Work on Guido’s VK wagon project continues and we can almost see a day when it hits the road!
The latest progress is we’ve settled on a Holley carburettor and one thing we like about them is, once you’ve set the jetting and the powervalve, that’s it. You shouldn’t have to touch it again.
They may not be the most sophisticated option out there, but for this car we like their relative ease of use.
One twist in the plot has been we needed to fit a TPS (throttle position sensor) switch for the lock-up in the four-speed auto transmission. The lock-up in the torque converter is like half an overdrive.
When you have one (ours is out of a VS Commodore), you’ll notice in top gear at about 90-100km/h it drops about another 250rpm – that’s the lock-up. It was originally designed to work with fuel-injection and accompanying electronic committee.
We’ve been putting these transmissions in older models for years, but getting the lock-up to work has always been a nightmare. We’ve tried wiring and switches, then Holley came up with this.
It’s a TPS switch modified to work with the linkage in the carburettor. All you need to do is find out where to set it and, as is typical of Holley, that’s the end of it.
Another project we have here at the moment is a home-built Monaro which is a beautiful piece of work that’s been done over five years. We’re helping the owner do some of the final sorting to get it roadworthy.
Pretty much everything on the car is new. The ball joints need to be looked at, as the grease nipples don’t seem to be letting the lubrication through. Someone did the brake calipers for him, but the seals are leaking.
We’re also hunting a set of wheels, as the ones on it are literally worn out. The taper in the wheel is now past it, through use over the years. They’re all relatively minor issues and it will be a sensational car once it’s done. It’s a real credit to the owner and shows what the amateur at home can achieve.
Hot Torana
Hi Mick, I have a ’72 LJ Torana with a rebuilt 202 black motor 40 thou oversized with the 12-port head. It’s running a 350 Holley jetted down to what I’m told is about a 320, Pacemaker extractors and a very mild cam. I have fitted a new 3-core radiator with standard fan, new thermostat, new water pump, hoses etc.
On a day where the outside temperature is below 30 degrees everything works well, with the engine running at normal temperature. On a hotter day if I sit on 100km/h, the temperature slowly rises to a point where I have to slow down to about 80 or less in order to maintain normal operating temperature.
What do you suggest I should do to maintain normal operating temperatures on these hotter days? Is the oversize an issue or should I instal thermo fans, different water pump etc. I avoid driving it on those warmer days as I can’t drive it the way I would like.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks.
Carlo Madaschi
Mick says…
THAT SOUNDS like a really nice build – congratulations. As a general rule, if the car runs hot in traffic, it’s airflow; If it runs hot on the open road, it’s water flow. Even if you put in a new water pump, some of the pressed metal impellers beat the water rather than pressurise it.
Check the fan is in the right way around – believe me, people have mixed it up! Start the motor and check if it can suck a piece of paper on to the radiator.
If you have a new radiator, the water pump is the next thing to look at. The cheap pressed metal paddlewheel impellers are not as effective as a cast screw type. In Melbourne we use a company called Auto Cooling in Altona, who will modify the pump for you.
Ancient oils
Mick, I was making an appointment with my mechanic to service my car when I mentioned I had a couple of five-litre containers of fully synthetic oil, which had been sitting unused in the garage for about 10 years.
He had reservations about using oil which was that old.
So I phoned the help line on the container and the lady said she agreed with the mechanic, adding that any synthetic should be thrown out after four years. But she agreed that any mineral oil could be stored indefinitely.
A few months later I was picking up more synthetic oil and took up the conversation with the person behind the counter at Repco. She said that any synthetic oil could be stored indefinitely, like mineral oil, pointing out there were no use-by or best-by dates on the packaging.
Her belief was that if oils degraded, there would be a consumer law requiring a use-by notice, just like we have with food.
What do you think, Mick?
Peter Nielen
Mick says…
I’M WITH your mechanic on this. We had a chat with the good folk at Penrite about it and were told the industry standard for storing oil is a maximum of five years. That’s assuming it’s a sealed container, stored away from sunlight in cool conditions.
My concern is at some stage it will start to separate and not act as intended. Given any mineral oil will contain additives, like Penrite, I’d be wary of making a distinction between that and synthetic.
Exactly when the rot sets in can’t be nailed down to a specific date, but why take the risk?
If the container is opened, it should be used within a year.
I don’t buy the use-by food date logic for the simple reason we don’t drink oil.
Even if the industry standard were conservative, I would be reluctant to risk the health of an engine for the sake of a bottle of oil!
Commodore build
Hi Mick. I’ve been following Guido’s VK build and am looking at a similar project. Like you, I’ve got a rolling car as a starting point, which has a tired six in it. I see you bought a part-built 304 V8 taken out to 355 and want to know how you go about assessing a part-built project like that?
Adrian Smith
Mick says…
A BIT of common sense goes a long way and there will always be an element of risk involved. You need to get hold of as many receipts as possible, so you have some evidence the promised work and parts actually exist.
At some point you have to take someone at face value – but do your due diligence. If you find it’s not quite what you hoped, you take it on the chin, repair it and move on.
In the case of our engine, I had a stack of receipts, the block was in great shape, I could see new parts and figured it was a reasonable risk. Good luck with it!
Hot topic
My old VC Valiant is getting hot and bothered on a warm day and I’m pretty sure it’s going to need a new radiator and a change of hoses before next summer. The radiator that’s in it has sprung a couple of minor leaks.
The car is running the 225 six with auto and is dead reliable, so I’m hoping a change of radiator will do the job. Otherwise it seems pretty reliable.
What do you recommend as a replacement radiator?
Andrew Mitchell
Mick says…
IF YOUR car gets hot sitting in traffic then cools off once you’re moving, your issue is with airflow. If it happens on the move, say going up a hill, your issue is with the coolant flow.
You can run a second test, which is to remove a heater hose and turn over the motor. If the coolant just trickles out, your pump needs work. If it shoots out, your thermostat needs to be looked at.
In any case I recommend upgrading the impeller on your coolant pump – we’ve done that on several cars. Get the radiator rebuilt with a three-core set-up. As you say, the 225 six is ultra-reliable and running cool will help it to live longer.
Renault hunt
Mick, I’m in the market for a Renault 12, mostly for sentimental reasons – my family had a string of them.
I know a little about them and am wondering if you have any advice on what to look for. Thanks.
Maria Denton
Mick says…
FUNNILY ENOUGH they were a good little car. Arguably they weren’t really built for Australia’s big distances, but maintained properly they were quite a reliable thing that would get you around with the minimum of fuss.
There were a lot of Renault 12s and 16s in Australia, so there is some local knowledge and resources, though I suspect you’ll find yourself often sourcing bits overseas. They weren’t worth a great deal second-hand, so the survival rate is fairly low as they weren’t necessarily worth spending a lot of money on restoring.
The usual things for a car that age apply: rust is the big one. Mechanically, they have a couple of little quirks. CV joints used to be a weak point on them, though I suspect units would now be available.
The trick will be to find one that’s a going concern, which has an owner that cared enough to look after it.
Vette buyer
Hi Mick. My wife and I are in the market for an American car, and we’re targeting C3 Corvettes as they seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck.
Before we jump in the deep end, are there any traps we should be looking out for?
Most of the cars we’re looking at seem to be pretty standard in the engine department, but the quality of the fibreglass bodywork seems to vary a lot.
Bob Truman
Mick says…
THERE SEEMS to be an art in making fibreglass work on cars and finding something that has good basic construction is critical. The driveline on C3s is super-strong and should be the least of your worries.
Check the vacuum-operated items such as the pop-up headlamps are working. The big issue with this model is rust in the chassis, particularly if it is from a state that gets snow – keep in mind people salt the roads in those areas.
I’ve seen a C3 that just about broke its back when we put it on the hoist, get it up in the air and have a good poke around.
Got a problem?
Want some advice on a build or a potential car purchase? Heck, we’ll even tackle long-distance diagnosis.
Drop Mick a line at uniquecars@primecreative.com.au