Commodore Picture Archives

A case in point is Kevin Dehaan's neat VB SLE--the first ever luxo Commodore to grace Holden showrooms in 1978. Not long after Holden's bold move the the Sydney Road crew lost the plot in dropping the V8--probably because they hadn't a chassis to match the versatility of the Commodore. So it was no surprise that the minute the Commodore hit the streets it was hailed a success--even though the humble "plastic" had lost much of its poke and the trimatic trans was a trying tale of woe.

In the 17 years since, the aftermarket have learnt how to rectify and improve on some of the teething problems, so much so that reincarnating an early Commodore has become a very simple exercise. But of course a good car takes a lot of time, effort and money, which is exactly what the Dehaan family have lavished on their powerful passionate friend.

It all started once Kevin and his wife Wendy had taken the plunge in establishing a new home, and after everything settled down there was a little bit of money left to play with. A spot of good fortune also came their way~ enough to set a course for what lay in store for their once humble 253, tri auto VB SLE.

"Being honest, the only good thing about the car when I bought it was that it had straight panels," Kev admitted. "And I suppose the engine at least sounded like a V8 and it drove okay." That it did for three years. A small financial win provided the couple enough cash to get stuck into a rebuild. It didn't take long for the entire two car garage to be filled with drive line, suspension and interior parts. In fact all that remained was the carpet, dash and steering mechanism.

In trying to keep costs to a minimum Kevin and Wendy wire brushed the underside, rebuilt the brakes (nickelplating all and sundry), detailing and fitting a narrowed Ford nine-inch diff. The rolling shell was then delivered to TDK Panels where the windows were popped and the sheet metal stripped of paint. TDK had only to repair a few shopping trolley dents, weld in a couple of patch panels, lip the rear guards, cut a hole in the bonnet and fit a Hornet scoop prior to applying two pack primer, four coats of base maroon two pack, five coats of burgundy wine and six coats of colour and clear.

The only problem with the colour is that it needs sun to bring out the best, and when it does the car looks magic.

Back at home the VB was reassembled. A new 4.3 Strange equipped Isd diff centre saw its place along with a GJ Drivelines one-piece tailshaft (supported by a custom loop) and fully rebuilt front end. New 50mm lowered Pedders springs, short stroke gas shocks and struts, front and rear sway bars, adjustable Nolathane strut tops and a series of bushes were utilised to improve ride and handling and the stance completed with 15x5.5 and 8.5 inch Cragar Dragstar rims with 205/60 and 26x10.5 Mickey Thompson Sportsman rubber.

Having sourced a heavily modified 308 through an advertisement in the Trading Post, Kevin looked around for a trans capable of handling the extra mumbo. He found it i.n a Pontiac TH350 which he had treated to a thorough freshen, stage two B&M shift kit, 2500 rpm Dominator converter and Magnum cooler.

Go power has proven to be, well, not quite up to par. Sure, the long motor has most of the right ingredients, it's just that the induction stops it from breathing. The first problem is that the builder chose a sizeable Crane CC288 solid cam--great for top end power, but if an engine isn't allowed to breathe it's never going to work.

Downstairs we find a well prepped block filled with fully balanced ARp secured rods, forged TRW flat top pistons, a JP oil pump, High Energy oil pan and Rollmaster timing chain set. Crane solid lifters, Group A push rods and Yella Terra roller rockers follow with the latter sitting on screw in studs on well ported early heads. The builder got it right with the IC&E graphed Accel HEI dizzy, super coil and Top Gun leads, but fell down with the match ported standard inlet manifold and untouched Quadrajet carby.

Kevin has tried to improve the act through adding a 110 gph Mallory electric fuel pump, Genie extractors and 2.5 inch Brock system, but he reckons that until further mods are undertaken the VB won't see the quarter mile.

In preparing for that day he's decked the interior with a Sabelt harness, VDO oil pressure and water temp gauges, an AutoMeter 3700 tacho and a just-in-case fire extinguisher. A little bit of comfort has come the way of a Pioneer KEHP5005 head unit, CDX-P600 six disc CD changer and complimentary speakers.

"Wendy and I are relatively happy with the car, but if you take the number plate in the right context you'll understand we've been through some trying times." "Tobad" came about because it was too bad that so many things went wrong!