Aussie Torana with an LT-5

[LGAFF]

http://www.canberratoranaclub.com/memberscars/matt.html

[LGAFF]

Sent him a note to see what he is running for an ECM

[XfireZ51]

Sent him a note to see what he is running for an ECM


Looks like a stock ECM. Can't tell what it is but looks OEM.

[LGAFF]

I will throw this out there too, might have been posted already.......by the way if does look like a GM ECM on the firewall.

http://www.araoengineering.com/

[scholtmj]

I will throw this out there too, might have been posted already.......by the way if does look like a GM ECM on the firewall.

http://www.araoengineering.com/


Lots of bad press on Arao's customer service. Very cool product though.

[mgbrv8]

They even make heads for LSXs that's amazing a LSX/Lt5

[Toranamat69]

Hi LGAFF,

Those photos on the Canberra Torana club you linked there are from back in 2004 - I now live back home in Sunny Brisbane and have done a fair bit more to the car since then.

There is some slightly more recent pics from about 2008 on my cardomain page.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/480776

To give a little bit of a run down on the Torana:

I am running the OEM controller and the engine is pretty much stock except tuned length headers and 3" exhausts and Edelbrock RPM mufflers. I also have a Haibeck chip in it.
Most other mods are cosmetic at this stage.

I bought the engine as a crate engine with loom and a new ECM and chip was supplied direct from GM by the guys I bought it from.

The only things I had to buy separately was the Thermostat housing, Secondary injector modules, ESC module and secondary vacuum pump - then I just had to make it all work.

All 16 injectors were stuck when I bought it and I got a new set under warranty but just a set of Bosch's with steel internals. I suspect one or more might be on it's way out as it is just starting to develop a slight miss every now and again.

I am actually doing a huge upgrade at the moment since some thieving $#%$hole tried to take it from my garage just over a year ago and did about $6K damage to the car trying to break in and start it and also opened the door onto a post when he reallised I was home and he was about to get the floggin' of his life. He is currently residing in the local jail with his boyfriends :-)

I have a nice selection of the usual upgrade parts here next to me ( fidanza flywheel, ATI balancer, ARP bolts, alloy accessory pullets) and I am now sourcing new coils, wires, injectors to treat her to a major service - It has been up and running for 8 years now and had obviously done some dyno hours before i got it.

I have done about 40,000km's in it since 2003.
I take public transport to work so it is now just a weekend and fun car whereas in 2003 to 2006 it was my daily driver.

Also currenlty scoping the best place to get the IH and plenum ported so they will go back over that side of the water very soon.

The exchange rate is very nice for me too at the moment.

Yes it is very good fun and very nice to drive - I have lost my licence once (damn undercover cops) and should have done so 2 other times whilst driving it but I slipped between the gaps on our useless demerit points system between states and they didn't reallise I should have surrendered my licence so i got away with it :-)

Always plenty of interest in it when I go to shows or for a drive.
The Torana Hatchbacks are actually getting pretty scarce here and you never see them just out and about so it gets plenty of attention before people even see the LT5.

Traction on street tires is one of the biggest issues - especially since I dropped the 4.11 diff gears in it.

This forum has improved heaps since I used to drop in a few years back - the techincal index is brilliant - has helped me out a lot.

Now I just need an extra 6 hours in the day to do all the things I need to now that I have a wife who wants the house looking all nice inside. For some reason it seems to take priority over the torana in her books.

Hopefully someone can provide some interresting history on my engine since I posted the numbers in the other thread.

Matt

[Paul Workman]

Also currenlty scoping the best place to get the IH and plenum ported so they will go back over that side of the water very soon.

Wow, Matt! Whata project!! Oh, yeah...JUST whatcha need is another 30-35 hp to the rear wheels. You think you have problems getting the tires to stick now...Just wait!!:dancing I'm sure Lee can fix ya right up! (And I thought my putting a 327 SBC in my hatchback Vega was outrageous...But an LT5!? Jeeze louize!)

P.

[LGAFF]

Matt you will appreciate this link:

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6232&highlight=perkins

Even more amazing is the fact that I found 2 more of these the same year at a Corvette Swap meet.


Sold them to a guy named David Gardner rin AU

[Toranamat69]

Hi ZR1ers.

Still playing with my torana with the LT5. Spent an enormous amount of work smoothing engine bay.

I just did my new air intake. Pretty happy with the look. It fits under the hood...just.

Work has been progressing well this year. Should be good progress now as I am past a lot of the hard custom work.


Matt.

[rush91]

That is a very cool looking car!! You Aussies made some great cars I wish we could get in the states...One question though, what made you go with a ZR-1 LT5 power plant?

[Toranamat69]

Gday Rush, yeah Toranas are great but they are now more expensive than most of the US muscle cars now over here especially the coupes.

Glad I've had mine nearly 30 years.

The Lt5 is by far my favourite small block. Power, reliability and looks.

I like to be different and everyone has Holden or Chev v8s in them.

When I finish this time, the whole engine will be polished and a lot more wires and hoses hidden than they were originally.
Noone will have an engine bay like that in a Holden.
If you look at some of the pics, you can see all the intake horn, tb, plenum etc have been ground back so the castings line up exactly at the interfaces, inside as well.

Hard stuff to polish, whatever grade of aluminum they used.

I'll share a few pics as it progresses. I have a fair bit more to do to the LT5 yet. I've got lots of parts here ready to go on.
Should be round the 500 hp package as I still have stock cams and 350 ci capacity.

I am on a huge push to finish the body work though. I'm getting a bit sick of tin tapping for now.

Matt