Thread: Stuee's 101 Rebuild

Stuee - it took a while but the results are truly worth it. Congratulations and well done!

I've been chipping away at small jobs on the 101 while taking it for the odd drive. Its been a bit hot to drive the 101 around too much at the moment.

To improve sound in the cab I put some dynamat under the floor panels and also made up some rubber floor mats.


Stereo installed. 4 allen head bolts and it can be pulled out completely, I also fitted the gear stick cover and final inspection cover which have cut down a load of noise and heat as well. You'll see a 12V socket and twin USB sockets installed at the back of the stereo case as well as the 12V fan which works OK. I got the missus a decent one form the 12V shop for Christmas that blows much better so it will get swapped for that soon. They are both surprisingly useful when working in the back of the 101. The switch on the side is a manual on so I can have the stereo running without the key in the ignition.


Spare wheel trialled in an upright position, doesnt work to well with the existing tie downs so its laying back on its side again.


Toolbox mounted and some of the cables I need to tidy up out the back of the stereo, one is the antenna, one the mic for the bluetooth, and a usb connection.


My mutlipin connector for the power and speakers to the stereo. This was supplied by my best mate. It makes it easy to disconnect the stereo and remove the engine cover when required.


Also installed the panel above the tank filler. I've used bolts and rivnuts to fix it and the idea is to build up a box from sheet ally to mirror the battery box and give me a spot to store the second battery and other electrics. It will be fixed down using these bolts.


Tonight I dropped the front diff oil after a long drive to the folks house as it was getting very dirty with a bit of run time (as expected). The rear diff is okay for now but I will check the transfer case and gear box during the week. Then its off to Wilbinga on Saturday for an overnight stay and to see how the 101 goes on sand.

On the return journey from Wilbinga over the weekend I had some engine issues with the 101. It struggled really bad above 60kmh and reached a max of only around 80 after a long while compared to the 85-90 reached reasonably quickly on the trip up to Wilbinga. It hit a slight hill and was back to 60 which was especially embarrassing on the freeway.

I couldn't be bothered taking the engine cover off so wrangled it home and am hoping its something obvious like something jamming the throttle cable but beyond that not 100% where to start looking. Next on my list would be check the carry pots are filled with oil, the diaphragms are not ripped and everything is still connected as it should be. Any other thoughts on obvious places to look?

Also for those with a standard 3.5, what speed will your 101 reach on a flat road and does it hold this? On a cool evening mine can hit around 88-90kmh so I want to know if this is normal or I should be able to squeeze more out of the engine. Ill have a fuel economy figure over the weekend so can report that too.

I've been re-reading all the engine conversion threads but they would require me to win lotto at this stage to contemplate any further, but its nice to dream

I've always thought mine had a bit more poke than some others I've driven, but it is a standard 3.5. If I wanted to, I could sit on 100 on the flat and hold it there, but it is screaming its tits off. Optimal cruising speed is 85 - 90 most of the time. I think I've topped out at 105 without the OD engaged. That's assuming no wind - head wind, around 80 - 90 max, tail wind and earplugs it would do 110...

For the few days I ran mine as a V8 it was also flat out at 95/100kmh.. and that was flat out! Re your lack of power, check where you have routed your fuel lines.. It gets very hot under the engine cover of a 101, and if the fuel is vaporising in the line it gives the symptoms you describe. Re speed, and economy, you have two options. Option 1 is an overdrive, and option 2 is 4.7:1 crownwheel and pinion (found in the rear of Ser 3 LW. Some will say that the V8 won't pull 4.7's in a 101... I agree to differ!

Didn't the ambo's have 4.7's? I thought they had a higher top speed.

Mine will sit comfortably at 90 Stu, even going up greenmount hill in top gear. Check all the usual stuff, plugs points leads etc as well, a dodgy lead on the V8`s sometimes shows up as lack of power without a noticeable miss.
Also check the routeing of the plug leads from the dizzy, they have to overlap each other correctly or can give problems

I would also check the timing to see if the distributer has moved. It could be running too retarded.