[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

If only all business owners were this easy to deal with!! Great customer support!!!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by  LF24.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

So I spoke to Peter the owner of Textralia today.  Nice bloke, very easy to work with and very understandable.  Explained what was going on and he is more than happy for me to send the disk back with all the parts that failed and he’s going to send me out a brand new unsprung clutch disk to replace my broken one.

before I purchased the clutch originally I did my usual research on it and came back with great reviews until the last few years where the reviews went downhill.  This had me questioning whether to run the z-grip or not.  I went with it anyway as it was supposed to be a surperb track clutch.  Performance wise I couldn’t be happier (no slip just direct engagement and loves being abused) with my choice and now after this I definitely think I made the right choice to go with Textralia!

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Thanks for the helpful information.  I’m about to give them a ring now.  I’ll keep you all up to date with what’s going on.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

So I had my z-grip clutch let go the other day after only 18 months of duty.  It seems the rivets holding the sprung centre to the clutch plate have let go.  The flywheel, pressure plate and clutch pads are all in perfect condition.  It was working absolutely perfectly without any dramas at all and showing no signs of giving up the ghost and then just let go. I’ve emailed Textralia asking what they think and what options we can go down the fix this.

 

Would you call this a manufacturing defect/fault??

I know Textralia can rebuild the clutch plate, but I’d love to know what garuntee they can give me that this won’t happen again and especially in another 18 months.  Otherwise I think I’ll be going with another clutch company.  I’ve heard really good things about both clutch industries and mcleods twin plate systems.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by  LF24.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

cava454 wrote:

How long ago did you build this? Mate of mine has had the improved racing in his vy 4-5 years

She went back on the road January 2015.  There is a slight difference between the VT/VX and VY/VZ sump.  Improved have had a baffle for the VY/VZ sump for a while but it wouldnt fit a VT/VX sump, it was only recently that they released a baffle for the VT/VX sump.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

moodybluebob wrote:

Didnt even realise but i had a race against you yesterday at torque time, now i know why you beat me haha. how do you rate the auto lokka now after having it for a while? is the backlash noticable at all? still tossing up whether to put one in my VN or not.

Yeah we had a couple of good races.  The VN sounds so tough!!   I still rate the lokka, does the job i need it to do perfectly.  Backlash can be noticable at times but only in tight carparks.  Im the sort of person that will deal with most things if it meets a purpose, but if you’re keen you can take her for a test drive to test the lokka out.

cava454 wrote:

How u find the ASR baffle. I was looking at them but decided on the Improved racing in the end. I did however buy the ASR windage tray.

ASR Baffle works a treat and looked like quality workmanship.  Only reason I went with the ASR baffle is because improved hadnt released their new baffle for VT/VX yet.  I also got one of ASR’s windage trays but i’ll throw that in the ls2 with an improved baffle.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

I was meaning to update this just before and now since Matsuri finished but ive been lazy.

Finished off my Prep for Matsuri on the afternoon of Sign-in.

Picked up my tyre supply

Stripped down the front suspension

The old LCAs, knuckles and hubs

K-frame out for some modding and a clean

New modified VZ knuckles

Sump off, ASR baffle in and a new gasket

Changed the rocker cover gaskets and found this on the drivers side rocker cover.

I couldnt find the piece anywhere.  Hopefully it went straight to the sump without damaging anything!!

My huge castor with the VZ  suspension setup with shortened solid radius rods.

I only gained a tiny amount of lock with the modified knuckles because the VS steering rack doesnt give enough lock to lock to maximise the modified knuckles.  Playing round with the idea of trying to fit a later model rack to my ute to get that extra lock.

All in all i had an absolute blast the whole weekend!  The ute performed flawlessly even with the hot conditions on both days although my 3rd gear synchro is starting to grind at top RPM and my diff gears whine a little louder now.  Learnt quite a bit over the weekend and even had a few of the spectators cheering for the commie by the end of sunday arvo!

Im quite happy with the way the ute handles now.  In my honest opinion when you get rid of most of the body roll and stiffen the suspension up without dropping then too low and stuffing the roll centre and axis they handle quite well for what they are!

Somehow i managed to miss every single one of my perfect runs but here is one of the best i captured.

 

Time to start getting everything together to drop this 6L in soon!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by  LF24.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

It never axle tramped until I put the Lokka in it and it only tramps in a straight line, never sideways.  But it doesn’t always axle tramp in a straight line, I think it’s dependent on wheel speed or how aggressive the initiation is.  And I’m not to sure but I don’t think I remember it tramping from a standstill, only when rolling first.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

So… ive been pretty slack since my last post.  Just been driving her around everywhere and hitting a few friday night drift sessions.

 

But i managed to pick myself up another Matsuri ticket, for the Autumn event this time.  Its in 2 weeks and ive just started prepping.  I still have to put the sump baffle in and change the sump gasket and rocker gaskets.  I also still have to put my modified vz front end suspension in too.  Apart from that, change all the fluids and she should be good to go.

 

Ive still been having some problems with axle tramp.  And my rear wheels smashing the inner tub on track days.  So i decided to finish off my rear end with some of Tuff Mounts braced rear lower control arms.  Im hoping this will solve the rest of my problems without having to go a full 4-link setup just yet.

 

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

All good Gary   I think it’s just the way the first comment read that annoyed me as I’ve seen a few people allude to the same thing.  Both times it was almost certain that Jamie would not have won if he followed orders so to say he’s finding a way to lose isn’t fair… Both times he was trying his hardest to win! That was probably my whole point I think.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Sorry Gary but I don’t see where in my post I was getting worked up??  And I wasn’t talking specifically about racing, I was just trying to give you a perspective of what it’s like at the top level, it’s completely different to any other level of competition.

ive competed at the top level for over 10 years now and I’ve seen and been in these types of situations before so I’m speaking from personal experiences here.  Everyone has there own style that works for them, just because it isn’t the norm doesn’t mean it’s not good (lowndes driving style is a good example). Saying that every sportsperson is going to play/think exactly the same way is naive and especially when they are in different positions in the competition. Which brings me to my next point, do you know how much easier and less pressure there actually is when you are in front even with someone chasing you down!  It’s a completely different mindset between 1st and 2nd!

IJ that’s all well and good but when that sort of thing is only at the top levels then who do the amateurs have to rely on? Themselves!  And even with someone ‘smarter’ in my ear it’s going to be hard not to trust myself over anyone else.  Once again not saying that’s the right thing to do but…

Until you are in these sorts of situations you really have no idea what it’s like!

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Have you competed at a Professional level in the biggest event for that activity?  I have and your mind is racing and you don’t settle for 2nd, that’s why Jamie is where he is.  Sometimes it doesn’t pull off the way you’d like and youre gutted but you know you gave it your all!

Just to look at it from Jamie’s perspective… Where do you think being double stacked would have put him?  Instead of a sure fire bump down the pack he could stay out and try his luck at grabbing the win! Same as last year!

im not saying he made the right choice but you don’t win 6 Championships and 4 Bathurst titles without making a couple bad choices along the way.

lastly if both years it had of come off and he had of won then he would have been praised for both decisions… This is why I hate the media!! Pack of lowlife scum!

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Something that might interest you. Would be a mean little package even with just a standard ls1.

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[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Gary the xyz coilovers you adjust the height independently to the spring height.  The spring is preloaded slightly with the lower spring seat then you can adjust the coilovers to any height with the bottom ring against the shock body!

Pedders explains it pretty well

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

I didn’t do such a great job of putting a new rear main seal in my ls1!

also managed to mess up the input and overflow nozels on the corvette filter/Reg, even had summit supply a new one free of charge before I realized my mistake   felt like such a moron because they are different sizes and I knew which was which to start with!

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Probably my best pass from this past morning session.

http://s247.photobucket.com/user/liquid_force24/media/7ECAFE83-4CB1-4733-A6E8-275A4AE328D7.mp4.html

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

moodybluebob wrote:

If you dont mind me asking how much did the 4wd locka set you back? Was looking into that for my car and the shops only 15 minutes down the road. Be cool to see this at matsuri, will be heading out to watch this year!

the Lokka was $449 inc delivery.  I’m very happy with it.  Unlocks really well even in the wet and very predictable lock up when you get into the power.  I did have to adjust my driving style with it but you get used to it.  Only problems I’ve come across is axle tramp in a straight line when spinning them up (got a set of stiffer linear springs to try and fix this(not in yet)) and she can be a pain in tight car parks at crawling speeds (this might have something to do with mine being a button clutch manual and not riding the clutch ever haha)

Phire aka Gmfan wrote:

I’m interested in your vz lca/knuckle and radius rod setup.

Ben at Showtime customs has been in contact with me the last couple of days over this.  The VZ lcas fit with good castor with a set of their custom shortened solid radius rods (the inner bush is under some bind but should be alright with urethane bushes) but the modified knuckles are fouling on the lca before reaching full lock. So I’ll be running normal VZ knuckles for now (tiny bit better lock than stock VS).  I’m going to run with this setup and see how it goes and if I want more lock we talked about a full custom set of knuckles and lca modification.  I’ll get some pics up when I put it all in.

 

looks like I won’t be doing Matsuri anymore as I Fractured my left Patella over the weekend wakeboarding.  Quite disappointed as this was going to be my first Matsuri   

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

So in July I managed to snag myself a QLD Spring Drift Matsuri ticket (which is not always easy, we crashed the QR website 20mins before sales opened)

Spring Matsuri is in 2.5 weeks so I’ve got to start prepping! ill be going over everything to make sure she’s 100% as well as installing the following parts:

– ASR sump baffle & Moroso gasket

– Universal Springs linear rear springs (30mm drop, 30% stiffer than stock)

– VZ front lcas, wheel bearings, modified solid radius rods, modified steering knuckles (radius rods & knuckles by Showtime customs & fab)

– New clutch master cylinder (mines leaking)

– oil, powersteering, clutch fluid change and plenty of tyres

 

will hopefully get some pics and upload them when I’m doing it.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

I found a few photos of these being used in a VN.  If you want to get in contact with the guy running them it’s in the Facebook group https://m.facebook.com/groups/531793363539450

In a convo about using a cvr starter in original spot and running custom pipes.

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[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Here’s a video of 1st-3rd.  I’m not slamming them as hard as possible as the top bolt holding the gear stick on was coming loose causing a bit of play and I didn’t want to stuff anything. All fixed now!

The best thing i like about the Ripshift is 2nd-3rd shifts.  3x 1.5hrs of happy laps slamming 2nd-3rd at 6200rpm and I’ve never missed!  Can’t say the same about my stock short shift in my Maloo, probably jammed the gate more than I’ve made it!

They are a very tight and direct shifter.

 

http://s247.photobucket.com/user/liquid_force24/media/DC6993D6-F246-40F2-9233-A90A60396D3C.mp4.html

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by  LF24.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by  LF24.

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