Kramar’s Commodore

My car already had a big bore exhaust fitted when i purchased it but it still sounded like a glorified V6 and now that i had a performance intake fitted i wanted to complete the breathing of my engine by fitting some Pacemaker Headers. Pacemaker headers have long been considered one of the best ‘off the shelf’ headers money can buy so i didnt really consider any other brand when i was ready to buy.

I paid the extra money and had the headers HPC’d (ceramic coated) - this not only looks great, it keeps corrosion at bay and most importantly it keeps temperatures down under the bonnet by holding more of the exhaust gas heat inside the pipework.

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Carbon Fibre piping under the hood.

Always one to be thinking of ways to improve something I never felt happy with the intake on my car so I set to work designing my own intake, I wont go into the history of my company but the end result of many months of R&D and trial and error resulted in the carbon fibre products we produce today, namely the MAF Pipe, MAFless Pipe and Cold Air Box.

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After the addition of the heavy duty sway bar i felt it was only logical to give more support to the strut towers as there was now more load being placed onto them.

So i sourced a Nolathane adjustable strut brace - its a nice looking unit in polished alloy with nice red brackets. They are not over challenging to fit but you do need to drill a few extra holes in your strut towers and i found it easier to remove the front struts to get better access to the under side of the strut towers for tightening the nuts.

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My car was approaching 60000km when purchased and the original shocks were getting a bit tired (most standard shocks have a life expectancy of 40000-60000km).

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I always felt my car had too much body role during cornering, yes the firmer King Springs helped to reduce this but to really control it i learned that i would need to fit a heavy duty sway bay.

So i sourced a 30mm Front Sway and embarked on fitting this myself…..and wished i hadnt!! I was limited to doing the job on axle stands and as i had to drop the K frame which supports the whole engine this turned into a major job and one i would not recommend unless you have access to a hoist!

But being stubborn i stuck at it and eventually got the factory sway bar out and the new HD one back in. While doing this its worthwhile upgrading the sway bar links which attach to the end of the sway bar and the front struts ( I used Noltec but Nolathane also do them). Noltec or Nolathane components run firmer silicone bushes which give a firmer feel.

Note - While this silicone bushes are a good upgrade in some areas, there is also the feeling that some bushes are best left as the factory intended, ie rubber, as the extra rigidity of the silicone items can put additional stress on to metal components and cause premature failure of these parts.

Once the new sway bar was fitted i naturally had to go for the obligatory test drive…..well, what a difference…cornering was much flatter and gave me so much more confidence in my cars handling capabilities. Because of the firmness across the front wheels i did find i would get a lot more road feedback into the steering wheel, some may call this a harsh ride but i like it and i think it a small price to pay to get great cornering.

All in all i would have to say it was one of the most noticable changes in my suspension modding.

Partsco.com can supply a range of suspension components, just email them to enquire.

A new carbon fibre cold air box was in order..

The standard factory intake on the VT V8 Commodore was not overly free flowing due to restrictive entry points into the airbox. The introduction of the Monaro coupe brought about a new apporach to the air intake, the Monaro ran the same airbox but incorporated a shroud that cupped in behind the headlight and had two larger holes which mated up to the existing airbox - with a K&N panel filter fitted this really freed up some hp and throttle response. At around $40 it was a cheap mod and very popular at the time of release.

My very first modification to my VT V8 Commodore was a set of lowering springs, from the first time i drove the car, which started life as a bog standard executive, I found it to be very “floaty” to drive, ok for the grandparents on a sunday drive but not for someone younger at heart wanting to drive a V8 the way it should be…. hard!

The low springs gave the holden a better looking stance and certainly improved the handling…..  good start, but i had a long way to go…..

King Springs are available from www.partsco.com

You can check Kings online fitment guide here: King Springs Fitment Guide