FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

I have an F.C. ute and have been running a 202 trimatic for the last 2 years. It has 4 wheel discs, gemini column, CRS chassis, 2 speed wipers, rear mounted nissan rack  and of course, seat belts. I am putting in a 308-turbo 400 combo. Not scared of the work, as have done the majority already, but would like good advice for the fitup. (e.g. manifolds, do I have to cut the inner guards, can I run standard manifolds, radiator, firewall mods. etc.) any advice to help would be great.
                Yes I am probably mad, but also determined.
                             
                                            cheers, Glenn.

Glenn,

Should be a couple of weekends by the sound of it. Most of the hard work has been done...

Have you considered a 307 Chev/TH350 combination? It will fit with less difficulty (note I didn't say more easily  :)).

I'd be interested if your rear mounted rack will work with the V8 sump. I have a front rack for my project, but everyone tells me the turning ability is drastically comprimised, and therefore I would like to investigate a rear mount option.

If you are in NSW you will need dual circuit brakes, if you haven't already included it, and a heater demister.

My namesake, Ed Ho has progressed with a 308 project, and he is best to fill you in with the details of body mods, clearances etc. He is a forum user.

Good luck,

Ed

I have been working on a efi 8 for my ute. So far I have found that  I have to dint the firewall so that I have enough room of the motor. It still only leaves me about 80mm between the pulley and the lower subframe lip. I think that I will have to place the radiator on the other side of where it is supposed to be.

I think the major problem with the Holden motor is that the oil filter is in the way of the chassis.
Chev does not have this problem.

Ken

Yeah and a Chev is is by far a better motor

Go the Chevvys

Holden 308, fitup.. what problems?

If u really want to burn the pants off a CHev, you just gotta install a Holden EFI motor I say  ;D

Seriously tho, A Holden is a problematic fit by comparison to a Chev however can be done.

As ken says the oil pump needs additional clearance on the subframe,

the firewall needs to be dented in, or a recess made.

the exhausts can be made to fit without cutting the guards,

the radiator can also be made to fit on the correct side of the support panel.


(http://img42.photobucket.com/albums/v128/Ed74mnd/DSCF0002.jpg)

(http://img42.photobucket.com/albums/v128/Ed74mnd/FE120404.jpg)

hope this helps.
Cheers

Ed

Hey guys, thanks for the quick replies, much appreciated but now I have more questions. I spoke to Pat Gardiner at V6 conversions. He said the oil filter would fit, but obviously not. What mods are needed to the chassis rails? Do I have to cut, grind, replace bits, etc. Also, what kind of "dent" is required for proper clearance? Sounds like I will be cutting a recess for better looks if nothing else. Pat also said the firewall didn`t need to be touched. I wonder if he has actually done an F.C.  Oh yeah, why a 308? No real reason, it`s a holden and it turned up first. Will keep you posted on progress. [still bolting the motor up]

                               cheers,Glenn
   

friday arvo..  im so bored of work...

the oil filter will fit up OK, also oil pump will fit OK.
it has about 3 mm cleaarance to subframe.. if you are happy with that then its ok.. it will knock when the motor torques up.

the firewall doesnt have to be dented, just grind off the lip.  then u will have about 5 mm clearance.

I vut my subframe and used 3mm plate to make a recess.. now I can slide a finger between it and the rail.

I will try and fit up the motor soon and take clearance shots.

Cheers

Ed

Thanks Ed for the quick reply. I think engineers would like some sort of clearance. Do you know what is the minimum? 3mm sounds a bit close. Do you have an e-mail address?

best of luck to fit a 308,
overhere in kiwiland we have to have a min clearance of 12mm between movement and solid.
e.g  motor & firewall, exhaust & subframe e.t.c
when ever i have done motor transplants i try to get about 15-20mm safe limit overhere ;D
Check with your engineers over in Aussie.
A few years back their was a book put out by Graffiti I think called ""How to build a Streetmachine"
It show how they put a 308,auto and 9"diff into a FC ute good pictures and detail reading see if someone overthere has it .
cheers Tony ;D

HI Glenn,

to email me, hit the little letter icon on the lower LHS of the screen.

I use Code of Practice for Light Vehicle Modifications to find out rules and regs for NSW.

I can quote you section 3.1.5.2 Clearance to surrounding components.

in a nutshell for NSW.. 10mm, but I like fc4kiwi's approach.

I have "how to build a street machine" book.. personally I think it's not very helpful  for juicy details. It quotes from the Code of practice anyway, except it has nice pictures which is a plus.

Email me and I can help you with other planning ideas if u need.

Cheers

Ed

Hey guys, big job, huh? I am going to cut the chassis for the oil filter. I think 15mm is a good clearance to aim for all round. I had a thought of using a VN type radiator and mounting it on the grill side which would get rid of the filler cap problem. What are your thoughts? The motor is still a few weeks of being fitted yet, but will keep you posted. [that is when Ed will be getting some e-mails] I will grind the firewall lip and see how it goes from there. If this 308 was easy it woldn`t be fun.

                                    Cheers again, Glenn

Good choice

Glenn :)

your namesake Glenn actually has fitted a Chev to his FC wagon.
my namesake Ed, has gone the Chev route as well.

there is a thread elsewhere on radiators with some great ideas.

Radiators are available aftermarket for this application or there are cheaper alternatives about, it comes down to personal preference really (and project requirements).

my motor was rear set about 2 inches so this caused some clearance headaches while alleviating others.

another one im currently working on is a good alternator mount arrangement.  HQ type is too low, HK type looks promising, not sure about commodore mount either, but have looked into using a Jag belt tensioner so I can solid mount the alternator... just thinking out loud.

anyway, I will take relevant pics and stuff for you shortly and wait for your emails.

and modifications that look easy are often the hardest to do.

CHeers

Ed

I am using a VP ss motor and manual. Perhaps this is why I had to make a larger depression in the firewall. To clear the passenger side rocker.

Hi,just read bit about alternator brackets,when i fitted a v6 chev to mates Hilux ute we had no way of doing mount as the long belt for water pump and alternator spun the wrong way and we had to mount everything in reverse so belt spun them the right way,so we made template of an engine plate to mount all accesories off then took temlate to local engineer and had him make a plate out of 6mm steel plate it worked great and looked very nice after we drilled a heap of 8mm holes so air could flow thrue to engine and held the alternater,power steer pump and belt tensioner

good idea Nicko,

I was just measuring the alt bracket and looking at the desired alternator position.


Cheers

Ed

Hey guys (haven`t  forgotten you Ed) just updating the progress. The motor is finished, and I will soon be pulling out the old red motor. I am going to recess the passenger firewall, subframe and modify the sump slightly for clearance on the rear mounted rack. I thought about changing the steering, but I like the way it is now so the sump mod. is no real drama. The oil pump is no real trouble either, I have opted to go with a Z160 filter off the later vn type  V8. It is the same diameter as the oil pump and gives you a bit more clearance. I did a  253 dummy fit in an f.b. shell, and it looks like you could still run standard exhaust manifolds
nearly. Still hoping to be running the original 3 core radiator with the firewall mods. done. Time will tell though. I said before, if it was easy it wouldn`t be fun.
        Chat again soon.
         Cheers, Glenn  

Hi Glenn,
Would it be possible to send me a pic with the rear mounted rack and 308 installed? ;)
Regards ACE 8)

No worries Ace, will get someone who has a camera and knows how to do it, but it might be a while off yet. I dropped the sump off today to a mate through work. Showed him what I needed and will be ready next week. You might want to see photos of it before and after mods. Keep you posted.
                Cheers Glenn

Thanks Glenn,
I'll look forward to seeing the pics ;)
Regards ACE 8)

Hey guys, it`s happening this weekend. Got a workshop with  4 post hoist and mig for 3 days. Hope I will have more good news than bad next week.
     Cheers Glenn

Hey guys, what a busy weekend! Got the motor out in a couple of hours. Be good if the 308 went in that quick. I ended up recessing both sides of the firewall, which took some time. [motor in and out 5 times] but now have lots of clearances and looks quite good. The t400 fell in, only had to cut off some of the wing on the drivers side, but still retained the thread for the flex plate cover. Had to pack the rear of the gearbox about 25mm off the existing c.r.s. crossmember. [probably cause I have 50mm lowering blocks] The 4 core radiator fits no probs, but I had to use thermo fans. A fixed fan would fit, but so low to the radiator. I thought thermos would be o.k. considering the 4 core. Had to also shorten a v8 wagon tailshaft and change the yolk on the bango. [It`s not staying ] Just finished cleaning and painting an h.t. alternator bracket which sits in great. The exhausts? looks like a problem. Worry about that later. Thats about it for now, keep you posted.
     Cheers Glenn  

Hey guys, long time no hear.
Got the ute running last sunday, but had fuel pump problems (and a couple of other little things) but now it`s all good. We modified some commodore extractors to fit a twin system, and it sounds sweet! The h.t. alternater bracket worked good also. Took it for it`s first drive today, man what a difference. The T400 is so much better than the tired traumatic I had, not to mention the smooooth 308. It`s a new car! Will get the photos of the rear mounted rack I promised to ace, and some more I hope. (gotta get the son in laws camera]
Can`t think of much else, wish me luck with the engineer
Cheers Glenn

sounds great but we all need the photos. Mt front end should be back this week with rear mounted rack and modified sump and extrctors to suit from v6 conversions . cant wait any longer
cheers fatboy

Engineering spec in Vic is 10 mm clearance between engine and body.  3 mm will get knocked back every time.
I assume that this is similar in other states

Ken

nice work Glen, best of luck.

Ken,

yep NSW is 10mm too, can be bloody hard to achieve at times too!

Cheers

Ed

Hey guys, noise test came in at 92.5 dbs [i`m allowed 96] and it weighed in at 1300kgs. It weighed 1200 with the 6! Go figure. Still running good, no real dramas got about 200 kms up so far. Carby a bit ordinary sometimes but will sort it out. I put a small subaru fixed fan on to help with the cooling [ getting a bit hot in traffic] No other news, will let you`s know how I go with the engineer soon.
              Cheers Glenn

Hey guys, took the ute to the engineer this morning and he was very happy with the fit out, passed no problems. Sorted out the carby, bought a new one from Hume auto quip. bolted it on, few adjustments and it was sweet. Nothing much more to add, will do the blue slip in a fortnight and then off to R.T.A. And I will get some photos! Son in law is a slacker. Talk soon.
                        Cheers, Glenn

Hi guys,
Can someone tell me how to post my photos to my email so I can show you the finished motor.

Hey Glenn,

this is from RET's sticky on the photo section
if the starblvd doesnt work u can try photobucket.com
im keen to see ur car.

Cheers

Ed



How to Link an Image to this Board
 

You must upload the image onto the internet somewhere.  There is no provision for upload directly to these boards.  If you do not have your own personal web-space somewhere (such as that allocated by your ISP), then try http://starphoto.starblvd.net/
You need to know the URL of the image (which is not the same as the page it is on!)
To link the photo: when writing (or editing) a message, use the button that looks like a framed picture in the 'Add YABBC tags' area above the Message area.  (It's fourth from the left, bottom row).  That will whack some tags at the end of your current message that look like this [ img ] URL [ /img ].  Replace the string "URL" between the tags with the literal URL of the picture, just as you do with web-link tags.
Use the "Preview" function to make sure it works as it should!

Thanks for the info. Ed, I think the motor was easier to do. Will keep trying.
                Cheers Glenn

Stick with it, Glenn.  The first time's the hardest  :P .  I registered on photobucket, then followed the instructions in Ed's post. P.O.P  ;D  The "URL" (whatever the hell that is!?) appears in photobucket under the photo.  Copy it (Crtl + C), then paste it into your FEFC Holden post message (Ctrl + V) between the [ img] and the [ /img] that you get when you click on the little "photo" button (4th "tag" from the left).  Delete the letters URL that are between those bracketed things.
:D
And we wanna see.  It sounds like things are going well.

lol

Martin

Glenn
If you still having difficulty with photos, email them to me and I will place them in my photo bucket album and link them to this post for you.

wjaltmann@qld.fefcholden.org.au

Cheers Jim

Hey guys, some photos as promised.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/tmors/Car.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/tmors/Motor.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/tmors/Rack.jpg)
         Chat again soon
         Cheers, Glenn

Saweeeetttt !!!
That yellow looks real nice, very neat conversion too!

 :o :o :o :o  WOW   :o :o :o :o
Rear mounted rack looks great ;)
Can you tell me what model Nissan rack it is?
Thanks for the pics  ;)
Regards ACE  8)

Hey nice work Glenn,

Nice fit up of the rear mount rack, that's defeating the odds I gotta say.

tricky sump work..

looks nicely engineered

;D

Cheers

Ed

Thanks guys, and for all the help. Will get some better pics of the ute soon and post. [on members site?] Maybe see you out and about, you never know. I would like to see your wagon when finished Ed.
 mmmmm....... what will I do next?
    Thanks again, Glenn.
Sorry Ace, rack is slightly modified 85 pulsar

Hey guys, long time between drinks huh? I`ve been off line for weeks due to a thunder storm which killed my modem, but all good now. The car is still going well and I collected a trophy, -2nd best modified - at twin lakes annual show and shine at wyong. I was a happy man. got beat by a 350 torana, at least it was a holden. still haven`t touched the diff, will get there one day (probably when it dies)  talk again soon,
                  cheers glenn