VN wagon
#26 _jabba_
Posted 25 March 2011 - 06:45 PM
#27
Posted 25 March 2011 - 08:10 PM
#28 _BAILLIE_
Posted 25 March 2011 - 11:58 PM
I have no plans for whitewalls, just wanted to see incase it looked good but it does not suit the car at all.Also not a fan of the tail lights or white walls, sorry, and what is with the rim on the back, do you have a chrome wheel trim on it, if not then maybe invest in some wider rubber and stay away from gutters.
I like the tail lights compared to the stock ones or any other clear or chrome types. They suit the car OK. The stock ones would probably be good tinted but I have been there done that, along with everyone else and the cops don't like it, whereas they don't care about these. They are the best of a bad bunch AFAIK, unless anyone can point out an off the shelf set that I am not aware of, or recommend anything better?
There are no trims on the wheels. They are 8 inch's wide and have a decent offset that is a bit much for the VN's rear guards. I have invested in smaller rubber to keep the tyres from scrubbing too much on the outer walls of the guards. I have taken other steps aswell, as you shall see soon. The best fix is to either cut and/or pump the guards properly (which is the idea), or shorten the diff, or both. If I shorten the diff to suit, it will probably cost a lot more and mean that I can no longer fit other Commodore pattern wheels without scrubbing the inner guards. I want to keep the track as wide as possible which is proving a little challenging on this model because of the shape of the guard obviously.
No real problems though. Of course I avoid gutters. The rims are all still in near mint condition. Whenever I am parking, the front tyre (225s) will always scrub slightly first, even in reverse so the rear never scrapes.
Well, OK� There was this one time, on a very tight right hander, on a very slippery surface, with a very large amount of opposite lock, when I thought I heard the rear left just kiss the gutter�.
But there are no marks on the wheel that I can tell. If there was, I would wear it with pride anyway, heheh : )
Cheers
Edited by BAILLIE, 25 March 2011 - 11:59 PM.
#29 _Brad1979UC_
Posted 27 March 2011 - 10:30 PM
I'm in the same boat as Mick mentioned having a VN V6 T5 manual daily, been a great reliable whip, yo. I use it for towing my boat too in the summer and goes well.
It's a stock driveline, and when I got it had the pearl/hsv grey paint (good from a few feet away but still pretty cool), king superlows, 18's yo. Then when I got it I cleaned it right up and put remote central locking in it (easy as in a VN), white LED backlit dash, re-did the headlining (did you need to re-do yours? Usually they come undone at this age) and subs etc. Just thought I'd share, its almost at the big 400 000 but it really only feels like its done half that, runs great.
Oh and I can say that it actually handles surprisingly well with 18" wheels on it (235 wide tread), the guards have been (poorly) rolled but yea feels nice and solid on the road.
One other thing...do you have to smack the dash every once in a while to get the fuel gauge to read? Hehe apparently its a common problem with a dry solder joint at the voltage reg in the cluster but it doesn't bother me that much to pull it all apart.
Edited by Brad1979UC, 27 March 2011 - 10:32 PM.
#30 _gen3torrie_
Posted 27 March 2011 - 10:53 PM
#31 _Quagmire_
Posted 27 March 2011 - 11:06 PM
there a bit shorter from factory
should fit up with no hassles as the vn fit into vl's with no mods
there just wider
#32 _BAILLIE_
Posted 27 March 2011 - 11:59 PM
Hey mate, cheers. Yeh, nobody is down with the tail lights, hehehe, but nobody has other suggestions? I guess people would prefer stockies?Hey mate, had a read through, looks quite good, minus tail lights imo but that's my personal preference. I also love what your mate has done with his exhaust, that's grouse .
I'm in the same boat as Mick mentioned having a VN V6 T5 manual daily, been a great reliable whip, yo. I use it for towing my boat too in the summer and goes well.
It's a stock driveline, and when I got it had the pearl/hsv grey paint (good from a few feet away but still pretty cool), king superlows, 18's yo. Then when I got it I cleaned it right up and put remote central locking in it (easy as in a VN), white LED backlit dash, re-did the headlining (did you need to re-do yours? Usually they come undone at this age) and subs etc. Just thought I'd share, its almost at the big 400 000 but it really only feels like its done half that, runs great.
Oh and I can say that it actually handles surprisingly well with 18" wheels on it (235 wide tread), the guards have been (poorly) rolled but yea feels nice and solid on the road.
One other thing...do you have to smack the dash every once in a while to get the fuel gauge to read? Hehe apparently its a common problem with a dry solder joint at the voltage reg in the cluster but it doesn't bother me that much to pull it all apart.
Your wagon looks and sounds nice man, good job : )
I have blown a coil pack in mine and replaced it with a series 2 onwards type and had no probs since. Also broken down a couple of times due to fuel level being under a quarter of a tank and parking on a hill, lol.
Cheers for the pic and the info. My headlining finally caved in recently, enough that I couldn't see out the back window, so I ripped the lot out. The clock was showing about 420,000 when I got it. The motor feels very strong, I don't know if it's had a reco or not. I have since replaced the cluster with a tacho version, so now I have only done 250,000 ish. : ) The thing has frozen up since then, which is a shame because yes � the fuel and temp gauges do play up and I like to keep track of fuel after running dry twice now.
The new cluster is a little better than the original though, and a few minutes of driving is usually all it takes to get them both awake again if they are still asleep after start up. I should probably reco the whole unit when funds allow.
Cheers
Edited by BAILLIE, 28 March 2011 - 12:00 AM.
#33 _BAILLIE_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 12:06 AM
Sprung a leak on the way to a phillip island street wagons cruise. You can see the old headlining being dodge, and the colour of the "coolant" even more dodge. I still need to wash the car after to get the gunk off after it sprayed the bumper, guards, screen, bonnet etc.
Got one of these and it's now fitted -
It re-centred the diff, and scrubbed tyres on both sides instead of just the left. Bahaha.
Also picked up a pair of these beauties recently -
Overhead Solution number one -
Overhead Solution number two -
Mmmmm. Ripping stuff out is addictive : )
Once i started, i couldn't stop! Haaha, luckily there is no shortage of useless junk in this thing : )
Edited by BAILLIE, 28 March 2011 - 12:14 AM.
#34 _Gunmetal LH_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 12:12 AM
Standard VN spec. All model variants.
Sticking fuel gauge requiring the VN salute- Tap Tap.
Self reclining seats.
Reduced glare from buttons around gauges- illumination always off. Random operation when saluting the dash for the fuel gauge.
Rear vision mirror locked in day or night mode only as the button fell off and something is stuffed in there to stop it wobbling back and forth.
Down position only sunvisors.
Left mirror randomly drops to view next to the car- handy for parking.
Easy access fuse panel- just bump and it pops open.
Theft reduction bonnet requires a hard smack or second person to open.
Reduced fire hazard in the console as the cig lighter never actually works.
Child locks on the rear doors and adult proof rear window winders.
Standard Holden under-body rust protection provided by the power steering or engine sump. Usually extends from the front bumper to around the diff area and gets more extensive with age/kms.
I call them 'quirks'
#35 _BAILLIE_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 12:23 AM
Never done it before but it worked out very well. The standard rails (very lucky for me) were able to be massaged to accept bucket seat awesomness : ) They are fully adustable still, which was handy yesterday when squeezing a 2.1 metre long book shelf in the back : )
View from the backseat, which is now missing, perhaps permanently.
Dam! They are good : )
I forgot how much they help. You can focus 100% on driving and no need to waste half of your energy bracing yourself for every corner. Best mod yet, hands down : )
#36 _Gunmetal LH_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 12:45 AM
What brand are they?
#37 _BAILLIE_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 12:53 AM
Brad: "One other thing...do you have to smack the dash every once in a while to get the fuel gauge to read?"
Standard VN spec. All model variants.
Sticking fuel gauge requiring the VN salute- Tap Tap.
Self reclining seats.
Reduced glare from buttons around gauges- illumination always off. Random operation when saluting the dash for the fuel gauge.
Rear vision mirror locked in day or night mode only as the button fell off and something is stuffed in there to stop it wobbling back and forth.
Down position only sunvisors.
Left mirror randomly drops to view next to the car- handy for parking.
Easy access fuse panel- just bump and it pops open.
Theft reduction bonnet requires a hard smack or second person to open.
Reduced fire hazard in the console as the cig lighter never actually works.
Child locks on the rear doors and adult proof rear window winders.
Standard Holden under-body rust protection provided by the power steering or engine sump. Usually extends from the front bumper to around the diff area and gets more extensive with age/kms.
I call them 'quirks'
Bahaha, i like it : )
The seats are Recaros. These particular ones are from a Honda DV 5 i believe, but the same type were also factory fitted to EVO 7s and 8s. You should be able to pick some up online or from almost any Jap / import wreckers.
#38 _BAILLIE_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 12:59 AM
Measured weights -
Head-lining 3.0 kg
Spare wheel recess cover 4.6 kg
Read window washer bottle (filled) 1.75 kg
Rear carpet section 3.0 kg
Rear wheel tub carpet sections (1.25 kg each), total = 2.5 kg
Back seat carpet sections 2.45 kg
Tailgate carpet section 1.0 kg
Carpet sections from under front seats 1.6 kg
Rear seat belts (total) 2.2 kg
Back seat folding plate 4.25 kg
Centre console 3.8 kg
Plastic trim (total) 5.7 kg
TOTAL - 35.85 kgs
Estimated weights
Back seat lower 7 - 10 kg
Back seat upper 10 - 14 kg
Spare wheel + tyre 15 20 kg
TOTAL 32 44 kg.
So, fairly safe to say an initial diet of 70 kgs no worries.
I would really like to keep an accurate measure of what goes in and what comes out. The seats seemed about the same as eachother, and the rails are standard still. I know it's a bit late to do them properly, but i couldn't wait (weight? ) to put them in.
My scales only go to 5 kg. I would like some hanging ones that can go to 20 or even 50 kgs so i can measure the correct weight of the spare and other things. Just for something to do hey.
Edited by BAILLIE, 28 March 2011 - 01:03 AM.
#39 _mick74lh_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 07:24 PM
#40 _BAILLIE_
Posted 28 March 2011 - 08:14 PM
I always find weight reduction methods intriguing. Cheers for posting that up. It sort of equates to free horsepower until you carry a couple of passengers
Hey, no worries mate. Yeh, sortof.
I have taken care of that (for the most part) by removing the back seat. It might have been used say once a year anyway, so nobody is missing out on taxi-ness.
Reducing weight is superior to increasing power IMO:
Less weight = Faster acceleration with less load and strain on the entire driveline. It equals much better handling and braking performance, plus improved fuel economy.
People would pay good money for a product that worked and did all of the above. But no need because it's free for everyone (except taxi drivers etc).
This wagon is a real tubby. They are full sized cars and quite in need a low fat diet (when you intend to have fun driving them). After stage one, I get see what the car would have driven like if it had no people in it at all. (I weigh about 70 kg)
Add one passenger and it brings it back to normal (or there-abouts), which is still an improvement over how it was.
Some people even take out the front passenger seat. I did that for a couple of days, while swapping to the buckets and even that alone made a nice difference� which got me thinking dirty thoughts, and then the bug bit me, of course : ) heheh.
Edited by BAILLIE, 28 March 2011 - 08:16 PM.
#41
Posted 29 March 2011 - 12:23 PM
#42 _Gunmetal LH_
Posted 29 March 2011 - 01:46 PM
Had my VN's driver's door trim off for a couple of days and the road noise drove me nuts!
Edited by Gunmetal LH, 29 March 2011 - 01:47 PM.
#43 _BAILLIE_
Posted 29 March 2011 - 05:01 PM
GMLH - That's soft, hahaha. Yeh, actually my door trims are still on for now, i need to decide what i am doing with them before ripping them off or chopping anything. I would like to keep the armrests at very least in the front, the rears don't matter so much anymore.
I have also left the carpet in the front section and around the firewall and trans tunnel. I know it gets hot (with a V8 anyway) so insulation helps there.
I got a new metallic rattle plus a fair bit of road noise from the rear. Only an issue until i get used to it really. I might see if i can locate a rattle source and shut it up though, i still don't know what's causing it.
On the plus side, it distracts from the front doors smashing up and down when going over bumps. I would really like to figure out some way to dampen that noise, i hate it. I have always been able to feel the doors move plenty with my finger in the gap, even over tiny bumps. They bottom out on the sill or something and go bang, quite a lot.
Having a quick search, it seems that my hinges should be fine because the panel gaps are all good. The problem i think is the door striker which apparently has a plastic casing on it and when these come off you get the movement. Awesome, i will have a look asap, sounds like an easy fix : )
Edited by BAILLIE, 29 March 2011 - 05:10 PM.
#44 _BAILLIE_
Posted 29 March 2011 - 05:12 PM
Bang!
#45 _BAILLIE_
Posted 30 March 2011 - 01:11 AM
Pretty happy with a few of them. Something different anyway.
The wagon needs a good wash. Also a polish, a good service and a new set of rear treads : ) �. And a supercharger. But first things first.
You can see the slimline black and white plates in these pics. Got them a few months ago, they are standard still, not personalised, so only slightly wanky. Then I ruined it with the monster wank tacho which I have had for ages but I only just put it in last weekend. It was just sitting in a box so I thought I might as well put it to use. The dash tacho was hard to see, slow to react and glitchy so it was an easy choice after all : )
Before I left home I was thinking about laying some rubber in a carpark or whatever and then shooting the car sitting on the end of the marks. Turns out I didn't need to bother, there was PLENTY of it almost everywhere I went, hahaha, just had to park on it : )
I'll have to grab some blue LEDs for the rest of the cluster hey : ) -
Almost need my sunnies too. Dam thing needs a dimmer switch on it : )
Edited by BAILLIE, 30 March 2011 - 01:15 AM.
#46 _BAILLIE_
Posted 30 March 2011 - 01:18 AM
Car nut heaven : )
#47 _BAILLIE_
Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:49 PM
Time to grab something a little fresher. Hmm, decisions�
Drivers side guard showing some lovely polished metal. Usually on the inner tub, not the outer bit, and usually much bigger and shinier.
Passenger side has been lucky and had the most loving, touching and rubbing -
I went bush mechanics on it's arse again. Actually did the job very well : ) Thanks JC forums : )
Edited by BAILLIE, 31 March 2011 - 07:52 PM.
#48 _BAILLIE_
Posted 31 March 2011 - 08:06 PM
Here is the jack again at the same height, but on the passenger side before I started. Over an inch extra clearance easy
Mmmm, ghetto : )
As soon as i finished, i was looking at the rear guards and thinking "Yeh, i could just chop that right out, then add in two sections here and here, then whack it back together and i'd have a pretty sweet wide-body kit."
Reading too many Dirtbag threads, hahhaha, at least my mind is opening to more possibilities and i believe i can actually achieve things if i want. This will do me for now though, i will try with the 215s again and it should be sweet.
Edited by BAILLIE, 31 March 2011 - 08:09 PM.
#49 _jabba_
Posted 31 March 2011 - 08:11 PM
Oh wait its a VN, keep going .
<edit> Those pics made me start singing this.
Edited by jabba, 31 March 2011 - 08:13 PM.
#50 _BAILLIE_
Posted 31 March 2011 - 08:16 PM
People said the same about Torries back in the day i reckon.
I was scarred for life when a guy at the shop up the road told me that they used to crush them.
Nobody cares about VNs. I am not sure if they ever will. Awesome news for me, cheap parts until they crush them all.
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