Morton's white VQ Statesman

[Morton]

Haha yeah, I've got about... a lot of projects all running at the same time right now:

1) remove/install dashboard to save weight (80% complete)
2) fix heater (90% complete)
3) flush cooling system (50% complete)
4) re-wire engine bay (50% complete)
5) move battery to boot (25% complete)
6) fabricate underbody air deflectors (10% complete)

And I've got bits of all the projects lying all over the garage

[Morton]

Well, as it would be, I stumbled upon an INCREDIBLE bargain yesterday.

I just picked up 14 metres of 00ga cable for $70

Now there's something you don't hear about every day!!!

The plan is, since I can now afford this awesome cable, to run 00ga straight from the battery to the starter, and run 00ga straight from the battery to the engine bay.

Imagine that - almost no voltage drop at all

[Wagon_Wheel]

Good work dude, and good luck with the interior, thats a mess!!

[Bz Kn33z]

lmao, no wonder my car never used to warm up. I just pulled out the old thermostat, It was rated at 74 deg, and had TWO holes drilled through it, not the factory one with a jiggler.

lol wonder who did that, must have had overheating problems or the owner thought it did.

[savage1987]

lol wonder who did that, must have had overheating problems or the owner thought it did.

Or the owner subscribed to the ricer theory that cold = power... not realising that a motor is designed to undergo combustion most efficiently within a certain temperature range... a fair way above 74 degrees Celsius.


Morton, another project: drive around looking for upside down ricers, find and pinch .. erm .. recover.. a titanium exhaust. Cut and weld to fit

[Pub247]

Well, as it would be, I stumbled upon an INCREDIBLE bargain yesterday.

I just picked up 14 metres of 00ga cable for $70

Now there's something you don't hear about every day!!!

The plan is, since I can now afford this awesome cable, to run 00ga straight from the battery to the starter, and run 00ga straight from the battery to the engine bay.

Imagine that - almost no voltage drop at all

Luvky you thats a good price autobahn wanted $25 per metre

glad to hear things are going good in the re wiring department im sure that gregories i gave has come in real handy

[Morton]

Good work dude, and good luck with the interior, thats a mess!!

Thanks It's not very motivating to look at. Makes me want to do anything else first

lol wonder who did that, must have had overheating problems or the owner thought it did.

I have no idea, it's weird hey

Or the owner subscribed to the ricer theory that cold = power... not realising that a motor is designed to undergo combustion most efficiently within a certain temperature range... a fair way above 74 degrees Celsius.


Morton, another project: drive around looking for upside down ricers, find and pinch .. erm .. recover.. a titanium exhaust. Cut and weld to fit

Hahaha, that could work

The previous owners were middle-aged, and used the car as an interstate tow-car for their caravan. The car came kitted with towing springs, big trans cooler, hayman reece towing kit with trailer brake etc etc...

I can only presume they wanted to keep temperatures down when labouring through the hills dragging a huge caravan with them in summer.

Luvky you thats a good price autobahn wanted $25 per metre

glad to hear things are going good in the re wiring department im sure that gregories i gave has come in real handy

Haha yeah, that gregories has been a god-send with some of the technical drawings Plus, it's just a nice looking book

I'll treasure that baby forever ^_^ You can't get them like that anymore!!!

[Pub247]

I had a dream about you last night morton (weird i know ) you came round to show me the stato and you had a full hidden wiring and smoothed engine but you had also moved the engine back halfway through the firewall for better weight distribution and all i asked was "where did you get the engine mounts from?"


Told you it was a bit weird.....

[stocky]

I had a dream about you last night morton (weird i know ) you came round to show me the stato and you had a full hidden wiring and smoothed engine but you had also moved the engine back halfway through the firewall for better weight distribution and all i asked was "where did you get the engine mounts from?"


Told you it was a bit weird.....

who needs a heater when you have a hot engine right next to your legs

[TVR-190]

not a dream your psychic and looked into the future

[Morton]

I had a dream about you last night morton (weird i know ) you came round to show me the stato and you had a full hidden wiring and smoothed engine but you had also moved the engine back halfway through the firewall for better weight distribution and all i asked was "where did you get the engine mounts from?"


Told you it was a bit weird.....

I have no comment to add, except that this is now my signature

who needs a heater when you have a hot engine right next to your legs

True. This is one of the advantages of removing all sound deadning and insulation.

not a dream your psychic and looked into the future

Hahaha, I've been so tempted to hide the wiring in the stato. It's so close to reaching that point anyway

[stocky]

your wiring is already neat with those plastic tube thingies. i gotta do that to mine eventually

[Morton]

There's no way I'm diving into the dashboard to remove the evaporator, so that's all I'm taking out.

Boy was I wrong

[Morton]

4AG! We ran 00AG with mine and it still doesn't crank as hard as it used to.

Just out of curiousity, you may want to know that I just did a test start with my battery in the boot, and using what I've now calculated to be 3ga wire (25mm² core) and the car cranked over in about one second

Pics will come up when the installation is all tidied up and completed!

BUT IT WORKS And I'm getting hardly any voltage drop when I flash the high beams.

[stocky]

how much do you think it changed weight distribution? im guessing 10kg off front added onto the rear?

[TVR-190]

you mounting it on left or right side of boot?

[HCVP]

What are you doing with all the cool shit your removing? I heard you were giving it away

[greenfoam]

how much do you think it changed weight distribution? im guessing 10kg off front added onto the rear?

10 kilos! what are you driving a mini :P, I'm sure alst time I picked up a battery it was quite a bit heavier than that, I would have thought 15+

[Morton]

how much do you think it changed weight distribution? im guessing 10kg off front added onto the rear?

15kg at LEAST. It's a big Bosch Gold heavy duty bastard The sort you leave playing music through an amp for six hours and then start the car without a glitch.

you mounting it on left or right side of boot?

Right hand side. When we stuck my car on Troy's scales, that was the side down on weight

What are you doing with all the cool shit your removing? I heard you were giving it away

If by "cool shit" you mean my aircon and power steering - it's sitting in the garage gathering dust. I'll sell it one day...

10 kilos! what are you driving a mini :P, I'm sure alst time I picked up a battery it was quite a bit heavier than that, I would have thought 15+

Hahaha, yeah. 20kg for mine I'd say. One day when I have the spare cash, I'll get a lighter high performance dry cell.

[TVR-190]

yeah but you didnt have a full tank of petrol either. when u got a full tank the car will be heavier on the drivers side

[greenfoam]

I think you guys are confused left right up down. I'm sure Morton is putting the battery on the PASSENGER side

[TVR-190]

damn confusing that right and left stuff

[Morton]

yeah but you didnt have a full tank of petrol either. when u got a full tank the car will be heavier on the drivers side

I think you guys are confused left right up down. I'm sure Morton is putting the battery on the PASSENGER side

I'm putting the battery on the DRIVER'S side Sorry Greenfoam!!!

Sure, I weighed the car with half a tank. But I still had a weight deficit of 60kg on the petrol tank side. SIXTY kilos.

In theory, with a full tank of petrol and the battery now on the same side, we should be getting closer to a 50/50 weight split at the back.

Sure, with me in the car we'd be looking at a slightly better distribution again, but then I never run a full tank of petrol in the first place, so this compensates


All is nearly done - all I have to do is slice up the boot carpet to accept cable through it, and we're done!!

[greenfoam]

As if the passenger side was heavier scales plugged in back to front!. Everything to do with weight is on the drivers side, including the driver, stop being crazy . Petrol tank, pedals, steering, battery!, driver. Impossible for the drivers side to be lighter

[HCVP]

If by "cool shit" you mean my aircon and power steering - it's sitting in the garage gathering dust. I'll sell it one day...


Air con is cool yeah, having just gone through a western sydney summer, with no air con, no fan, and no rooflining, add to the mix the few days i couldnt put the windows down after the tint, and i've develpoed a wear and uncurable fetish for air conditioning systems