VR Senator with LSx454

[HDN05LParticipant Canberra ACTVS Olympic Edt 383 stroker Ute View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 289]

Great, thanks Gary i have ordered the Dakota unit yesterday so should arrive with the shifter this week ready to fit up over the long weekend.

I may go a little different to you for the display but haven’t decided yet.

Cheers

[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]

No worries mate, yea I would maybe make some changes, but at least its done now

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

HDN05L wrote:

Great, thanks Gary i have ordered the Dakota unit yesterday so should arrive with the shifter this week ready to fit up over the long weekend. I may go a little different to you for the display but haven’t decided yet. Cheers

 

ive got a little digital display I’ll be selling if you like?

[HDN05LParticipant Canberra ACTVS Olympic Edt 383 stroker Ute View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 289]

cava454 wrote:

ive got a little digital display I’ll be selling if you like?

Thanks Cava but ill see how the Dakota works out.

[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]

Well really want to give my tuner Stephen Bell a huge plug. Bloody great service when he comes up to Gawler on the week end after Christmas for free and spends two hours in the passenger seat with his laptop running up an back along the Sturt Highway tweaking the tune for actual road driving.

The cars just beautiful now, it drives like a Getz around town at 60, but is just mental under full power. He spent the time showing me exactly what he was doing, the cars ever so slightly rich right up to wot, just perfect and safe for a road car.

He also spent quite a bit of time on the tune at cruise speed, so very light throttle and large manifold vacuum.

The gear selector indicator is a huge success, very usable, just makes the ratchet on another level now I am not guessing. Happy days

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by  VRSenator065.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by  VRSenator065.

[HDN05LParticipant Canberra ACTVS Olympic Edt 383 stroker Ute View build HERE Member since: March 2, 2015 Posts: 289]

Hey Gary might be a silly question but did you use resistors when wiring the shift lights? Or did you run the positive straight to the dakota unit?

[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]

HDN05L wrote:

Hey Gary might be a silly question but did you use resistors when wiring the shift lights? Or did you run the positive straight to the dakota unit?

Hi mate, not a silly question.  I bought 12V lights, so the Dakota unit can run them direct.  Can’t remember the amperage Dakota quote but the unit is designed to run most low wattage lights or LED’s you would use straight out.

[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]

Edged a little closer to exactly how I want the shifter set up.  Trying to keep it in the style of a Senator rather than a race car so the trans brake button on the shift knob was always a stop gap just to get it all happening.  I plan on hopefully getting hold of one of Fli355’s new leather stamped knobs and adapting it to the ratchet shaft.

So the idea is to make the power/economy button a momentary action and make it the trans brake button.  So I pulled the switch out and apart and had a bit of a tinker.  Inside there is a clock spring style spring which makes it push on, push off.  So removing that makes it momentary = win.  But the contacts inside are arranged so when unpressed its made, pressing it unmakes them, which is opposite what I need.

So its hard to see from this picture but there is a small contacts board inside.  I very carefully bent the contacts back on themselves 180 degrees, then inserted the board inverted.  And bingo, momentary action, contact made when pressed.  The wires are very light gauge as they just talk to the ECU normally so I unsoldered and redid them in heavier gauge to take the current of the trans brake solenoid.

Originally the ratchet came with a plain knob so I made up a little HSV logo and fitted that, until I get the black leather knob.  Just neatens it all up and makes it more factory looking imo.

Then Suesy and I went for a nice hour long cruise up through the Barossa, its just lovely now, on light throttle very tame and sedate, and she doesn’t even get mad when I give it the welly every now and then

Its now clocked over 1500km’s, and looks like the rear springs have settled a little.  They are SSL, might keep my eye out for a pair of SL’s just to balance it up a little.  Happy days and happy new year to all!!

 

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by  VRSenator065.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by  VRSenator065.

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

I’d be wiring the switch to a relay then that to the Trans Brake, too much chance of cooking the stock switch if you pass any current through it..

[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]

Not sure I agree, I had a good look at that, and I was an electronics tradesman in a former life .  The switch has a pretty decent size contact, in fact its pretty rudimentary (surprise I know from Holden!)  but appears simple and robust.  I already have an inline master switch so there is no chance at all of it firing when driving unless its armed, so cooking it would just mean it doesn’t work anymore rather than sending me into the barriers.  I have been told you shouldn’t leave a trans brake locked for long anyhow as its putting a lot of heat into the converter so pretty sure its all good.  Will monitor it though.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by  VRSenator065.

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

Is that the only switch? That operates the brake?

 

can u do Simular with the window switches?

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by  cava454.

[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]

No sure what you mean.  There is another rocker switch I have mounted inside the center console that’s in series with this one.  So if its off (which it is on the street to avoid any issues of accidentally hitting it) pressing the power/economy switch does nothing., i.e. the system isn’t armed.  But when the one in the console is on, then the system is live if you know what I mean.  So if I then hold the power/econ button down the trans brake is on.  Let the power/econ off and the trans releases, that’s why I removed the internal spring to make it momentary action. Window switches don’t know, anything is possible if you try hard enough but they are imo bloody awful to use, you get little feel, so do you think they are positive enough?  In your car you have the dagger of death shifter, doesn’t it have a trans brake button on the side of the handle?

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

Yeah arming switch is what I was trying to say. Gotta have one IMO

I have option to run button on shifter but I’ll move it to the steering wheel. Like to have 2 hands on wheel when I let it go.

[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]

Did mine with a connector. Easy as to make up a temp switch with a small loom that is on steering wheel if i want for race duties.  Can get to it underneath ash tray. See over thinking things comes in handy sometimes  tomorrow Ian I might do a current draw test, and a few hits in the shed and see how the switch handles it.  I really went by the gauge of the wire on the shifter which tbh was pretty light and its made for it.

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

You know I like to overbuild things… Failure isn’t an option  :XD:

[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]

Anonymous wrote:

You know I like to overbuild things… Failure isn’t an option

Hold on,  I thought I was Mr Overengineer  all good, I like to try and think things through, but never built a car like this before so im sure there is tons of stuff  I have missed. But I guess like yours, the deal is to drive it and improve/rectify  what you find goes wrong.

[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]

Gave it a good detail today, then got it up on the hoist to give it a bit of a clean and go over everything as best I could.  It all seems good, cant find any issues.  So first chance of I have got to take some pics of the glide install etc.  Also been asked a couple of times about my charcoal canister set up.  I am using the later VY purge solenoid hooked up to the factory loom/ECU but connected tot he original VR canister in the stock position.  I ran a  rubber line across the inside of the drivers guard, then down to the tank alongside the fuel rails.  You can see where we had to relieve the bell housing on the Reid case as its so chunky, we also cut away the bottom of the starter swap plate and made up a support bracket for the starter.  Might not have needed it but belt and braces. Also a couple of pics of the nice clearance around the steering rack with the CRE 4 into 1’s, and how close we have them to the underside of the floor.  And lastly the speed pickup with a press on reluctor to the front of the tailshaft yoke and a plate off the rear of the trans to the factory loom.  So some pics in no particular order.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by  VRSenator065.

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

Any photos of the purge solinoid.

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

Ummm isn’t that a MAP sensor?

[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]

Anonymous wrote:

Ummm isn’t that a MAP sensor?

Lol, seniors moment.  Looks like I picked a bad time to give up amphetamines….

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