Pimp My f'n Shag-Waaaah Baby !!!

[Gosling1]

......Youll need to get it going soon before fuel prices spike again......

96.7 at Costco Majura (Airport) today mate they can keep spiking downwards like this for ever - but a seriously good price in a market that has been manipulated by the 2 big players for far too many years. We finally have a competitive market for fuel in the ACT - first time in 20+ years.

.....Good to hear its progressing....It was that long ago I saw it in my driveway, I forgot all about it...

the photos have also faded from the polaroid pics we took back then

Got the OEM front sway bar out today - the bushes are pretty rooted, there is a new 1" sway bar on the way from the US to replace it - stock size is 3/4" for the 6-cylinder models, 7/8" for the V12's - and 1" for the hot-rods .

Old mate Chris swung past this arvo - after cutting his teeth on Jags during his mechanical apprenticeship - he just waltzed through the underbonnet stuff like a pro

Identifed all the *required* wiring harness connections, as well as all the extraneous rubbish that I can dispense with. Discovered that I do not have a wiper motor . Was advised to not fit the poly bushes to upper and lower sway bars and use OEM Jag stuff instead - far better ride and feel he said. So that will be the go - stock rubber bushes when the front suspension gets upgraded.

He did a test on the steering rack - even though poly bushes already fitted - they are worn and need to be replaced with the new bushes in the kit. So that is tomorrow mornings job

He basically identified every single piece of wire, fitting and fixing in the entire engine bay area to say I am happy with that is the understatement of the year. Also had a look under the body - found a couple of things that need sorting out before the engineers inspection.

I will sort out the rest of the engine bay stuff tomorrow - wish I had that damn rear-hump sump now ! Then the motor/box could be slotted in - will have to cool my heels for a pay or 2 first.

He thought the body was in really good nick and also gave me some tips on the interior/dash area which needs some work. Also might have a lead on some spares as well as a tow bar..........yes the old girl will be towing all the race bikes/dirt bikes.

Things moving along now. I need a V8 now that fuel is < $1 per litre !!!

[davo231481]

Cant wait to see you hooning around in this. Ready for vjmc rally?

[Gosling1]

.....Cant wait to see you hooning around in this. Ready for vjmc rally?.......

Unlikely - I still have about $4k to sink into this baby.......

One large on an exhaust system - custom-built headers, new cat converters and full system. It will be in the shop about a week for this?
One large on ECU re-flash, fabrication of OTR intake, MAF-less tune and many sessions on the dyno to get it *just right*.
One large on the engineers certificate.
One large on establishing rego and initial 12 months ticket.

[davo231481]

Mmmm..... thats a big bill.

[Gosling1]

it would be in 1 go - and that doesn't include the $120 for a new starter motor or the $650 for a replacement rear-hump sump conversion - so the $4k will have to be split up over a number of months.....

A bit more progress today - the steering rack bushes have been replaced with the kit bushes. Old mate saw a lot of play in the poly bushes that were in the rack yesterday and recommended to change them out ASAP. Another pretty simple job - end result is zero play whatsoever in the rack, compared to what we could see yesterday

Also removed some wiring in the transmission tunnel - looked to be some sort of lock-out switch ?? One end was marked 'relay' and it was not OEM Jag wiring, so we assumed it must have been something down with the old TH700 fitted previously ??

Have to drain the tanks tonight - I threw in 1/2 a litre of metho when the car was first bought - and you can still smell petrol when the fuel caps are opened - Chris advised that draining the tanks should be a priority as these have a bit of a reputation for rusting out........hopefully there won't be any issues here.

Onward ever onward.............

[tim]

Top work Gos. Jag mechanic sounds priceless!!

[Gosling1]

mate he was worth his weight in gold. He thought he may have been a bit rusty - but as soon as he started on the under-bonnet stuff, it all came back in a flash

Some more minor progress - the original m/c has been completely rebuilt down in Melbourne and will be picked up next week. I can then at least make a start on getting all the brakes bled.

[Smitty]

.. sweet lot of updates Gos

looking forward to pics of the finished article

[ZedOne]

A bit of inspiration for you Gosling!

This is my LS1. Heads, Cam, valves, lifters, springs. Injectors, fuel system, Maffless dyno tuned, Pacemakers, Twin 3 inch Stainless system. Running into a 6 speed manual with a rip shifter, hooked up by a W427 Chev full clutch conversion, and into a truetrac LSD. Much more boring stuff to mention that won't be of any use.

Can't wait to see this thing doing it's thang. Dyno videos are a must.



Edit: Thought I would add a bit of useful info. If you go down the Maffless tune route, most tunas will insist on running on 98 Octane. Mine prefers me to use BP98. For the last couple of years, it was around $1.58 to $1.69 a ltr here. Averaging around 310k per tank around town.

Probably worth weighing up if it is worth the added fuel cost, if it is for towing only. Could save some money on that alone, as well as dyno costs and a CAI (cold air intake). That's sub ~1k alone. For a gain of aproxx 20-30 rwkw. Fuel efficiency does get a bit better with a Maffless tune, and running 98ron, with a stock engine, but it really outweighs itself when you put the boot in. Stock engine just for towing, Id stick without the tune for now. Unless you are going to go down the route of other mods.

Also, the tank/rust, check these guys out.

http://www.ppcco.com.au/por19.html

There stuff is amazing to use, and great for restorations etc. Used a range of their products before on my own cars/bikes. (I am a painter by trade and love this stuff)

My 2 cents worth.

[damotm]

Awesome idea, will work a treat. Back in the day we used to bolt a 350 upto the jag tranny no sweat.

[Gosling1]

....A bit of inspiration for you Gosling!.....

cheers ZedOne - that post is full of inspiration

The intention is to run all stock internals at this stage - only the headers, TB conversion to VY (cable - already done) - a MAF-less tune and OTR cold-air intake - and that is about it. The local Gen3 specialist reckons he has a lot more flexibility doing a MAF-less tune, to get the motor working just right for the 4L60E and the Jag diff ratio.

This rig will do some towing for sure - but its not being built as a tow-vehicle as #1 priority. Just a good hamburger car

[ZedOne]

Ahh I see. Maybe have another chat to him, because to get the most out of a Maffless tune on a stock engine, you really want to go a full exhaust, if not at least extractors + hi flow cats.

I would then budget: Extractors second hand $350 ish
100 cell hi flow cats (pair) $500 (new and cheapish)
CAI and tune >$500 if you can find a 2nd hand CAI. If not a new one is anywhere from 300-500 odd.


I mean, don''t get me wrong, it does make a difference in response in a small way, you add a few more killawasps, but it's a >$1000 venture.

In saying all that though.......I done the same thing starting out and got it done on my stock engine, and then things progressed from there.....rapidly lol

If you are going to go a new CAI I would suggest looking at the fibreglass/abs plastic ones. They don't get HOT like the one in my picture. As you know....colder the air...etc. Mine really came down to looks before practicality...

The good thing about the ls1 is there is parts everywhere for them, cheap. I picked up that full W427 clutch kit on flea bay for $330 new.

I have had a fair bit to do with them, so feel free to shoot a whim anytime if you need to chase anything up etc s I have a wide network in LS1 car clubs that have an abundance of parts for sale etc.

I would also suggest joining the ls1.com.au forum as there is a wealth of knowledge there and really friendly people willing to help. They would also love this build

Happy killawasp chasing.

[davo231481]

Ahh I see. Maybe have another chat to him, because to get the most out of a Maffless tune on a stock engine, you really want to go a full exhaust, if not at least extractors + hi flow cats.

I would then budget: Extractors second hand $350 ish
100 cell hi flow cats (pair) $500 (new and cheapish)
CAI and tune >$500 if you can find a 2nd hand CAI. If not a new one is anywhere from 300-500 odd.


I mean, don''t get me wrong, it does make a difference in response in a small way, you add a few more killawasps, but it's a >$1000 venture.

In saying all that though.......I done the same thing starting out and got it done on my stock engine, and then things progressed from there.....rapidly lol

If you are going to go a new CAI I would suggest looking at the fibreglass/abs plastic ones. They don't get HOT like the one in my picture. As you know....colder the air...etc. Mine really came down to looks before practicality...

The good thing about the ls1 is there is parts everywhere for them, cheap. I picked up that full W427 clutch kit on flea bay for $330 new.

I have had a fair bit to do with them, so feel free to shoot a whim anytime if you need to chase anything up etc s I have a wide network in LS1 car clubs that have an abundance of parts for sale etc.

I would also suggest joining the ls1.com.au forum as there is a wealth of knowledge there and really friendly people willing to help. They would also love this build

Happy killawasp chasing.

This sort of unsolicited help is what really makes these forums a great place

[Gosling1]

......Ahh I see. Maybe have another chat to him, because to get the most out of a Maffless tune on a stock engine, you really want to go a full exhaust, if not at least extractors + hi flow cats.

I would then budget: Extractors second hand $350 ish
100 cell hi flow cats (pair) $500 (new and cheapish)
CAI and tune >$500 if you can find a 2nd hand CAI. If not a new one is anywhere from 300-500 odd.


I mean, don''t get me wrong, it does make a difference in response in a small way, you add a few more killawasps, but it's a >$1000 venture.......I would also suggest joining the ls1.com.au forum as there is a wealth of knowledge there and really friendly people willing to help. They would also love this build Happy killawasp chasing........

cheers buddy

My exhaust bloke is doing a complete system including the hi-flow cats. He has to build the extractors from scratch, as there is nothing off-the-shelf available here in Oz. Even in the US, they have to heavily modify a stock Camaro header to suit this install (can't do that here due to LH drive etc in US - all the fittings are opposite). Old mate at the exhaust shop has told me to budget about a grand, for a complete system from block to exhaust tip

The OTR/CAI fabrication is something I will have a nudge at, in carbon-fibre. One of the local racers here (Supamodel - I think he joined this place some time ago?) - has been fabricating a lot of engine protectors and is starting to get quite good at c/f fabrication. Again, this is another part that is just not available off-the-shelf anywhere. But it will be fun knocking up something like this

Thanks for the offer to help with info about this build, much appreciated - I will take you up on that as the LS1 is a whole new ball game for me. I joined up the LS1 forum a couple of years ago - mainly to lurk - but as you say, the place is full of great info about these motors.

[Gosling1]

mmmm got some functional bling on the way !!!!

First up - an oil pan with the hump in the right spot - i.e. up the back not up the front. This oil-pan comes with all the hardware needed to bolt straight up.




Not so much bling - but mandatory - a new starter motor.....




both items ordered from ebay a couple of nights ago, should be delivered next week.

The reconditioned m/c was collected last week and over this weekend I will fit it and do an initial bleed on the brakes. The pads all look to be in good condition - but the size of the calipers suprised me - they are as big as any 4-spot Brembos you see on late-model Commodores or Falcons. Fucking massive. I guess this is why they could fit either a 6 or a V12 without having to modify the brakes between models ?

Also tee'd up a new high-pressure power-steering hose with the local hose crew. Another part which has to be made from scratch as there is nothing available over the counter.........

Things ticking along nicely now, once the sump and starter motor are fitted up and the new power steering hoses installed .......its almost time to slide that big combo straight into the vast emptiness that currently is - the engine bay !! FMD I will get a tingle then.