allowed me to replace crap aftermarket mods and all the old plastics.

I did need to pay $650 for a "clean un-guttered" set of VX SS rims though.

All of these parts are getting old, and alot of them have been crashed or wrecked.

If you want good parts you need to front up with the cash, if you don't some old guy like me will, which will leave you with the old cracked, broken, modified, fadded or missing parts.

As you could guess I'm all about clean factory looking sleepers, stock factory looking outside and inside, the only external giveaway would be the rubber the car runs, and, the sounds it makes when it's running.
 

figjam

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As you could guess I'm all about clean factory looking sleepers, stock factory looking outside and inside, the only external giveaway would be the rubber the car runs, and, the sounds it makes when it's running.

Agree with the good thoughts above there. ^^ As cars get older, the originality remains a good selling point.
The 'Chicken Coop' RPO83 displays all that is good and bad about this, and that is now somebody's wet dream, or nightmare.

It may be just me, but I can't get my head around the idea that somebody buys a HSV, and immediately proceeds to 'improve" it, making it something that they think is wonderful, but the majority just see an WOFTAM.
 

Ginger Beer

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Agree with the good thoughts above there. ^^ As cars get older, the originality remains a good selling point.
The 'Chicken Coop' RPO83 displays all that is good and bad about this, and that is now somebody's wet dream, or nightmare.

It may be just me, but I can't get my head around the idea that somebody buys a HSV, and immediately proceeds to 'improve" it, making it something that they think is wonderful, but the majority just see an WOFTAM.

For the ford: yeah, it's a parts car now, although someone will most likely buy and either spend 6 figures rebuilding it, or, just weld up the rust, and the body of the thing is basically rust, it will need the "help" of a "donar" car to get it to a point where the tags are worth something again.

In the end it is not going to be what is was, even with the tags.

As for modifications: I butchered cars in my youth, spend a ton on stuff that the magazines said I needed.

Now, I know better, well....to a point, powertrains and drivetrains are free to mod as long as Streetability and reliability isn't compromised to much.

I keep looking at the W547, the only thing I would need to do to that would be servicing, and replacing tyres constantly if course.
 

figjam

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As for modifications: I butchered cars in my youth, spend a ton on stuff that the magazines said I needed.

Haven't we all. My first car in 1965 got the full treatment of mods and $$$$. 3 years later, I saw the futility of it all, and just ticked the Holden option boxes to get what I wanted. Yeah, lazy. But a lot cheaper than trying to make a Ferrari out of a 10 year old Ford.

Today, the big difference is, the cars back then were easily modified to perform much better than factory with minimal $$$ and knowledge, and were replaceable.
Now, production models are/were more researched and refined, and the Falcadores are not replaceable.
 

vc commodore

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When I'm mucking around with my old cars, I have been lucky enough to build up a network of like minded people, that don't want your left nut for decent parts....

I also buy my time, rather than jump in head first at the first part required to crop up....Recently, I bought 2 holden 6 cyl blue motor manifolds, with near new 350 holleys for $220, the pair.....Go check out gumtree and ebay prices and see how you get reemed for them.

The main issue I see is, people look at ebay/gumtree and get parts from there, because they want them yesterday and can't be bothered looking for parts themselves...As a result, they cop it up the rectum, because they are competing against other people doing the same thing...

So really the moral of the story is, if people weren't so lazy and are prepared to wait, decent parts at decent prices do crop up.....Just a case of having patience
 

vc commodore

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Why lots of can no longer be bothered with old cars most of my mates that I used to play cars with have sold up there old holden stuff some got good money others with projects that needed lots of hours gave them away. At least that tail light was new I've driven hours for H series stuff only to get there and it was equally as rooted as what I took off.
Most of the boys now say I'll leave old cars to rich old blokes , don't bring them to my shop we don't work on old rubbish.

I can tell you I ain't rich and I love tinkering with old stuff.....

If you build up the right network of friends and are patient, cheap good old parts are around.......However it seems people are too impatient, or don't have the right network, so they just cop it up the rectum, or have the attitude like you have where it's for rich people and leave the old crap alone....

Oh and driving for hours for parts...Do that constantly...Yeah, you get the crap, but you can also find interesting things in paddocks and meet like minded people, which builds that all important network up......

As for new stuff....I made a mistake recently and bought a VY V6....Only had to replace the LIM gasket.....With guidance from a rellie, it was done in 2 or so hours.....It also cost $160ish for the gasket, oil and filter...

Fark, I can remove and replace a head gasket on an old school motor in 2 hours, playing with myself inbetween removing and replacing the head.....A head gasket for a holden 6 blue $20, inlet manifold gasket $20 or so and oil plus filter another $40....So yep, got to be rich to play with old school stuff :rolleyes:
 

vc commodore

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