Creating an AWD Monaro :)

[Edelbrock1Participant AdelaideAllPaw CV8 View build HERE Member since: April 28, 2015 Posts: 22]

Now this was done over 12 months ago.  Documented on another forum.  But thought you guys might like to see the build up too.

 

After owning the Coupe4 for a while and wanting a little more ‘seat of your pants feeling’ but not being able to bring myself to modify the rare Coupe4. I decided to build one.

After pricing up a body kit at more than $10k and the same to fit it, the plans where shelved. Was really concerned that without the body kit the front wheels would stick out past the stock guards.
Decided to drop the idea and just bought a CV8 to drive to the WA Monaro Nats in 2012, but made sure I got an ’03 version with the AWD floor pan… just in case you know.

Then after trawling the net I found a fella (IJ on this forum) with a flare for these kinds of conversions. He is retired and just tinkers with his own supercharged 6L AWD VZ tonner, (and the pretty awesome AWD VR as documented in this forum)   Asked him one day if he would be interested in converting my Monaro to AWD. Wouldnt you know it, he said he would be keen. So with the approval from the minister of finance, it was game on. Still very uneasy about the front wheel track, but he was confident that it wasnt anything to be too concerned about.
A low K rear ended VZ LX8 Adventra was sourced at the auction and it was all happening

 

 

 

 

The engine and trans were dropped from both the Monaro and Adventra. This was our first ‘got ya’. The 2WD and AWD tunnels are totally different. The 2WD has a trans mount welded over the top of the Transfer case hump in the floor. So we had to unpick the 2WD cross member mounts and the AWD one from the Addy and weld it into the Monaro floor. This was only required on one side, so was all done in an afternoon.

 

 

 

Bit hard to see with the black paint. But it all looks factory.  AWD cross member installed.

 

From there it was just a simple matter of bolting it all back together. It was a VY Monaro and VZ Adventra. So we decided to VZ the engine bay and use as much stuff as possible off the Adventra. There were a few more ‘got ya’s’ doing this as the engine fans are all wired differently and as we were still using all the VY wiring it needed a bit of a mix n match to get them to work.
Adventra diff was hauled out and recond’d, also fitted an LSD at the same time. As we were using the Monaro wiring we took away the silly cross trac system which is not needed on a road car anyway. This made the conversion so much simpler. But if we did not put the LSD in the diff it would have just been driving one rear wheel and one front. So this way we are always driving atleast 3 wheels.

 

 

 

 

But this conversion would have been pretty much impossible without having a donor car side by side to rob bits off. There is just so many bits that are AWD only that would break the bank if you had to rush off to the wrecker to buy them every time you found out you needed something. Plus then you have the left overs from the wreck that you can sell off to get some of the conversion costs back.

All in all it went very smoothly indeed. Had to mate up the orginal Adventra exhaust headers to my 2 1/2 inch Monaro exhaust, and had to remove my Harrops as they would not suit the AWD. But installed a set of HSV Avalanche brakes that I got off eBay and I swear they are nearly as good as the Harrops.

 

And Done. 

So this is how it sits now. I am pretty happy, no one can pick any difference with the car unless I tell them. But with the extra 30mm track each side the wheels do stick out further than I would like. The front wheels have been modified to take 10mm off the hub face.  This puts the wheels back under the guard enough to make it acceptable.

 

Since the conversion it has done quite a few road miles.  I have to say, it is the best thing I could have done with it.  So much more stable and predictable on the road.  Bit of a heavy slug to get off the line, but once moving the traction is awesome.  It was entered in the Moanro Nationals hillclimb, held at the Collinggrove hillclimb near Angaston in the Barossa.  Happy to say that the old girl held her own, racing against other Monaro’s and HSV GTO’s.  Some even shod with slicks and others running superchargers.  But on a track where traction is king.  She came out on top, and took home the “King of the Hill” Title.  The car that came closest was a 6 litre GTO, tuned, with a set of slicks, and he still couldnt get within half a second of the “AllPaw” Monaro.  Happy Days.

 

So it is now time for a few more upgrades.  Hopefully, it all gets done at the same time, but we will see how funds permit.

Exhaust. – Currently still running the stock Adventra headers attached to the Monaro’s 2 1/2 system.

Convertor – Something streetable, around 2500.  Just to help get it off the line a little quicker.

Transmission. – Just needs a freshen up with some beefier bits in readiness for…..

Supercharger.  :)  The ultimate “off the line helper” :)  So on the lookout for either a Harrop top mount or a procharger.  Anyone??

[KroozerParticipant Forbes, NSW91 VN SS View build HERE Member since: February 19, 2015 Posts: 336]

Love everything about it. Probs to you for doing something different and Pulling it off so well. 

Supercharger should wake things up abit to 

Make sure you keep us updates 

[hsv865Participant St ClairVS Senator View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 91]

yeah well done LJ,barstard stop me posting about my respray!!! I’m sure its a weapon,nice.. nar trutly well done dudes,now chuck some dogs in the box en do some helis

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

LOL time flies, (its IJ not LJ) from concept to complete in about a month wasn’t it?

[hsv865Participant St ClairVS Senator View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 91]

yeah my eye sight might be going,but your shed looked neater back then..haha..now how do i make font bigger..

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

It’s tidy again, I cleared up all the Lexcen mess before starting the VY rebuild!

[Edelbrock1Participant AdelaideAllPaw CV8 View build HERE Member since: April 28, 2015 Posts: 22]

Anonymous wrote:

LOL time flies, (its IJ not LJ) from concept to complete in about a month wasn’t it?

 

I think it was about 2 months from the time we started discussing it, till it was done.  Really didnt expect it to go together so quickly.  But happy that it did.

 

Had to find and buy the Adventra at auction, but a good one came up pretty quick.

Was a scarey time though.  Meeting a strange man off the internet, leaving 2 cars at his house in the middle of nowhere with a big wad of cash and driving away. 

But all is well.  Build couldnt have gone any better!! 

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Nah I was talking about Spanner time..

 

[Edelbrock1Participant AdelaideAllPaw CV8 View build HERE Member since: April 28, 2015 Posts: 22]

Yeah I am not 100% sure.  I would have said quicker than that.  I know at the time I was pretty chuffed at how quick it was coming together.  You had it for a couple of weeks after it was done to make sure it was all goo….  And it was! 

 

What is everyones thoughts on the list of mods for bang for buck?  I have a relatively small bucket of coin, so need to make sure it is spent in the best place.  Trans upgrade is a must, as it gets a flogging and shifts a bit funky at the moment.  But are the extractors required?  I have a 2 1/2 inch twin system attached to the stock Adventra headers and cats.  Sounds fine.  Dont really want it any louder.  By the time I buy a good set of extractors and get em coated, I could be up for $1500 ish.  Worth it? or better of spending it elsewhere??

 

 

[KroozerParticipant Forbes, NSW91 VN SS View build HERE Member since: February 19, 2015 Posts: 336]

If you end up supercharging it, then yes extractors for sure! 

[Edelbrock1Participant AdelaideAllPaw CV8 View build HERE Member since: April 28, 2015 Posts: 22]

Oops…  Forgot to update this thread after getting back from a Central Australia trip a few weeks ago….

 

Man…  What a blast.   Half considering changing changing the name of this thing to “The Mile Muncher”
This car just continues to impress.

Loaded up the car with the missus and kids, hooked the camper on the back and in convoy with 5 other Monaro’s we hit the road. Headed for central Australia. In the last week we have been to the Rock and all the other touristy shit. Done nearly 2000 k’s with the camper in tow, averaging around 15.5 litres per 100k’s.
Been an awesome trip so far, but Monday I dump the camper and head north again for the unlimited section.
Unfortunate when IJ built this thing he wasn’t able to fully remove the automatic handbrake speed limiter. So will just have to see how it goes before it kicks in. Sat on 170 on the way to kings canyon with only a slight whine from the limiter, so hopefully it won’t kick in until 200

 

P.S. Speed limiter = The Wife. 

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by  Edelbrock1.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by  Edelbrock1.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by  Edelbrock1.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

fantastic mate, driven, not hidden, how they should be!!

[Edelbrock1Participant AdelaideAllPaw CV8 View build HERE Member since: April 28, 2015 Posts: 22]

 

I fully expected this thing to be a lot slower than the old 2WD version. Having to drive the AWD system and all.

Now consider that last time I look this thing to 210kph, I got a bit scared as it floated and skipped all over the road. So I backed out of it.
But now………. Wow, just wow.

Sitting on 220 the automatic handbrake didn’t even wimper. Happy days.

So I got her to screen dump the GPS speed after I laid into it a bit more..

It was only when she saw this number that she said “that is probably enough”. So it was time to back off.

But I am just a bit staggered that this thing can do this. IJ you are a master and have created a beast. It was so damn stable that I never knew it was even doing that speed. In fact the last 140k’s back into Alice, I sat between 180 and 190 and it just felt like I was doing the limit. Unbelievable. I am still just a little stunned.

We stopped and unloaded the cars and went for it. Dash cam captured the action. I will post that as soon as I get a decent internet signal. But the run that I did, the speedo read 260. But the dash cam GPS says the best I did was 253kph.
Was traveling with 2 other CV8’s best they could do was 235 kph. They are a little perplexed at how my ‘thing’ is so fast.

IJ if you were a drinking man, I would be buying you a big arse bottle of scotch. I am in love with this car.

 

Below is dash cam footage of when I was able to boot the missus and kids out and go as hard as I liked.  Note when I get to 190kph(ish) you see the other Monaros and people on the sides of the road filming. Was only meant to do 200, but as no one else was in the car I kept the boot in and wound the speedo off the dial. I ‘think’ it was doing about 4800 revs and was past 260 on the needle. I was hoping for a little more than the final figure. But I will let you have a look. Check the bottom left hand corner for the GPS speed. Pretty crappy footage with the sun reflection. Should have done it in the other direction. But now I have an excuse to go back.

All up I used 802 litres of fuel and did 4950 k’s. (and spent 50 hours in the car with the missus and kids )

https://youtu.be/h2kZN3eq_3c

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by  Edelbrock1.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by  Edelbrock1.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

very cool 

[sands vsParticipant vs commodore View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 619]

Could you run different offset wheels to bring the wheels closer in as well?

You mention the 3 wheels being now driven what does it take to get 4 engaged?

Would the variance in top speed be something to do with different ratios in the diff etc?

 

• This reply was modified 9 years, 3 months ago by  sands vs.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

It was a fun project with an awesome outcome! 

[Edelbrock1Participant AdelaideAllPaw CV8 View build HERE Member since: April 28, 2015 Posts: 22]

sands vs wrote:

Could you run different offset wheels to bring the wheels closer in as well? You mention the 3 wheels being now driven what does it take to get 4 engaged? Would the variance in top speed be something to do with different ratios in the diff etc?

 

It has an open front diff, so will always single peg the one of the fronts.  There is a couple of people that I know that are trying to source a quiafe centre for it,  but no luck yet.  But in all honesty it doesnt need it, Only once have I managed to get the car to break traction and I was well past my skill level when it happened. 

The speedo was adjusted when I changed the diff gears.  I am running a higher profile tyre which puts the speedo about 3kph out.  I am actually going quicker than the speedo reads.  So If I am doing 100 on the speedo, I am doing 103 by the GPS.  But no idea really what is happening up over 200kph.  With the error, I was kinda hoping that at 260 on the speedo, I would be well into the 270’s in real life.  Sadly wasnt to be.  But if I am being really honest, i never never expected to get anywhere near 250.  I was kinda thinking that if it could still do 210 I would be happy.

 

I wanted to keep the car looking as factory as I could.  So I wanted to keep the wheels.  But I did look around for other that tuck under further.  Turns out the original wheels were ones that had bugger all offset.  But taking the 8 or 10 mm off really helped.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Drag goes up with the square of the speed, so there is a lot more hp needed as you go faster.  Big difference in the power to go from 240-250 than 260-270.  250 km/h is bloody amazing for that car, and it looks like it was sitting pretty nicely at it too.  Awesome stuff.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Right up until you tip enough power into the system and it becomes 1 wheel drive…. 

[Dan811Participant SE Melbourne02 Monaro M6 LS1 View build HERE Member since: March 4, 2015 Posts: 124]

I remember when wheels magazine tested a 230kw series2 Monaro when they first came out, they managed 270km/h in it, which they were all impressed with. I also remember that the 300kw VYGTS (sedan) in the same test only did 275 by comparison, and both were manual.

So 250 in this car with the extra weight and power loss through an auto and awd system is VERY impressive

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