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Are you sure that doesn't have air ride in the back I saw the red bags inside the springs that's what I put in my car to lift the back end up pulling a heavy trailer
Bro what are you gonna do about new Florida law??????? No modifications allowed on cars. Im seeing so many vids of cops in Florida pulling people over left and right. Taking some peoples cars and impounding them. 😢
I bought a brand new Holden SSV ute back in 2008 thinking I would keep it for the warranty period. I bought an extended 6 year warranty. It's still my everyday drive today, I love it and will likely never get rid of it. I never thought I would own an 'exotic' vehicle, so thanks for that.
Keep the purple… change badges back to Holden / Aussie spec, headlights run white globes and Parkes and sort out the mechanicals, new exhaust, get seats redone and that’s it as it’s perfect
As someone who knows Travis and has been lucky enough to hang out in his garage, I can say Freddy found the coolest dude. Travis is a genuine and kind guy. Definitely the nicest and most interesting guy you’ll ever meet!!
Hey Freddie, a little hack for you, you can hold down the left hand scroll button on the steering wheel as you insert the key and start it the center screen will go into engineering mode and show you obd data, just scroll with the roller wheel. Happy motoring mate.
You can also hold down the two instrument cluster dimming control switches and it turns off all interior lighting except for the speedometer. Very handy for long night time trips
I was in New Zealand, casually hooning up a mountain in a 1996 Corolla DX when a Maloo mystically materialized in my rearview. It came out of literal nowhere, effortlessly passed me on the right and was gone in a flash. I'm confident that it did in fact stay on the road and not tumble down the mountain because I could still hear it for a few more minutes, but I never saw it again.
Night Train Automotive was a shop in Melton, Victoria and according to Google it is closed permanently. Considering it is from Melbourne's West, the mismatched tires and rims, I can guarantee that SS has been driven HARD.
Hey Freddie, I've spent a fair amount of time on these things. Get the engine looked at, I'm concerned the engine rings are gone, or on the way out. Get rid of those shocks and springs, throw some Shockworks gear in. Those shocks and springs are garbage, and they're not good quality at all. They're literally just off the shelf budget replacement parts here. Put an Eaton Truetrac rear centre in it. A 228/232 or 232/234 with a 114LSA cam suits these things really nicely. Fix the exhaust, Hurricane, Manta and Redback make replacement bolt in systems and headers. Harrop make bolt on blower kits. Also do a timing chain kit, and a Melling 296 oil pump.
Love that your doing this trip solo T, bit of down to earth auto TH-cam-ing, bit sick of unrelatable expensive builds. Loved jacks Evo build. Else's lexus build. Just attainable stuff that most viewers might have or had you know now.
Absolutely this. The purple on black is a great look, a Holden isn't a Holden (especially if you're upbadging it to an HSV) without a tremendous supercharger yowl. I would suggest also doing something different with the hood, it's a little smooth and boring for how shouty the rest of it is lol.
The USA Holden community is something special. Travis and Kelly are both huge hearts to this car scene. There is nothing like the Holden community. Thank you all for everything!
Well that was always the way in Australia. The cars are owned by people who love them and even upgrade their running gear. Then they are traded for a newer model. And as they age their prices drop. And before they come up again. That’s when a bogan buys them. And simply trashes them. As soon as I saw the different wheels on the rear. I went bogan burnouts. Hence the diff was stuffed. Couldn’t afford to fix it. Sell it.
The factory radio has the HVAC controls built in, so any aftermarket radio requires a seperate HVAC controller. There are a few available, you have a dual zone unit by Aerpro. They have all relevant adaptor cables too if you want to change the radio again.
Freddy, you have absolutely knocked this out of the park , especially for your Australian and Kiwi subscribers. I spent the whole of the episode torn. That Ute is so iconic here, and to see it leave these shores is a little upsetting but very exciting as you have it. And then, at the end of the video, to see what you want to use it for is totally amazing. Please, please do Tyler and that iconic Ute the special Freddy treatment they both deserve. I'm so looking forward to seeing what you have in store for them both. I've been a subscriber to your channel for years, and this adventure really has me hooked now. You're a good man, fella, and thank you for the experience of watching you guys having fun building amazing dreams!
53:09 that's a leaf caught in the fan housing. In the Australian summer sun we leave our cars parked under trees for the shade (to catch gum tree branches and all the leaves in the state). 1:08:22 1) roll the fenders to clear the tyres. 2) colour match the front left fender. 3) toss the Chevy bowties & replace with Holden badges. 4) put a new set of rings in it to clear the oily grey smoke billowing from the exhaust.
Rolling guards is for butchers- repair the damage done by the oversize wheels and fit correct size wheels. Because pump up shockers are so 70's. Holdens were always gouging wide tyres since day one.
Sending love from Australia. Glad to see you representing a beautiful car from our country, you have done an awesome job. You'll certainly turn some heads having a ute in the US. Fantastic to see.
Keep the colour, polish. paint the guard. Roll the back guards. Pull the engine, rebuild and dress up. Rebuild diff.Get holden badges, Go a light tint on the windows. Done.
Toss the oversize wheels and repair the damage theyve done to a future classic. Also toss the catch can- theyre illegal in aust for the reasons of what it's doing- gassing the driver.
Hey Tavarish, we would like to donate a OEM HSV Build plate to this build, please get in contact so we can get it engraved with your requirements and shipped out from Australia. Thank you
Funny you were saying it's cold 🤣 I'm an hour south of Indy and it's been a warm winter by comparison! Next week is when we get the true cold! Come back up when it's in the teens for a high! (Originally being from the south, it was definitely a shock the first winter I experienced in Indiana)
Australian 🇦🇺 here. I had an earlier version of this (2003 VY SS in Hothouse Green). Previous models used the Australian (Holden) designed and built 304 (5L) and believe VY was first model with LS (5.7L LS1). Happy to be corrected on that though. I didn’t thrash it and it still did two rear ends (diffs). Not sure if they changed them but the VY diffs weren’t up for it. For me anyway. This purple thing you’ve bought seems like it’s had a rough life at the hands of previous owner lol. Plenty of cheap parts for it though. Going to subscribe. Keep up the interesting content! 😊
Not a tune up, it's called a service in Australia! That's why we call our "gas stations" servos, short for service station owing to the fact they used to actually have a servicing garage attached, not just sell you overpriced cheap quality oil! EDIT: Also just noticed the Falcon ute at 42:41 - get yourself a XR6 Turbo ute - if you love this you will love an xr6t ute!
@@PoniesNSunshineit's actually not that hard. I've got a 1994 Mustang export with a manual transmission. And it's right hand steering, so left hand manual.
The good thing if you buy cars from NSW is that you can get REALLY good repairable cars that are listed as statutory write offs. The insurance company determines whether it's a statutory write off and it's mostly based on cost to them for repair and not just structural damage. Other states i think some write offs (non statutory write offs) can be repaired and eventually put back on the road but NSW no longer allows repairable write offs. For the car, fix the blow by, keep the purple, fix the blower motor, fix the tyres, fix those interior controls, supercharge it, upgrade the audio system, and put a damn holden badge on it.
Nope, stat write-off is a government thing, not insurance. It specifies things such as salt water immersion (or fresh water beyond a specified time, suspension damage, airbag deployment etc. You can have a non-insured vehicle added to the WOVR. What I don't understand is why the rules are different in other states.
Totally agree. That poxy aftermarket HVAC controller is an abomination. The stat write off advice is spot on. NSW has some great repairable cars, that are stat write offs. Only problem is I think you need a licence to buy them at auction these days, so a yank would need a local middle man. Sometimes it’s not even the damage that causes it to be written off. A guy at work had a 2 year old Koleos that was hit in the rear just hard enough to do $5k damage to a car worth $20-25k. Didn’t even smash the rear glass in the hatch. Can’t drive it because the fumes come into the cabin from under the tailgate. They were going to fix it, but the wait on parts was > 3 months. The policy included a hire car during repairs, and at $75/day for more than 3 months, you can see how that value quickly adds up and writes off a lot of decent cars. They paid him out, and I’m sure it will be sold, fixed with 2nd hand parts and flipped for profit.
Thanks to the lebos - nsw no longer has reparable write offs! Back in the day they used to buy from pickles, do cheap fixes and sell them! Stuffed it up for everyone!
1st order of business, dump the Chevy badges and get the proper Holden badges on there. 2nd, keep the purple. 3rd, make it as mechanically sound as absolutely possible. 4th….make it an absolute menace.
My heart it a flutters hearing how stoked you are with a car I see 20 of minimum a day. So sad that Holden shut down as the world will never see another car like it. 🇦🇺Proud dad moment right there🇦🇺
Love to see you help out, Tyler.. A totally awesome cause! And yeah, I've an idea.. I'd love to see you guys spec this out like us Aussie's would and make it a solid all-rounder, i.e. as a work by week "tradie" (contractor) ute; can tow a 1 tonne trailer and hold 750kg over the rear on the daily. But then can cruise out bush and look show ready at country Ute-muster (like a rodeo but for Bogan hoons and their utes instead of horses). Speaking of horses.. the acid test is, if it can tow a 2 horse trailer quietly and comfortably without scaring the horses, then it's a win! Then unleash it on a race track and keep up with a stock Vette with an LS then that's your ultimate ute, mate!! 😅 Keep it Morpheus Purple.. It's OG af! Looks like it needs a respray, though. I hope it brings in good money at the raffle/auction for Tyler... or you could just gift it to him as his own vehicle to show n shine at all these events he loves going to (even though he can't drive it himself, I'm sure he'd be proud to be its owner though). Having said all that. I'd still love to see you go down the rabbit hole a bit more on Aussie spec V8s and get yourself another shop ute. And since Australia doesn't have a Ford v Holden life anymore, and our vehicles will be cheaper for you US guys to collect abs maintain the legacy of. It'd be sick to see Americans discovery our rich culture of Ford & Holden (Chev) V8s history. Do you know about our V8 (touring sedans & Ute) Supercar race series? The pinnacle of which is The Bathurst 1000 on Mt Panorama? If not, have a dig of that history.. There are some truly incredible races in that history going back 50+ years. Enjoy.
Travis is an awesome guy. I met him at a gas station here in Indianapolis while he was gassing up his UTE. Talking with him while admiring one of these took me back to my childhood when I saw my first Hummer.
@csorrows in the early 90s you would see Hummers in movies and on tv but seeing one in person was like seeing a UTE in person. So that's what a hummer and a ute has in common to me.
The Chevy SS, Chevy PPV cop car and Pontiac G8 were re-badged Holden commodores from Australia, your Ute will all share the same parts and it is possible to put a LHD Pontiac dashboard in your Ute. Sincerely an Australian.
@@thomaswilkie1168I see what u mean but judging off the headlights shape it’s reminding me of a similar car we have in Saudi called the lumina, and then it’s “bigger” brother is the caprice which is the same thing too in essence
They didn't because it would of tanked GM truck sales and it's cheap no major profit like they get for there overpriced full size trucks they sell now.
@@NZstylz-r7v but they're not a truck, they have no load capacity nor trailering ability to speak of, they're cars with the ability to throw regular stuff in the back, not hauling pallets of shingles, or concrete. GM is just dumb AF.... when they showed the Pontiac, everyone freaked and wanted an El Camino, most of us "car guys" knew about GM's Holden already and already knew about the Ute and knew, or should I say, we thought, a Chevy badged Holden Ute was coming to us as a new El..... and it never did.... stupidly....these would've sold like crazy....hell, most if not all the Holden "special" cars, the SS's , VE, VF, HSV whatever, especially in their awesome available paints, if they were straight "Holdens" with left hand drive would've sold like crazy sold on a Chevy lot....but nope....we only got the Pontiac G8 GT for a few years, and the regular G8 was a V6, and the GT was just LS based with one output level, never any performance upgrades or nothing, especially no blowers like the Holdens got
3:30 "This is the Same Engine as you'd get in a Corvette, a Chevy SS, or a G8" Today I learned that this Holden Commodore has the same Engine as a Holden Commodore, and a Holden Commodore. Awesome!
What will be a big help, is that most of Holden uses over the shelf GM parts. For this Ute, its drivetrain and main mechanics are pretty the exact same to GM units using the same. Most of the differences then just come to body and interior.
I worked at the General Motors Holden Elizabeth Production site in South Australia. The VE Utility ( ute😉) is legendary...that colour is brilliant too. Enjoy your beast.
Oh man - I’m in tears now. Keep the color it’s just so cool. Make it tow, but definitely put on the supercharger. that car was made to do everything from burnouts, racing and tow the family fishing boat or caravan. Honor its Aussie history and make it the everything car it should be.
im an australian and didnt feel the need to correct small mistakes or misconceptions about such a niche topic especially when trying to explain it to the greater population of your viewership, can you pat me on the back hahaha great video man love the fact youre dabbling in single video gratification
I understand your enthusiasm- and as an Aussie I have enthusiasm for American cars imported over here- it’s just a difficult concept to get around that this vehicle is basically just a modern day el Camino type of vehicle and yet there appears to be a following for utes over there. Great vid very happy that your happy- was waiting for the speed trap to flash when I saw the speedo read 160 clicks 😂
I saw a sticker in the video that said "98 Octane tuned" so while you're correct, it's actually just a 93 octane tune stateside. AUS uses RON octane scale like the Europeans, so 98 RON = 93 octane U.S. fuel.
For long drives at night - the Holden has a special 'night mode' which only leaves the speedo turned on and turns off any other lights. Simply hold the two brightness buttons down above the headlight switch. To turn it back on, just hit the brightness up button.
Yea and if it's the same cluster software (looks like it is) as my G8 GXP 6-speed you can select in the settings whether the tachometer also stays lit or if it's speedo only. Late night road trip can probably get away with either but since he's got a stick he probably wants those RPMs too. What'll be interesting is how the aftermarket head unit and (I think also aftermarket) HVAC controls react to that. I bet the head unit dims or goes to daylight mode, but don't know about that HVAC controller. In the stock GXP's at least, EVERYTHING that's lighted is unlit in night mode and actually pressing any button anywhere on the dash relights everything - doubt that part will work with the aftermarket stuff.
@@clinttube I had the same thing on my saab 93. It had a manual but honestly when you're freeway cruising you really don't need the tach so I didn't care. I still miss my GT. I got rear ended last memorial day and insurance totaled it.
@@Mu4dD1b15 Right Saab were the originators (or at least popularizers) of the night panel. I used to work at a Saab dealer and gained a lot of respect for them as super fun cars especially the manual Aeros despite the "english professor" stereotype they had sometimes. Sorry to hear about your car's demise; I've had a couple taken from me via not at fault accidents and it sucks.
Man. Being an Australian and a long time follower of Freddie's channel, I'm jumping up and down, scolling beers and yelling aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi!!!!! But I'm not even at the cricket match. He's Bought the classic blue collar Aussie dude's ute. And he's bought the right one. Bravo Freddie. Bravo Travis. The SS is the one to buy. The Maloo is a stupid HSV thing bought by rich bogans, Hell's Angels, Bandidos and other random substance traders with too much money in their pockets and too much time to kill. I'm not certain if you bought a VE or VF. But you can be assured the SS Commodore ute is peak Australian ute. Freddie bought one of the best.
I'm a Australian, that owns a HSV Clubsport HRT edition sedan. if it's not speed limited to 220kmh as most holdens where out of factory, Yes they will do 200mph with out a problem with in the 6.800rpm rev limiter and you might still have a whole gear left to play with the the diff ratio you put in it too. They are capable of getting 10L per 100kms @ 120km/h = 28mpg in the USA @ 74.5mp/h. Have fun and enjoy you're boggan Chev badged SS ute
As an Aussie this car is an Australian Icon!... probably built in Elizabeth South Australia. Definitely get the Holden badges put back on ! 10k was a bargain for it !! well done! I feel though that it has had a hard life! been thrashed! Good luck to whoever ends up with magnificent car!
Don’t sell the all silver wheels. They are off a VE HSV (not sure what model exactly but I think they’re off a Clubsport) and are quite desirable and worth money! Awesome seeing you workin’ on one of our rigs!
I'm not a car guy, but aren't the headlights supposed to go straight and a little down to shine on the road directly ahead? Why would it be pointing to a specific side?
@@viktorval8398 So they don’t blind oncoming traffic on two lane roads. (Lights in LHD countries point straight and to the right, and in RHD countries straight and to the left.)
You think all the 25+ imports from Japan have that done? Nope. Impossible to get parts for most of them. Not even a big deal because they are old halogen low beams that are dimmer than *correctly* pointed modern LEDs for oncoming traffic. Brights are not adjusted away from oncoming traffic regardless
As an Aussie, it’s so cool to see a Holden being appreciated on an American’s channel I’m proud to still be a part of the Holden gang (2009 barina; yes I am female lmao) - they ceased production in 2017. There are plenty of us, I constantly see well maintained holdens on the road here and when I see a bunch of us in the same parking lots it makes me smile. It feels like a little exclusive/limited edition car club
Sa in the comments, in sa they're known for driving into crowds. Its a shame though, there isn't many on our rds and it wasn't a high risk vehicles (in terms of car jacking)
Nice mate, I love my 2014 VF SSV Redline ute. Something to do that looks great with black rims is to swap all the body chrome out for black trim and badges, then finish with smoked head and tail lights, dark window tint. Mean mothertrucker.
One minute probably cruising down Nepean Highway on a warm summers night, to then seeing snow for the first time. Bit of a shock to the system for the poor thing haha. I appreciate your sentiment about the give away, but yeah need to sort out that blow by and heavy smoke under accel before it becomes someone else's problem lol. All the best from Aust.
@@JosefSučmadik Yea there is; both my Pontiac GTO and G8 GXP actually let you change from miles to kilometers on the fly so would imagine this has the same functionality.
Please get this fixed right. I don't like any GM products, but this is an exception. I remember that Doug D did a review of a Ute a few years ago. Please keep up the good work. Thank you.
I had a 2002 SS for 12 years from new and stupidly traded it for a Mazda 3 because I thought I didn't need a ute anymore. After 2 years I went back - a twelve month old ex-police ute with a V6 and two batteries behind the passenger seat. Replaced the steelies with some nice 18's and a hard lid on the back and it's been great. Enjoy yours, sir.
@@NgatiPorouKrishnasingh Fat lot you know! In a long career of more than 200 cars i've owned a 61 Galaxie with a 390, a 64 T-Bird with another 390 and a 72 XY Fairmont wagon with a 351. Which I loved! I've also owned more than a dozen assorted Mk II Zephyrs and Zodiacs including 2 Abbot of Farnham station wagons and i'd love an Aussie Zephyr ute - or a Maloo, either would do!
Looking good on the weight loss brother!!! I genuinely had hairs on the back of my neck tingle when you were talking about Tyler!! I just love cars AND altruism - you're a f@cking legend mate!!
Freddie if you want an insane idea look up the Holden GTSR W1 and the GTSR W1 Maloo. You can get the GTSR body kits online. The GTSR W1 is powered by a LS9 Supercharged V8, the same motor thats in the C6 - C7 ZR1 Corvette. Also get rid of the Bow Ties and get Holden Badges.
I like the color, but you should make it capable of towing. I wouldn't super charge it or put turbos on it, leave it how it was built, because that is what's special about it. This will go to a good cause no matter what you do with it, but i like it, it's pretty neat. G-d bless from a lady in freezing awful Michigan.
52:33 fyi that aircon facia is aftermarket too! its a newer model of what ive got in my commodore. its a very recent facia kit. for some reason you can change from celsius to fahrenheit but yeh its cool ay.
This is why GM America wouldn't let Holden send utes to the states, it would have massively cut into their market share. It makes me sad Holden is no longer. There was a time in Australia when,, 1 in 3 cars was a holden, then 3 out of 5. Police, government,SEC etc. Great job Tavarish, Vlad from Australia, 😊, PS look up HQ holden ute, coupe and panelvan. Take care bro.
I’m from Australia and a ford guy but u made this SS look and go good very proud of what you have done these are a very reliable car and thanks for everything you have done.
Second this question. Only way to do this is (i think) to build a new “kit car” from old components and modify it etc. i dont see how this can be registered in usa
I guess if you have dealer plates you could maybe drive on temp basis in usa. But i see no way to register this truck unless you federalize it which is crazy expensive
Absolutly loved the video. An amazing throwback for a great ute. Few mods to consider. 1 - Put the Holden badges on all around. Get rid of the chev 😉 2 - walkinshaw bonnet (hood) 3 - walkinshaw exhaust 4 - walkinshaw supercharger. 5 - HSV (Holden special vehicles) GTS E3 wheels. Can't get more Aussie then a walkinshaw holden. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I want a Ute in the US so bad after living in NZ for a year. Purple is rad, keep that. but a big V8 like that would be so happy to see a supercharger, even with just a little boost.
Resident Aussie here..... Road Rash underneath, Front End Passenger Damage, Chev Badge, Mismatched Tyres...... Yeah thats a Bush Basher........ Solid as Hell, Goes like Hell, Hard as a Hilux...... Needs an oversized UHF antenna & a 5 Bar Bully & you'll be picking up at a Bull & Bronc in no time.
With how expensive this would've been back in the day, guarantee it was owned by someone with mining money, and was their daily to and from the jobsite, as well as some rally with the boys when the boss isn't looking.
How did that car get through Customs with hay in the back and full of ants? I was a USDA inspector for US Customs and I would have quarantined that in a heartbeat.
Australian here! This was so good to watch. I’ve never seen such excitement over an SS haha they are the pretty basic V8 now days. So many around. But it was a great watch. HSVS Like the Maloo are the more sought after. . If you guys need any help I know those cars pretty well. this is the first video I’ve seen of yours 🎉
I absolutely love the Utes from down under, the color, that generation, that powertrain? But also as a man of culture...THAT WAGON!!!!!! I wonder who got that?
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STOP. SUPPORTING. THIS. SHIT. BRAND.
Are you sure that doesn't have air ride in the back I saw the red bags inside the springs that's what I put in my car to lift the back end up pulling a heavy trailer
Please leave the Chevy badge be American
Bro what are you gonna do about new Florida law??????? No modifications allowed on cars. Im seeing so many vids of cops in Florida pulling people over left and right. Taking some peoples cars and impounding them. 😢
look I know you have to pay the bills but going with BetterHelp as your sponsor is just not it chief.
In Australia putting a Chev badge on a Holden is a crime. Whoever owned this before you had no friends.
No friends and or absolutely thrashed the crap out of this ute.
100% true
agreed he should but a holden badge back on
Fingers crossed he reads and responds to this comment
The HSV's had the leftover G8 bumpers on them.
lol weird swing my old car on video in the USA.. treat her well.. I owned this in 2015 and sold it in 2017. Has a crow cam kit in it
Everyone needs to thumbs up this comment so he can see it haha I’m sure old mates got some stories
Tell us more @Andojr
☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🍻🍻🍻🍻🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿
Did you put the Chevy badges on it?
My dad owned it after you
Mixed up tyres, blow diff, and Chevy badge means it was owned by a bogan and thrashed
Aha, was not its first burnout
It got treated badly after we sold it
The oem diff centres in these are turd from new 😂
Its a Bogandore,, that describes them all
Only Bogans drive Purple utes.
I bought a brand new Holden SSV ute back in 2008 thinking I would keep it for the warranty period. I bought an extended 6 year warranty. It's still my everyday drive today, I love it and will likely never get rid of it. I never thought I would own an 'exotic' vehicle, so thanks for that.
Same here, ‘09 ve ssv ute, 140k km and drives as well as it did day 1
Keep the purple… change badges back to Holden / Aussie spec, headlights run white globes and Parkes and sort out the mechanicals, new exhaust, get seats redone and that’s it as it’s perfect
Do a left drive conversion as well so whoever wins it can take it out very often.
Add Pro-Charger 2?
Holden badges are a must, purple has to stay.
As the proud owner of a purple car, welcome to the club, and we hope you stay for a long time
How do you “run” headlight globes ya flop.
1000 mile shakedown at 90mph, rubbing tyres, high from oil fumes and sleep deprived 😂 in a skittish VE ute. Making the Aussies proud mate
😂 Kiwis too!
Yeah but doing 160 kph in Australia over 1000 miles he would have no license left
He’s on point there Tavarish
I like the way you think!!👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
👏🤣
Part of me giggled at the thought of a Holden Ute being described as an 'exotic' car :D
And a "mid sized truck" hahahaha
Literally 😂😂😂😂 we have the other variant here the caprice and seeing him call it that is hella funny lmao
I’m not even Australian and was like wtf
im from Europe, for me its as exotic as it gets lol
I guess I now own an "Exotic" car pmsl
As someone who knows Travis and has been lucky enough to hang out in his garage, I can say Freddy found the coolest dude. Travis is a genuine and kind guy. Definitely the nicest and most interesting guy you’ll ever meet!!
Hey Freddie, a little hack for you, you can hold down the left hand scroll button on the steering wheel as you insert the key and start it the center screen will go into engineering mode and show you obd data, just scroll with the roller wheel. Happy motoring mate.
I seen a Holden suburban the other day and still Holden lion on the front
I see an FG XR8 Ute. ❤
You can also hold down the two instrument cluster dimming control switches and it turns off all interior lighting except for the speedometer. Very handy for long night time trips
Real life Holden hacks. Love it.
Interesting.. i wonder if this works on my WM Caprice?
4:35 man owns a P1, a 675 LT and a Porsche GT2RS and he is calling a Holden Ute the coolest car in the whole entire world… goals
They are cool
Each car has soul, specs and look... doesn't have to be a million dollar one to enjoy or love
he is a man of taste
Wasn’t knocking his taste at all, it’s cool to see how excited he is about it.
Ya because none of them work
As an Aussie living in Indiana who owns a commodore back home, watching a video about a commodore being rebuilt in Indiana is incredible.
I was in New Zealand, casually hooning up a mountain in a 1996 Corolla DX when a Maloo mystically materialized in my rearview. It came out of literal nowhere, effortlessly passed me on the right and was gone in a flash. I'm confident that it did in fact stay on the road and not tumble down the mountain because I could still hear it for a few more minutes, but I never saw it again.
Night Train Automotive was a shop in Melton, Victoria and according to Google it is closed permanently.
Considering it is from Melbourne's West, the mismatched tires and rims, I can guarantee that SS has been driven HARD.
I think the fact that the diff was missing teeth was a pretty dead giveaway :)
Are we thinking "Fully Sik" type driver or "Aww yeeah maaate give it a limi bash"?
Definitely been a skid pig during it's lifetime
@KaldekBoch I was actually thinking "stolen recovered", Freddy could throw the VIN into VicRoads rego check and see if had been reported stolen.
assuming the ute is also from Melton, it was probably stolen half a dozen times too 😂
As an Australian watching this, this is the coolest thing on your channel. Thanks for bringing joy mate!
The coolest POS u mean then your right.
@@VinnyTheChin11 Dont be a dick.
@@VinnyTheChin11 what colour is your P1 Vinny?
@mrambitous562 buddy i run a full time online business for 5 years now. I am happy with my german nazi cars. I got everything you want.
Hey Freddie, I've spent a fair amount of time on these things.
Get the engine looked at, I'm concerned the engine rings are gone, or on the way out.
Get rid of those shocks and springs, throw some Shockworks gear in. Those shocks and springs are garbage, and they're not good quality at all. They're literally just off the shelf budget replacement parts here.
Put an Eaton Truetrac rear centre in it.
A 228/232 or 232/234 with a 114LSA cam suits these things really nicely.
Fix the exhaust, Hurricane, Manta and Redback make replacement bolt in systems and headers.
Harrop make bolt on blower kits.
Also do a timing chain kit, and a Melling 296 oil pump.
1000000%
^^ This is the way
Check out that motor it was smoking.. paint it black it would awsome in black.
it doesnt need a high volume pump sorry.
@@steveww07 wrong.
Love that your doing this trip solo T, bit of down to earth auto TH-cam-ing, bit sick of unrelatable expensive builds.
Loved jacks Evo build.
Else's lexus build.
Just attainable stuff that most viewers might have or had you know now.
Firstly, Chevy Bowties need to go and replace them with Holden Badging.
Secondly, Swap the front for a HSV front bumper & add a whiny supercharger
Yup. Keep the color, have the engine refreshed and put a blower on it.
Fuck that, remove all the holden badges, rebadge as a Chevy elcamino SS using classic elcamino badges
Whipple GenVI 3L, definitely not the LSA Eaton
I agree, it looks like a Chevy Aveo from straight on with that chevy bar grille
Absolutely this. The purple on black is a great look, a Holden isn't a Holden (especially if you're upbadging it to an HSV) without a tremendous supercharger yowl. I would suggest also doing something different with the hood, it's a little smooth and boring for how shouty the rest of it is lol.
The USA Holden community is something special. Travis and Kelly are both huge hearts to this car scene. There is nothing like the Holden community. Thank you all for everything!
Australian here, I can assure you that VE commodore has been thrashed.
Yep different set of wheels on the back says it all 😂
@SixOFiveSix The location of the tuner that tuned this car says it all too 😂, no joke... most likely the location of where the car lived.
Yeah, as soon as I saw the windscreen note, said - yes some yob was doing burnouts. No suprised engine is faultless at all
100% mate. Probably belonged to a P plater who had it seized by the police and sold at auction
Well that was always the way in Australia. The cars are owned by people who love them and even upgrade their running gear. Then they are traded for a newer model. And as they age their prices drop. And before they come up again. That’s when a bogan buys them. And simply trashes them. As soon as I saw the different wheels on the rear. I went bogan burnouts. Hence the diff was stuffed. Couldn’t afford to fix it. Sell it.
The factory radio has the HVAC controls built in, so any aftermarket radio requires a seperate HVAC controller. There are a few available, you have a dual zone unit by Aerpro. They have all relevant adaptor cables too if you want to change the radio again.
in australia if your holden has a chevy badge you need to give yourself an uppercut haha
honest bro its gay asf
And every American with a chevy ss or a g8 put a holden badge.
Mental gymnastics love Australia.. Ray Gunn proves that
@@SunTingWonghey we’ve apologised for Raygun on several occasions. And I fear we’ll be apologising for raygun for several more Millenia.
I'm loving playing spot the Aussie in the comments, I think we've all mentioned how hated people are for the Chev badge on a Holden
Freddy, you have absolutely knocked this out of the park , especially for your Australian and Kiwi subscribers. I spent the whole of the episode torn. That Ute is so iconic here, and to see it leave these shores is a little upsetting but very exciting as you have it. And then, at the end of the video, to see what you want to use it for is totally amazing. Please, please do Tyler and that iconic Ute the special Freddy treatment they both deserve. I'm so looking forward to seeing what you have in store for them both. I've been a subscriber to your channel for years, and this adventure really has me hooked now. You're a good man, fella, and thank you for the experience of watching you guys having fun building amazing dreams!
find a postal worker, a rural postal worker
As a kiwi this is not exciting to see, you must be a Bogan for saying that, jdm all dayyyyyyyy
Here here
53:09 that's a leaf caught in the fan housing. In the Australian summer sun we leave our cars parked under trees for the shade (to catch gum tree branches and all the leaves in the state).
1:08:22
1) roll the fenders to clear the tyres.
2) colour match the front left fender.
3) toss the Chevy bowties & replace with Holden badges.
4) put a new set of rings in it to clear the oily grey smoke billowing from the exhaust.
but the bowties add 20hp, ask any bogan lol
And Huntsman spiders.
I am surprised@@user-tb2pd9ve8ithere was no Huntsman as there were ants in it. Probably hasn't checked the visor.
Rolling guards is for butchers- repair the damage done by the oversize wheels and fit correct size wheels. Because pump up shockers are so 70's. Holdens were always gouging wide tyres since day one.
Sending love from Australia. Glad to see you representing a beautiful car from our country, you have done an awesome job. You'll certainly turn some heads having a ute in the US. Fantastic to see.
Keep the colour, polish. paint the guard. Roll the back guards. Pull the engine, rebuild and dress up. Rebuild diff.Get holden badges, Go a light tint on the windows. Done.
And a blower
Here here
Totally agree,
Toss the oversize wheels and repair the damage theyve done to a future classic. Also toss the catch can- theyre illegal in aust for the reasons of what it's doing- gassing the driver.
Ring HSV and get a set of badges… (Holden Special Vehicles is still in business (separate company)).
Hey Tavarish, we would like to donate a OEM HSV Build plate to this build, please get in contact so we can get it engraved with your requirements and shipped out from Australia.
Thank you
@tavarish ^
Yes, he must have HSV plate!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
But this is a Holden SS not an HSV?
100% illegal.
Being an Aussie it was great to see you love this car. But please do it justice and put the Holden badges back on. Thanks mate.
It's only a badge!!
@Jacky5299 oh no it's not.
@@SVPearler yeah my mistake, it's a red neck stamp!!
@@Jacky5299 wrong
What a gay lion pretty ugly badge some would say !!
Funny you were saying it's cold 🤣 I'm an hour south of Indy and it's been a warm winter by comparison! Next week is when we get the true cold! Come back up when it's in the teens for a high! (Originally being from the south, it was definitely a shock the first winter I experienced in Indiana)
1 hrs vid, to make me cry at the very end....is amazing to see how kind and great human being you are Freddy.
Man I was thinking the same thing, I’m trying to donate right now
I like how the title is “exotic car you’ve never heard of”. Pretty sure I saw 4 of them in the bunnings carpark today while I was in getting my snag.
They were stolen.. the only utes you see in the road are either stolen or about to be..
Yeah i saw a coupley of them today down woolworth's
I saw 37 of em today easily
Maybe he meant “exotic car everyones heard of, but me” 😂😂
He is American though
The colour of this car alone tells me that this has been abused more than a backpacker hitchhiking through the outback!
They’re not subtle. On my old street someone had one in lime green. Not a car for shy and retiring types.
@@sparky4878 Yeah im in the UK, cant say there are many but I have seen them from time to time, Subtle was not the design spec.
Its a stock colour.
@@DingleBerryMTB Thats criminal........ but I guess thats fitting :)
😅@@Martopia77
Australian 🇦🇺 here. I had an earlier version of this (2003 VY SS in Hothouse Green). Previous models used the Australian (Holden) designed and built 304 (5L) and believe VY was first model with LS (5.7L LS1). Happy to be corrected on that though. I didn’t thrash it and it still did two rear ends (diffs). Not sure if they changed them but the VY diffs weren’t up for it. For me anyway. This purple thing you’ve bought seems like it’s had a rough life at the hands of previous owner lol. Plenty of cheap parts for it though. Going to subscribe. Keep up the interesting content! 😊
Not a tune up, it's called a service in Australia! That's why we call our "gas stations" servos, short for service station owing to the fact they used to actually have a servicing garage attached, not just sell you overpriced cheap quality oil!
EDIT: Also just noticed the Falcon ute at 42:41 - get yourself a XR6 Turbo ute - if you love this you will love an xr6t ute!
Noticed that, FG tho.. they need more H series!
Yes please
At least the steering wheel is in the right side 😉
Regards from the UK.
Screw the steering wheel, it's a left hand manual?!?! Pretty much theft proof in the US 😂
@@PoniesNSunshineit's actually not that hard. I've got a 1994 Mustang export with a manual transmission. And it's right hand steering, so left hand manual.
...but not the proper side.😏
The good thing if you buy cars from NSW is that you can get REALLY good repairable cars that are listed as statutory write offs. The insurance company determines whether it's a statutory write off and it's mostly based on cost to them for repair and not just structural damage. Other states i think some write offs (non statutory write offs) can be repaired and eventually put back on the road but NSW no longer allows repairable write offs.
For the car, fix the blow by, keep the purple, fix the blower motor, fix the tyres, fix those interior controls, supercharge it, upgrade the audio system, and put a damn holden badge on it.
Nope, stat write-off is a government thing, not insurance. It specifies things such as salt water immersion (or fresh water beyond a specified time, suspension damage, airbag deployment etc. You can have a non-insured vehicle added to the WOVR. What I don't understand is why the rules are different in other states.
Totally agree. That poxy aftermarket HVAC controller is an abomination. The stat write off advice is spot on. NSW has some great repairable cars, that are stat write offs. Only problem is I think you need a licence to buy them at auction these days, so a yank would need a local middle man.
Sometimes it’s not even the damage that causes it to be written off. A guy at work had a 2 year old Koleos that was hit in the rear just hard enough to do $5k damage to a car worth $20-25k. Didn’t even smash the rear glass in the hatch. Can’t drive it because the fumes come into the cabin from under the tailgate. They were going to fix it, but the wait on parts was > 3 months. The policy included a hire car during repairs, and at $75/day for more than 3 months, you can see how that value quickly adds up and writes off a lot of decent cars. They paid him out, and I’m sure it will be sold, fixed with 2nd hand parts and flipped for profit.
Thanks to the lebos - nsw no longer has reparable write offs! Back in the day they used to buy from pickles, do cheap fixes and sell them! Stuffed it up for everyone!
I love how you waited to the end to say the truth about why you bought the car thats really nice of you god bless for your heart ❤
That color is incredible. You absolutely have to get Jack or somebody to paint match that fender. You cannot change the color of that car!
Same color as the Penguin's Maserati. Must have been a getaway car, judging by the state of that diff.
1st order of business, dump the Chevy badges and get the proper Holden badges on there. 2nd, keep the purple. 3rd, make it as mechanically sound as absolutely possible. 4th….make it an absolute menace.
Menace = supercharger?
@@SnarfsBalls sounds like it 🎉
Keep the Chevy badges since everyone is crying about them.
Mechanically sound as you can make a thrashed car owned by a bogan yeah lol
My heart it a flutters hearing how stoked you are with a car I see 20 of minimum a day. So sad that Holden shut down as the world will never see another car like it.
🇦🇺Proud dad moment right there🇦🇺
Love to see you help out, Tyler.. A totally awesome cause!
And yeah, I've an idea..
I'd love to see you guys spec this out like us Aussie's would and make it a solid all-rounder, i.e. as a work by week "tradie" (contractor) ute; can tow a 1 tonne trailer and hold 750kg over the rear on the daily. But then can cruise out bush and look show ready at country Ute-muster (like a rodeo but for Bogan hoons and their utes instead of horses).
Speaking of horses.. the acid test is, if it can tow a 2 horse trailer quietly and comfortably without scaring the horses, then it's a win!
Then unleash it on a race track and keep up with a stock Vette with an LS then that's your ultimate ute, mate!! 😅
Keep it Morpheus Purple.. It's OG af!
Looks like it needs a respray, though.
I hope it brings in good money at the raffle/auction for Tyler... or you could just gift it to him as his own vehicle to show n shine at all these events he loves going to (even though he can't drive it himself, I'm sure he'd be proud to be its owner though).
Having said all that. I'd still love to see you go down the rabbit hole a bit more on Aussie spec V8s and get yourself another shop ute. And since Australia doesn't have a Ford v Holden life anymore, and our vehicles will be cheaper for you US guys to collect abs maintain the legacy of. It'd be sick to see Americans discovery our rich culture of Ford & Holden (Chev) V8s history.
Do you know about our V8 (touring sedans & Ute) Supercar race series? The pinnacle of which is The Bathurst 1000 on Mt Panorama?
If not, have a dig of that history.. There are some truly incredible races in that history going back 50+ years.
Enjoy.
Travis is an awesome guy. I met him at a gas station here in Indianapolis while he was gassing up his UTE. Talking with him while admiring one of these took me back to my childhood when I saw my first Hummer.
What does a UTE have in common with a Hummer?
@csorrows in the early 90s you would see Hummers in movies and on tv but seeing one in person was like seeing a UTE in person. So that's what a hummer and a ute has in common to me.
The Chevy SS, Chevy PPV cop car and Pontiac G8 were re-badged Holden commodores from Australia, your Ute will all share the same parts and it is possible to put a LHD Pontiac dashboard in your Ute. Sincerely an Australian.
Why the hell would anybody want to do that?
@@mcyclonegt because it's the only spare parts he might be able to source in the US?
Came here to say the same thing lol. It's not its own model of car, it's a cut back Commodore with a tray instead of a backseat and boot 😂
It’s either a commodore or a caprice is as well btw, they’re all the exact same cars in diff shapes lmao
@@thomaswilkie1168I see what u mean but judging off the headlights shape it’s reminding me of a similar car we have in Saudi called the lumina, and then it’s “bigger” brother is the caprice which is the same thing too in essence
Helping out people like you do is one of the major reasons why I watch you sir. Keep it up.
A man who appreciates and have joy driving an Aussie popular car like if it was an exotic million dollar car is so awesome and refreshing.
I owned the UK Saloon version of this back in 2007 (VXR8). It is the best car I have ever owned and it put a smile on my face every time I drove it.
*Sedan=Saloon for folks accross the pond. 🙂
It GM sold these here as an ElCamino, they would’ve sold like crazy
I totally agree! But when did Chevrolet ever listen to the general public? Like…never!
GM did make these and showed it in Detroit as a Pontiac Sport Truck. Unfortunately Pontiac was shut down and sales of these never came to fruition.
They didn't because it would of tanked GM truck sales and it's cheap no major profit like they get for there overpriced full size trucks they sell now.
@@NZstylz-r7v but they're not a truck, they have no load capacity nor trailering ability to speak of, they're cars with the ability to throw regular stuff in the back, not hauling pallets of shingles, or concrete.
GM is just dumb AF.... when they showed the Pontiac, everyone freaked and wanted an El Camino, most of us "car guys" knew about GM's Holden already and already knew about the Ute and knew, or should I say, we thought, a Chevy badged Holden Ute was coming to us as a new El..... and it never did.... stupidly....these would've sold like crazy....hell, most if not all the Holden "special" cars, the SS's , VE, VF, HSV whatever, especially in their awesome available paints, if they were straight "Holdens" with left hand drive would've sold like crazy sold on a Chevy lot....but nope....we only got the Pontiac G8 GT for a few years, and the regular G8 was a V6, and the GT was just LS based with one output level, never any performance upgrades or nothing, especially no blowers like the Holdens got
They were about to rebadged the ute as a Pontiac, and it was ready for sale... But then 2008 happened
Aussie SS owner here. Loved this video that's one hell of a bargain if I'd seen it that price I would of snavelled that myself haha
As a VE ute owner this makes me proud :') That baby looks like she's done a few skids.
3:30 "This is the Same Engine as you'd get in a Corvette, a Chevy SS, or a G8"
Today I learned that this Holden Commodore has the same Engine as a Holden Commodore, and a Holden Commodore. Awesome!
What will be a big help, is that most of Holden uses over the shelf GM parts. For this Ute, its drivetrain and main mechanics are pretty the exact same to GM units using the same. Most of the differences then just come to body and interior.
I feel like a phone call to Mighty Car Mods needs to be made for this one
They wouldn't touch it
We know that Jack is a fan of them ... colab time
Get MOOGS in!
@@kvack6858 they have threatened to Ute a couple of times. If i remember correctly. 😂
@@kvack6858 yes they would wdym
Its a Holden ute , pure Aussie muscle. And the Chevy badge is a crime against Holden
Not pure Aussie!! It's a Chevy engine.
GM power parts bin special.🤣
It’s no different than the GTO and G8 being labeled as pontiacs. We all know they are holdens
@ Mental gymnastics…. They are GM parts bin specials, nothing more.
@@BBEDI0110no it isn’t a Chevy engine. It’s an LS.
By your reasoning the old Holden engine was also a Chevy
I worked at the General Motors Holden Elizabeth Production site in South Australia. The VE Utility ( ute😉) is legendary...that colour is brilliant too. Enjoy your beast.
Oh man - I’m in tears now. Keep the color it’s just so cool. Make it tow, but definitely put on the supercharger. that car was made to do everything from burnouts, racing and tow the family fishing boat or caravan. Honor its Aussie history and make it the everything car it should be.
Looks like it’s been doing plenty of burnouts lmao. It’s been ragged half to death already.
It’s an American car…
@@Tobi-ln9xr ermm... No, it's not. It's a Holden. So... Must come from the Land down under.
@@bobrockmann7521
Holden is also an American brand. It was set up by GM.
in holdens testing's for the vt holden literally told the testers to do burnouts
I like how you just glossed over the FG Falcon Ute sitting in the background. The VE/VF Commodores arch nemesis.
I've got one with the factory LPG Barra that was slightly built by Ford to run on LPG. It doesn't beat a V8, but it gives them a run
Ford Fanboys getting upset that noone gives a Fark bout their falcon
the Bf mk2 is better than the FG
@@Hmmm-c7yit just isn’t though
im an australian and didnt feel the need to correct small mistakes or misconceptions about such a niche topic especially when trying to explain it to the greater population of your viewership, can you pat me on the back
hahaha great video man love the fact youre dabbling in single video gratification
I understand your enthusiasm- and as an Aussie I have enthusiasm for American cars imported over here- it’s just a difficult concept to get around that this vehicle is basically just a modern day el Camino type of vehicle and yet there appears to be a following for utes over there. Great vid very happy that your happy- was waiting for the speed trap to flash when I saw the speedo read 160 clicks
😂
Keep in mind that a lot of LS in Australia get tuned to 98 octane fuel, get the tune checked out ASAP
93 Octane in the states is equivalent to our 98 they use a different octane rating system
I saw a sticker in the video that said "98 Octane tuned" so while you're correct, it's actually just a 93 octane tune stateside. AUS uses RON octane scale like the Europeans, so 98 RON = 93 octane U.S. fuel.
His English mate found that out with his Audi
Keep in mind that octane numbers differ in the US from the rest of the world. I believe 98 AUS/EUR octane petrol is 93 US.
Ah ok, I had no idea that the RON system was different over there.
For long drives at night - the Holden has a special 'night mode' which only leaves the speedo turned on and turns off any other lights. Simply hold the two brightness buttons down above the headlight switch. To turn it back on, just hit the brightness up button.
Yea and if it's the same cluster software (looks like it is) as my G8 GXP 6-speed you can select in the settings whether the tachometer also stays lit or if it's speedo only. Late night road trip can probably get away with either but since he's got a stick he probably wants those RPMs too.
What'll be interesting is how the aftermarket head unit and (I think also aftermarket) HVAC controls react to that. I bet the head unit dims or goes to daylight mode, but don't know about that HVAC controller. In the stock GXP's at least, EVERYTHING that's lighted is unlit in night mode and actually pressing any button anywhere on the dash relights everything - doubt that part will work with the aftermarket stuff.
@@clinttube I had the same thing on my saab 93. It had a manual but honestly when you're freeway cruising you really don't need the tach so I didn't care. I still miss my GT. I got rear ended last memorial day and insurance totaled it.
@@Mu4dD1b15 Right Saab were the originators (or at least popularizers) of the night panel. I used to work at a Saab dealer and gained a lot of respect for them as super fun cars especially the manual Aeros despite the "english professor" stereotype they had sometimes. Sorry to hear about your car's demise; I've had a couple taken from me via not at fault accidents and it sucks.
Man. Being an Australian and a long time follower of Freddie's channel, I'm jumping up and down, scolling beers and yelling aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi!!!!! But I'm not even at the cricket match. He's Bought the classic blue collar Aussie dude's ute. And he's bought the right one. Bravo Freddie. Bravo Travis. The SS is the one to buy. The Maloo is a stupid HSV thing bought by rich bogans, Hell's Angels, Bandidos and other random substance traders with too much money in their pockets and too much time to kill. I'm not certain if you bought a VE or VF. But you can be assured the SS Commodore ute is peak Australian ute. Freddie bought one of the best.
Breathe mate
@@johnlaw5762I’m guessing you mean ‘breathe’ or can you smell his breath from where you are?
@@malcolmcowell5441 no idea what you’re talking about…I did not just edit my post to fix any typo whatsoever 🙃
@ the 5 people who gave you likes pre-edit probably went to the same school as you too. Nice tidy up
@@malcolmcowell5441 feels like you’re working pretty hard at making an insult from a typo?
I'm a Australian, that owns a HSV Clubsport HRT edition sedan.
if it's not speed limited to 220kmh as most holdens where out of factory, Yes they will do 200mph with out a problem with in the 6.800rpm rev limiter and you might still have a whole gear left to play with the the diff ratio you put in it too.
They are capable of getting 10L per 100kms @ 120km/h = 28mpg in the USA @ 74.5mp/h.
Have fun and enjoy you're boggan Chev badged SS ute
As an Aussie this car is an Australian Icon!... probably built in Elizabeth South Australia. Definitely get the Holden badges put back on ! 10k was a bargain for it !! well done! I feel though that it has had a hard life! been thrashed! Good luck to whoever ends up with magnificent car!
Don’t sell the all silver wheels. They are off a VE HSV (not sure what model exactly but I think they’re off a Clubsport) and are quite desirable and worth money! Awesome seeing you workin’ on one of our rigs!
Please remember to change the headlights. They will be pointing towards the incorrect side of the road and into the eyes of oncoming traffic.
I'm not a car guy, but aren't the headlights supposed to go straight and a little down to shine on the road directly ahead? Why would it be pointing to a specific side?
@@viktorval8398 So they don’t blind oncoming traffic on two lane roads. (Lights in LHD countries point straight and to the right, and in RHD countries straight and to the left.)
You must be a fellow Technology Connections viewer! :)
You dont need to change the head lights they are adjustable @@viktorval8398
You think all the 25+ imports from Japan have that done? Nope. Impossible to get parts for most of them. Not even a big deal because they are old halogen low beams that are dimmer than *correctly* pointed modern LEDs for oncoming traffic. Brights are not adjusted away from oncoming traffic regardless
As an Aussie, it’s so cool to see a Holden being appreciated on an American’s channel
I’m proud to still be a part of the Holden gang (2009 barina; yes I am female lmao) - they ceased production in 2017. There are plenty of us, I constantly see well maintained holdens on the road here and when I see a bunch of us in the same parking lots it makes me smile.
It feels like a little exclusive/limited edition car club
The hvac controls are aftermarket to allow the head unit. The factory head unit incorporates the hvac stuff.
Looks shit. Would have been better off pulling out and fitting a head unit out of a ‘07 Berlina or Calais , keeping the stock look.
@@paulsz6194 well i mean the p.o put chevy badges on it
This is the same model as i use for work! You little ripper!
Bruce ya Legend always popping up on videos!
Same as mine too Bruce mine is silver
Is it a vx vy vz ve ?
I get them mixed up all the time 😂
@@AndrewChandler-zp6nf This one is a Series 1 VE
@@Shayjizzle cheers mate I thought it might be
Wish GM never shut down HOLDEN and that FORD AUSTRALIA was still around building FALCONS
In South Africa 🇿🇦 we knew it as a Chevrolet Lumina.
😂🎉
Air filter also
In the United States a Chevy lumina is just a car!
@@joshobrien2870I remember the Lumina model name used in NASCAR in 1989 and/or 1990. So, the model name has *some* pedigree 🙂.
@ yes it was a pace car as well as a NASCAR
Sa in the comments, in sa they're known for driving into crowds. Its a shame though, there isn't many on our rds and it wasn't a high risk vehicles (in terms of car jacking)
Nice mate, I love my 2014 VF SSV Redline ute. Something to do that looks great with black rims is to swap all the body chrome out for black trim and badges, then finish with smoked head and tail lights, dark window tint. Mean mothertrucker.
First it needs a motor rebuild, she’s smoking like a chimney 😂 second, leave the purple, supercharge it add air bags to the rear with a hitch
That’s my buddy Tyler, thanks for spreading the word Freddy…we are all excited to see what happens next!
One minute probably cruising down Nepean Highway on a warm summers night, to then seeing snow for the first time. Bit of a shock to the system for the poor thing haha.
I appreciate your sentiment about the give away, but yeah need to sort out that blow by and heavy smoke under accel before it becomes someone else's problem lol.
All the best from Aust.
Yep, saw that, probably some leaky valves.
Freddie, you really are one of one! Long may it continue! ❤
As a Aussie owning a ve maloo. They are great cars. Great as daily too.
If it's a ute from Oz, then you won't be driving it back 1000 miles, it's be more like 1600 km (kilometers). ;)
Dumb
@@madmax82988 Thanks!
I bet there is a config to make the gauges read miles instead of klicks.
@@JosefSučmadik Yea there is; both my Pontiac GTO and G8 GXP actually let you change from miles to kilometers on the fly so would imagine this has the same functionality.
Yeah that's a really good point. With modern tech why not make everything configurable, so it probably can be switched, as you suggested.
Please get this fixed right. I don't like any GM products, but this is an exception. I remember that Doug D did a review of a Ute a few years ago. Please keep up the good work. Thank you.
I had a 2002 SS for 12 years from new and stupidly traded it for a Mazda 3 because I thought I didn't need a ute anymore. After 2 years I went back - a twelve month old ex-police ute with a V6 and two batteries behind the passenger seat. Replaced the steelies with some nice 18's and a hard lid on the back and it's been great. Enjoy yours, sir.
“Boy are my arms tired” love the Rick Glassman reference.
I think he would have said "I just blew in from the coast, and boy is my mouth tired."
MANUAL, RIGHT HAND DRIVE. PERFECT FOR JAMAICA!
And South African
I thought Jamaica still drove horse and cart or they walk everywhere?
And the UK!
@stephenboitoult8774 the uk drives trash European cars or catch horse n cart everywhere
@@NgatiPorouKrishnasingh Fat lot you know! In a long career of more than 200 cars i've owned a 61 Galaxie with a 390, a 64 T-Bird with another 390 and a 72 XY Fairmont wagon with a 351. Which I loved! I've also owned more than a dozen assorted Mk II Zephyrs and Zodiacs including 2 Abbot of Farnham station wagons and i'd love an Aussie Zephyr ute - or a Maloo, either would do!
Im a Ford fan, and drive a Falcon. In Australia there is a special kind of idiot who puts Chev badges on a Holden. Please put the Lion badges back on
Looking good on the weight loss brother!!! I genuinely had hairs on the back of my neck tingle when you were talking about Tyler!! I just love cars AND altruism - you're a f@cking legend mate!!
Freddie if you want an insane idea look up the Holden GTSR W1 and the GTSR W1 Maloo. You can get the GTSR body kits online. The GTSR W1 is powered by a LS9 Supercharged V8, the same motor thats in the C6 - C7 ZR1 Corvette. Also get rid of the Bow Ties and get Holden Badges.
I like the color, but you should make it capable of towing. I wouldn't super charge it or put turbos on it, leave it how it was built, because that is what's special about it. This will go to a good cause no matter what you do with it, but i like it, it's pretty neat.
G-d bless from a lady in freezing awful Michigan.
52:33 fyi that aircon facia is aftermarket too! its a newer model of what ive got in my commodore. its a very recent facia kit. for some reason you can change from celsius to fahrenheit but yeh its cool ay.
This is why GM America wouldn't let Holden send utes to the states, it would have massively cut into their market share. It makes me sad Holden is no longer. There was a time in Australia when,, 1 in 3 cars was a holden, then 3 out of 5. Police, government,SEC etc. Great job Tavarish, Vlad from Australia, 😊, PS look up HQ holden ute, coupe and panelvan. Take care bro.
We need more of this type of content. Top notch, Thanks Tavarish!
I’m from Australia and a ford guy but u made this SS look and go good very proud of what you have done these are a very reliable car and thanks for everything you have done.
I'm from New Zealand and also a Ford guy that is gutted there will never be another HOLDEN or proper AUssie FALCON
How in the hell did you legally import a 2008 into the US????? I've found it practically impossible on any vehicle under 25 years old
Second this question. Only way to do this is (i think) to build a new “kit car” from old components and modify it etc. i dont see how this can be registered in usa
To help cause I scrolled forever for thus, he’s uploading something about it on his 2nd channel tomorrow
I guess if you have dealer plates you could maybe drive on temp basis in usa. But i see no way to register this truck unless you federalize it which is crazy expensive
The G8 is the sedan version of this car. One loophole I heard of was that they put the 'ute' body over the legal sedan chassis and got it registered.
@@lachlanbrown409I believe that’s what Travis bell did to his. Check out Travis bell’s car stories on Vinwiki, he talks about it several times.
Absolutly loved the video. An amazing throwback for a great ute. Few mods to consider.
1 - Put the Holden badges on all around. Get rid of the chev 😉
2 - walkinshaw bonnet (hood)
3 - walkinshaw exhaust
4 - walkinshaw supercharger.
5 - HSV (Holden special vehicles) GTS E3 wheels.
Can't get more Aussie then a walkinshaw holden.
🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I’m glad to see you’re much happier man. Truly made a positive experience in your videos. Way to go
Well done Freddie. Best video thus far. Thank you from Australia.
I want a Ute in the US so bad after living in NZ for a year.
Purple is rad, keep that. but a big V8 like that would be so happy to see a supercharger, even with just a little boost.
Got a blue ute here myself in Perth, Australia...these cars are awesome! Hope you enjoy yours.
Being in Australia 🇦🇺 they also used Holden Commodores in your country as a GTO Pontiac ,maybe you can get parts off one of those .
The GTO is a VZ Monaro, so it's a different platform, not a lot of cross compatibility between VE and VZ
Resident Aussie here.....
Road Rash underneath, Front End Passenger Damage, Chev Badge, Mismatched Tyres...... Yeah thats a Bush Basher........
Solid as Hell, Goes like Hell, Hard as a Hilux...... Needs an oversized UHF antenna & a 5 Bar Bully & you'll be picking up at a Bull & Bronc in no time.
With how expensive this would've been back in the day, guarantee it was owned by someone with mining money, and was their daily to and from the jobsite, as well as some rally with the boys when the boss isn't looking.
please google b and s Ute's. through a five poster and some truck mudflaps on this banger
What about the Bundaberg stickers??? 😂
@@paulsz6194😂😂😂 💯
How did that car get through Customs with hay in the back and full of ants? I was a USDA inspector for US Customs and I would have quarantined that in a heartbeat.
If that went through Aussie customs it would be incinerated! I guess our border security only goes one way!
Not even soil from the US is allowed in Australia, every car part has to be pressure washed and the residue contained and collected
Australian here! This was so good to watch. I’ve never seen such excitement over an SS haha they are the pretty basic V8 now days. So many around. But it was a great watch. HSVS Like the Maloo are the more sought after. . If you guys need any help I know those cars pretty well. this is the first video I’ve seen of yours 🎉
As a former GTO owner. This is your coolest build
I absolutely love the Utes from down under, the color, that generation, that powertrain? But also as a man of culture...THAT WAGON!!!!!! I wonder who got that?
It’s headed to Tennessee for title work then to its home in Oklahoma I believe.
Longroof!
*BROTHER TO BROTHA YOU LOOK HEALTHY . KEEP DOING WHATEVER YOU DOING* 🤜🏽🤛🏽