589 replies to this topic

[76lxhatch]

Flywheel and clutch in, what a lovely colour


Also took the opportunity to re-do the shifter linkages, used rod ends and made some 3/8" linkages that follow a bit better path. Before:


and after (the levers are also a little shorter):


and they still clear the tunnel nicely:


Gearbox and everything is now back in with a new clutch line. Just have to bleed the clutch and set the stop properly and should be able to get it back on its feet

Edited by 76lxhatch, 21 July 2017 - 11:20 PM.

[fatslr]

"Green---------Green is nice "

"Your basic green"


Nice work on the linkages

[76lxhatch]

I like to dig the hue ;-)

Got it all back together and took it for a bit of a drive today, clutch doesn't actually feel any different (expected it to be a bit heavier) but it is definitely biting so I guess we'll see

[TerrA LX]

Yeah but she still snatches in second...

[76lxhatch]

Well so far so good with the clutch, its definitely nicer having the hydraulic thrust bearing.

A couple of weeks ago I got the second driveshaft loop that the car will need for cert (need one for each front joint with a two piece driveshaft, even if the joint is a CV :-( )

That was an exercise I was putting off as its quite tight under there and I had to re-work the loop to get it to fit above the exhaust (there's a good 5-10mm of clearance now!), not to mention removing the exhaust to actually get it in. Took the opportunity to clean up a few dags on the cross member and hand brake brackets etc while I had everything apart.


About 18 months ago I got sick of the huge Monza seats, they were just too big particularly in the top part and the shoulder wings stopped you from sitting back in them properly. Swapped them for some $10 swapmeet Toyota buckets which have a nice mechanism for folding/sliding the passenger seat forward to get rear seat passengers in, but they didn't offer nearly as much support as you'd think from looking at them. With the wheel and tyre, and power steering upgrades, the seats were becoming a problem during cornering.


So, I found a decent pair of Recaros (fishnet type but with standard headrest) a while ago and tidied them up and spray dyed the centres red to suit. Finally got around to fitting them over the weekend:




and I'm quite pleased with them. They still suit the car OK and don't look oversized, but they have proper frames inside the bolsters and work reasonably well in the corners.


Got to put a seal kit through the power steering pump too, its weeping out the front seal slightly and it pools inside the pulley then gets flicked out at next start.

Edited by 76lxhatch, 21 July 2017 - 11:21 PM.

[76lxhatch]

Yeah its pretty good, shorter shift has a different feel anyway but you can tell that the rod ends take out any excess slop whereas the linkages with shims and pins only get worse over time. I decided to put some stops on the shifter too like the competition version, so that along with the larger rods gives me a bit more confidence in slamming the gears through when the occasion demands it :-)

[TerrA LX]

As usual, nice upgrades mate.

I hear ya when you say you notice the seats becoming a problem when cornering.

Over the years after speaking to dozens of Torana owners if they have problems during cornering I have come to the conclusion there are actually two divisions that makes the difference between Torana owners and Torana Drivers hehe.

[76lxhatch]

Cheers, not much point in owning a Torana I can't drive! Its interesting actually, can feel the rear tyres doing their thing now - seem to have tamed that under steer

[fatslr]

As usual, nice upgrades mate.
I hear ya when you say you notice the seats becoming a problem when cornering.
Over the years after speaking to dozens of Torana owners if they have problems during cornering I have come to the conclusion there are actually two divisions that makes the difference between Torana owners and Torana Drivers hehe.

Love your work too


My hatch had same model of recaros drove to Perth a few times (3 hours) and did not get uncomfortable and found them to hold you in good steed when doing " hill climbs" or what ever else blows your hair back .

I have definitely noticed the difference in my " factory " buckets in my HT Chalk and cheese but in saying that the two cars are chalk and cheeese

[76lxhatch]

Changed the lower trailing arms out for some tubular ones


One of the main reasons was to gain a touch more clearance for the exhaust


I'm surprised that they are so heavy, certainly no lighter than the factory arms. I guess at least that should mean they are stronger.

Look at all the mud under there already

Edited by 76lxhatch, 21 July 2017 - 11:21 PM.

[76lxhatch]

^ That's just from the driveway... at least it proves I drive it :-)

thats so cool. where did you get those and how much??

They're just McDonald Bros ones, AU$259.35 excl GST but add shipping and exchange rate and its around NZ$430 (plus GST if Customs nab you) so sadly not cheap

[N/A-PWR]

Great Job you have done over the Years SS,

 

Also like the VB can height gauge Jeff,

http://www.gmh-toran...e-7#entry716158

 

The best part, is the Tyre clearance gauge, brilliant. 

http://www.gmh-toran...e-6#entry664632

Oh, and my favorite colour is Fluro Green

[76lxhatch]

Thanks, will be freshening up the front end soon

Edited by 76lxhatch, 21 July 2017 - 11:22 PM.

[SS hatch]

Nice engineering as always.The hurst shifter have you removed the alloy adapter plate that sits bettween the Gbox and shifter body to allow standard console to be fitted or mods to console.I have a new console I dont want to cut this one for shifter body thinking can save a bit of space by moding the bolt up arrangement.  

[76lxhatch]

Mine never had an alloy plate, someone before me had done some butchering so I just cut it some more and tidied it up. If I recall correctly at least one of the bolts ended up having to be a countersunk allen head to allow everything to fit. It sits quite a bit lower and closer to centre than Hurst intended, and I moved the stick mount over to centre.

The photos a few pages back give a better idea, particularly the one from directly behind the box:
http://www.gmh-toran...e-5#entry638425

Its tight but it fits the tunnel and console without cutting any holes other than to get the stick through.

Edited by 76lxhatch, 24 July 2014 - 08:28 PM.

[SS hatch]

Yep done the center shift mod years back but the shift body is my next plan obviously achievable with some new linkages made and mount body directly to G box. Hated cutting my factory console to allow console to fit.Wont be doing that again with my rebirthed one.

[76lxhatch]

I'm reasonably happy with the current front end setup, just working on refining it a little. Looking at the tyre wear I've discovered that now it has a decent amount of positive caster (just over 5 degrees) and stickier front tyres, it doesn't need quite so much negative camber (currently around -1 degree). However I can't adjust this out via the shims without compromising something else, so I decided to use an offset front lower bush.

You can buy these in a particular brand (Noltec I think) but they are expensive and I much prefer the Superpro bushes. I figured that an old set of offset crush tubes from an IRS Commodore (camber/toe adjustment) would be a good starting point. They have just slightly more offset than I wanted, aiming to bring the camber down to about -0.5 degrees. So I offset machined them, any reduction in overall diameter is also good so I don't have to remove any more of the polyurethane bush than I have to.


The crush tubes are also longer than required, reduced to length and added some spline back to the end. Not quite as per original but I figure its enough to give it some bite and stop the pivot from turning.


Remove the original crush tube and machined out the inner diameter of the bush to provide the same snug fit. Superpro puts a "double helix" (left and right hand spirals) groove on the crush tube itself in this particular bush design, with nothing special on the inner diameter of the polyurethane.


Unfortunately the coarsest thread my mini lathe will cut is 8 tpi and to do this automatically would need more like 2. So I made a sticker template


and cut it with a small die grinder burr. Not the prettiest but I don't think the grease will know the difference.


Fill up the grooves with grease, push the crush tube into the bush, ready to go.


The original bolts from the Commodore setup are in good condition and are threaded far enough up that they will still work with the slightly shorter length. They have a spline just below the head which engages the inside of the crush tube (see inside the bolt hole in first pic) allowing it to be turned by turning the bolt head so this will work nicely.

Next up to install them and all the other hardware above.

Edited by 76lxhatch, 21 July 2017 - 11:22 PM.

[76lxhatch]

One of the parts in the pile above is a pair of stub axle stiffeners/bearing spacers. They work exactly the same as a diff pinion spacer, when trimmed to correct length to suit the hub there is no undesirable free play in the bearings allowing them to run as true as possible and the nut can be cranked up tight adding strength to the assembly.

Edited by 76lxhatch, 21 July 2017 - 11:23 PM.

[76lxhatch]

Found some better tie rod ends to suit the Toyota steering rack, have also put new tie rods on it and reamed the steering arms for the slightly larger tapered pin

Edited by 76lxhatch, 21 July 2017 - 11:23 PM.

[SmacT]

Great work as usual. Tell me more about the hub stiffeners, they make alot of sense: how much and where from please?

Edited by SmacT, 19 August 2014 - 06:41 PM.

[76lxhatch]

They came up on these forums some time ago and I thought the same thing, not sure where the original thread is but this is the supplier:
http://www.msfracing...bearingspacers/

They state they offer a shim style, but they don't. You have to machine down to size, in retrospect I probably should have just made them from scratch especially given the price. Also beware the guy didn't want to answer any of my questions, I just had to order them and find out.