Hayden's Cars- Annual update!

[Hayden]

So, yesterday the Chamealeon 300zx went in for its roadworthy inspection. It's a comprehensive test of the car, front to back, much like the UK's MOT. I went in with the expectation that it would fail, but I wanted the list to be as short as possible. With that in mind, I spent the weekend ironing out the last few problems I knew the car had.

The horn didn't work, so I took the wheel apart and found that It didn't have an earthing point. Easy fix was easy. I also fitted some new wipers, repaired the hazard light switch, replaced the passenger side hi beam bulb, fitted the skirts more securely, switched the key fob, washed the car and the engine bay. There were two problems I had some trouble with though.

First off was the lack of parking lights. This car had foglights siliconed into the front bumper when I got it, but i'd removed those while structurally repairing it ages ago. So I decided to fit the Aus spec park/fogs that came on the vert. Rather than silliconing them, I wanted to put them in their rightful place inside the front reo bar. Unfortunately I couldn't fit the reo bar, as it seems this car may have had a small accident at some point, pushing apart the mounting points. I decided to improvise, and cut it up so I could use it just for mounting the lights. I'm glad to say it actually worked


The other issue was that the front wiper washers do not work. 2 seater 300zxs have the washer bottle in the rear, with a pump that pushes the water forward. There is then meant to be a small pump at the front that pushes the water up to the squirters on the bonnet and sprays the windscreen. For whatever reason, this particular car has the bottle in the rear and another bottle with a pump in the front which seems to be from a 2+2 model. This front resevoir unfortunately leaks like a colander so I put it aside and pulled the OEM one from the wreck. It worked... For about 2 seconds. It still made noise, the resevoir was full and the water wasn't leaking anywhere, so I have no idea what went wrong . I'll have to tackle this one next time.

With all done that could be, I organised the permit and drove it the 40ks to the inspection. This was my first time getting to drive this car properly and it proved to be rather excellent. It feels pretty much the same as the Vert, but seems more comfortable, softer over the bumps, quieter inside and a tiny little bit slower. It does have a fantastic wastegate noise though!

The inspection was very thorough and the man went in, around and under the car for over an hour. As I was expecting, the car failed, but I now have a list of things to fix and only those will be inspected next time. I'll go into detail on what those are when I'm fixing them. I'm not sure when I'll actually get around to doing that though...


I also got some new wheels for the 86. These come standard on the top spec GTS model and these had just had brand new tyres fitted for more than what I paid for the wheels!

The only problem is that the tyres are too good, and the 86 has gained a lot of grip and some of its fun factor.


So to thankyou for reading, here's some pictures of the Skyline, 86 and good Chamealeon car. I wish the Vert could be in these too, but that's still at the mechanics

 

[Hayden]

So I'm now officially a resident of Adelaide. I'Ve moved most of my stuff here and am enjoying my new warehousing job.

Before I left, I had to spend a week being trained in Melbourne, so on the way back I took the 86 for a run down the Great Ocean Road. Massive amounts of traffic and roadworks made for a very disappointing drive to be honest. I hope to get a better day for it next time I make the trip.


The wreck is gone! I put it on a buy, swap & sell Facebook page and had my hand bitten off in minutes. After owning it for so long, I guess I'd gotten used to the colour and the car and had convinced myself that it wasn't all that special or desirable. I guess I was wrong. I put it up as free to a good home, asking potential owners to include in the message what they planned on doing with the car.

The caveat was that I would choose the idea I thought was the coolest and that the winner is obligated to take me for a drive when it's finished. Failure to do so in a certain time frame would result in paying me $500 cash and there would be a contract drawn up to that effect. It sounds like a strange idea but I didn't want the car stuck sitting around in someone's backyard while they told their mates all the plans they have for it. I wanted it to be out there doing something.

I got over 20 offers in under an hour, with a huge range of potential owners and ideas. There was a guy wanting to put an RB20 in it and use it as a drift car; one who wanted to put a VG30DETT back in it and have it a fully caged race car and there was even one who wanted to use a Holden Commodore's V6 to make it into a competition burnout car.

The offers that interested me most however, was the few that wanted to get it back to road legal and use it as a car is intended. I narrowed it down to two parties who seemed to have the most drive, passion, money and available parts to actually complete what they had in mind. In the end it was my choice between a 350 Chev and a 302 Windsor. After talking on the phone with both, I decided that the man who had a 300zx when he was a teenager and has the fully built Ford engine in his shed deserved the car more.

He collected it last weekend, here's how it looked when it went on the trailer. (I kept the wheels, they'll be back on the Skyline one day.) It's a little worse for wear, as my original intention was to scrap it and we treated it as such during the part out. This guy seems to have the skill and the drive to get it on the road again, so good luck to him!


The good Chamealeon car is still in my possession, but it's over 300kms away at my parent's house. Next time I'm down that way for a good bit of time I'll be fixing what the inspector picked up and getting it ready for another inspection. Not sure when that'll be though.

The 'Vert is still at the mechanics shop down home. He's been doing it after hours for cheap, which I appreciate, but I'm getting a little impatient at this point. He has been gradually chipping away at the list of small issues, and he reckons he's nearly got it all done. I'll hopefully be bringing it up here in the next couple weeks.

That's it for now guys, thanks for reading!

 

[Hayden]

Update time

I went on a cruise with Adelaide Quality imports a couple weeks ago and had a blast! These guys know how to have fun on a cruise and the relaxed atmosphere and friendly people made for a fun afternoon. Even when I somehow ended up as the lead car and missed a turn, forcing everyone to do a rather difficult u-turn

There's something really special about driving through an amazing hills road and looking in your rear view mirror to see a line of cars including Skylines, Stageas, Evos, Legnums and a Supra. I literally felt like I was in Gran Turismo

The Vert is finished! My mechanic mate has finally finished tinkering in his spare time and got the car up to scratch. The "fan issue" turned out to be a damaged water pump that was extremely close to destroying itself completely. It seems we should've used the NA one instead of the TT pump, because it sticks out further from the engine which keeps the belts in line with the NA AC pump. By using the TT one, the belt was going on a bit of an angle which was causing the pump and fan to vibrate and flex. The mechanic didn't know about the difference in pump sizes so he just made up a spacer bracket and ordered a new TT water pump.

Unfortunately after a few days, that was leaking from a faulty seal, so he ordered and fitted another one from a different brand. Then the alternator died. So he put on a new one of those too. On my request, he's been driving it to and from work so any other problems would show up there rather than the journey up here. He's had it with him for a pretty long time now and is confident it will make the trip! I've just got to find a free weekend to go get it. I was going to do it next weekend but....

This is Collingrove, a hill climb course about an hour from Adelaide. Dad rang me a couple weeks ago saying he really wanted to enter and asked if I'd want to as well. Obviously I didn't say no. Unfortunately since then he's found he'll have to work but I figured I'd enter anyway. Seeing as both the Skyline and Vert are 400kms in the wrong direction to the track, guess which car's getting the job

It's just a come and try day with no timing or competitive aspect so my warranty isn't affected. I'm actually really curious to see how I fare because with the grippy tyres that came on my GTS wheels, the 86 handles like an absoloute champion

Oh and one more thing, my girlfriend go me a 1/24 scale model kit of my Skyline for Christmas and I finally got around to making it. Pretty happy with how it turned out

 

[Hayden]

Yesterday started with a 1 hour's drive to the Collingrove hillclimb course with my girlfriend, Lana. I cannot put into words how nice it is not having to drive 4+ hours to go to an event!

On arrival I signed in, listened to the rather long drivers briefing and went on the slow sighting lap. On this gentle drive around i was struck by the extreme steepness of the course, the massive camber of the road and how narrow it is. Apparently just 3.3m at it's widest point!

Then it was time to apply my race number and get set for my first run. I was a bit nervous and despite watching some YouTube videos during the week, wasn't exactly sure of the the course. So I decided to take the first run carefully and leave traction control on.

I came back to see that there was timing and i'd done a 42.8 second run, a time which saw me in the top half of the standings. Despite me not pushing too hard, the TCS cut in various times and I found it to be not just annoying but rather dangerous. The 86's TCS system actually brakes one rear wheel rather than just cutting power to it. I found this caused major understeer and knew I'd be far better off without it.

My second run was better. With traction control turned off, I had a stronger launch and I'd gained some confidence in where I was going. I pushed the car pretty hard and came back to a time of 41.4. The next run was going even better, until I had a minor off and cost myself a bit of time, that turned out being a 41.7.

During the lunch break I played over the track in my head and reminded myself what parts I knew I could do better. I figured that if I could get a sub 40 second lap I'd be very happy. I told a track worker this while I was lined up and he thought it was a good goal. That run went really well and despite changing out of first slightly too early near the end, I came back thinking I may have done it. Sure enough, with a Hollywood like time of 39.99, it was mission accomplished

As I lined up for the next and final run, I was feeling pretty confident and happy. With my goal already achieved, I decided I'd just see how hard I could push and how fast I was brave enough to go. The track worker congratulated me on reaching my goal and told me to aim for a 39.8. Challenge accepted.

This last run felt really good. I was carrying speed well, in the right gears and didn't have any offs. While it wasn't a perfect lap, I was very, very happy with it. When I got back I was ecstatic to see my time, 39.34, which made me and the 86 the 14th fastest (of a field of 80) car on the day. That's not taking into account handicaps for cars with larger engines, turbo's, superchargers, 4WD or race slicks either. I'm actually really curious how I'd stack up if it was a real event. I feel like I might be pretty well up there

As I was walking back to the car my pit neighbour (an older guy who drove an NB MX5), congratulated me on my times. He said that 39 seconds is a really good lap. When I told him it was my first hillclimb he was shocked and said "you must be quite the peddler." That really made my day

On the drive home, all I could think about is how good of a car the 86 really is. I can take it to the track, have a blast and be competitive; then drive it home, do the grocery shopping and sit in peak hour traffic with no issues at all. I think it's fair to say that yesterday I fell in love with the car all over again and I found myself asking the question, "would the Zed or Skyline actually do that any better?" Despite their power advantages, both cars are quite heavy and I honestly have my doubts. I'm not the kind of person who likes being curious so expect me to put some decent tyres on them and take them up the mountain in due course.

Until then, here's some photos that Lana took of the other cars throughout the day. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Spoiler

 

[JrDarknes]

Track is very narrow.

^
Thought that was a sidewalk for a moment lol.

 

[carracerptp]

Wow that looks like fun, nice driving! What tires do you have on the car?

 

[Katiegan]

Track is very narrow.

View attachment 538160
^
Thought that was a sidewalk for a moment lol.

I thought it was the pit lane at first.

Congrats on the fast times though, @Hayden!

 

[Hayden]

Wow that looks like fun, nice driving! What tires do you have on the car?

They came on the GTS wheels when I bought them from Melbourne. They're Pirelli Cinturato P1s in 215/45/R17 all around. He'd done less than 1000kms on them and I paid him less for the wheels than the tyres are worth by themselves

Track is very narrow.

Thought that was a sidewalk for a moment lol.

I thought it was the pit lane at first.

Congrats on the fast times though, @Hayden!

When I arrived and first saw it, I was really hoping that it was the return road

Cheers @Katiegan! I've since looked up the times for last year's events at Collingrove, and mine would've got me 1st in class in 3 out of 4 events! I was pretty stoked when I found that out

 

[Hayden]

Two weekends back we went home to visit our families and I finally got to pick up the 'Vert from the mechanic's shop. In addition to what I said in the earlier post, he'd also installed a new radiator, flushed the cooling system and gave the car a service. I'm stoked to say that it survived the 4 hour drive home without a drama and that it's really behaving itself so far. Every drive has been great fun and trouble free, hopefully it keeps it up!

Yesterday I had a spare afternoon so I spent some time playing around with the 'Vert. I'd gathered a few parts since I've last had time with it, so it was time to get busy. First off was my ECU talk cable. It allows me to hook up a tablet (which was supplied) to the car's ECU and read diagnostics, along with monitor sensors and do some minor tuning. I contemplated getting a windshield mount and having it set up like this...

But I decided it'd look a bit tacky, attract police attention and probably get stolen if I left the roof down. I ended up just re-running the cable to the glovebox, so I can check it when neccesary and nobody else knows it's there. I've gotta say, it's a pretty cool thing to have and I'm looking forward to having a proper play with it.

Then I used some Autoglym Bumper & Trim gel on the plastic rear deck lid. Someone on an Australian 300zx website recommended it and I was quite impressed on the job it did. I had the wind deflector up while I did the rest so I could see a before and after. It's good stuff 👍


I then decided to move on to the back of the car and test fit the two rear centre panels I've bought over the last few months.

The original 300zx rear panel uses gray lettering, the second is a 2K spec (found on the very rare, JDM only 1999+ 300zx) which features red writing and chrome inserts around the reverse light. The last one is an Atlia panel, which was a very rare factory option that was also breifly available in the aftermarket. Most of these out their are replicas, with people opening standard panels up, modifying them and inserting the electroluminescent panel. Mine however is an original, which had a red EL panel fitted when the green one stopped working. I quite like it, but I'm not sure if I'll use it or the 2K one. What do you guys think?

Looking forward, I have a Z car club cruise later this month and another that I want to take the 86 on. A car guy's life is never boring

 

[Korza]

I like the Atlia, looks kinda Ridge Racer-y at night.

 

[Hayden]

It's been a relaxed couple of weekends with nothing to do but cruise! First off was a cruise with the "Slow Life" group. I happened to come across their Facebook page just an hour before the scheduled start time when we were in a shopping centre right next to the start point. With no time to go home and get the Z, we took the 86 and found ourselves in a 20 car line to enter the multi-level car park. The event we were lining up for was the aptly named "May the Downforce be with you."

Once inside, the sheer scale and scope of the event was imideately apparent. The best way to describe it, is like a scene out of Tokyo drift, but with more variety and more cars. Most of the several hundred vehicles were modified, many heavily so, with whole car clubs cruising to the meet point together so they could park as one. It's a good day when you get to see a WRX. It's a better day when you get to see a whole heap of them parked next to each other, all with their own unique mods and style.

Japanese cars were in the majority, but not by much, with the fans of European, Australian and American cars bringing out the goods to! It was simply mind blowing seeing such a massive variety of cars and taste on display. From immaculate R34 GTRs, to Corvettes, Audi R8s & HSVs. Hot rods, track cars, slammed rides and everything in between.

Some of my favourites were a beat up old 260z that needed a push up the car park; a Mercedes van with hydraulics that scraped it's bumper all the way up; an old Ford Falcon hearse that somehow navigated the tight turns and the "feature car", this beautiful lambo!

The actual cruise aspect was unfortunately a little underwhelming, with most of the clubs staying together at the meet point to try and avoid the insane police attention that was waiting outside. This meant that we didn't really end up cruising with anyone, and the few cars we caught up to in the hills took the "Slow Life" name very seriously. With that aside, the atmosphere and cars at the meet made for an experience I will never forget! (Props to the photographers for getting all these great shots and sharing them on the Slow Life Facebook Page!)


Then on the Saturday night just gone, we went on a cruise with the South Australian 86/BRZ owners club. The last time I got to cruise with these guys was about a year ago, and it was amazing fun, so I'd been looking forward to this for a while. To say it simply, the night did not disappoint.

About 15 cars were in attendance and all the drivers weren't afraid to have a bit of a play through Adelaide's amazing hills roads. It was extremely we'll organised, with leaders waiting for the pack and directing traffic where neccesary. The pace this group moves at makes for a very fun drive while still feeling safe and keeping inside the law. Honestly, this is exactly what a cruise should be like.


Then yesterday we went on another cruise! This one, with the SA Z owners club was an altogether different atmosphere. Leaving around lunchtime we took a leisurely (but not too leisurely) cruise through the hills and down the road to a small town called Mannum. Stopping every now and then for some photos and a chat.

The group members were all extremely nice people that made me, Lana and the 'Vert feel very welcome. It was awesome to be with a group of people who actually knew what my car is and appreciated the work that's gone into it. Talking with these guys over lunch about all things Z was great. It's not often you get to sit with so many like minded people

The drive home was a little interesting, after I made the decision to leave the roof down leaving Mannum despite the threatening clouds. Predictably, the sky opened up, but knowing how long it takes to put the roof up (and how wet you get in the process) I decided to drive through the rain. The roads were extremely slippery and the 'Vert's cheap and nasty tyres really struggled to cope as I tried to keep the speed up and keep us dry. Despite a few slightly slidey moments we made it back in one piece and with only a few drips on our clothes.

Looking forward, I'm starting to think about the future of the Skyline and the Chamealeon car. I'm at the stage where I want to buy a house and the sale of those cars could go a long way towards it. I even briefly considered selling the 'Vert, but Sunday's wet, slippery and extremely fun cruise put that idea to bed. For now, here's a photo of everyone being surprised at how big the 'Vert's boot is. Thanks for reading!

 

[Ibonibo]

Nice pics and nice work as always on the cars.

That hillclimb thou. Looks very technical without room for error Nicely done

 

[Heldenzeit]

What's that limo thing?

 

[Hayden]

Nice pics and nice work as always on the cars.

That hillclimb thou. Looks very technical without room for error Nicely done

Cheers mate! My next goal is to take the Z up there and see if it can make it up as quickly. It does have the obvious disadvantage of being pretty much as wide as the track though

What's that limo thing?

It's an Australian Ford Fairmont Hearse. From what I can gather it's an XD model from around 1980. It had a V8 and a coffin in the back. Can't seem to find any more photos of it so here's the one above in as high res as I can get

 

[Heldenzeit]

That creepily cool.

 

[Korza]

I even briefly considered selling the 'Vert

Don't even joke about something like that.

 

[Hayden]

So there's no easy way to say this so I'll just do it. We're selling the skyline.
Dad and I've been discussing the possibility for months but it's at the stage where there's no point putting it off any further.

The car was always intended as a joint project with joint investment and workload that we could work on, take places and enjoy together. Originally it was meant to be something of an allrounder, that we could take to whatever event we felt like doing and drive back to back with each over. Over time however, the modifications we did to it pushed it ever closer towards being a dedicated drift car.

After getting it airborne a couple years ago, dad decided drifting was a young dog's sport, he's still been helping with the workload and coming to events but it's only been me driving it. While it doesn't bother him, it's always got to me a little bit that he has to sit on the stands and watch me have all the fun. It was meant as a joint project and looking back, that's what I'd prefer it had stayed.

So we've been talking about potential courses of action from here. We discussed changing the focus of the skyline but decided we want something new and fresh. Now I mentioned on here a while back the idea of putting an SRT8's engine in the Skyline. Well the idea we've settled on isn't far flung from that. We want to cut out the middle man and build an actual SRT8 race car.

This time we've got clear sights on what we want to achieve and how we're going to do it. The car will be a dedicated time attack / hill climb vehicle, with a full roll cage and racing slicks. If all goes well it will eventually develop from there.

All these years fiddling with the skyline has made dad appreciate the potential of turbochargers and he's been looking for a project that will let him combine his new knowledge with his fabrication ability and his V8 muscle routes. He's talking about Twin Turbos and the potential for 1000BHP.

I come at the idea from a different perspective and the knowledge that 2+ tonne luxury vehicles don't like to handle. My long term ambitions for the car involve creating fibreglass body parts and aero to try to make it work. I already know the basics of the stuff from my attempts at a hardtop for the Vert and this is something I can really sink my teeth in to. I've always wondered what an SRT8 V8 supercar would look like

Ultimately we both know that this car will never upset the apple cart and climb a hill or take a course faster than a properly prepped Evo. That, however, isn't really the point. We want a father-son project we can both get excited about and enjoy to its full potential. The only down side is that to help fund it we must say goodbye to the Skyline and to drifting. It sure has been a lot of fun

 

[carracerptp]

SRT8 race car? That sounds awesome!

 

[Hayden]

Attention all American GTP members! We need your help! Please see the end of this post for details!

So to put it simply, it's happened. We have finally had to say sayonara to the skyline. It was a very sad day and I regretted it the moment I saw him pull up with a car trailer. The great memories and times we've had in that car will never be forgotten and I thank you guys for joining me on our drifting journey.

But before we even had time to mourn, it was time to get into our next dream. Dad and I have been scouring the written off vehicle auctions for 300c's for months and we knew that a couple good ones were coming up. The first, which was located in Adelaide and I was able to look at personally, was this recovered stolen SRT8.

It was in excellent condition all around, to the point that it was probably too good for what we wanted to do. We were eagerly awaiting it's auction when it got delayed a week so the previous owner (who hadn't seen the car in over a year) wanted to swap his wheels for some stockies. With the assumption that it was probably going to go way past our price range anyway, we got back on the web and found another car more suited to our needs.

Though not an SRT8, we figured this 5.7l '06 DUB edition would still be able to get up and go. It was being auctioned by the insurance company after a tree fell on it, which seemed perfect to us. Honestly, the only bit we really cared about was the engine and that was a good couple meters from the limb damage. So we signed on at the correct time, put a few bids on and dad was on the way to collect it that weekend.

We used every cent from the Skyline but we were happy in the hope that we'd gotten a good deal. When dad arrived to collect it and eagerly turned the key however, disaster. The engine ran like "complete and utter 🤬" (his words) and we knew straight away that we hadn't got the perfect base we had hoped for.

So the weekend just gone I made the 4 hour trip to my parents house so dad and I could begin the teardown. First thing we dealt with was the smashed front windscreen. It proved really difficult to remove, even when I did my best tv cop impersonation and kicked the hell out of it from the inside. Eventually we got it all out and vaccumed up the loose shards.

Then, while it was parked next to the skip bin, we started pulling out some of the interiors plastic trim. We pulled everything on the roof and removed the sunroof and airbags that ran along there. Even though the battery was disconnected it was still nerve racking to cut the cord. Dad's dog Cuda enjoyed the teardown process very much.


With the skip bin filling we took the car off the trailer, put it in the shed and started to tackle the oily bits. The drain plug was pulled and to say it was bad news would be an understatement. Every car guy knows you do not want to see silver when you drain the oil.

With the knowledge that it was probably pretty well stuffed, we figured we'd pull the engine and take that apart. Coming from the Skyline and Zed, despite being newer, the 300c proved quite simple to pull apart and we had the elephant removed by late in the afternoon.


The next day dad stared pulling apart the engine while I attacked the interior. I pulled off the door trims, removed the sound deadening on the doors and the side windows...

Then I helped him finish disassembling the motor. I honestly don't think there's much that needs to be said because these pictures basically speak for themselves.

To say we were disappointed is an understatement. We sold something that not only worked extremely well, but meant a lot to both of us, just for this. Rather than dwelling on it, we made some phone calls and got in touch with an engine builder up here in Adelaide. It's being acid bathed as we speak and he'll be boring out the block, reconditioning the head, grinding the crank and telling us what size Pistons we need to fit his work. Although an expensive and annoying way to start a project, it is nice to know that it's going to be brand new from the ground up and built well beyond the standard specs. Once he's finished his work and the parts come from the states, dad and I will reassemble the engine ourselves.

Did I mention we found saw dust in the engine bay while pulling it apart? A tree "fell" on the car alright. Whether or not that was done with a chainsaw after an idiot owner cooked the poor thing is not my position to say. The words "insurance fraud" carry a lot of weight. I think it's fair to say that the signs are pretty clear though.

American GTP Members! We need your help!
Now I said at the start I need your help and here's what's up. Australian delivered 300c's are only sold in automatic and we are dead set on having this thing manual. We've found a company in California that will ship the parts over at a discounted rate if we can get them to their yard and put their sticker on the car when it's finished.

If any of you guys in or around California know of any wreckers that may have a manual V8 300c, Charger or Challenger in the yard could you please pass on the details. Or if you know any other members or anyone really that may know about any, please tag them or pass on their details in this thread. We need to find one ASAP if we have any hope of having the car together for the first event we want to complete in November. We will organise transport from the wrecker to the company but need to find one first!

Will be willing to pay spotters fee of 1 jar of vegemite, a GTPlanet sticker, a men at work CD, an Australian $5 note and a signed photo of my cars delivered to your adress for a successful lead. I'm serious if you want me to be

Cheers guys! :GTPlanet:

 

[Ze Elephant]

That rewards list almost makes it tempting to move to California and start looking...

Joking aside, it's a real shame that the internals on the 300 were junk when you purchased it. Still, judging from everything else I've seen in this thread, it'll be sure to be an awesome car!

 

[Rotary Junkie]

As a heads up, the only LX platform that got a stick was the Challenger. Even here in the states the 300 and Charger have always been automatic-only.

 

[Hayden]

As a heads up, the only LX platform that got a stick was the Challenger. Even here in the states the 300 and Charger have always been automatic-only.

Thanks for the heads up mate, it narrows the search a bit. I guess we'll need to mod the tailshaft but that's not a big deal.

Cheers again 👍

 

[Katiegan]

Sucks to see the state of the engine after you went through all that trouble. Still, on the plus side, you'll now have a new fully rebuilt engine ready to go instead of a second-hand one that might not last as long. Should be interesting to see this build unfold!

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Thanks for the heads up mate, it narrows the search a bit. I guess we'll need to mod the tailshaft but that's not a big deal.

Cheers again 👍

Another thought, it may be more viable to use a T56 from a Commodore/Monaro/etc with the LS motor and an adapter plate. You would still need to figure out the car side (clutch pedal, shifter, etc), but from a parts availability standpoint I reckon it'd make more sense than trying to source relative unobtainium, not to mention the ability to just chuck another gearbox in should anything go wrong.

 

[Korza]

Another thought, it may be more viable to use a T56 from a Commodore/Monaro/etc with the LS motor and an adapter plate. You would still need to figure out the car side (clutch pedal, shifter, etc), but from a parts availability standpoint I reckon it'd make more sense than trying to source relative unobtainium, not to mention the ability to just chuck another gearbox in should anything go wrong.

I imagine T56 swaps with the 5.7 are fairly common in the States so it shouldn't be too hard to find the necessary information and parts needed to make the swap.

 

[Hayden]

Another thought, it may be more viable to use a T56 from a Commodore/Monaro/etc with the LS motor and an adapter plate. You would still need to figure out the car side (clutch pedal, shifter, etc), but from a parts availability standpoint I reckon it'd make more sense than trying to source relative unobtainium, not to mention the ability to just chuck another gearbox in should anything go wrong.

This is what we've pretty much decided on at this point. The engine builder thought it would be the far better option and even recommended a shop that can adapt the bell housing. The car side of it may be tricky but dad thinks he can adapt some old parts we have laying around to do the job.

Speaking of the engine builder, he's began the machining work. The block is being bored out 40 thou, of a maximum 60 possible on the 5.7 hemi block. He decided that if we eventually want boost, it'd be a good idea to keep a bit of extra wall there.

The head is being redone with valves a little bit bigger than those that come standard on the 6.1 and the Pistons and rebuild kit are on the way from the states. This is the first time the builder has got to work on one of the "new" hemis and he's really excited about the project. He says that the potential for this engine is massive and as a base it's better than the LS or Boss' that he usually works on. He's talking some big numbers

The guy we wanted to build the roll cage has unfortunately moved interstate but we have a lead on someone else who can do it. We're hoping to get that done before the engine goes back in. We also want to get some plastic side windows made up and get a new windscreen. Oh and we need to do something about the roof.

We have another event we want to go to too! Two weeks after our original November deadline is the return of the classic Adelaide rally. A closed road targa event that hasn't been ran in 7 years. It seems like an awesome event and we are really wanting to take part.


In Vert news, it's getting new plates. I've said previously that I'd like to get TT ZED with silver writing on a black plate. Well, I'd been watching a set that just says ZED on a sales site expecting it to sell ages ago. After two months it never did so I made him an offer well below his asking price and picked them up. There is no better plate for this car and I'm really looking forward to putting them on! Or maybe i could put them on the 86 to annoy people

Speaking of the 86, I met up with the club last night for a short cruise to a larger meet. It's strange but the group is definitely changing. Gone are the guys I meet two years ago who were all 30+ and own the car for its driving credentials. These new owners are far closer to my age and mostly picked them up second hand. They are definitely more focused on the "show" than the "go." They're still really nice and welcoming but I did find myself missing the older guys. I'll take a hills cruise over a meet up any day! At least we got some cool group shots I guess

 

[Rotary Junkie]

This is what we've pretty much decided on at this point. The engine builder thought it would be the far better option and even recommended a shop that can adapt the bell housing. The car side of it may be tricky but dad thinks he can adapt some old parts we have laying around to do the job.

👍 Bonus point for the ratios used in the GM boxes versus the normal Challenger box. Tighter 1st-4th spread with longer overdrives.

Speaking of the engine builder, he's began the machining work. The block is being bored out 40 thou, of a maximum 60 possible on the 5.7 hemi block. He decided that if we eventually want boost, it'd be a good idea to keep a bit of extra wall there.

Or even just the potential for another rebuild.

The head is being redone with valves a little bit bigger than those that come standard on the 6.1 and the Pistons and rebuild kit are on the way from the states. This is the first time the builder has got to work on one of the "new" hemis and he's really excited about the project. He says that the potential for this engine is massive and as a base it's better than the LS or Boss' that he usually works on. He's talking some big numbers

The new Hemi is no slouch. I've seen no reason why it doesn't have every bit as much potential as the LS, it just doesn't have the massive aftermarket support. Heads are as good or better, and while the factory rotating assembly isn't the strongest in the world, it doesn't matter considering you'd upgrade any of them if you were to chase serious power... Well, except maybe a 4.8/5.3 truck motor.

In Vert news, it's getting new plates. I've said previously that I'd like to get TT ZED with silver writing on a black plate. Well, I'd been watching a set that just says ZED on a sales site expecting it to sell ages ago. After two months it never did so I made him an offer well below his asking price and picked them up. There is no better plate for this car and I'm really looking forward to putting them on! Or maybe i could put them on the 86 to annoy people

Having somewhat followed this thread from the beginning, the 'vert is awesome. It deserves the plate.

Speaking of the 86, I met up with the club last night for a short cruise to a larger meet. It's strange but the group is definitely changing. Gone are the guys I meet two years ago who were all 30+ and own the car for its driving credentials. These new owners are far closer to my age and mostly picked them up second hand. They are definitely more focused on the "show" than the "go." They're still really nice and welcoming but I did find myself missing the older guys. I'll take a hills cruise over a meet up any day! At least we got some cool group shots I guess

Almost seems like the entire car scene is going that direction these days. Here, we've got basically two groups. People who go very, very fast in a straight line (or occasionally turn a straight line into twisties by accident) and stance.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

This is what we've pretty much decided on at this point. The engine builder thought it would be the far better option and even recommended a shop that can adapt the bell housing. The car side of it may be tricky but dad thinks he can adapt some old parts we have laying around to do the job.

👍 Bonus point for the ratios used in the GM boxes versus the normal Challenger box. Tighter 1st-4th spread with longer overdrives.

Speaking of the engine builder, he's began the machining work. The block is being bored out 40 thou, of a maximum 60 possible on the 5.7 hemi block. He decided that if we eventually want boost, it'd be a good idea to keep a bit of extra wall there.

Or even just the potential for another rebuild.

The head is being redone with valves a little bit bigger than those that come standard on the 6.1 and the Pistons and rebuild kit are on the way from the states. This is the first time the builder has got to work on one of the "new" hemis and he's really excited about the project. He says that the potential for this engine is massive and as a base it's better than the LS or Boss' that he usually works on. He's talking some big numbers

The new Hemi is no slouch. I've seen no reason why it doesn't have every bit as much potential as the LS, it just doesn't have the massive aftermarket support. Heads are as good or better, and while the factory rotating assembly isn't the strongest in the world, it doesn't matter considering you'd upgrade any of them if you were to chase serious power... Well, except maybe a 4.8/5.3 truck motor.

In Vert news, it's getting new plates. I've said previously that I'd like to get TT ZED with silver writing on a black plate. Well, I'd been watching a set that just says ZED on a sales site expecting it to sell ages ago. After two months it never did so I made him an offer well below his asking price and picked them up. There is no better plate for this car and I'm really looking forward to putting them on! Or maybe i could put them on the 86 to annoy people

Having somewhat followed this thread from the beginning, the 'vert is awesome. It deserves the plate.

Speaking of the 86, I met up with the club last night for a short cruise to a larger meet. It's strange but the group is definitely changing. Gone are the guys I meet two years ago who were all 30+ and own the car for its driving credentials. These new owners are far closer to my age and mostly picked them up second hand. They are definitely more focused on the "show" than the "go." They're still really nice and welcoming but I did find myself missing the older guys. I'll take a hills cruise over a meet up any day! At least we got some cool group shots I guess

Almost seems like the entire car scene is going that direction these days. Here, we've got basically two groups. People who go very, very fast in a straight line (or occasionally turn a straight line into twisties by accident) and stance.

 

[Hayden]

With the engine safely in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, we moved on to the most obvious problem the car has- that ruined roof. Unfortunately, due to living 4 hours away I couldn't help dad with this. Fortunately he had no problems gutting the rest f the interior and giving the car a pretty significant haircut


Meanwhile, up here it was my job to pickup a new roof. I'm embarrassed to say I've never really been to a proper wrecking yard before so this was definitely an eye opener. To be honest I felt like a kid in a candy store . I knew I was in the right place when I found the 300c grave yard.

I feel sorry for these cars and I had brief thoughts of my old 86 and the hope that it didn't end up at one of these places. I tell myself that with the high demand by racers it's propably flying around a track somewhere, but I can never be sure .

Back to the Chryslers and I found the one the guys had already started cutting for us. Man has this thing been to hell and back, with pretty much nothing left of its once proud self. Before long, a big guy with a cigarette in his mouth and a massive saw emerged to finish the job. Some cutting, lifting, window smashing and more lifting later and it was off.


And I thought my 300zx convertible was rare!

Speaking of which, I fitted my plates! I had to bend the back one, but it's only temporary as I've ordered a square plate that will fit better.

As for the front, I think I'll move the speed nuts and drill a couple new holes so it can sit at the top of the number plate mount. It's shocking how different the car looks without the bright white plates on it!

I'll get some good photos once the new rear plate comes and I get a chance to give the car a proper clean. Thanks for reading folks!

 

[Hayden]

More 300c parts incoming! My dad was up here for work this week so we got the chance to order some important stuff for the boat.

First off was headers. Apparently long tubes are better for mid-high range power delievery, so we settled on some from eBay. Dad's built exhausts before, so we'll be making the pipe from the headers back. We're still discussing where it's going to exit


Next up was the cam. Now according to this website, the Comp Cam XFI 273H-14 offered a 60+ BHP increase in the mid range and helps hold the power to deliever 100 more than stock near the redline. It's also reported to have quite the lumpy idle, which, let's be honest, is half the fun of owning a big, angry V8.

We also ordered some new lifters and some plugs to block out the MDS system. This is a feature of the 300c that turns off 4 cylinders during cruising to make the car more economical. You don't need to be einstein to know why we blocked that out

Now most excitedly (for me personally) is that the hunt for a transmission may be nearing its end. I rang a local engineer who comes highly regarded, and asked what transmission he'd recommend and if he could adapt it to our engine. The short answer was to get a TR 60-60 and that he could adapt it, but that there's a company in America who he's used before that would be cheaper. He mentioned that for his build, their bell housing came in at half the price of the materials, let alone the time it would've taken him to do it. He also said that he'd used the TR 60-60 and never looked back. Available in everything from HSVs to turbo'd Falcons, they're strong to 400+ RWKW and cheap and easy to rebuild.

He passed on the website and while they offer an adapting bell housing for the 5.7, it doesn't fit the transmission. A bit of research told me why, the TR 60-60 happens to be the very same transmission they use in the manual Dodge Challenger.

So with that I'd come full circle, digging through the Internet on a search for a unicorn. eBay was no use, aftermarket suppliers were no use, wreckers stopped replying when I asked if they could ship it. I finally got lucky when I found a website that allowed me to search Craigslist for the entire USA and had 3 come up. One guy replied and I'm in negotiations with him at the moment. Funnily his asking price is around the same as what people want for the gearbox over here, except this one will (hopefully) bolt straight up. Fingers crossed!