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What's going in the ute?

I was going to say save more money and do something big but it sounds like the ute is the main project.

I'd do the S13 front brake conversion. ($80-$120)
Reset rear leaves, with reversed eyes ($200ish)
Compressed front springs ($100)
New front shocks ($100)
Shorten shocks to keep coils captive ($100)
Buy some 13"X7" mags ($300)
get some 205/60/13 tyres ($320)
Get a set of used extractors ($50)
Get a ute Xmember for later ($140)
get a weber adapter ($70)
And a weber and ramflo ($100)

That will give you a nice driving daily. Then you can save up for an A14/15 along with other mods.

Well now that you ask...

The 1 - 2 year plan is the get the ute running with the A14 from the wagon. Couple it with my GX head, extractors and weber. Chrome grill and bumber from the wags onto the ute also.

The 3 - 5 year plan will be to find a cheap sr20 and have it sitting on a stand whilst I find all the appropriate running gear as well. Treat it to a quad throttle setup with adj cams. It was either that (easier) or if I can do something different with an FJ + Webers. But now that I think of it, I'd like to experiment with an injected, turbo A series. All depending on cash flow at the time. (Just bought a unit with my gf)

How's your conversion doing Lachie?

Sounds like a good plan! Hope to see the wagon around cause I'm in Belconnen too!

Mines going slowly. They have got a fair bit done but have a fair bit to go. They just finished a twin turbo commodore V6 1200 Ute so I hope now that that one is finished mine will come along a bit quicker!

forget putting the A14 in the ute...wagons are clearly so much better


twin turbo V6 ute hey lachie, wouldnt be able to get some pics of that would you?

Sorry for the thread hijack lol!

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No engine bay shots sorry. I can only find exterior shots at the moment and I haven't seen it in person since it got painted and it was only a rolling shell before then so I can't tell you anything about it except that it's running the engine out of this...

http://www.rigoli.com.au/itt38l.html

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best guesses would be a faulty tap or blocked heater core. they'd be good places to start looking anyway.

Thanks for that mate. I did have a look under there on the weekend and the tap looks pretty good to me. I didn't have time to pull off the hoses and try a bit of a flow test though. That'll be the job for this weekend I think.

As promised, some pics!




Go the Jelly Beans (had them up the back for about 7years. They polished up really well.)



Carpet in the back was still in very good condition. Just a bit of a vacuum and sweet as.



And some 5 year old sheep skins to finish it all off!

Everybody seems to be spending your money on mods & upgrades, ..... but not me.

I suggest that you ensure that you have a great baseline before you start changing things. What's the condition of the car overall?
Hows the brakes & suspension? Need shocks or brake linings? Then spend money here first. What about suspension bushes? Again, replacement of worn parts is a great idea.

Hows the steering? If the steering is like mine was, then new rod ends, idler arm bushes & ball joints is a wonderfull investment in the wagons future.
If I remember rightly, Benny told me that some Falcon leaf spring rubbing blocks will interchange directly into our Datsun rear springs & are WAY cheaper than the $10 each that Nissan want for the 1200 items. [you need eight of them] These can improve ride quality enormously if your old ones are worn out, & I bet they are.

How about the lights & wiring? Faded lenses, feeble headlights? Some work & some replacement parts are also a good idea. New replacement park & blinker lights are readily available & are priced well below what they charge for the same thing on new cars.
Perhaps some QH headlight inserts & a headlight relay, now that's a great upgrade.

Battery, starter & alternator, are they all good? Water pump, fan belt, radiator & heater hoses? What about a full & complete tune up with a Pertronix electronic ignition conversion, now that will restore the original pep as well as ensuring reliability.

Check that the water control valve on the heater is opening fully. If not, then fix it, but if so, then back flush the heater core when replacing the hoses [all 3 of them].
The temperature guage should be in the middle of the scale, not at 1/3rd, so pull & test the thermostat. Replace if necessary & this will help the heater as well.

Doorseals & window channel good? If not, then some new rubbers & channel will make it great. It doesn't take a lot to make a great car from a basically good one.

If you spend your meager resources to bring the base condition of your wagon up to snuff you will have a really great car to drive & an even better base on which to build in the future.

Well, that's the way I prefer to do it.

P.S. I think I would spend some time & effort to find & fit the missing emblem in the grille. Personally I think they look pretty crook without it, or at least something, in the middle, but that's just my opinion.

I will second what Dodgeman says, first make sure it's in good nick then after that think upgrade.

If the mechanicals are in good order here is what I would do with the left over coin; First keep in mind you have another high performance project so every penny into the wagon is a penny out of your real project. First decent shocks KYB's are good enough, then upgrade the brakes since you plan to haul some stuff, nothing major say 120Y parts and some good quality pads...whatever can be had cheap, then some sway bars 7/8 front (22mm ?) and 1/2 rear (13mm) rear......be sure to buy as a set, finally get a weber 32/36 header and 2 inch exhuast with a good muffler. When out hustling parts there is nothing worse then driving home tired and have to listen WAAAAAAAAAAAAA the whole way home.............oh and if you can good seats, not race seats but nice comfy seats.

Do all that it'll be a bit of fun to drive and nice to ride in.

Tom