LS2 Hatch build
#1 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 06 October 2012 - 07:57 PM
OK first my back ground. I have always loved cars and had a pasion for them. Toranas and VK Brock Commodores are my favorite. For the past 10 years or so I have been building custom chopper motor bikes based on the Harley. About the same time I started playing with the bikes I bought my hatch. The hatch sat there and many bikes have come and gone. Now it's Torana time.
My thought has always been the same. A good fun street car with plenty of go go, but not necessarily the fastest thing on the street. I intend on doing as much work myself, and since my trade is a cabinet maker, it will not be the staightest or the best of show either.
So far I have removed all the rust, and fitted the running gear as a dummy fit. 304 injected holden engine,T56 manual gearbox, 9" true track diff with 4.11 gears and 17" wheels. Acording to the ratio calculators on the net I should be reving at about 2000 at 100km. Seems fair to me. Oh yeah, also I have shaved the door handles for something different too. No flares, no scoop, no spoilers and no door handes.
I had the dummy fit all done when my brother laughed at the engine and gearbox angle, so a tunnel mod was carried out. With that done and a cross member made, tail shaft made and fitted and all was good. It was then time for engine build and body work time. While starting on the body I priced the engine build. Man was my budget about to go through the roof. I already had the VN styled heads with big valves and double springs installed, I've got the stroker crank, and a COME Racing twin throttle body manifoid. The cost to finish the engine shattered me, so I decided it was time to go a bit left feild and buy a complete LS2. It made sence to me that considering I was not after the world of horse power, that a basically stock LS2 would do me fine. So the purchase was made and the dummy fir was done. Then back to the body.
So now this is where I am. The engine is at the engine builders, I have the car in primer, although I think it will need another coat and rub down, and this coming week the seats are off to the upholsterer. Oh Yeah the interior. I have a full set of Autometer guages that i will be fitting to a custom aluminium dash facia. It will not be a flat piece off plate with guages in it, I still want the guages on the layed back angle of the original dash. Still need to make that. And the seats, the rear is standard hatch with heringbone inserts, the the fronts or Scheel seats from an XE ESP. Same as VK Brock only with a different headrest, which will be the same as VK. Must be Holden after all!! The front seats are being trimmed to the same as the rears with heringbone inserts to look like it belongs.
Any way, here it is.
Thoughts??? Forum 1.jpg 57.65K 34 downloads Forum 2.jpg 40.42K 25 downloads Forum 3.jpg 37.89K 31 downloads Forum 4.jpg 58.09K 39 downloads Forum 5.jpg 39.28K 20 downloads Forum 6.jpg 35.41K 38 downloads
#2
Posted 06 October 2012 - 08:17 PM
#3 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 06 October 2012 - 09:03 PM
Engine bay. Nothing that special really. Clean and tidy, batery stil in the original position, aluminium radiator, twin thermo fans. The one thing I am unsure on is the airbox. I have seen a cold air intake that looks like a large diameter pipe with a pod style air filter. I have seen one somewhere, maybe even through this forum, that has the pod under the front so the pipe goes through the tray on the right. The only issue I see with this is the chasis rail is in that exact spot. I do like the air box of LS1 Hatch also, so need to put more thought.
#4 _greenmachine215_
Posted 06 October 2012 - 10:33 PM
It's just a shell and I already like the look
#5 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 07 October 2012 - 07:17 AM
No Flares, it's amassing how many people have told me that I should have put them on and it looks like its missing something. I like it without and I guess that's what matters. I must admit though I am seriously considering a reverse cowl full length scoop, about 4" high. They look awesome. I was thinking of a way to set it up so that it actually works the way it should. If I was to set up a box from the intake facing up with an air cleaner in it, and have a foam joint to the bonnet so it would get its air from in front of the windscreen. Do you think this would work or aim I just going to fill my engine up with water?
#6 _LS1 Hatch_
Posted 07 October 2012 - 08:03 AM
But I built the aluminum air box instead and have it getting cool air through the core support...seems to work out well for me at least and I liked how the layout of the engine bay worked out too.
The LT1 SS Camaro's ('96/'7 for example) had an airclearner that mounted on top of the engine and sealed to the hood..you could look at pictures of one of them for an example at least perhaps. The LS1 cars use a different setup with a forward mounted air cleaners similar to the non-SS cars) and use ductwork built into the bonnet to move the air around. But a box at the rearward edge of the engine sealed to the bonnet would be do-able no doubt if you had wanted..
#7 _LS1 Hatch_
Posted 07 October 2012 - 08:06 AM
#8 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 07 October 2012 - 08:12 AM
#9 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 07 October 2012 - 08:16 AM
#10 _LS1 Hatch_
Posted 07 October 2012 - 08:39 AM
On the gearing, at least it is a pretty easy thing to change around ! I know some people like the "feel" of the high gears...so with just a play around sort of car its all personal preference I suppose. At least with the 2 overdrive gear ratios it will still be useable on the highway and such...no problem.
And the wiring is not all that bad...I made the engine loom on mine over a couple days I guess it was, and just some time doing all the underdash and other assorted wiring to suit as the build went along.
#11 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 08 October 2012 - 08:12 PM
Has anyone used the "Tough Mounts" engine mounts? I had made my own adaptors but I was thinking of buying some. Not so cheap though at $425
Also I need the chrome trims that go on the top section of the door. I have the rest of them, just missing the one that goes up and across the door. Does rare spares sell them?
#12 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 08 October 2012 - 08:15 PM
I painted the bottom of the car in black, along with the front end. Came up well. In my wisdom when I got home today I thought I would put another coat of primer on the body. What a mistake. All I have done is confirmed the fact that I can't paint for peanuts. I put more runs in it than I care to admit. Now I have to spend more time rubbing, then more than likely get my brother to put the primer on. I expect I will rub through in places again. Oh well if I don't try I will never know I guess. I know what I will be doing for the rest of the week now.
Has anyone used the "Tough Mounts" engine mounts? I had made my own adaptors but I was thinking of buying some. Not so cheap though at $425
Also I need the chrome trims that go on the top section of the door. I have the rest of them, just missing the one that goes up and across the door. Does rare spares sell them?
#13
Posted 08 October 2012 - 08:23 PM
#14 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 09 October 2012 - 05:17 AM
#15 _LS1 Hatch_
Posted 09 October 2012 - 07:38 AM
#16
Posted 09 October 2012 - 05:17 PM
What sump/engine mounts are you using? i'm having clearance issues with the tuff mounts and moroso 20140 sump thats all
#17 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 09 October 2012 - 08:53 PM
Dan I'm using a Milodon sump I bought from Eagle Performance with a remote oil filter. It looks very similar to the Moroso sump. At the moment I have modified the Holden adapters to suit. Or should I say about to modify. Basically the adapter is the same just with a larger plate to the engine. I will post a photo tomorrow to show my thoughts. When I had it all in dummied up with my temp adapters, I had clearance everywhere. Even got the standard exhaust manifolds from the commodore to fit with no problems. It may not have the performance of extractors, but these don't have the price tag. Plus I have heard through an engine builder that the headers don't make a huge difference, it's the rest of the exhaust that does.
#18 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 11 October 2012 - 08:05 PM
The silver adaoptor is the original 308 torana adaptor, and the other attached to the engine mount is my temporary set up. The idea is to cut one side of the adaptor off and replace with a larger 6mm plate.
Thoughts?
Also update, runs are now rubbed out and ready for another run free primmer. I went through to polyester in too many places. Hoping to paint black outs in the next week, then colour a couple days later.
#19 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 22 October 2012 - 12:26 PM
Update. It's now in colour. Got a few runs it so it's back to rubbing. At least it has a good base now, including the back of the doors and guards. I wil now rehang the rest of the parts and get it all top coated as one.
#20 _LS1 Hatch_
Posted 22 October 2012 - 01:09 PM
#21
Posted 22 October 2012 - 08:48 PM
#22 _LS2 Hatch_
Posted 22 October 2012 - 09:26 PM
#23 _Bomber Watson_
Posted 22 October 2012 - 09:29 PM
#24 _markm_
Posted 22 October 2012 - 09:33 PM
#25
Posted 22 October 2012 - 09:56 PM
cheers gene
ps by the way what orange is that
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