82 vh ss

[Darren_L]

yeah will do, but I have a fair bit of confidence in these rods and the brand. The whiteline ones are fairly chunky, appear to be fairly high grade steel. I initially looked at the Pedders brand and they look a bit on the lean side. And to be honest in my experience, Pedders products aren't of an overly high standard. I had a Pedders adjustable panhard rod bend at Lakeside. I didn't hit any kurbs, no off track excursions. Only noticed when the l/h/r wheel started smoking on r/h turns. Got the car back to the pits and the l/h tyre was rubbing. Panhard rod had bent.... I ended up dodgying it up by sticking the jack under the panhard rod and straightening it so I could get the car home. Seems they can't handle a lot of lateral load or maybe I got a bad one. But I also looked at their coil over struts before I bought the ones I have now, and they weren't much chop either.

I know the guy who installed the rods and did the wheel alignment. He owns the steering suspension workshop, will supply most brands. He recommended the Whiteline brand, said he's had on them on his race car for a few years now and highly recommended them. Only thing he said is ditch the 2 piece k-frame bush that comes with them, apparently no good, they tear apart after a few sessions on the track. He installed a one piece Superpro bush instead

 

[Darren_L]

yip, that looks pretty sweet alright..

cheers mate!

 

[vc commodore]

yeah will do, but I have a fair bit of confidence in these rods and the brand. The whiteline ones are fairly chunky, appear to be fairly high grade steel. I initially looked at the Pedders brand and they look a bit on the lean side. And to be honest in my experience, Pedders products aren't of an overly high standard. I had a Pedders adjustable panhard rod bend at Lakeside. I didn't hit any kurbs, no off track excursions. Only noticed when the l/h/r wheel started smoking on r/h turns. Got the car back to the pits and the l/h tyre was rubbing. Panhard rod had bent.... I ended up dodgying it up by sticking the jack under the panhard rod and straightening it so I could get the car home. Seems they can't handle a lot of lateral load or maybe I got a bad one. But I also looked at their coil over struts before I bought the ones I have now, and they weren't much chop either.

I know the guy who installed the rods and did the wheel alignment. He owns the steering suspension workshop, will supply most brands. He recommended the Whiteline brand, said he's had on them on his race car for a few years now and highly recommended them. Only thing he said is ditch the 2 piece k-frame bush that comes with them, apparently no good, they tear apart after a few sessions on the track. He installed a one piece Superpro bush instead

Appreciate it.....I look forward to reading your thoughts over them.

FWIW, I'm not a big fan of pedders products either, after many years of having to use them, due to my workplace arrangements

 

[Darren_L]

look what arrived yesterday

 

[Immortality]

Hmmmmmmm :thumbsup:

 

[Darren_L]

Well the heads are all fitted up now and running, not without a few dramas along the way.... :bomb:
I got them milled to 53cc chambers, which should increase the comp by one point according to COME.

Just need to take it back to the tuner on my holidays next month to get the tune tweaked and see what gains have been made (hopefully gains!)
Also saved 22kg in weight

 

[Deuce]

Great work mate.

 

[Lacksballs]

Hi Darren, did you sort out your head gasket sealing issues with the new alloy heads?

 

[Darren_L]

Hi Darren, did you sort out your head gasket sealing issues with the new alloy heads?

hey mate
nah ended up with coolant in the oil. That was the final straw.

I decided to pull the engine out, giving it a full freshen up
New cam (same grind), lifters, bearings, timing gear set, rear main seal.
Bought genuine Holden head gaskets this time, as apparently they are still hard to beat. Took the gloss off the head faces, hoping it will help them seal. Also following some advice, won't put coolant in (just straight water) until I've run the engine up to temp and allowed the gaskets to seal. Thinking about head studs instead of bolts too, supposed to be better clamping pressure.

Also replacing the 'High Energy' sump with an ASR Competition sump (internally baffled, gates and improved oil pickup). I've tidied and opened up all the oil drain backs in the block. Going to do a bit of work on the STD volume oil pump to improve it's performance. New rings, bores honed.
New flywheel and Ace clutch also going in along with a hydraulic clutch setup (using a Mal Wood modified pedals with underdash master cylinder and hydraulic throw-out bearing). Of course give the engine a fresh coat of paint while it's out.

So engine is still in pieces at the moment waiting on some parts and for the crank to be linished. So will be a while before she's back on the road, but hopefully will sort out the issues and no more annoying rear main drip! (I have followed the COME Racing rear main installation video process - took around 3 hours, hope it's worth it...)

 

[EYY]

I've followed COME's instructions a couple of times and haven't had one drip, or even weeping. It's been a couple of years since I did the 308's rear main too. That's using the 5r racing rear main I got off eBay.

Got any pics of your efforts with the engine? Will you be rebuilding the pump or just blue printing with the old gears?