I have owned this blue beauty for 10 years this year and I thought what better way to celebrate that to completely upgrade the driveline....
From when I first got her at the age of 15 from the old man (yes, it's my first and only car! - I have a work vehicle) it's made many changes.
The first two years of ownership were dedicated to restoring it to how it is today. The old man and I stripped it down, sent it off for minor body work, rust proofing and a respray. We also had the engine brought back to life (no rebuild required) and had the entire brake system and suspension repaired/replaced where required.
And that was pretty much all she needed, since then I've driven it all over the country side (close to 80,000km) and it's done what these cars were meant to, put a grin on my face....and show off to girls....
So in a nutshell here's what's next:
* Swap the tired 173 for a rebuilt 308 (pre pollution)
* Swap the current 3spd auto for a beefed up v8 trimatic auto (I want to keep the column shift and bench seats as are)
* Swap differential to a 3.08 v8 one (fine spline)
* Upgrade brakes and suspension to handle all the new power
* If funding allows, have the paint touched up and do some minor interior upgrades.
Now unfortunately I am not in a position to do any of the major works myself (no tools or space) so I have engaged engine builders and mechanics here in Melbourne to do that for me.
HOWEVER, I wanted to bring you all along on this build to show you that even when you farm the work out to others you can still build a reliable and gutsy period correct power train into a torana without breaking the bank and without getting engineers involved.
My overall goal is to make this a bit of a tribute, not a look-a-like. I won't be throwing in a drop tank and whacking on flares (not that there's anything wrong with that either) essentially this car will be a bit of a sleeper.
I've had tons of people tell me this is a waste of money, or that I could get better power and economy out of other engine combinations, or that I won't get the value out of the car in the long run as its no longer original. But that's not what I'm doing with this build, this car is mine, I love it and don't see it as an investment or a show car, I'm gonna build it how I want it and I plan to drive it at every opportunity...
So that being said, let's get to it! As of yesterday the engine has been found and is being stripped down for rebuild...I'll post pictures and updates as I can, I work a lot so if there are parts to the build missing from here then I apologise in advance.
Feel free to offer any advice or ask questions as the build progresses.
Cheers,
Dan
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