173 replies to this topic

[neglectedtorana]

Is it just trial and error when you machine these or do you go by a given measurement?  

 

They come with instructions, machine until zero clearance and then remove a small amount, I can't remember but think it was .25mm

[Heath]

I would have thought less than 0.25mm, I think when I built my front hub stiffeners I possibly only gave them .004" of pre-load? Which is less than half of the above.

 

Did you find any difference driving the car with the stiffnered on those front stub axles?

 

Congratulations on the recent motorsport events. That one at Bathurst is so good!

[neglectedtorana]

I would have thought less than 0.25mm, I think when I built my front hub stiffeners I possibly only gave them .004" of pre-load? Which is less than half of the above.

 

Did you find any difference driving the car with the stiffnered on those front stub axles?

 

Congratulations on the recent motorsport events. That one at Bathurst is so good!

 

Could be my memory and was .025mm

Once I had zero tolerance it was a very small amount I took off, instructions did say bearings can wear in and might need to re-check in a few weeks and if necessary take some off back of bearing cup. Could also add a shim.

 

I did notice a difference on the street, thought the pedal stayed firmer longer, at MGCCN hill climb which is very tight I thought the pedal was low again but brakes still worked.

 

Bathurst hill climb was fantastic, only disappointed I didn't do it sooner.

[neglectedtorana]

Went to the Optima street car at Calder last weekend, although the weather was not great for motorsport it was still a great fun weekend and I will go again next year.

Few small mods to the car before I left, after last years trip I wanted a foot rest, column mounted wiper switch and something to stop me pushing the clutch pedal too far.

 

I had a wipre switch indicator arm I had bought off eBay years ago, on the wiring connector it said 'Suits HX-HZ' and it was easy to fit with minimal effort. Had to cut out some room in the honey pot for the bigger shaft diameter, cut off some of the unnecessary second hi-beam switch and it went in without too uch fuss.

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[neglectedtorana]

Was great having the wier switch closer, it rained a lot on the way there and a lot on the track.

I recently fitted a foot rest and found it well worth it for such a long drive and also added a stop for the clutch pedal. It is an M8 sleeve nut or long nut screwed to the pedal under the rubber pad with a isolation mount screwed into it, worked well to stop me pushing the pedal too far when excited.

 

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Once again it was a great fun event, slightly less time on the track and it could have been due to the drift show which I guess is a crowd pleaser.

 

1960KM round trip for 184L car performed great!

Going to look more into handling upgrades for the future.

[neglectedtorana]

I also replaced my instrument voltage regulator and lubed my speedo cable as last year the speedo was shaking widly above 130kmh and tacho seemed a bit ambitious.

Both worked, this year tacho was very stable and realistic and speedo cable didn't shake all the way to its stop at 200.

[Shiney005]

What car is the foot rest from Tom?  It looks like a good fit.

[neglectedtorana]

What car is the foot rest from Tom?  It looks like a good fit.

 

Laurie, its from a VT Commodore.

I had to make a bracket and the plastic got trimmed down at the base as it was too tall. Some pics on the previous page of the bracket.

It looks like its meant to be there

[SmacT]

Good on you Tom, your car was on all the YouTube clips I saw. Shame about the rain, but looks awesome fun. Planning on joining the fun next year.

[neglectedtorana]

I am currently working on fitting some Wilwoods to the rear end and trying to get some more clearance under the car so it can be a little lower.

 

Unfortunately the LS1 requires catalytic converters and they are big in diameter. While looking for clearance I checked my engine angle and it was about 6 degrees down at the rear, have been doing some reading and see that 3 degrees down might be the best, if I could achieve 3 degrees the angle change would help with exhaust clearance. Unfortunately getting the back of the engine higher puts the tailshaft uni joint too close to the floor at the extra support that runs across the car.

 

Its hard to see in the picture but there is a second layer of sheet metal that I guess is for strength.

How important is it?

Can I cut it and put in a bit of bent to fit sheet metal hard against the floor and maybe another on the top? I do have a CRS chassis kit and a tailshaft loop just behind the unis.

I could do with the extra clearance.

 

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[Shiney005]

The big rib that gives the floor it's strength is slightly behind that area, and it's on the top of the floor pan. I'd reckon the one you are looking at was put in place by the factory in the event the tailshaft came adrift and tried to punch its way through the floor.  Seeing as you have the tailshaft loop I can't see why you couldn't cut it out. How much horsepower is going through the body?

 

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[yel327]

I am currently working on fitting some Wilwoods to the rear end and trying to get some more clearance under the car so it can be a little lower.

 

Unfortunately the LS1 requires catalytic converters and they are big in diameter. While looking for clearance I checked my engine angle and it was about 6 degrees down at the rear, have been doing some reading and see that 3 degrees down might be the best, if I could achieve 3 degrees the angle change would help with exhaust clearance. Unfortunately getting the back of the engine higher puts the tailshaft uni joint too close to the floor at the extra support that runs across the car.

 

Its hard to see in the picture but there is a second layer of sheet metal that I guess is for strength.

How important is it?

Can I cut it and put in a bit of bent to fit sheet metal hard against the floor and maybe another on the top? I do have a CRS chassis kit and a tailshaft loop just behind the unis.

I could do with the extra clearance.

 

IMG_8002.jpg

 

That's where your front and rear floors join across the member itself, and it also supports the front seats. Modifying it in a W body (HQ-WB) or H body (HD-HG) is a big deal and requires engineering. It'll cost  bit to do it just in engineering. Better off not lowering the car!

[claysummers]

I think anywhere from 3 to 6 degrees is acceptable. On a carby engine, the angle between carb and driveline is generally around 5 degrees. Remember that you want a slight angle at the uni joints or they won’t rotate the needle rollers, resulting in premature failure. I also read somewhere that LS era pickups in the US were 6 degrees from factory.


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[neglectedtorana]

I spoke to the engineer and he said 5 would be acceptable but would prefer I try for 3 and its ok to remove the support thats in the way as my tailshaft loop will make up for it.

Engine, gearbox and k-frame are on the ground under the car for access, 

 

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[rexy]

Can you make your engine mounts lower instead? Or have you run out of sump to crossmember clearance?

 

I have cats on the LS in my LJ and they are fairly compact. The lowest point on mine is the custom pipes…

[neglectedtorana]

Laurie: that pic is very roomy, I am going to take the interior out on the weekend and have a look, If the main support is inside everything should be fine. Currently have 240kw at wheels.

 

Yel: I have spoke to the engineer, he is Torana experienced (has 2) and said I can proceed with removal as my tailshaft loop is 1/4".

 

Rexy: i have small hands and can just get my pinky finger under the sump, I might even need a few mm for this engineer so unfortunately that is why I am looking for room elsewhere.

My cats are about 4" diameter, would be interested in some more compact if they are still available. Got any pics or dimensions?

 

The hump I am likely to cut will only be cut on 1 front or rear edge and then I will flatten it and weld back to the floor, depending on what I find inside I might add something else there too.

[rexy]

Finally got the LJ in the air.

 

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These are 23 cm long, 17 cm wide and 10cm high. Fit unobtrusively under the car and flow well enough for the car to run 11.3 down the quarter with a relatively mild LS1.

 

 

Edited by rexy, 29 June 2025 - 04:51 PM.

[neglectedtorana]

Finally got the LJ in the air.

 

IMG_6541.jpeg

IMG_6542.jpeg

IMG_6544.jpeg

IMG_6545.jpeg

 

These are 23 cm long, 17 cm wide and 10cm high. Fit unobtrusively under the car and flow well enough for the car to run 11.3 down the quarter with a relatively mild LS1.

 

Thanks for the pics and dimensions Rexy,

 

There looks to be more room under the LJ than my LX.

I have been busy with work and then flu slowed me to a complete stop for the last week so I haven't got it back together.

Hoping to be back underneath next weekend to put it back together and see if I gained anything or have issues elsewhere.

 

I did remove the 12v reverse lockout solenoid and replaced it with a smaller spring loaded device, takes up much less room and getting rid of the 12v solenoid means I no longer need road speed signal to the ECM so I can also remove the electronic output device under the car that was inline with the speedo cable, its been annoying me for a long time so I'm glad its gone.

 

T56 TR6060 Billet Reverse Lockout Solenoid Delete T-56 TR-6060 - Michigan Motorsports

[neglectedtorana]

When I first built my car I bought King Springs low front and back, the front sat quite high, maybe because the LS1 is a bit light so I swapped the front for the extra low KHFL-44 and it was nice and level and looked great.

 

When I went for engineering it was too low and I wouldn't pass and I had to swap the KHFL-14 back in the front. and then add 25mm of spacer to the rear, it passed but has always looked a bit too tall for my linking and I have wanted to get it a bit lower but it meant gaining some exhaust clearance.

My recent engine angle gave me a little and I went back to the low front springs but with a 5mm spacer and took a 10mm spare out of the rear.

End result was front was 15mm lower and rear 10mm and it looks much better.

 

This is with KHFL-44 and no spacer

 

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This is with the 5mm spacer, unfortunately the shadow doesn't make it easy to see.

 

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I swapped my front sway bar to a 24mm recently too.

Finished fitting my rear Wilwoods a while ago and the VT booster and master and the brakes are feeling suitability effective but the pedal is a bit soft which I think is related to the booster being too powerful. I did fit a smaller and harder reaction disc which helped and am hoping a rear proportioning valve will help to also add some firmness to the pedal.

 

The Sunday before the BLCC Speed weekend I went for a test drive as the car hadn't seen much use for a while and as it was getting late in the year I didn't think the Speed weekend was going to happen, while test driving I noticed a clunk in the steering and had a look when I got home, I could move the passenger rack end by hand so I pulled out the rack and found the bush had collapsed.

 

Ordered some parts and was too busy during the week to do anything so Friday came and I had fitted a new bush, replaced both rack ends and did a shed wheel alignment and headed for Bathurst.

 

Saturday started clear but a few minutes before my first run it poured enough I thought I might need a life jacket. 

Got through the first run with a slippery compression lock up into the first corner but with the car in front of me on wets I couldn't see much so took it very easy.

Second run was similar rain and I made it to the finish straight and while accelerating toward the finish line I managed to spin the car whet I thought was about 540 degrees without touching anything and then slowly kept going. Timing tower thought I had spun 2-3 revolutions but the GoPro was off so its a weird memory now.

 

I had a 3rd uneventful run and then did some spectating and saw 2 more crashes after there already having been a few and decided to pack it in for the day.

 

Luckily the sun was shining Sunday morning and I got 4 good runs at the Mountain Straight hill climb.

Car drove well and sounded great with the RPM up. I will add a Youtube link when I can upload the video.

 

Shame about the Saturday rain but glad I left in one piece.

Would still like to do it again so hopefully be back next year.

 

I feel like the back end is pretty light especially under braking which could ad to my tendency to spin although the finish straight spin didn't involve any braking at all.

 

Do I add heavier front springs to stop the weight transfer?

Bigger rear sway bar to make the rear stiffer? Currently has the original that came with the car.

Stiffer rear springs to push the rear wheels down? I wonder if this will just push the bod up.

Better shocks with some adjustability to try to slow the spring expanding under braking. Currently have Monrow shocks.

 

Happy driving everyone, 

 

 IMG_9247.JPG   186.33K   2 downloads

[yel327]

When I first built my car I bought King Springs low front and back, the front sat quite high, maybe because the LS1 is a bit light so I swapped the front for the extra low KHFL-44 and it was nice and level and looked great.

 

When I went for engineering it was too low and I wouldn't pass and I had to swap the KHFL-14 back in the front. and then add 25mm of spacer to the rear, it passed but has always looked a bit too tall for my linking and I have wanted to get it a bit lower but it meant gaining some exhaust clearance.

My recent engine angle gave me a little and I went back to the low front springs but with a 5mm spacer and took a 10mm spare out of the rear.

End result was front was 15mm lower and rear 10mm and it looks much better.

 

This is with KHFL-44 and no spacer

 

IMG_9079.jpg

 

This is with the 5mm spacer, unfortunately the shadow doesn't make it easy to see.

 

IMG_9241.jpg

 

I swapped my front sway bar to a 24mm recently too.

Finished fitting my rear Wilwoods a while ago and the VT booster and master and the brakes are feeling suitability effective but the pedal is a bit soft which I think is related to the booster being too powerful. I did fit a smaller and harder reaction disc which helped and am hoping a rear proportioning valve will help to also add some firmness to the pedal.

 

The Sunday before the BLCC Speed weekend I went for a test drive as the car hadn't seen much use for a while and as it was getting late in the year I didn't think the Speed weekend was going to happen, while test driving I noticed a clunk in the steering and had a look when I got home, I could move the passenger rack end by hand so I pulled out the rack and found the bush had collapsed.

 

Ordered some parts and was too busy during the week to do anything so Friday came and I had fitted a new bush, replaced both rack ends and did a shed wheel alignment and headed for Bathurst.

 

Saturday started clear but a few minutes before my first run it poured enough I thought I might need a life jacket. 

Got through the first run with a slippery compression lock up into the first corner but with the car in front of me on wets I couldn't see much so took it very easy.

Second run was similar rain and I made it to the finish straight and while accelerating toward the finish line I managed to spin the car whet I thought was about 540 degrees without touching anything and then slowly kept going. Timing tower thought I had spun 2-3 revolutions but the GoPro was off so its a weird memory now.

 

I had a 3rd uneventful run and then did some spectating and saw 2 more crashes after there already having been a few and decided to pack it in for the day.

 

Luckily the sun was shining Sunday morning and I got 4 good runs at the Mountain Straight hill climb.

Car drove well and sounded great with the RPM up. I will add a Youtube link when I can upload the video.

 

Shame about the Saturday rain but glad I left in one piece.

Would still like to do it again so hopefully be back next year.

 

I feel like the back end is pretty light especially under braking which could ad to my tendency to spin although the finish straight spin didn't involve any braking at all.

 

Do I add heavier front springs to stop the weight transfer?

Bigger rear sway bar to make the rear stiffer? Currently has the original that came with the car.

Stiffer rear springs to push the rear wheels down? I wonder if this will just push the bod up.

Better shocks with some adjustability to try to slow the spring expanding under braking. Currently have Monrow shocks.

 

Happy driving everyone, 

 

IMG_9247.JPG

 

Nice, would be great fun to do that. The story of your spin reminds me of something similar I did in my hatchback coming onto the main straight at Amaroo, it spun once on the tar just missed the Armco alongside the pits and spun again in the dirt alongside pit straight. No GoPro's back then in the 90's either!

[Shiney005]

Maybe a little less brake bias to the rear? Stiffer springs may improve things, but it depends on how much time you are racing it vs cruising. The two Group C Toranas I have had a bit to do with have springs so stiff you can't move them with your bodyweight, but I wouldn't like to drive them down a back road.

[neglectedtorana]

Maybe a little less brake bias to the rear? Stiffer springs may improve things, but it depends on how much time you are racing it vs cruising. The two Group C Toranas I have had a bit to do with have springs so stiff you can't move them with your bodyweight, but I wouldn't like to drive them down a back road.

 

The spin was while accelerating towards the finish line, I did have a bit of a wiggle earlier from shifting down too early.

I have been thinking it would be necessary to have stiffer springs for the next upgrade but as you mention I am not sure how much effect that will have on regular cruising, only 1 way to find out.

Nice, would be great fun to do that. The story of your spin reminds me of something similar I did in my hatchback coming onto the main straight at Amaroo, it spun once on the tar just missed the Armco alongside the pits and spun again in the dirt alongside pit straight. No GoPro's back then in the 90's either!

 

I have a great memory of being at Amaroo park when I was in primary school, Dad took myself and a friend there.

Shame its gone in the name of progress

[Shiney005]

The spin was while accelerating towards the finish line,

I don't think you have mentioned what you have in the way of a diff centre.  Maybe power went from two wheels to one or the other way round?

[SmacT]

Wow Tom, to spin there and not touch a wall - classy! Good to see you getting it out and about.

 

Once I have mine up and running again, I want to get her handling. I wish we had a Shockworks equivalent in Sydney, but not sure there is someone that can get an old car handling? Toranas are super light in the butt, a couple of bags of cement over the rear wheel arches may settle it a little. Ha ha. pretty sure there are more sophisticated ways to go. :-)