VR Senator with LSx454

[MarzellaParticipant MarzellaVS SS View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 59]

Congrats, true credit to your work.

 

Skids.

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

Marzella wrote:

Congrats, true credit to your work. Skids.

 

 

Agree on both points…

 

 

Peer pressure is building up

[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]

Skids will come, trust me, when the time is right And thanks for the kind words btw, really nice to receive those sort of compliments from you guys in the car community

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

Killing it Man! 

[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]

Fuck I am so happy/relieved/proud/tired all rolled into one. Thank fark that’s over.

[vs manta 218Participant Vs hsv manta View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 796]

Good stuff Gary

 

must be a relief

[NickVRParticipant AdelaideVR V8 Exec, VR SS, VF Redline Reserve View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 264]

Congrats on getting it passed Gary.

[cava454Moderator 93 VR BT1 View build HERE Member since: February 20, 2015 Posts: 2 390]

Please make me a mod. So I can ban your ass.

 

Where the fark are my celebratory skid vids.

[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]

Lol, so predictable Cav

 

[Narva*2010Participant Narva*2010VC Commodore View build HERE Member since: March 5, 2015 Posts: 87]

Congrats mate.  You have done an awesome job.

 

[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]

Thanks all, woke up this morning, pretty bloody pleased.  All the congrats from you guys here and on the fb page mean a lot.  You guys that have built and modified cars know whats involved.  Its just a big milestone and weight off my back, but really only the start.

As I have said before what I am most pleased about is I now first of all have my car registered with that engine.  No one can ever take that away from me, even if (when) SA decides to go to the uniform laws like the eastern states with the gumby weight vs capacity limit.  They will eventually I am sure, so that’s one big plus.

The other is I now have a 100% fully legal base line set up.  So I can potentially make changes and improvements but always have the ability to return it to that state.  For example I will most likely switch to a nice matched set of ID750 injectors or something similar.  Now we can quickly run it up on the emissions dyno and ensure its still compliant.  Absolute worse case return it to how it was.

So really now its fun time

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by  VRSenator065.

[Slow355Participant Victoriahectic spec 355 vs ss ute View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 322]

Well done mate!!!

munch munch ls1s for lunch
Best 1/4 mile 13.1@105mph 60ft-1.8sec Reaction time .8 sec 0/100-4.8sec

[capssyParticipant Pro touring calais View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 178]

looking great mate great to see it finally on the road been watching this build since day one on sc

[jlssParticipant tasvr ss View build HERE Member since: May 7, 2015 Posts: 155]

good job gary. congrats. i was reading the thread when it was on street commodores and its impressive. now you can have some fun waking up the monster under the bonnet. 

[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]

Thanks all, its currently pretty detuned to make it less aggressive.  I just wanted to try and tame it down as much as I could for the engineering so it wasn’t quite so in your face.  On the week end will start making a few small changes to bring it back to life.  Cant bloody wait to get stuck into again.  Have sort of been in a bit of limbo waiting for the approval, now I can get moving again.  Woo hoo mountain doo!!!

[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]

So a bit of a recap of what happened Tuesday, apologies in advance, no way of writing this in only a few words.
The engineering assessment was booked in for 9 am.  To say I was nervous is a massive understatement, I was shitting pellets.  I went out in the morning to the shed and honestly as I slowly turned the key to start it up the only thought I had in my mind was the memory of the fuel pump issue when I was first booked in for the practical eng test.  Actually it started up no problems etc.  I also decided to shoot down and grab 20l of fuel just to make sure nothing dumb like running out of fuel happened as it was pretty much on empty.  That would prove a little master stroke later…
Anyhow the tow guy arrived and they got me down there nice and early as we wanted to make sure we didn’t get held up in traffic so I was in the car park a little after 8. So I rolled the seat back and tried to relax.
So I go into the office and get told to sit and wait for the inspector.  He comes over, was very polite and tells me to meet him around the first roller door, and into this massive workshop with 6 or so lifts.  I get directed up onto one trying my best to control my right foot which is spazzing out with nerves, be great time to accidentally light it up – not.  So first thing is the lights, indicators, seat belts etc.  So we went through everything, high beam, low beam, indicators, horn, windscreen wipers, washers, demister etc, all good.  Start the car up to move it and the low beam goes out.  Turn the car off, low beam comes back on.  Start it up they go out.  Of course I checked all the lights 3 times at home but didn’t think to do it with the car running. What a time to have some weird ass electrical problem.  Fark, I just about go into a panic attack.  The assessor says to me don’t stress, let’s go through it all and let’s see at the end how it all goes.
He then asks me for my MR29 form.  I look at him dumbfounded, no idea what it is or if I had to have one.  He points out that on the back of the SOR it says that I need it.  He says it a document to prove ownership of the vehicle to make sure its not stolen and that he simply can not continue at all without it.  I felt so bloody deflated.  That I had come to this point and wasn’t even going to get assessed because I didn’t have a bloody form.
But then he said that he had another spare slot at 12:20 in the afternoon and that should give me enough time to go down about km or so to the other assessment shed and get the MR29.  Luckily I renewed the rego last week, so it was actually registered.  So down the road I go to the MR29 assessment workshops, man I didn’t know what I was in for…
So in I go, fill out the forms and wait my turn.  Eventually I get called up and told to bring the car around which I do.  He looks at the car, gets me to open the bonnet and tells me to sit down.  He and his offsider look at the car for a few minutes and then call me over.
So it’s a new engine right?  Yes mate, bought it 3 years ago.  Where is the receipt?  What receipt?  The one when you bought the engine?  But I don’t have it, not sure I ever got one.  Well we can’t give you the MR29 then coz you might have stolen it.  Silence……..  Fark!!  now what.  I tell him I bought it from Milton Engines, he says well you will have to see if they can give you a copy.  By now its maybe 10:30, Miltons is easy half an hour away one way.  So I asked him if I can get it, can Miltons email it to him right now.  He agrees to that.  So out to the car park I go, trying to search the number on the net on my phone, find it, call Miltons, luckily the have the purchase on their system.  A couple of calls back and forth and they email it though.  OK, now we are moving along I think….
He then gets me to bring the car back in.  Where’s the engine number?  There isn’t one, I got told you will give me one?  Yea we give you the number but you have to stamp it in.  How do I do that?  Up to you.  Ffs, he then says the Ford dealer (how ironic) at the corner of the block can do it.  So off I drive to them.  I go in, yep we can do it,  but how hard is it to get too.  So we go have a look.  Of course its where I have fitted the oil catch tank is doh!.  Luckily I put a leather tool roll in the boot in the morning.  So out in the car park I start pulling it all apart.  Next minute the mechanic with the stamps arrive.  Cool car mate!!  Next I pretty much have all the mechanics out around the car telling me how sick it is.  So on goes the engine number and back I drive to the shed.
He then looks at the number, and walks off, what seems like forever later he walks up and says yep, all good to go.  He then tells me how cool the car is and asks if I mind if he takes some photos.  Seriously the day was just surreal.
So back I go for my 12:20 appointment.   I was a bit early so again I just sit in the car park.  I rang the auto electrician about the lights, he thinks he may have stuffed something up as he pused the fog lamp circuit to use for the fuel pumps, so that might be the lights issue, but there is no way to fix it right now.
Anyhow 12:20 comes around and in I go.  So the assessor turns out to be a very cool car guy with a Charger he built himself.  So the deal is there is a seat in the corner near the car and you have to sit there while he gets the car up in the air and goes over it.  And man did he, he seriously went over I reckon every single nut and bolt on the whole car.  He asked me quite a few questions, which luckily as I built it I was able to answer on the spot.  The then looks at me from under the car and asks did you build this yourself?  I said yep, he gives me a thumbs up and says great job.  That’s the point I thought I maybe had it.  But then he says I need you to come and look at something I am not happy with.  He then showed me the nut on the steering knuckle there it joins the rack.  I had used a nyloc nut but it was too wide and so the threads didn’t poke through enough.  He said that needs to be fixed.
So he says both the issues are relatively minor, proving it passes the brake test and test drive they will discuss it and see what they decide.  So I move it onto the brake test machine, fronts first, it passed by a huge margin.  He smiled and said nice brakes.  We then did the rears, same result.  I am so glad I put so much effort into them, and then all the vacuum pump, bias valve etc.  I think he was so impressed with the level of detail and quality of the brakes that was a big factor.
He then needed to test drive it, the roads were pretty greasy, but it drove beautifully, like I knew it would, again he complimented me on it and he seemed to really like it.
Then the last thing was the noise test.  I then got nervous again.  I knew it was right on 90dB.  Give or take a whisker.  He then told me my car only had to meet 91 dB.  I know 1 dB doesn’t sound much but it is, I was then really confident.  It actually only went 89dB, so I reckon my twin 3” with the Varex will be perfectly legal
He then went off and I presume they discussed the minor non-conformances, he walked over said congratulations, its passed, and btw I have sorted it for you so if you go to the rego office next door we will register it for you on the spot.
I drove the car outside, and yep I would the windows up and let out a fucking huge yahoo.  Man I was so happy.  Went in a regoed it and off we go to happy days

What did I learn about all that
1.    Don’t ark them up, try and just remain nice and calm and answer the questions honestly and politely
2.    Don’t get frustrated with “the system” just work through each step at a time and you will get there.
3.    Do as much homework as possible before, they will check everything, they did all my seat belts, the battery installation, demister, everything.
4.    Take some tools with you, you just don’t know what you are going to have to do.

Sorry for such a long post, but I just wanted to try and get it all down whilst it was still in my head.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by  VRSenator065.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by  VRSenator065.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by  VRSenator065.

[capssyParticipant Pro touring calais View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 178]

awsome im shiotting pellets myself for when mine goes through the process good to hear it was a success gives me some hope

[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]

Mate with the attention to detail you putting into yours you will be fine

But yea when it went through its almost an overwhelming feeling of relief as anything, even though you try to cover everything, you just don’t know.

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

I had to do the e-mail thing when I changed the V6 to an L98 in the Tonner, forgot all about a receipt for the engine… DOH

Agree 100% with not arcing up, it gets you no where really quickly.

[moodybluebobParticipant View build HERE Member since: March 4, 2015 Posts: 44]

Pretty much the definition of a true street car. The fact you’ve built it with your own hands is simply amazing. Always such a motivation popping into this thread and seeing what you’ve done, and i think i’ve been watching this from close to the beginning.

 

Congrats on getting it 100% legal. I’m sure words cant even describe your excitement.

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