365 weeks...

[JB]

Thanks mate, you have been missing for while... Good to see you back.

Just noticed my new status... only taken 10 years 

[FC_fer_me]

Hi JB, I know the feeling with the wiring, just spent 2 days shortening the wiring loom going to the computer. Once you start getting rid of all the excess wires it starts to come together. Stick at it, you'll get there. Cheers, Jack

[JB]

Looks a lot neater in here after a bit more head scratching. Pulled through the wires as much as I could and shortened what I had to.
Have a few more joins to make when the engine harness is inside the cab.

On the other side of the fence though... looks very messy indeed!!!!

[DN2168]

Anyone for spaghetti?? 

Keep at it JB you'll get there.

Dean.

[FC0058]

Ok its time to put the clubs away and get back to the car building.

Cheers Jim 

[JB]

Mate, just got out of bed after sleeping in, now on the balcony at Lake Glenmaggie eating breakfast/lunch looking out over the water with blue skies all around, throwing the ball for the dog. may even go and play a lazy nine holes later on. the car won't get a look at until the end of the week. But then it's full steam ahead. from all of the scary post about V8 laws lately it looks like I have until the end of the year to get the car RWC and on the road... It won't be finished but will at least be registered and on the road. so depending on if I can get holidays over Easter, which is about a 50 to 1 as they only give a few slots out over Easter the Perth here I come...

[Ed]

tough life JB!

looking fwd to progress shots.

Cheers

Ed

[EffCee]

tough life JB!

X2 !!!!

Good luck with rego when you get there, have you engaged an engineer yet?

Keith

[JB]

No engineer yet, I will call Lindsay Stone when I get home (my Queensland engineer) to ask him to varify my previous work, and then pass it on to the new engineer... Anyone know of good ones in Victoria?
That's the plan at the moment anyway... Will get cracking on to it next week.
Before I left I had about 3-4 days left on the wiring harness... Then engine sump, fuel lines, brake lines, and rear shocks to do. Hopefully get an engine start in the next few months maybe in may we will see.

[JB]

Just spoke to my engineer in QLD and also an engineer in Vic.

To get my car done here, I have to get a torsional rigidity test done... $1500, to get the rest of the car done will set me back around $1500, so a total of $3000 just for the engineering side here.
His advice... Take the car back to QLD get it registered there in my name, drive it back to Vic and transfer the rego back to my name here. Don't know the cost involved in doing this way but will look at it a little more.
Benefit of the QLD way is no time limit at this stage.
The guy in Vic has said that he is going to Vic roads to clarify the rulings on time frames for people that have started cars already, but I won't know the result of his question.

JB

[EffCee]

Good luck with it JB

I hope that it all works out for you and that you are able to get it registered. Torsional rigidity tests are, I believe very hard on cars, however it is my opinion that once you get outside of a certain parameter than this should be mandatory on all vehicles and not rely solely on weight.

This way people would be able to talk to an engineer, understand what the engineer requires to have the car deemed to be safe, be able to build the car and at the completion, have it tested to the engineers standards and then be able to have it legally registered.

Isn't that what everyone wants??? Or am I being too cynical???

Keith

[JB]

I think that you are correct in saying that people want to know that the engineering that they have put in to their car is safe and up to an engineering standard. But I am sure that not everyone, including myself have the sort of coin needed to carry out the required tests. $3000 is around 6% of my build, but would be well and truly more than 10% of many peoples modification and rebuild.
In saying all of that I have taken as much as possible all of the required steps to make the ute correctly, and feel that it would pass any test.

Cheers
JB

[FCRB26]

we spoke to the local engineer about putting a five litre into the idiot bloke at works L200 ute today and he said the new laws came in in NSW so we have to go book a test track and do all the break test bullshit

really pissy that this is going to affect getting my cars regod even tried bribing local bloke to rego it with what was in it didnt want a bar of it understandably.


so what the hell is going on no one really knows its all up in the air at the moment ..
bit concerning tho..



Pete

[fe350chev]

sorry to hear that FChoon as your work looks quality. perhaps they are worried about being sued if someone got killed or some crap. was even hard to get my old truck back on the road even not modified.

I am thinking of doing a really well balanced grey and good rack steering and brake setup now. keep it all original and tasteful. might buy a car thats already rego's and engineered for fun but needs work, would be much easier. i dont really see the point spending a billion as its not gunna handle as well as me new sv6 anyway (getting that in 3 weeks). Might do a souped up small car for fun and have both. but nothing is as cool as an fe/fc.

[puckeye]

Hi jason, new to the forum and just found your site. Congratulations on your commitment to the job, I did similar to an EK van 20 odd years ago, got the stitch many times and took years to finish.... I put a 304 VL calais floor with front rail connected into it, the rear tin was kept standard with engineered workings to hold the diff. For interested partys my fuel tank is v6 Pajero very easy to fit and holds 95 litres. would love to send photos but being a silly old bugger can't do so. because of that experience my 2 Fj vans and fe van are stock standard...... Again well done . Cheers, Peter.

[JB]

I was lucky enough to have 1 Fe van, but to have 2 FJ's as well must be pretty nice!!!

If you like, send me some photos, jhblanchard@live.com and I will post them in the members cars section for you. I am sure we all would love to see them.

The wiring sometimes makes me want to throw in the towel... I think by the time its done there will have been over 700 connections cut and spliced... Very scared that I have not misplaced 1 or 2, and I am having trouble getting a wiring diagram for the HSV immobiliser so its only guesswork on that one at the moment.
The smoke test will definitely be interesting!!!

Cheers
JB

[brett_f]

JB,
I have had a bit to do with HSV vehicles and it is difficult to get this information for obvious reasons. I will let you know that there are about ten different wiring harness configurations all color coded black so that a thief will not know which harness has been fitted. Only HSV has a record of what harness is in each vehicle.If all harnesses were the same then it would not take a thief long to work out. What year vehicle wiring and computer are you fitting. Dont know if i can help you too much though. For the obvious reasons contact me through the personal messages as i wouldn't want people to know what is being fitted.
Regards Brett

[JB]

Well, holidays over, golf clubs now packed away... More bloody wiring 

Hadn't thought I had done much until I looked at the last photo... Over a hundred wires there now.

[EffCee]

JB,

I am pleased thatb you have the patience to sit there and sort that out! I would be so frustrated in no time flat.

Good luck with it, sincerely hope that no smoke leaks out when you try it the first time.

Keith

[FCRB26]

Is it worth all the hassle

are you doing it for the ABS ect

is a standard VS ss any different i started to pull the wiring out of my vs for the wifes HT prem but gave up a mate gave me a motec computer only has about 12 wires.







I know it feels good to make that huge achivement but if its doing your head in is it really worth it?


Pete