After its 20 years in the wilderness, Glenn Torrens gives his 1981 Holden Commodore's oily bits a big fix
Getting an old car back on the road after it has sat doing nothing for years (or decades!) is a mixture of routine and luck. The routine; wear and maintenance items such as brakes and suspension will probably need rebuilding, fluids will need renewing and water pumps and hoses will need replacement.
Luck magically determines the destiny of other hardware such as door latches, radiators and instruments. These bits don’t often wear out or get damaged… but sometimes you’re unlucky!
I thought the fuel tank had just one hole in it, however I found several more, making repair unviable. A second-hand tank was cleaned and had new hoses fitted prior to installation
Unlike many, the 3.3-litre engine in my bought-from-a-wrecking yard 1981 VC Holden Commodore ran, the transmission worked and the car drove onto a trailer the day I bought it.
That was a good beginning… But how lucky would I be with everything else?
As expected, just about everything on the car needed money and effort invested before I could confidently consider it safe and reliable and ready for re-registration
My car’s mechanical freshen-up began with a proper degrease and clean of the engine before I drained the old fluids. A new oil filter was installed and the sump refilled with its first fresh oil since last century!
The cooling system required a bit more work. Even though the coolant was a yukky brown, I was astonished – and very happy – to find the engine’s iron and alloy castings showed not a hint of corrosion: the coolant had done a great job protecting the engine and radiator for 20+ years!
The mechanical make-over began with a clean-up. I knew the engine was in basically good shape – but with a mystery noise I’ll explain in a future issue – so didn’t need much work
I used a garden hose to flush the heater core (only a small clot of crap washed out) and then reassembled the system with a new water pump, thermostat, and radiator and heater hoses and of course fresh green coolant.
My ‘test’ drive/paddock-bash session at the wreckers revealed the dampers were stuffed. No surprise there and probably a big reason why this car ended up at the wreckers. I replaced them with a new budget-spec set.
The rear drums were machined, with new slave cylinders and pads thrown in.
Other suspension parts I replaced included sway-bar link bushes, lower control arm bushes and the front strut tops.
The steering rack boots were replaced. In fact, I removed the rack from the car so I could pour out the tainted old lube and refill it with fresh gear oil before the new boots went on. Thankfully, the tie rod ends were in good condition so could be re-used.
This is why you don’t trust a car that has been sitting for decades. That’s a front brake hose… All this car’s brake hard lines were inspected and its rubber hoses replaced
Brakes? Yeah, they worked but weren’t the best. Having the system kind-of working gave me confidence in the condition of the front callipers, and the master cylinder and booster; all were reused after a good clean and inspection.
The front discs were replaced with new, the rear brakes’ drums machined and new slave cylinders installed, and fresh frictions were installed all round.
The original front discs were worn so were replaced with new, on new wheel bearings and under new pads. The callipers checked-out okay so I simply cleaned and reused them
My luck ran out with the car’s fuel tank. I’d found one rusty hole in the tank before I restarted the car at the wreckers (so used a 10lt petrol container sitting in the engine bay to provide fuel to the engine) but looking closer, later, there were several more holes.
I replaced the 3.3-litre six’s spark plugs and leads. One day while idling in the driveway, the car died – the electronic ignition module had failed so it, too, was replaced
That tank was junk so I replaced it with a good used one. While I was rolling around under the car, I ensured its under-floor fuel and brake lines were in good condition and changed the diff oil too.
Time for a change of the Texas tea as this brew was passed its prime
As a finishing touch, I binned the car’s standard 14-inch steel wheels and dressed the old girl in 15-inch SL/E-spec alloys with fresh 205/65 tyres. The slightly wider, lower profile tyres sharpen a Commodore’s handling a bit and these days, 15-inch tyres are generally cheaper than 14s.
Plus, I reckon these SL/E wheels look terrific!
Spot the bits GT has been playing with
From Unique Cars #475, Feb 2023