[WTF-SIX] VSII 6 Speed Manual Supercharged 4.2 Litre

Alrighty little while no update, so here we go!

Thanks Thomas! Too true about the fiddly bits!

Cheers Rich!

Yeah i think they mustve thought I had the rubber coupling. It's been 18 months since i bought the box from them!

Yeah taken a look, the car needs a respray before it goes in any shows!

Cheers mate!

Anyways this time last weekend I began by re-routing the wiring for the temp sensor for the ecu and gauge, extended the wires for the crank angle sensor and passenger side knock sensor. Connected brand new heater tap and hoses and also fit the clutch braided line from the master cylinder.





You can see from the following pic the route i needed to run the wiring for crank and cam angle sensors, if i used an L67 loom these wires wouldve come from the drivers side and connected up with no problems, but the ecotec loom runs down the front of the motor so some wires needed to be lengthened (not by much though)!



... connected up the passenger side extractor before getting stuck with the drivers side due to the native location of the starter motor in the T56 boxes.

Left that until this weekend to fix and focused on getting the gearbox to come through the floor in the correct place. The gearbox mount i was supplied was the wrong one but after turning around the actual rubber gearbox mount 180 degrees and filing/drilling holes in the gearbox mount and also using different holes in the floorpan we managed to get it to fit! I've since been in contact with Mal Wood and he is aware of the problem and will be sending me a mount that will actually bolt up properly and in the right holes!

We also fit the tailshaft and bolted it in place, connected the fuel lines, throttle cable and brake booster plumbing.





During the week I removed all the black pulleys and gave them nice thick glossy coats of black engine enamel and baked them in the oven (mustve replaced bearings in nearly all of the applicable ones or bought them new from holden, connected up all the breather lines to the cannister purge solenoid, throttle body etc, and wired up the gearbox which consisted of the speed sensor, reverse light switch and reverse lockout solenoid (pic shows reverse switch done and speed sensor about to be soldered)



and also dodgily fitted an auto gearbox dust cover (the getrag one wasnt going to fit without totally ruining it, Mal Wood will be supplying a proper one soon). I was apparently also sent down the wrong style of shifter linkage, so sent my one up and they sent one down the next day which was good! Also threw in a new fuel filter.

which i think brings me to this weekend just finished!

First thing to do was to get the damn drivers side extractor to fit, which took absolutely ages! I was told there shouldnt need to be any grinding done to the bellhousing despite the bulge to accommodate the starter motor (which isnt even on this side in this application), but there was lots to be done before it would comfortably clear! Eventually after a lot of perseverance we got there though! We then fit the headers, coolant pipe (pain in the ass solid metal pipe that crosses over from the passenger side rear of the motor, around to the drivers side front), steering rack and linkage, spark plugs, leads, radiator top and bottom hoses, heater pipes to engine, power steering hoses to reservoir and rack, intake pipe and airbox, air filter, pulleys and belts (even had trouble here, one of the pulley mounts decided the thread wanted to **** itself, so managed to thread a temporary right-hand bolt in the hole, the first accessory belt we got was way too long and managed to get one shorter and throw on a slightly larger pulley, along with freeing up the tensioners a bit more than they were (engine builder painted over them without masking them off which probably didnt help, also not being used for more than 18 months wouldve contributed), before they fitted! Also the exhaust was fitted up albeit quite dodgily due to the new location of the gearbox mount. The handbrake was also readjusted so it would actually work lol.

All the fluids were filled and topped up numerous times, the clutch was bled and final checks of everything were done, the EFI relay was pulled and the engine cranked over a good number of times to get the oil in the right places. The relay was then reinstalled and finally the key (or should i say the button) was pressed to start her up! And to everyones slight surprise, it did, first go! The rear was jacked up and resting on axle stands so we could run it through the gears, before making an attempt to take it for a drive around the block. I knew it'd be close, but the exhaust prohibited me from even getting it out of the driveway! So unfortunately the first trip it will be having will be to the exhaust shop.

When it was started it didnt want to idle any lower than 1250rpm, and this afternoon i checked for fault codes and it threw code 35 "idle control valve" which would explain the situation perfectly. I have since swapped out the entire throttle body with my previous ecotec one after paying special attention to the idle control valve. I'm yet to see if this fixed the problem as i'm not keen on starting the motor more times than i have to at this stage. Next time it's started will be to get it down to the exhaust shop (open headers and all) where i will need a new Y-pipe to be made up. At this point i will most likely be switching to a dual cat setup.

Anyway here are some pics of how its sitting now!

The exhaust bolted up (the cardboard makes it look lower to the ground, but in reality its still no more than an inch off the ground lol!




The shifter how it sits atm, needs to shuffle to the left about 10mm and modify the shifter floor plate (no i dont think i'll be using that knob either!)



And some pics of the motor completed









Post #1 will be edited to reflect engine and gearbox specifics...

Cheers, Dan :driving:

 

Thanks mate! It's been a bit of a frustrating task but overall it was great fun!

Thanks Adam! I hope it'll be ready for the next meet up/cruise, really need to get the first 250kms done and dusted, then the heads need to be retensioned and i might have to wait for my engine builder to be ready to do it.

Yeah man looks good, i'll find out how much it'll cost and go from there. Thanks to you i know where to pick up another cat from!

All fixed! it was 1:15 in the morning!

 

haha thanks mate!

Anyways small update... it starts and runs just fine, all it really needs before i can start driving it is an exhaust! "How hard can that be?" i hear you say... well due to the length difference of the T56 compared to the getrag box that was in it, the rear gearbox mount is in a new position further down the car. This means that i'd at least need a new y-pipe to be made up to get me moving. But for what i want to do with it down the track and to save doing the exahust again to suit my plans, i've decided that i might as well get it done properly now. From the headers i'll be using 2 factory cats (will change these later as required), and instead of a y pipe to a single system it'll be getting a twin 3" custom system made up for it! After numerous lengthy conversations with the local exhaust bloke and driving it down there so he could see what he could work out, he doesnt think that he could make what i'm after and wasnt willing to attempt it. However, he said he could make a twin 2.5" fit for around $900. Knowing what i was after and not wanting to settle for something less, i did a little ring around.

Deciding to stick with carline mufflers, i called the next most local shop in st marys and he didnt really sound like he wanted to have a stab at it either. So time to call the next most local carline mufflers in seven hills and spoke to a bloke there named Steve. He was an awesome help! Really wanted to work something out for me and knew the limiting factors of the live axle commodores. He's suggested a twin 3" from the cats, single muffler (either a big one for both pipes or 2 smaller individual ones), a merge to single 3" to go over the axle (yes i know sounds a little restrictive but its a space factor, 3.5" will have problems unless i lift the rear of the car up with higher springs, which i wont be doing ), then back to twin 3" out the back. And for less than my local bloke quoted me for a smaller system! Seven hills is a bit far to drive the car without an exhaust though, so i'll be getting it tilt trayed there, hopefully on tuesday. The plan is to get the exhaust done and be able to drive it home! I just need to pick up some proper oil drain bungs for the fittings my engine builder welded to the sump for me as my makeshift ones leak engine oil, and i'm not real keen on driving it far knowing that they're leaking! Tomorrow Mal Wood is also sending down a more suitable gearbox mount than the one i was originally supplied and had to file out and drill new holes for, so will be throwing that on soon too.

So hopefully they arrive at the engine builder's tomorrow, and i can fit them tomorrow night before getting the car towed to the exhaust shop the next day, and hopefully (somehow) manage to pay for and pick it up that afternoon either during my work hours when i could be absolutely anywhere in Sydney or get the mrs to pay for it and park it somewhere nearby until i'm finished work. Thats the plan anyway, knowing my luck something stupid will happen!

Anyway earlier in the week i finally refit the bonnet, it's not 100% in the right place but it's close enough for the time being, and rolled the car down the driveway this afternoon and gave it a much needed wash! Took a few pics...

Showing off the freshly painted fuel tank






Hope theres some more good news in a few days!

Oh, more details and specifics added to post #1, and thread title changed to suit a bit better!

Dan

 

... ask and you shall receive!

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Vid doesnt do the sound enough justice unfortunately!

Anyways fixed up my dodgy-ass attempt at blanking off the oil drains on the sump and got some proper blanks ordered in:



... and installed them tonight




... in more interesting news the VS is being tilt trayed to Carline Mufflers seven hills in the morning to get a custom twin 3" exhaust made up and installed, and then she'll finally be properly driveable!

Still waiting on a new gearbox mount to be finished and sent down by Mal Wood before i'm 100% happy with the gearbox alignment, and a proper gearbox dust cover too...

more news to come real soon!

 

They're oil drains, i got the engine builder to weld them onto the sump before he reinstalled it onto the motor... they're for the next stage in the project...

 

Thanks for the kind words mate! It hasnt been easy, feeling a bit like mortgage stress atm and i dont even have a mortgage yet! (mrs wants to move out of her place, i'm comfy for a little while, she wants out ASAP lol). You'll be cheering down the track anyway when you're out the other end of uni and in a great paying job!

Anyways the VS is still at the zorst shop, he spent most of the day on it getting it fitting 100%, i'll be picking up the keys in the morning n prob locking it up there until i can come back in with the mrs later in the evening n drive it home...

After an hour of working out the options with Steve at Carline and showing me the system on his HDT, we'd worked out that if i'd used the twin stock cats that i supplied they'd have to be piped into a less than ideal spot due to their larger size than aftermarket items (and talking from a future mods point of view too), and that the original cat pipe size would also be a problem later on. We'd also worked out the length that i was going to be able to get the twin 3" run wasnt really worth it, a twin 3" down to a single 3" wouldnt flow too crash hot, and the fact that you cant easily get more than a single 3" up over the rear axle anyway (unless you wanna move your fuel tank into the boot, me = NO), that it wasnt worth the hassle and so i bit the bullet and bought 2 high flow race cats which will be twin 2.5" from the header collectors to a single 3" merge, and single 3" all the way out the back.

When it becomes a restriction it's been made so that i can just unbolt the 3" section between the cats and the muffler before the diff and stick something a bit bigger in.

So should be driveable home tomorrow! Looking forward to it!

 

Haha i know i do! Nar just been either busy or cbf...

but yeah pics below...

haha well i already hate these dash 10 fittings, neither bung has done up tightly and now the threads are stuffed on both so i've had to resort to other methods of plugging the holes up, and to this point i havent succeeded! They dont leak much, like a couple of drips after a long trip, but annoying all the same! If i were to get them done again i'd get flare fittings put on instead. But they're there for twin turbo plans later on...

Anyways its been a while with no update, so i'll pick it up where i left off...

2 weeks ago, last thursday morning, getting picked up to go to the exhaust shop



I then caught up with the car over at carline mufflers seven hills, before what was almost an hour of further discussion about what to do for the VS exhaust-wise with regards to setup, size, layout and combinations...

I had originally planned to use 2 factory cats which i was supplying, and was hoping to get a twin 3" system made up. This is all well and good in theory, but the limitations of the factory cat inlet/outlets, and of space over the rear axle meant that i opted for twin cerametallic race cats, and up the back the most i would be able to get over the diff (without lifting the ride height, = no way), would be a single 3", so after it was all said and done i got the system made up with the ability to change bits later on if i needed to. Basically the header collectors are 2.5" each, and continue all the way back into the race cats which have 3" outlets. A short twin 3" section merges into a single 3" to enter the muffler and then go up and over the axle and out the back.

Now before anyone comments on the tip, it wasnt my first preference, wanting a change from what i had i opted for a single 3" stainless dump tip, but on the dummy fitting the exhaust bloke reckoned it looked a bit crap, along with the opinions of his co-workers. I think it had something to do with the pipe needing to be tucked up a bit higher or reworked before it would look any good. So instead he just fitted a straight 3" rolled edge tip. I might still change it down the track but for the moment it'll do the trick! Pics...







Now after i'd paid for and picked up the keys the next morning, i had to wait until after work before i could finally take it on its first drive, which drove me crazy! But anyway later that night me and the mrs got back to the exhaust shop carpark, everything was checked over again just to be sure, and we took it around the block again and again (lucky it was a big block lol), for what seemed like ages! At first not revving any higher than 2000rpm and using high loads (but no boost yet) like driving against the brake for 10 seconds at a time at 2000, and repeating that at intervals, then moving to 3000rpm and holding the revs there under load against the brake for 15 seconds at a time, before repeating. I've discovered that just before 3000rpm the exhaust really starts to make itself heard, sounds like what i've lovingly called "farting into a trumpet" lol! I havent heard it from outside the car yet (as im the only one thats driven it so far lol), but i hope it quietens down a bit as it carbons up. I need to put up a video! I've also had some issues with the speedo (i think it has to do with the tune) and also the idle at times. Issues aside, considering the low revs used and no boost conditions, **** it feels strong, and bloody torquey! The gearbox is still very tight, occasionally having a bit of trouble engaging reverse but it's getting better. The throws are nice and short too, even with the yet-to-be-shortened shifter linkage!

Anyways, within the next 7 days i'd notched up the first 250kms of "high load, low revs, no boost, constantly varying" driving and threw a few extra km in for good measure. Last weekend dropped the car off at the engine builder's where he retensioned the heads for me, put my new ZZP polished rocker covers on and had a go at fixing my leaky oil drains. He brought it to my attention that the motor may be running a bit on the rich side as the insides of the rocker covers he took off smelt a bit much like petrol, which isnt that good for new piston rings particularly. Here are the new rocker covers anyway (they look better in person, one of those things that are a pain to take a good pic of!)





And after the heads were retensioned, it was time to run some positive psi down its throat for the first time! And holy **** does it pull! I still havent gone past 3500rpm, and have seen about 7psi on the gauge. I've clocked the new motor km's up to 450, still constantly varying loads, revs and gears. I should be adding a fair few more km's on it tomorrow night and saturday, when i'll be taking it down to see Richard from Dick's Electronics to see if he can sort out the possible rich issue, occasional idle issue and the speedo problem. I'll be getting another o2 sensor bung put in the extractor y-pipe in the morning for some wideband o2 readings on Dick's diagnostic equipment, and i'll be utilising it later on when i get a scangauge.

So hopefully some answers and some fixed problems by the end of this weekend, and maybe even a vid or 2!

Oh and i had to jump at the sight of the mrs working on her car next to mine during the week, i dont think that's happened in the 9 months she's had the thing! Not all that often they're parked next to each other with bonnets up!





more news soon...