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Fj V6 under Construction by Eddy Hoek - (Part 1) (Part
1 - Dec97) (Part
2 - July98) (Part
3 - Feb99) |
The sad and sorry car I bought
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The project really started when my dad bought an Fj in 1960 when I was born and the 'Singer' was to small for 4. I liked the looks of the FJ's (when I was older) and swore to myself I would own one oneday. I even kept dad's original workshop manual - but it wasn't until I was a family man that I finally decided it was time to get one myself. I chased around for a while, but being on a limited budget, I ended up grabbing the first car that looked reasonable under $2000 in the Trading Post (http://www.tradingpost.com.au). I grabbed a car trailer and went to the 'Big Choke' or Steak 'n Kidney (Sydney) to check out the car. I ended up purchasing this 'partly restored'?? car for $1000 in a fairly dark commercial building carpark. It was fairly complete (minus rubbers) and had been back to metal before undercoating - but this was a problem too. The sills and floorpan had been replaced and it appeared to not have a lot of rust elsewhere! |
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| I have learnt a lot about buying used cars over the years, and should have put this knowledge to good use, but as usual the excitement of the purchase (and the need to get back to Canberra) tends to outweigh the caution of the hour. This one looked alright and I was comparing it to one for the same price that was full of the usual rust but hadn't been started. He said he had rebuilt the diff, and the engine and gearbox drove alright, but I wasn't really worried about them. I purchased this car with the sole intention of building a custom, so the mechanicals were all getting sold off . | ||
I towed
it home on a car trailer behind the old XE Falcon on a 38 deg day and boy
did the Falcon complain about the heat and 1500 kg! When it arrived home
my wife was suitably impressed (not!) and said 'that's lovely dear!
It certainly was not in as good condition as I was told by the seller. It certainly had looked okay when I purchased it in a dark and dingy garage, and it was obvious at the time that he had replaced the sills and front floor pans. He had also done another car before ( a merc), so I took his word that this one had been done properly. |
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I took a good look at it and decided that since I was going totally change it, I would strip it down and check and start from a basic body shell. As I stripped it, I found more and more problems - always the way when buying an old car. There was rust patched up by poor quality welding and bog, patch panels in the floor poorly welded and bogged over, etc. When it was finally stripped, I decided the best way was to build a spit to hang the body between and fix it all properly. |
I had seen these in articles on other cars, so I built myself one, and then began the process of fixing the body. Boy did the spit make things easy. I could turn the car over (by myself) and cut, hammer, weld etc in comfort, not lying under the car like I had heard of others doing. Also a great way to paint later on. When I checked the undercoat properly, I finally worked out why it was cracked in spots. He had spray puttied over the bare metal without undercoat, and it had then been sitting in Sydney's lovely salt air in undercoat for 3 years. As you may or may not know, undercoat/spray putty is pourous and after a couple of weeks it starts to absorb moisture! A pity because the paintwork had been finished to a block finish and guide coat and was fairly straight. Due to this, all the paint has to come off, back to bare metal. |
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Originally the plan was to fit a 253 V8 to the Jay, but over the last 2 months I spent a lot of time talking to importers and other people, and chasing ideas on the 'net to decide on the donk. I learnt one thing from people who'd been there, whatever you do, if you want to go to a different powertrain (especially fuel injected) buy a front half cut (half a car from the door pillar forward - check my pic on right) or a complete wreck as you can nearly double the purchase price of your bargain chasing the bits and pieces otherwise. |
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| I nearly settled on
the V6 quad cam Nissan (160 Kw) but a front cut was too dear and quite
rare (and they are 700mm wide). I then looked at a Nissan RB26 twin
turbo, RB20 six twin turbo (147 Kw) but finally took the advice of some
experienced associates and friends who talked about the problems of getting
spare parts for their import engines - it can be a major hassle.
I talked to my engineer and he said that if I fitted the chassis kit and
front end from CRS (Rod Hadfield approx $1500), I could go with any reasonable
engine combination. I considered fitting a 350 Chevy but discounted
this because of weight on the front end and loosing a boot to an LPG tank
so that I could afford to drive it every day. I finally took the
sensible route and chose the VN Commodore 3.8 litre V6 (127 Kw) because
of the ability to nearly be able to get parts at the corner milkbar!
I visited the NRMA smash auctions in Sydney and was tempted by the $2000
- $2500 Commodores, however their motors were either hit in the front
or high mileage (200' kms). While there I met a person from Commodore
Wreckers in Sydney and ended up buying the above front cut Calais (88,000km)
off them with all the bits (except panels/doors) but including the disc
brake diff and a VL high pressure fuel pump. It may be a challenge
yet as I want to use the cruise control, variable wipers, digital climate
control (ac and heating), full instruments, trip computer, etc!
I'll take it bit by bit and see how I go! Not bad for $2100!
I had organised with them to take the front cut home from Sydney to Canberra and return it when I stripped it as I have seen too many cars that the wreckers get a lacky to strip and they cut wires and lose lots of pieces. It also meant I could label the complete engine/accessories wiring harness and all connections before pulling it apart. I spent a lot of time pulling it apart carefully and labelling all the bits and then returned the shell remains to Sydney. I had considered building my
own chassis kit and front end, but after talking to a number of people
in the industry and owner builders, I decided it would be a lot easier
to buy a Chassis kit ($350), modified HR crossmember ($465) and shortened
Torana steering rack kit ($425) - all previously engineer approved from
Rod Hadfield at Castlemaine Rod Shop (03 5472 2853). What this means
is that you still need to get an engineer to certify your work, but
he knows that the components you are using have been welded/modified
to a previously tested standard. It comes with all the paperwork to
show your engineer, and I know mine was happier when I said that. The
chassis kit basically ties the front wishbones to the front of the rear
spring hangers, claiming to increase the torsional rigidity by 40%.
This is important as Fj’s and X’s were not known for their
stiffness and tend to crack around the bottom of the centre pillars,
the floor pan and firewall if modified with a larger engine and/or driven
aggressively. It’s quite easy to see the lack of torsional rigidity
by jacking up one side behind the rear leaf and seeing how high that
side lifts in comparison to the other (and we’re talking a couple
of inches difference!) A friend of a friend demonstrated this recently
when he dropped a Chevy V8 in his Fj ute without putting in a chassis
kit (the utes already have a half chassis in them that the sedans don’t
have). On taking it for a short test drive he quickly took it back to
the garage as whenever he gunned it hard, the torsional twisting was
so great that it would lift one of the front wheels off the ground!
He is now fitting a chassis kit in the interests of safer and saner
motoring! I had been told (and read) that the HR front end just bolts in, but the chassis mounts are actually totally different both in design and location. You can build your own chassis mounts (see Mikes Garage http://www.ozemail.com.au/~mykell/garage.html) but the Hadfield crossmember has these fitted in the right spot (jig welded) and also has the mounts for the shortened Torana steering rack and new brackets for the sway bar. Another very neat feature of this crossmember is the way they have shaped the centre down towards the rear to provide a natural wedge shape that angles and lifts the motor up (gearbox down) in the case of a front end crash rather than catching it between the crossmember and the firewall. They also provide strengthening inside and under the crossmember during this modification. If you are thinking about getting their kit, or even want to do it all yourself, order Castlemaine’s book ‘Bolt in V8 kits for early Holdens’ ($10) and you’ll get lots of great ideas and photo’s to help you on your way. If you do this conversion you’ll need to get a HR drum brake front end (note drum brake not disc) to get all the bits to fit the bare crossmember, and an adaptor kit ($100) to fit HQ ventilated disks and callipers (HX if you want the aluminium ones). I am currently trying the HQ callipers on HR disc brake stub axles and VN ventilated disks (but it required a little modification to fit together). However at the Moruya South Coast Car Show in September I talked to a guy called Bruce Clark in a tough grey 350 FX from Katoomba who built his own front end and chassis kit. He used HQ arms with HQ ventilated discs and HX callipers and has been running them for 8 years with a shortened Torana Rack and says he hasn’t had any problems. Don't use Torana stub axles as every expert I have talked to in this area says that the king pin angles are different (9 degrees for Torana, 7 degrees for early's) and steering arms are in the wrong spot causing handling problems - not recommended. I’m using the HQ callipers because they have pads that are twice as big as the VN ones. I’ll have to use an old disc pad backing plate as a spacer against the piston since the VN discs are 3mm thinner than HQ discs, but it means I can run softer pads and wear them out instead of disks every 20,000 km as Commondores tend to. |
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| When you buy the chassis kit from CRS, or even before you do, pay $10 and get their book 'Bolt in V8 Kits for Early Holdens' which shows lots of good tips and pictures on fitting chassis kits and V8's to early Holdens (HD and FC shown for example). Be aware that the chassis kits are different for each Holden model, even 2 different ones for the Fj (wide rear spring - late Fj and narrow rear spring (early Fj - telescopic shock)). The HD one on the right is similar to the Fj kit, however the Fj one doesn't have the big flat plates in the middle and does have some laser cut boxing plates to strengthen the front Y frames (extra - make sure you ask for these). |  |
The chassis kit comes with instructions, so it's pretty
easy to install but there are a few tricks to watch out for. The
chassis kit actual goes in at a taper as the front sill to sill measurement
is less than the rear. This means that the gearbox and tailshaft
support (on the left in the picture) have out of square ends to allow
for this, and can catch you out the first time! |
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The modified HR crossmember is strengthened both internally and externally and is reshaped in the centre so in case of a head-on prang the motor is lifted at the front (lowering the rear) and therefore will be shoved under the car instead of through the firewall into the occupants. This modification also gives you more room for the sump (important for a V6/8 fitment). The front outrigger is cut underneath to allow the rack to be fitted, and comes with mounts for a shortened Torana rack. |
| At this stage, order without the engine mounts if you are fitting the V6, even though I imagine you will be able to order it with V6 engine mounts soon (but don't do this if you are running the V6 airconditioner as I am - the left engine mount is welded to the front to clear the ac compressor). | |
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| The shortened Torana rack and pinion upgrades your early Holden's steering to that of a much more modern car, removing a lot of the wandering / indirect feel that you get from a steering box. I originally was not going to get the rack as I thought it was a bit dear ($425), but when I priced a standard reconditioned rack ($300) and asked about shortening they all said - ring CRS- theirs are engineer approved! Some go without shortening but this reduces your turning circle a lot |  |
| The kit also contains modified (bent) steering arms to give tyre extra clearance, sway bar mounts, strengthening rods, ball joint adaptors, etc. For unfadeable stopping power I highly recommend ventilated disks from the HQ on or Leyland P76/Ford (if you want Ford stud pattern to suit a Ford nine inch diff). If you are going this way, get yourself a drum brake HD/HR front end and pay Rod $100 for adaptor plates to mount the HQ or aluminium HX callipers or any other callipers to keep the front end geometry correct. If you have any other needs give him a call as Rod's depth of knowledge in this area is unmatched by anyone else in Australia that I know of as he's been in the game for a number of decades, his kit's have been tested on the road for over a decade (he answers the phone but his customer manner can be a bit short at times!). | |
I priced a 9 inch ford diff,
but the two diff specialists I talked too said that the VN on diffs
are as strong as the 9 inch, but smaller housing and are less brittle
in the axles. This suited me fine as I got a disc brake diff with my
half cut, and it matched all the other bits I had. The only problem
was that it was a little to wide, so rather than spend $300 getting
it shortened my diff man said he’d swap it for a VL housing which
is 1.5 inches narrower. I cleaned all the excess brackets off the housing,
welded on the FJ spring plates at 5 degrees up angle and sent it back
for building. While it was there I got him to fit a limited slip diff
as I’ve had traction problems in VN’s with the V6 and they’re
300kg heavier than the FJ! This way I can use the same wheel stud pattern
front and rear and have 4 wheel discs. |
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I removed the sump pan and swung the engine/gearbox into place sitting on blocks/jacks to get an idea of how it fitted. I had had a look at another club members V6 FX (belonging to Richard and Scott Shingles from our club) in Cooma, and they’d clued me in that the sump had to be cut off and reversed. I cut it off, reversed it, dissected it, extended it and welded it all back together bolted to some craftwood to stop it warping. I fitted it, reversed the dipstick hole, painted it and fitted it. I cut the oil pickup and swung it around and fitted the sump again. Then someone came along and said-‘does the starter motor fit?’ I removed the sump again and gently modified it to clear the starter motor (heat and a big hammer on a pipe!) and refitted the sump again! |
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| Looking at the FX in Cooma was great as it helped me clear up a few questions in my mind. Theirs keeps the appearance of original inside and out (except for the Simmons wheels and under the bonnet of course). They even have the motor wired into the original electric's so that it has a push button start - very neat. Mine on the other hand is being built with a body by FJ, heart by VN Calais. I’m coming from the other end and am attempting to put as much of the Calais in as possible. Mine also has the airconditioning fitted so this makes for an interesting engine mount around the pump. I ended up using Falcon six engine mounts because they were easier to fit and made all the brackets to fit. The Battery carrier had to be removed and a little reshaping of the area was needed to clear the back of the motor. This allowed me to mount the motor further back than the original FJ six as you can see. | 
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Created by Eddy Hoek - please email me with problems
or suggestions (link on homepage)
or ph 02 6292 8937
This page was last updated on
Thursday, 14 September, 2006
- best viewed @ 800 x 600 in high colour resolution
(In the usual spirit of the Internet, even though I have used some of this material without permission, I try to acknowledge the original source where possible, in the hope that this will not offend the copyright owners. Sometimes, it is lucky I did, as a number of sites have disappeared shortly after I copied the information. Please acknowledge the source if you copy it. I stand to make no profit from these pages and have published them purely out of my enthusiasm for the cars. If this is unacceptable to any of the copyright holders, I will gladly remove, rewrite or replace the pictures or information. The comments on this page are mostly the authors - they are not those of the FX-FJ Car Club of Canberra inc or any other person - unless stated.)
