My NZ VN V6

[88GreenVN]

finally she's riding low, what a change, from non fuctioning front shocks to full working setup. seems very firm at the mo, guess i'll get use to it soon enough. much less body roll. gonna put of getting larger sway bars for now, doesn't feel like i need em.

the only down side is that the exhaust is fouling on the panhard rod may have to borrow the one of the V8 in the garage that has the bend in it for now. will post some pics later, still on 14" stockies at the mo gonna sort some new treads this week for the 17's

Good old bone jaring shocks. Hope your back is in good nic

I'm glad not to have that now - I have the Country Pack shocks and springs. Seems to sit a bit higher than standard and make it easier to get in and out of the car

Also how have you set your CAS? - any effect on the tune?

[immortality]

Good old bone jaring shocks. Hope your back is in good nic

I'm glad not to have that now - I have the Country Pack shocks and springs. Seems to sit a bit higher than standard and make it easier to get in and out of the car

Also how have you set your CAS? - any effect on the tune?

na, my back is fairly poor.

i have heard you can slot the bracket for the CAS to get more timing but i've never played with mine. not really looked at it to be honest. i guess playing with the memcal is more fun (just gotta fix my PC cause it stuffs the burnin software and crashes)

[immortality]

adjusted the exhaust this morning, turned the mid mount 90 degrees to use the other set of holes and adjusted the slip joint after the muffler to lift the pipe across the panhard rod. have made a slight "adjustment" to the corner of the petrol tank to create some more space.

gonna pick up some engine mounts in a mo to solve those problems also

[immortality]

**** me, when i jacked the car up to do the engine mounts the drivers side balljoint popped out of the lower control arm they must have de-formed it when they pressed the old one out

got the entire strut/ arm stripped out already. i've knocked it back into the arm (it popped out the bottom) and re-seated it, you can see around the front of the arm where it's not flat anymore. going to take it to work tonight when the missus gets home and weld the sucker in. it's not loose in the arm, however obviously not enough tension to hold it properly.

on a good note, the last of the fittings and pieces i need to complete the NOS instal arrived this morning.

may as well do those engine mounts while i wait for the missus to get home

[immortality]

i take it all back, traction is stil C RAP. changed over my ignition module (to get rid of a high speed mis), running my standard SV tune and i could only manage a best of 15.4@88 over the 1/4mile and mid 7's 0-60mph. i'm really starting to think it's the tyres. there to old and hard. they have been sitting in my garage for over 4 years and they weren't brand new before that either. i even dropped the tyre pressures but still no better. also down 4mph means it's loosing it's top end. time for those new leads me thinks

[greenfoam]

Starting to think you have dodgy tyres...... :P we all knew you need a year ago Being probably the quickest bolt on V6 on the forum (Bennys manual VP work car might be about the same) It's a pity you can't make it stick to see what it could do. A V6 can't make enough torque to get wheelspin really on good tyres, it's only 300 newtons or something at it's peak, decent tyres should be able to hold that for sure

[immortality]

Starting to think you have dodgy tyres...... :P we all knew you need a year ago Being probably the quickest bolt on V6 on the forum (Bennys manual VP work car might be about the same) It's a pity you can't make it stick to see what it could do. A V6 can't make enough torque to get wheelspin really on good tyres, it's only 300 newtons or something at it's peak, decent tyres should be able to hold that for sure

yeah , i agree. i've got some nankang N2 235/45/17's to go on the back. jsut gotta get em put on my rims.

think i found the fuel consumption problem. my right foot also been cruising around with only 22/23psi in the rear tyres and only 28psi in the fronts, certainly not good for economy either. running at 35psi again now.

bought a catch can so i can alter the breather setup and hopefully keep the oil out of the TB.

dead keen to get into the 14's before i hit the NOS and see what 0-60mph time i can nail

[immortality]

been bussy today. fitted S2 DFI and MSD coils. though it would be a bolt off/bolt on proposition but turned into a bit of a mission. the plate i got from the wreckers had different size holes and threads to the bolts i had so i had to drill and tap em to suit (5mm) then the bolts were to long and lifting the hole assembly off the engine mounting plate so i ended up drilling 3 holes in that to clear the bolts (rather then cutting the bolts down).

then i fitted the catch can and altered the PCV and breather systems. blocked off the hole in the rocker cover using a 5/8" blanking grommet and blocked of the breather at the bottom of the TB using a 10mm cap.

mounted the catch can on the radiator support panel and plumed it into the PCV plumbing using some 3/8" hose. ended up taking the catch can back to supercheap because one of the fittings wasn't threaded and getting another one.

after all that it was time for a quick cruise. jumping on the motorway some bro in a AU falcon came roaring past me on the on-ramp. though nothing off it and continued along quietly listening to some tunes. a few minutes later i passed him, then i noticed he was on my ass, and i mean right up my tailpipe, then he'd back away and accelerate again. i just cruised. once we were clear of traffic he pulled inside me and took off. i let him go....... but then something got the better of me, i wanted to open her up a little to see what she could do so i caught up to him. now everybody says the falcons have much longer legs then the commodores, especially after 2nd gear so i was expecting him to pull away from me. after he nailed it and downshifted i was surprised to find that i had enough speed to pull up next to him easy and then leave him behind going up a long hill to say the least i'm happy with how it's running and dropping a big turd on a AU falcon has absolutly made my day. so she's quick from a standstill and she's got fairly long legs also. not bad for a little ol' s1 V6

after all that cruising, when i got home, popped the bonnet to check for leaks etc the entire intake was still nice and cool, even the TB was cool to touch, only the elbow was starting to get warm and the intake manifold was hot but not as hot as it use to get so i guess all the shielding and insulation has helped drop the intake temps

[immortality]

Another busy afternoon, started in ernest on the nitrous install, got both fuel and N20 solenoids mounted and plumbed up. need to complete fitting the fuel cooler so that i can finish that side. just gotta mount the purge solenoid with NOS pressure gauge and it's finished. then it's time to do the wiring. there is also a large nitrous filter tucked up under the strut brace.

on the down side i've noticed a oil leak, there was a burning oil smell this arvo, found some oil on the Y pipe from the headers, also a slight knock in the front drivers side suspension

[immortality]

fixing a oil leak this morning, found the pasanger sway bar link completly disconnected from the sway bar that explains the knock in the front suspension. the nut, bushes and washers are all gone. wonder how that happened?

[Emackulation]

fixing a oil leak this morning, found the pasanger sway bar link completly disconnected from the sway bar that explains the knock in the front suspension. the nut, bushes and washers are all gone. wonder how that happened?

Did you forget to retighten it? Maybe you just had them lon loosely whilst working under there so you know where those nuts came off?

[immortality]

Did you forget to retighten it? Maybe you just had them lon loosely whilst working under there so you know where those nuts came off?

i've got no idea. it's the only reasonable explanation. no idea where the nut and washers are. got some spare bushes here, gonna have to find some washers and a nut from somewhere. wouldn't be surprised if the thread on the link arm is stuffed also from where the swaybar been hitting it. might be time to upgrade to those new ones from nolathane, the ones with the balljoints in em

[greenfoam]

Immortality, I found out I had a nut missing off the top of the swaybar once (at 130 km/h around a fairly sharp bend). It was probably the closet I've came to death in the last 10 years, a really really close call. Mine was done up tight but had worked it's way off the thread ( I allways loctite them now ). I do break the factory rubbers each month or so too which gets anoying but it's no where near as bad as having the swaybar not connected at all. I think I'll go the the shorter link pins for next year and see if that stops my swap bar issues

[immortality]

Immortality, I found out I had a nut missing off the top of the swaybar once (at 130 km/h around a fairly sharp bend). It was probably the closet I've came to death in the last 10 years, a really really close call. Mine was done up tight but had worked it's way off the thread ( I allways loctite them now ). I do break the factory rubbers each month or so too which gets anoying but it's no where near as bad as having the swaybar not connected at all. I think I'll go the the shorter link pins for next year and see if that stops my swap bar issues

missed this reply... i've found i have no more body roll now (on lowered springs) without the sway bar connected then i did with standard springs and sway bar. i'm considering changing my links over to the early commodore style (VB-VL) where they connect to the lower control arm rather then the strut.

also found one nut loose on the missus VS, i had to replace a stuffed bush on it a few weeks ago also. if it comes loose again it looks like loctite for me also. she also bent the link arm on the passanger side with the stuffed bush so she musta hit a decent pothole with it me thinks.

on a sour note, i found some water in the new catch can no milky stuff on the dipstick however. i've had trouble with the oil pressure light coming on even though the oil pressure gauge is showing the normal oil pressure. no odd engine noises either and i don't seem to have lost any coolant. last week after fixing a leaking oil fitting i degreased the engine and then hosed it down. the little seal is missing for the plug on the oil pressure sensor so i think that explains the oil light playing up, it probably got full of water when i hosed it down. i wonder if water could have found it's way into the engine? but then i think i would have had milky oil. i've also only driven the car in the early morning and late evening to and from work (5mins max) we would have been lucky if morning temps are above 2-3 degrees some mornings and maybe i've got a buildup of water (condesation) from moisture in the air that hasn't burn off because the engine hardly gets up to temp by the time i get to work/home.

[immortality]

picked up a nolathane sway bar link kit this morning to suit VB-VL. i'm going to convert mine to the earlier setup and see how that goes. the link arms are much shorter. should make changingthe bushes much easier in future also. comes with nyloc nuts as well. bonus

[Emackulation]

picked up a nolathane sway bar link kit this morning to suit VB-VL. i'm going to convert mine to the earlier setup and see how that goes. the link arms are much shorter. should make changingthe bushes much easier in future also. comes with nyloc nuts as well. bonus

Let me know how it goes with the short linkies. I am in the market for a new set so I need to know weather to go for the short ones or the stock ones.

[immortality]

Let me know how it goes with the short linkies. I am in the market for a new set so I need to know weather to go for the short ones or the stock ones.

new swaybar links fitted. was more hasle to remove the old ones then fit the new ones. also, because of the location you can get a standard 14mm socket and ratchet on the nuts to do em up. much easier. once the old links were gone i put a axle stand under each wheel hub and then lowered the car onto em. this way the car is sitting at it's normal ride height and means you can fit everything and do it all up in the correct position. childs play

can't really say if one setup is better then the other in terms of handling, i've been driving it around without one side connected for atleast a week but as it is now it's much better then before

also altered the bushes for the lower rear shockies. they weren't a firm fit with the bolt done up. causing a knock. i've shortened the crush tubes about 2mm and also fitted a spacer so that there is more crush on the bushes when locked up. no more knocking noises form the rear

good afternoons work

[Cheap6]

Re. ARB links: My car came with a set of aftermarket ones with harder rubber bushes which have lasted > 90K km, some of that with a 30mm 'bar. I have also seen a set that looked to be the same on a VR in a wreckers. I don't know who made/makes them but, in the absence of picture(s) a description will have to do: They are made of ~8 (10?) mm hex bar and bent to match the postion of the mounting bracket and ARB rather than the factory style straight ones.

Interesting to see someone else trying N2O on a VN/VP. It might depend on which kit you have but with my NOS kit the lines were long enough while running along the fuel lines but I laid it out differently. I have the N2O solenoid on a bracket on the top trans. bolt closest to the passenger side and the -3 hose running from there to the nozzle, pretty much where you appear to have it but underneath the duct elbow. The -4 hose runs back following the path of the fuel lines and comes up through the grommet that can be seen forward and right in the pic. you have on post #89. The bottle (10lb) is mounted to the right of the boot.

[immortality]

yeah, the VN ones were good for a long time. the guy at the suspension place recommended the new nolathane links which has a bit of an "S" curve to em similar to waht you mentioned. they are also much thicker then standard. i read a tech article a while ago about suspension and longer link arms reduce the effect of the sway bar where as shorter link arm firm it up more. not sure if it's true. also they way they are connected to the strut means it loads up on the steering and if you hit a bump mid corner with everything at really weird angles... one can only imagine. with the link arms connected directly to the control arm the loads only really ever going to be vertical through the link arms, no twisting action any more. it's been suggested to me to fit a 30mm sway bar for drag racing use to aid traction, funnily enough by the guy that did my diff.


my nitrous line would be long enough if i mounted my solenoids as you have on your ride. not a bad idea, a stealth install i guess. i ahd considered mounting the solenoids behind the strut tower, outa sight outa mind sorta deal but i figured if your gonna have it you might as well show it off when the bonnet is up. this is my first attempt with nitrous. been toying with the idea for many years, the kit is actually for a 4bbl V8 but i've adapted it to suit the V6 setup.

i'd be interested to know more about what you have done/learnt with nitrous on the buick V6. i'm using the jetting chart suggested by holley/NOS but i understand it fueled extremly rich to compensate for systems that don't allow you to retard the timing?

[Cheap6]

I had the 30mm front 'bar and a 22mm rear 'bar on for a while (with FE2 springs front and rear) but took them off. While it was - subjectively at least - better with them on a dry road, on a wet road it would go from understeer to oversteer more quickly than I liked, while feeling like it gripped less than with the standard 'bars. That was with205/65/15 tyres.

I have since swapped back to using a standard front 'bar with a V8 rear 'bar - 20mm vs 19mm = a 23% stiffer 'bar - which is now ideal to me for a road car, and cheap: $40. I never ran with just the 30mm 'bar on the track so can't say whether it will help traction. In the process of swapping to just the 20mm rear and standard front, I did have at one stage the 30mm front with the 20mm rear and it was nasty - big time understeer and dangerous on a wet road.

My N2O is a sort of half stealth install; you can see it if you look for it. The bottle is too much of a giveaway to be bothered taking too much effort in hiding it and it just sort of worked out to be the way it is. If I could hide the bottle.... It is easily removed and refitted though (except for the -4 hose) which is important as it is illegal to have a system fitted on the street over here.

You are ahead of me with the jetting; I have only used the recommended settings for 35HP (26/18) and 50HP (30/22) (@950psi, 43psi) that came in the kit instructions. If it's rich(er than max. power), that suits me atm. I just got it running before going back to further education, so haven't had time to fix stuff if I break it while tuning (= no tuning).

You mentioned the purge solenoid resistance in an earlier post. I'm guessing that would be a 16020. I have a 16015 = I think that's a 16020 with the body unplated. I checked the resistance on that; 2.1 ohms (22 ohms for the 16085 fuel solenoid). Same?

The bottle brackets are a pain (and assembled by NOS's Mexican workers so as to be distorted on mine) so yes, I'm with you on a hinge system (or another fix).

[immortality]

the old girl is having a identity crisis, she now thinks she's a SS thanks to the newdash tag (88GreenVN )

i was worried about the purge solenoid but the nitous book i have states the amp ratings for various solenoids and it works out about right.

NOS does do some nice hinged alloy brackets but i just can't justify spending the $$$ for what they are. i was considering finding some old fire extinghiser bottle brackets and using the locking mechanisms from those on the original brackets.

how have you triggered the NOS, i'm thinking of just using a button on the steering wheel wired through a switch on the clutch pedal. how did the 50hp shot feel?

[Cheap6]

So is the resistance for my '015 the same as the '020?

I hadn't thought of looking at fire extinguisher brackets, thanks.

I have a push on/push off arming switch on the console that I can tell the position of without looking at - useful at night. (A light on the dash would achieve the same thing.) That is in series with a voltage switch, reading WOT TPS voltage and a window switch. A microswitch on the throttle body would be cheaper but I want the system to look like it is totally removed without the solenoid and nozzle (and the duct it is in). I also have a momentary switch which bypasses the TPS and window switches for purging air from the system each time the solenoid is reconnected - done with the duct off the throttle body. I don't purge the system other than that. I think that a throttle switch makes more sense intuitively if you want to get off the throttle and it also means that the system isn't flowing N2O without the throttle open. That I believe is wasteful; air is free, N2O is not. I haven't thought about a clutch switch but that seems reasonable.

While it is obvious when it is working, it isn't that dramatic, more like snapping the throttle from 3/4 to full on a V8 or, better, like a turbo car coming on boost. it might be more so with bigger jetting.

[immortality]

do you run a bottle heater? without one i think the bottle presures are down to about 900psi. also with the jetting chart that Holley supplied specific for the 3800 engines i think yours is only jetted for about 30hp and running really rich.

[calaiscruzer]

Been checking this out for a while now, coming along nicely. GO THE NOS :-)
Great write up and pic thread
Great bang for buck also, emphasis on the bang!

[immortality]

Been checking this out for a while now, coming along nicely. GO THE NOS :-)
Great write up and pic thread
Great bang for buck also, emphasis on the bang!

cheers, she's been a slow process but i'll get there one day. ultimatly drag racings not may main inspiration, i prefer running around a track. gonna join the commodore club here in NZ soon, that way i'll be able to get into there club days and give it death around Pukekohe. the only thing that scares me is pulling her up at the end of the long back straight, the VN brakes are fairly average when pushed.

was looking at a 330mm kit from a guy in Chirstchurch, about the cheapest i've seen in NZ but it's still $2K