The slow process, RB25det Berlina

[b1ancardi]

I've been on this site for quite a few years now, so a few of you probably know my car.
I bought this for $2000 at the end of grade 11 in December 2003.



It was a completely stock n/a VL Berlina.
- RB30e
- original shocks/springs
- 15" rims
- Louvre and weather shields
- rear drums
- single spinner
.... you know, grandpa spec. Apart from the crank angle sensor dying twice in a year, I love the car.
But intentions were always to spend some money on it!





So, as it stands now, November 2008 -



ENGINE:
Completely stock RB25det, pulled from a 1994 R33 sedan.



INTERIOR:
Not much! Stock blue Berlina interior, nice Alpine sound system, woodgrain steering wheel



EXTERIOR:
"Morning Blue" (faded to all crap).
Lowered on pedders springs and shocks, guards hang over the tops of the tyres about a centimetre all around, just the way I like it.
17" VY Storm ute rims (I love these! This design in 18s or maybe 19s might be perfect IMO)




OTHER:
2.5 inch exhaust system
Front mount intercooler
4.11 diff gears
28 spline axels
LSD
rear disc brakes (from a VL V8)
330mm twin piston, front 'VT' brakes
VT master cylinder and booster
single thermo fan
Some nice thick aftermarket radiator (can remember if its dual or tri core...)




It has taken me since December 2003 to get the above things done. My VL is not my main vehicle, every other day I drive a 2004 BA XLS ute, which I need for work. I am a tiler. Something was needed to be reliable and carry tools.
So the VL normally sits around the backyard collecting dust for 3 - 6 months at a time.
Its a slow process, but its great to see it come together over the years




NEXT ON THE LIST:
I have AU Twin thermos that have been sitting in my bedroom for ... 6 months maybe? hahaha, they need to go on asap. I just want another thermo switch first to have the fans run separatly.

Calais nose and a full respray in a 2pack color. For years I've been keen .... to keep it light blue
I'm sure you guys have seen the light blues/aquas on the Mazda 3s, Toyota Camrys and/or Subaru Imprezas. Its going to be one of those.
I wont be making a Calais mock up .... I just want the nose.
Where all the current grey bumpers are, they will be sprayed silver. But I wont be going the full 2 tone. The middle section will be body color at the bottom, like it is now.
Rocker cover - spray the same color as the car.
And hopefully, while its being spray, I'll be replacing all the seals with new ones. Not bodgey stuff here!!

Up close ... currently ... my VL is NOT pretty. Some dirty little secrets like this can be hidden in far back pictures. The boot is the worse, but the roof is getting there too.


FUTURE MODS:
Injectors, aftermarket ECU, better turbo, fuel system .... nothing MAJORLY heavy, just 'the usual'.
From the start, my 'dream' for this car is to get it to a reasonably reliable 220 - 250rwkw.
Right now, a guess might be that its at 150 - 160rwkw?
And one day, I would REALLY like to have some leather HSV front seats, and do something the the back seats.

After that, unless I win the lottery .... thats what I'd like to call my car 'finished'.
Personally ... I'd estimate another 5 years, but we will see.
I've finished my apprenticeship now though, so things might be faster than I think! But I need to seriously think about a house too.










Anyway, I guess thats it.
Any suggestions, ideas, or nice comments to say, please do
Thanks!


Also, please note part of the reason this is taking so long, is because I have to pay people to do the work on this.
I am not a mechanic. I am a tiler and I work 6 - 7 days a week. I dont have the know how, the tools or the time work on a car. BUT I do like the satisfaction of seeing the build process come through. Just dont credit me on the actual work!
I do the smaller things, like fitting the brakes (with a friend) and whatnot though.
I just thought I should add that

I forgot to mention anything about the gearbox
Currently, its just a reco'd N/A jatco auto.
It does the job .... for now. hehe

[Weezy]

I would just like to congratulate you on sticking with the project for so long, alot of people give up on these projects after 2 - 3 years well done.

What breed of dog is that in the last picture man? Looks tuff haha

[b1ancardi]

Thanks! Too true
And he's a Staffy, hehe, he's just way bigger than normal for some reason :s

on another note, heres a vid of what it sounds like from inside
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=HQyz1uDgMYw
lol ....

[PROGMH]

Your dog is a beefcake!

[PSIWOG]

Awsome write up mate and nice with the DOHC

[b1ancardi]

Originally Posted by PROGMH

Your dog is a beefcake!

last weigh in was 27kg, hehe. Used to be 32kg back in his prime though.

Originally Posted by PSIWOG

Awsome write up mate and nice with the DOHC

thanks

[5spdvl]

Looks tops dude, although I have to say - what the fuck happened to the steel where the tages are mounted??

[b1ancardi]

haha, well, i'm ashamed to say this, but overheating problems at the start were annoying me to no end, I got the sh1ts, and tried a few quick bodgey 'fixes' for the time being. So I cut that back, and the hot air would run out through the vents. It actually worked a little bit too .... heh
But I folded it back into place like, a week later.... errr.
The cuts are still there to this day, but I'll get them welded or something some time before I spray the bay.

I actually didnt even notice it was like that in that picture. Oh the shame.. hahaha. Aaaah well.




Anyone know where I can get new bumpers from? I'm pretty sure almost every piece on mine has a crack somewhere. I'll need them for the eventual respray..

[5spdvl]

Ah, fair enough! I thought it had been cut to remove the motor!

You can get new bumpers on eBay - people say bad things about them, but there are heaps of people on CT using them. Apparently they require a little trimming, but look great when you get them right. Otherwise, maybe give RareSpares a call?

I'll probably be using eBay bumpers when i get to that point (about November 2020).

[b1ancardi]

VL and my mates EB turbo (BA XR6 Turbo engine conversion)

[b1ancardi]

Ah, so many photos in this thread already.


finally, yesterday, I put the AU thermos in..
It was a bit of a b1tch moving my transmission cooling hoses onto a seperate trans-cooler and mounting in in front of the radiator without taking the intercooler off, haha, but other than that, my first time doing some minor wiring went well.
All I had to do was copy the thermo switch that was already there.

Please excuse the absolute filth my bay is in at the moment..



As you can see, its quite a snug fit, hopefully it will all work well in the long term.

[b1ancardi]

oh, anyone know how do I go about recalibrating the speedo?
Fair bit off with the 4.11s now.

[SELO XST 045]

both of thses cars are bigerst sleepers i could say :P but

its tuff .. sorry didnt read much .. but you you have a dyno run on this with the rb25det . ? at all ..


nice keep up building it

[b1ancardi]

No dyno run yet, for me, or my mates Falcon. Probably sometime in Jan or Feb though

[Lord Thistlewick Flanders]

wow mate, such an awesome sleeper with the 2.5ltr dohc in an average body. must take a few people by surprise! also nice write up, look forward to some more progress!

p.s. that falcon is tough also! i've never seen a eb falcon done up!

[misk]

that EB would be a fair weapon!
i have an EA ghia as a daily, they would be such a mad cruiser with some porper power in them, feel much nice to drive than a commodore lol

[Weezy]

They still look Sh!t tho

[Lord Thistlewick Flanders]

Originally Posted by Weezy

They still look Sh!t tho

only thing letting it down lol.

[b1ancardi]

Originally Posted by Gavin-Doyle

wow mate, such an awesome sleeper with the 2.5ltr dohc in an average body. must take a few people by surprise!

I dont think any VL takes people by surprise these days unfortunatly!! No matter the condition of the body, haha

[b1ancardi]

Gave the thermos a good test yesterday.
Last time I went up the Clyde mountain, the temperature gauge was almost touching the red line.
Yesterday I went up the Clyde for the first time with the AU twin thermos, and the guage only went to a little over half. Very happy with them.

[b1ancardi]

I just a calais nose, with motors, and end pieces, same color as my car, no dents, for $400.
Although, theres no grill, and I have to drive to Shepparton, Victoria to pick it up. (i'm in Canberra)
Dude doesnt want to post, and its cash on pick up.

$400 + ~$150 in fuel .... I figure $550 is a reasonable price for a Calais nose these days.

[b1ancardi]

This arrived today

[b1ancardi]

This went on today.
I need new bumpers ...

[5spdvl]

Love it dude. Berlina with Calais front! Represent!

How much fun are the Calais front to fit? Not.

[b1ancardi]

haha, yeah, I drove all day to pick up the calais front and come back to Canberra too. Got back at 6pm last night, had dinner, then it took me until 9:45pm to put it on. With basically just tools I use for tiling mind you, and a cheap socket set. Just a lot of screws in kinda awkward places.