HSV Avalanche mini build only

[XUV]

those decals scream wanker .......

[HSV Listy]

I have decided to go ahead with a chipmaster tune to reduce the fuel consumption and to get the auto shifting nice. Tuning will be to 91 oct and still with the maf. Not sure when but this month sometime.

The reverse beeper problem has been found finally. It was a fault in the trailer plug from the crash. It has taken several hours to get the fault found by the Holden and fortunately it still is part of the insurance claim.
Note to people that have reverse sensors they are complex and goes in and out of many modules and electronics so fault finding could be a pain.

Unfortunately the car has come back worse than it went in. The front end has the horrible clunk back and my clockspring has broken again (third time since the airbag went off so there must be something wrong there) . It is going back Monday to get sorted out. Both easy to fix but just a pain.

As for the mods not much but I have sorted out the placement for the compressor/tank and a few mates have heard the airhorns so I think there were impressed.

The decals are still to be removed but have not go around to it.

[gibbsy]

Listy,
What did you do withthe original wheels mate ?
Missus scuffed mine quite deeply and I am chasing one replacement.

Anybody know where they can be sourced ??

Appreciate the replies in advance.

Gibbsy

[chevy1]

They do respond nicely to a good tune, I went with a mafless tune to 95+oct runs sweet. Still get far better economy out of the cam car though.lol.

[HSV Listy]

Listy,
What did you do withthe original wheels mate ?
Missus scuffed mine quite deeply and I am chasing one replacement.

Anybody know where they can be sourced ??

Appreciate the replies in advance.

Gibbsy

They are in the shed but the misses wanted to keep them. There was a whole set on e-bay for about $350 not long ago and they did not sell. I dont have the details of the seller but he might put them back up.

From the crash when I needed a new one they were $350 each new from holden. Might of changed though.

They do respond nicely to a good tune, I went with a mafless tune to 95+oct runs sweet. Still get far better economy out of the cam car though.lol.

I am hanging out for th tune. I still can not get rid of the service vehicle now light that comes on every now and then. When it does the whole car shutters a bit then drive normal. I will get this cleared and fixed in the tune up. Can not wait to get the gears changing softer too especially 1st to second

[HSV Listy]

Tuning by Dan is all done and the car is just so smooth. It is like driving the VE 6 speed auto around the changes are so good. The first to second is almost seamless. It used to jar like buggery. Same with second 3rd.

Dan found 3 fault codes in the car which was causing grief with the timing, knock and it was running very rich. These were all cleared and he fixed the Service Vehicle Now alarm which is just awesome. The beeping was driving the misses nuts.
It has been averaging 18.5 to 19.5 for the last 6 months since the crash adn about 17.5-18 before that. I did about 40 km around town after the tune and it averaged 15.5 straight up. I will keep and eye on over the next week or so to see what it settles down on.

The power is definitively improved. It reves faster and free'er and really changes hard when you get you boot into it. The kick down is set just right not to be intrusive but give you the get up when you want it. Even better with the power shift button pressed. I will do a 0 to 100 test tonight to see how it goes. Just from seat of the pants it feels faster. The throttle response is better as it seems more responsive to the electronic TB. Before it used to delay from when you powered on and when the engine started to rev. Really impressed.

I need to get a airbox around the pod filter as intake temps were around 65 degrees still and about 50-55 on the move. That is bad and costing power and fuel consumption. I am ordering a G and D air box with a second intake pipe as the avalanche will need to get air from the radiator grill as there is not openings anywhere else like on other cars.

Still need some more driving but in summery it was a great decision and well worth it.

BTW not dyno as the dyno wont suit these AWD transmissions. It potentially could bugger it. Dan said the only ones you can use is the flash mainline ones but even then the power will be low. Better off doing the AWD road tuning.

I went for a run tonight with the little Gforce meter and recorded the below for 0 to 100. It is actually 0 to 60mph but that does not matter as it is only my time againt my time.

6.78
6.71
6.81
6.71
Considering the fastest I have gone previously was 7.11 that is a good result. BTW these Gforce meters are known to be very accurate and proven time and time again against Vbox and other systems.

Obviously not as good and as many feactures but they do the job pretty good and the times match up what they should be.

A 0.4 sec gain is very good for a tune only and a 2.3 tonne car including driver and fuel

[gibbsy]

Ahh Listy,

you have done well mate. Expect some more gains with air box mods.


Gibbsy

[HSV Listy]

I did a bit of a search on the G and D box and there is not much around so I might have to make my own. More fun then anyway.

Bit of a update.
Fuel comsumption. The car has been through almost 2 tanks. Average is 17.2 so not quite as good as as what I was thinking it would be but way better than seening 18.5 to 19.5. Still the average km is way low which it always will be in that car. 35 km is the average and in a 2 tonne car is always going to be hard to get good average km. It still drives great and I am just loving the gear changes. Absolutly fantastic. Power wise it is still good but it is not used very much but good when we need it.

I got me some small tyres too. A pair of 295/30/19. They are for the bling mags if I actually end up putting them on the Avalanche or the GTS. Having second throughs but.

The wheels are VE wheels so I dont really want to modify the wheels to fit the early model. Someone with a VE may want them more than me. The offset is perfect to the mm for the VE to run 295 rear and 255 fronts as that is what the wheels were designed for. Clearance for the VE HSV GTS rotors too but I would prefter to test that first if I was ever to sell them. Going by the offset calculators they should fit the Avalanche with mm spare but not sure I want a everyday car with those low profile on it. The GTS they will fit but with 25mm wheel adapters. Naturally show use only and not road. The GTS wheels will do fine for everyday use.

Cool tread patten and good compound so should have plenty of grip. Not cheap but finding good and at the correct load rating in this size is not easy.
Now to track down some 255/35/19 and these are available in the new yokos too so we will see. That is for another day.

Got the reverse beeper working again which is good and i am setting up a incar camera system next week in the car. I will put some footage up of some of the darwin red light runners when I see them.

[HSV Listy]

I spent about 2.5 hours this arvo giving the avalanche a good clean and polish. I used the Meguirs soft wash and the NextWax 2. Good combo and come up great. I have decided to leave the decals off as the wheels break up the shape enough so no more big loud words down the side.

As for future mods I proberbly will leave it be. I am just so happy it is driving so good after the tune. Im not bothering with the fat wheels and the monaro bonnet. The wheels on the car are not a perfect match but they are there to serve a purpose. As for the fat wheels the GTS or avalanche will share for shows or special events.
I am just glad the avalanche is finailly all back togeather back to 100% after the crashes. Everything works, all paint spot on. Just right and like new again.
Now to avoid the dickhead drivers but atleast this time I will have 4 incar cameras, GPS tracker, a bloody loud horn/security horn and lights that are bright enough to light up in the day.
I am happy and content and that will do. (for the next little while anyway Maybe a Harrop 122 supercharger, tough auto and a exhaust system in a year or two providing no other issues)

Few photos of the polish








The great thing about the Next wax is that is does not leave a white residue behind and you can polish the cars plastic and window surrounds. Also gets rid of the fine scratches and marks really well without doing a cut and polish.

[XUV]

What brand of Nudge Bar is that ??

[dave1965au]

I got a 05 Avalanche the other day, have a question about the Tailgate, It is very heavy to open and hard to do it with one hand. It has tiny holes you can lucky to fit 2 fingers and I find it hard to lift.

[HSV Listy]

What brand of Nudge Bar is that ??

Missed the question sorry. It is a stock Adventra option one off the shelf. About $400 I think plus fitting. Has the normal spotlight mounts etc

[HSV Listy]

I got a 05 Avalanche the other day, have a question about the Tailgate, It is very heavy to open and hard to do it with one hand. It has tiny holes you can lucky to fit 2 fingers and I find it hard to lift.

Pretty easy to do with one hand. It is a little heavy though. Maybe the lifter assist things are wearing out. If they did not help it would be bloody heavy and very awkward.

While I am at small update but no real changes. I friggen love the air horns. Best dam mod ever. Loud as all hell and it works perfectly. A taxi the other day pulled out infront of me and boy he pooed himself when I gave him little beep. Might think twice next time. I had it set to 150psi so on full blast.
The HID have been great as have the big spotties. Really good to have all that light for day and night use. I have a set of Daytime LEDs on order. 5 full bright LEDs on each side so I will put them under the bumber area above the fog lights. Should work out ok but not sure on the final look as yet.
Also the camera in car blackbox system has worked great and captured some great footage. Awesome to have a front and rear camera recording all the time and recording everything around the vehicle.

I also have put in a GPS tracking system too and put in a break glass and internal movement sensor to connect up to the tracker. If any of these go off it then sends me a SMS, automatically sets off the airhorns and the air compressor and also starts the in car camera recorder to record everything going in and around the car. Of course there is the normal car alarm on top of that

[dave1965au]

Not sure about tailgate, the lifters hold it up ok, just awkard to operate button and lift gate at the same time. I am use to a ba falcon that opens from inside the car and has a big handle to lift it.
Any way they are a great car to drive I am very happy with it so far. Mine is the same as yours in color and year, it is build 43. Thank you for your time to answer my concerns. David

[HSV Listy]

Not sure about tailgate, the lifters hold it up ok, just awkard to operate button and lift gate at the same time. I am use to a ba falcon that opens from inside the car and has a big handle to lift it.
Any way they are a great car to drive I am very happy with it so far. Mine is the same as yours in color and year, it is build 43. Thank you for your time to answer my concerns. David

I thought about doing the below some time ago but never really bothered me to go ahead.
Another option is made it air lift. Sound hard but with the gear already there it would be easy to a degree
They have that little air compressor already for the suspension so maybe see a audio installer to get some small air cylinders to do the job for you. Use the rear window mechanism as the automatic latch. Use the push button on the remote and up it goes. All the hardware is already there bar the two cylinders, a lock solinoid for the boot releace and some basic changes to wiring.