1982 Holden Commodore VH

Back in late 2009 I picked this up as a "runner" that had sat around for a few years waiting for the previous owner to do something with it - it was originally a 4 cylinder 1.9L - yuck!!






I set about getting it running properly and had a list of 40 odd things to sort before I could get it legal (we have 6 monthly inspections here in NZ or you can't drive it on the road if it does not pass)

Took me a week from non-runner to full runner and legal as I had an event I wanted to take the car to. Packaged in a few things like a CB and stereo and lowered it a little bit too.






Took the car away on the trip and turned out the engine was terminal but it was going OK enough to get me to the event and back.

On arriving back from the trip I hunted down a 6 cylinder motor that is the most common option in these and set about installing the motor.






Then took it away for another roadtrip.

 

I also found a very very cheap car of the same year and model which I ended up turning into a parts car as it had been written of vehicle register. I grabbed quite a few parts of it to get mine better.

Prior to me stripping the parts car - comparing the stock height to my preferred lowered height.




I then proceeded to use those parts to make mine better.
















To this





'scuse the photos - I took them with a potato.

 

And took it on a roadtrip




And another one




And fitted some bigger steel wheels to it..



Then took it another road trip and had some bird strike issues







So fixed that up



And took it on a roadtrip




Then bought a V8




Which is where I am at right now and getting everything ready for that motor to go in






Hopefully fitting it over this coming weekend and then spending another 2-3 weeks getting it all certified and ready for my next roadtrip.

 

Enjoyed the thread. Looks to me like you are having waaaaay too much fun. Just like you are supposed to when you have a neat wagon.

Keep the pics and stories coming..........

 

We have an annual get together of a lot of us wagon orientated friends we call Wagnats.. First one was back in early '09 and we have had it every year since with a couple of mid year ones just for laughs too.

These are some of the photos from over the years..



















These photos could go on for miles but yeah you get the gist of it all..

 

Oh and this is our club plaque - for fun..

 

Thanks for showing off all those sweet wagons and shots of New Zealand as well! It does look like a good time was had by all!

 

I wondered what GM did with all their surplus 153s.
You know, that engine was offered on early Chevy Novas, as 153 c.i.d. and were one barrel carboureted. Does it have a single or double exhaust manifold and did you keep track of the fuel milage you were getting?

 

I like the looks of those inline engines, solid and no nonsense. Are they the same or similar to ones sold in the USA? I am glad I don't have to deal with inspections here. I lived in an area where we had emissions inspections for a while and was glad to get free of that.

mike

 

I only used it for one proper highway trip and then a couple of months around town - but on the whole it was dreadfully uneconomical having to haul round a 3000lb+ car. Plus I have heard of other people with the same motor (commonly called the Starfire) and similar vehicle also having similar results with economy.

Not sure if it is the same as the Nova motor but I could be completely wrong as I don't know what the Nova motor is.
The reason I am unsure is my belief was those motors were based on the Holden straight 6 motor which came out in the 1948 (it's commonly called the 202) I installed a 202 after the 4 cylinder Starfire came out of mine.
A large number of parts are shared between the 4 and 6 - to the point where they look almost identical but with 2 cylinders taken out of the middle.
The Starfire was used in the odd Holden from the early 70's (around 73 I think?) in the Holden Sunbird which is a similar size to a Nova.

Perhaps GM had Holden create the Starfire and based it on the 202 and then the Starfire was sold elsewhere in the world - possibly even in Novas..

Anyhow Starfires are yuck and I know too much about them it would seem. Haha

 

No the Inline 6 is nothing like anything in USA - it is a Holden only motor I believe - it looks like the Blue Flame/Stovebolt but nowhere near as beefy looking when you see them side by side. The Holden version looks like the skinny teenager compared to the Chev/GMC Stovebolt overweight portly gentleman version.

Inspections are a pain but it keeps the roads reasonably safe and is handy to know when purchasing a car that you are not buying a complete lemon. (fingers crossed)

 

I think that is the same motor (Iron Duke?) that Mercury Marine bought the rights to and used them for the basis of their inboard boat motors. They are hard to find these days and could be made capable of great horsepower for their size.

I've looked for one for years to put in a John Deere garden tractor.

 

Coming Soon to a Web Browser near you: "And then I took a V8 road trip."

You are definitely having a blast with that wagon! Way to go.

 

BABIES GOT BACK !!!

 

Nova/Chevy IIs were quite extreme in their engine offerings:

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curb...classic-1970-chevrolet-nova-have-it-your-way/

Look familiar?

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