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Vivaspeed's 1969 HB Viva racing type car


vivaspeed

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Well, after lurking for ages, making some posts and now realising there needs to be more Vauxhalls on this forum I have decided to post my Viva.

Discussion: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/29131-vivaspeeds-1969-hb-viva-racing-type-car-discussion

Let me give you a brief history.

While building a 4AGE Starlet in the beginning of last decade (some time around 2001-2002) I saw a very quick and interesting supercharged HB Viva at Ruapuna. First thoughts were "why a Viva..." - I thought that was cool and did some research - it has been downhill ever since...

Take one $500 Viva with a 'worked' 1256cc, Weber 28/32 DCD carb and extractors, big bus wheel and Hillman Hunter seats. Went okay until one day it didn't - couldn't be bothered investigating so out came the old engine and it lived in the garden for a while.

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Add one $200 1800cc Magnum front brakes, crossmember motor and diff, a dirty old Link EMX running a mitsi single point injection unit and a nice new cage that I got in exchange for a 3SGE motor.

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I took that contraption to the track and had some slow fun, on a good run it would rev to at least 5000 but not happily. It was a bit front heavy and tended to oversteer in the wet. It was like this for a couple of years.

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Then it rusted, and the engine was crap so I pulled it apart, cut a big hole and put a better engine in it. That process took some 4-5 years.

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I painted it myself in the depths of winter when the steel was a bit cold (I'm an electrical engineer, not a tradesman painter, so can you imagine the quality???) and put it back together. Strangely I still had all of the parts despite moving several times.

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Since then it's been to Taupo a few times, done some club events, and most recently Manfield in the wet.

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For those who like to get carried away with details, it's got the following bits inside:

Toytoa 4AGE smallport with std ECU
W57 gearbox and Niteparts bellhousing
Escort 'English' diff
Magnum 1800 brakes front and rear
Princess 4-pots (Front)
Fibreglass bonnet, boot, bumpers and patches in many little rust areas
Plastic glazing
Cage, seats, harnesses, and all the lovely safety stuff
Sits on 15" minilites with Dunlop Direzza targa/DOT legal tyres.
Lots of 'custom' stuff made in my shed
Many bits from pick-a-part.

Lots of mods coming up now I've got some decent workshop space again.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well Trademe has been getting a bit of abuse recently... some new goodies for my Viva that I have to share.

A GT type grill - had to paint the area behind it matt black to make it look right, and also cut some space to fit an oil cooler behind it.

I somehow suspect the car won't go any faster with this, but it does look good...

vivawithgtgrill.jpg

...and something that will make the car go faster, not from Trademe but something a mate built and I picked up at a favourable rate. It's a small port, got some ground cams, adjustable cam gears and is a nice fresh new motor. It will soon take the place of the tired old wrecker motor I've currently got doing the job.

worked4age.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

Time for the new engine, has only been sitting for a couple of months but this was the first free weekend I've had for a while. Thought I'd get this in before the next Road and Track round in June.

Made a start, pulled the old 4AGE out to make some space (and to give the workshop floor a nice oily, damp texture).

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Swapped over the relevant parts to the new engine, with many problems - first the knock sensor fell apart due to being brittle so a Pick A Part tripped followed - $4 and a greasy arm later we were back in business. Then the usual things not coming apart easily, not going together properly, etc

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Then the dizzy wouldn't fit because of a stupid bushing the last owner used with his 4K dizzy. I got frustrated and went home. I have 5 weeks to get it going... no rush.

See this problem here: http://www.oldschool.co.nz/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27276

new4agedizzybushing.jpg

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  • 2 years later...

While uploading photos I thought I would also give an update on my diff...

 

Bought a Quaife ATB from the UK, and a 4.7 ratio CWP from Burton Power and had them fitted into a diff head at Howat's, then fitted it to the car.  Makes a huge difference compared with the old 4.4 locked diff I had.

 

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Aiming to get out to a few events from now on - have been super slack.
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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 years later...
Wow, I haven't updated this thread for 2 years.

 

Things I've done - new tyres, new fuel pump, routine servicing, replaced the harness because it expired.  That's about it.  

 

I have done a few events, but not a lot. Pretty happy with how it's going at the moment so the turbo 7A has gone on hold.  Also there's not a lot running in the 0-1600cc class these days so it's reasonably competitive.

 

OS Drag Day 2015 - here's a video from Markku "Battle of the Titans" (that grin...)

 


 

Golden Cross Hillclimb 2016

 


 

Matahi Rd Hillclimb 2016

 

Got a 3rd in class (only 1.2 secs spread between 1st and 3rd so it was close) and 11th overall.  Even beat a WRX and an Evo on a damp hillclimb which made my day.

 

Have to sort out the sloppy linkages in the wipers, had to use them a few times and they didn't park nicely and they drift up the screen at speed.  Not to mention that they are utterly crap at being windscreen wipers.

 

This video is poor quality because I couldn't be bothered waiting for Youtube to upload 1.3 GB of decent quality video.

 


 

Next update in 2 years time.

 

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  • 1 year later...

Time for the annual thread update.

Haven't done anything to this.  Pumped up the tyres and went for a skid out at Pukekohe.  You will note I've done nothing about fixing the windscreen wipers.  At one point the drivers side one overshot and went past the A-pillar but came back again.  Maybe I'll fix that next year.

For some reason they ran the old track at Puke with the long back straight.  Top end of 5th gear got a bit interesting, and not particularly reassuring that the only thing preventing overshoot and possible death was brake calipers off a 1970s Austin Princess.

Listen the the symphony of thrashing a 4AGE and a diff with slightly the wrong clearances (sorry, it's not straight cut gears).

 

 

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  • 7 months later...

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