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Torana hatch in California...


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#251 _LH8VD69_

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Posted 19 June 2011 - 08:59 AM

Damn !!!!!! What an excellent job u have done on ur hatch. One thing I was afraid of as I was reading was pleeeeeease don't let the interior be auto meter gauges and have some dicky console. What a fantastic job! If I could say anything at all it would only be my personal preferences like a strapped drop tank, torry seats and I do like your wheels .... Alot more than I thought I would in fact but I think the ........................... Hotwires ....... Look better :P nudge nudge :)

#252 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 19 June 2011 - 10:00 AM

Thanks!


The seats are not staying... I got a killer deal on them and thought I would try them out to see what I thought...and don't like them. They were brand new, so I should be able to get my money back (or maybe even make $50 or so) and resell them. I still have the original buckets...but think I will go with some more 'normal' looking Recaros.

On the gauges and console... I went to alot of effort (and money,lol) to keep all the factory gauges and have them work off the all computer controlled drivetrain. Happily after all the work (and abit of trial and error) I have them all going! Aside from the petrol gauge actually with is still sort of lazy? I might end up trying a different sending unit in the drop tank. And on the console...I was real careful how much I raised the trans tunnel to make room for the T56 and still have the factory console fit. I did have to slice a little bit off the bottom of the console, but overall you really can't tell anything has been done to it in that regard. The console and dash with factory gauges are a big part of what make the Torana a Torana to me and wanted to keep that.

The interior still needs finishing off...door trims, carpet around the rear wheel arches, vinyl work,etc but for now it's decent enough.

On the drop tank...it is mounted very solid how I did it (with the mounts on the sides and I sleeved were they bolt through the rails/floor) and the straps just never really grabbed me :lol:

As for hotwires...I had 8" and 10" hotwires on it for 8 or 9 years...and I do like them for the period look I suppose..but bigger wheels look cooler to me and plus I needed room for the big brakes :D

#253 _Rob 5000_

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Posted 21 June 2011 - 08:10 PM

hi jeff , love this thread!

#254 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 22 June 2011 - 12:52 PM

Thanks, glad ya liked it!

#255 _UNVSM8_

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Posted 24 June 2011 - 06:16 PM

love your hatch mate! i keep looking at that bay! i am so jealous and really really want a LS1 haha

#256 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 27 June 2011 - 01:26 AM

Thanks heaps :spoton:

I am sure glad I went LS1...they are an awesome engine really with heaps of potential if you want as well. Makes for a nice package...good milage, heaps of power, all alloy,etc.

#257 _LH8VD69_

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Posted 27 June 2011 - 12:31 PM

Thanks heaps :spoton:

I am sure glad I went LS1...they are an awesome engine really with heaps of potential if you want as well. Makes for a nice package...good milage, heaps of power, all alloy,etc.



Im a HUUUUGE fan of the LS1 ,especially cammed as i have one in my other car. LOVE IT !
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#258 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 27 June 2011 - 01:03 PM

I built a blown/intercooled one too....talk about a blast! Here it is over there at the Hot Rod show last year... (I built the entire car here in the shed, then it got paint/trim over there...it's my mate's car.

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#259 _68 GTO_

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Posted 27 June 2011 - 09:13 PM

Hmmm having owned a 96 TA, is that a 4th gen suspension/engine bay I spy in your mate's Camaro?

Tasty Hatch by the way, I'm arse about face compared to you, I have a RHD 68 Goat, missus has a nice UC Torry sedan.

Cheers

Aaron

#260 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 27 June 2011 - 11:57 PM

Aaron...yep, good eye! Car has a complete 2000 Camaro SS underpinnings to it...from front to back. Used all the late suspension, wiring, brakes, HVAC stuff, etc. It's a 69 Camaro with traction control and anti-locl brakes, ha ha..

I did a write on my build of it here: http://www.cardomain...hevrolet-camaro

In doing it, that was what made up my mind on going LS1/6 speed in my Torana.


(oh, and we've shipped a bunch of late F bodies over too...my mate still has a '98 WS6, a really low mile '96 SS and a '97 Z28 convertable too there, and we've done a couple '10 Camaros too :D)

#261 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 28 June 2011 - 12:07 AM

Oh, and speaking of GTO's......here is one I shipped some years back. It was a trip we had some spare time and instead of having a transporter bring it out, went and got it in my truck. Customer there had bought it out of the Phoenix area. Car sure was nice and dry of course...

Think I've ever only shipped a few GTO's over in all the years actually.

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#262 _68 GTO_

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Posted 28 June 2011 - 07:01 PM

Nice looking 68 vert, here's mine

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#263 _sting_

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Posted 28 June 2011 - 07:19 PM

Hi LS1 hatch i love your hatch boy you have made the bench mark very high for the rest off us , could you tell me if i can get wheels with the torana stud patern 4.25 made in your stile or billet rims , who does hot looking rims.
cheers sting

#264 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 29 June 2011 - 09:19 AM

Nice GTO as well !

And sting...
The wheels on my car were a limited run and are no longer available. I'm sure you can get some billet wheels done in 5 on 4.25, just depends on what style and brand you were after. Just a matter of getting something higher end that are made to spec basically so they can drill the centers to that bolt pattern to start with. (versus off the shelf common wheels that are all predrilled basically when the centers are made to common bolt patterns) There are tons of wheel companies out there that do nice billet stuff, or 3 piece stuff out there as well.

#265 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 03 July 2011 - 12:22 PM

Well, went for a little run around today in the car...it was kinda warm out (Near 90� or 32�C I believe that is) and after starting to feel warm I turned the air con on in the car...sure is a nice thing too have and glad I went to the effort of adding it!
Also wanted to see how the cooling system would do on a warmish day, so after I got home I let it sit and idle with the air con on in the driveway for around 30 minutes. I am very happy with the cooling system and would not be fussed to drive the car in a any weather and be stuck in traffic or what ever and know I will not have to be worried about it getting hot.

It was about 1/4 of the way up on the factory dash gauge and plugged in my scanner real quick to see what temp the engine computer was showing. So after driving around in the heat and then sitting and idling for a half hour or long it was just sitting right near the thermostat. Posted Image

With the air conditioning on, the Spal fan controller does run both fans (I use a pair of 11" Spal high output ones in an aluminum shroud) at full speed, so it moves a heap of air. Not only does it keep the engine nice and cool, but it also pulls plenty of air through the evaporator core to keep the air con blowing cold as well!

After I took the pic of the scanner I turned the air off and let the car run for another 15 minutes or so (while I was doing some cleaning in the garage,lol) and with the primary fan only running on the controller-set low speed the temp went up about 5 or 6 degrees at first then settled back to around 195�

So if anyone is worried about cooling your car, a pair of Spal HO 11" fans mounted to an Afco dual-pass radiator will do the trick for sure! B)

Oh, and it's supposed to be about 5 or 6 degrees hotter out tomorrow..guess summer is finally here!

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#266 ls2lxhatch

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Posted 03 July 2011 - 01:10 PM

It would be interesting to see how it goes on a hot day (40�C +). I have a similar setup, hopefully it will be enough.

#267 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 03 July 2011 - 01:23 PM

It was 118� about 2 hours from me....that is about 48�, but I don't really feel like heading out that way for testing..

It'll warm up properly by later in the month, so I'll see just how it does then. Being as I live only 8 miles from the beach, it normally only gets to maybe 100�/38�-ish right around here, but a half hour drive inland and it goes up 10�f no problem. And it goes get into the 40's here too...just not for too often at a time (knock on wood)

I do not expect any problems at all though when it does warm up here and I'll chime in and say how things did go. I'll be loading containers for a few weeks now so won't really have time to cruise around in the car until the main part of summer as it is.

#268 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 01:03 PM

Finally done loading containers again after a month, and it has indeed warmed up...so now that I'll have some time again, will try and do some running around a few places in the car later this week and don't for see any issues coming up (knock on wood, ha ha)

I might be heading over there to Melbourne in a few weeks time for a visit it looks like, so might grab a few little knick knacks for the car as well then! (I'll stay for 5 or 6 weeks)

#269 MRLXSS

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 01:21 PM

Let us know when you are here Jeff! Will you be staying up Lilydale way? It'd be great to catch up!

I can keep you in the loop if there any good car events going on while you are here! What are the rough dates you'll be here? The Knox Cruise Nights start up in October... They are always good! (Not as big as some of the car shows you have seen!)

There is also Toranafest up near Sydney in September! LOL. You'd have to get along to that!

#270 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 01:53 PM

Thanks !

I've got a little more container stuff to get sorted out this end, and a few other things to take care of, but am thinking about making the run over there (been a couple years since my last visit) so still a little up in the air but I will holler for sure if I sort out a time to come. :D

In the mean time I want to play around with the car some more :lol:

Edited by LS1 Hatch, 03 August 2011 - 01:57 PM.


#271 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 22 August 2011 - 01:08 PM

Worked out a couple more little things with the car that had come up...Made a heat shield for the fuel line in one area that was getting hot after a half hour or so on a really hot day (Summer here after all :lol:) when it was around 90� or so and hotter out, after running for that long it would have the fuel pressure tend to fluxuate a little at idle. So just drove around a little bit when it was hot out to get heat into things then pulled into the garage to check it out (used an infrared heat gun as well) and looks like I have the issue pretty well sorted out. Cooling system wise...I am more than happy with it. The car will not run even remotely hot with or without the air conditioning running, on the hottest days no matter how long it sits idling along. :D

Nothing too exciting in this video...do change the camera angle at around 6:30 time is all, ha ha...oh and should have turned the stereo in the car down a little so you could hear the exhaust better (which is why I had the windows down and not up with the air con on)




#272 _73LJWhiteSL_

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Posted 23 August 2011 - 04:52 PM

I built a blown/intercooled one too....talk about a blast! Here it is over there at the Hot Rod show last year... (I built the entire car here in the shed, then it got paint/trim over there...it's my mate's car.


The penny has dropped. I don't directly know your mate, but I know his wife's twin sister if its who I think it is.

Just realised as I saw that at the Hot Rod show back last year. I had to go through my own pictures to confirm it.

Steve

#273 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 25 August 2011 - 01:11 AM

His wife does not have a twin... (that I have ever met at least, ha ha..) might be someone else perhaps?

But yep on the car having been at the hot rod show twice now at least!

His wife does not have a twin... (that I have ever met at least, ha ha..) might be someone else perhaps?

But yep on the car having been at the hot rod show twice now at least!

#274 _73LJWhiteSL_

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Posted 25 August 2011 - 08:51 AM

Hmm ok then. I will ask my friend about who her brother in law deals with in the States, maybe it's one of his work mates that knows you.

Heres a couple of my shots of that Camaro.

Posted Image

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#275 _LS1 Hatch_

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Posted 26 August 2011 - 12:57 AM

Great shots you got of it as well! My name is on the build board inbetween the 2 cars, little hard to see in your pic. I had the 2010 Camaro here at home for a while too of course, sure was a blast to drive! And be interesting to see who is it that knows who that I might know (if that makes sense :lol:)




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