FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

 Hi everyone.

 After a long absense, not having a computer at home for quite some time (long story) I'm back.

 I couldn't remember how I spelt my username or what my password was so I'm starting from scratch again. :-[

 I hope everyone had a great christmas and new years.

 Cheers, Rob..

all good, it probably a better user name now 8)
if you put a pic. of car people may remember you.

 G'day John,

 I didn't have any pics on here in the past but will in the near future.

 My poor old f.e is just a bare shell at the minute, about 1/2 way through a v8 conversion to find the rules have changed again.

 We've found a sympathetic engineer who likes to see this sort of stuff on the road, just waiting on him to get back from holidays to start working out what sort of direction this project will take.

 Rob..

What state are you in.

 Hi Deano,

 The late great state of Vic.

 Rob.

Victoria the nanny state

 That's about the size of it,

Some boffin with a clipboard making decisions based on statistics gathered from a totally different demographic.

dont worry there are a heap of options you can do,
if you want an 8
253, carby or with efi top end (can get over 300kw if you have the $$$)
toyota 4ltr v8 (200kw but can be chipped to close to 300)
rover 4ltr v8

3.8ltr v6 (130-190kw motors available)

186,202, natural aspirated or turbo/supercharged

if you want it light and quick idd look at

RB20DET (160kw)
RB25DET (185kw)
NEO RB25DET (210kw)
RB26DETT  (210kw) one of my choices
RB30ET (150kw) vl commodore motor
RB28DET (330kw) my first choice

you can even look at rotary engines

or even go green and fit electric
fit either a pair of shortened 9" motors and run them siamesed and run low 11's
or even a single full length 9" will do 13's

 I've considered a few of those options.

 There's a heap of holden v8 stuff kicking around at home and at the moment there is an efi 5 litre in the engine bay.

 The engineer said that it's not totally out of the question at this stage, just depends on how picky vicroads want to be.

 The table on the vicroads website is headed Maximum "recommended" engine capacity and since the fe is barlely 2/3 of a tank of fuel away from being in the next weight class, he reckons I have a good case to argue especially with many modern 4.0 litre engines making more power.

 What's the difference between pulling up a 253 or 308 from 70mph?
 
 It's a moot point for sure but I guarantee these buggers will make life difficult. >:(
 

you can argue the kerb weight is 1150kg but the tare is 1060.
my is reg in vic with 1250 on the sticker,

there are people still getting bigger engines passed through vicroads but i think now that is 2012 youll have no hope unless you req as a 2012 car and comply to 2012 adr or fit a hq or hilux chassis to it then you can go up to 7 odd liters no problems,

that the only way the some of my mates can get it done, i would love the hsv 6.2 litre with 6spd box in one, ive got one in a new r8 and its a bit sluggish but it weights nilly twice the fc, so it would be a weapon in an fc

The Toyota j motor is probably better than the rb's. The little 2.5l turbo hobby. But if you want s v8 then do the v.8 otherwise you will kick yourself later. That's why I have 2 now cos I couldn't decide. One will be a 350 Chevy and one will be a grey

 If they make it too hard I'll probably go 253, always wanted to clone a commodore cup car engine.

 300hp 253 would be heaps of fun in the fe with a 4 speed and hose the 5litre anyway.

 Not prepared to give up just yet as I already have the 5.0.

 Cheers, Rob.

the commodore cup cars make 390hp at the fly, i have all the specs and a cam sitting at my house for one, the cam cant be brought off the shelf, as it is a reg spec,

340-390fly hp

As a Victorian who has had a lot to do with the modified vehicle scene over the years, I am getting real tired of the disrespect shown on this forum for this state and its ruling bodies.
If you want to make political statements - find another forum.

My apologies for the hijacking of this thread, but it has more negatives in it than positives IMO

Ken

Sorry ken if I sounded negative but there are many ascertain on telly at the moment like the fire ones and all these other adverts that are putting irrational fear into people. Especially those already traumatise by the fires etc. That's what I mean by my negative message. Governments are there to govern not over intrude I think. But i get what you mean and i respect your opinion

 Hi Ken, sorry but I never meant this post to head down that path.

 I suppose I was just venting at after heading in a certain direction at considerable time and expense, having to change direction and spend more time and money to achieve a goal I've had for a long time.

 In as much that I think it's important to question the powers that be over certain decisions made for the people, I agree that this is no place for politics.

 Cheers, Rob.

Hi fellas.

I don't think this is at all an inappropriate place to express opinions about Government regulations. Give us a break Ken, if we can't talk about this stuff here where on earth can we express our opinions?

Having said this, Guys you need to have a think about the mods you're contemplating. I know this sounds old and boring, but the thought of 330kw through an FE/FC, irrespective of a full chassis, disc brakes and seat belts plus whatever is simply terrifying. Have you guys had a serious look at how weak these things are? Disc brake front and rear ends are not even close to adequate. Think about this, a Commodore with 300KW weighs around 1800Kg, do you think thats all air con and central locking? A BMW 1 Series M is 3/4 the size of an FC, produces 250KW and weighs nearly 1500 kgs, a standard FC Holden Special weighs under 1100 kgs.

Not only are these cars built to cope with big power, they are built to cope if something goes wrong. I would say the consequences of something going wrong in an FE/FC with 150+ KW could be very serious for those in the car. Even a warm grey will make an FC capable of a lazy 80 - 90 mph.

Bottom line. Not only are these not strong cars (and a chassis kit wont make them so it will simply stop them tearing themselves apart quickly) they are also dynamically incompetent. In this respect Ken is right, as much as I hate to admit it, the Gument is saving you guys from yourselves. I'm all in favour of making these cars drivable in modern traffic but if you're contemplating this level of horsepower, buy a later model muscle car or a turbo rice burner, not only will it be cheaper, it will be a hellovalot safer too.

Cheers
John

i do agree, 'johns' but there is nothing sweeter then seeing a 1950's car jump up on the back wheels at 1/2 throttle.

i do agree with some of the new law, and not others, but there, there, and were stuck with them, so we all need to find solutions to suit our need.

hence people fabing there own chassis, or using other one's and fitting the fe/fc body on top,

ive seen many older muscle car done this way

ive also looked into doing this, with a fc before that had a rusted out sub frame
you can fit a vr/vs undercarriage to fe/fc all you need to do is section the front guards 70mm longer between firewall and wheel arch
and widen 100mm at the base, a very easy transplant

Wearing my moderator's hat, I'm certainly happy with the regulations and effects thereof being discussed here. This is a forum, after all.

However, such discussions need to be conducted in a positive manner, and denigrating those in authority - whether it is the police, the RTA, the VASS or those duly constituted to make decisions on how we can or cannot enjoy our hobby - put the movement as a whole in a very poor light. Negativity breeds negativity and offends people who visit the site for information and social interaction. Most people will not reply arguing the positive side of these arguments because the ensuing result is usually worse than just leaving it alone.

In my opinion, each government agency and the people working there are aiming to achieve the best result for society as a whole. This involves finding a certain balance between conflicting requirements, and no solution will please everyone. And sometimes well-meaning legislation has unintended side-effects. Mostly, the people responsible for putting the legislation together will be quite happy to garner community feedback to identify these issues before it becomes law. That's what lobbying is all about.

It just needs to be organised, and civil. Individuals moaning, and talking of 'sticking it to the man' one way or another aren't going to do anyone any good.

Finally, please remember that the plural of anecdote is not data. Everyone knows a horror story that happened to them or someone they know or a friend of a friend. Bad news is halfway around the world before good news gets out of the driveway. Don't lose sight of the bigger picture.

RET

Well I guess a forum is a forum and I think it would be wrong if people cannot express themselves the way they see fit within reason. There always has to be a starting point to a discussion and sometime having a discussion is better than not having one at all. I believe that those who don't like someone's thread can just ignore it if they want or discuss their point further. It's not that negative calling a state a nanny state really, Its all in the interpretation. Remember the eureka days. It's people like that who make a voice and rally together who will get something that represents what normal people want in society. So if we are going to filter what people can say due to image, then this is a sad state to be in, in my opinion.

Totally agree with RET and would like to add that you never know who is reading and perhaps taking offence at some comments - trust me, it is well known in a number of states that people within government departments regularly trawl sites/forums to see what is "going on".  And, believe it or not, some are even members of forums without anyone realising it and even more shocking........ some of them actually do know about cars!

Kathi

Deano,

No-one was being singled out in my comment, which applies to both this thread and the "non-VASS" one in The Shed. But there was an undertone developing, and others had reported their feelings about it to me as Moderator. (Some of their words are repeated in my previous message.)

I would rather we simply nudge the conversation towards a positive tack, than let it go and have it get out of hand.

I hope that clarifies it.

RET

Thanks mate  ;)

 Thanks RET,

 You've clarified the overall picture quite well.

 I hope I haven't come across as ignorant or arrogant by not responding to this post straight away, just wanted to have a good think about what to say as to not put my foot in my mouth again. :-[

 Cheers mate.

Yeah I'm sorry if you have been made to feel uncomfortable in any way. That's the first time I've seen a convo go way off course like that. It was you thread/post and if people didn't like it I would have though as adults we could ignore posts or people that we don't want to follow etc. Anyway I hope this doesn't turn you off this wonderful knowledge base of information. Are you going to start a build page

 No worries mate,

 I learnt from a young age that you don't find the boundaries until you push them a bit. Copped a fair flogging from the old man along the way. ;D

 It might be a slow process (due to time and funds) but I'm pretty keen to do a build page, not just as a record of my own vehicle but possibly help others that may be considering taking the plunge themselves, undertaking their own mods or restoration work.

 The standard of work presented here from the 1st timer to the pro is generally top notch, It's probably what makes this site the premier (pardon the pun) early holden website.

 Cheers, Rob.