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  1. #1

    Default Aussie 82 GT track car

    Hi All
    Thought i would start a build thread on my 82 as it converts to RHD and towards being a more track day orientated car. I bought a car already in Australia and bought a RHD dash board and rack to convert it to RHD.
    hoping to get build advice along the way and catch up with other Builders / Racers. I am into the build a little already and will keep posting till i catch up to were I am at.
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  2. #2

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    First job was drop it off at the Painters for a coat of green. As you all know Aussie Dick Johnson raved a green Foxbody back in the day. This car won't be a Grp A replica, I just love green.
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  3. #3
    FEP Member brianj's Avatar
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    Nice! Oddly enough, I'm a member on an Aussie Ford Falcon website. I joined to answer someone's questions, and just stayed on because those guys are hilarious to talk to. I've never been so honored in my life to be called a c#nt.
    1983 Mustang G.T. No-option stripper- I like strippers.
    5.0, GT40P heads, Comp Cams XE270HR-12 on 1.6 rockers, TFI spring kit, Weiand 174 blower, Holley 750 mechanical secondarys, Mishimoto radiator, Edelbrock street performer mechanical pump, BBK shortys, T-5 conversion, 8.8 rear, 3.73 gears, carbon fiber clutches, SS Machine lowers, Maximum Motorsport XL subframes, "B" springs.

  4. #4

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    Had to make a new K frame and steering column mounting frame for the RHD conversion. The standard K frame offsets the motor to the right side of the car which gets in the way of the RHD steering rack. Custom K frame has stock suspension mount holes and Griggs holes for future upgrade. The new internal frame mounts the steering column and hanging Tilton pedal box. The Fox steel was just to weak to weld to. This allowed me to position pedals where I want them.
    Also fitted QA1 coilovers front and rear. With the fronts I fitted 350 pound springs and QA1 tube lower arms. The arms look a little weak. For the rear I used generic QA1 coilovers and mounted them behind the diff by welding mounting ears to the existing diff suspension brackets. I used 220 pounds springs in the rear. I still have a lot of upgrades coming but I have a VSCC race meet I want to enter so car will staying like this for awhile.
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  5. #5

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    gday M8, from another ausie,
    Nice build, seem to know your stuff, best of luck on the Racing scene.
    If you have a look at the forum, Vintage and Historic Race Cars, is a thread there on Australian Muscle cars which xctasy from NZ has added some info that could be of some use or at least he maybe a good contact for future reference.
    Cheers, from Brisbane.

  6. #6

  7. #7
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    And RobboThe Greg's Right Hooker 302 Clevo.

    Quote Originally Posted by RobboTheGreg View Post
    Wow, Thanks for the replies! I love driving my Fox around australia, no one knows what it is. I've had people call it a torana, scorpion and I even had someone call it a transam!! I'ts amazing that they are not well known here.
    I have had to do this swap on a bit of a budget, I have a good 351C block and crank that needs to be built but I have had a few issues so that build has to be put off for a while. So I have a running 302C that I am fitting in in the mean time so when the 351 is eventually ready I can do the change with most of the problems fixed.
    Most will hate to see this but my fox has been converted to RH drive so I have to get custom headers made up and the brake booster was a bit of an issue. but the engine is in and I just have a few other bits and pieces to fix up. The main things left are exhaust, sump and clutch.
    I have made up a new pedal box with a hydraulic clutch master cylinder. just need to run the hyd lines and fit a clutch.
    The T5 is out of a Aussie EF falcon. the cross member mounting point was a little too far fwd so a new cross member had to be made. tail shaft lines up perfectly though.
    My sump is on its way, so hopefully that will fit considering the RH drive conversion, the steering rack is not standard and looks like it is tucked in enough to clear but wont know for sure until I fit it.

    I better get back to work, here is a few photos of her. Remember that is is a dirty old runnig 302C just for fitting, dont mind the condition of her..





    They ran stock SD1 or Jag power steering, which is basically the Australian TE/TF power steering box. I've got an old Cortina Mark V European racka nd pinion. My power steering rebuilder says the internals are all fairly much the single ratio Adwest stuff, so you can fit any Aussie Cortina, Hyundai Stella or RHD Pommy power steering in them if the right tie rods are put in. Even the Variable ratio Tristar Commodore stuff goes in. Lookes like you know all that stuff.

    Man tho'

    Just Gotta say to you, its an epic car you got albany.


    Props man!

  8. #8

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    Didnt know about the Commodore rack, what model Commodore are you talking, sent you a PM Xctasy. The car is an ongoing developement.

  9. #9

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    Here's the car ready for this years Albany Round the Houses events.
    Motor is still stock standard so in the words of Dick Johnson ' It can't pull a Sailer off your Sister'. Will still be fun driving the circuit.
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  10. #10
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    The FE Victor and Ventrora FE was to have Holdens 253 engine it was where the 4.2 badge came from, and it shared 75% of its floorpan with the VA V72 series Opel Rekord and Commodore A, but used its own body and front suspension rack.

    The use of rack-and-pinion steering in place of the Opel's recirculating-ball unit was due to England having geared up fror rack and pinion, while Germany's ZF Gear supplied Europe and Japan with recirculating ball systems.

    The VB Commodore used the Ventora power steering unit via TRW, who made the Aussie Cortina power steering. That is just a RHD version of the 1978 Mustang II TRW steering rack.


    Internally, its all the same.



    Hindustai Contessa power steering, Ventora, US Chevrolet Chevette (T car Gemini with optionl power steering) all the European Cortina TF , were all front mounted steering boxes to fix roll over steer.


    The Commodore A and B were all rear mounted recirculating ball, only the Australian Commodore got a proper rack and pinion. Peter Hanenberger got the rack an pinion installation off the ground on cost and space grounds. Its rear mounting is what has always caused roll over steer. The internals of the rack are the same as the Aussie Cortina...the external mounts are different as its rear mounted. Essentially, its the same TRW inernals, except for the 1986 on wards variable rack, which was patented by Arthur Bishop, and first used in manual form in the Camira and T-car based Isuzu Piazza. It has a reversed ratio. On the early XA-XF Falcon and HQ-WB Holden, the ratio is 16;1 at center and 12:1 on full lock with 2.6 turns lock to lock. On the Cortina and Mustang, its a 15:1 ratio with 3.25 turns lock to lock constant. On the VB-VK Commodore, 3.25 turns and 15:1. On the VL onwards, 2.75 turns lock to lock with very high gearing on center, and lower gearing on full lock to reduce steering loads and roll over steer.


    The Fox has great steering gear placement, but misses out on the Panhard rod and speed sensitive steering and the variable ratio rack. Basically, you can use the Nissan or Commoodre steering racks, but brackets make it a hard swap.


    In any case, forward mounted steering boxes are the best idea. Even if you have the best soild mounted IFS and IRS, steering boxes behind the front wheel line create roll over steer that you cannot engineer out. Understeer is what front mounted boxes promote, and that is inerently safer than over steer.

    The Australian Bluebird from 1981 to 1985 had a rear mounted TRW rack and pinion steering box. It gave sensational roll over steer.

    Jag guys use the Commodore rack and pinion because its rear mount, like an HR Holdens steering box.


    The VL to the last VS's were all variable ratio, and gained variable assistance, first by engine speed, then vehicle speed.






  11. #11
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikes in australia View Post
    gday M8, from another ausie,
    Nice build, seem to know your stuff, best of luck on the Racing scene.
    If you have a look at the forum, Vintage and Historic Race Cars, is a thread there on Australian Muscle cars which xctasy from NZ has added some info that could be of some use or at least he maybe a good contact for future reference.
    Cheers, from Brisbane.
    Brakes follow Ken Hoppers Capri V6 axle, and the Zak speed AP/Girling 4 pot callipers, Tilton brake balance system.


    Engines copied Jack Roushes intial Inday Pace car modifications without the good bits.



    All the Aussie, European Group A's had to run the Capri axle, just a V6 Cortina Atlas Diff to which you could add Volvo Group A brakes. The best day was when the Atlas 7.5 got replaced by the Ford 9". The DJR Sierra blew the 7.5 " Atlas to smittereens. For everywhere else, the little German ZF Atals Axle was good enough for 350 to 390 hp.

    ZF Gear Baby 7" and Atlas 7.5"in Cologne, Germany. Zakspeed Capri, Merkur XR4Ti and Scorpio IRS axle center, and the World Group A Mustang "SVO" Racing 5 liter V8 axle.

    The Volvo/BMW 5 speed 262 Series Getrag first saw duty on the FE Vauxhall VX490.





    See mikes in australia's posts here http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...e-Car-Issue-98

    Other details in here http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-green-Mustang

  12. #12
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    A lot of ex Escort and Capri race engineers worked on fixing up the Group A Mustangs, since they were hotch potches of German parts with factory Ford bits thrown in. The high performance parts were from the European Touring Car Championship Challenge cars.


    Ken Hopper did the axles, brakes and some of the suspension work on most of the Kiwi and Aussie FoxStangs.

    http://www.nzmustang.com/Images/Hist...s/pinepac1.htm "The Pinepac Group A Mustang

    ("Abe's Babe")"

    http://www.nzmustang.com/Images/Hist...s/Pinepac2.htm "Pinepac Group A Car # 2: "The Black Car""

  13. #13

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    Raced the car on the weekend. Motor is still stick as ran out of time and it was a little down on go.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ40...ature=youtu.be

  14. #14

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    Roll bars or cages. I need to find a suitable bolt in or weld in, any recommendations?

  15. #15
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    The traditional Bond alloy roll cage didn't add to chassis stiffness.


    You need to find something legal for your car, and don't be affraid to check its chassis stiffness.

    Good Handling comes from making the chassis stiffer, and then tuning the suspension. Its got less chassis stiffness than an A9X od SS 5.0 Torana hatch, so the best roll cage is a great idea.


    See http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...ts-on-bare-car


    For figures and how to measure, so Post #6, here http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...ame-Connectors

  16. #16

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    You're right about chassis stiffness, the rear hatch would pop open when cornering...now I know why they had rubber straps holding it down.

  17. #17
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Mikestang from Texas makes what we call MX5 Mazda 5.0 race cars, and rollcages.....and races a very bad ass 81 Ghia, a very competitive Mustang A-Sedan SCCA race car with what we call a Larry Perkins Bar.

    Read his 6 pager post.

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-for-me!/page1

    Mikes machine was purchased as a dissassembled formerly Mumford link axle car.



    https://racecarsdirect.com/Advert/De...ng-group-a-dtm

    Like the old CDT Gemini's and some Falcons had, with reversed Watts Link on a stock kind of four bar. Geminis were torque tube, like the 1982 onwards Camaro, but they used another locating link in some versions.

    A huge amount of references to other DJR Roll cages as well Aussie racing axle variations.


    Quote Originally Posted by Mikestang View Post
    I have been putting in so much work that I will be getting a lot out of this deal. As soon as we are done with the Miatas we are building we will get the Mustang in and freshin it up and put it all together. So Pumped!

    Miata progress,


    Here is an older vid of the car racing. Pretty cool to see an older car keep up with new stuff.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFAjEIWpnKE

    So be sure and hitch your hood down too.....

    Quote Originally Posted by Mikestang View Post
    I thought he said it was an 83, old ad says 81... not that it matters. Gonna need some work, can't wait!










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