niall_aus

I have only got 3 gears and top is 1:1 so the same as your 4th, ive got to strike a balance between good acceleration but then keeping the RPM somewhere reasonable at highway speed.

Custom shafts are not cheap at all, i made my own on the last diff install i did, might do that again

niall_aus

I'm in the middle of making some adjustable height tie rod ends to try and cure this bump steer

Started out with some 25mm round bar 4140 steel. Turned it and threaded it on my manual lathe. I'm not a machinist by trade but I happy with the results so far.

More pics to come
Of completed items and install

niall_aus

Update


So im back at this project after a bit of a break. I got a bit fed up with it before after sinking a bunch of money into it and still having problems and just not enjoying how it drove.


so the long story short is that when my old man built this thing 15 years ago, he did it on a very low budget so basically made do with stuff that was not suitable, i dont blame him , because i was there and none of us had any money.

Now i have the chance to fix those things and build it right. My plans about 2 months ago was to take the ford 302 i have in another project and fit it into the sierra with a t5 and maybe 4 downdraft webers , for a cammy , revvy small block ford experience, do the suspension and brakes and go for a pro touring type thing.

then i would take the 350ci chevy add nitrous and fit it into this. the drag rover.


But. 2 things happened. First that i saw a flyer for a Drag week style event happening near my city in October and i am determined to enter.. I have a choice of cars but the sierra in its current trim makes the most sense. Drag week in Queensland involves, 3 tracks over 2 days and probably 450kms of road driving. a best time from each track is added up and the lowest time wins. as soon as your car goes on a trailer though you are out.

second thing that happened is that i did a compression test . which can be seen in this video
results were not good, so the engine needs a rebuild. thats the bad news, good news is that i can build it the way i want to. and sort out the front suspsnion issues while i am there.

I dont have any more pics, but the engine is out and stripped. I am getting a front crossmember sent over from new zealand because the one i have is too modified, i want one as close to stock as i can get.

So the idea is to get it fast and reliable, we need to be able to drive 500kms without breaking down or overheating. and do a bunch of passes on different tracks, teh class we are running in is normally aspirated 235 tyre size.

More updates coming soon

Mark V8

iTrader: (2)

Shame about the engine.


Still sounded good though


Keep the updates coming

niall_aus

So............... didnt compete in drag week. In fact the car is still sitting with no engine as its in pieces and not rebuilt yet.

I think i took a video i need to upload. showing the engine damage, essentially the bottom end is toast.

As a self employed motor mechanic i dont have a big disposable income especially not now. The life of a business owner is tough and the economy out here is not brilliant. and combined with the fact that i own a bunch cars, its difficult to get anthing done on this one.

The plans have changed slightly, Australia seems to be folllowing the U.S and no prep 1/8 mile is really starting to grow here, there is a track 15 mins from my house, some great competition there and decent cash prizes for the events so that is where my focus will be.

For now i am going to give up on the street side of things with this car and really focus on drag racing . put it on a diet, remove everything we dont need and dial it in for 660ft of flat out.

My insurance renewal came in recently for it and it will drive you guys nuts to know that fully comp insurance for a year is $120AUD. ridiculously cheap out here

Anyway, ill try to find the video of the engine dmg i took a few months ago, and get some current pics and plans.