DJ345's VH racecar

[DJ345Participant MelbourneVH Circuit Race car View build HERE Member since: April 17, 2015 Posts: 4]

Hi All Just found this place from the tread posted on SC forum, thought id post my race build thread, cut and pasted from another forum.

Hi all thought it was about time I revealed the new race car I purchased in Jan 2010. It’s taken just over 18 months but it’s been worth it.
I was building up another Commodore from a caged shell but this was closed to finished or so I thought and sprinting an AE82 twin cam Corolla while work proceeded on the Commodore.

It’s an EX Commodore Cup VH (log booked) that was built way back in 1996 by a mate and raced up until 2003, it was the sold to another mate who did a few sprints and the decided to respray it and lost interest and this is where I have acquired it.

It has been painted in Maranello red a HDT colour used on the VH group threes, with white inside, (I’m not a huge fan of red but it’s growing on me).
It is still running all the Commodore Cup gear and that’s how it will stay for the time being.

So the current specs are:

Motor: 253ci with Commo Cup cam shaft, yellow terra heads roller rockers etc. Condition unknown as yet
Gearbox: Super T10
Diff: Bw full floater with mini spool (will upgrade to full spool one day)
Suspension: Commodore Cup adjustable coil overs in the front, rear conventional coil springs and Bilsteins all round.

Some things have needed replacing and I’ve slowly getting around to them as well as piecing it all back together. Although it came with all new bushes front and rear. I am completely rewiring it as well as rearranging the dash board, gauges and switches, and replacing/upgrading the fuel line.

Bringing it home.

Installing the motor and box to get it rolling.

This is what it looked like last time it was raced.

First upgrade stub stiffeners/bearing spacers.

Brought some new wheels for the race car and did some small bits and pieces on it over the weekend.
Hope to get a lot more done in the next couple of weeks, work and birthday/Xmas parties permitting.

Time for an update
Its been a long while since the last update, it is taking a lot longer than I had hoped with having a daughter come along as well as working extra days here and there.
Anyway enough of the sob story here some photos of what I’ve done so far, in random order.
As it was an ex race car a few things have been replaced from wear and tear and as I have been getting around to refitting parts I have improved some as well.
First up is the wiring, I have completely rewired it only the head, tail and stop light looms are original.

1st dash board attempt of many.

Final design, the original centre vents and switch panel will go back in.

Fuse box now lives in the glove box.

Battery isolator switch.

Next mod was shifter hole before being covered in.

Fabricated cover before being welded in.

All welded in, before it was welded in the trans tunnel was floppy around the cutout and once I had tacked the cover in it made a big difference.
Next mod was to install a decent seat mount to stop the floor cracking.

Seat frame welded up.

Ready to be welded in place.

All painted up.

Making the seat mounts.

Seat I got off EBay

This is what it looks like now.
Was great to finally get it on the track after almost 2 years (this car we won’t talk about the others before it).

Went to PI Saturday for the circuit familiarization, got off to a shaky start as it was very wet for the first and spun at Siberia on the out lap and then next lap braking into Honda the rears locked up and shot me sideways off the track and got bogged had to be towed back onto the track and was able to continue the session after adjusting the rear brake bias.

The next session was still damp but drying out as the rain had stopped was largely uneventful just getting to know the car and remembering the lines etc.

The third session was dry and starting to get into it was going well then had a spin under brakes into MG, got going again and finished the session and that’s where the fun started pulling up to the trailer the car stalled and smoke started coming out from under the bonnet, lucky I had some mates there and they grabbed the fire extinguisher and put it out. Ended up being a stuck needle and seat and was pouring out fuel which caught alight.

Found a bit of crap in the needle and seat but now needed a gasket, a mate did a dash back home and grabbed some gaskets and a new extinguisher so I would be ready for Sunday. Thanks Spud.

Got to the track early Sunday and it was raining again, which made it fun to setup and fix a carby in the rain, not.

Got it all going again and had the first session in the wet and ended up with a 2:13.9 not too bad for a wet start.

Ended up doing 5 or 6 sessions and got down to 1:58.0343.

Next outing will be the cup day sprint at Sandown. Carby will get a rebuild in the near future too.

Here’s some pics of the weekend a PI

Sandown Cup day sprint

As some of you may know I attended the cup day sprint out at sunny Sandown saw a few PFers out there two and by the looks of it missed a few too, although it rained driving along Eastlink on the way there, and a great day although it was a little slow to start because of two crashes on the warm up lap of the first two sessions.
I did 4 sessions which equated to 31 laps, got down to a 1:30.28 and was very happy with that for the first time at Sandown with the new car. The car went well with no real problems although after the third or fourth lap I was getting a long pedal braking for turn one but after a cool down lap it would come back so I have still got some work to do in that area. Also had a small oil leak from the gearbox which was enough to get onto the exhaust and cause some smoke but I have since fixed it now that the car is home.
Anyway enough talk here are some pics and I have a video to up load once I create a YouTube account.

Now all I need is some more seat time and then some more power.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by  DJ345.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by  DJ345.

[RichardParticipant Macquarie FieldsVT Commodore View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 91]

Love that last photo – looks like it was trying to step out abit.

Good luck with the build, such a sort spot for the old girls

[SSEN8R VS #1081Participant Brisbane, North Side\'97 VS II HSV Senator 185i View build HERE Member since: March 16, 2015 Posts: 227]

awesome! can you post a link to your youtube vids?

My build thread - http://www.commodoresplus.com.au/forums/topic/vs-ii-senator-185i-1081/
My track day thread - http://www.commodoresplus.com.au/forums/topic/lakeside-track-sprint-day-second-go/
My VS brake upgrade thread - http://www.commodoresplus.com.au/forums/topic/vs-brake-upgrades/

[DJ345Participant MelbourneVH Circuit Race car View build HERE Member since: April 17, 2015 Posts: 4]

Thanks guys my youtube channel is VHRacer82, but if you search on Vicv8’s I feature in a few of the guys video’s.

[SLE355Participant View build HERE Member since: April 7, 2015 Posts: 119]

Nice mate, what engine have you got planned once your ready to replace the 253?

[NickVRParticipant AdelaideVR V8 Exec, VR SS, VF Redline Reserve View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 264]

Tidy looking rig mate.

[SmittyParticipant MelbourneGEN-F R8 SV340 HSV Tourer, VK club touring race car and Kwaka ZX12R View build HERE Member since: July 23, 2015 Posts: 47]

.. bloody ‘ell Damo

u here too?? 

 

 

[DJ345Participant MelbourneVH Circuit Race car View build HERE Member since: April 17, 2015 Posts: 4]

SLE355 wrote:

Nice mate, what engine have you got planned once your ready to replace the 253?

LS1 out of a VX SS with a small cam to start with and then some head work etc down the track.

 

Smitty wrote:

.. bloody ‘ell Damo u here too??

Yeah you to ah,

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

shit how did I miss this.  Awesome, everytime i read about a build like this I want to do one myself.  Must be so much fun.  +1 for the LS swap.  will open up a world of cheap easy hp later as you want.  Must be great to be able to make mods etc yourself then see and feel the effect on the track.

[SmittyParticipant MelbourneGEN-F R8 SV340 HSV Tourer, VK club touring race car and Kwaka ZX12R View build HERE Member since: July 23, 2015 Posts: 47]

.. and then it went to shite eh Damo :(

bang bangy crack smash….  the 2fiddy three got rather holey and wouldn’t rotate

btw… how is the LS conversion going?

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