Low km 1991 VN Exec

[[TUFFVQ]Participant Melbourne1991 VQ 304 View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 171]

So I have a sickness for white VN’s apparently.
About 10-12 months ago I found that the previous owner had passed away (at 95, good wicket) and his son (family friend) now had a hold of it. I waited until he was comfortable in moving it on and it so happened that it was this weekend.

Textbook one owner from new, church on Sunday’s, full logbook servicing type deal. Completely original, fully maintained, runs like a dream. Drove it 300km home from Gippsland listening to the 2 speaker factory radio with air conditioning that was too cold to run on full. Estimate I’d easily get 700km to a tank and has the most power of the 3 I’ve owned with positive shifts from the auto. Has the typical horrible Buick note though 

The interior is absolutely perfect. A small bit of wear on the drivers footwell carpet but that’s it. Rear seat was claimed to have only been sat in twice. Roof lining is perfect as well. Switches look like new, no fading of anything. Big kicker – ZERO rust. I’ve looked all over it, not a mark anywhere.

Only complaints is that the 185 14″ tyres are woeful – no idea who thought they were a good idea, it just lights up on a roll on. Standard V6 brakes are something else as well. And the occasional minor squeak from the rear louvre.

Hard to show it on iphone pics but the paint is in excellent conditions. A couple of very small marks but they will all come out with a polish.

Immediate plans are to give the paint a light polish and a coat of wax, then do something about the brakes, suspension and tyres.

Pics

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

Wow IMMAC

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

Make sure you keep this as stock as possible. Not many left like this.

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

Needs an ls3.

[sands vsParticipant vs commodore View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 619]

Very clean in person…

[[TUFFVQ]Participant Melbourne1991 VQ 304 View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 171]

New springs, shocks and panhard rod.

 

[sands vsParticipant vs commodore View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 619]

My springs?

Dam thats a transformation

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by  sands vs.

[[TUFFVQ]Participant Melbourne1991 VQ 304 View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 171]

Yeah mate, one and the same.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Great find! Hard to go past a grandpa special like that. Looks great with those wheels!

[WPNHDTParticipant WPNHDTVK Brock Group 3 View build HERE Member since: April 23, 2015 Posts: 8]

I love seeing such clean examples…nice pick up bud.

 

[vspeteParticipant vspeteVE SV6 MY12 SPORTWAGON View build HERE Member since: May 2, 2015 Posts: 74]

Looks brand new.

 

[[TUFFVQ]Participant Melbourne1991 VQ 304 View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 171]

Small update.

Having been driving this around a bit lately, think I’ve put 2000km on it since I bought it, with a few longer trips (up to Seymour and back etc.). It eats up highway kms, just cruises along. Really enjoyed the longer drives. However, I’ve had to do two hard-ish stops in it in traffic recently and both times I wasn’t sure I was going to pull up with the standard brakes.

Enter a UPC Twin piston upgrade kit (296mm rotors, VT calipers, pads, lines, hubs, bearings) for $660 (thank you ebay auction ending on a Sunday night). I’ll also use a VS Booster/VT Master I have sitting about, with the RBS adaptor plate and hardline adaptors.

I figure while I’m there I may as well do a couple of other things, so I’ll pick up some nolathane strut tops, replace the front shocks, new bushes in the control arms and fit a new sway bar. I won’t do the K-frame bushes yet as the VN V8 K-frame I have already has nolathanes installed and I have lived through the removal of the rubber ones before. Never again.

I also have another 80L fuel tank to put in, as I love the look of the big tanks in VNs. (This car will be so bogan). Another reason for changing the tank is that the breather lines on the tank are split and need changing. Does anyone know if the fuel pump carriers are the same between 63L and 80L tanks? Hopefully I can adapt the tank in correctly as it came from one of my parts cars (VQ, so IRS).

The plan following this in the next few months will be to look at the rear suspension/diff. I already have new shocks, springs and adjustable panhard rod, however I will make up some adjustable upper control arms (stuff paying $300 a set from whiteline), brace the lower arms and install new bushes, then get my spare diff housing built with a torquelock centre and 3.45 gears to suit the eventual V8/T5 conversion. That will probably do me until the end of the year, as the VQ needs some attention in the engine department.

Hopefully by the time I put in a 304, everything else around it will be upgraded so it’s not a lead-tipped arrow.

[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]

[TUFFVQ] wrote:

(This car will be so bogan)

Coz you didn’t know that when you bought a white VN lol

[[TUFFVQ]Participant Melbourne1991 VQ 304 View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 171]

I’m further increasing the bogan factor. Although, I was walking back to mine last week and I heard the unmistakable sound of a buick 6 with next to no exhaust being held in first. Around the corner comes a white exec with black bumpers, on bump stops and VR Acclaim hubcaps (which I also currently have on my VQ at the moment). I remembered that this is why people don’t like these cars lol.

Anyway, yesterday I decided to start the brake conversion on a Sunday at midday; What could go wrong?

Let me tell you. 1 trip to Autobarn for Brake Cleaner. Get back home, realise I only have one bottle of brake fluid left from the VQ system flush last weekend. Back to Super Cheap for another bottle. Get back home. Can’t find my tub of High Temp Bearing Grease. Back to Supercheap but their eftpos is down. Across to Autobarn, then back home. Then remember that the VT Master Cylinder reservoir doesn’t fit under the bonnet of VN-VS cars as it mounts on an upward angle. Drive to the other side of Melbourne to the only self-serve wreckers open on a Sunday afternoon and wander around the muddy yard to find a VS V6 master cyl to pilfer the reservoir off it. 2 hour return trip later and I have everything I need to start, it’s 3.45pm and I have a mother’s day dinner to be at by 5.30pm. Doesn’t sound good right?

2 hour smash fest and I had the calipers, rotors, bearings, hubs and hoses installed. Existing fluid all drained and the old 15/16″ master/booster combo ready to unbolt from inside the cabin. A quick ‘can of degreaser’ shower for myself, off to dinner, get back and finish off removing and installing the new master/booster, re-installing the hardlines and talking nicely to the other half to get her to help me bleed the system. On the road for a test by 9.30pm. 

Pedal feel is great, and the car actually pulls up. The old pedal feel was pretty firm and average and it was always a ‘pucker’ moment if you had to pull up quickly. The old rotors were original items and NLS (big lip on them). They made their way into the bin along with everything else.

Couple of points for anyone trying this:
– Source a VS V6 reservoir before you start the job.  You will still need to drill a new retaining bolt hole on the VT Master but it’s not a big deal.
– The master to strut tower bracket will need to be modified as the new combination is longer. Not difficult, but the two strut tower stud holes will need to be re-drilled in the bracket.
– You will need the ‘bubble flare’ to double flare adaptors or risk the standard hardlines not sealing with the VT master cylinder. I sourced mine from Race Brakes Sydney, along with the VT Master to VS Booster adaptor plate.
– Learning from the mistake I made about 7 years ago when fitting this kit to my VQ, I remembered to fit the callipers with the bleed nipple to the top! 
– Consider painting the components before install – they look terrible once corroded. This includes the outer circumference of the rotor. Also, remember to bake the parts before install as it tends to last longer.

[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]

Great write up mate, love it.  Nice work too.

[Slow355Participant Victoriahectic spec 355 vs ss ute View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 322]

No need to tape up roters, after a few brakes the pads wear it off for a fresh line lol. Good idea using the oven!!

munch munch ls1s for lunch
Best 1/4 mile 13.1@105mph 60ft-1.8sec Reaction time .8 sec 0/100-4.8sec

[[TUFFVQ]Participant Melbourne1991 VQ 304 View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 171]

I gave it a very slight overlap onto the wear surface just to get the line right, but didn’t want a gut full of paint onto the pad surface. Doesn’t seem like a great idea :p

Took 2 mins to mask each rotor anyway.

[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]

Wilwoods are delivered painted, I am guessing so they don’t get surface rust on the way over or whilst in the warehouse.  Doesn’t take too long for it to go…

[HDN05LParticipant Canberra ACTVS Olympic Edt 383 stroker Ute View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 289]

I did this upgrade on my vs and they are a great improvement over standard.

Haven’t had any dramas so far.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Great job. Very necessary mod for a VN. Nothing worse than feeling like you won’t stop!

[Author]

Posts