Reader Restoration

1997 Holden VS Ute – Reader Resto

Tom Gribbin with Guy AllenSeptember 12, 2023, 11:47 amSeptember 12, 2023

When young Tom decided to tackle a fresh project he wanted something different. He succeeded nicely

What possessed me to tackle a GTS-R ute tribute? Maybe I was high at the time…

Jokes aside, it’s been a few years since I’ve done a build, and I wanted to do something. My previous one was a full body-off resto of an HQ.

I was about to build a Blue Meanie or similar, till I went to a car show and there are nine of them there and the only difference was white, silver or blue, auto or manual and what size Aeros they had.

As much as I love the cars, I didn’t want to do something that’s been done to death and the reality was you could probably buy one for less than it would cost to build it, and with a lot less effort!

Then I bought a wagon (a manual V8 VR) with the intention of doing a GTS-R tribute, then along came the ute. For me, a ute is useful.

If I had done up a wagon, I’d be reluctant to throw toolboxes in the back. Then the trim costs are phenomenal. And working out what or how to do a rear wing was an issue. I don’t necessarily like the wing, but it has to be there.

Tom’s ute started as a humble hauler…

Why do a GTRS-R? It’s something that’s worth building a replica of that hasn’t yet been done to death. There seem to be a few sedans coming along but I’ve never seen a ute version.

And it was a bit of a challenge. I’m a stickler for detail.

The 5.0lt engine had a fairly straightforward rebuild. It’s been bored out and given a decent cam. The heads are pretty standard, while it’s running Pacemaker headers and an exhaust.

The five-speed transmission (a Getrag with hydraulic clutch) was good, though my father and his friend helped out by machining up some new bushes so the shifter wasn’t flopping around.

We fitted a short shifter – I’m not that keen on them, but the centre console is different and I didn’t have the same throw that you normally would. Out back is the standard LSD.

I considered going to a six-speed transmission, but could not see the value in what was going to cost at least another $8000.

As for the centre console, it’s one I made. That required a lot of work to get right – it’s funny how it’s often the little things that trip you up. In fact there’s a lot of devil in the detail around this car.

The engine copped a full rebuild

I approached this by sourcing the hardest bits first. I found a set of wheels from a guy over in Airport West. They were silver Clubsport wheels, which I believe are the same, and I have hydra-dipped the centre caps instead of using carbon fibre.

Then I got a set of Devenish seats from a guy in Shepparton. They were absolute toast and I paid through the nose for them. However the foams were in really good condition, which is what I really needed. After that, I tracked down material.

I’ve used hydra-dipping for the trim, which didn’t start off too well. The first guy I used was an absolute crook.

The spoiler came from Repliglass in Queensland – they were really great to deal with. The front bodywork was more or less standard, however they made the side skirts specially so they looked like the three-piece originals. It was a good little bit of detail.

They also did the rear bar, which was fiddly. Another little detail that took heaps of time: Fitting the reflectors into the rear bar.

There was lots of shaving them down, trial-fitting, making special brackets – probably four or five hours.

Messing around and a long way to go

But it was the centre console and surround which was the real challenge. That took about 40 hours to get right.

I started by sacrificing two other consoles from various Holdens and combined them into the right shape, before filing and sanding and getting it all spot on, then sending them off to be hydra-dipped.

All of the stickers came via Stickthis, which does a lot of Holden reproduction material. The big items are resin-topped, so very close to original. They were another crowd that was good to deal with.

All up it took me 12 months.

It’s a runner? Tom reckons assembly was quick

I’m a bit focused when these jobs start. So I’d do a bit when I got home, then hang around with the kids for a couple of hours, then go back out and do some more.

When it came back from paint, I had everything ready to go. There were three benches all laid out with cleaned and assembled components.

So the tail end of the job was really easy: Put the car on the hoist, then lower it over the engine and subframe that was already built, bolt the stub axles in and start it that day.

All the mechanicals had been restored while the paint was being done. Underneath, it’s like brand new.

You get impatient towards the end. You’ve spent all this time and money and you have this car in pieces, so you want to enjoy it.

Am I happy with how it turned out? Yes I am. I knew it was going to be love it or hate it for most people. A lot of the effort I put in was on things most people will never see, but to me, it had to be right.

“You’re not going to find two in the next car show”

For example, it has HSV or C4 Corvette front brakes. Disc rotors were no problem, but callipers were hard to find and then you had to source adapters.

The response to it has been polar opposites. Some people, they see the car coming and then their jaws hit the ground when they realise it’s a ute. Some like it, others clearly wonder what medication I’m on. I joke about it and say I’m a white Johnny Tran.

It’s different. There aren’t many builds that haven’t been done to death. My HQ was a lot of work and had a rare combination of features. But you put all that work in and park next to other HQs and it’s not distinguishable from the others.

This thing – people might say “how’s this dickhead?’” but you’re not going to find two in the next car show. Funny thing is, you don’t often see a sedan getting around.

My next project? A Datsun 1600 is likely. That’s a car you can build your way and no one critiques it. However I’ve run out of room and this car will need to go…