Project Que'y

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Nice to see parts arriving, good work.

You will never look back going for rubber bushes. I've seen nolathane upper bushes stuffed in the front of a H series Holden in less than 6 months. Just make sure you don't fully tighten up any of the suspension bolts untill the car is at final ride height and the bushes will give years of service.

My front springs are just off the shelf King Low springs. The front isn't as low as the rear because of the big tyres on the rear. The rear needs to tuck a bit of tyre (on a ute obviously) then i just lowered the front a bit to make the car sit level. That's the look i like though. Bigs and littles and level

Sump looks good, interesting to see how well that fits

[Zeussy]

Cheers Blown V6, will hopefully press the new bushes in the front arms tomorrow at work. The Ute originally had (when we got it) I think Super Pro bushes in the uppers, blue ones, which desintegrated when they were undone! And yep, know about the leaving the bushes just snugged up until its at ride height - good tip though.

The front springs are going to give me some bother I think. I don't really want to assemble it all until I have the lowered springs, but I don't know how low to go and am fairly impatient at the best of times, lol!

Sumps fitted to the motor, looks nice, but not too confident on the fit. I think there will be around 10mm interference between the cross member and the skinny part of the sump. Will see soon enough though.

Chassis and parts are back from the painters, finally! Not Satin black though, Gloss. Looks better than expected so I'm happy with it. 2 Pack Poly Urethane.

[Zeussy]

Ok, time for a little update. After having 2 and a bit weeks off work and accomplishing nothing on the HQ, I decided it was about time to give it some loving.

Saturday arvo, I painted a couple of little bits of the suspension/steering, then Sunday, the day before I go back to work, (monday) I (with the help from my missus) got most of the front end back together.

Upper and lower control arms in - bolts still loose, stub axle in - ball joints tightened, new shocks and lowered springs in, bump stops etc...














And after heaps of "hoping the sump would clear the crossmember" it didn't.
That left me with 3 options.
1. Space the engine mounts away from the motor enough to for it to clear. (ended up trying this, but it wasn't going to be enough).
2. Cut/plate the chassis/crossmember. (not too keen on).
3. Cut the sump. (which I ended up doing, got a bloke at work thats pretty handy and he's plated it, and welded it up nicely).











So now I just need to speak to the engineer, see what sort of brakes he wants to see on this thing - then buy some. That will ultimately make the decision if I use the Holden diff that was in it originally, or if I go later model commodore diff with disc brakes, or go all out and get the 9" built up, with commodore axles/stud pattern. When I buy the upgrade kit for the fronts, I can get the adapters/hubs in a commodore stud pattern also - allowing me to run commodore rims.

The Gearbox cross member is all sorted - pretty much fit straight in. Going to reinforce it a little then get it painted to match the chassis.

Next major hurdle will be fuel supply. Not sure if I'm just going to get one of those weld in rings to put in the top of the HQ tank, allowing it to accept the stock VZ fuel pump/sender unit. Or go custom job.

Then Wiring, Fuel and Brake lines, Exhaust, Tail Shaft and then the real fun begins - Rust Repairs. lol.

[ari666]

is this leaf springs in the back? ever looked at the 12 bolt chevy diff? its a 8.75" so a little smaller than a 9", has 30 spline axles and can be made just as strong, while a little bit lighter. BUT, useless to you if its leaf springs cos they (afaik) are only made for coils.

i think what you will find is after all the dicking around, a live axle 9" will turn out to be your cheapest option. heavy as HELL, but parts are just so friggin cheap its insane to go anything else.

just my $0.02

[Zeussy]

Yeah it's a leaf spring rear end in these bad boys.. So looks like 9" is the go.

A mate at work reckons there's no other choice but the 9" - tough as ####, cheap and easy to get parts for. Only down side is that they're heavy as - like you said, but the LS1 should have no problem turning it. Little bit of extra weight over the rear end won't hurt anybody anyway!

Any tips on where to find 9" parts? Ebay? I need the whole carrier assembly - it's got a pair of axles sitting in it atm, but how do I tell if they're the right axles for it, if they've been shortened, or if they're just old Holden ones? I got the housing under an old VK I bought years ago - not running just a rolling shell.

Cheers for the opinions/tips man, any free advice I can get is good advice!

Going to need some help setting up the fuel side of things a bit later on too... Maybe even the steering column? Ever had one of them out of these? More-so how to put it all back together?

[ari666]

steering column is a piece of piss. should be just a straight bar, undo the rag joint and trans linkages (if it has them) from the engine bay, undo the retaining bolts under the dash and it should pull free. having said that i am basing it on being the same/similar to the impala. shouldnt be too much different aside for the ignition key and wiring.

macdonald racing here in vic Contact Us had the whole rear setup for q'eys. not cheap tho. if you watch ebay a used one complete will come up from time to time. new centers are cheap from the US (summit racing Summit Racing , jegs etc JEGS Performance Auto Parts - Holley - Billet Specialties - Edelbrock - MSD - Moroso - Mr Gasket) as are axles and carriers but you will get stung HARD for postage. vpw also carry a bit of stuff (a whole new center for 1600 ) VPW Performance Mailorder

[Blown V6 Hatch]

I'd just put a Borg Warner out of a Commodore in it. A VS diff is exactly the right width to suit a H series Holden and will also give you Commodore stud pattern and disc brakes straight up. All you have to do is cut all the brackets off and weld on 2 leaf spring saddle plates. Job done.

It'll be plenty strong enough, because lets be honest here, stock LS1's don't really set the world on fire.

[Wombles]

Looks like an amazing project. Cant wait to see updates.
Well done Zuessy.

[ari666]

I'd just put a Borg Warner out of a Commodore in it.

this is also true, also there a TONNES of parts for borgwarners.

there i go again, changing my opinion.

[Zeussy]

steering column is a piece of piss. should be just a straight bar, undo the rag joint and trans linkages (if it has them) from the engine bay, undo the retaining bolts under the dash and it should pull free. having said that i am basing it on being the same/similar to the impala. shouldnt be too much different aside for the ignition key and wiring.

macdonald racing here in vic Contact Us had the whole rear setup for q'eys. not cheap tho. if you watch ebay a used one complete will come up from time to time. new centers are cheap from the US (summit racing Summit Racing , jegs etc JEGS Performance Auto Parts - Holley - Billet Specialties - Edelbrock - MSD - Moroso - Mr Gasket) as are axles and carriers but you will get stung HARD for postage. vpw also carry a bit of stuff (a whole new center for 1600 ) VPW Performance Mailorder

Steering column is already out, (but i wasn't around/looking when it came out :/ ) lol, more so the linkage/rod for the steering lock - maybe?

Cheers for the links! That's the thing with America, or oversea's in general, the postage almost outweighs the benefits of buying from O/S's.
Found a few centres on Ebay, good prices too, not sure if its worth getting a second hand unit then rebuilding it, possibly changing ratio's, or just buying a complete new unit for around $1200...

I'd just put a Borg Warner out of a Commodore in it. A VS diff is exactly the right width to suit a H series Holden and will also give you Commodore stud pattern and disc brakes straight up. All you have to do is cut all the brackets off and weld on 2 leaf spring saddle plates. Job done.

It'll be plenty strong enough, because lets be honest here, stock LS1's don't really set the world on fire.

VS you say? mmm, maybe..? Is the V6 diff the same as V8 diff? I like that it'd already be disc brakes and the ease of getting parts is also a plus...

How hard is it setting up the pinion angle? Is it a matter of setting the diff up on blocks and installing springs to the chassis, then adjusting to get the angle right, then tack in place?

And yeah stock LS1's aren't a ridiculous power house in them selves, but if the future holds what I hope it does, there may be more to this story!

Looks like an amazing project. Cant wait to see updates.
Well done Zuessy.

Cheers mate! It's definatley not breaking any new ground, but it should be a tidy little unit once its all said and done!

And I can't wait to bring you updates!!

this is also true, also there a TONNES of parts for borgwarners.

there i go again, changing my opinion.

LOL, thats like me also, lmao. Always willing to be shown/told/listen to other opinions. Then weigh up the pro's and cons to try and make an informed decision - that never works out though.
Usually throw caution to the wind and make an impulse decision!

[ari666]

Usually throw caution to the wind and make an impulse decision!

you and me both man, my impala thread is 60-odd pages of me changing my mind

[*uwishn*]

love the old tonner's i sold a smick 308 wb not long ago,
will be watching this build.

[pjdm1980]

Any updates?

[Zeussy]

Hello hello...!

Nice WB *uwishn* can't wait til the HQ's back on the road!

Bit of an update pjdm1980, been a long time coming, but I've been putting this off for a while!!

Rust repairs on the cab, specifically the inner and outer sills, front floor pans, and apparently the rear quarter panels - gotta love how things snowball...



Outter sill cut off, front lower panel/s removed...







Old v's New...







Floor pan out..



My sister's Fiance`laying some down! Nice helmet eyy



You can see the front section's repaired, and the outer sill already on in the last pic. Forget to get before and after pics, but got these ones from half way through!

Everyone laughed at me me for paying $300 for a 100 year old anvil, but I showed them, making the little rust repair sections in no time at all!

So all in all, we replaced the (passenger) front lower sections - where the front guards bolt to the body, the bottom part of the inner sill, the whole outer sill, front floor pan, and the lower half of the rear quarter panel, had to cut off the whole lower section as it was fairly badly damaged, the crease/body line had around an inch of bog on it...

Got the drivers side all cut out, just need to get some sheet from work to make up the smaller bits.

Ohh, and ignore the transmission hump, around the shifter! lmfao. its going once the drivers side floor pan is welded in!

[Zeussy]

Ok fella's, need a bit of advice/suggestions/to talk out loud (in text form anyway) and try and come to a decision on a couple of things.

Seeing as how I'm working so much, and have no time to work on this poor thing, I'm looking into seeing how much a standalone wiring loom will be, but you have to specify auto manual etc.
Which starts off the indecisions. What gear box to run, the 4L60E/th700 (whatever came with the VZ, 4 speed auto), th400, powerglide, or try and find a decently priced t56?? Always planned to just run what came with the LS1, butif theres a better option...

What sort of brakes? Looking at doing an upgrade, something like these, might get them off Hoppers Stoppers though, not sure if these are any good...?

BIG BRAKE CONVERSION KIT FITS HQ HJ HX WB STUBS MONARO | eBay

BIG BRAKE 330 MM KIT FITS HQ HJ HX WB STUBS MONARO GTS | eBay

Next up, fuel system, go custom tank where the original one sits, or drop tank where the spare tyre sits, or keep original with a weld ring in it. Fitting, rails, injectors? Keep as much stock as possible, or scrap the lot and get a complete after market system?

Tempted to throw a cam in, but then the idea of turbo's come into mind.....

Pretty much over slow progress and need to "see" something happening, quick! Get the brakes back on, front wheels on, back on the ground, then think of exhaust/fuel lines etc, throw the cab on, wire like mad and turn the key... Or something like that!

[Jonno]

ahh #### i remember all this haha

[Zeussy]

ahh #### i remember all this haha

Its ####ing painful hey...

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Nice work no the body, good to see it progressing. Keep it up mate.

In regards to your questions, i'd use either a TH350 or a TH700. Steer clear of the 4L60E IMO, go with the early mechanical auto if you want the 4 speed. Powerglide will hamper the LS1 too much, they are doughy enough down low with a 4 speed, a Powerglide would just magnify that. If you want a stick, then T56 is the only way.

Honestly, i think HQ-WB brakes are still a very good system. My ute stops absolutely fine with WB discs on the front and Commodore discs on the rear (i'm doing the same to my Torana aswell). I've driven H series Holdens with the Hoppers kit, and i can't feel much difference between them and mine. I think it's a lot of money for what i feel is very little gain.

Fuel system, go with the weld ring and VT module in the original tank. It'll work a treat and the tank will still be factory.

[Jonno]

lol, yup.
you find some weird shit

[Blown V6 Hatch]

^^Yep, that certainly is wierd, it's missing its ute quarter panels...

[Jonno]

^^Yep, that certainly is wierd, it's missing its ute quarter panels...

haha dw their on the other h series