My new project - VK Vacationer
I have a 1985 VK Vacationer that was my grandmothers. This car has had a hard life being driven on dirt roads most of its 23 years and has got road dust in every nook and cranny imaginable!
She has (the car, not my grandmother...!) an EFI 3.3 red motor that is in desperate need of some help.
Currently it gets around 18lt to the 100km..... ouch!! The susspension is shot and most of the rubber has deteriorated and needs replacing.
With all of her faults, this car still drives and handles better than most new cars today, and, she has a lot of potential.
I would like to keep the 3.3 red motor in this car to keep it as original as possible, but, the fuel consumption needs to be cracked big time!
First I need to do some research as to what I can add or remove to be able to get the fuel consumption down but keep or improve of power and tourqe.
VK
I have the same fuel economy as you lol, costly isnt it :-)
I agree even with worn suspension they still seem to handle good, mine definitly out handles the VT in perspective of cornering hard, but braking etc is up the [Naughty Pottyword].
Oh and its a Black 202 not a red.
Cheers Tom
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PUT the vt front brakes on
PUT the vt front brakes on your vk and rear discs and that will fix your braking problem , the only thing yours wont have is ABS BRAKES ...
wombat..
VT Brakes
Two dilemmas with doing that, its a modification and im not allowed it on my P's, and mum wont have brakes lol.
Cheers Tom
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well we don't want your mum
well we don't want your mum not to have brakes lol.
BUT you could fit rear discs these come out as an option on your model and you can use vb-vr set up , its a very easy conversion and your not going to get pinged for that , as for the vt front once you have converted them who's going to know the cops wouldn't know if they were staring straight at them ,and there a vast improvement .. i have em on my vb and its a easy conversion, the hardest part is changing the booster master cylinder to a vt one ....
wombat..
Braking
I've thought about the rear disc brakes, and will definitly do it in the future, got to it running better before im going to worrying about improving brakes, considering the only place im stopping lately is the petrol station, and it does have brand new pads and discs up front.
My main concern with VT brakes up front would be insurance, as i THINK it would make me void if i was to make a claim, ill do more research when i can afford to do it.
Cheers Tom
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VT Brakes
Um, an insurance company wont even know about them :\ , and its a safety upgrade, it wont void a claim...
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cheers Gary.
VK mods
Going to modify the brakes on my VK as well. Yes this shouldnt be a big issue as well as doing up the susspension etc etc. This car is going to get a complete overhaul during the next 24 months.
But, I am looking for engine modifications to improve the fuel economy without compromising the power and maybe improving it...
Is there any guide out there that give suggestions or ideas on what to do? EG: light weight fly wheels, removing the cam driven fan and installing thermo fans on the radiator or even replacing the tri matic with a 4 speed from a VL calais.
or do I just replace the engine and gearbox with a V6 from a VT? would fit I recon.
Navigator
Heres the link to the ECONOMY PAGE
To start i think your fuel economy is showing signs their is something wrong, so i would be fixing that before looking for improvements.
I dont THINK a 4 speed from a VL would fit, due to it having the jap crap RB30. VT engine and trans fits in with a conversion kit, i think it would make a sweet conversion but would be abit of work. I think an early VN V6 would be easier because they share the same K-frame as a VK if i remember correctly.
Sorry for the Highjacking to.
Wombat - With the VT brakes do they suffer from the horrid VT shudder at all?
AMLagonda - They way i see it, is that if i have VT brakes on my car, which is classed as a performance mod according to vicroads and RACV, then if i had an accident and my car was checked by the insurance company or police they would see that i was driving a vehicle i wasnt licenced to drive, same as me driving a V8 or a high powered 6, i dont want to give the insurance company any reason to avoid a claim im sure they can think of enough as it is.
Cheers Tom
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Navigator
Just curious what behind the "navigator" name?
Is that your field of expertise?
Regards,
Ross.
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VK mods
Hey Tom, no probs pal. I'm greatful for the suggestions and advice.
Yes you are correct... the fuel economy on this engine is crap and she is a little tired. It all comes down to money. On one hand keeping the original engine and rebuilding iot along with replacing the gearbox and changing the final drive ratio will be around $2,500.00 - $3,000.00 (I'm, only guestimating at this stage. havnt gotten any serious quotes yet) But then on the other hand it'll cost about the same to replace it with a V6, but wouldnt that be cool...?!!!
To answer your question rosco, Navigator was a handle I used to use many years ago on the CB radio playing hunt the fox around Melbourne and Canberra. Apparently I used to tell people where to go and then proceed to show them how to get there.... lol. (was a cranky little bugger in my youth) the name has stuck ever since.
My expertise or occupation - well I'm a computer repair technician and I specialise in laptop repairs and rebuilds.
VK mods(my 2 cents)
If you redo the suspension. The standard VK brakes will be well up to task.
Redo the calipers and fit new seals into a 1" disk/disk master cylinder.
New rotors(front + rear)and high quality pads.
For the back suspension:
Put standard rubber bushes in the diff, for the lower trailing arms.
Then fit urethane bushes in the upper and lower trailing arms.
Urethane bushes in the(adjustable if money allows)panhard rod.
For the front:
Fit standard rubber bushes in the K-frame(for the caster bars).
Fit standard rubber inner bushes and urethane for the caster bars, in the front control arms.
Adjustable strut tops are good. But not mandatory.
Fit good heavy duty springs and shocks all round.
New ball joints and tie rod ends(555 brand if you can find them).
You will be more than happy with this set up.
The car will stick like [Naughty Pottyword] to a blanket, and stop on a dime.
As for the motor and box:
3.08 LSD.
Throw a Gemini torque converter(will give stall of around 2K)onto a good Trimatic.
This will, if your stock EFI 202 is running sweet. Turn your boring EFI VK into an oversized go kart.
Cheers.
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Well, Navigator: You're
Well, Navigator:
You're lucky to see some good advice, without being torn apart.
Just don't ask them anything technical, because you won't get a correct answer. According to many here, the VK commodore is prehistoric/crap/in-efficient and very slow. I disagree with their ideas on it all, as the VK that I have runs very sweet, and drives ike a charm. It is certainly the best 202 setup that I have ever had, and i'm glad i'm working on it.
My guess is, that you're in about the same boat as me. Got a VK with loads of potential, and you're gonna ask some questions, and maybe technical ones.
Just hope you get treated a little better than I did.
Thanks for the heads up
Thanks for the heads up J. Yes, there are always the few who will make life difficult. The trick is to ignore those ones altogether.
I have had some good responses to the questions I have asked here and some not so good. I thank those who do take the time to offer their opinions.
To those who dont like the VK; to each their own. Dont sweat it, it just leaves more room for us..!
Cheers,
Rob.
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Just wave and smile...... it confuses people.....
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