2002 Holden SS Ute
Discussion
I bought this in January (actually December but it took a month for the seller to put a RWC (MOT) on it). It is a 2002 (2003 model year) Holden SS Ute (VY series). Basically a LWB Monaro with only 2 seats and a massive boot.
It looks good in the pics, in reality the paint is very chalky because it had spent a fair while outside.
I'd been sort of looking for a ute for a while and white wasn't my first choice of colour but:
- It has a 5.7 litre V8
- It was 5 minutes from me
- It has a 5.7 litre V8
- It was cheap
- It has a 5.7 litre V8
Reasons it wasn't needed:
- I have 2 company lease cars and an elderly Mercedes that needs money spent on it
- It can't really carry much (more on that later)
- It can't tow a lot (same as the OH’s Astra = 1200kg braked)
- It only has 2 seats (although sometimes that actually is a bonus tbh)
Anyway, I went to look at it just before Christmas last year and as soon as I started it I knew I was buying it. Fortunately it drove okay.
I was lucky in that he was a motivated seller (his OH had told him to get it off the drive – he hadn’t been using it since being given a work ute 9 months earlier). It was only $7,000 with a RWC (which cost the PO $1,100 to have done). It has allegedly done just under 200,000 km although I have my doubts even although the service book backs it up (there is a gap but the numbers still sort of stack up). PO was doing 1,000km a week in it – I’ve done hardly any since I got it – it goes to work on Fridays if it isn’t raining and has been to Bunnings a few times.
It came with a OTRCAI and a MAF-less tune (not too sure how it passed a RWC), lowered suspension (I think about 30mm), aftermarket 18 inch wheels (kerbed all round) and an aftermarket exhaust (which sounds okay at idle but drones really, really badly at 80 km/h).
From the factory the LS1 put out 235kW (315 bhp) and 465Nm - the mods have presumably increased that a bit but I've no idea how much.
So far I’ve:
- Cleaned up the engine bay
- Fitted new bonnet struts (it tried to kill me a couple of times)
- Fitted a leather steering wheel cover
- Removed the engine cover so I can repaint it (still in progress)
- Repainted the front badge (paint was flaking off)
- Modified the exhaust by dragging it along the ground when I attempted to carry half a cubic metre of gravel in the back. I had to stop and phone the OH to come get me with a shovel so I could move gravel out the back of the ute and in to her car. It took 3 hours and 6 trips to shuttle gravel from the ute to the house. As I said, it can’t carry much. Light duties only from now on (basically it is useless for towing /carrying stuff).
Next up (possibly):
- Teach myself to use a clay bar and machine polisher
- Get some genuine Holden 18” wheels and better tyres (Ditchfinders all round at the moment, although the fronts were new when I bought it).
- Replace the bonnet insulator (or just bin it)
- New exhaust (or put up with it)
- Repaint the callipers
- Paint the top hats on the front brakes (they are a bit rusty)
- A hard lid to make it even less practical
- Put genuine correct height suspension back on
Or just tinker with it and run it as is until I’m bored.
It looks good in the pics, in reality the paint is very chalky because it had spent a fair while outside.
I'd been sort of looking for a ute for a while and white wasn't my first choice of colour but:
- It has a 5.7 litre V8
- It was 5 minutes from me
- It has a 5.7 litre V8
- It was cheap
- It has a 5.7 litre V8
Reasons it wasn't needed:
- I have 2 company lease cars and an elderly Mercedes that needs money spent on it
- It can't really carry much (more on that later)
- It can't tow a lot (same as the OH’s Astra = 1200kg braked)
- It only has 2 seats (although sometimes that actually is a bonus tbh)
Anyway, I went to look at it just before Christmas last year and as soon as I started it I knew I was buying it. Fortunately it drove okay.
I was lucky in that he was a motivated seller (his OH had told him to get it off the drive – he hadn’t been using it since being given a work ute 9 months earlier). It was only $7,000 with a RWC (which cost the PO $1,100 to have done). It has allegedly done just under 200,000 km although I have my doubts even although the service book backs it up (there is a gap but the numbers still sort of stack up). PO was doing 1,000km a week in it – I’ve done hardly any since I got it – it goes to work on Fridays if it isn’t raining and has been to Bunnings a few times.
It came with a OTRCAI and a MAF-less tune (not too sure how it passed a RWC), lowered suspension (I think about 30mm), aftermarket 18 inch wheels (kerbed all round) and an aftermarket exhaust (which sounds okay at idle but drones really, really badly at 80 km/h).
From the factory the LS1 put out 235kW (315 bhp) and 465Nm - the mods have presumably increased that a bit but I've no idea how much.
So far I’ve:
- Cleaned up the engine bay
- Fitted new bonnet struts (it tried to kill me a couple of times)
- Fitted a leather steering wheel cover
- Removed the engine cover so I can repaint it (still in progress)
- Repainted the front badge (paint was flaking off)
- Modified the exhaust by dragging it along the ground when I attempted to carry half a cubic metre of gravel in the back. I had to stop and phone the OH to come get me with a shovel so I could move gravel out the back of the ute and in to her car. It took 3 hours and 6 trips to shuttle gravel from the ute to the house. As I said, it can’t carry much. Light duties only from now on (basically it is useless for towing /carrying stuff).
Next up (possibly):
- Teach myself to use a clay bar and machine polisher
- Get some genuine Holden 18” wheels and better tyres (Ditchfinders all round at the moment, although the fronts were new when I bought it).
- Replace the bonnet insulator (or just bin it)
- New exhaust (or put up with it)
- Repaint the callipers
- Paint the top hats on the front brakes (they are a bit rusty)
- A hard lid to make it even less practical
- Put genuine correct height suspension back on
Or just tinker with it and run it as is until I’m bored.
Update!
Sometime last year I decided the scabby engine cover had to go, so I painted it red.
The half-arsed OTR fitment now looks really crap. I may need to rectify that somehow, or just put a standard intake back on.
And today I got a set of genuine VZ SSZ / Monaro 18 inch wheels to replace the aftermarket ones currently fitted.
I think they look a lot better - before and after:
There will be another update in several months after I've refurbed them, fitted decent tyres, and actually fitted all 4
Sometime last year I decided the scabby engine cover had to go, so I painted it red.
The half-arsed OTR fitment now looks really crap. I may need to rectify that somehow, or just put a standard intake back on.
And today I got a set of genuine VZ SSZ / Monaro 18 inch wheels to replace the aftermarket ones currently fitted.
I think they look a lot better - before and after:
There will be another update in several months after I've refurbed them, fitted decent tyres, and actually fitted all 4
Edited by Jader1973 on Saturday 5th January 05:48
If that's 450km from a tank then that's not a bad milestone in and of itself, or maybe you experience less traffic than I do 
Mine has had some shenanigans from the previous owner (there's a bullet connector in the speedo input wire behind the dash which stops the speedo and thus odometer from working... ) and looking at the state of the steering wheel and seats I suspect mine's probably on similar mileage to yours, but currently only reads 91,000k, it's a shame as I'd like to know how far Sheila has actually been in all this time.
Like the wheels, mine has the standard 17s on but as it's lowered rather a lot they look pretty good to me
Mine has had some shenanigans from the previous owner (there's a bullet connector in the speedo input wire behind the dash which stops the speedo and thus odometer from working...
) and looking at the state of the steering wheel and seats I suspect mine's probably on similar mileage to yours, but currently only reads 91,000k, it's a shame as I'd like to know how far Sheila has actually been in all this time.Like the wheels, mine has the standard 17s on but as it's lowered rather a lot they look pretty good to me
I'm not 100% convinced the km are correct given how easy it is to swap the clusters but it does seem to match with the bits of service history I have (there is a gap for a couple of years).
The trip isn't right, I haven't reset it for a while. It does to about 28 mpg (10l / 100km) on the freeway so it isn't that bad, fine for a "use it occasionally" car.
Back end if this is on Pedders lows (iirc) so down about an inch from standard. Front is stock. Lowering the back just makes it sit level
The trip isn't right, I haven't reset it for a while. It does to about 28 mpg (10l / 100km) on the freeway so it isn't that bad, fine for a "use it occasionally" car.
Back end if this is on Pedders lows (iirc) so down about an inch from standard. Front is stock. Lowering the back just makes it sit level
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