I had the pleasure of owning an '86 VL SL with the at the time,optional executive pack...power steering, aircon, cloth seats. Purchased in 2005,sold in 2016,it was a terrific car. Regular servicing and replacement of tired components was worth the outlay. Indeed, the RB30 was a gem of a motor. I can understand why the turbo version was so sought after...happy memories, and thanks for this snippet 👍😁
I still have my 1986 model Holden VL Commodore sitting under covers but I converted the 3 litre engine over to DOHC using a Nissan RB25DE cylinder head. The 202 engine was actually based off the old 179 cubic inch Holden six which was built in 1964 albeit it was stroked & it had bigger main bearing journals than the 179 cubic inch Holden six. The engine made it a great car but I'm a Holden who is going to mention some improvements that Holden could've adopted to make the car even better :- 1. Install rubber blocks along the rear windscreen sill to hold the windscreen in position instead of metal clips which cause a rust cell to occur therefore rusting out the front sill or scuttle panel. I got a windscreen replaced by an O'Brien's glazier & that's what he said. 2. Install a coolant header tank in the engine bay so that the coolant level is higher than the front of the engine,the dreaded "bonnet slope" made the Nissan RB30 engine sit higher than the top level of the radiator which made it easier for air pockets to form inside of the cylinder head therefore causing the cylinder head to crack which cost $2000 AUD (ouch) to purchase from Holden when they were new,it was a taller engine than the black 202 cubic inch Holden six which was fitted into the VK Commodore. I was very lucky to never experience a cracked cylinder head in a 6 cylinder Holden VL Commodore but a lot of people did, preventative measures which people including me adopted was to use a tall funnel to refill the cooling system & DO NOT check the coolant level by removing the radiator cap, check it at the reservoir. Cylinder head cracking was a much rarer occurrence in the Australian built Nissan R31 Skyline which shared the same engine,I have heard of it happening in that car. 3. The VL model ran a tandem fuel pump system which consisted of a low pressure lift pump which sat in a swirl pot inside of the fuel tank which supplied fuel to a Bosch high pressure external fuel pump,the problem is that the low pressure return line to the swirl pot used to break off inside of the fuel tank & when the fuel tank level got down to 1/4 or below then the fuel became aerated when the low pressure fuel pump was uncovered whenever driving up a hill, etc which would cause the high pressure fuel pump to cavitate then fail. The fix was to get a radiator specialist to open up the fuel tank, replace the broken fuel line then weld the fuel tank back up again,I just made a surge tank to prevent that from happening. 4. The rear 1/4 window vents had a habit of leaking water into the boot on the sedan models, Holden used a piece of sponge to absorb the water but that just rotted away therefore causing water to leak into the boot,the improvement came in the next model (the VN Commodore) where Holden installed gills underneath the rear bumper,my other Commodore (2002 model Holden VY SS Commodore) still has these gills fitted to allow the inside cabin to breathe so I think that's a good idea. My point is even the Kingswoods had a better system than at least the VK/VL Commodores did. 5.Holden may as well have glued the rear windscreen in using polyurethane glue as they did with the front windscreen in rather than using a rubber seal to hold it in & a tar pitch type of sealant to prevent water from leaking past the rubber seal,water tended to leak past the rubber seal when it got hardened due to age,UV exposure & it was exposed to heavy rain in particular although the one piece VK-VL Commodore seal was an improvement over the VB-VC Commodore rear windscreen seal. They didn't get 15% better fuel economy,try about 50%, my manual RB30E powered VL Commodore got about 33 miles per UK gallon on a combined cycle whereas the 6 cylinder VK Commodore could still just manage about 18 miles per UK gallon, they were still a fuel guzzler. The fuel economy reduced to 27 miles per UK gallon (as much as the turbocharged VL Commodore) on a City/ highway when I fitted the DOHC (RB30DE) engine but it had much more power than the RB30E engine !
I had that same Calais but with red trim. Gorgeous car. I wish I could buy one today from new. I’d leap at the chance. Great size, clear vision all round, silky smooth and great looking.
SALE OF THE CENTURY HAD PREVIEWED THE HOLDEN CALAIS IF YOU CALL THAT SAYING THE NEW COMMODRE IS ABOUT TO BE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC BUT THE SHOW HAD 2 COVERED WITH TARPS
Prices of new cars were way too high...and there was an abundance of cheap, reliable used cars. Into the mix went the industry's long record of arrogance and paltry investment and it's no wonder that they were struggling to move new stock.
@@bashyamate2613 the AU had its problems too , but the AU II XR8 is still the best looking and just greatest falcon in my opinion (dash used too light up all over the shop on my AU 1, even after being fixed three times )
Ha Ha originally there was no plans for the VL model GMH had trouble with the yanky V6 big hold up. Was to be VK - VN also your an engine manufacturer why on earth would you buy engines from your competitor as someone made a comment blown headgasket theres a tell tale that there was no plans to make this car. Also i just crack up on the young petrol heads (VL TURBO is HOLDEN) Lol
Iv owned mine for over 20yrs and the engine has never skipped a beat.
Take me back to ‘86-88 so I can buy a new one!
Yeah bring me with you
Me too
And interest rates at 17%
And me, I have buckets of fish oil to stop the rust. Remind me to pick that up before we go though the portal
i used to own a all white 86 vl calais factory turbo manual all white with maroon interior i wish i never sold it.
Geez Those VL Calais had a great looking front end, owned a VC and a VH SL/E years ago as a P plater , back to always wanted the Vl Calais
Still one of the smoothest running engines around.
Yep, almost as smooth as the falcons Aussie designed and built engine
@@thegoingthing not true
This motor is far superior in every aspect
@@rayban5737 don’t know. Didn’t see too many VL taxis back in the day. All Falcons
@@rayban5737 torque?
@@thegoingthing government deal with Ford....I was once a taxi driver
I had the pleasure of owning an '86 VL SL with the at the time,optional executive pack...power steering, aircon, cloth seats.
Purchased in 2005,sold in 2016,it was a terrific car.
Regular servicing and replacement of tired components was worth the outlay.
Indeed, the RB30 was a gem of a motor.
I can understand why the turbo version was so sought after...happy memories, and thanks for this snippet 👍😁
Lost my licence twice in a vl turbo. Loved every minute of it
My first car was a VL Calais
So was my dads , i wont to find 1 and restore it with him not shure how intrested he is though
Good luck
Calais s2 turbo
30k minimum thats barn yard
My first car was a manual vl should have never sold it 😫😫😫
@@stephenslideways9690 honestly a steal
Cars today just ain’t got swagger, cars are just like a toaster dishwasher TV disposable items. VL Turbo class act’
the wrx looks like the civic looks like the lexus looks like the camry looks like the hyundai looks like the 86 it's all so drab and uninteresting.
I'm sure they said the same about the VL when it was released.
Every new car model since 1973: More powerful, yet more efficient
Well yes, it’s entirely possible as technology and engine management systems become more advanced.
Series 1 Ford EA falcon disagrees with you.
I still have my 1986 model Holden VL Commodore sitting under covers but I converted the 3 litre engine over to DOHC using a Nissan RB25DE cylinder head.
The 202 engine was actually based off the old 179 cubic inch Holden six which was built in 1964 albeit it was stroked & it had bigger main bearing journals than the 179 cubic inch Holden six.
The engine made it a great car but I'm a Holden who is going to mention some improvements that Holden could've adopted to make the car even better :-
1. Install rubber blocks along the rear windscreen sill to hold the windscreen in position instead of metal clips which cause a rust cell to occur therefore rusting out the front sill or scuttle panel.
I got a windscreen replaced by an O'Brien's glazier & that's what he said.
2. Install a coolant header tank in the engine bay so that the coolant level is higher than the front of the engine,the dreaded "bonnet slope" made the Nissan RB30 engine sit higher than the top level of the radiator which made it easier for air pockets to form inside of the cylinder head therefore causing the cylinder head to crack which cost $2000 AUD (ouch) to purchase from Holden when they were new,it was a taller engine than the black 202 cubic inch Holden six which was fitted into the VK Commodore.
I was very lucky to never experience a cracked cylinder head in a 6 cylinder Holden VL Commodore but a lot of people did, preventative measures which people including me adopted was to use a tall funnel to refill the cooling system & DO NOT check the coolant level by removing the radiator cap, check it at the reservoir.
Cylinder head cracking was a much rarer occurrence in the Australian built Nissan R31 Skyline which shared the same engine,I have heard of it happening in that car.
3. The VL model ran a tandem fuel pump system which consisted of a low pressure lift pump which sat in a swirl pot inside of the fuel tank which supplied fuel to a Bosch high pressure external fuel pump,the problem is that the low pressure return line to the swirl pot used to break off inside of the fuel tank & when the fuel tank level got down to 1/4 or below then the fuel became aerated when the low pressure fuel pump was uncovered whenever driving up a hill, etc which would cause the high pressure fuel pump to cavitate then fail.
The fix was to get a radiator specialist to open up the fuel tank, replace the broken fuel line then weld the fuel tank back up again,I just made a surge tank to prevent that from happening.
4. The rear 1/4 window vents had a habit of leaking water into the boot on the sedan models, Holden used a piece of sponge to absorb the water but that just rotted away therefore causing water to leak into the boot,the improvement came in the next model (the VN Commodore) where Holden installed gills underneath the rear bumper,my other Commodore (2002 model Holden VY SS Commodore) still has these gills fitted to allow the inside cabin to breathe so I think that's a good idea.
My point is even the Kingswoods had a better system than at least the VK/VL Commodores did.
5.Holden may as well have glued the rear windscreen in using polyurethane glue as they did with the front windscreen in rather than using a rubber seal to hold it in & a tar pitch type of sealant to prevent water from leaking past the rubber seal,water tended to leak past the rubber seal when it got hardened due to age,UV exposure & it was exposed to heavy rain in particular although the one piece VK-VL Commodore seal was an improvement over the VB-VC Commodore rear windscreen seal.
They didn't get 15% better fuel economy,try about 50%, my manual RB30E powered VL Commodore got about 33 miles per UK gallon on a combined cycle whereas the 6 cylinder VK Commodore could still just manage about 18 miles per UK gallon, they were still a fuel guzzler.
The fuel economy reduced to 27 miles per UK gallon (as much as the turbocharged VL Commodore) on a City/ highway when I fitted the DOHC (RB30DE) engine but it had much more power than the RB30E engine !
I had that same Calais but with red trim. Gorgeous car. I wish I could buy one today from new. I’d leap at the chance. Great size, clear vision all round, silky smooth and great looking.
Best 6 cylinder engine ever in a commodore. Still a good engine now!
The 'Letters and Numbers' host 😆
I can’t imagine being nostalgic over a Hyundai.. we lost something when we lost Holden and Australian Fords
Good old days!
It's sad but one of those VLs probably ended up at a U PULL IT
You steal it...
One of the best commodores ever
Back when holden made great cars
Out of the full commodore range the VL is the only one ive never owned/driven
Only one I’ve ever liked. The 6,not the V8
@@Tk-ou9ec i had the option to buy one about 4 years ago for 4,000 but didnt do it. Now they are well priced !
@@CurtisLSA bet your kicking yaself now, 10k rolling body
SALE OF THE CENTURY HAD PREVIEWED THE HOLDEN CALAIS IF YOU CALL THAT SAYING THE NEW COMMODRE IS ABOUT TO BE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC BUT THE SHOW HAD 2 COVERED WITH TARPS
Best thing is the motor, & its a NISSAN lol
Roses are red, and violets are blue. My VL Turbo goes "SUTUTUTU."
Rb30!
Prices of new cars were way too high...and there was an abundance of cheap, reliable used cars. Into the mix went the industry's long record of arrogance and paltry investment and it's no wonder that they were struggling to move new stock.
ill take one
It's amusing that the worst version of the RB is regarded as the best engine to be in a Commodore
We always referd to the vl as a 'Dato in disguise '😂
I had the exact same car. Then someone ran a stop sign and T-boned me
John Crennan was toxic for hdt
Great engine but poorly executed. Radiator sat too low and blown head gaskets followed.
Not poorly executed. Some people didn’t know how to bleed the cooling system properly.
@@dan57ltr gotta love wives tales
Every model car has its own little gremlins ,
@@Skippy-id9yt except the AU falcon
@@bashyamate2613 the AU had its problems too , but the AU II XR8 is still the best looking and just greatest falcon in my opinion (dash used too light up all over the shop on my AU 1, even after being fixed three times )
No thanks...I'll wait for the 304efi VN
Now a bogans special car..
Get your ass off me VL bra!
Ah...GMH; always was a parts bin special- right up to the end
All cars are parts bin specials.
OXFORD STREET SPECIALIST
@@tomnewham1269 no they are not.
@@ronanrogers4127 name a car that isn’t.
Ha Ha originally there was no plans for the VL model GMH had trouble with the yanky V6 big hold up. Was to be VK - VN also your an engine manufacturer why on earth would you buy engines from your competitor as someone made a comment blown headgasket theres a tell tale that there was no plans to make this car. Also i just crack up on the young petrol heads (VL TURBO is HOLDEN) Lol
The Aussie built Nissan Skyline had the same engine and was a better car. These things are idolized way too much as is their prices.
VL was the best car made.
@@jminnt1020 you say so.
I had two. Drove them like they were stolen...everyday never a problem. Burnouts every day too.
@@jminnt1020 that's mostly attributable to thev same Nissan engine and transmission the Skyline had. I'm sure the rear end isn't the critical factor.
Agreed - Skyline was the best buy, hands down...even the 4cyl Pintara version was good.