[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]

First thing I did when we created the forum was move mine across. I have been very paranoid that SC would ban me instantly if they saw I was creating an alternative and delete my build. And I didn’t want to lose all the info. At some stage if i get some spare time, I was actually thinking I might break it up into sections. But probably in reality it will just stay like it is

[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]

Strick wrote:

Just joined up and donated. Hopfully this forum can be a great place to come for all things commodore related. Looks pritty good on my mobile too. Cheers!

Thank you for the donation, very much appreciated, and it will be put to good use as we develop the forum more and add more features

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

[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]

Nice ride buddy

[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]

Just passed emissions!!!

Just really really happy, quite a few times both the tuner and I were wondering if we would actually be able to make it. Was looking like having to swap to maybe a stock single tb manifold like a fast or something and a cam swap.

Hats off to the tuner, a lot of behind the scenes work done by him to come up with the full tune. In the end results speak for themselves. To take an LSx454 that was spewing our 243g of CO per mile, and get it to be a true real life value of under 1 with the only mechanical change being to swap to LS2 injectors is pretty spectacular achievement on his part.

He actually thinks with a careful choice of an injector to support the full hp he would most likely achieve it again, or worse case be marginally over.

So anyone in Adelaide looking for a genuine old school tuner, someone prepared to think outside the box; tune throughout the entire rev range; and most importantly genuinely listen to what you want, not what they think you need, I can’t rate Stephen Bell at Bell Auto highly enough.

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

[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]

Powerglide specced and ordered through Norwoods. Genuine Reid case with SFI shield, stock style rear housing with custom reluctor wheel on o/p shaft for oe speed sensor, +1,500HP input shaft and gear set, trans braked, custom billet 3,500 rpm stall, 1.80 ratio first, Pro Ratchet shifter in drop box for stock install. If that doesn’t hold it nothing will.

[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]

Getting very exciting now. So the tuner has just finished his first cyclic test after all the modification he has made to the tune on his small test dyno. The two graphs attached are CO and Hydrocarbons. The green line is what it was when it first arrived, the purple line is what it is now. The difference is massive. Still not quite a pass, but he is very very confident some adjustments now with it live on the cyclic dyno and we will be there. Could be as soon as a couple of days or a week. But we are so close now to having Australia’s first full 100% RTA approved 454 powered ITB set up VR.  That may not sound like much to some, but to me that’s pretty bloody exciting

[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 nice ride.

[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]

[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]

Maybe we should all get a tat with the date CP launches and a logo

[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]

Beautiful car mate, welcome aboard CP

[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]

Just testing a short post

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

[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]

That’s not rude as it’s a good question I have been waiting for someone to ask it and it’s something I have asked myself more than a couple of times.

Firstly, the goal is not to immediately make it illegal, far from it.  The ideal is to have the car how I want it and still remain fully legal.  But its much much easier to do that starting from something that is, then make incremental changes to it so we can see the effect.  Part of that change will be to at least attempt to keep it legal.

So the injectors are a good example.  I will have a set of 8 injectors in a box I know fitted will pass the emissions test.  I can then buy a set of the ID1000’s or whatever and tune to not only make good HP but also try and pass emissions.  Best case scenario they do, worst case I have a set in a box I can literally refit, load that tune and pass.  Sort of like having a set of stockies in the shed, that if your cool rims get defected you can fit to get it cleared.

To me anyway there is a big difference between driving a car around with an LSx454 that is supposed to have a 308, and driving a car around with a fully approved engine and drive-train that may be 1dB over in sound, or slightly miss an emissions test.  When the cop wanders by at the car show the engine that’s in it is a bit of a give away, but this way in my glove-box I have the paperwork to show its approved.  And as I say, i am actually reasonably confident still fully legal.

But the main and single biggest reason is this.  In every state and territory in Australia apart from SA (and Tas I think) you simply can not fit an LSx454 to a VR legally as all the other states have adopted the “uniform road laws” or whatever bs they call them.  Part of them is the weight to capacity limit which kills the 454/VR thing.  Sooner or later SA will adopt it, its just a matter of time…

But once my car is passed and registered they can never take that away.  So once my car is done its not just “legal” it is approved and passed with that engine in that car forever.  If they change the laws (and they will) they can not retrospectively take it off me, to me at least that will make it pretty unique and pretty cool.  Its something I have focused on from the start.  Believe me it would have been way way easier to not consider rego.  Just about every aspect of the car has been effected by it.  Its been a massive challenge, a year ago almost to the day i was driving it around for the first time…

So again not rude, hopefully you follow my logic.

[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]

Interesting to compare the first tune to the current (wip) tune.  Check out the spitback.

[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]

Scored a nice feature in my local newspaper, they are doing a series on the local car culture.  They did a nice write up I reckon.

[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]

Don’t have many yet with the carbon horns which i have sort of fallen in love with, but pretty sure most of these have been posted in previous pages but for shits and giggles…

[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]

Also just coz i feel like I haven’t posted any decent pics for a while, this is I reckon one of the best ones taken at C4C.

[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]

Big day of doing little things really.  Wanted to get stuck into making sure all the road worthy stuff is 100% correct.  Raised the ride height back up, it needs to be a minimum of 100mm, so decided to make up a quick check block, put a handle roughly on it just so I could lay down and try everywhere under the car.  Lowest spot is the end of the collectors, managed to get it just clear, so really happy that’s crossed off..

One of the things that’s a pita is removing the black wheel nut covers.  I have the Holden plastic clip but its still a pain.  I don’t want to risk damaging the rims so I played around on the grinder and made up a pair of pliers into a removal tool, works great.

Then went around and checked all the lights etc.  Had a moment when seemed the drivers side headlights were stuffed, then realized I had disconnected the plug to them when i was stuffing around in that corner with the brake vacuum pump.  Did have one blown bulb.  All the indicators are working but luckily spotted I had fitted clear globes when they need to be orange, so swapped them over.  Horn works, and also pulled the lines off for the wiper washers and purged the lines of air so they work properly.

So pretty much all set for a trip to the emissions guy, then off to Regency, fingers crossed we can sort the emissions without too much hassle, I am sure there are still some curve balls to be thrown, but edging closer…

[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]

Couple of shots that have popped up on fb

[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]

Just back from Cruise for Charity, had a top day talking to heaps of people, was a little nerve wracking do some interviews, but really really happy to pick up the top award for “Best Overall Car”

[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 I thought I would change the look up a little, I had to send the carbon air horns back to Jenvey to have a small manufacturing issue sorted.  They sent them back so just put them on, I really like it, just gives the bay another look.  Also dropped the ride height back down form Grandpa spec.  Of course will have to refit the air cleaners and put the height back up when I go through engineering but nice to have it looking a little meaner again.

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