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Entertaining read, H1KE - praise to the eternal bogan. I've got a number of saved searches (Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, carsales.com.au) for a VU SS ute so when I pick one up I know who come to for LWB Commodore advice.
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Jul 23, 2023 02:12
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H1KE posted:<bogan advice> cheers, yeah, my challenge is that I gotta work out a way to get these checked out remotely as I won't be able to inspect them in person. If you got any suggestions on that I'm all ears! I'm from Australia originally but I live in the US now, plan is to buy a VU, leave it with family to get its inevitable problems addressed, and then ship it up once it hits 25 years old
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Jul 23, 2023 14:56
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I don't suppose you're near Wollongong are you? https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/280728667737389/?ref=category_feed
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Jul 24, 2023 13:47
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randomidiot posted:There's a couple of companies that pretend to make legal Utes, if you supply the Australian variant. They basically chop up both a G8 and Holden, swap the G8 firewall and systems (seat belts, interior, airbags, ABS, engine management, cluster, etc), and you title it as a kit car. Or since it still retains the G8 VIN in most spots, depending on the state, it gets registered as a G8 (that's fun if you get pulled over). Even converted to LHD. Also it's something like $50k... yeah nah I'm not real interested in any of that noise - like, there's a guy in Colorado called Left Hand Utes - https://lefthandutes.com/ - but for me having the car LHD converted is undesirable. I miss swapping cogs with my left hand haha. So yeah I'd just wait until she's 25 years old and bring'er up. It's still a few years until these cars are old enough but I'm the biggest loving idiot you know so I'm looking at it now
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Jul 24, 2023 16:22
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gently caress hey H1KE what do you reckon, am I just gonna run into this with every ute? should I assume that it's just a part of ute life to get run into a wall or some poo poo? I apologize for hijacking your thread maybe I should go start a generic bogan thread?
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Jul 25, 2023 11:52
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Ute shopping update: In talks with a guy about his VU, had a mechanic check it out. Overall looks good - bit of clearcoat damage on the roof, also the mechanic theorized this guy worked in a shopping center for elderly blind folks or a drive-through golf course given the little dings on the sides of the car without obvious matching hail damage on the bonnet/roof. The questions I gotta ask a bogan whisperer: -The ute has a non-standard air intake installed (cold air intake? idk some people get fussy when you use the incorrect term). The car is currently unregistered, but has a pink slip and apparently lost rego recently enough that the pink alone is all you need. The mechanic did say that if it got to 3 months out of rego that it'd need to get a blue slip - and to get the blue slip, the standard air box would have to go back on. I don't know if the seller has that any longer, though. -The keyfob remote buttons don't work - seller says he's tried replacing the battery to no avail. He did say that he could likely get a new key cut/copied for $160 at a Mr. Minit or whatever. -The aircon "needs regassing". I just went through this with Mrs. Sarcastx Leaf - it needed regassing because one of the hoses got damaged and let all the refrigerant and lubricant out, which cost $700 to fix. Mechanic said he didn't see anything obvious on the visual inspection but that they wouldn't know if there was a leak until they tried to fill it, which I didn't want to pay for without buying the car. -As you can see on the first pic, the fuel flap cover is missing. I can find unpainted ones all day on eBay etc but am I gonna have a nightmare of a time trying to track down one that matches from somewhere or are they all lying by the road in ditches somewhere? This is the vehicle - what are your thoughts on the above? https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-view-details.html?adId=1313072915 Other minor stuff: the wheel center caps and the engine cover are missing, I'd definitely want the caps replaced and would probably want the cover replaced just so I can have another Holden badge to counter the bogans who put Chevy badges on their cars. Shouldn't be an issue to source that stuff I'd expect...
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Jul 27, 2023 13:38
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H1KE posted:E: The more I think on it, the more I think: gently caress that one, go for the one in Croydon! lol yeah saw that one, don't think I ain't thought about it! Thanks for the thoughtful replies
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Jul 27, 2023 18:12
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I AM BECOME BOGAN DESTROYER OF TYRES
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Jul 27, 2023 19:19
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I messaged that dealer in Croydon to see if he'l take $18.5k. Wish me luck!
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Jul 29, 2023 03:41
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 I did a thing and now I own this ute:  Look at the state of this engine bay.  Fuckin' stoked. Won't see it for another six months because I'm on the other side of the world. I'm a loving idiot.
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Aug 9, 2023 23:27
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Hell yeah, glad to see new posts here! Sorry to hear about your medical poo poo. Before I left Australia back in 2011 I had a VE SV6 - but back then I wasn't even remotely interested in doing any of my own work. Since then I got a project car (a 2000 Jaguar XK8) so learning to wrench was pretty much obligatory (unless I wanted to start selling organs). If you'd told me even 10 minutes ago that a coolant fill would be harder on a Holden than a loving Jaguar I'd have said you were smoking crack but that looks loving miserable. Also I broke my ankle partway through replacing the front shocks on the Jag (long story) and I still look to have had an easier time than you did. H1KE posted:How long now until you get to do some circle work? I'm back in Straya for ~3 weeks mid February. It turned out that the ute had been laid up for a bit over 5 years, so when Mum picked it up & drove it home (this was back in August), it was doing all of the "failed rubber" things. Leaks, squeaks, you name it. She took it to a mechanic she trusted and the list... hooooooo boy. I'd planned to do a bunch of this when I got to Australia but then Mum mentioned she wanted to use it while she was doing home renos - she's a good old chook and I don't want her to go sideways into a tree so aaaaaaarhghggh.... I had the following work done: - Brake fluid flush and bleed - Tyres replaced - New battery - Front of engine stuff (replacement of belts, pulleys and the harmonic balancer) - Tailshaft coupling rubber mounts & centre bearing replaced - Rocker cover gaskets replaced - Engine mounts replaced - Rear brake discs & pads replaced - Rear shocks replaced - Diff oil changed - Aircon regassed - Transmission serviced - Strut bar bushes - Swaybar links - Control arms replaced - a boring-rear end service (oil/filter/air filter) - And a balance & alignment for all that noise. It was a lot, but I was able to justify it to myself by reminding myself of the favorable exchange rate at the time (which got to I think $1USD = $1.60AUD or nearabouts). Also Mum doesn't have anywhere flat or level (even the street she's on is steep) and no tools, and I want to drive the thing when I get there rather than have to spend the first week getting it driveable. What I have left is a few things which are also on your list: - Fix driver-side window [rattles] Got a bit of this. Mum said that after a very significant rain a few months back she drove the ute and it had a "sloshing" noise. Her theory was that it was inside the door itself since there was zero dampness on the carpet or anywhere else in the interior. So I'm guessing the vapor barrier is maybe misaligned or more likely the drain plugs are clogged. She said it doesn't slosh any more so it's still draining - just not quickly. The reason I think the vapor barrier is possibly a bit hosed is because either the window regulator or the window switch on the passenger side is wired in reverse- up goes down, down goes up. I figured these things were just in hardwired connectors how do you gently caress this up?!? - Replace all coils, plugs, full service This was about the only thing on the list that I figured could wait - Mum made zero mention of the car stuttering/stalling or giving any kind of grief other than leaking from the rocker covers like the Exxon Valdez - Pull interior for full cleanout and shampoo It's got 22 years of farts and 200,000 K's in those cushions so it's due - Replace the head unit, upgrade speakers, and add reversing camera because reversing this thing is like reversing the loving Evergreen I'm installing a backup camera but using one of those units which integrates into the rear-view mirror (and has an integrated dashcam to boot). As far as audio goes I'm planning on getting a multi-channel Bluetooth compatible amplifier to drive speakers & a sub and just leave the stock headunit in place. I'll use it for listening to the radio and my phone for music or anything else. - Add catch can setup I hear the LS1 has a dogshit crankcase ventilation system (one of the sources of oil leaks on this engine). Apparently you can't get the hose any longer and because it's rigid in one part whaddya know the prick snaps on basically every car eventually. Not on your list: the ABS system is cooked. Per the mechanic there's a solenoid fault - but from what I've read online this is almost always a failed solder joint inside the control module. Considering the control modules are available relatively readily for this car (and considering the 2-channel solenoid/pump block this model has is unobtainium) I'm gonna roll the dice and see if replacing the control module fixes the problem. And if it doesn't... well, I guess I'll stick some tape over the ABS light. Other little issues with the ute: apparently the diff has a whine from the pinion bearing. The shop that did all the work said it was just annoying at this point but not worth fixing. I wasn't in the mood to open another financial vein - it can stay as-is for the time being but I figure I'll get it sorted before I ship the thing up here. Also it has an aftermarket alarm which wasn't in the ad... can't decide if this is a pro or a con. Finally the car does have an automatic transmission (which for me wasn't a dealbreaker when I bought the thing). I think the reason it was in such good nick was that having the auto meant someone wasn't going to hoon it into a ditch. I may change this later - I may not - but the 6MT transmissions these vehicles had are loving everywhere up here so if I decide to change it later I can do it for a reasonable price (especially since here at my place I have a flat, level spot to work AND tools out the rear end). I expect I'm gonna get on the plane back to the US in early March and be counting down the days until I can ship the thing up here. I have ordered a car cover, the mirror/dashcam combo and a bunch of used parts and supplies to address little things inside & out. I mentioned on a call to Mum that I hadn't seen any pics of the thing other than what was on the seller's listing so I asked Mum if she'd be so kind as to go out front and take some photos of the thing so I could admire my purchase. Here's what she sent:   What a good old chook she is. sarcastx fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Jan 15, 2024 |
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Jan 15, 2024 15:51
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I struggle to think of a vehicle that looks that much better with just a tint and a change of wheels than those wagons.H1KE posted:You probably already know but PSA: Don't buy the Ebay coils/unbranded plugs. MACE Engineering coils, actual NGK plugs/coils [$$], or actual Bosch plugs [$$$]. The ebay coils are some nameless Yumcha brand, and will either be hosed outright, or in extreme cases I've seen, melt the wires. MACE have a set for about $190[?] I'm going for. Also lots of other good stuff available through them. Learned that lesson replacing the coil pack on the XK8! Pack on cylinder #8 failed, swapped it with an eBay unit. Next year, the pack on Season 7 failed... and then the pack on Cylinder 8 failed again. If memory serves I then replaced the lot with Densos H1KE posted:- Replace power steering pump and reservoir [?] Is this a preventative thing or is there an issue? I ask because - while I'm lucky to be able to get a shitload of parts in the US for my ute from the A-pillar forward, notable parts I will be absolutely and completely unable to source locally are those related to steering. H1KE posted:- XR8 Falcon front seats?  If you have XR8 seats you cannot cover them up. Troll them bisches.
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Jan 17, 2024 14:11
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 15:50 |
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Siiiiiiiiiiiiiick. What the hell happened to those nuts? looks like a work experience kid with a grudge was trying to destroy the shop dak-dak
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Jan 23, 2024 15:54
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