173 replies to this topic

[rodomo]

cutting out rust and replacing has taken a very looooooong time

+1

[Doubledip]

Well did another BIG jump into the deep end and started on the chassis strengthening - once again its at the stage for my mate to come round and work his welding skills ...

 

 

[Doubledip]

Then cut the plating to suit ready for welding as well

 

[Doubledip]

Also decided to make the cross member look a little better

 

[sibhs]

Hi Justin.

Just read your thread from start to finish. It's been a while since I've been so engrossed in a build thread!

 

I love original cars, but I can see how you get a buzz from testing your skills.  You're showing amazing talent. Welding, fabricating and the real skill of thinking outside the box to overcome challenges.  

May I ask your trade/Job, I assume you learnt this somewhere?  Unlike me - watching YouTube and asking the guys on the forum. (I couldn't have done it without them).  

You also know how to write a paragraph. That's rare these days.

 

Keep up the fantastic work, you've got a great thread going - The name was hard to understand (LoHla) which is why it took so long for me to read it but when you finish this it will always be remembered.

 

Cheers

 

Marty

 

ps...thanks for the positive mention of my build. 

 

[Doubledip]

Hi Justin.

Just read your thread from start to finish. It's been a while since I've been so engrossed in a build thread!

 

I love original cars, but I can see how you get a buzz from testing your skills.  You're showing amazing talent. Welding, fabricating and the real skill of thinking outside the box to overcome challenges.  

May I ask your trade/Job, I assume you learnt this somewhere?  Unlike me - watching YouTube and asking the guys on the forum. (I couldn't have done it without them).  

You also know how to write a paragraph. That's rare these days.

 

Keep up the fantastic work, you've got a great thread going - The name was hard to understand (LoHla) which is why it took so long for me to read it but when you finish this it will always be remembered.

 

Cheers

 

Marty

 

ps...thanks for the positive mention of my build. 

 

 

Thanks Marty for the comments - coming from you and what you have achieved it means a lot to hear you enjoyed what you have read/seen so far.

 

I've never been one to conform, so thinking outside the box actually comes fairly easy and as this is the 3rd Torana build they have progressed from factory look A9X replica through early retrotech to this one...   

 

Trade/Job... well as mentioned there are 3 of us on this build from the family...   My son (12) who helped initially with stripping the car (he is getting into cars slowly but sport takes up the majority of his head space and mostly soccer )  , Myself (44) and my Dad....

 

At the start of the build (2015) it was worked on only on Saturdays but at the start of 2016 (i think it was) my dad retired from work and then comes over everyday (except Sundays , I give him them off LOL) to work on the car (whilst I work in the garage on my day to day job) . He has done the Majority of the work since then which is a massive amount and as for the thinking outside the box on how to approach things I think he is the reason why i have that thought process as well... Every tool we have used on this project so far (bar the shrinker/stretcher for the rear top screen piece) has been readily available to anyone. Mig welder, 4" angle grinder , Cordless Drill and 6" angle grinder, hand held butane gas torch, Hammers , Dollies, socket sets and spanners and a Vice.  Anything you see bent / shaped has been done with a Dolly, Vice and even some odd things such as the Bollards that are in the floor of my garage and even as far as using the street lamp post outside !  HAHA.. 

 

My Trade has gone from Electrical engineer originally (2 years), Mechanic @ Holden (9Years) , IT (10 Years) to current profession Working for myself Auto Elec making conversion harnesses for all these LS1 transplants etc.. (last 7 years)

 

My Dads trade - Aircraft Engineer so you can see why the approach to the car is what it is.. He was actually the one to tell me about your thread and he was very impressed with everything you had done

 

Without his help the car certainly wouldn't be where it is today and we work very well together (we have the odd father son mini arguments but we have always had these )  and as we progress on the car i out my ideas forward of how i see the car going and if i am working then he puts the thoughts into action... some of the work he did on the steering column setup i am amazed in.. in just getting the blinker/wiper stalks in there and working while still retaining the Torana column was awesome.. 

 

As for writing a paragraph (or as i like to think it is "brain download") I don't mind doing it if there are things to comment on otherwise sometimes it is a bit hard on stretching out a good story (the rust repairs are a good example, so much work and pics but it is basically 1. spot rust, 2. cut rust out. 3. make piece to fit and 4. weld in)  If only in real life it actually was that simple , but cant really glamourize it anymore than that so is easier to just post lots of pics.

 

As for the name of the thread/car my family are a MAD fan of the DC/MARVEL franchise and watching avengers etc  one of the cars (old corvette ) was named Lola and i kind of liked that so then did the play on words with of course having ther L and H pronounced being the model of car..  

[Doubledip]

I forgot i hadn't posted and pics of the Engine cross member modifications... there was a fair bit of work involved in this one ..

 

needed to make sure that the sump cleared, the drivers engine mount was moved back far enough for the factory LSA A/C compressor would fit and also integrate the power steer rack with clearance

 

 

Stock engine cross member

 

 

 

Cut engine mount off

 

 

Line the rack up of the frame after making the bolts fit the holes on the rack

 

 

Cut out the space for the rack head to fit and also making sure there is enough room for the lines to come out

 

 

rack bolted up to frame and dummied up some pipes to make sure clearance is good

 

 

now to make sure sump has clearance

 

now to fill in all the holes

 

 

test fit rack again along with moving the mount back and test fitting

rack already for welding now

[Bigfella237]

Yeah but can your LoHla fly?

 

As for the name of the thread/car my family are a MAD fan of the DC/MARVEL franchise and watching avengers etc  one of the cars (old corvette ) was named Lola and i kind of liked that so then did the play on words with of course having ther L and H pronounced being the model of car..  

 

Damn Justin, mentioning DC and Marvel together like that would get you beat up at Comic-con!

 

 

Are you doing anything (not pictured above) to re-strengthen that k-member? They already have the tendency to bow in the middle over time (especially if you do a lot of curb-hopping) and it looks like you've taken a heap more strength out of it again?

 

Also, which power steering rack did you use, that looks like the old faithful Cortina rack conversion?

[orangeLJ]

Would it have been an easier exercise to use one of the off te shelf tube chassis style front ends that are on the market these days?

[Doubledip]

when i originally approached the places that make them.. for me to purchase a front end , with the big brakes i wanted (not the standard 280 or 320mm optional) along with a power steer rack it was close to $8000 .. i didn't have that sort of money to outlay at once.. and would still leave me with engine mount hitting A/C compressor as they all mount forward...  ( this was a year ago when everything else was purchased)   even now ones like the Rod Shop optioned up are $7600

Edited by Doubledip, 11 January 2017 - 05:17 PM.

[orangeLJ]

Fair enough

Didn't realise they wanted such big dollars. That said, I'd be more inclined to fabricate something similar from scratch. The clearance tey offer is too good to pass up.

So much room for activities!

[Doubledip]

still going... just is painful posting pictures on the website when have to upload them onto photo-bucket then link them in etc...  much easier when just posting straight to site (like Facebook etc..)

[Doubledip]

more exciting welding going on..more of the chassis rails completed (just need the parts under the bumper brackets done now)... the infill panels on the chassis rails (after the chassis rail lips were removed) and the firewall plate... then grind grind grind...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Doubledip]

chassis rails all joined and welded underneath and ground back

 

 

 

 

[Doubledip]

smoothing the engine bay and then sprayed with hi-fill rubbed back and then re hi-filled so can settle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Doubledip]

then made some covers to go where the coil over bar mounts under the car... this can be welded in once the back end has been finalised in welding

 

 

 

[Doubledip]

Well lots of work has still gone on but been way too bust and way to lazy to post pics so here is a few of whats been going on 

 

Power steer rack fitted to modified front X-Member and with new Uni setup

 

 

 

 

started fitting out boot to enclose the battery, handbrake setup, fuse box, amps etc... more to go but this is the start

 

 

 

 

mad some side plates to sit up under the centre console of the VE as its much wider than the torana tunnel

 

 

 

 

rear parcel shelf made... houses the rear retractable seatbelts along with 2 rear speakers

 

 

 

Door trims made up - try and give a more modern look to match the VE inner door handles, VE arm rests and fit the speakers in the front with tweeters

 

[IMORAL]

Like

[Heath]

Insane.

[MictheAussie]

That Chassis strengthening is a wok of art. It's so much better than any off the shelf kit. The CRS ones are so ugly.

[Doubledip]

your doing a top job on this build mate! just curious what thickness the steel is that youve used to join and cover the chassis rails? cheers.  

 

has the 75 x 50 box tube running inside the chassis rails ... then covered on the outer sides front to rear and under sides front to rear with 3mm

[neglectedtorana]

Hi Justin,

All of your work is great, like it a lot.

Just a thought regarding the gearbox cross member, have you planned where your exhaust will run under the car?

I didn't plan mine and when I began fitting the exhaust I found that my gearbox cross member was perfectly inline with where I wanted the pipes to go and I had to then re-make the cross member and get it as close to the floor pan as possible to give more room for the exhaust.

Have fun, I like reading your progress
Cheers,