Heron's VK SL Build – LS3, TH400, Sleeper Style

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

the car is an SL. Got the engine harness from CAE so that side is good, it;s just the rest of the body harness thats shithouse

[LS3VKParticipant Perth View build HERE Member since: June 19, 2017 Posts: 8]

Ok I understand. $4.5k for a full re-wire in my experience is not over the top particularly if that includes integrating your ECU harness and getting the car running. Suggest you however you get other prices.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Yeah it includes connecting the engine harness, hiding all wiring up under the dash and through the engine bay, so there’s a fair bit involved. Called a couple of other shops, one said anywhere from 1 to 6k without having a look, and i’m waiting on a call back from another.

His workshop is a 5 minute drive from my house so that’s a bonus.

[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]

Heron SSV wrote:

His workshop is a 5 minute drive from my house so that’s a bonus.

I reckon given its wiring, the fact he is so close is a rolled gold score if you ask me.  First time there is a small issue and he can pop around and fix it without towing you will be on a winner!

[Judge1 FrazerParticipant new zealand1983 VB LSA MG9 6060 6 speed View build HERE Member since: February 5, 2016 Posts: 775]

Heron SSV wrote:

Sparky came round, quoted 4.5k to rewire the whole car front to back using all new wiring, fuses, relays, connectors etc. as well as hiding most of the wiring. Said it’s about 1k in parts and the rest is labour, and takes around 40 hours to do. anyone had any similar work done so i can compare the price? stupid cars lol

wow had a small heart attack on that price , I have done two cars now plus wire up the 304 took time and had to find the manuals had a auto sparky let me borrow the right book , you could find a loom from another vk intact and put that in get all things working then you can sort through it length and shorten what you need to do then once you have that set up get the guy back to just hook up ecu loom to car loom

[cava454Moderator 93 VR BT1 View build HERE Member since: February 20, 2015 Posts: 2 390]

Its like painting your house. Deep down you know you can do it but you rather pay someone cause it’s a prick of a job. 

a few mobs near me used to charge $1500-2000 to just hide all the engine bay wiring and bring all the fuses into the kick panel on the drivers side 

There shouldn’t be a hell of a lot to wire on an early girl I would of thought. However having a Shop so close will defiantly have its benefits. 

When it comes to wiring nothing ever works straight off the bat. 

Half the reason why I spent so much on my engine loom. 

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

I thought the same thing about the wiring Cava, all thats really left seeing as I have a new engine loom is the dash, headlights, tail lights, blinkers, wiper/washer, heater, but there’s just so much wiring, and it’s really the first thing so far I’ve been hesitant about doing myself. I have a bit of time to figure out what I’m going to do (that means no money haha), so I’ll crack on with the fuel tank, brake lines and booster/master cylinder, bodywork, bonnet and bumpers.

Frazer – I think I’d be in the same boat if I tried to get another loom, I wouldn’t really know if I’d be getting the right bits and pieces. I’d hate to get the car up to the point where it’s ready to drive and spend heaps of time chasing electrical gremlins. That would take the fun out of the car pretty quickly

[LS3VKParticipant Perth View build HERE Member since: June 19, 2017 Posts: 8]

I also looked at some of the solid state products out there like Racepak. A real simple alternative to a conventional fuse box arrangement but it is a bit pricey. Worth a look though.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Yeah i like those Racepak dash setups. Throw up a thread on your car, gotta get the first gen commodore numbers up haha

[LS3VKParticipant Perth View build HERE Member since: June 19, 2017 Posts: 8]

not only dash set ups but they also do a controller which is effectively a programmable fuse box. One 12v lead into it and then it supplies power to the circuits you require. You program the required ampages and it simply trips if the circuit is overloaded rather than blowing a fuse. You can run relays off it etc. Really impressive. Mainly designed for race cars but can be used for road vehicles.

[gtrboyyParticipant gtrboyy1.6 Getz View build HERE Member since: January 20, 2016 Posts: 201]

Reckon you should give it a go yourself…not hard just very time-consuming if want everything neat & hidden especially drilling holes & harness placement.

Vk wiring loom are messy & retarded compared to vb-h looms.

Fuse rail part that melts mostly to do with headlights could probably get away with unpinning it & using aftermarket fuesbox if wiring not melted or just trim them.

 

 

[Judge1 FrazerParticipant new zealand1983 VB LSA MG9 6060 6 speed View build HERE Member since: February 5, 2016 Posts: 775]

gtrboyy wrote:

Reckon you should give it a go yourself…not hard just very time-consuming if want everything neat & hidden especially drilling holes & harness placement. Vk wiring loom are messy & retarded compared to vb-h looms. Fuse rail part that melts mostly to do with headlights could probably get away with unpinning it & using aftermarket fuesbox if wiring not melted or just trim them.

 

I hear you the first one I did was a vk royal so had every thing elec windows ,mirrors, A/c

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

I’ve found an intact fuse box and rail in good condition plus a full body harness for 200 bucks, picking it up this sat. Been thinking about the wiring for a while now and I don’t have the coin to throw at it at the moment so I hoping this might get things happening.

havent done much else on it lately, been tied up with family stuff, this time of year is always like that though.

Ive been binge watching Roadkill and Finnegans Garage on YouTube, great shows, definitely recommend them, they’re good to kick back at night with a few frothy coffees and chill out when the family has gone to bed 

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Found a workshop manual online for VKs, saving it here so I can get it printed at work tomorrow lol

http://www.workshopservicemanual.com/84-Holden-VK-Commodore-Full-Workshop-Manual.pdf

[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]

^nice work, you mind posting that link to the workshop manual as  separate thread in the Tech Articles etc section

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Done.

[RennoParticipant Adelaide, SAVN SS | VX SS View build HERE Member since: March 11, 2016 Posts: 119]

Heron SSV wrote:

Ive been binge watching Roadkill and Finnegans Garage on YouTube, great shows, definitely recommend them, they’re good to kick back at night with a few frothy coffees and chill out when the family has gone to bed

Those plus some of the Motor Trend spin off shows like ‘Hot Rod Garage’ &  ‘Roadkill Garage’ are a must for anyone into old school and modern day muscle.

[Judge1 FrazerParticipant new zealand1983 VB LSA MG9 6060 6 speed View build HERE Member since: February 5, 2016 Posts: 775]

Renno wrote:

Heron SSV wrote:

Ive been binge watching Roadkill and Finnegans Garage on YouTube, great shows, definitely recommend them, they’re good to kick back at night with a few frothy coffees and chill out when the family has gone to bed

Those plus some of the Motor Trend spin off shows like ‘Hot Rod Garage’ & ‘Roadkill Garage’ are a must for anyone into old school and modern day muscle.

Yep awesome show and there will be 24 next year    

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Picked up the harness and fuse box, its in perfect condition, every bit of wiring from front to back. Gonna lay it all out on the ground and use my fancy new service manual to arrange it like it is when in the car and look at what bits i can remove, like the engine harness and stuff. Then have to figure out how to mount it up under the dash where its neat but not hard to get to.

[gtrboyyParticipant gtrboyy1.6 Getz View build HERE Member since: January 20, 2016 Posts: 201]

Engine harness & starter motor/batter power cable harness are separate plugs off main harness with fusebox.

 

Alot easier to re-route & hide under dash without factory heaterbox etc otherwise it mostly goes on between dash & factor heaterbox which means repeatedly fitting & removing dash parts.

 

You’ll laugh when you realise you spent countless hours to make it neat,hidden & practical yet nobody ever notices.

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