After an epic 14 months picking up left handed cameras and microphone lubricant for Marty and Moog we have passed our youtube apprenticeship and now we are fully qualified TH-camrs. And so we are now launching our very own TH-cam Channel called, unsurprisingly, The Skid Factory, with the continued support of Mighty Car Mods. If you love what you've seen so far and want to help support us jump on our Patreon Page where for an extra buck or two you can get early access to new videos among other perks. All money goes back into making the show better and paying the exorbitant power bills for Al's old TIG Welder. We've got a few epic builds lined up and will be releasing new videos every week! Same time, slightly different place. TH-cam: bit.ly/theskidfactory Patreon: www.patreon.com/theskidfactory Thanks for watching!
Grats! Felt like you guys deserved your own channel for some time - certainly big enough content. I would heavily suggest diversifying your income, Patreon has been quite hit and miss recently (for complex reasons I won't go in to - but I'm one of them who ceased using that platform), so setting up a few more things like a direct PayPal subscription and a seperate donate button would be a good idea. People will subscribe regardless of the "perks" you offer, because it's not really about getting a video a week early.
The bogan in me is fizzing. When I was about 16 or 17 (10ish years ago) some mates and I had a MK4 Cortina we picked up for $100 (it was basically scrap), welded the diff and used it for skiiiiiids. The 2L eventually popped, along with many axles, we needed something more, we purchased a VL with God knows how many KMs on it and got to work. It ended up being an RB30E+T Cortina, we did some "tuning" using some bigger injectors, a FPR and adjusted the fuel pressure, it worked pretty damn well for about 6 months (which equates to about 30 pairs of tyres) until it was laid to rest by the best way we knew how, putting a brick on the accelerator until it burst into flames and we ran away. Sorry New Zealand fire services.
Barely ever see them now. And when you do, they're either beat to shit and barely running, or fully modded with 20" chromies and an outrageous paintjob
@@mrrangemaster Each to their own I guess mate. I personally dont mind the motor "refresh/upgrade" it seems like they are doing, with the other bits and pieces that look to be upgraded as well. Yoda did say they are staying in the spirit of keeping it stock looking. Either way, cant wait to see the end result!
GM Holden was owned by a shelf company called General Motors Holden Australia Limited (GMHAL) which, at the time these VLs were made, was owned 50% by GM & 50% by Nissan. This arrangement gave us RB30 powered commodores & Nissan Pulsars (a joint development between Holden & Nissan Australia) powered by Holden built Opel boat anchors. (those motors were exported to Germany in large numbers) That same car, with minor cosmetic differences, was also sold by Holden as the Holden Astra. Nissan had a stake in Ford Australia for a while. XF Falcon utes were sold by Nissan as the Nissan Ute. Later, Nissan sold their stake in GMHAL to Toyota. This gave us Camrys rebadged as Holden Apollo, Corollas rebadged as Holden Nova & Holden Commodores rebadged as Toyota Lexcen. Later Toyota sold their stake in GMHAL to GM.
Great example! Hey, you will notice that the wheels are actually mounted on the wrong sides. Yes, as the design is meant to draw the air out from the brakes (like a fan) and out through the wheels. I think you will find a Left and right marking on the rims.
The radiator wash actually designed for Buick 3.8 (vn) but v6 till had to many development issues turn the v6 nth sth re vibration. I worked at Gm in Dandenong in that actuall department. Part of my life I'm not proud of lol..the deal with nissan wasnt done until about 12 months before manufacturing was to begin. The over heating of the head was caused by the height difference between head and radiator would cause air pockets. Later versions were fitted with header tanks. ....
Yeah I remember being told that the radiator was set lower in the VL than the Skyline when I had mine back in the day. I kept mine topped up and didn't have any head cracking incidents in the 3 VLs I had.
Kind mad and happy at the same time. Mad bC I didn't know the skid factory made its own youtube channel Happy because I have a lot of videos to watch lol
@@super_slav91 garbage? I think not lol ok they're not the best but they certainly weren't the worst , but they do alright (they're torque monsters) actually in 89 wheels I think it was did a test between stock s1 vn and a stock vlt, vn level pegged it lol also little bit of mis info ah they used the rb because the buick v6 wasn't ready but during vl era holden liked the performance of the rb and intended on using it indefinitely but due to the japanese financial crises it killed that plan so enter the buick , weird side note buick had rwd turbo v6 and atmo v6 ready to go long before the vl got released, in 87 their grand national was running 13.8s and topped out at 160mph factory underquoted them at 245hp in reality have anywhere from 290-310hp gnx around 320-330 in 87 lol (same engine as the vn v6s) unfortunately buick never gave holden the option :( all they'd give us was the fwd version that was coming in 88 that holden then converted to rwd for s1 vns s2 onwards were re disgned to be rwd (literally just the inlet manifold is different) then gm designed the ecotec off of the buicks , they tightened the V added proper cross flo heads , more efficient manifold and various other things (they share a crank) and yeah they were boat anchors for yrs but over the last 10 yrs their popularity has exploded, recently spied a vt pumping out 1011bhp out what started as an l67 (supercharged version) american guy builds crazy ones, does billet heads blocks etc. there's a massive following of em in america they're pushing them as high as 1600+hp and deep into the 7s lol another side note in 83 a workshop in usa used the bigger 4.3 truck version in a grand national drag car and ran 7.36s in 1983! in a v6! hahahahah so the buick/gm/holden v6s are nothing to be sniffed at , just took a while for them to take off :) Kevin Yates Racing Engines on facebook check him out build some wild v6s lol I actually want one his crazy l67 builds but with a 4/71 or a 6/71 on top for my vn burnout car :D just a mild 800hp hahahaha and they do rev obviously no where near an rb30 but 7500rpm is plenty (but being toque monsters they don't need big rpm) . the more you know :)
oo another odd fact s1 vns were actually closer to 145kw as apposed to holdens 127kw claim, it's true for s2 onwards though as they had smaller ports, valves, and that plastic belmouth to reduce power as the oldy's buying em kept frying tyres everywhere hahaha sooks! hence why s1 are more desirable and exactly why I bought the s1 just a bit more punch up their sleeves :D only downside is they run a little rougher.
I'm sure there's a few out there that could lol I honestly don't care I'm not biased I like pretty much everything lol I just happen to have a vn with a v6, 1 I like the shape 2. it's all I can afford to run lol a barra swap is not outa the question either lol just passing on some knowledge :)
I was out of the loop in the MCM universe. It was a pleasant surprise to see The Skid Factory got it's own TH-cam channel. In fact, I'd say I prefer it because the level of creativity here with builds is off the chain. I'm looking forward to binge watching every video here.
on behalf of all vl owners and owning 2 myself i thank you for inflating the already ridiculous prices so i can fund the purchase of an additional 3 houses. Consensus around the heads cracking is mainly around the vl radiator sitting lower than the head and air bubbles sitting in the head area, bleed them properly and generally shouldn't have an issue
Congrats on your own channel!! I imagine this is somewhat of a teaser video for new people coming to the channel but all the cuts to turbo installs and intake manifolds kills the suspense!!!
Just a word about the video composition. It kinda takes away the mystique of the build process when you inject the clips from later on in the build. Not that I don't enjoy it, but I truly liked it when it was just waiting the week and getting to be surprised by each video. It will still be fun to watch, but it kinda half spoils it IMHO
Agreed. i prefer living in a dream world thinking your working on it the week we get the Ep, now we know your finished the VL i just want a 3hr long video to watch on it.
Agreed! A few hints of what's to come is great but that left nothing to the imagination haha. Reminds me of a VL I saw in zoom magazine. Looked stock but was over four hundred rwkw lol
I bought my first 6cyl VL in 1990 and have 3 VLs now. I had the privilege of experiencing 3 head cracks (on the same head). And all it was, like Al says, was the radiator. Like alot of VL fans would know is the hot and cold water (coolant) exits and enters the same radiator tank with a metal partition in the centre of the tank. Over time this metal partition corrodes away. So effectively the hot water enters the radiator, not getting a chance to cool down and enters straight back into the engine hot without travelling through the rest of radiator for cooling.
I'm surprised you didn't have your own channel before now guys, I wish you both all the success in the world with it, it's well and truly deserved, als wealth of knowledge knows no bounds, yoda by name, yoda by nature
Was glad Al touched on the radiator issue. To fit the engine they made a dual pass radiator from a single and they used to rust out so coolant would bypass the radiator, cook the engine and do a head.
Dad had a new one when I was a kid, I remember convincing him to do a 0-100 test on a back road one day. Even with all the fam onboard it did 9 seconds from memory.
I remember lusting after a VL Calais turbo back in the day with those pop up lights lol! 150kw doesn't sound like much these days but, IIRC the 5lt V8 was only making around 125kw after the switch to unleaded so the turbo six was pretty impressive at the time.
122kw from memory but holden changed from sae ratings to something else, or the other way round, which reflected more real-world conditions ie they tested with all accessories fitted, also the v8 was aimed at the towing market with heaps of low down torque ,but then again they where very easy to modify with bolt ons and a cam
Al t. Correct. The 308 was easily making more torque than the six and we all no how easy it was and IS to get great power out of them. Cam heads inlet exhaust and they last forever.
@@TheGorillaBiker I just found it a lot slower than s1 I watched up ep 8 I think couldn't get into it :( always ended up messin with my phone lol so I gave up lol
Auzzys like some weird ass cars, looks like a 4 door cavalier, doesn’t scream “iconic car scene” to me in the slightest, but if it’s your thing then all the power to you! I’m just happy to have new skid factory vids!
Most the head cracking issues were people not bleeding the cooling system properly and due to the radiator sitting lower than the head many engines left service with no water up in the head. If its bled from the top coolant hose on the plenum then no issues. Ive had 3 VL turbos. Great cars. Though im thinking to build an LS VL next lol.
Deboss sent me! Can’t wait to see more stuff! I’m from Michigan and recently started getting into the Holdens and Falcon and the Aussie side of the motor companies my grandfathers worked for. Thanks!
What a cool car! I love the styling. Basically my favorite era for interiors honestly, weird as that may be. Check out the orange peel on the paint too! Really enjoyed this history lesson. Honestly had no idea about any of this. Can't wait to watch the build process. Cheers!
@@MafiaboysWorld Apparently! Sounds similar to the muscle car craze here in like the 60s and 70s, but much later. Hoping I can visit Australia and see the awesome cars someday.
@@802Garage Oooh no no no, our craze was in the 60s aswell and ours was to the point we had our own Supercar Crisis and it didn't involve the oil crisis either. Anyway, I can give you all the info but I'm trying to watch Brent so gimme 10 minutes (NO SPOILERS PLEASE!! 😂)
To add to what Al said this is the car that educated aussies in the ways of injection and began our journey from the dark side of carby's with mechanical secondaries to being one with the forced air and thus Turbo Yoda was born...
Not sure how I missed these! Bloody sick! My crazy old neighbor had a limited edition Vl Turbo with 1553 badge. under the hood showing it was one of 5000 cars. The thing had no doors or windows but was the 3.0 ltr turbo manual. The box I was told was the strongest rwd rb box available. We tried on and off for years to buy the car off him but he wouldnt budge on it..poor things probably still sitting here rotting. Also us kiwis have just as much love for the Holdens as you guys. I grew up in the back on a vn wagon basically lol.
Head issues; The water jacket in the engine was higher than the water level in the radiator. So folks replaced the coolant, left an air pocket in the engine which led to hot spots in the head. All it took was one wrong coolant change.
I remember as a kid getting a ride in a brand new VL turbo, in stock form it flew! Nothing but a big V8 would compare. This non turbo model example is exceptional!
This is probably the best video I’ve seen Al in. It’s clear that he has a soft spot for the VL and who can blame him! Great video. Great car. I’m excited for what the build has to come! Keep up the great work!
Holden could have got the red/blue/black motor to run on unleaded (The modified 202 in my Bedford does!). What they couldn't do was get it past emissions! I had a R31 Skyline new in 1986 (yeah, I'm old). The engine was smooth and a revelation in power , even if the 2l in my i30 has more power. The 5 speed was also great. Only mechanical problems I had were an exhaust manifold leak. (The manifold warped and leaked at the rear of the engine) and a whiny diff (replaced under warranty. I was really upset when I put it on its roof.
You must be one of the most hardcore Holden-heads in this comments section. First the Bedford van info, now VL. I feel like we are cut from the same cloth, just from opposite hemispheres.
@@mikepeterson1791 I've just been around a long time. I've had cars from Austin, Chrysler, Nissan, GM (of course), Toyota, Volvo, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Ford , Honda and Hyundai!
Awesome guys.I had a mint Vl executive in 2004 with 84000 ks I sold it after only having it for a year to buy a family wagon,I can't tell how much I regret that every time I see a clean Vl, can't wait to see the build🇦🇺🙈
Nice. Over in the UK at this time we had the Vauxhall Astra, Cavalier, Senator and Manta at that time. Only Ford I ever drove (an Escort / Orion) I wrote off with 851 miles on the clock by T boning the local Ford service managers' Sierra on the way to work one morning in fog. Karma sent me a big thank you and I got an Astravan next which was the 2nd fastest car on the motorways - whatever you were in I was 5ft behind you picking my nose. Only car to watch for was a white Senator as that was police in the 3.0 24v beast.
I had a 1988 Berlina BT1, 5 speed, a few mods gave me 300kw at the wheels. Paint was immaculate. I sold it and the guy that bought it wrapped it around a pole a month later
You need to have some more anouncements on the other channels. This hasn't really gained the traction it should have yet. Do an intro video on MCM and MCM2
I can honestly say, I have never seen one of those TURD BUCKETS my whole life! From Oregon by the way.... :) Keep your the good work guys! You guys are by far my favorite TH-cam channel!!
I love your approach to leaving what works and fitting modern gear WITHOUT cutting holes in the hood and SLAMMING it with stance....Thanks for the free content!!! 🖖👌😬
It took a while for this channel to get going, but it truly has done it by its own merits as opposed to be carried by mcm tho we have to credit them for their part, Al,s skill and the partnership with woody and stig compliment each other perfectly, the v8 stagea build was amazing, and the cresta and the CF1 bedford too of course, but everything they do is first class, well done from the UK.
Cant wait for you guys to get stuck into this. The VL Turbo is a staple of the late 90's early 2000's car scene in Australia and still proves to be on of the most present cars on the drag strip. Cant wait to see what comes next!
The first car I bought after getting my restricted license a few years ago here in NZ was a 1990 VN Commodore Executive. 3.8l V6 based on the Buick Ecotec platform. Some days I wish I still had it - then I remember that the VL was a better shape. Full factory is a glorious find.
The reason they cracked the head was because the radiator top was well lower than the highest point on the engine that coolant will travel hence leaving air pockets..You can see the crack when the cam comes out cos they cracked the whole length of the cam...Front to back.!!...Great show lads.
This is going to be incredible. These Holdens are such a novelty for a Brit, I had no idea an RB30 came in a Commodore! Glad to see you guys with you're own channel as well.
just what i was thinking (looks like your the only one on here that knows about this car), executive model with Berlina/Calais cluster i smell bullshit. Not too mention its been painted, these cars come out acrylic from factory, 2 Pac came long after this time and the car has 2 pac paint on it (can see the orange peel @7:00 mark). Under the bonnet has no clear coat, only base coat. Too many fails when it comes to originality the car stinks. Overspray on the bonnet rubbers, missing plastic shrouds on top of wiper motor.
@@nathanfrancis6727 Nah, ruins the original look of the car. The second you put a DOHC head on, it just looks like every other RB, and you lose that Holden rocker cover. 👍
@@nathanfrancis6727 Believe me bro, I reckon if this had 240,000km and bashed with thousands of hammers in its lifetime that it would be getting full Nitto 3.2/3.4 stroker, 26 head and a GTX55...I know I would! 😈
first car I ever drove was dad's new VL when I was 11. It had so much grunt I got the wheels spinning. I remember being terrified on the test drive because it was so much faster than all the other Falcadores at the time
dude, i doubt they are going to sell out - this is pretty much them documenting their day job, they probably get all the money they need from the day job (including money for parts), and all the money from this goes back into making their video quality better.
Al mate, you are so confident in front of the camera now it's becoming very natural for you, same goes for the camera work Woody. You guys will be 1mil subs this year I reckon.
That's a pretty schmicko commondoor. THis is gonna be good. I worked reconditioning cylinder heads in the late 80's-early 90's. Them VL heads would get welded, straightened, new guides, flycut and in some cases, have a few new valve seats and valves. Other heads that were plentiful in the workshop were, Mitsubishi Sigma/Magna, OHC nissan motors that had them undercam rockers in both 4&6cyl, holden gemini, mini, & holden iron heads. Plenty of V8s . plenty of others but they were the main ones.
Ah the good old days of the VL, I remember going to DJ with a trailer on the back of my cousins VL calais. Was such a nice car to drive in on the long trips. I've been a ford man all my life and the VL turbo and the VF2 (which i own as well as a XR8 Sprint) are the best cars ever made in Aus.
Here's the deal - I have never ever been even tempted to support a TH-cam channel with Patreon, although to be fair I've come close with project Binky. As soon as I heard the announcement on the unicorn circuit about your channel, I left the video to watch your first offering here on your brand new channel, mashed the subscribe and notification button... And without hesitation went over to patreon to sign up. Your videos are hands-down the most informative, genuine and entertaining I have found. Your projects, lemon squashes and occasional rants has become an important part of my life and I'm happy to put my wallet where my mouth is!
@@alanbutler2579 dude, I owe you guys back pay for a years worth of awesome no BS content. Just let us US subscribers know next time you're coming to the states so we can buy you a few local lemon squash :)
Ahh, the memories. I used to work for the Dasfleet back when these buggers were new. The AFP used the manual version as their traffic (read pursuit) after the venerable XE 351 police pack. From memory I can only recall one having a diff issue and aside from that they were pretty bulletproof. The Federales loved the..........
Sweet project. Sweet background to it. VL's familiar to me. Throwbacks to the days of cut down truck 'coolers, hobbs controlled extra fueling, boost controllers made from random pipe fittings and attacking airboxes with holesaws
This is a really polished episode - I loved the talk-in about the significance and historic place of the vehicle - watching your friends over at MCM I've often heard references to the VL Commodore but never understood the significance it had in the car world. the little flash-forward clips were a really nice touch. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I'm just floored that a car like this exists! Incredible find broski's! Super excited for all the fun stuff happening with the new channel. Thank you Alan, Woody and the whole MCM gang!
Hell yes, I'm a ford man at heart mainly cause family influences but I can appreciate what the rb power did for us aussies flashback to those early years with rajab racing jpc and alike sitting on the startline for 30some od seconds waiting for boost and to get up on the converter. The v8 in the lane beside had gone and coming back down the return lane😅 But when they launched it was like an f1-11 leaving the carrier.
Awesome! well shot and presented. for some reason i like to listen to al babble on about the history of cars. please copy all of the old episodes over here so we can find all of them easier and watch them again!
So glad you guys are finally on your own channel, you deserve it and without doubt make the best content for the level of car modification that rolls out of the skid factory. Our Aussie regulations are pretty strict, which is what makes you guys so good. I’ve done a few swaps and conversions at home (and employers workshop) over the years. I always learn something new or a different way to go about it. Love the content. Thanks guys.
1100+ likes, and not one dislike. Well done boys, and congrats on the new channel! Loving the first season on the new platform. Edit: And "any turbo is a good turbo" needs to be a T-shirt.
![THE SKID FACTORY - RB30E+T Holden VL Commodore [EP2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eEUb8DvvgRc/mqdefault.jpg)
![THE SKID FACTORY - RB30E+T Holden VL Commodore [EP2]](/img/tr.png)
![THE SKID FACTORY - RB30E+T Holden VL Commodore Wrap Up [EP13]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-HOmcGnri8U/mqdefault.jpg)
![THE SKID FACTORY - Old Cock's 1970 XY GT Ford Falcon [Build Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5GWCPouB_d4/mqdefault.jpg)
![THE SKID FACTORY - RB30E+T Holden VL Commodore [EP6]](/img/n.gif)
After an epic 14 months picking up left handed cameras and microphone lubricant for Marty and Moog we have passed our youtube apprenticeship and now we are fully qualified TH-camrs. And so we are now launching our very own TH-cam Channel called, unsurprisingly, The Skid Factory, with the continued support of Mighty Car Mods.
If you love what you've seen so far and want to help support us jump on our Patreon Page where for an extra buck or two you can get early access to new videos among other perks. All money goes back into making the show better and paying the exorbitant power bills for Al's old TIG Welder.
We've got a few epic builds lined up and will be releasing new videos every week! Same time, slightly different place.
TH-cam: bit.ly/theskidfactory
Patreon: www.patreon.com/theskidfactory
Thanks for watching!
You have reinstated my love for cars
Grats! Felt like you guys deserved your own channel for some time - certainly big enough content. I would heavily suggest diversifying your income, Patreon has been quite hit and miss recently (for complex reasons I won't go in to - but I'm one of them who ceased using that platform), so setting up a few more things like a direct PayPal subscription and a seperate donate button would be a good idea. People will subscribe regardless of the "perks" you offer, because it's not really about getting a video a week early.
Well done boys, graduation time, and what better way to do it then with the old VL....bloody fantastic!
Been watching every episode of all the other builds through recently. Super psyched for this. Love learning from you folks.
HELL YEAH!! Congrats Al & Woody on completing your YT apprenticeships. 👍
WOW. I have watched MCM since I was a young teen. I bought a VL for my 18th Bday, waiting yo tear it up. ITS ON!!!
😍 So much inspiration already!
The bogan in me is fizzing. When I was about 16 or 17 (10ish years ago) some mates and I had a MK4 Cortina we picked up for $100 (it was basically scrap), welded the diff and used it for skiiiiiids. The 2L eventually popped, along with many axles, we needed something more, we purchased a VL with God knows how many KMs on it and got to work. It ended up being an RB30E+T Cortina, we did some "tuning" using some bigger injectors, a FPR and adjusted the fuel pressure, it worked pretty damn well for about 6 months (which equates to about 30 pairs of tyres) until it was laid to rest by the best way we knew how, putting a brick on the accelerator until it burst into flames and we ran away. Sorry New Zealand fire services.
I could listen to Yoda talk about cars forever
robbo 2 Me tooo!!! He has a good understanding and the WHY behind certain restrictions~
Almost late for school
Turboyodah
That's one of the tidiest VL commodores I have seen
Yep and over the coming weeks watch it get turned into a trash burn out vehicle
Barely ever see them now. And when you do, they're either beat to shit and barely running, or fully modded with 20" chromies and an outrageous paintjob
Australians never had an engine this smooth before, or I might add, ever again!
That is a clean VL. What a find!
Yeah, rare to find one like that, it should be left like it, why not fuck around with something that doesn't matter?
@@mrrangemaster Each to their own I guess mate. I personally dont mind the motor "refresh/upgrade" it seems like they are doing, with the other bits and pieces that look to be upgraded as well. Yoda did say they are staying in the spirit of keeping it stock looking. Either way, cant wait to see the end result!
Was a clean vl. Now fucked
You can get any rando Vl and go stupid with it. WHY ruin such a piece of history
So it’s done! Fukn awesome! No need for 45min episodes. I’m up for a 6 hour straight skid factory marathon
GM Holden was owned by a shelf company called General Motors Holden Australia Limited (GMHAL) which, at the time these VLs were made, was owned 50% by GM & 50% by Nissan.
This arrangement gave us RB30 powered commodores & Nissan Pulsars (a joint development between Holden & Nissan Australia) powered by Holden built Opel boat anchors. (those motors were exported to Germany in large numbers) That same car, with minor cosmetic differences, was also sold by Holden as the Holden Astra.
Nissan had a stake in Ford Australia for a while. XF Falcon utes were sold by Nissan as the Nissan Ute.
Later, Nissan sold their stake in GMHAL to Toyota. This gave us Camrys rebadged as Holden Apollo, Corollas rebadged as Holden Nova & Holden Commodores rebadged as Toyota Lexcen.
Later Toyota sold their stake in GMHAL to GM.
Great example! Hey, you will notice that the wheels are actually mounted on the wrong sides. Yes, as the design is meant to draw the air out from the brakes (like a fan) and out through the wheels. I think you will find a Left and right marking on the rims.
The radiator wash actually designed for Buick 3.8 (vn) but v6 till had to many development issues turn the v6 nth sth re vibration. I worked at Gm in Dandenong in that actuall department. Part of my life I'm not proud of lol..the deal with nissan wasnt done until about 12 months before manufacturing was to begin. The over heating of the head was caused by the height difference between head and radiator would cause air pockets. Later versions were fitted with header tanks. ....
I would like to sit down and have some lemon squash with you.
Yeah I remember being told that the radiator was set lower in the VL than the Skyline when I had mine back in the day. I kept mine topped up and didn't have any head cracking incidents in the 3 VLs I had.
Kind mad and happy at the same time.
Mad bC I didn't know the skid factory made its own youtube channel
Happy because I have a lot of videos to watch lol
Me too! Busy few days ahead.
hands down the BEST 6 cylinder stock engine EVER to be in a holden, they just had to got outside the GM world for a good one
VN was going to have the RB too, but the Japanese financial crisis and the ensuing conversion rate for the YEN stopped them, enter that garbage 3800.
@@super_slav91 garbage? I think not lol ok they're not the best but they certainly weren't the worst , but they do alright (they're torque monsters) actually in 89 wheels I think it was did a test between stock s1 vn and a stock vlt, vn level pegged it lol
also little bit of mis info ah they used the rb because the buick v6 wasn't ready but during vl era holden liked the performance of the rb and intended on using it indefinitely but due to the japanese financial crises it killed that plan so enter the buick , weird side note buick had rwd turbo v6 and atmo v6 ready to go long before the vl got released, in 87 their grand national was running 13.8s and topped out at 160mph factory underquoted them at 245hp in reality have anywhere from 290-310hp gnx around 320-330 in 87 lol (same engine as the vn v6s) unfortunately buick never gave holden the option :( all they'd give us was the fwd version that was coming in 88 that holden then converted to rwd for s1 vns s2 onwards were re disgned to be rwd (literally just the inlet manifold is different)
then gm designed the ecotec off of the buicks , they tightened the V added proper cross flo heads , more efficient manifold and various other things (they share a crank) and yeah they were boat anchors for yrs but over the last 10 yrs their popularity has exploded, recently spied a vt pumping out 1011bhp out what started as an l67 (supercharged version) american guy builds crazy ones, does billet heads blocks etc. there's a massive following of em in america they're pushing them as high as 1600+hp and deep into the 7s lol
another side note in 83 a workshop in usa used the bigger 4.3 truck version in a grand national drag car and ran 7.36s in 1983! in a v6! hahahahah so the buick/gm/holden v6s are nothing to be sniffed at , just took a while for them to take off :)
Kevin Yates Racing Engines on facebook check him out build some wild v6s lol I actually want one his crazy l67 builds but with a 4/71 or a 6/71 on top for my vn burnout car :D just a mild 800hp hahahaha and they do rev obviously no where near an rb30 but 7500rpm is plenty (but being toque monsters they don't need big rpm) . the more you know :)
oo another odd fact s1 vns were actually closer to 145kw as apposed to holdens 127kw claim, it's true for s2 onwards though as they had smaller ports, valves, and that plastic belmouth to reduce power as the oldy's buying em kept frying tyres everywhere hahaha sooks! hence why s1 are more desirable and exactly why I bought the s1 just a bit more punch up their sleeves :D only downside is they run a little rougher.
And still can’t compete with the Barra....
I'm sure there's a few out there that could lol I honestly don't care I'm not biased I like pretty much everything lol I just happen to have a vn with a v6, 1 I like the shape 2. it's all I can afford to run lol a barra swap is not outa the question either lol just passing on some knowledge :)
I was out of the loop in the MCM universe. It was a pleasant surprise to see The Skid Factory got it's own TH-cam channel. In fact, I'd say I prefer it because the level of creativity here with builds is off the chain. I'm looking forward to binge watching every video here.
Was here before 1 million subs
balls deep
@@theskidfactory You're gonna be balls deep in new subscribers boys. 👍
No shit balls
haha yep. Here at 42k
@@boosthit811 149k. just found this channel
on behalf of all vl owners and owning 2 myself i thank you for inflating the already ridiculous prices so i can fund the purchase of an additional 3 houses. Consensus around the heads cracking is mainly around the vl radiator sitting lower than the head and air bubbles sitting in the head area, bleed them properly and generally shouldn't have an issue
Oh shit boys, full on own channel. Good stuff. Glad to be one of the first here!
The best part of this show is it teaches you all sorts of information on topics you either didn't know how to research or just didn't know it existed.
Congrats on your own channel!! I imagine this is somewhat of a teaser video for new people coming to the channel but all the cuts to turbo installs and intake manifolds kills the suspense!!!
nope. Have a look @ Cleatus, this is the modern way.
After watching this intro makes me want to get the shardline out of the shed and swing some spanners on it !! Congrats on your own channel boys !!
Just a word about the video composition. It kinda takes away the mystique of the build process when you inject the clips from later on in the build. Not that I don't enjoy it, but I truly liked it when it was just waiting the week and getting to be surprised by each video. It will still be fun to watch, but it kinda half spoils it IMHO
Agreed. i prefer living in a dream world thinking your working on it the week we get the Ep, now we know your finished the VL i just want a 3hr long video to watch on it.
Agreed! A few hints of what's to come is great but that left nothing to the imagination haha. Reminds me of a VL I saw in zoom magazine. Looked stock but was over four hundred rwkw lol
@@beerturbogarage this right here ^
I totally concur! Tell us, don't show us yet! :D
Yeah I kinda agree, should show a clip set like this in the finale not before anything has been done
I bought my first 6cyl VL in 1990 and have 3 VLs now. I had the privilege of experiencing 3 head cracks (on the same head). And all it was, like Al says, was the radiator. Like alot of VL fans would know is the hot and cold water (coolant) exits and enters the same radiator tank with a metal partition in the centre of the tank.
Over time this metal partition corrodes away. So effectively the hot water enters the radiator, not getting a chance to cool down and enters straight back into the engine hot without travelling through the rest of radiator for cooling.
Love it. Not a fan of the b roll spoilers though!
Was about to type the same thing -- I'm happy to listen to Al talk, don't want the spoilers!
walkinshaw looks way better :D personally not a fan of the base vl's either, walky and calais were pick of the litter :)
I love the insights into aussie car history
I'm surprised you didn't have your own channel before now guys, I wish you both all the success in the world with it, it's well and truly deserved, als wealth of knowledge knows no bounds, yoda by name, yoda by nature
Was glad Al touched on the radiator issue.
To fit the engine they made a dual pass radiator from a single and they used to rust out so coolant would bypass the radiator, cook the engine and do a head.
Introducing " The most stolen car in the history of Australia"
bringingtherukas I had 2 never stolen
Can drift with 1 finger so light so smooth to drive
Wrx?
GC8 WRX would take that title sorry...but it would be a close second place🤙
Yeh dad stole about 23...
Takes about 30secs to break into them!
Dad had a new one when I was a kid, I remember convincing him to do a 0-100 test on a back road one day. Even with all the fam onboard it did 9 seconds from memory.
I remember lusting after a VL Calais turbo back in the day with those pop up lights lol! 150kw doesn't sound like much these days but, IIRC the 5lt V8 was only making around 125kw after the switch to unleaded so the turbo six was pretty impressive at the time.
122kw from memory but holden changed from sae ratings to something else, or the other way round, which reflected more real-world conditions ie they tested with all accessories fitted, also the v8 was aimed at the towing market with heaps of low down torque ,but then again they where very easy to modify with bolt ons and a cam
Al t. Correct. The 308 was easily making more torque than the six and we all no how easy it was and IS to get great power out of them. Cam heads inlet exhaust and they last forever.
As an American who didn't know why the Commodore was so popular, thank you for posting this.
I stopped watching the punisher to watch this. Do not regret. Best of luck you legends love what you do. I'll try Patreon if I can!
your in for a treat after then haha
I would've too punisher s2 is terrible hahaha
Nah I'm enjoying it now tbh
@@TheGorillaBiker I just found it a lot slower than s1 I watched up ep 8 I think couldn't get into it :( always ended up messin with my phone lol so I gave up lol
@@5lcalais1 yeah it started slow but I binged like 3 episodes last night and it picked up a bit. Honestly guns and wanton violence and I'm in 😂😂😂
Auzzys like some weird ass cars, looks like a 4 door cavalier, doesn’t scream “iconic car scene” to me in the slightest, but if it’s your thing then all the power to you! I’m just happy to have new skid factory vids!
Most the head cracking issues were people not bleeding the cooling system properly and due to the radiator sitting lower than the head many engines left service with no water up in the head. If its bled from the top coolant hose on the plenum then no issues. Ive had 3 VL turbos. Great cars. Though im thinking to build an LS VL next lol.
Deboss sent me! Can’t wait to see more stuff! I’m from Michigan and recently started getting into the Holdens and Falcon and the Aussie side of the motor companies my grandfathers worked for. Thanks!
What a cool car! I love the styling. Basically my favorite era for interiors honestly, weird as that may be. Check out the orange peel on the paint too!
Really enjoyed this history lesson. Honestly had no idea about any of this. Can't wait to watch the build process. Cheers!
Really? Man, you need to REAAAALLLY check out the History of Aussie cars and get an eye opening like no other. 👍
@@MafiaboysWorld Apparently!
Sounds similar to the muscle car craze here in like the 60s and 70s, but much later.
Hoping I can visit Australia and see the awesome cars someday.
@@802Garage Oooh no no no, our craze was in the 60s aswell and ours was to the point we had our own Supercar Crisis and it didn't involve the oil crisis either.
Anyway, I can give you all the info but I'm trying to watch Brent so gimme 10 minutes (NO SPOILERS PLEASE!! 😂)
@@MafiaboysWorld Hahaha that's what I'm watching right now too! Guess we gotta chill when I come to Australia. XD
@@5lcalais1 Well that is a tragedy. Similar to how the Corvair got killed, but much more wide sweeping it seems!
What a beautiful pristine car! Those wheels look like early C4 Corvette rims. Looking forward to the end result.
What a cool car. Pure 80's with that grid dash overlay. Sounds like it's sort of like a Foxbody in regards to all the aftermarket support.
To add to what Al said this is the car that educated aussies in the ways of injection and began our journey from the dark side of carby's with mechanical secondaries to being one with the forced air and thus Turbo Yoda was born...
This is bringing back memories.
Not sure how I missed these! Bloody sick! My crazy old neighbor had a limited edition Vl Turbo with 1553 badge. under the hood showing it was one of 5000 cars. The thing had no doors or windows but was the 3.0 ltr turbo manual. The box I was told was the strongest rwd rb box available. We tried on and off for years to buy the car off him but he wouldnt budge on it..poor things probably still sitting here rotting. Also us kiwis have just as much love for the Holdens as you guys. I grew up in the back on a vn wagon basically lol.
Head issues; The water jacket in the engine was higher than the water level in the radiator. So folks replaced the coolant, left an air pocket in the engine which led to hot spots in the head. All it took was one wrong coolant change.
vls are the worst holden ever made.....nissan motor lol
@@Veightdirectorcarclubvictoria NO, that would be the ZB Commodore........
Or the NZ only VN 4 cylinder.
and the highest coolant bleed screw always snapped off which meant the second person to change the coolant was even more screwed
I remember as a kid getting a ride in a brand new VL turbo, in stock form it flew! Nothing but a big V8 would compare. This non turbo model example is exceptional!
No rush to watch the build as you've already showed us.
Sorry but I LOVED your original format. 👍
This is probably the best video I’ve seen Al in. It’s clear that he has a soft spot for the VL and who can blame him! Great video. Great car. I’m excited for what the build has to come! Keep up the great work!
Holden could have got the red/blue/black motor to run on unleaded (The modified 202 in my Bedford does!). What they couldn't do was get it past emissions! I had a R31 Skyline new in 1986 (yeah, I'm old). The engine was smooth and a revelation in power , even if the 2l in my i30 has more power. The 5 speed was also great. Only mechanical problems I had were an exhaust manifold leak. (The manifold warped and leaked at the rear of the engine) and a whiny diff (replaced under warranty. I was really upset when I put it on its roof.
You must be one of the most hardcore Holden-heads in this comments section. First the Bedford van info, now VL. I feel like we are cut from the same cloth, just from opposite hemispheres.
I was waiting for Yoda to mention that the it was the 202 in the VK and that it was the same donk from the Bedford.
@@mikepeterson1791 I've just been around a long time. I've had cars from Austin, Chrysler, Nissan, GM (of course), Toyota, Volvo, Volkswagen, Peugeot, Ford , Honda and Hyundai!
Awesome guys.I had a mint Vl executive in 2004 with 84000 ks I sold it after only having it for a year to buy a family wagon,I can't tell how much I regret that every time I see a clean Vl, can't wait to see the build🇦🇺🙈
SUUUUUTUUTUUTUU
Oh yes, good stuff boys!
Nice. Over in the UK at this time we had the Vauxhall Astra, Cavalier, Senator and Manta at that time. Only Ford I ever drove (an Escort / Orion) I wrote off with 851 miles on the clock by T boning the local Ford service managers' Sierra on the way to work one morning in fog. Karma sent me a big thank you and I got an Astravan next which was the 2nd fastest car on the motorways - whatever you were in I was 5ft behind you picking my nose. Only car to watch for was a white Senator as that was police in the 3.0 24v beast.
What do you guys think about the look of the VL. I know the engine is what makes it special but I also think they are a nice looking car too
One of my all time fav Holden cars, and yes it's sensational looking mate.
I had a 1988 Berlina BT1, 5 speed, a few mods gave me 300kw at the wheels. Paint was immaculate. I sold it and the guy that bought it wrapped it around a pole a month later
You need to have some more anouncements on the other channels. This hasn't really gained the traction it should have yet. Do an intro video on MCM and MCM2
I can honestly say, I have never seen one of those TURD BUCKETS my whole life! From Oregon by the way.... :) Keep your the good work guys! You guys are by far my favorite TH-cam channel!!
I don't know Al, those VL immobilisers were awesome when wrapping them around the car thief's head. 😈😈😎😎
I love your approach to leaving what works and fitting modern gear WITHOUT cutting holes in the hood and SLAMMING it with stance....Thanks for the free content!!! 🖖👌😬
Patreon squad! Sututututu
It took a while for this channel to get going, but it truly has done it by its own merits as opposed to be carried by mcm tho we have to credit them for their part, Al,s skill and the partnership with woody and stig compliment each other perfectly, the v8 stagea build was amazing, and the cresta and the CF1 bedford too of course, but everything they do is first class, well done from the UK.
Stay Holden pony boy!
Cant wait for you guys to get stuck into this. The VL Turbo is a staple of the late 90's early 2000's car scene in Australia and still proves to be on of the most present cars on the drag strip. Cant wait to see what comes next!
Hektik uleh
dat you reeba?
You mean Hegdick?😂
pumped for this. and the perfect no bullshit skid factory tagline - "we've got all the bits we need, we're going to get it done" (video ends abruptly)
You guys thought you could hide on another channel? Pfft I'll always find the new videos
The first car I bought after getting my restricted license a few years ago here in NZ was a 1990 VN Commodore Executive. 3.8l V6 based on the Buick Ecotec platform. Some days I wish I still had it - then I remember that the VL was a better shape. Full factory is a glorious find.
Roses are red,
violets are blue,
my hectic vl turbo goes sutututututu
Damn thats a tidy VL....dont see many like that any more.
Had 2 of these as a teen.....1 almost exact same as that, asteroid silver executive auto.
OMG YULEH!
Oh my gawd, crank up the sub woofers, bro.
Can't watch this for another couple hours. Seeing it in my feed gived me a huge smile though! Proper!
As sacrilegious as it may be, please don't have the intercooler hanging below the bumper
The reason they cracked the head was because the radiator top was well lower than the highest point on the engine that coolant will travel hence leaving air pockets..You can see the crack when the cam comes out cos they cracked the whole length of the cam...Front to back.!!...Great show lads.
Here under 10k subs squad?
Right on 10K, does that count? 😂🤣
@@MafiaboysWorld in at 11K
I was sub number 251!
Just shy of 8k when I saw the Channel announcement
Number 25!
This is going to be incredible. These Holdens are such a novelty for a Brit, I had no idea an RB30 came in a Commodore! Glad to see you guys with you're own channel as well.
41 thousand kms, but has a Calais cluster.....
just what i was thinking (looks like your the only one on here that knows about this car), executive model with Berlina/Calais cluster i smell bullshit. Not too mention its been painted, these cars come out acrylic from factory, 2 Pac came long after this time and the car has 2 pac paint on it (can see the orange peel @7:00 mark). Under the bonnet has no clear coat, only base coat. Too many fails when it comes to originality the car stinks. Overspray on the bonnet rubbers, missing plastic shrouds on top of wiper motor.
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA YESSSS
That is not a Calais only dash, that is also a Berlina or optioned dash, Calais had a different print on them after 86 I think
@@350stato 88 Calais had the fine white dots pattern. Either way no executive came with an oil press/ volts or RPM on an Auto.
I loved my VL. I had it for 13 years. Numerous gearboxes and two motors. OG diff though.
That's a sweet looking car. Love it.
No twin cam(RB25/RB26) head conversion? Cool build but.
Don't need it, single cam RB30s have run into the 7s.
@@MafiaboysWorld I'm well aware of this. But would of made for a more full on series if they did a twin cam conversion aswel
@@nathanfrancis6727 Nah, ruins the original look of the car. The second you put a DOHC head on, it just looks like every other RB, and you lose that Holden rocker cover. 👍
@@MafiaboysWorld yeah I suppose that's true
@@nathanfrancis6727 Believe me bro, I reckon if this had 240,000km and bashed with thousands of hammers in its lifetime that it would be getting full Nitto 3.2/3.4 stroker, 26 head and a GTX55...I know I would! 😈
Did the most epic burnout of my life in my VL back in the day. She was a good bus.
What an amazing find. As an american I really appreciate the history lesson on the early Holden scene.
first car I ever drove was dad's new VL when I was 11. It had so much grunt I got the wheels spinning. I remember being terrified on the test drive because it was so much faster than all the other Falcadores at the time
A new video already???? You guys are legends! Please don’t sell out like MotorTrend!
dude, i doubt they are going to sell out - this is pretty much them documenting their day job, they probably get all the money they need from the day job (including money for parts), and all the money from this goes back into making their video quality better.
A mate of mine had a VL Calais Turbo as a company car in the late 80s. I drove it, just off my P's. Was a fantastic car.
I remember going to the local Holden dealer with my grandad to pick up his brand new VL Royale in 87
I'll always regret selling my VL Turbo
That thing is mint. Gotta love the grandpa spec.
Awesome. Clean af.
I heard fuse box fires were common in VLs. Good times.
they cant really handle the higher voltage when using high beam. theyll start melting around that fuse/relay. easy to rebuild n relocate
Good to know, cheers bud.
Al mate, you are so confident in front of the camera now it's becoming very natural for you, same goes for the camera work Woody. You guys will be 1mil subs this year I reckon.
That's a pretty schmicko commondoor. THis is gonna be good. I worked reconditioning cylinder heads in the late 80's-early 90's. Them VL heads would get welded, straightened, new guides, flycut and in some cases, have a few new valve seats and valves. Other heads that were plentiful in the workshop were, Mitsubishi Sigma/Magna, OHC nissan motors that had them undercam rockers in both 4&6cyl, holden gemini, mini, & holden iron heads. Plenty of V8s . plenty of others but they were the main ones.
My god its like a trip down memory lane. I had a grey one just like that. Not nearly that good but it was 80 km original. Loved that car.
The knowledge Al possesses... I could listen to him all day.
I can't wait to follow along on the journey with you. That really is a beautiful example of a car I, being from the US have never seen before.
What a find. In that condition is amazing. Lots of Aussies will be so envious.
Thanks for mentioning the bit about the GNX, made it easy to understand after that!
Ah the good old days of the VL, I remember going to DJ with a trailer on the back of my cousins VL calais. Was such a nice car to drive in on the long trips. I've been a ford man all my life and the VL turbo and the VF2 (which i own as well as a XR8 Sprint) are the best cars ever made in Aus.
This video rocks I’d love to have a video of Al talking through early turbo cars in Australia. ET turbos, cordia/starion, charade turbo
Here's the deal - I have never ever been even tempted to support a TH-cam channel with Patreon, although to be fair I've come close with project Binky. As soon as I heard the announcement on the unicorn circuit about your channel, I left the video to watch your first offering here on your brand new channel, mashed the subscribe and notification button... And without hesitation went over to patreon to sign up. Your videos are hands-down the most informative, genuine and entertaining I have found. Your projects, lemon squashes and occasional rants has become an important part of my life and I'm happy to put my wallet where my mouth is!
Thankyou mate, it is much appreciated. We hope to deliver on your patronage also.
@@alanbutler2579 dude, I owe you guys back pay for a years worth of awesome no BS content. Just let us US subscribers know next time you're coming to the states so we can buy you a few local lemon squash :)
Ahh, the memories. I used to work for the Dasfleet back when these buggers were new. The AFP used the manual version as their traffic (read pursuit) after the venerable XE 351 police pack. From memory I can only recall one having a diff issue and aside from that they were pretty bulletproof. The Federales loved the..........
Turbo Yoda, thank you for getting all nostalgic and talking us on a trip down memory lane!
Sweet project. Sweet background to it. VL's familiar to me. Throwbacks to the days of cut down truck 'coolers, hobbs controlled extra fueling, boost controllers made from random pipe fittings and attacking airboxes with holesaws
Haha, all those things. Lucky the engines were robust or they would not have survived some of the dodgy fuelling mods.
This is a really polished episode - I loved the talk-in about the significance and historic place of the vehicle - watching your friends over at MCM I've often heard references to the VL Commodore but never understood the significance it had in the car world.
the little flash-forward clips were a really nice touch. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I'm just floored that a car like this exists! Incredible find broski's! Super excited for all the fun stuff happening with the new channel. Thank you Alan, Woody and the whole MCM gang!
yeah the Holden VL Commodore definitely was around in New Zealand.. my Dad had one for a few years back in the day
Hell yes, I'm a ford man at heart mainly cause family influences but I can appreciate what the rb power did for us aussies flashback to those early years with rajab racing jpc and alike sitting on the startline for 30some od seconds waiting for boost and to get up on the converter.
The v8 in the lane beside had gone and coming back down the return lane😅 But when they launched it was like an f1-11 leaving the carrier.
Awesome! well shot and presented. for some reason i like to listen to al babble on about the history of cars. please copy all of the old episodes over here so we can find all of them easier and watch them again!
So glad you guys are finally on your own channel, you deserve it and without doubt make the best content for the level of car modification that rolls out of the skid factory.
Our Aussie regulations are pretty strict, which is what makes you guys so good.
I’ve done a few swaps and conversions at home (and employers workshop) over the years. I always learn something new or a different way to go about it.
Love the content.
Thanks guys.
1100+ likes, and not one dislike. Well done boys, and congrats on the new channel! Loving the first season on the new platform.
Edit: And "any turbo is a good turbo" needs to be a T-shirt.
This is 100% the best channel on youtube