Barts 1973 LJ Torana VH41 Twin turbo project

[Bart]

This is going to be a fairly big post with lots of pics.The very first thing i did was build a chassis jig to bolt the car onto as i had to cut out/replace the sill pane;s/rockersThe jig was to ensure the chassis didnt move





Cut out rusted inner sill/rocker panel, fabricate a new one.

Inner sill, outer cut out

First of many trial fits

Front nose clip removed and the lower sides were rusted out

Sills and front pillars removed and off to the sand blasters. Drilling out spot weld is a real *****

Trial fit

New sill panel, I had to round off the end of it as per the original.One end of sill panel maked upCut and tacked

Dollied to shape, this was done before the full weld.

Door gap way offBetter

Befpre i welded the outer sill on i prepared the inners with POR15, made sure this bugger wont rust for a while, also added drain holes on the bottom of the sills

Old and new outer sills on its inside

Had to repair the rear seat shelf, both corners were rusted so i had to fabricate new corners, cant get reproductions unfortunately.Drilled out the spot welds, what a ***** of a job

Now the fun Part, fitting the VH41



It wont quite fit between the chassis rails, but the rails have been modified but not in these pics yet

Time to fabricate the engine mountsMotor in position to front cross member

Cut out template for engine mount

Mount taking shape

To make more space between the rails i had to modify the cam covers

To make more room for the exhaust manifolds i had to fabricate the to front suspension mounting shafts. The originals had a curve in them which took 3/4 inch of space which i desperately needed.The new cross shafts are 4340 chrome molly.

I later opted to go for adjustable front top suspension

Fabricating the sump, this wasnt done by me

I couldnt find a suitable loction to tap into the main oil gallery/oil pick up so i used the original and mad a fiting, this will lead to an external oil pick up

Engine adapter plate

Fuel tank fabrication

Modified by Bart at 4:11 PM 5/25/2008

Modified by Bart at 1:40 PM 4/1/2009

Modified by Bart at 1:48 PM 4/1/2009
Modified by Bart at 1:50 PM 4/1/2009

[Bart]

Next i will show brake peddle and clutch fabrication/installation

[hannibal]

Wow man! thats a lot of work. Eager to see the rest of your pics.

Nissan makes this Torana? I dont think Ive seen that before. Was it sold in the US?

[Bart]

No the Torana was made by General Motors Holden GMH in Australia.The usual conversion is to use a Chev or Holden V8 but i decided to go Nissan VH41

[iViLe]

Sweet!

Im now obsessed with those engine mounts!

And everything else

I cant wait to see about the brake pedal setup. Something like a reverse swing wilwood setup?

I want to put a 1uz or vh45 into a gemini just for fun, but the only problem is the booster and master cyl.

[Chrispy300]

Lookin' tops mate!

Next time I'm in Sydney I'll have to swing by...

[Z Style]

Awesome fabrication.

[Bart]

Sweet!

Im now obsessed with those engine mounts!

And everything else

I cant wait to see about the brake pedal setup. Something like a reverse swing wilwood setup?

I want to put a 1uz or vh45 into a gemini just for fun, but the only problem is the booster and master cyl.

No i didnt use a Willwood setup, funny you should mention that as i was that close to using a Willwood or Tilton floor mount, but i was steered off them as they were apparently a little too different to use, and advised if i use then i must lower the drivers seat, this may have caused problems with the engineers certification.Basically i used the Torana brake pedal box but since i changed the brake and clutch cylinders i had to fabricate the the linkages/clivises with a bronze bush. The brake booster basically had no room on the firewall as the motor is quite big and the car is quite narrow lol, so that was relocated in the boot/trunk (American terminology ) (Remote booster)The engine mounts are made from round pipe and 4mm steel plate.

[T45]

That car looks scary light. A trunk mounted booster? Awesome!

[iViLe]

Hmm very interesting boot mounted booster!

In a magazine i have it has a torana the same but has a tilton reverse mount pedal setup under the dash, cant really see it very well, but i think it has 4 pistons calipers all round so wouldnt need a booster, yeah floor mount thats a little wierd lol.

In my chev i run a wilwood pedal assembly with the 2 wilwood masters and 4 pistons wilwood calipers all round and it stop fine, dash headbutting fine actually lol. So i was thinking that for my gemini if i do it right i shouldn't need a booster, just some good calipers and pads!

Good luck!

[z1 zonly]

SWEET build! I can't wait to tackle a project like that one. Ground-up builds have to be one of the most rewarding things in life.

I can't help but chuckle at that chassis dolly shot. Looks like a gurney ready for a patient in the ER.

VERY creative engineering--keep up the progress!

[Bart]

Basically had to make up an aluminium template, to make a steel bracket to weld onto the firewall, then the brake cylider bolts onto the bracket.It took a bit of stuffing around to get it right but it worked at the end.



Had make a brake/clutch pedal linkage to the cylinder push rod. The linkage/clevise was left over 4340 chrome molly. Made up a bush from bearing bronze which is press fit, this hopfully stops any squeeking.

This the clutch cylider (verticle) mount. I welded a stiffener plate to stop it flexing while pressing the clutch.

Modified by Bart at 2:09 PM 6/1/2008

Modified by Bart at 2:22 PM 6/1/2008

Modified by Bart at 2:59 PM 6/1/2008
Modified by Bart at 3:07 PM 6/1/2008

[T45]

Aw come on bro, you're making us look like amateurs! No more pics with lathes in teh background okay?

[AZhitman]

Un-freaking-believeable!!!

What a cool build - My hat is off to you, mate.

This looks like a homepagefeature article, please keep us updated throughout the build.

Impressive fab skills, friend!

[iViLe]

[Bart]

LOL dont worry mate im an amateur believe me, im only showing the pics of stuff that did work.

[DeXteR]

I hear you there... No one wants to publish their mistakes.

This is an awesome project and I love the pictures. I love keeping tabs on all the crazy VH projects that are going on.

This sub-forum has some great craftsmen and mechanics - even if they're just garage warriors.

Keep up the good work

[elwesso]

That is some pretty intense fabrication. Props, I cant wait to see this thing destroying the streets!

[Bart]

Thanks guys, im normally very carfull on the street, i dont want to kill any body.

That is some pretty intense fabrication. Props, I cant wait to see this thing destroying the streets!

Just putting together the fuel tank here



Fabricated fuel tank lid with gasket to allow fuel foam inside the tank



Modified oil filter housing to feed the turbos





Brake booster in the boot/trunk behind the back seat, the braket i made up isnt finished but will be ok for now





I used a flexable stainless steel tube for the vacum which can be seen under the booster

300ZX Fidanza fly wheel which is modified to take the VH41 ring gear and re-drilled to take a 350ZX clutch which all has been re balanced.





Sump is on with aluminium dip stick tube. The dip stick tube is left over aluminium fuel line.









*** end



Modified spigot bush



As shown else where on this forum i had to extend the clutch bearing holder with 6061 aluminium

[Bart]

Fabricated my exhaust manifold, unfortunately its log style, would have prefered extractor style but wouldnt fit.

[Kirby260]

Hey Bart,

Few questions:

have you spoken to a compliance engineer about your transmission adapter plate? what did they say?

Who made it for you? there are no vh41 plates available that I know of?

What transmission are you using Z32? If so why the Z33 clutch?

Finally what company did you get your VH41 from, just the engine or a cut?

Cheers

[Bart]

I wont be saying anything to the engineer about the adapter plateI will get you the contact on the guy who made it he has done the same conversion, hw is in Perth, its an RB20t gearbox, which is not strong enough so i will be using a RB25t gearbox laterThe 350ZX pressure plate has more pressure than 300ZX and is softer on the clutch peddle.I got the motor from a import company in Sydney called SSS AutomotiveTheir are a few different versions of this motor mine is apparently the better/best one?? But if you get one from Japan they only have the best ones available i think, as in the US they had different versions which wernt as good, i think if you ask Mettler he can confirm this.

[Kirby260]

I wont be saying anything to the engineer about the adapter plateI will get you the contact on the guy who made it he has done the same conversion, hw is in Perth, its an RB20t gearbox, which is not strong enough so i will be using a RB25t gearbox laterThe 350ZX pressure plate has more pressure than 300ZX and is softer on the clutch peddle.I got the motor from a import company in Sydney called SSS AutomotiveTheir are a few different versions of this motor mine is apparently the better/best one?? But if you get one from Japan they only have the best ones available i think, as in the US they had different versions which wernt as good, i think if you ask Mettler he can confirm this.

Interesting, I think if i go with the adapter plate route, I'll have to review it with my engineer, unfortunately I think they will notice such a thing in my roadworthy/mod. inspection.

I'm thinking I might go the Z32-TT 5-speed, those rb boxes are so damn expensive, but the contact details of the guy making the plates would be fantastic.

I've contacted SSS Automotive, did you get yours in a front-cut? What did you pay?The "good" JDM vh41de's came in FGY32 Chassis (e.g. Cima and Related) up until the beginning of 1996. The next model is pretty much the same as the US VH41DE and was in the FGY33 chassis.

I've had trouble finding a decent priced cut, i had to turn one down last year because I didn't have the $$$ in my account then.

[Bart]

I bought engine and computer and loom $1000

[audtatious]

Nice project.

Kirby260, I believe our VH/Q45 moderator has some adapter plates he can sell, May have to search the forum to find the thread (elwesso)

[Kirby260]

Nice project.

Kirby260, I believe our VH/Q45 moderator has some adapter plates he can sell, May have to search the forum to find the thread (elwesso)

yeah, there are some available, this is the first one I have seen for a JDM VH41DE, which is a slightly different package to the VH45.

[audtatious]

Ah, gotcha. I'm a VQ guy so ignore me

[Florida240sx]

very nice work.

[Bart]

Thanks mate and everyone else with the kind words.It sure has been hard work and its still not over yet.

[Bart]

Hey Mettler, i remember you talking about doing some camshafts for the VH41 JDM, how you going with them?