Commodore Picture Archives

Kim Krogh doesn't do things by halves. Where the original 185kW engine would be more than enough for the average bloke, Kim knew there was a lot more horsepower available. You just have to look for it. He'd heard of a highly reputable company in Sydney that had many years of high-performance automotive experience so he gave 'em a call and ended up driving south in search of the extra ponies.

Zyfert & Muller are located in Sydney's salubrious Eastern Suburbs -- Edgecliff, to be precise -- where they probably see more Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches and BMWs than hot Commodores. Still, they gave the 5-litre bent eight all the due care and attention they would give their more pedigreed charges. On checking some of the finer details with Tom Zyfert, I discovered they do a fair bit of Holden V8 work. "We like to ease the boredom in the workshop by taking on this type of job," he told me.

A Harrop stroker crank, slight rebore and a set of forged fiat-tops combine to give a new capacity of 355ci, or 5.7 litres, and a genuine rear-wheel power rating of 300bhp @ 5750rpm! The engine block was thoroughly checked, decked and squared, and the tunnel bores for cam and crank measured for alignment. The valley was deburred to ensure rapid oil return before the bores were filled with moly-ringed Speed Pro fiat-tops on stock rods.

Tom Zyfert organised a custom grind for the cam which, while mainly secret, does produce .496" lift at the valves. The spec of the engine is relatively mild compared with some of the other engines you read about in this mag, but it's the attention to finer details, careful blueprinting of all components and correct assembly/tuning that produce such good dyno figures.

The ignition and injection systems were subject to a complete rethink and recalibration using existing components with some aftermarket additions. VN Group A injectors were fitted to the Motec Group A manifold and twin K&N filters were fitted to the dual-throttle bodies. The injection and ignition systems are controlled by suitably recalibrated GM/Delco engine management systems.

All these careful plans would be futile without an efficient exhaust system to complement them, so a set of Genie headers was fitted to route the gases through a custom-built big-bore catalytic converter, handmade stainless steel muffler and 2.5" stainless system.

The Turbo 700 trans-fitted late-model Commodores from new, is a compromise to say the least. In this case, Zyfert & Muller performed more of the tricks learned from their many years in the modified car scene.

A considerable number of the internals were replaced with heavy-duty parts sourced from the States -- items like input shafts and other high-load-carrying units. Shotpeening of clutch drums and gears was also undertaken before heavy-duty clutches and plates, bearings and thrusts were utilised in the reassembly. A stock-spec 1600rpm stall converter was refitted, but only after a complete rebuild -- also using tougher internals -- was performed. The valvebody was not neglected, either, with the shift points changed to suit the added performance and a couple of other tricks performed for efficiency, economy and more spirited driving habits!

HANDLING

When I was kid, cars went pretty well, but they didn't steer or stop. These days, new cars handle bloody well straight out of the box. The differentials of late models are also state of the art, especially in the performance versions. In this case, the stock Borg Warner four-pinion lsd has been retained along with its cruising ratio of 3.08:1.

The stock brakes, found to be more than adequate, were left as they were and the Clubsport swaybars, upgraded from stock spec, were also left intact. Spring and damper specs were played with, along with the adequate (but boring) wheels and tyres.

Lovells springs were contracted to provide lowered (by 3" but you didn't read it here) springs and the Koni company supplied a full set of their excellent adjustable dampers to dampen the rebounding.

That other well-respected Aussie icon, Simmons Wheels, was called on to cast/spin up a set of F17Rs in 17x8" and 17x8.5" sizing, while the Falken organisation provided front bags in 235/45 and rears in 255/40 width/profile configuration.

AESTHETIC IMPROVEMENTS

Check out the pix and you could be forgiven for thinking the interior is bog stock. Well, yeah, you're pretty spot-on, but an HSV interior ain't exactly poverty pack. The HSV cars have rebolstered seating, better quality trimming and better instrumentation than stock Commodores.

A pretty serious security system upgrade was performed and a Stealth Radar Detector system added. The stock HSV interior was retained with certain additions such as carbon fibre inserts for the clash and Momo tiller, but it's in the audio department that things really start happening.

Kim was a little reluctant for us to go into detail about his sound system for reasons of security and because the majority of it has been removed as the car is currently on the market (unless you have access to funds in the five-figure area, don't bother calling). In fact, one of tile reasons for replacing the Commodore is that there's not enough room for the hi-fi equipment Kim wants. his ideal replacement project would be a VS Commodore ute.

What we can say is there are two Lanzar Opti 150 amps, two Lanzar Opti 100 amps and a Clarion 402A amplifier supplying the power to the Kef Uni Q 160Q, Rockford Fosgate SP54 speakers and Lanzar I.P15D Subwoofer assembly. An Alpine CDA-7939E head unit pushes the signal to the Phoenix Gold crossover/balance line transmitter/cabling and other fittings and componentry. An Optima battery and associated audio-user-friendly cabling as well as a huge but justifiable installation bill have contributed to the extra $15,348 on the insured value of the car.

BODYWORK

The body is pretty stock, but it does look somehow different. The larger wheels do contribute a tad to that, but it's other HSV bits that make this Clubsport stand out from the rest. The luxo offering from HSV, the Senator, was the model for the external configuration. This formula produced a subtle rear deck wing and some paint accents that were duplicated on the otherwise stock HSV bodykit.

You'd have to agree that while there ain't anything overly radical about the appearance of Kim's VR, there are some things (a lotta things) that make it a Clubsport with more!