Hey fellas,

After years of owning FC-EJs I have modernised to a Nov 82 build Tahitian blue
VH SLE. It has the 4.2, traumatic, and 2.89:1 diff. Two tone blue interior. What I don't get is the 381 pack. Some forums state that the 381 pack was 'rear headrests (check), central locking (nope), dual exhausts (nope) and a/c.
What's the general consensus on what a 381 pack actually is?

Cheers

Nige

According to the VB-VK parts catalogue 381 is:

L36, M40, AS9, AU3, GU7, N10 on a VH VX (SL/E). You'd already know what L36 and M40 are. AS9 is rear headrests. AU3 is electric locks. GU7 is 2.78:1 rear axle. N10 is dual exhaust. SL/E probably had A/C standard.

The AU3 (central locking) is an interesting one.

AFAIK central locking was standard on 1983 SL/E production & my parts book doesn't mention AU3 as being part of the VH 381 Pack.

If commodorenut is watching maybe he could elaborate.

Dr Terry

They're probably export packs. Small engined SL/Es were commonplace in places like NZ.

Dr Terry

I owned a VH SL/E 382 pack (same as 381 but with 5.0L and 2.6 diff instead of 4.2L with 2.78 diff). This was a December '81 build with factory central locking, so while it wasn't included in the 381/382 pack it was definitely an option.

Does your exhaust turn into a single system up near the transmission or at the resonator under the boot floor? If at the resonator, then it still is a dual exhaust.

This is what it would've looked like at the rear from the factory. Most now are single outlet resonators as the twin outlet type are hard to get, or owners have chosen an aftermarket system.

Hey thanks Rhys that explains the dual exhaust bit, I was imagining one pipe either side of the beaver panel. I will climb under and have a look this weekend to see if it terminates under the boot. I would have loved a 5 litre SLE but this car came up at the right time for the right price, I will now tidy it up and put it away for my 3 yo grandson.

So were the black highlights on the SLE tail lights just painted standard ones or were they a seperate type as mine are real ordinary and need replacing.

Thanks again fellas I am pretty switched with the older Holdens but Commodores are a new thing for me.

Nige

Been caught a few times using M39103 the consolidated VB-C-H-K manual. The contents changed a lot from Oct '78 to April '83 and it did not always show in the M39103 series or because it eventually was an option in that model it is includes with no date reference. Safer to use the Service bulletins but more time consuming.

N10, Dual exhaust was 2 pipes from exhaust manifolds to to 2 mufflers both out and up and over the diff to a single dual inlet and outlet muffler. The factory option required the welding on of the drivers side muffler hanging bracket. If it ever was a dual exhaust the drivers side muffler hanging bracket will be there (exactly opposite the passenger bracket on the other side of the transmission tunnel), they are a bugger to get off, I know I took one off.

Balfizar

Doing black highlights on SL & SL/X lights won't work - they are moulded in the red colour of the surround, and you can still see some of that red, even if you painted them black (and many people have). You need to get the SS & SL/E lights that are moulded in black, and have the black pinstripes factory applied.

Where the central locking gets confusing, as that it wasn't standard, but just about every option pack that was 1 or 2 levels up included it, along with other items.
To get a 5L, you had to pretty much get everything else at the same time, except trip computer & shadowtone. Shadowtone also dragged in several other optional items within the pack.

So most V8s, and a lot of 6s had central locking from new, as part of an option pack - it's very rare to see one without central locking - and the handful I've seen without central locking didn't have power windows either.

However, during VH, Holden were challenged by the release of the XE Falcon, and the additional standard equipment Ford loaded them up with to compete (and it worked - they clawed back the sales they'd lost to the earlier commodores). Things like standard cloth seats were introduced in the VH SL to compete with the Falcon GL's cloth seats (which was a big deal when base models nearly all had vinyl seats), the standard SLX & SLE chrome around the tail lights added to the SL, and the Family II wheels & central locking becoming standard across the VH SL/E range (previously the Family II wheels & premium tyres were optional on basic SL/Es, but dragged into almost all option packs - including 5L, but could still be deleted from the 5L if the buyer desired (just like rear headrests could be deleted).

The Family II wheels are another source of contention where some believe the Family II wheels were "VH SL/E series 2" (there is no such thing by the way) wheels that were introduced later in the VH, but they weren't - they were there from day 1 (you only have to look at the owner's manual for proof!) Trouble is the people suggesting this weren't even on the planet for a good decade after the VH, and were simply passing on pub stories..... So there's lots of incorrect assumptions & misinformation out there about these cars - and even Holden compounds the issue by updating literature to the latest "version" and wiping out the record of the differences - as you can see from the variations in the pack contents posted above from 2 different Holden parts manuals. More & more detail was lost over time as they updated models & literature - eventually condensing a lot of the existing literature into a multi-model list by the end of the 80s, and creating massive confusion for newcomers who had a lack of understanding of the history.

Power windows is another good example if misinformation being passed down. Most '83 SL/Es and nearly all VK Calais have them right? They were still not standard fitment until 1985 on the VK Calais. Mind you, if you got anything above the basic engine option in the VK Calais, they were included as standard equipment, but there are VK Calais out there with non-electric windows. I once watched a guy telling an original (Grandpa spec) VK Calais owner his car wasn't a Calais as all Calais had power windows.....


The dual exhaust has been covered above. The pipes basically mirrored each other from the engine to over the diff, and then the driver's one turned 90 degrees to run along in front of the fuel tank, before another bend to enter the resonator beside the LH pipe. As there was so much duplication (and cost), and exhausts in the 80s only went 3-6 years (not 10-15 we see from today's better materials) they were often replaced with single systems, even early in their life for short-trip cars.

The VH SL/E was the first commodore to get 4 speakers as factory fitment - the 2 fronts are in the top corners of the dash crashpad.
They are plastic mouldings, with the speaker fitted to the end, that are "sunk" into the dash & retained by 3 metal clips with aggressive teeth. If people have tried to remove them without pulling out the crashpad, they will suffer a lot of damage, as those clips don't let go easily.

To allow for fitment of those speakers, the dash panel, at each end, has a 3-3.5" hole bored through the foam on an angle (the metal frame of the crashpad changed from VC>VH to have the circular holes in the metal to allow this). The SL/E had them standard (lower spec models didn't - they had the plain crashpad and a centre speaker if a radio was fitted).
So you can source a replacement crashpad from any VH, and simply cut out those holes (the metal is a good guide) and swap your speakers across.

The unique console bin at the front with the 2 switch panels was only fitted to VH Commodores (not just SL/Es) with a trip computer and enough options to run out of space for the 3 remaining switch positions. It varies from trim level & body style (eg an SL with the trip comp doesn't have a power aerial or wiper dwell (it's optional) so it has enough space, but a wagon with a rear wiper & aircon runs out of space real quick).
In an SL/E there's the standard complement of demist, wiper dwell, electric antenna and aircon switches - which is 1 too many when a trip comp is fitted, so on the SL/E (only with a trip comp) they moved the aircon switch down to the console - which is one difference with the SL/E harness - it has a longer set of wires on the A/C switch wiring, as this was expected - many SL/E option packs included the trip comp, and it was a popular option in it's own right.

If your car doesn't have a trip comp, then I'd suggest someone has swapped that console bin at some stage, as an SL/E without a trip comp had the standard front bin like an SL/X.

Awesome Mick,

Yeah the speakers must be missing the covers then. There is a trip computer fitted and in the upper row there is an electric aerial switch, wiper dwell switch and a rear demister switch. There is no A/C switch so I guess that is the one missing from the centre console. I am going to get rid of the LPG as I have never liked gas conversions. It's also fitted with a sports steering wheel so I will source an SLE one eventually. Were the wiring looms all the same for SLEs eg is the power window/central locking loom already fitted or was it an addition at initial fitment?

Thanks

Nige