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GMH Starfire 1.9L 4cyl interest?


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#1 _vk4akp_

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 09:03 PM

Hi guys,

Is there any interest here in the GMH Starfire motor?

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I have a big interest in these.

I'd like to get a group of people together with the same interest.

Things for discussion.

- Adding EFI to the Starfire.
- Adding Turbo.
- Megasquirt for the Starfire.
- Converting the distributor to pointless ignition.
- adapting GMH 5 Speed manual gear boxes.
- Converting for Flex fuels (E85 etc).

We have a Facebook Group here.
http://www.facebook....136691803069656

My Sunbird Hatch
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#2 _Bomber Watson_

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 09:31 PM

Cool. I like starfires, will probably never do anything with one other than pinch conrods, but still like them.

All the above should be easily doable, afaik the gm five speeds should bolt straight up??

Cheers.

#3 _imj411_

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 10:05 PM

Hi what's a Megasquirt? I agree with Bomber all achievable I will never build one but I would like to see what a boosted and injected one can make on the rollers, I'm guessing that they make about 38kw ATW standard so the Max I think you will see in a highly stressed road engine is 150kw but it will take some work. Permissions granted to start laughing at me if you disagree, cheers Aaron.

#4 rodomo

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 10:10 PM

, afaik the gm five speeds should bolt straight up??


And the VH version had electronic ignition.

Old thread with link to even older thread:
http://www.gmh-toran...e-yes-starfire/

Edited by rodomo, 15 August 2012 - 10:21 PM.


#5 _vk4akp_

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Posted 16 August 2012 - 03:28 PM

Hi Guys, Sorry for the delays. It took me a while to find my thread again. LOL

OK So.

The two easiest ways I can see to EFI are.
1. EFI Throttle style body off a older Camira.
2. Cut down a VK EFI manifold.

5 Speed.
- The 5 Speed from a VK Commodore Bolts up nice.
For LH - UC Torana use a LJ Tail shaft.
For VB - VK Commodore use the front tail shaft section from a 6cyl Auto from the same era.
The gear box did come out in some later VH 4cyl Starfire Commodores but it had a different Box tail section that was shorter then the 6cyl version.

Pointless distributor.
- I have to do some more research on this. You can swap the top section with the guts from another 4 cyl motor of the same era as most distributors were manufactured by the same few companies (Outsourced by GMH).

I have a wrecked VC Commodore here that has had the 5Speed & pointless distributor mods done by another very brilliant chap years ago (Dave) but he has forgotten what distributor he raided at the time.

Turbo.
- I have seen a factory fitted turbo on a VB Commodore on another forum and have put the picture up on the FB page.
I have also been told but haven't confirmed yet that the easiest way to drop the compression is to bore the Starfire out and fit 202 pistons. ???

MegaSquirt.
- Is a DIY Kit car computer for EFI. Fully open source and can be adapted to use sensors etc off any cars which
makes for a cheap way to add EFI.

VK Starfire. & GMH Pointless DIstributor.
- VK Starfire Only came out in NZ.
- Pointless Dizzy supposedly in the VH & VK but no one has ever seen this that I can find to date.

Anyhow a lot of fun can be had with these things. Starfires are very hardy and a cheap way to get into a bit of DIY given they are a 4cyl.

~Ken~
.-.-.

Edited by vk4akp, 16 August 2012 - 03:36 PM.


#6 orangeLJ

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Posted 16 August 2012 - 04:37 PM

its only 2/3 as good as a holden straight six though! :stirpot:

#7 _CHOPPER_

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Posted 16 August 2012 - 04:49 PM

With the pointless dissy, have you considered using a V8 dissy and only every second lead?

#8 _vk4akp_

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Posted 16 August 2012 - 05:17 PM

2/3rds as good as an inline 6? LOL Nah.

1/3rd cheaper to maintain, register, insure, & feed then an inline 6 ! ;)

With the Dizzy. Using an 8cyl one in that way could possibly work. But it's easy enough to mix and match off other old 4 cyl cars..-.-.

#9 rodomo

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Posted 16 August 2012 - 10:11 PM

- Pointless Dizzy supposedly in the VH & VK but no one has ever seen this that I can find to date.


Definately on VH as posted earlier. I have seen it. With my own eyes! :)
In fact, I even owned one!.............................hang on?...................................2

And with cutting down a VK manifold? There will be a bit of work involved, more like cutting and shutting as the port pairings are different.

#10 _Inj gtr202_

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 07:54 AM

Definately on VH as posted earlier. I have seen it. With my own eyes! :)
In fact, I even owned one!.............................hang on?...................................2

And with cutting down a VK manifold? There will be a bit of work involved, more like cutting and shutting as the port pairings are different.


agree.. would be easier to find a similar inlet manifold off another 4 banger and adapt it rather than cut and shut a VK one.

#11 fenz

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 09:52 AM

Twin SU set up would most probably be an option if you didnt do injection.

#12 Dr Terry

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 10:32 AM

With the pointless dissy, have you considered using a V8 dissy and only every second lead?

You would end up with sparks flying everywhere. The spark from the vacant cap terminals will want to go to earth & will take the shortest route, usually across the coil tower. It won't last 5 minutes.

Dr Terry

#13 Dr Terry

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 11:18 AM

There was no pointless dissy ever fitted to a Starfire from the factory, even the NZ VK version.

The VH had what they called ESS (Electronic Spark Selection) which was a form of transistor assisted ignition, that also altered spark timing for anti-pollution purposes. But, it still relied on a set of contact points.

The simplest way of building a pointless set-up would be to get a Bosch Sigma dissy & fit its 4-cyl bits to a Blue motor 6 HEI case & shaft.

Dr Terry

#14 hanra

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 12:45 PM

What is the P/N on the stock dizzy fitted?

Megasquirt has been used successfully on A series BMC engines even with siamesed inlet ports.

#15 _barana_

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 04:22 PM

oh man! yes i have been thinking about doing a starfire all day, and came across this post, yes!

a work acquaintance owned a stiking pink Ej sedan with a solid starfire transplanted into it. - cheaper on rego and 2kw more power !

I owned a vh wagon starfire with trimatic, had great gearing and heaps of tourque.
the factory specs are 58kw, cant remember the NM tho.

I have a proj.....

yt stage III head cut down

vk maybe inj manifold

vs(sequential) inj computer reprogrammed to run a starfire - 2 coil packs of the v6 will do away with the negatives of a dizzy
(There was, when i was a teen in Highschool a $20 msdos program you could hook up to the 6809 processor in the delco computer over a serial cable to reprogram the memcal - useless imo without a dyno)

192 pistons to bring it to a 2.1L

a crank mod im thinking of

and secret weapon no 1!

#16 _barana_

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 04:38 PM

I have a few qtns about the crank in a starfire..

In most 4cyl engines, the outer 2 cyls go up and down together. the centre 2 do the opposite order together from the outside 2.

and a red/blueblack 6 is similar but outer 2 are in unison next 2 are different but together and inner 2 go up and down together.

ive pulled the head of my starfire many years ago, but i cant remember, as the starfire is a cutdown crank, does it operate like a normal four being corrected to run properly by holden, or is it 'unbalanced' being a Q&D cut down from a 6cyl crank.(iirc the idle was smooth didnt stike me as being rough. ?

also is the starfire fully counterweighted as the blueblack 6 or more like the ble173/red motor?

i remember reading years ago holden tried a 202 based starfire @ 2.2L but had balance problems and was abandoned

ive seen talk on the net about the starfire prototype engined brock rally gemini of '76 iirc it was a 2.2L, and had major balance problems @ 4000rpm and 5600+rpms iirc.

i believe this was the prototype.

if the 1.9 isnt fully counterbalanced, i could possibly cut and shut a 202 blue/black crank so the pots go up and down the right way, and with the proper balancing and full counterweights it might possibly correct the counterweight problems (or has holden even tried this and failed?) i , combined with 192 pistons and 202 crank might just reach 2.3L starfire!

Ive read about the 202 crank being not fully thought out and a bad idea, ballance wise, what do people mean when they say this, does anyone know?

- |3arana

#17 UCSLE

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 05:07 PM

What i find strange about starfires is the size carby holden put on them,especially when you compare its carby to the size of the carbys that where on 202,s and 253,s around the same time the starfire came out.Would a starfire go quicker with a smaller carb?

#18 _barana_

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 05:57 PM

ho and ofcourse rollarockers.

#19 _barana_

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 07:41 PM

correction alloy stage III head.

#20 _Bomber Watson_

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 07:44 PM

if the 1.9 isnt fully counterbalanced, i could possibly cut and shut a 202 blue/black crank so the pots go up and down the right way, and with the proper balancing and full counterweights it might possibly correct the counterweight problems (or has holden even tried this and failed?) i , combined with 192 pistons and 202 crank might just reach 2.3L starfire!

Ive read about the 202 crank being not fully thought out and a bad idea, ballance wise, what do people mean when they say this, does anyone know?

- |3arana


You seem to like the idea of welding cast iron.....

Anyway, the 202 blue/black crank is not fully balanced as in its not a three plane balanced crank. The front and rear conterweights are bigger, and the four middle counterweights are offset to counter for this, meaning its not "properly" balanced in the sence of each set of counterweights counteracting for the weight of the piston rod evenly.

Cheers.

#21 rodomo

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 09:27 PM

There was no pointless dissy ever fitted to a Starfire from the factory, even the NZ VK version.


With all due respect Dr..........I think you might be wrong?

Edited by rodomo, 17 August 2012 - 09:32 PM.


#22 _barana_

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 10:04 PM

well i had a vh wagon tri - it had points.

#23 rodomo

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 10:13 PM

I'm happy to be proved wrong.
I did buy 2 of these, both low k's, 1 owner. (1 for a lady friend and the other for a daughter)
Both had Bosch electronic with the module hanging off the side of the dissy.
If they had of been both converted to Sigma dizzys it was a bit premature given the K's?
Maybe a locality build thing? Where were they built? Mine were both purchased in Melb.

#24 EunUCh

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 10:46 AM

Most of the starfires were usually given the flick for bigger engines.
The bottom end seems strong and they got fully grooved mains
The valves are same as blue motor and you probably wouldn't want
to go bigger.
The bores have enough meat to go to 3.625 which would help unshroud the valves.
Fit a cam with some decent lift etc and you need to use 6cyl yt valves to suit as they
are longer than the stock valves and allow a decent lift before coil bind.
Twin su's do help but they are not too happy with pulsing,webers are better.


Electronic ignition is easy,use valiant (chrysler)pick up and module and modify the points cam ,(ie) make it round
and make a brass sleeve to shrink over shaft,use the 4 cyl reluctor and use a small grub screw
to hold it in place(this also gives you the advantage of being able to phase the rotor button in relation to
post in dizzy.
Most people just bin em but after a few mods on one we played with I could hold the pedal to the floor
and got 90 kph in second and no bang.
Megasqirt and blower sounds like the way to go.
The borg warner 5 spd bolts straight up,just need to trim hole in tunnel and make new tailshaft,from memory the 5 spd
is around 40mm longer.

#25 _barana_

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Posted 19 August 2012 - 08:24 PM

@rodomo,
not sure where it built, but was purchased in noosa via the council as a abandoned vehicle, there was a melted wiring harness connector, which i split up and filed the contacts to clean - re connected , recharged the battery and used remaining petrol in jerrycan that came with the car to start it, cost? $70.

it served me well.
alot of interstate visitors come to noosa to live, for a seachange, many go back, some stay.




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