Ratwagon's project Trois, the 720 "Sleepa" Uterus

[q-tip]

Mmmmmm bead blaster.....

 

 

Good work rdub!

[Charlie69]

Looks great ratwagon.  I like the orange pads with the red calipers.

[]2eDeYe]

Cleanup on aisle 720 :cool:

[Ratwagon1600]

Cleanup on aisle 720 :cool:

Thanks guys.

 

For a moment today I nearly started to pull the control arms and the rest of the front end apart.

 

It looks way better in real life, its just that the rebuilt hub and caliper now make the rest of the front end look real shitty.

[LTJ]

Good to see this project ticking along...

[]2eDeYe]

Thanks guys.

 

For a moment today I nearly started to pull the control arms and the rest of the front end apart.

 

It looks way better in real life, its just that the rebuilt hub and caliper now make the rest of the front end look real shitty.

 

 

 

Sometimes it takes all my will power not to tear the whole thing down.  :lol: 

[Ratwagon1600]

Sooooooooo, ive spent the last week looking for one of the brake caliper bushes ive lost in the absolute mountain of stuff I have.

 

Got the shits about an hour ago, so, machined up a replacement (should have done it a week ago).

 

The passenger side hub and rotor is cleaned, new bearings, repainted and fitted.

 

Can now reassemble stuff.

 

 

 

[Soundline]

Keep it coming. I'd like to see you and VTR race.

[Ratwagon1600]

Got the donor engine and transmission yesterday

 

VX Commodore supercharged V6 (3.8L) with a 4 speed automatic transmission.

 

Ute and RW are going to spend the day tomorrow at a mates garage doing some final work on the brake system and then its ready for registration.

 

Ill start pulling the motor and box out of the donor car tomorrow and the plan is over then next couple of months to get everything ready for the powerplant swapover.

 

Just need to save my pennies and its all systems go!

 

Oics tomorrow.

[q-tip]

Ooo, a v6 conversion, me likey.

[]2eDeYe]

Is a swap like that something you can just do or is there some authority you have to file paperwork with? 

[Ratwagon1600]

Is a swap like that something you can just do or is there some authority you have to file paperwork with?

 

If I want it legal it MUST have an automotive engineer do a report on the conversion.

 

Theres all sorts of weird formulas with braking capacity compared to power compared to weight ratio as well as the donor engine has to be from the same year model (or later); why the fuck this is I dont know.

 

Vehicle needs to have the same style of seatbelts as the donor vehicle (inertia reel); again, why the fuck I dont know.

 

It helps that it is a full chassis vehicle as well, RW knows the right people to see to make it happen.

 

Downside is the Engineers report is going to cost roughly $2k AUD; twice as much as what I paid for the ute when I bought it.

 

Motor and gearbox cost me $500, and the conversion kit is going to set me back roughly $1500.

 

http://www.v6conversions.com.au/720_2wd_4wd.html

 

Fuck the cost, I want to do this!

[Duncan]

The ute is looking good, my friend!

 

For a moment today I nearly started to pull the control arms and the rest of the front end apart.
 

 

Careful!  I was just going to fix the body and touch the paint up a bit on my wagon....

[]2eDeYe]

Wow! So glad I can pretty much do what I want with no hassle from the man.   :lol: 

[Soundline]

We have the same crap here in 'Merica. There's a small group of "emissions enforcement" federales that work for the Enviromental Protection Agency that can fuck you up.

 

Engine swaps in the US must be same year or newer, and they have to be a USDM engine if the vehicle was made after 1972. If you do a swap you're supposed to have your vehicle evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If you're caught without this, your vehicle is impounded, evaluated, seized, and crushed. I've issued fines in excess of $30,000 for this.

 

I've also crushed everything from a 72 skyline to a brand new turbo diesel because of this shit.

 

Most 'Mericans never look into it... and therefore don't know.

[Crashtd420]

We have the same crap here in 'Merica. There's a small group of "emissions enforcement" federales that work for the Enviromental Protection Agency that can fuck you up.

 

Engine swaps in the US must be same year or newer, and they have to be a USDM engine if the vehicle was made after 1972. If you do a swap you're supposed to have your vehicle evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If you're caught without this, your vehicle is impounded, evaluated, seized, and crushed. I've issued fines in excess of $30,000 for this.

 

I've also crushed everything from a 72 skyline to a brand new turbo diesel because of this shit.

 

Most 'Mericans never look into it... and therefore don't know.

Ya made me cry alittle when you said you crushed a 72 skyline.... must be painful to watch....

[]2eDeYe]

It is nothing here, like what is in Australia. Well, maybe CA is... 

[Lockleaf]

I've never met or heard of a single person in utah having their car crushed for engine swaps or other mods. Only time I've seen those type laws enforced here is when they have caused an accident or other major problem as the crushing is a punishment for that action, though the authority to crush comes from these laws discussed here.

[Ratwagon1600]

Well yesterday ended up as a mixed bag.

 

Got the brakes bled and wound the torsion bars down to give it a better stance. Dont want to go too low till the conversion is done and I get the suspension balance and steering geometry sorted out.

 

Was good to have the ute up on a hoist; had a good look underneath and was really pleased with the condition of the frame. The whole underside of the ute, apart from road grime and general wear is pretty spotless with no scrapes or obvious damage.

 

Did some rough measurements of the donor engine and the 720 engine bay. Everything looks like its going to fit quite nicely!

 

Now, the bad. Knucklehead here didnt think too much about clearance issues on the Ebrake cable and pivot mechanism when I put it back on the car trailer for the ride home. The lowering effort was enough for the afforementioned Ebrake bits to hit the trailer bed as I drove up the ramps.

 

End result is a pretty mangled cable outer and bent pivot mechanism :(

 

Im going to pull it apart today. Oics in a couple of hours.

[Ratwagon1600]

Welll.............. the oics dont really show it, but, its defintely moar low in the front.

 

Swapping out the light truck tyres to road tyres has bought it down by at least an inch.

 

 

Not happy about the Ebrake damage.

 

[bottomwatcher]

Talking Merica or California. As long as it doesn't blow blue smoke for over 30 seconds and your registration is paid Florida doesn't give a shit.

[Soundline]

Ya made me cry alittle when you said you crushed a 72 skyline.... must be painful to watch....

 

 

I issued three warnings and the courts took it from there. The property was lawfully seized by the EPA and crushed in accordance with federal law.

 

 

It is nothing here, like what is in Australia. Well, maybe CA is...

 

 

 

Or laws are just as bad, they're just randomly enforced. It's a bit like playing the long odds in Vegas, but if you get hammered with the fines, legal fees, and possible criminal citations here in Washington it's utter chaos. I've seen people actually have to serve time for a JDM engine swap...

 

 

I've never met or heard of a single person in utah having their car crushed for engine swaps or other mods. Only time I've seen those type laws enforced here is when they have caused an accident or other major problem as the crushing is a punishment for that action, though the authority to crush comes from these laws discussed here.

 

 

Actually authority for search and seizure is pretty straightforward. The EPA has full authority to enforce these laws, the penalties, civil forfeiture, and to take you to criminal court. Just like anyone else that's clearly in violation of federal regulations. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Before doing any engine swap in the United States, check federal, state, and local jurisdictions as even cities can have criminal codes against certain engine configurations.

 

I only brought it up because I've seen too many people on the wrong side of this because they never looked into it. Not to shit on RW's thread. If you don't like it, pm me, block me, or contact the EPA and bitch at them. There's nothing I can do about it, I'm retired.

 

 

Well yesterday ended up as a mixed bag.

Got the brakes bled and wound the torsion bars down to give it a better stance. Dont want to go too low till the conversion is done and I get the suspension balance and steering geometry sorted out.

Was good to have the ute up on a hoist; had a good look underneath and was really pleased with the condition of the frame. The whole underside of the ute, apart from road grime and general wear is pretty spotless with no scrapes or obvious damage.

Did some rough measurements of the donor engine and the 720 engine bay. Everything looks like its going to fit quite nicely!

Now, the bad. Knucklehead here didnt think too much about clearance issues on the Ebrake cable and pivot mechanism when I put it back on the car trailer for the ride home. The lowering effort was enough for the afforementioned Ebrake bits to hit the trailer bed as I drove up the ramps.

End result is a pretty mangled cable outer and bent pivot mechanism :(

Im going to pull it apart today. Oics in a couple of hours.

That sucks mate, did you get it put back together? It's good that the under side is so clean, that'll save a lotta time on the whole process.

[Ratwagon1600]

Going to try and order a complete set of replacement cables.

 

Looks like I can get them from Egay via Thailand.

 

 

 

Such a dumbarse FNG Noob question here; I'm assuming my truck is a short bed?

 

If anyone can give RW a steer it would be much appreciated!

[Lockleaf]

What's your wheelbase?

[Ratwagon1600]

^^^^  Im at work, will look tonite.