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Clints LH Project


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#276 _Viper_

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Posted 08 December 2013 - 06:38 PM

Ended up working saturday,no progress there, then people kept coming over today so Didnt get as far as I would have liked but so far so good anyway.

 

cut_zpsdd029b78.jpg

 

Will be more then enough clearance and if all goes to plan will not have to repaint the rear quarters.



#277 _Viper_

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Posted 05 January 2014 - 01:18 AM

So alcohol and family events got in the way of too much progress over the x-mass break but here is what I did get done.

 

Marked out the cutlines, the white mark is enough clearance with the car on bump-stops So I cut on the blue line to be sure...

1cutlinepass_zps8945c5e8.jpg

 

Half way through

2halfcut_zps56dcbc98.jpg

 

All the layers gone. I think that should stop my tyre rubbing issues.

3cutsideon_zps17916956.jpg

 

As you can see there is a inner and outer skin and also a brace section, I made up strips of steel to fill these gaps.

4skinlayers_zpse7ec521d.jpg

 

Abit of time and alot of welding splatter burns (even with long pants, welding jacket, helmet and gloves) it was all welded up, Nice and slow to avoid warping and damaging the paint up past where the flare will cover.

5welds_zps7019469a.jpg

 

I wanted to re-attach the middle brace section to the bottom, so I made a template of where it was before I welded the patch on, You can see here where I center punched some marks every 10mm or so

6weldthru_zps1e8b06e8.jpg

 

Cranked the welder up to max and just welded straight through the new patch penetrating into the steel above.

7spotwelds_zps227219dd.jpg

 

All the welds finished ground back smooth.

8metaldone_zps22d05194.jpg

 

9metaldoordone_zps1c402122.jpg

 

My plan was to take it into work, spray some hi-fill then paint it all blue again but Ive not had luck getting some of the diff parts I need so the car is immobile until that is sorted. I didn't want to leave it un-sealed so I just used a paint brush and put a few coats of 2-pac epoxy down.

9primer_zps3af933a4.jpg

 

But all in all im very happy with the end result, looking forward to driving without the horrible scraping sound over ever bump.


Edited by Viper, 05 January 2014 - 01:20 AM.


#278 eyepeeler

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Posted 05 January 2014 - 09:30 AM

Nice work Clint, looks good. Hope you had a good break over Christmas / New Years.

#279 _Viper_

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Posted 28 April 2014 - 12:21 AM

Ok been awhile since an update...

Went and saw an engineer last week who signed off on all of the aforementioned items asked for by the DPI except he said the car is too loud and too low (the extractors hang low)

But first things first, had the long weekend so decided to tackle the job ive been putting off for ages and what neither the DPI or Engineer picked up on but I knew I had to fix sooner or later and that was the bushes in the K-frame which had crumbled, So made a start on Thurs evening.
enginebay_zps50d3d66f.jpg


Engine/Box/K-frame came out easy as thanks to the hoist (I knew It wouldnt go back together so easy)

yayhoist_zpsaa4959b5.jpg

While pulling it apart I found what could be the cause of one of my major oil leaks, DOH was hidden under my coolant hoses and ignition leads.

hose_zpsb789ee28.jpg

Removing the old bushes was pretty easy :/ I replaced them with Rubber
bush_zps554d880f.jpg\


Pulled the extractors and found #3 pipe was clean as! Hmm (also note the oil stains which is in line with the head gasket)

extractors_zpsd42c116d.jpg


All the plugs looked good and about the same:

plugs_zps41c92233.jpg

Suspected a leaky exhaust valve or maybe running lean due to faulty injector? Leak down test came up good on all cylinders except #2 which had a leaky exhaust valve... Also noticed bubbles coming from the headgasket and oil down both sides of the block from the head gasket down (that explains the oil spray on the extractors) So decided to pull the heads, lap the leaking valve and replace head gaskets.

leakdown_zpsebc9d698.jpg

But when I pulled the heads I found it had Copper Gaskets and a O-ringed block, I had bought a pair of Felpro composite gaskets in preparation during the week but these would be no good. Everyone is saying you can re-use the copper head gasket and you probly can... But I dont like the idea of having to pull the heads off again especially with the headstuds in a Torana bay. So decided to just wait till I can get a new pair to be safe.

copper_zpse5ee30b2.jpg

photo2_zpscdeb79aa.jpg


I was a little confused about where the oil was coming from but some help from other members in another post (Bomber, Neil, Hutch, Struggler and Bpi Ive come to the conclusion the cylinders are leaking past the small gaps in the O-ring as the gaps are all in the area of the leak and its squirting a small amount of oil out the sides

Cleaned the carbon off the tops of the pistons, noticed a few small nicks missing from #3 (same cylinder with the clean exhaust port) is this signs of detonation from running lean, #1 had one small nick like this but the rest were spotless
detonation2_zps898af4a7.jpg

cleanpiston_zpsda95261e.jpg

 

CC'd the heads (60.5cc) measured the bore/stroke (102.5x88.5)  H/G Thickness (40thou/1mm) etc and worked out the comp ratio to be 11.5 - 11.6:1

cchead_zpsbbc09f05.jpg

 

Cleaned all the gasket surfaces ready to be re-assembled once I get new head gaskets. Since I could not continue with that I decided to check out the chassis since I had a sneaking suspicion something was up as I had trouble getting the front panels to line up nicely and there was evidence of a repair to the front right corner.

chassis2_zps0959a1a1.jpg

Used a plumb bob to drop a bunch of points down onto the floor (masking tape with tiny dots on them) using a chassis diagram I found on these forums. The rear and middle of the car measured up very nicely and square across diagonals but the front was 11-12mm out of square (so 5.5-6mm off to one side, +/- 1mm given the accuracy of this method)

 

The ruler in this pic shows where the center line between the chassis rails at the front of the car should be and the line marked on the tape is where it was.

chassis1_zps9a2bac5c.jpg

 

This pic shows where it was (same as first pic) where it is now (after some playing around with the porta-power) and where it should be (the ruler) Given I only had +/- 1mm confidence in my plumb bob markings I decided this was close enough.

chassis3_zps9a91a298.jpg

 

Happy with the chassis I chucked the K-frame back in (heh wish it was as easy as that, involved rachet straps, swearing and lube ;) And couldnt put the motor back together decided to give it a couple coats of fresh black since it was damaged in a few areas.

enginemask_zps17f3f171.jpg

enginepaint_zpsb94943d8.jpg

 

Mixed up abit too much paint so very rushingly masked and prepped my headlight surrounds (ie a quick scrub with scotchbrite) and a couple coats of black also.

buckets_zpsc0ffd19a.jpg

 

And thats pretty much my weekend. Will grab a new pair of gaskets during the week, re-assemble the motor and refit motor/box then modify my extractors for ground clearance as well as fit new mufflers...



#280 _Viper_

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Posted 15 June 2014 - 11:29 PM

Ok so progress was slowed due to multiple bucks nights and weddings, this was the first solid weekend I got to work on the car...

I fitted brand new copper head gaskets and used Hylomar, Fingers crossed there is no leaks!

newheadgaskets_zpsb00d72db.jpg

 

I got all my injectors tested and it turns out they were all over the place, some flowing alot more or alot less then others... But have got a matched set now. Im glad I had not done many km's on this motor before the problem was found...

 

Engine pretty much back together and going back in.

motorgoingin_zpsfa644c7f.jpg

 

Painted the tailshaft and fitted new Uni's while it was out

Paintedshaft_zpsa8d5c370.jpg

 

uni_zps196be372.jpg

 

My extractors were hanging low and only had 70mm ground clearance under them, Engineer/NCOP wanted 100-105mm. Seems I got stuck straight into it and didnt take any pics of what the extractors were like before, but here is a few old pics I found.

 

Wow looked so shiny when they were freshly ceramic coated... that didnt last long.

extractors.jpg

 

You can sort of see in this pic, how the bottom level of the g/box sump was about half way up the extractor outlet (2.5" pipe) So extractors roughly 30mm below sump level.

exb4_zpsfc9fbc33.jpg

 

Here is what they looked like after they had been chopped down.

passex_zps6d74911d.jpg

 

Hmm seems I didnt take a pic of the Drivers side... Too busy being busy I guess.. but its pretty much the same anyway. These should do until I decide to go Turbo.

 

So I had to modify the exhaust to match up with the new extractors and also had to replace  the mufflers as the car was too loud so decided to just make a whole new center section from stainless and incorporate a x-pipe.

 

Heres an old pic of the old exhaust, 2.5" Press bent mild steel

exhb4_zpsc4f8b33b.jpg

 

And the new exhaust from 2.5" Stainless, Mandrel bends, X-pipe with twin Varex Mufflers (Yea I know these are not technically legal)

10455227_10152201895218391_4838167771841

 

Couldnt be assed fully polishing it all or cleaning up the welds... so on it went.

10450870_10152202131563391_1431068370558

 

10376714_10152202131443391_4393868211880

 

So now the exhaust is level with the bottom of the g/box sump and Ive gained those precious 30mm... The engineer suggested I just put taller springs in, Pfft even with lowered springs it doesnt look that low. I didnt want to go any higher.

undercarex_zps2bc87a67.jpg

 

Next I need to fit the last few things back to the car (injectors, steering shafts, rocker covers etc) and Fire her up... most likely need to retune the engine because of the different injectors and possibly the exhaust will have an effect also. Then its back to see the engineer to have the sound test down and he can see if his 100mm Block of wood on a pole fits under the car.


Edited by Viper, 15 June 2014 - 11:40 PM.


#281 Potta

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Posted 16 June 2014 - 12:05 AM

Good luck Clint.


Love your work as always mate.



#282 SHEEL

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Posted 18 June 2014 - 09:35 AM

Nice one!

I always look forward to updates on this car!

#283 _Viper_

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Posted 12 May 2018 - 04:47 PM

Wow 2014 Since I last updated... sad thing is not much progress has been had :(

 

I was oh so close to getting it licensed in Perth, engineer just wanted me to raise the front suspension 10mm then pass a general inspection

 

But I sold my business in Perth and decided to move to Tasmania, Since I would have to get it all re-engineered over here I stopped the process in Perth once we decided to move...

 

Packed my possessions into a 40ft container, sold my house made the move (while doing a extended holiday/road trip in my GTR (skyline that is) ... rented for a while and finally got my own property and just recently finished building a 18x12m workshop and a separate 9x6m 3 car garage for the toys :D

 

dsc_0285-2.jpg?w=1000

30712685_10155619887088391_4615276448321

29683833_10155591282203391_2213527506803

 

So now on a mission to get this old girl Engineered/Licensed.

https://www.facebook...55619887123391/

 

32332272_10155678839373391_4559564112094

 

So got it on the hoist and after a quick inspection found the Upper A-arms bushes had crumbled (was the last of the Noltec in the car) so replace those with some Whiteline bushes, Also replace the front springs so the car sits a touch higher for rego.

 

Got slightly sidetracked when I noticed the hubs and disks were rusty and the paint was not looking too good on the calipers so decided to paint them.

32247447_10155678839388391_3074779637100

 

In contact with an engineer here but one problem ive come up against is they Tas Transport list front track as 1400mm so I need to be between 1400-1425mm and im currently at 1460mm!

 

My current wheels are 15x8" with +7mm offset (more likely 1/4") so to get the track down id have to get some +30 offset wheels! I think the current ones sit in too far its going to look horrible with +30



#284 Heath

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Posted 14 May 2018 - 04:40 PM

That's a long time between drinks.

Surely you can just borrow some shit offset wheels to get it over the pits. It'll never look good and be compliant with flares.

#285 myss427

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Posted 15 May 2018 - 10:13 AM

Wow serious garages there!



#286 Heath

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Posted 17 May 2018 - 11:23 AM

How I forgot to comment on the garage, I'm not sure. That is bloody spectacular. That is what dreams are made of. Holy shit that is a monster of a shed.

#287 _livo74_

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Posted 20 May 2018 - 10:50 AM

yours reminds me of my garage!.. *

 

IMG_0824.jpg

 

 

 

*that i had in a wet dream, that was nothing like my actual garage

 

 

 

------------------------

and  yours is the only car i know of that has the lower "sides" of guards cut off too. thought i was the only one.

 

 

IMAG3642xx.jpg



#288 _Viper_

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Posted 20 May 2018 - 11:27 AM

Yep sheds are a dream come true, especially the 3-car garage that I can keep the toys in and out of harms way in the workshop. Move to Tassie, property is cheap and you can afford stuff like this! well its actually been booming lately so im very happy we got in when we did.

 

and  yours is the only car i know of that has the lower "sides" of guards cut off too. thought i was the only one.

 

Really? I just thought thats how it should be done, without cutting that out it looked weird as you could see the door jam behind the flare.

 

 

Good news regarding the wheels tho, With help from the Forum here I was provided a link to a Tas Trans website which lists the max track allowable for most cars, the engineered didnt even know about it! It listed UC front track as 1473mm and since ive got a UC front crossmember in mine The engineer is happy with how it is now :D

 

Just need to change my rear tyres from 305/40/15 to 265/50/15 and im good... Just getting quotes now

 

Found few other small problems, somehow one of the rollers on the drivers door window regulator has broken off so order a new one from Rarespares.

 

Noticed alot of slop on the upper steering column bearing, very noticable on my bumpy gravel driveway... After inspection I found the bearing itself is fine with next to no play but the inner diameter of the bearing is 19.5mm and the steering shaft is 19mm?! rarespares sell new bearings but I dont think the ID of mine is worn? I am using a UC Torana coffee pot so maybe UC had a different steering shaft? I would not have thought so.



#289 _Viper_

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Posted 20 May 2018 - 11:30 AM

Hmm cant seem to edit posts here anymore?

 

Not that it matters but my current rear tyres are actually 26"x12"-12 which I think its closer to 305/45-15



#290 _livo74_

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Posted 20 May 2018 - 11:36 AM

"Really? I just thought thats how it should be done, without cutting that out it looked weird as you could see the door jam behind the flare."

 

i mean even LOWER down, below the flare.

the "side" has been cut off.

------

and yes, on other torries.. most of the door/well is visible, as per stock/factory cut

(and i'm with you. didn't care for the look of it on MINE.. so off with it's head!)



#291 _Viper_

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Posted 12 August 2018 - 06:03 PM

Small update, Noticed the front right caliper was not releasing properly and dragging on the disc. Dis-assembled the caliper and found it had phonelic pistons which had swelled jamming them up in the bore. Replaced them with some steel pistons.

 

Engineer was back and did a noise and brake test...

 

Passed the brake test no problems, he said my pedal effort was a little high but it brakes really well. I was thinking that maybe due to the decent cam im not getting enough vac to the booster?

 

Noise test was 91-93DB (max allowed is 94DB) so just scrapped in.

 

All the engineering is now done except he didnt like my aftermarket racing seats/rails so I need to find a pair of stock seats to get it over the pits but thats pretty much it!

 

I had always felt the steering was abit loose and jumpy, checked all the usual things like ball joint/tie rods etc everything is tight but noticed the rack itself had a little bit of slop so took one of the shims out of the pre-load yoke (15thou) which put it on the tight end of spec but removed the slop from the rack and was a very noticeable improvement when driving (I would like to get a 4-5 thou shim if anyone knows if you can still get them?) I do have some 4-thou shim stock which I guess I could cut out.

 

Now that the steering was abit stiffer I could feel about 10mm of free play in the steering (measured at the OD of steering wheel) being stiffer also made the slop in the rag joint alot more noticeable! so have decided to do the double knuckle conversion.

 

I made up cotter pin removal tool, This made removing the cotter pins so easy, even with the V8

Attached File  4053.jpg   647.24K   13 downloads

 

Got the rag joint out, cant really see in the pic and I didn't bother separating it but it is split around the holes and had about 3mm of slop in it.

Attached File  4054.jpg   557.08K   16 downloads

 

Have ordered a new uni joint from rare spares, didn't arrive in time for the weekend so since the rack was out decided to give it a lick of paint.

Attached File  4055.jpg   96.29K   21 downloads

 

So basically before rego I just need to re-assemble the steering, Im going to replace the pistons on the passenger side caliper with steel ones too and find some Stock seats!!!

 

 

 

 



#292 _Viper_

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Posted 01 September 2018 - 01:16 PM

Fitted a pair of new stainless steel Borgeson steering uni joints. No more slop in the steering :D

Attached File  Borgeson uni.jpg   272.9K   15 downloads

 

Also engineer came by today and we fitted up the Mod plate :D just need to wait a few days for him to do up the report then ready to go over the pits!

Attached File  Mod plate.jpg   259.72K   15 downloads



#293 Heath

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Posted 05 September 2018 - 10:04 AM

Congratulations, Clint. Awesome.

#294 _Viper_

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Posted 22 September 2018 - 07:04 PM

So after 14 years, Finally got the old lass licensed!

 

Attached File  plates front.jpg   561.89K   12 downloads

 

Attached File  plates rear.jpg   334.57K   10 downloads

 

Nice to finally be able to take her out! (legally and without a temporary permit)

 

Id love to say shes finished but far from it... Ive learnt alot since I started this build and my standard have risen considerably, There is alot im not happy with on the car (mainly panel gaps and some paint issues) Im abit torn on what to do...



#295 rodomo

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Posted 22 September 2018 - 09:59 PM

Don't be to hard on yourself and just drive and enjoy

#296 Rockoz

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Posted 23 September 2018 - 10:14 AM

A lot of what you say you arent happy with, probably puts it closer to show car standards.

The car is a lot better already than what it was when it rolled off the line.

Unless you want to have the burden of a show car, just drive the pants off the thing and enjoy it.

After all, thats what they were meant to be doing.

 

I was lucky enough to go through the era when these cars were plentiful, and not really worth much.

Was always great fun driving the things hard and enjoying the drive all the time.



#297 _Viper_

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Posted 07 October 2018 - 08:13 PM

One of the biggest things that was annoying me was that the panels gaps were horrible. I wish I got before photo's but they were all over the place, ranging from 3mm to 7mm from panel to panel and some tapering 2-3mm on the same gap.

 

So this happened:

Attached File  apart.jpg   144.92K   12 downloads

 

Took abit of work, some slotting of holes and alot of patience but im very happy with the gaps now. Still not perfect but are as good as they can be without actually modifying the panels.

Attached File  driversgaps.jpg   118.86K   10 downloads

Attached File  passengergaps.jpg   117.87K   10 downloads

 

The next issue was the paint itself, The idea of doing a closed door respray kept popping in my head, and it is still possibly on the cards for the future but I really want to just drive and enjoy it for awhile at least. Now the paint has its fair share of minor damage (light scratches/marring) since the first thing I did was get it painted in 2004 (first mistake I made with the build)  the pics of the gaps were taken pre-polish (except for the passenger side flare one) and can see how dull/dirty it looked.

 

Gave the whole car a good polish and touched up what I could and it no looks 100% better and im much happier with the car as whole :D now time to get out and about!

Attached File  quarter.jpg   419.84K   10 downloads

Attached File  sideon.jpg   392.35K   10 downloads

Attached File  enginebay.jpg   690.11K   14 downloads



#298 Cook

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Posted 07 October 2018 - 08:56 PM

Looking good Clint. You must be happy as a pig in ......  BTW, what are the panel bolts you used?  Cheers Ron



#299 rodomo

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Posted 07 October 2018 - 10:01 PM

geeeeez…………..coulda been worse? ………………..coulda been and LC/J



#300 Bigfella237

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Posted 07 October 2018 - 11:33 PM

Okay I gotta ask... how the hell do you fill up that washer bottle without removing the guard every time?






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