Popular Post Rhubarb77 Posted June 26, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted June 26, 2023 Hi crew. It's been a while since posting. I sold my 355whp turbo pinto Escort after many years of good times. Living 10mins from a popular race track (Lakeside, Kurwongbah) that hosts everything from circuit racing to show and shines/ cruise days it was just a matter of time before I became miserable not having a project to tinker with. I want to go much faster this time and thanks to Castlemaine Rod Shop the process is simple. Engine mounts , T400 transmission crossmember, VT brake upgrade hubs from them and front swaybar (to clear the front sump) from Muscle Garage. It's a 1993 Holden Commodore Executive. 92,000 genuine km country car from Roma, Qld. No rust! The reason for choosing this car well there's a few. My favourite series of Commodore and lovely Marine Aqua paint. Ford's from the same era are heavier and uglier (no hate just my opinion!). The weight, only 1275kg. 1250kg with the barra. No firewall modifications other than massaging the tunnel for bellhousing where starter motor sits. Power goals 650whp 1300nm but it might increase to 800whp depending on the transmission spec. Motor will get forged rods, stock turbo BF pistons, ARP bolts, crow springs, girdle, stock timing chain, stock BF cams, torrington bearing. Fuel system Aeroflow 76L anodized cell with triple pump hanger, 2x Walbro 525 pumps. Diff has been built with 31 spline axles and Chinese Trutrac. T400 is going in for build on 3rd July. Torque Power bellhousing, billet input shaft and possibly a billet intermediate shaft too. 36 element sprag etc. Link to dicussion 29 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Rhubarb77 Posted September 5, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 5, 2023 The motor in previous pic was bought from a wrecker and used for test fit. When I disassembled it, unfortunately, cyl 5 had rust in the bore. So I picked up a MK1 FG block with good bores but the water jackets were badly corroded. So finally found a good, well maintained motor from a vehicle that had a front end impact. A local Engineer cleaned the block, power honed & ball honed the cylinders retaining the standard bore size of 92.25mm, surfaced, an crank linished. And 10mm taken off the main caps to fit the Ellis Engines girdle. Youtube is a treasure trove of knowledge for building barras which is why I have opted to do the assembly myself. I now understand why engine builders charge what they do. It takes time! And care! So much process involved and I got caught second guessing myself as to whether or not my second compression ring was facing the right way up hahaha. So out they all came and, yes. I had done it properly. The engine has not been torque plate honed, tunnel bored in the main journals or grout filled. All are highly recommended for engines making big power. The main component I wanted reassurance with was the rods. These are Spool drag pro I Beam. Factory rods have been pushed by some tuners to 800hp but from what I understand, this is only possible due to conservative tuning. I want timing and boost as early as possible to make the power hit very hard. Strong rods will hopefully help me achieve that. Cheers 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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