Null's ultimate Dream Car Thread - A CV8 Monaro in Austria
Discussion
Life is great, and it's even greater with a Monaro! 
A further problem-free 2500 kilometers, many smiles and a few summer car shows are behind us.
The car has recently passed the annual §57A Überprüfung (MOT) without any issues. I think I can do at least one or two more weekend trips with it before the season ends.
On a side note, I had the best vacation of my life travelling 4500 kms through Southern France and Northeastern Spain with a group of 6 of my favorite people.
The convoy consisted of a 1995 Mercedes-Benz W202 C280 Elegance 5-speed manual, a 1989 Golf MK2 with the infamous Pierburg-EE-carburetor and my daily driver, a 2006 Volvo V50 T5 AWD 6-speed manual.
We spent months of our free time preparing our vehicles and planning the whole trip in advance, booking the camp sites, etc. We even made our own road books.
It was a trouble free trip apart from a few minor annoyances which were immediately fixed with the tools we brought along.
among many other beautiful locations, we visited Pont d'Arc, Europes biggest natural arc, the canyons of Cirque de Gens, and my personal paradise, the 8th wonder of the world - Gorges du Verdon.
We made a million memories that will last a lifetime, plus thousands of photos and many, many hours of 4k video which i will compile into an aftermovie over winter.
Here is the convoy parked above the abandoned village of Celles on the shores of Lac de Salagou and in front of the extinct volcano Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc.
A further problem-free 2500 kilometers, many smiles and a few summer car shows are behind us.
The car has recently passed the annual §57A Überprüfung (MOT) without any issues. I think I can do at least one or two more weekend trips with it before the season ends.
On a side note, I had the best vacation of my life travelling 4500 kms through Southern France and Northeastern Spain with a group of 6 of my favorite people.
The convoy consisted of a 1995 Mercedes-Benz W202 C280 Elegance 5-speed manual, a 1989 Golf MK2 with the infamous Pierburg-EE-carburetor and my daily driver, a 2006 Volvo V50 T5 AWD 6-speed manual.
We spent months of our free time preparing our vehicles and planning the whole trip in advance, booking the camp sites, etc. We even made our own road books.
It was a trouble free trip apart from a few minor annoyances which were immediately fixed with the tools we brought along.
among many other beautiful locations, we visited Pont d'Arc, Europes biggest natural arc, the canyons of Cirque de Gens, and my personal paradise, the 8th wonder of the world - Gorges du Verdon.
We made a million memories that will last a lifetime, plus thousands of photos and many, many hours of 4k video which i will compile into an aftermovie over winter.
Here is the convoy parked above the abandoned village of Celles on the shores of Lac de Salagou and in front of the extinct volcano Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc.
Hard to believe 7 months have passed since my last update. A lot of great things have happened since and I can't wait to finally share them with you guys.
Here are two pictures of the freshly cleaned Monaro taken during today's sundown cruise. Current mileage is 69000 kms.
New plates again, you might ask??? Yes!
My wife now works in law enforcement in the capital city of Vienna and we moved cross-country for her new career at the end of 2024.
We did not fancy living in a busy city of 2 million people, so instead we chose the town of Wiener Neustadt, which is connected to Vienna via a high-speed train line - ideal for our daily commutes.
For a couple of months, nearly 100% of our time and effort went into starting this new chapter of life. That included having to sell one of our three cars...
Often times this would mean selling the fun stuff and keeping the economical daily driver. I was mentally prepared to part ways with my beloved Volvo V50 T5 AWD.
However, my wife insisted we keep the two fun cars and sell the economical one, her trusty 70 hp FIAT Punto Evo.
I quote her: "I can never go back to driving my boring FIAT, the Volvo is so much more fun." I can't tell you how much I love her.
Come spring, there was finally time for some improvements to the Monaro. I never really liked the look of the OEM shifter and hated the long throws.
After a lot research I concluded - a traditional T56 short shifter kit where you sometimes have to bang gears with brute force is not what I want.
I want a shorter throw AND still be able to select all gears including reverse without brute force. My solution:
- 5 inch stainless steel tapered short shifter stick from Core Shifters - about 5 cm shorter than stock and very good looking.
- Mopar shift knob for Dodge Viper / Challenger - P5155705.
Unfortunately, all the European Monaros left the factory with a full-black interior. This project was a great chance to add some color, in a classy way.
I hand-sewed a 3-piece cover for the Dodge Viper ball-type shift knob (as opposed to the OEM 2-piece).
The material I used is a fabric close to genuine alcantara in look and feel, but cheaper and more durable at the same time.
I also hand-sewed a custom 4-piece shift boot (opposed to the OEM 3-piece) out of the same material. A rubber grommet and a cable tie secure the boot to the shifter stick.
While i was at it, I wrapped the center arm rest in the same fabric.
Making the templates for the shifter, boot and armrest plus sewing everything together took more than 20 hours - multiple failed attempts included.
I am very happy with the results. The interior is classed up and shifting through the gears of the T56 is an absolute dream now!
The throws are accurate and much shorter. No brute force is needed and you can even select reverse with ease.
One of those things that make you think "Why did I wait so long to do this?"
The climate here in the Vienna Basin is very warm and dry in summer. Total annual precipitation is less than 600mm. That is roughly a third of what my hometown of Salzburg gets!
We are close to the northeasternmost parts of the Kalkalpen mountain range and there are a few lakes in the vicinity as well.
All that makes for a great place to live and to drive!
Here are two pictures of the freshly cleaned Monaro taken during today's sundown cruise. Current mileage is 69000 kms.
New plates again, you might ask??? Yes!
My wife now works in law enforcement in the capital city of Vienna and we moved cross-country for her new career at the end of 2024.
We did not fancy living in a busy city of 2 million people, so instead we chose the town of Wiener Neustadt, which is connected to Vienna via a high-speed train line - ideal for our daily commutes.
For a couple of months, nearly 100% of our time and effort went into starting this new chapter of life. That included having to sell one of our three cars...
Often times this would mean selling the fun stuff and keeping the economical daily driver. I was mentally prepared to part ways with my beloved Volvo V50 T5 AWD.
However, my wife insisted we keep the two fun cars and sell the economical one, her trusty 70 hp FIAT Punto Evo.
I quote her: "I can never go back to driving my boring FIAT, the Volvo is so much more fun." I can't tell you how much I love her.
Come spring, there was finally time for some improvements to the Monaro. I never really liked the look of the OEM shifter and hated the long throws.
After a lot research I concluded - a traditional T56 short shifter kit where you sometimes have to bang gears with brute force is not what I want.
I want a shorter throw AND still be able to select all gears including reverse without brute force. My solution:
- 5 inch stainless steel tapered short shifter stick from Core Shifters - about 5 cm shorter than stock and very good looking.
- Mopar shift knob for Dodge Viper / Challenger - P5155705.
Unfortunately, all the European Monaros left the factory with a full-black interior. This project was a great chance to add some color, in a classy way.
I hand-sewed a 3-piece cover for the Dodge Viper ball-type shift knob (as opposed to the OEM 2-piece).
The material I used is a fabric close to genuine alcantara in look and feel, but cheaper and more durable at the same time.
I also hand-sewed a custom 4-piece shift boot (opposed to the OEM 3-piece) out of the same material. A rubber grommet and a cable tie secure the boot to the shifter stick.
While i was at it, I wrapped the center arm rest in the same fabric.
Making the templates for the shifter, boot and armrest plus sewing everything together took more than 20 hours - multiple failed attempts included.
I am very happy with the results. The interior is classed up and shifting through the gears of the T56 is an absolute dream now!
The throws are accurate and much shorter. No brute force is needed and you can even select reverse with ease.
One of those things that make you think "Why did I wait so long to do this?"
The climate here in the Vienna Basin is very warm and dry in summer. Total annual precipitation is less than 600mm. That is roughly a third of what my hometown of Salzburg gets!
We are close to the northeasternmost parts of the Kalkalpen mountain range and there are a few lakes in the vicinity as well.
All that makes for a great place to live and to drive!
Completed a big job today - 8x new MSD Street Fire coils (MSD-55088), Accel Race Wire 300+ leads (ACC-7152) and Bosch spark plugs (0 242 230 523). Almost 1000 Euros worth of parts. :O
It's really tight everywhere, especially on the driver's side. Even after moving the clutch fluid reservoir and the coil bracket out of the way.
But it is doable at home with enough time, patience and the right tools. I also did an oil change and the engine runs oh so smooooooth now
Out with the old...
...and in with the new!
It's really tight everywhere, especially on the driver's side. Even after moving the clutch fluid reservoir and the coil bracket out of the way.
But it is doable at home with enough time, patience and the right tools. I also did an oil change and the engine runs oh so smooooooth now
Out with the old...
...and in with the new!
Lincsls1 said:
More excellent work Null.
What's next for the old beast?
Looking forward to taxing mine again for the summer. Need to put a few miles on it.
Thank you Lin. The list is almost endless, I tick 3 items off the top and add 2 on the bottom. What's next for the old beast?
Looking forward to taxing mine again for the summer. Need to put a few miles on it.
The next improvement will have a significant impact on the appearance of the car, and it's been a long time coming - after many failed attempts,
I have found a good-looking, period-correct rear wing from a different vehicle that fits the narrow bootlid of the Monaro.
I dislike everything the aftermarket has to offer for our cars as well as the 3 OEM rear wing options that were available back in the day.
After many hours of test-fitting, modifying and fabricating custom mounting brackets, I have dropped my wing of choice off to get painted today.
I am really looking forward to putting miles on the car this year... Since i have bought it in November 2019, I have only driven a tad over 15.000 kilometers... Such a shame.
Null.Performance said:
Completed a big job today - 8x new MSD Street Fire coils (MSD-55088), Accel Race Wire 300+ leads (ACC-7152) and Bosch spark plugs (0 242 230 523). Almost 1000 Euros worth of parts. :O
It's really tight everywhere, especially on the driver's side. Even after moving the clutch fluid reservoir and the coil bracket out of the way.
But it is doable at home with enough time, patience and the right tools. I also did an oil change and the engine runs oh so smooooooth now
Out with the old...
...and in with the new!
Hope you kept the old coils?It's really tight everywhere, especially on the driver's side. Even after moving the clutch fluid reservoir and the coil bracket out of the way.
But it is doable at home with enough time, patience and the right tools. I also did an oil change and the engine runs oh so smooooooth now
Out with the old...
...and in with the new!
Those MSD units are not the best. Nothing beats the GM coils in my experience. Never found them wanting in any application.
monkfish1 said:
Hope you kept the old coils?
Those MSD units are not the best. Nothing beats the GM coils in my experience. Never found them wanting in any application.
Good evening Roger! Those MSD units are not the best. Nothing beats the GM coils in my experience. Never found them wanting in any application.
As I do with most original items I take off the car, I am also keeping the original coils as spares - just in case. Parts supply won't get any better / cheaper going forward.
Coils, leads and plugs still appeared to be the original examples (21 years old now, Feb 2005 build date) so I decided not to cheap out and replace everything at once.
After 400 kms of driving I can conclude that the engine feels really strong when accelerating and idle is very smooooth, even after cold starts.
Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but it feels like an improvement.
As always, thank you for your input! I'll be sure to report back on the MSD coils as time goes by.
Currently battling an intermittent crank, but no start issue that has kept the car off the road for a few weeks now.
Mainly because I am afraid it won't start at all sometime soon, so I want to resolve this issue before I drive it again.
During my troubleshooting process, I have finally removed the aftermarket META alarm system/immobilizer from the car that the first owner (a collector) fitted because she was always afraid someone would break into her hangar and steal all her cars at night...
I did not have the original wiring diagrams or an installers manual to work off of, so this cost me dozens of hours of watching Youtube videos, disassembling half of the interior, tracing wires, disconnecting and soldering everything back together.
I removed exactly 1,5kg of sensors, the self-powering siren, wires, earths, bonnet sensor, immobilizer box and "alarm brain" from the car - weight reduction, baby.
The system was a META M36T2, paired with an SC1 T2 self powering siren, infrared sensors and a USB-Port-style key interface.
It had a GM label and the part number 93183388 and MVX2 written on it, so I'm guessing this must have been a General-Motors-sold item?
Anyway, It's gone for good now.
However, that did not cure the issue. Neither did replacing the two 20 year old keyfob batteries.
I am sure most Monaro owners have had to do this at least once during their ownership by now.
The process is well documented on forums and on Youtube.
The original Holden keys are a non-serviceable item by design. However, with a lot of patience, the right tools and a bit of brute force the keys can be opened up and a new "CR2032 tabbed" battery can be soldered in.
After checking and cleaning all the earth points, I think I've narrowed it down to the starter being on it's way out, which has been ordered from Rockauto an is due to arrive within the next two weeks.
The rear wing is painted and fitted to the car. Once I get the crank/no start issue sorted, I'll get some high resolution pictures. It does look fantastic in my opinion.
Mainly because I am afraid it won't start at all sometime soon, so I want to resolve this issue before I drive it again.
During my troubleshooting process, I have finally removed the aftermarket META alarm system/immobilizer from the car that the first owner (a collector) fitted because she was always afraid someone would break into her hangar and steal all her cars at night...
I did not have the original wiring diagrams or an installers manual to work off of, so this cost me dozens of hours of watching Youtube videos, disassembling half of the interior, tracing wires, disconnecting and soldering everything back together.
I removed exactly 1,5kg of sensors, the self-powering siren, wires, earths, bonnet sensor, immobilizer box and "alarm brain" from the car - weight reduction, baby.
The system was a META M36T2, paired with an SC1 T2 self powering siren, infrared sensors and a USB-Port-style key interface.
It had a GM label and the part number 93183388 and MVX2 written on it, so I'm guessing this must have been a General-Motors-sold item?
Anyway, It's gone for good now.
However, that did not cure the issue. Neither did replacing the two 20 year old keyfob batteries.
I am sure most Monaro owners have had to do this at least once during their ownership by now.
The process is well documented on forums and on Youtube.
The original Holden keys are a non-serviceable item by design. However, with a lot of patience, the right tools and a bit of brute force the keys can be opened up and a new "CR2032 tabbed" battery can be soldered in.
After checking and cleaning all the earth points, I think I've narrowed it down to the starter being on it's way out, which has been ordered from Rockauto an is due to arrive within the next two weeks.
The rear wing is painted and fitted to the car. Once I get the crank/no start issue sorted, I'll get some high resolution pictures. It does look fantastic in my opinion.
After messing with keys and batteries, I did this.
https://www.sparkplugsdirect.com.au/products/map-r...
and
https://www.sparkplugsdirect.com.au/products/map-r...
After getting the local keycutter to copy one original key to the new blank, programming worked faultlessly and quickly, I now have 3 working keys, and am thinking about getting another and retiring my 2 original keys.
https://www.sparkplugsdirect.com.au/products/map-r...
and
https://www.sparkplugsdirect.com.au/products/map-r...
After getting the local keycutter to copy one original key to the new blank, programming worked faultlessly and quickly, I now have 3 working keys, and am thinking about getting another and retiring my 2 original keys.
So i found this diagram in an an ancient thread on LS1GTO.com that shows all the Monaro's (GTO's) earth points and decided to double check.
Turns out, #2 was loose (barely fingertight) and #3 was corroded!
Maybe I couldn't see the forest for the trees the last time I checked... feeling kind of stupid... I thought I had checked "all the earth points"??
Anyway, after also dropping in a new battery, the car now starts and runs perfectly fine 8 out of 10 times, and otherwise it starts and runs fine on the second try.
My new starter arrived on Friday, and I’ve booked the car in with my trusted garage to get the replacement done.
I finally felt confident enough to drive the Monaro for the first time in weeks!
The weather was nice enough to snap a few pictures showcasing one of the most exciting projects I've ever done to my car - fitting a rear wing!
In my personal opinion, a late 1990s / early 2000s sports car absolutely needs a period correct low/mid level rear wing to complete the look!
However, I unfortunately dislike all OEM offerings and all the well-known aftermarket solutions...
I always wanted a U-shape design where the 2 mounting post are on the very side and flow nicely into the main horizontal piece, with nicely formed end plates and maybe even a little bit of rake.
Long story short, I found a unique solution. As far as I am aware, nothing like this has ever been done.
I am sure it has very little aerodynamic effect (if any at all) but it looks so damn good!
I am very happy with the result, it looks even better than I always imagined it would.
Turns out, #2 was loose (barely fingertight) and #3 was corroded!
Maybe I couldn't see the forest for the trees the last time I checked... feeling kind of stupid... I thought I had checked "all the earth points"??
Anyway, after also dropping in a new battery, the car now starts and runs perfectly fine 8 out of 10 times, and otherwise it starts and runs fine on the second try.
My new starter arrived on Friday, and I’ve booked the car in with my trusted garage to get the replacement done.
I finally felt confident enough to drive the Monaro for the first time in weeks!
The weather was nice enough to snap a few pictures showcasing one of the most exciting projects I've ever done to my car - fitting a rear wing!
In my personal opinion, a late 1990s / early 2000s sports car absolutely needs a period correct low/mid level rear wing to complete the look!
However, I unfortunately dislike all OEM offerings and all the well-known aftermarket solutions...
I always wanted a U-shape design where the 2 mounting post are on the very side and flow nicely into the main horizontal piece, with nicely formed end plates and maybe even a little bit of rake.
Long story short, I found a unique solution. As far as I am aware, nothing like this has ever been done.
I am sure it has very little aerodynamic effect (if any at all) but it looks so damn good!
I am very happy with the result, it looks even better than I always imagined it would.
The starter motor has been replaced 3 weeks ago and we are back in motoring business! We decided to replace it from the bottom by moving the steering rack out of the way, so that the passenger side header and downpipe, which have never been touched since their installation in the factory in 2005, would not have to be dealt with.
And if your glovebox hinges give up the ghost, as the all do eventually given that they are plastic, you don't have to source rare spares from overseas (part #92210498).
You can 3D-print them easily! Installation is a bit fiddly, but they work just fine.
3D-print-ready .stl-files are available from various sources. I used these:
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadget/vy-vz-commo...
These are the first 3D-printed parts on my car. I am curious, which spare parts have you had 3D-printed successfully for your Monaro? Should we perhaps start a separate thread/wiki page for this matter?
And if your glovebox hinges give up the ghost, as the all do eventually given that they are plastic, you don't have to source rare spares from overseas (part #92210498).
You can 3D-print them easily! Installation is a bit fiddly, but they work just fine.
3D-print-ready .stl-files are available from various sources. I used these:
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadget/vy-vz-commo...
These are the first 3D-printed parts on my car. I am curious, which spare parts have you had 3D-printed successfully for your Monaro? Should we perhaps start a separate thread/wiki page for this matter?
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