Torana SS
Re: Torana SS
Have been driving it a little and tweaking the tune to be close before turning on all of the closed loop settings. Most of it was adapted from what I had on the Delco which seems to have been a reasonable starting point. I kind of miss having the tablet to display some ECU info but figured out how to program the check engine light to come on momentarily under lean conditions for safety. Also having onboard logging is great, thinking I might add a switch so I can turn it on and off on demand.
A minor annoyance was the throttle pedal being a bit too light, made a little spacer that adds some tension to the springs which made quite a difference.
Even drove it to work a couple of times this week.
A minor annoyance was the throttle pedal being a bit too light, made a little spacer that adds some tension to the springs which made quite a difference.
Even drove it to work a couple of times this week.
- Holden202T
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Re: Torana SS
its not often people say the pedal is too light!
No matter what the question is, the answer is always more horsepower!
Just starting out? Have a read of the getting started guide
Basic tuning of a delco ECM with $12P thread
Advanced tuning of a delco ECM with $12P thread
Just starting out? Have a read of the getting started guide
Basic tuning of a delco ECM with $12P thread
Advanced tuning of a delco ECM with $12P thread
- vlad01
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Re: Torana SS
I guess it's what ever your used to and prefer. I like light pedal personally.
I've realized that I dislike modern brakes, from the operator side of things, not the actual stopping power.
To me, I can't stand the delay of the modern car's brake pedal to go down to the point the brakes start working, it's like a gas strut is connected to the pedal, the harder and faster you hit the pedal, the more resistance is met so you still have that delay no matter what and is super awkward and jerky to drive for me, like a similar bunny hopping I get from DBW, but in the brakes too. It goes: Nothing... NOTHING... NEARLY GOES THROUGH WINDSCREEN!
The old Commodores prior to VT have a very low effort pedal and fast reacting booster and a lot of travel, so it's similar in the way you can jump on them quick and modulate them with ease like the old cars pre booster days, but with booster assistance obviously.
It's like the newer cars have very slow but strong boosters that take a good fraction of a sec to fully depress regardless of pedal force.
After talking to Hopper's stoppers in person last year, they said any upgrade, whether VT or their 4 pot/6 pot option, if I like more travel and easy pedal effort, then the stock master and booster is the way to go and the VT booster/master will be a downgrade, a 1" will compensate the travel increase a bit but there isn't much in it either way they reckon. The VT booster just changes the feel to be that short travel/harder feel that most prefer but won't add anything meaningful to the stopping power as that is 90% determined by the brakes at the wheels. Was interesting having heard that as I suspected as much, it's a personal preference things more than anything and very much against the grain of what the internet suggests.
Also, this sponginess the old commodores are famous for, comes from the booster ballooning and the bracket on the tower flexing like a MF as a result, I videoed it, while using my brakes. They were absolutely spot on! flexes by 10 or more mm. Upgrading the bracket to a much thicker one apparently is the way to go, but I am sus about straining the mount on the tower and cracking the metal over time. I already had the intake pipe mount rip a big section of metal out of the tower, leaving a hole I can see the wheel through
Anyway, there is my long story long tangent.
I've realized that I dislike modern brakes, from the operator side of things, not the actual stopping power.
To me, I can't stand the delay of the modern car's brake pedal to go down to the point the brakes start working, it's like a gas strut is connected to the pedal, the harder and faster you hit the pedal, the more resistance is met so you still have that delay no matter what and is super awkward and jerky to drive for me, like a similar bunny hopping I get from DBW, but in the brakes too. It goes: Nothing... NOTHING... NEARLY GOES THROUGH WINDSCREEN!
The old Commodores prior to VT have a very low effort pedal and fast reacting booster and a lot of travel, so it's similar in the way you can jump on them quick and modulate them with ease like the old cars pre booster days, but with booster assistance obviously.
It's like the newer cars have very slow but strong boosters that take a good fraction of a sec to fully depress regardless of pedal force.
After talking to Hopper's stoppers in person last year, they said any upgrade, whether VT or their 4 pot/6 pot option, if I like more travel and easy pedal effort, then the stock master and booster is the way to go and the VT booster/master will be a downgrade, a 1" will compensate the travel increase a bit but there isn't much in it either way they reckon. The VT booster just changes the feel to be that short travel/harder feel that most prefer but won't add anything meaningful to the stopping power as that is 90% determined by the brakes at the wheels. Was interesting having heard that as I suspected as much, it's a personal preference things more than anything and very much against the grain of what the internet suggests.
Also, this sponginess the old commodores are famous for, comes from the booster ballooning and the bracket on the tower flexing like a MF as a result, I videoed it, while using my brakes. They were absolutely spot on! flexes by 10 or more mm. Upgrading the bracket to a much thicker one apparently is the way to go, but I am sus about straining the mount on the tower and cracking the metal over time. I already had the intake pipe mount rip a big section of metal out of the tower, leaving a hole I can see the wheel through
Anyway, there is my long story long tangent.
I'm the director of VSH (Vlad's Spec Holden), because HSV were doing it ass about.
Re: Torana SS
The Speedhut fuel gauge doesn't really like the original Torana sender, it works but the reading can vary a lot. I suspect the old sender just can't hold consistent resistance any more (if it ever could), the original gauges would have smoothed that out a lot more. I've also never gotten around to altering the float arm for the taller drop tank, so it seemed like a good excuse to make some modifications.
Started by removing the sender unit and straightening out the pickup tube for more depth.
I'd kept the remains of an old VT setup after pilfering several bits from it, never throw anything away. These are the key pieces of the sender, needs a new mount because it was originally all part of the plastic pot.
Needed a small chunk of aluminium, but didn't have anything suitable. Fired up the furnace to solve that problem, then squared it up on the mill.
Machined the pivot on the lathe, there is a 2 degree taper to the main section of the hole and there's a threaded hole in the base.
The brass piece on the left is new, this also has a small taper in the opposite direction. The piece on the right is the original that now has a thread.
This was the best way I could think to reproduce the shape that the plastic arm rides on, trepanning it on the lathe wasn't an option given the size.
Back to the mill to create a slot for the little board.
Also a round slot on the back for mounting to the pickup tube.
Drill and tap some holes, add a stainless clamp. Removed some of the excess material so it's as easy as possible to get into the tank.
Made a new threaded electrical terminal.
The board is retained by the screws at top left and bottom right. The brass washer is soldered to the left terminal so that one is now earthed through the tube, I think I'll probably solder a terminal onto the tube on the outside of the tank to get a clean connection.
Tweaked the float arm to suit (I hope, final fine tuning probably required). Pressed on a fitting for a new filter sock.
Started by removing the sender unit and straightening out the pickup tube for more depth.
I'd kept the remains of an old VT setup after pilfering several bits from it, never throw anything away. These are the key pieces of the sender, needs a new mount because it was originally all part of the plastic pot.
Needed a small chunk of aluminium, but didn't have anything suitable. Fired up the furnace to solve that problem, then squared it up on the mill.
Machined the pivot on the lathe, there is a 2 degree taper to the main section of the hole and there's a threaded hole in the base.
The brass piece on the left is new, this also has a small taper in the opposite direction. The piece on the right is the original that now has a thread.
This was the best way I could think to reproduce the shape that the plastic arm rides on, trepanning it on the lathe wasn't an option given the size.
Back to the mill to create a slot for the little board.
Also a round slot on the back for mounting to the pickup tube.
Drill and tap some holes, add a stainless clamp. Removed some of the excess material so it's as easy as possible to get into the tank.
Made a new threaded electrical terminal.
The board is retained by the screws at top left and bottom right. The brass washer is soldered to the left terminal so that one is now earthed through the tube, I think I'll probably solder a terminal onto the tube on the outside of the tank to get a clean connection.
Tweaked the float arm to suit (I hope, final fine tuning probably required). Pressed on a fitting for a new filter sock.
Re: Torana SS
Added earth terminal for the fuel sender.
Of course I thought I was just going to swap out the sender and pickup assembly with the tank in the car - nope. I forgot there's a baffle plate in the tank that runs right through the location for the pickup, more adjustment needed. Had to do it the hard way.
Got the pickup and float arm tweaked to the necessary angle with the tank on a stand, and even managed to do a basic leak test by tipping it up.
According to the instructions, the Speedhut fuel gauge has a preset for the correct 40-250 ohm range. But I must have a mis-print because it behaves more like the 0-30 ohms shown in a different set of instructions I found online. So I had to manually calibrate empty and full positions but seems to work well now and certainly fixed the unreliable reading issue. The gauge does seem to have reasonable damping too, the needle doesn't swing up and down with rapid float movement.
Have had occasion to use the intermittent wiper control recently, works great but time for new wiper blades again as they don't last long in the sun. Decided to try something different to see if I can get more than 10 seconds out of them before they start shuddering over the windscreen. I've had a good run out of the flex blade setups, but they don't offer a fitting style that suits the arms. They still have a simple centre pivot though, just push the pin out and throw away the plastic adapters and it's pretty close. Made some stainless hardware to suit.
In addition to updating the blade holder this assembly has significantly less slop than the worn out originals which I'm hoping will help. They sound a little better running over the windscreen but it stopped raining so a proper test will have to wait.
Of course I thought I was just going to swap out the sender and pickup assembly with the tank in the car - nope. I forgot there's a baffle plate in the tank that runs right through the location for the pickup, more adjustment needed. Had to do it the hard way.
Got the pickup and float arm tweaked to the necessary angle with the tank on a stand, and even managed to do a basic leak test by tipping it up.
According to the instructions, the Speedhut fuel gauge has a preset for the correct 40-250 ohm range. But I must have a mis-print because it behaves more like the 0-30 ohms shown in a different set of instructions I found online. So I had to manually calibrate empty and full positions but seems to work well now and certainly fixed the unreliable reading issue. The gauge does seem to have reasonable damping too, the needle doesn't swing up and down with rapid float movement.
Have had occasion to use the intermittent wiper control recently, works great but time for new wiper blades again as they don't last long in the sun. Decided to try something different to see if I can get more than 10 seconds out of them before they start shuddering over the windscreen. I've had a good run out of the flex blade setups, but they don't offer a fitting style that suits the arms. They still have a simple centre pivot though, just push the pin out and throw away the plastic adapters and it's pretty close. Made some stainless hardware to suit.
In addition to updating the blade holder this assembly has significantly less slop than the worn out originals which I'm hoping will help. They sound a little better running over the windscreen but it stopped raining so a proper test will have to wait.
Re: Torana SS
Wipers do seem a lot better (so far).
Have been looking for a spare wheel on and off, it's a challenge finding something that will fit below the floor but still be a reasonable match in rolling diameter and clear the brakes. I haven't actually tried it on the car yet but pretty sure it will work, 15x5" with 165/80 tyre. Wheel is a bit ugly but hopefully it won't be seen much.
Have been looking for a spare wheel on and off, it's a challenge finding something that will fit below the floor but still be a reasonable match in rolling diameter and clear the brakes. I haven't actually tried it on the car yet but pretty sure it will work, 15x5" with 165/80 tyre. Wheel is a bit ugly but hopefully it won't be seen much.
Re: Torana SS
Wheel fits fine front and rear, it actually has better brake clearance than any 15" wheel I've used. For obvious reasons tyre clearance is not an issue.
Much to my surprise the little bracket for the factory hold down is still present and intact on the boot floor so figure I may as well use it. Copied the original rod using one from an old battery retainer, and made a custom knob that seats in the wheel nut taper from some leftover cast aluminium.
Much to my surprise the little bracket for the factory hold down is still present and intact on the boot floor so figure I may as well use it. Copied the original rod using one from an old battery retainer, and made a custom knob that seats in the wheel nut taper from some leftover cast aluminium.
Re: Torana SS
I love the stuff you get up to in this thread, I wish I had the skills and the time to do similar.
According to chemistry, alcohol is a solution...
- vlad01
- Posts: 7867
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2012 6:41 pm
- cars: VP I S
VP I executive
VP II executive
VP II executive #2
VR II executive - Location: Kyneton, Vic
Re: Torana SS
Much the same, but I got time, just lack skills and money to buy the equipment to make stuff. I still don't have a drill press or a vice!
I really want a sand blasting cabinet for doing my own soda or plastic blasting. After having disastrous results on non ferrous metals from "professional blasting companies" that do more gentle methods like vapour blasting, don't! They don't know what they are doing. I now test people out with junk representative parts before ever trying on the part I need done, I leaned the hard way multiple times where X company says their non standard blasting is perfect for delicate or mechanical parts, totally trashed the parts that would have faired much better with conventional garnet blasting which ruins them either way, so that's saying something. That's even happened when the sample part came up alright, but the actual part they fucked up in ways I could not have imagined.
Really is paramount to do shit yourself these days with the way businesses have gone and continue to go down the toilet over the last 15 or so years. Not to mention how much they want to charge for a subpar job too.
I really want a sand blasting cabinet for doing my own soda or plastic blasting. After having disastrous results on non ferrous metals from "professional blasting companies" that do more gentle methods like vapour blasting, don't! They don't know what they are doing. I now test people out with junk representative parts before ever trying on the part I need done, I leaned the hard way multiple times where X company says their non standard blasting is perfect for delicate or mechanical parts, totally trashed the parts that would have faired much better with conventional garnet blasting which ruins them either way, so that's saying something. That's even happened when the sample part came up alright, but the actual part they fucked up in ways I could not have imagined.
Really is paramount to do shit yourself these days with the way businesses have gone and continue to go down the toilet over the last 15 or so years. Not to mention how much they want to charge for a subpar job too.
I'm the director of VSH (Vlad's Spec Holden), because HSV were doing it ass about.