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Hello all
Recently I was chatting to a few older peeps that worked at Tassie's Holden dealership, Motors and was discussing older model commodores.
I told them about my own VB SL/E, told them its a 308 pack. A few agreed that is correct but others said its a 309 pack.
I know in the VB-VK Parts Catalogue it says its a 309 but I've also seen a few VB Option lists that its 308 Pack, Sport A.
I'm getting conflicting info on what is correct and what isn't.
Lastly, I have been told numerous occasions that they aren't a limited build but for some reason only 100 were like that before quietly disappearing from the options list, due to poor sales. I know there is lots of silly rumors out there about why 100 are like it too. |
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Is yours a 4.2L or 5.0L? That will tell you if it is a 308 or 309. 308 pack is 4.2L manual, 309 is 5.0L manual (plus LSD and dual exhaust).
I remember one of these 5.0L manual VB SL/E's dumped and torched in the bush near me in the mid 80's. One of the guys I worked with contacted the Insurance Company who insured it after he reported it to the Police when he found it when out walking the dog. He arranged to buy it off them, engine was only cosmetically burnt and he used it and the 4spd in his HQ ute. |
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Mines a 5 litre. http://forums.justcommod...vb-option-packs_sml.jpg
This is similar to an old VB option list I've seen |
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308 Pack - L36 M20 AU3 A31 U80 - 8VX - VB
309 Pack - L31 M21 G80 N10 U80 - 8VX - VB
OLDER CATALOGUES quite often omit irrelivant or redundant info. (especially the VB - VK compiled copy)
Oct 1978 Catalogue did not list it. I guess you just have to have them all 78 to 88 to get the right answer sometimes. P & A news and Service bulletins also often flag info.
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There may not have been packs at the start either, there is no pack I can find for L31 M41, only L31 M38. |
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Originally Posted by: HK1837  There may not have been packs at the start either, there is no pack I can find for L31 M41, only L31 M38. 310 Pack = L31, M41, AU3, N10, U80, A31 - 8VX VB Dr Terry Edited by user Sunday, 20 December 2015 3:14:19 PM(UTC)
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That one is missing from the list I have Terry. |
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Dr Terry, what was a VB SL/E L31 M21 etc? I did read on here via archive that its a 308 pack. |
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Balfizar posted it up above, 309. 308 is L32 M20. |
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L32 isn't a Commodore engine code. See this is where i'm getting confused. There is a post by Dr Terry noting mine is a 308 pack, L31/M21. The link above says the same. Then the Holden Parts catalogue noting the opposite.  All these years I could have been told incorrect info then? |
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[quote=SLENUT;166628]L32 isn't a Commodore engine code. See this is where i'm getting confused. There is a post by Dr Terry noting mine is a 308 pack, L31/M21. The link above says the same. Then the Holden Parts catalogue noting the opposite. All these years I could have been told incorrect info then?[/quote] An error in memory, type"O" perhaps or even correct at one point in time and changed or clarified later. I doubt any of the answers on this forum are deliberately misleading and more "to the best of my knowledge" If you have researched GMH as much as some of the people on this forum you would know the haphazard nature of the GMH paper trail that they battle with. No-one has all the knowledge, and grey areas are to the best of our knowledge at this time, or until proven otherwise. And I have been proven wrong many times and there will be many more. I have provided errata with providence to 3 Australian GMH authors and it is given and received in the correct spirit. You sound like you are whinging because you believe you were misled. I would say "thanks for the correction"
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I'm not whinging at all, just like to know what info is correct and whats not. I know its damn hard to get any info on VB's due to the records now long gone.
What I'm saying, the VB list in a just commodore link above is from a person that worked at Holden, who swears that list is correct and the parts catalogue is wrong.
Also others that worked at Holden have said that my VB is a 308 pack, 309 pack wasn't used But later employee's say its the other way around. And I'm getting very confused on what it really is. Even when i got saw the cars years ago, i always believed SL/E Commodores are all automatic. I'm always learning, always will learn, that's the act of nature.
I am a little hurt on the whinging comment, i really thought this forum was the best mature type discussions out there |
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...Don't worry SLENUT .. people can get a bit ratty heading into Christmas, and BTW .. Happy Christmas to All
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Originally Posted by: SLENUT L32 isn't a Commodore engine code. See this is where i'm getting confused. There is a post by Dr Terry noting mine is a 308 pack, L31/M21. The link above says the same. Then the Holden Parts catalogue noting the opposite. All these years I could have been told incorrect info then? Sorry mate, so used to Holdens where a high comp 4.2L is an L32. Should have typed L36 which for some reason VB Commodore used instead of L32. |
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Hi Guys.
It is very easy to quote incorrect figures when relying on only one piece of literature.
To quote Balfizer "OLDER CATALOGUES quite often omit irrelivant or redundant info." so I'll add to that - many catalogues also contain incorrect information.
I have several old lists, all GM-H sourced, which list the 308 Pack as the L31/M21 & many more which list that Pack as 309, so who's mistake is it.
Like many internal paperwork trails, one person makes an error & many other merely follow with the same error until the mistake is realised & then corrected. As can be seen here a lot of pre-release VB paperwork contains such errors.
I have some literature from 1979 (post-release) which adds a 210 Pack, which is an L31/M41 SL sedan. No other literature I have mentions this & I've never seen one, so do they exist ??
Dr Terry |
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Originally Posted by: Dr Terry .
I have some literature from 1979 (post-release) which adds a 210 Pack, which is an L31/M41 SL sedan. No other literature I have mentions this & I've never seen one, so do they exist ??
Dr Terry I've yet to see or hear of one. Not sure if Commodorenut has seen one either. And to all on here, I really like this forum, where there is people that really know there info. Merry Christmas to one and all. |
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One extra comment is that often cars were ordered by GMH staff that were either added extras or special builds. These were not recorded and only add confusion to anyone who ends up with one. When you consider that GMH allowed good incentives for staff cars, to get the sales numbers up, and then sold them after less than 10,000 kms it is amazing there is not more arguments about what was fitted to what.
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Originally Posted by: Tour Director One extra comment is that often cars were ordered by GMH staff that were either added extras or special builds. These were not recorded and only add confusion to anyone who ends up with one. When you consider that GMH allowed good incentives for staff cars, to get the sales numbers up, and then sold them after less than 10,000 kms it is amazing there is not more arguments about what was fitted to what. Very true. Over the years several odd option combinations have turned up, which don't appear in any literature, but in this case it's the reverse. The paperwork says they exist, but it could be that they don't. It also appears in early Commodore days, there was a lot of 'juggling' with option packs, for at least 2 reasons. 1. Competition with arch rival Ford was at its most intense. 2. The fuel crisis of the late 90s changed demand for various engine options. We went from 1978 were the 'hero car' was the L31 SL/E, to the VC/VH were the average punter couldn't even purchase an L31 in any model bar a Brock. The 'economy' of the Blue Motor 6-cyl was paramount. Dr Terry |
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I have 4 x VB SL/E build sheets. they have: #L31+308=L31,M21,N10,U80. #L36+309=AU3,A31,U80. (two identical with trans listed as m40, one Silver, one Firethorn) #L31+310=AU3,A31,G80,L31,M41,N10,U80. Some of the sheets do not have the codes on them and I do not have sheets for all codes. Warren Edited by user Monday, 21 December 2015 10:21:19 AM(UTC)
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My 207 build sheet also contradicts the parts book. suppose to be M20, but my build sheet is M40.
Warren
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