[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Cheers Gary, that looks good. How much gap did you end up with between the lines and exhaust? any comments or issues during the inspection when getting the rego sorted?

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Anyone have suggestions on how much space i should try to keep between the trans cooler/fuel lines and the exhaust? it gets pretty tight up near the firewall and i’m not sure if there is a minimum distance or if i can use some heat proof sleeving over the lines. Was looking at looping the trans cooler lines up and over the collector and then back under the rail, then under the guard to the front of the car. for the fuel line, I could run it in the factory spot up until under the drivers seat, then run it along some of the ribs under the car and into the trans tunnel then into braided line up to the manifold. The line will have to cross the exhaust at some point, could moving it back a little protect it more cause there wont be as much heat as there is up near the headers? Plus the metal ribs under the car can protect it a bit as well.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

I’ve got the 100 series black braid. Here’s how the fitting ended up, going to redo it on the weekend:

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Got the radiator in and the thermo mounted. Went through the hose bins at Supercheap and found a VS V6 hose and an Astra hose with the right shape, cut them in half and they fit fine Top hose is spot on, the bottom may be a little narrow, it stretched over the lower outlets alright, i’ll see how it goes when its running. Also mounted the trans cooler. Put one fitting on the end of my braided line roll, prick to get on with the metal strands, sat a little crooked but its on there tight. I’ve seen some guys leave a small ring of tape around the tip to hold the strands in place while putting the ends on, might give that a crack next time.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

VRSenator065 wrote:

Very controversial subject radiator shrouds. The issue with them is they can do just that, shroud parts of the radiator and decrease the efficiency of the radiator if they sit too close. Mine doesn’t have a shroud at all and works perfectly. I do appreciate burnout cars doing little speed but lots of revs are maybe a different matter though. Maybe just try it without one?

Yep I agree, there’s a lot of pro’s and con’s. I’ve seen high profile radiator specialists advertising pics of radiators they;ve sent to customers and some haven’t had shrouds. I’ll stick with what i have and whack the fan on to the radiator and see how it goes

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

New radiator fits (so it fking should haha), but it wont fit with the thermo and shroud that came with the alloy radiator i originally bought. The shroud makes it sit back a bit too much and the bottom of the fan surround hits the radiator support. i was thinking of trimming the plastic a bit but the fan blades would sit too close to the support. It fits fine straight on the radiator without the shroud, but i’m not sure how well it will work like that. other option is to get a AU or BF etc. Ford thermo setup from the wreckers, that’s a fairly common conversion apparently.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Picked up the radiator yesterday. It’s in perfect condition. Came out of a VK with 76k kms, the fins on it are perfect, not one has been bent. Ran a hose through it and no hint of rust in the water at all. Going to put it in on the weekend and start mounting the thermo i have to see how it fits, plus start hunting for hoses. Still need to get an overflow for it, might get one of the metal cylinders that can be mounted next to the radiator to keep the bay clear.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

I got my Borg Warner from Geelong Diferentials. They do 9 inch as well

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Thanks for the offer Gary, appreciate the thought.

on a side note, I bought a second hand radiator for a hundred bucks. It’s in great condition, I’ll give it a clean out when I pick it up on the weekend.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Spoke to the guy at Gibson Driveshafts who built the driveshaft, he said to use M10 bolts with a fine thread, I guess I wasn’t trying hard enough to get one of my M10 bolts in. Another excuse to pop up to Supercheap on the weekend haha

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Picked up the driveshaft on Friday and installed it Saturday morning. Fits perfectly (I was a little worried cause I supplied the measurements), although I need to check if I used the right bolts. M10 bolts are too big, M8’s fit but there is a tiny bit of slack, it’s fine when they’re done up but I don’t know if they’ll slip a little once it’s on the road.

Even if I have to swap the bolts, I’m still stoked that the drive line is finally connected 

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

sands vs wrote:

what about an adrad vk heavy duty v8 one? They work really well and are not price wise near the custom stuff if it will suit the application.

Thats what I’m looking at. The place I spoke to said the cores on the 6 cylinder and the 8 cylinder are the same so cooling wise they’ll both be the same. The 6 has the inlet/outlet in the best spot for the motor.

Will probably get a quality one built down the track, but I’ll see how I go with the standard copper/brass one for the time being.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I’ve seen guys running $1000 plus big name radiators and still having issues with overheating, and I’ve seen guys running standard ones without issues. I know every car is different and there are a million variables, but the budget doesnt stretch to a custom one at the moment. South Coast Radiators do some quality work and can supply a great one, but it’s up around $1700. They use copper/brass instead of alloy, which is why I was looking at a factory one as it made of the same stuff. And i know it will fit. Plus I’ve sold a couple of bits and pieces that i dont need and wont need to add too much cash to get it.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Having second thoughts about my radiator. The one i bought a while back was supposed to be for a VK 6 cylinder. Didnt check how it fits in the car for ages after i bought it cause i wasnt at that stage yet. Eventually worked out that the pins on the bottom and sides were in the wrong spots, and to get it to fit i’d have to get them cut off and welded back on in the right spot. Plus the outlet was a little too close to the radiator support and i’d have to trim a bit out of it to get a hose and clamp on. Now i’m ready to fit it, and i’m not liking how high it sits above the top bit where the bonnet latch is, plus having to modify it to fit, plus being a ebay alloy special. I can get a new standard VK 6 cylinder 3 core copper radiator for $460. Anyone have some comments to add about cooling LS motors in early Commodores?

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Not sure to be honest, that was on the motor when I got it. Could be a vent or something similar.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Vsl98 wrote:

Heron in the second pic, what is that barb sticking out of the rocker cover for?

Where do you mean?

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Tail shaft won’t be ready until next week. Supercheap had a sale on, picked up some ratchet spanners and p clamps, trying to convince the missus to let me get a new air compressor tomorrow cause mine won’t run a die grinder for longer than 2 minutes and I need to get all the crap off my brake calipers

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

I’m running CAE mounts and a VS K frame, have at least a finger of clearance around a VX sump on my LS3, fit great the first time in. CAE 1 3/4 tri y headers, needed a little massaging to make sure there’s enough clearance. VL manual rack.

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

What cubes are you going for? Power level? Awesome base to build from

[Heron SSVParticipant Central Coast NSW2009 Pajero Exceed 84 VK SL LS3 View build HERE Member since: May 5, 2015 Posts: 585]

Make sure you have the correct o-ring for the oil pickup

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