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Project SLR5000 replica / LX Torana Sedan 77

Started by _livo74_ , Dec 16 2014 07:48 PM

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#26 _livo74_

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Posted 27 December 2014 - 02:07 PM

Mat, try searching You Tube for vids on how to fix things, you will be surprised what information is out there and what you can learn from them.

have (since last night) been doing, mort.

just watched a three part 253 autopsy.

invaluable. already know far more than i did, and have only just started watching (..well, about 4 hours of vids so far only! lots to go)*

will keep watching and leaning.

-------

*mighta included just a few vids of vic torana club organising the ol' "line-a cars leaving car park".

(ONE DAY!!)

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#27 _livo74_

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Posted 27 December 2014 - 02:10 PM

Or go to the Marty report in members section he has just about done it all and pics to

will do. haven't seen/read that yet, but have been leaning my way around site to find answers already posted/shared.

(has cut done on my previous "asking an already well covered question" addiction, thankfully for all )

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#28 _livo74_

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Posted 27 December 2014 - 02:31 PM

Hey man, great to see someone with the genuine naivety on rebuilding cars.

I too was once like you, young, keen, full of ideas and dream to have a cheap affordable hatch driving around in a couple of years.

15 years later, 2 plastic Tupperware containers ( that could hold your spaghetti bags in ) compressed full of receipts, countless god damn hours looking at it and almost as many working on it

and still only really have it to the point of engine and box built, Body finished in colour ( empress black of course in 2pac Spies Heckler ) prepped by me top coated in a pro booth for 3.5k.

If you want a tough good looking car I think you need to drop the A.D.D. mentality and really watch and learn from some of the pros around here. I still sit back in awe of some of the guys work here. Totally blows me away with just the standard " street car" builds have risen too. Truly some are works of art and done on reasonable budgets. Some almost make me want to sell mine because I'm just that much of a fussy prick too.

Put the right feelers out and you may even get help from some forum members with some spare time to see another beast rise up from the ashes..

There's an old saying, Plan thrice...cut once.

good luck dood

people have warned me that might take just a um, tad.. longer than i initially hoped for, and have realized to do right first time is best.

but, as with my el xr6, i said i was going to take out the interior, replace, take off all panel and repair/replace, and put back together, and then paint (in acrylic).., all myself, and pay for mech to redo suspension,..

and did it in the two weeks i said it would take me..

that i have some (naively?) confidence i can actually do it sooner rather than later.

(as with engine/elecs/steering/suspension etc..i have, read 'had', zero knowledge)

my car won't be as good as many/most on here, i don't generate money well enough, for various reasons, at all,

so won't be chrome this, 7 grand paint that,

but i have learnt already from advice here that it's been tried/tested that reco or 2nd hand parts are good chance better than chinese cheap crap.

i hope to have her on the road soon enough,

(not the 1 month i initially planned/thought. might take lessons learnt to strip and repair body, engine, sus and steering better)

and,

i hope yours is too! (don't sell her!)

Edited by livo74, 27 December 2014 - 02:31 PM.

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#29 _livo74_

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Posted 27 December 2014 - 02:46 PM

I tried to keep my Torana on the road the way you have described with cheap bits to keep going and trust me it's not worth it. Cost me three times as much by trying to keep it cheap.

It's also a good idea to start with small goals that are easily worked towards.

As for all the motor bits and so forth get it running if possible then worry about the rest later. Personally I would start with rust repairs and body work then suspension.

Again if it's a really tight budget why not paint the motor, kit though the carby and general matinee then use it as is until you can build something better. Same goes for the interior only replace what you need too and give it a proper going over after the rest of the work is done. Just something to think about.

initially thought cheap parts would at least have to be better than a 37yr old bosch dizzy (cus i know jack about parts engines)

but have steered away from that and taking yours and others advice to just not bother.

and after watching this sites builds'.. as much as i DIDN"T want to.. i am going to strip car and start with rust and panel as you recommend.

didn't want to.. because i don't have the tools/setup.. or knowledge..

but, am using this site and youtube to learn how to take apart and put steering/suspension back together, so, is now not QUITE as intimidating to do the job properly FIRST time.

as naive as i am, cus i know i could strip out the interior and fit knew carpet.. install front sports seats.. and new steering wheel..

and therefore create an immaculate "looking" interior in about 4 hours.. i was concentrating on efforts like tis..

..to AVOID the hard stuff, like doing the body first properly, and buy other stuff only AFTER that, (and if i have to wait till i get the money for that next step, then i wait. )

money first on one step at a time, properly.

cheers hawk

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#30 _livo74_

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Posted 27 December 2014 - 02:48 PM

(now, regarding Attention Deficit Dissorder..

um.

must concentrate, ultra blue, ultra blue.)

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#31 _LS2 Hatch_

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Posted 28 December 2014 - 05:54 AM

Take your time, research and have a go!
This seems like what you ave started to do already, so keep it up.
I set myself a budget, granted most likely a bit higher than yours at this point, and I came in dam close. Only blew my budget by 2-3 grand.
Not bad considering I have an LS2 in a hatch!
My point is, have a go. Just don't kid yourself. It will be hard, but as I said earlier, "With Effort Dreams become Reality"

Reading your thread so far, EVERYONE has only tried to give encouragement and open your eyes to the journey ahead.

Once again good luck. Your on the right forum to get the right advise and help. They guys on here are great!

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#32 _LH SLR 3300_

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Posted 28 December 2014 - 07:49 AM

Speaking as a trade qualified panel beater who has restored several cars, I can offer you one piece of advice on body/paint restoration. Rather than bite off more than you can chew by stripping & hooking into the whole car at once, start by doing one panel at a time. Keep working on that panel & take your time until you are satisfied with the final product, undercoat it & move onto the next. Depending on what the current overall condition of the car is like, body/paint restoration can be a very time consuming job. If you try to tackle it all in one go, it's very easy to be overwhelmed, especially if it's your first attempt. Slow & steady wins the race. Good luck with it.

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#33 _livo74_

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Posted 28 December 2014 - 09:08 AM

Take your time, research and have a go!
This seems like what you ave started to do already, so keep it up.
I set myself a budget, granted most likely a bit higher than yours at this point, and I came in dam close. Only blew my budget by 2-3 grand.
Not bad considering I have an LS2 in a hatch!
My point is, have a go. Just don't kid yourself. It will be hard, but as I said earlier, "With Effort Dreams become Reality"

Reading your thread so far, EVERYONE has only tried to give encouragement and open your eyes to the journey ahead.

Once again good luck. Your on the right forum to get the right advise and help. They guys on here are great!

Am rapped with the site to be honest ls2,

am NOT one for comparing my (cars) worth to someone elses,

and this site is also great like that.

example,

on youtube, have seen multiple rude, mean comments regarding 253's,

and am not interested in childish games. (somethings worth is how much value and joy it brings to ya, not what another persons says it's worth)

makes me smile when a couple of posts down you read how someone has real soft spot for the aussie 253, like me.

these same people would have me enter into 'who's faster? contest. something i couldn't give a toss about.

is why i'm alive and not rapped round a tree. like some i knew.

(now, if someone else's put in the extra effort to have a real rumbling car, then i eagerly say friggin' bloody beautiful, well done!, as should be done.)

will put in the (more) effort ls2, and am researching/learning the tricks to.

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#34 _livo74_

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Posted 28 December 2014 - 09:17 AM

Speaking as a trade qualified panel beater who has restored several cars, I can offer you one piece of advice on body/paint restoration. Rather than bite off more than you can chew by stripping & hooking into the whole car at once, start by doing one panel at a time. Keep working on that panel & take your time until you are satisfied with the final product, undercoat it & move onto the next. Depending on what the current overall condition of the car is like, body/paint restoration can be a very time consuming job. If you try to tackle it all in one go, it's very easy to be overwhelmed, especially if it's your first attempt. Slow & steady wins the race. Good luck with it.

Depending on what the current overall condition of the car is like..

haven't stripped car down, yet.

saw on this site dude thought no rust, took off bonnet spring mounts, wallah! rust.

so, undetermined what size job i'm looking at.

at moment upon inspection panels/bay/ interior.. VERY straight and (almost) no rust.

goodness willing, stays that way, but what comes comes.

cheers lh, will indeed do that one area at a time method, so as to do properly and not be overwhelmed and rush, so as to see a result,( like i did with my xr6. paint might already be falling off, but i'm not sayin nuffin!).

Edited by livo74, 28 December 2014 - 09:18 AM.

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#35 _livo74_

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Posted 28 December 2014 - 01:01 PM

bit of fun only. not sure i have a great interest in custom plate for myself. just wanted to see what's available in vic

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#36 _livo74_

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Posted 06 January 2015 - 09:25 AM

update..

well, as general consensus was to not go cheap parts to get it on the road asap..

i have just spent a very large chunk of money (by my standards) on new tools/equipment to do all the panel/engine/suspension and prep work properly, (even bought a welder so can do things like weld cut guards, make alloy drop tank, and brackets etc myself)

so ...

cheers every one!.... you just added me to the friggin loooong project/done right list.

already have my plastic bag of receipts begun and growing..

and i havent even bought any parts for the car!!! jeeezus!!!

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

on the, um, slightly less proffessional side...

have made myself a work area out of a $150 marquee (as had no garage) to do the job under cover.

professional? heck yeah!

jealous? how could you all not be.

will post pic in "my garage" thread, won't look out of place at all. (hahaha! )

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

anyways...

re: brake hq conversion

http://www.gmh-toran...rsion-tutorial/

this below seems to been a agreed upon good way of doing it

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

posted by struggler

I'm sure I will upset a few people but after doing a heap of HQ/LH/X brake conversions this is how I now do it.

Remove the Torana caliper and disc. Take your HQ discs to the brake shop and get them to remove about 6mm or a quarter inch from the external diameter of the disc and get the disc face machined down all the way to the bolt up face (most HQ discs dont have this face fully machined as the pad normally doesn't run in this area). Fit these discs to the stub axles on your car and repack the bearings (HQ and LH/X/UC bearings are the same). Trial fit the HQ caliper and check for interference (yes the HQ caliper will bolt to the torana stub) and grind away as required to clear the tie rod end. Check the clearance between the outer pad and the bolt up face of the disc (you have moved the caliper closer to the bearing than it would be in an HQ). Refit, bleed brakes and drive off !!!

Yes the caliper does not sit as far away from the spindle as it does in an HQ but you do have ventilated discs, a real caliper, HQ pattern and no wheel alignment or bumpsteer issues. Try it , you'll like it.

Flame on non believers !!!!!!!!

Struggler you will get no fight from me on this one

Thats exactly what Brock used on the yellow LJ he campaigned in the Biante series a couple of years ago

It works

Its cheap

One of many ways to upgrade your brakes

Not a huge step.... but certainly a step in the right direction

Thats exactly what I have and it passed engineering with no worries at all.

I have no complaints with my brakes.

That clearance is usually fine, but I have ground a bit off a loose pad once before.

By a real caliper I mean one that takes a good size pad, is fairly stout and flex resistant. I really don't like the alloy LX calipers that some use in the conversion with a steel HX slide.

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#37 _livo74_

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Posted 06 January 2015 - 09:27 AM

question...

what about the rears? why's no one talking about the bullshit drum rears?

and,

does anyone know a mech in south east melb who is known for doing this and about how much?

---------

(i don't think this is something i should really be attempting myself*, so looking to get done.)

*not without knowledgeable guidance anyways.

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#38 _livo74_

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Posted 06 January 2015 - 08:19 PM

(posted these question in proper area, brakes thread, here)

http://www.gmh-toran...-brake-upgrade/

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#39 _livo74_

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Posted 08 January 2015 - 09:08 PM

just bought a 350 holley. (consensus choice of the tried and tested)

will new kit it and give it a clean.

found out engine is running an vn electronic non points ignition, so interested to know if others have had previous experience with this setup

(cars coming home tomorrow, mega yay!)

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#40 _livo74_

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Posted 09 January 2015 - 02:09 PM

car is home, hard part begins.

hope to posting here again in my build thread in 4-6 months showing my car with all bodywork done

then will start work on suspension and engine and then interior.. and...,

..and then hope to paint!

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#41 Heath

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Posted 09 January 2015 - 02:23 PM

Enough time frames, get working!

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#42 SmacT

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Posted 09 January 2015 - 02:25 PM

Excellent - I reckon you have made the right decision regarding length of build, etc. Looking forward to seeing progress. And yes, Ultra Blue for the win IMO. Good to see you planning on working out engine, suspension, etc before paint, as that will save any drilling into fresh paintwork for something you forgot. :-) Don't forget some pics!

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#43 _livo74_

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Posted 09 January 2015 - 08:48 PM

is soooo fkn good to get her home!!!...

and..

Enough time frames, get working!

doing exactly that

Edited by livo74, 09 January 2015 - 08:54 PM.

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#44 _livo74_

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Posted 09 January 2015 - 08:53 PM

Excellent - I reckon you have made the right decision regarding length of build, etc. Looking forward to seeing progress. And yes, Ultra Blue for the win IMO. Good to see you planning on working out engine, suspension, etc before paint, as that will save any drilling into fresh paintwork for something you forgot. :-) Don't forget some pics!

"ultra blue. the perfect blend of class and mean"

that a saying i just made up. (bet it shows too )

and doing body first kills two birds with one stone.. cus i ran out of money to buy parts!

..and already have a shopping bag of receipts growing/hanging in the kitchen. i'm now initiated into the club! haha

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#45 _livo74_

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 09:42 AM

..might be just a tad obvious there's non-v8 springs up front?

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#46 Shiney005

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Posted 10 January 2015 - 03:03 PM

Looks like a great start Mat. It's not often you find a Torana without rust in the radiator support panel. BTW, as you pull it apart, make sure you keep all bolts in separate labelled sandwich bags because you WILL forget which ones go where.

Good luck and have fun.