I’m going to go out on a limb and make the argument that the Monaro is essentially a high-powered Omega coupé (after all, the Aussie brute was based on the Omega’s antipodean siblings, the Holden Commodore VT and VX). A similar train of thought led me to consider the possibility of fitting Monaro parts to my MV6, and it ultimately resulted in the purchase of Whiteline polyurethane front top mounts designed for the VXR edition Monaro and its successor, the utterly bonkers VXR8.
My pondering paid off – the brilliant black bushes are exactly the same shape and size as my car’s factory top mounts. Hoorah! Whiteline claims that installing these performance parts improves the host vehicle’s steering response and handling abilities under load, primarily thanks to top-notch build quality, a strengthened integrated bearing and polyurethane’s resistance to fatigue. I look forward to putting the parts through their paces.
I promptly removed the MV6’s Bilstein B8 Sprint shortened dampers and Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs in order to fit the seriously solid top mounts, and I took the opportunity to replace my car’s tired top mount covers with freshly powdercoated parts at the same time. The sparkly silver stunners were intended for my Cavalier Turbo 4x4 (
http://www.vauxhallcavalier.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=14720) , but I was encouraged to make use of them sooner rather than later after noticing that GM had used the same factory parts on the Omega.
The Bilstein kit’s nearby drop links had seen better days, and they certainly didn’t want to be budged without putting up a fight. This gave me all the excuse that I needed to free them with a hacksaw before contacting TFS Motorsport with a request for a pair of the firm’s ‘Aluminati’ anodised adjustable drop links. These made-to-order components offer a 40mm adjustment range with a larger-than-OE uprated ball joint in a bronze housing designed for smooth, precise steering transition on lowered street or track cars. Hardened cap head bolts, anodised washers and nylock nuts are also key features of these radiant red parts, and full adjustment can be applied after fitting without the need for removal. Top banana!
The keen-eyed among you will have noticed the chipped paintwork at the top of my offside front Billy (pictured in an earlier post on this project thread):
For anyone that is looking to tidy their own Bilstein dampers, Hammerite 'Direct To Rust' yellow metal paint is a perfect match for ze German manufacturer's signature colour. I've used silver and black DTR to great effect on various engine and transmission components (see my earlier posts), and I thought I'd take a punt on the yellow variant in the hope of it being a good colour match for the chipped paint. I wasn't disappointed:
Front Bilstein dampers built back up with their powdercoated top mount covers, Whiteline polyurethane top mounts, Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs and TFS Motorsport anodised adjustable drop links. Oh, and nice new yellow paint:
THANKSTFS Motorsport
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/TFSMotorsport
