Glenn Torrens raids a rural wrecking yard to rescue another ratty old holden Commodore
The town of Cooma in southern NSW has as its motto: ‘Capital of the Snowy Mountains’. Each year, thousands of snow skiers, bushwalkers and mountain bikers pass through on the way to the chairlifts, runs and tracks of Thredbo, Perisher Valley and Jindabyne.
Cooma is also the home of Flynn’s Wrecking Yard. There, in dozens of neat rows, sit more than 3000 cars dating back to the 1930s. I first became aware of Flynn’s as a kid and I’ve visited many times; as well as being a proper buy-bits place, car nuts are welcome to pay a modest admission fee and wander around this astonishing field of cars.
| Watch next: Flynn’s Wrecking Yard – video
I stumbled upon the Commodore; first in 2018 and again last year. It was calling out for me to buy it!
While wandering through a few years ago, an early Holden Commodore caught my attention. The sun-burnt condition of its remaining blue paint was highlighted by the fuzzy lichen and moss from years of sitting under a pine tree, but apart from the front bumper and one piece of tail light trim, it seemed to be complete – right down to the sticker on the air cleaner!
Anyway, I forgot all about this Commodore until November last year when on another happy holiday visit to Flynn’s with friends, I again stumbled upon the car … and it was in better condition than I remembered!
| Read next: Project Bombadore country cruise
Before loading the car onto a trailer, I did a tour of the wrecking yard
For the next month or so, I couldn’t get that Commodore out of my mind. With my recent green farm-find VB V8 Commodore project finished and on the road, I knew that I had to save this one, too!
After plenty of thinking, I rang and discussed the car with the yard owner Wayne Flynn. A few days later I again visited Cooma and I shook the man’s hand.
Deal done!
Despite being sill-deep in pine needles, this is the only rust I could find in the car. This will be an easy Saturday-arvo fix
Some weeks later, I trekked back to Cooma – this time with a trailer – to collect my ‘new’ Commodore. Along for this road trip adventure were a few car-nut mates; Cameron, the car nut who I work with to create videos; Mia, Cam’s car-nut girlfriend; Michael, a car-nut mate; and fellow magazine contributor and car nut, Dave Morley.
Our plan was to get the old Commodore’s engine running and drive it right out of there… and have a good old laugh!
There are a few cracks in the dash and the carpet will be replaced – but those cloth seats will come up great with just a good clean
Naturally, as well as a trailer, I brought my tools and some petrol, two spare wheels and a few other bits ’n pieces that I thought we might need as backup to get the car running and driving.
After copping shit from everyone – especially Morley! – about the wisdom of buying this old Commodore, I got to work, beginning with turning the motor over by hand to make sure it would spin freely. There was oil on the dipstick, fluid in the auto transmission and – amazingly – coolant in the radiator. Knowing that the oil drain-back from the engine’s top-end to the sump is through the cam/lifter galleries, I tipped some extra oil into the engine to hopefully give those moving bits some extra lube during start-up.
I didn’t trust the condition nor possible remaining contents of the original fuel tank so a small fuel container and a length of hose were rigged to the Commodore’s mechanical fuel pump.
With a battery installed, we splashed some fresh fuel into the carby and I twisted the key… after a minute or two of coughs and splutters, that mighty 3.3-litre six-cylinder motor fired up! It took a few minutes to stop spluttering and settle to a smooth and steady idle but to get the engine running for the first time in years was terrific!
Loaded and strapped for the trek home. Happy, happy!
We had to pump up the tyres – one exploded! – and drag away a dead Ford blocking its path but that Commodore moved from under the pine tree under its own power.
After a ‘victory lap’ of Flynn’s yard – including some silly circle work – I drove that Commodore onto the trailer and into a new life.
What else could I name it but ‘The Coomadore’!
See GT’s previous effort – Project Bombodore
Unique Cars auction results listing