476 replies to this topic

[Struggler]

Thanks Callum, I had problems keeping it off the limiter a few times there but it was definately singing !

Hi Leigh,
yes, one of the top fittings is a breather, it has a built in roll over valve and a line that vents externally. If the car sits for a while I unscew it and cap off the bung to avoid fuel evaporation. The other line is a return from the reg.

The bearing issue I'm fairly sure is due to the design of the sump, it had no baffles and when swinging the car around I assume it was sucking air occasionally. This combined with the high RPM I was using resulted in dry bearings which in turn self destructed and overheated the rods, causing the failure.

A local 308 racer (may he rest in peace) had a similar problem to yours, burning up the rod bearings in the water box. He also cured it with a rev limiter but not before it cost him a few engines !

Hi Paul,
good to see you back !! I like the pipes you made up for the UC, they should work fine.

I have no problem with the tube size of the Hurricane pipes, I would rather run 1 5/8". The problem lay in the poor exit angle from a few ports (particularly No. 8) and the range of pipe lengths (4' to 14"). I modified the collector before fitting them initially. Anyway I have sold those pipes off and trial fitted another set of 4:1's. These exit out the inner guard and then come back in under the chassis rail and continue past the gearbox on the inside of the rail. They are a great fit and don't interfere with the turning circle at all. I will post a few pics when I get it back together. They use 1 3/4" primaries, 24" long and a 3" collector. I got them second hand off a racer in Sydney. They really suit my ease of maintenance policy and keeping heat away from vitals like the plug leads.

As for the 400, I was using a 400 block and have never been a big fan but liked the extra cubes and bore unshrouding they provide. I honestly think the bores are too close together and have seen heaps burn the gap between cylinders out. Even in my limp 377 the area between cylinders had scorch marks between them. The head gaskets were intact so it must have been lifting the heads enough to allow gas to pass thru. Next build will be back to a 4" bore.

As for the diff arm angle, I have not checked the upper arm angle but due to the larger housing I am sure it is steeper than standard. I set the ride height so that the lower arms were parallel to the track. Despite being very stiff it hooks up fine on Drag Radials. I have always run my cars with stiff rears and loose fronts, just seems to work well for me. This may be due to the fact I have always used Powerglides so the initial hit isn't as harsh as a 3 speed.

Anyway let me know how the 400 UC works out, I would be interested to hear.

[Struggler]

No real news lately, I have been tied up with my VH SL/E project and some other stuff but after the drag day got enthusiastic again.

I am thinking about a colour change, any ideas or someone with some Photoshop skills would be appreciated. I am thinking Barbados Green or a bright yellow, want something that stands out. If anyone has some pics of brightly coloured UC's post 'em up.

I have got hold of a $900 reringed and bearinged 327 short with forged pistons that I am going to pull apart and have a look at before reassembling with some heads I have here and a solid cam. Still toying with the details and have some other minor things to sort out before committing to anything and like I said, am looking at stripping the car back and painting it while the engine is out.

Anyway to keep you interested here is another burnout video PowerWheels TV gave me (a work mate had to upload it due to my lack of skills). Don't take it too seriously but its good for a laugh !!!

[Growla]

Hurry up and get that thing going so we can race at the next at WSID meet.

cheers
Mark

[LXCHEV]

Top video, very funny commentary, LOL.

PS. BARBADOS GREEN gets my vote

[Struggler]

Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed it and took it for what it is !!

I must acknowledge Power Wheels TV for the video and thank them for giving me a copy.
The bloke doing the commentary was a real screamer !!

Any photoshoppers out there ???

[Struggler]

I got sick of looking at the UC tail lights and after seeing Dirtbags thread and a couple of others I took the plunge and today I attacked the rear with a grinder. I messed around with it for a while and have almost got it sussed but it appears to not be quite as easy as I first thought. The radius of the rear corner appears to be a bit different from the LX to the UC. The LX has a much squarer shape compared to the more rounded UC and I may need to enlist professional help to get them to match up. Can't help but wonder if the other guys had a similar problem. Maybe the hatch and sedan have different corner shapes ?

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Before

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After !

[TerrA LX]

Hahaha it is like a religion, another one converted lol.

[LXCHEV]

Yep, nice move

[Struggler]

You will have to do the front aswell now ! Good luck

I actually like the UC front and am happy to leave it as is, its a bit different too and that works for me ! I was never happy with the rear though and am really looking forward to the new look. I had my panel shaping buddy take a look tonight and he is more than happy that he can sort out the minor radius issue with hammer and dolly.

Hahaha it is like a religion, another one converted lol.

It does seem to be all the rage !! This is one trend I don't mind following though !

Yep, nice move

Thanks Brett !

Edited by Struggler, 30 July 2010 - 10:23 PM.

[Struggler]

No real news lately, I have been tied up with my VH SL/E project and some other stuff but after the drag day got enthusiastic again.

vh specs? i've got one that i'm building too

I might start a thread in "Non Torana Projects". It was a cool old non-2tone Alabaster one owner 202 tri VH SL/E, now 304/HQ heads, PG 3500 stall, BW 3.45 LSD, still getting some minor dings knocked out and some paint touchups. Should be reassembling the lights, bumpers etc in a few weeks. Tidy without being over the top (something to drive to the pub on Sundays !!) for weekend use.

What is yours like ? I really liked your last one just couldn't afford it at the time.

[gtrboyy]

Put up pics of your early commodore,be good to see it.I've got a asteroid silver vk thats in the build(collecting dust is more accurate).

Keep up the good work on the uc!.

[Struggler]

OK, back on topic !!

I looked at the rear of this thing a few times over the last couple of days and decided to hack on. Here is a quick pic of the rear I cut up for the LH/X tail light sections. Note the UC doesn't have the reinforcing panel (with the holes) behind the tail lights or the little gusset that comes down off the top of the rear quarter panel down to the tail light recess (must have been deleted for some sort of crumple zone deal)...

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And the cut out sections after a quick sand blast and etch prime....

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As you can see I opted to cut the top thru the area the boot rubber sits on (easier to line up the edge) and the bottom thru the rolled section just before it goes to two skins at the bumper mounts. First I had to split the lower corners and beat them out a bit to suit the different radius in this location...

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Then I tacked in the panels and beat the upper corners to suit....

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Then closed the boot to make sure it all looked straight.....

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I then went on to weld it all together. I welded it all up over about 3 hrs on a typical Canberra winter day and despite the warnings I got to take it slow I still managed to warp and pull it in a little. Some hammer and dolly work and some heat and a wet towel got it acceptable and I ground it all back quickly with a 40 disc to have a look (I also filled a couple of boot lid holes while I was there !)....

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The area along the top needed a bit of work in the corners to line up the UC and LX lines but it is under the boot lid and ended up OK.....

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I used a finger type sanding device I got off eBay a while ago to clean this area up. It uses a 13mm wide belt and is great for port matching heads and manifolds as well as grinding hard to reach welds !!!

Overall it isn't perfect but I'm glad I had a go. I am in no way a panel beater, just a wild man with a MIG welder and I reckon it came up OK. It will need a skim of bog in a few places but once painted it will look like it was always there.

Wow, I can't believe how much better it looks for just 2 days work !!!

[Peter UC]

BTW the LX doesn't have the reinforcing panel around the tail lights either.

[TempesT]

looking good andrew, still amazed at the pace you get through your projects.

the sl/e has come up a dream and was a neat car when i last saw it. How long until the UC will be back in action, what direction do you want to go with a new engine? will you make use of the blower manifold you have.....

as always a keen viewer of your work.
jim