Sam's VN

[VNBT1]

Funny that, i took mine for a drive 2 fridays ago and should be back driving it regulary from tomorrow!! Seems the GENIII conversions are all finishing at the same time i have minor issues with overheating and the custom OTR is getting finished on saturday!! I cant wait!!!!

[savage1987]

Funny that, i took mine for a drive 2 fridays ago and should be back driving it regulary from tomorrow!! Seems the GENIII conversions are all finishing at the same time i have minor issues with overheating and the custom OTR is getting finished on saturday!! I cant wait!!!!

I don't even know if I have overheating issues, got no gauge need to work out where that CAE brass adapter for temp gauge goes, and what sensor from the V6 fits into it. Their post purchase support is poo I've found

[isit_ls1t]

the temp sender will go in the back of the right hand cylinder head. just unscrew the blanking plug and screw the adapter in. then just use the original v6 temp sender

[savage1987]

the temp sender will go in the back of the right hand cylinder head. just unscrew the blanking plug and screw the adapter in. then just use the original v6 temp sender

Cheers, I'll have another look. I don't think any of the sensors I kept from the V6 intake manifold (kept all of them) screw into the adaptor fitting... not impossible that CAE ****ed up here also, they already sent me the wrong oil pressure T piece. They make 2, they sent me the wrong one. How fkn hard can it be!!?










other news:



Here's the pic from last time that I stuffed up and missed out - park/neutral switch bridging:













my awesome throttle cable bracket o.0













Coolant plumbing (temporary as it is)




















unsure why this happens

















Car looked like this for its test runs... and open piped for Mad Max appeal























Also this arrived today instal tomorrow:














Getting there just need to sort out the way it drives (plugs/leads/f.pressure/temp gauge) then it's time to head to Kwinana to get an exhaust built.

[savage1987]

OK so my super fantastic VE upgrade kit is shithouse, safety / fitment issues galore, and while it alleges it is ADR approved, it seems engineers have been alerted to dodgy brake line manufacture method present in these kits and will not pass them without a hose upgrade..

There were a few other things about the kit I was not happy with safety wise, I'll copy paste from another forum:




================================================== ================================================== ==




^This is how the kit came in the box, there are no bushings for this. It's the "Big Brake Kit":








Anyway people are telling me the rim will hold it in place just fine when it's bolted on, but no, surely all that will hold it is friction!! and i bet there is less friction there than there is on the rotors under full brakes!!

Now I know realistically, chances are that once you've bolted the wheel on, etc the first time you brake, the studs will bunk up against one side of the hole then after that it'll probably stay there, unless you do lotsa hard breaking in reverse.

That said, it still does not seem right to me.

Also, for a full kit, it should really come with some instructions on how to fit those gay little metal clips that retain the brake pads. I was told by the supplier that these can be put in 2 ways and that one of those ways is wrong and will score the rotor. Guess what, mine are the wrong way then. WTF. I had a bit of a hunt on but could only find a guide for rear brake pads on VE, not fronts.


Also was under the impression this kit would fit under my 15s, since they are VY 15x7s, but they definitely do NOT. I was then told to reverse the caliper adapter bracket to bring the caliper in toward the hub a little. I did this, and it does not bolt on at all, the rotor interferes with the caliper

Anyway main point, someone explain to me how this kit possibly passed ADR with that much rotational play in the rotors!!


================================================== ================================================== ==


Anyway pics of the fail install can be found here: VE brake upgrade pictures by sam_brown_05 - Photobucket






Anyway I now have a bigger brake upgrade lined up for it instead since I can't keep my 15s with a VE kit anyway (no I'm not going VT upgrade.. same money all told for far less gain) and have lined up a set of VP GTS 17s from a mate to get me by for now.

[isit_ls1t]

that kit looks like an epic fail.. i just use vt calipers and discs and a custom hub

[savage1987]

oh my word

well my spark plugs must be cleaning themselves, and my 2piece ignition leads must be welding themselves together.. because it's getting better at not dropping cylinders.

ripshift stops adjusted properly, have all gears now every time, no longer have to be scared of synchro grinding.. took it for a run and it impressed me a lot

2nd gear no hope of grip, 3rd gear if you clutch into it hard you still have no grip, 4th gear as speed and revs pick up, you have to watch out, gets loose if you hit a bump at full stick


I'm in love.

[VNBT1]

Thats sounds tuff mate, what diff gears do you have? Forgive me if you have already said i might have missed it?

[savage1987]

Thats sounds tuff mate, what diff gears do you have? Forgive me if you have already said i might have missed it?

Stock 3.08 BW gearing at the moment, 3.9s to go in later if I decide it's appropriate. I think it's more the minispool and dual rear sways that really liven things up under power.

[savage1987]

lazy update in the form of copy/paste from MSN:







!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!1! so many problems fixed!!!!!! in one hit!
alternator plug
wasn't plugged in
= not charging system
= running on a half flat battery
= <12V
= <12V to fuel pump
= fail fuel pressure
= weird lights coming up on dash as battery breathed its dying breaths
= i thought it was overheating when it stuttered and died
= ****ING WIN NOW


jump started
went for a drive
came home, reversed into shed
thought **** me i can hear the fuel pump... ???????
got under car
fuel pump whirring like crazy
thought holy shit i'll have 58psi now!!
checked gauge
75 ****ING PSI OOPS

[_ANGRY1_]

good work mate, atleast things are starting to workout better now, it will be awesome once you fit a cam
im having a few problems trying to work out if i should sell off my efi 304 setup & go ls1 im betting you would agree the ls1 is much better option

[savage1987]

yes!! bit of stuffing around to get it all set up 100% (I'm not even close yet) but worth it over all !

[isit_ls1t]

good work mate, atleast things are starting to workout better now, it will be awesome once you fit a cam
im having a few problems trying to work out if i should sell off my efi 304 setup & go ls1 im betting you would agree the ls1 is much better option

the thing that you would need to weigh up is a) the money and time spent getting the engine in using conversion kits that dont fit they way they should.

You could just spend that money on putting a pro charger or vortech on the 304 and working that. atleast then all parts that you buy for it are designed for that car and will fit without piss fating around. ending up with roughly the same results.

there have been many times during the build on mine i have rued the fact i sold the 304 /t5 from my ss to drop in the ls1/powerglide. although once its driving that thought may change

[savage1987]

Update, after sorting out fuel pressure I took it for a thrash this morning, a WOT run to see if my low rpm and high rpm problems had sorted themselves out..

They haven't.

My new diagnosis is that my engine has a cam in it. After ordering my MAFless to suit a stocker, I was told by the dude I bought it from (SUSPECTSS on here) that there's a strong possibility of cam.

Up high it starts to flutter and carry on (no idea what rpm, need to install tacho), and down low it is all sorts of fail. Midrange is strong as anything.


This is both a blessing and a curse

blessing:
it's a bigger cam, bigger cams are good.
depending what cam it is it might be pure awesome with a set of heads.

curse:
tune is all wrong
don't know specs of cam so will need to haemmorhage money on a dyno
will make passing emissions interesting (apparently for some bullshit reason I have to..)
it's probably (99.9% probably) not the cam I want

[savage1987]

nearly had a bad slip up tonight. Well, it WAS a bad slip up - sideways and backwards at ~70ph, onto someone's footpath/front lawn.. but could easily have been a LOT worse so I'm .. grateful, not the word, thankful, not the word.. happy? nah not the word.. anyway:

no damage beyond pride and a TINY bend in a 15x7 that I whacked straight with a hammer

Lesson learned: this car now demands full attention when driving, it is all too easy to lose the tail end, especially in the rain (i.e. tonight).






So anyway time for some photos, I've been a bit slack in this department lately:







A better shot of my stacked coils















Coolant temp sender installed and functioning well (yes, tested overheating is never fun)

















All sorts of temporary fixes in the engine bay.. none of the circled problems are permanent
















And a few pics of the exhaust tips of the system I got pieced together today, twin 3" most of the way through:

















I like them they look like they mean serious business!







I'd also like to say that the car, while not easy to handle in the wet, is SUPER FUN to drive and properly fast when it gets grip




I'd also like to *suggest* that it *possibly* does awesome light throttle 'nuts in 2nd gear, in like zero space. Turns on a dime.




And that in the rain, I can now change lanes on the freeway without using the steering wheel.