My Harrison build

[Treeve]

Might work in tunnels, won't work in Macquarie pass (amongst other places). Not legal.

Treeve

[sideshow]

i live in qld these days so i guess ill never have to go down maquarie pass
plus anything can get registered up here hehehehe

dakota digital have a gps module with an accelerometer sensor in it so when it looses gps signal it reverts to that
these can be used on normal pulse type electric speedos so u dont actually need a gps speedo any more
they have a heap of good stuff these days at dakota digital
even obd2 readers that can get speed and tacho signal outputs for aftermarket gauges

[Treeve]

OBD2 reader sounds the goods, much better solution than GPS.

[sideshow]

some late model commodore boxes have no speed sensor on back so ther eis no speed signal for ecu or speedo
therefore u need to mod back of gbox to fit reluctor ring and speedo sensor or get a gps module to drive your normal speedo or get a gps speedo which is not legal

[Aussie Mike]

It's not hard to fit the reluctor wheel and sensor into the box provided the extension housing has the boss machined in there. The reluctor wheel is on the endof the output shaft in the back of the box so you only need to remove the extension housing to fit it.

[sideshow]

yer it wouldnt be too hard
ive used to do afew nissan 5 speeds about 2 decades ago but
barely do any mechanicals these days only abit here and there to help out cusotmers
get their car started
wish i had more hand tools and machines but diafgnostic tools cost so much i got no money left to get anything else
im waiting for my boys to grow up before i build another toy as it will be for them so they can fund it

[Zedn]

Process for retro fitting the VSS to late model VE T56.

Remove tail housing bolts and remove casing.
The output shaft looks like this. There is already grooves on the shaft for the cir clips to locate in.



Takes some fiddling around if you dont have the proper pliers, but i managed. Reluctor wheel in place.


The boss is already in the housing and just needs to be drilled out. You should have this milled properly or if you are adventurous you can drill it out with a speed bore like i did! I dont recommend this method but it worked fine for me.



I highly recommend purchasing a new output seal at the same time as getting the reluctor wheel, clips and speed sensor. It is not possible to clean the metal filings out of the housing properly without removing the seal.

Something to also note about this gearbox is that it doesnt have a slip yoke on it like the T56. This means the tail shaft needs to have a slip joint in it to stop vibration. Makes for an expensive tail shaft!

This is the coversion shifter Core / Hurst Shifter Base for TR6060 from Camaro CTS-V GT500 6 speed trans swap | eBay

I cant remember what Mel Woods quoted for this, but im pretty sure it was 4 or 5 times this price

[Ryder]

Thanks for that, thats awesome info!

Will order the parts tomorrow, as well as making a trip to the steel store. I need to make new engine mount brackets - the stock setup leaves the cylinder heads 200mm away from the firewall, does not give hood clearance, and interferes with the steering. The block allows me to put new mounts in the next 2 bolt holes forwards, so it's a good chance to lower the engine a bit, move it back and do the driveline alignment all at the same time.



Driveline alignment is a new concept to me, however theres lots of info on the net. It seems this website covers all I really need to know DRIVE LINE PHASING

[leroy17]

My LS1 heads are 140mm from the firewall and all sits in there nice and clearance is ok.

So looks like you have some scope to work with.

[Zedn]

That makes bleeding the clutch easy!

[macloft]

Makes getting headers in easy also and changing the back spark plugs.
Did Wawrick not make your frame mounts for an LS1. I Believe (like Leroy) mine fitted ok also.

[muzzza]

You are making pretty good progress Mate. My LS2 sits with the crank pulley about 30mm clear or steering rack housing. Would not want engine any further back. Clearance for my Edelbrock coil covers is minimal and headers are tight as well. I also had to re-work trans tunnel as T56 trans was a tight fit where the transmission tunnel narrows. Keep up the good work.

[ack]

i have number 25 it is a great car . i have done over 60 thousand k in it

[Ryder]

Thought is was time for an update.

Haven't got anywhere near as much done as I would have liked lately, mostly due to work commitments, small kids wanting attention and general laziness

But that's given me a bit of time to slowly develop ideas, and figure out how I'm going to do certain parts. It's odd - initially when I started I was frustrated that the build manual had very little info in it, now I'm finding that improvising and thinking outside the box is one of the most rewarding parts!

So lately I've done some little bits and pieces like temporarily installing the indicators, fabricating a bracket to neatly space the steering shaft bearing away from the firewall and starting to make the fuel tank.

I decided to make the fuel tank out of 3mm ally, and its going to be about a 60L capacity. I'm making it out of 2 u-shaped pieces for the outer shell, 2 1.6mm plates inside for baffles, and am planning to mount it in the boot so it's buffered by a rubber strip - ie, not solidly bolted to the car. It will have a slight slope, the front bottom will be 30mm lower than the rear bottom to help get fuel near the pickup and to avoid the horrible oversized speed humps around where I live.

Fuel pump will go on the passenger side because that's the side of the engine the fuel line is on. Will mount it on a flange made out of 6mm ally plate, that I've yet to make.

Here's a pic of it so far, bearing in mind it's a work in progress. Obviously, the baffles still need to have some slots made in the bottom to allow fuel through, for a start... plus please excuse my grubby hand prints all over the inside it still needs cleaning up.



I got my bending allowance right. yay me.



At this point, I found out that the old 70's era sheet metal folder in the workshop isn't that great. one edge would be 1-2 degrees out one way, and the other edge would be the same out in the other direction. Not the end of the world, but slightly annoying.

Now the tank is mostly just sitting there waiting for me to make the pump flange, filler pipe and a place to mount an earth to, then weld it all up. Which I was going to do soon. But when I tried to set up my MIG welder to do aluminium, and spent an hour practicing on scrap, I decided there was a reason people TIG the stuff where possible.
So I've given up on the idea of using a MIG welder, and have ordered a Chinese AC TIG. It's the same brand as my stick/DC TIG welder that I bought 3 years ago, and that has been a VERY good little welder, so fingers crossed this one will be just as good.

[Towmaster]

Good work, keep the updates coming. Maybe try & build a little triangular box in the front left corner where u draw the fuel from. Sort of like a mini surge tank. Just a thought.

[Zedn]

What tig have you ordered? I just got one off eBay that was faulty. You get what you pay for.

I'm now looking at the cigweld weldskill 200 acdc. It's digital and only $1500. Looks like a good buy. Also looking at token tools offering and everlast. Haven't yet decided but leaning toward cigweld.

[Ryder]

Towmaster, I was thinking about doing a little box like that around it, it wouldn't be hard to make. It looks like the pump sort of already has one inbuilt though? Not really sure what the inside of the commodore tank looks like. Could just do one anyway I guess.

COMMODORE VE FUEL PUMP STATESMAN WM 3.6 V6 6.0 V8 GEN 4 - $220.00 : Auto wholesales Australia Auto Parts spare parts!, E-commerce

Zedn - it's a Boswell single phase, cost a grand. Bit of a gamble, but the last Boswell I bought was brilliant. Made a trailer from scratch with it, and have used it so much the handpiece is actually wearing out. The welder still works great. Apparently it uses toshiba internals.

[Towmaster]

Originally Posted by Ryder

Towmaster, I was thinking about doing a little box like that around it, it wouldn't be hard to make. It looks like the pump sort of already has one inbuilt though? Not really sure what the inside of the commodore tank looks like. Could just do one anyway I guess.

COMMODORE VE FUEL PUMP STATESMAN WM 3.6 V6 6.0 V8 GEN 4 - $220.00 : Auto wholesales Australia Auto Parts spare parts!, E-commerce

Zedn - it's a Boswell single phase, cost a grand. Bit of a gamble, but the last Boswell I bought was brilliant. Made a trailer from scratch with it, and have used it so much the handpiece is actually wearing out. The welder still works great. Apparently it uses toshiba internals.

Yeah the beauty about using one of these factory pumps is you don't need to put in a pickup or return pipe, it's all handled by the pump. And you can also buy a bolt in replacement pump that will handle 1,000hp so you should not run out of fuel. Yep best to build a box around it and try and work out some way of keeping the fuel gauge arm...... Ultimate option would be to have a tank that drains to a centre front location so fuel is always gravitating to the pump. Other option..... just always keep the tank half full and you won't get any fuel surge.

[Zedn]

They look ok. The seller only sells welding supplies so that's a good indication.

I have noticed a couple of things with the cheaper welders. The main thing is the control socket for the real cheapies is only 2 pin. That means its only on off which defeats the purpose of a foot pedal. Yours has the 3 pin also which means it is variable. Most cheaper ones don't have ac frequency adjustment which concentrates the arc. Not sure if that's an issue or not, see me thread below.

Let us know how it goes.

[Ryder]

Sweet, will do.

Spoke to Andrew (the new owner of cobra kits) today to pick his brains about some things, and he gave me some great news. Apparently as of this year, live side pipes are legal in QLD again!

He recommended I triple check with the engineer or course, but I'm so happy right now!