Putting a chev 350 in a rangie, documenting it all!

Ok the next installment,

Sorted out the cooling issues, ended up being a blocked radiator. we took psi250 offer and through in an alloy Rad, which after mucking around with some mounts, is a vastly improved design and fit. There's now more clearance between Rad and pulleys, and it look ****hot! Dont need it, but it was there, and well it was there!

We have noticed after driving, and then turning it off, the heat soak is incredible. from normal 82C to 112, yep the clam shell effect. Its also shows up how ****house the standard temp gauge is.

So next on the to do list is some vents. After doing some research, Ritter and Overfinch conversions all had vents as well, so a common trend.

If anyone has some good ones please post, its harder to choose then I thought.

I'll post some pics shortly.

We have been a bit lazy, work has really got in the way. buggar,

Things to come,

Rock sliders,
hook up snorkels
finish up interior
fit front 6 degrees cranked arms

OH OH OH I almost forgot, last trip we bent the drag bars, so sourcing and fitting bigger versions.

Cheers NAT

The heat soak on my clapped out 3.5 used to reach 106 degrees on the mechanical VDO gauge after a drive, so not sure of how much of a drama it really is, but I think vents are a good idea in the bonnet - there is no room for the hot air to escape under there.

I've seen some D3/4 vents cut into the side of the bonnet and they look quite good. The RH one is easy to get as people pull them out to fit snorkels but the other side can be harder (and more expensive...)

Hay all,
So here's the new alloy Rad, As you can see there's alot more clearance.

The fans are held in from the top and can be removed in minutes, (its the rally prep coming out) entire rad can be removed in minutes OR parts of it for easy cleaning, and demuding.

Same fans as before.

Cheers NAT

glad the rad helped.


I have seen the vents from the D pillar grafted into the sides of the bonnet.
Twin GU scoops? mounted forward or reverse?


i'll see what pics I can scrounge up.

Hay all,

OK the next installment. The chev's pretty much finished now. Here comes making everything else on the car reliable around it, Last time we went out, We hit some pretty deep mud... bull bar deep and we noticed mud got into the air cleaner. Yep, the snorkels are already there as is the twin outlet air cleaner, so we got off our ass and hooked them up.


Check out the pics, The outlets on the air cleaners are 4 inches, and our snorkels are only 3 inch. any bigger and we would have to cut the crap out of the car, plus, 3 inch is pretty big enough. You can really feel the air being sucked from each snorkel. We had to move things around the engine bay, but it ended up decent.

We have made it so its also quick release. There's 3 inch right angle rubber tubes in the cowl. so the stainless snorkels slide (very snugly) into them. and then on the engine side, there's 3 inch alloy tube, this is the part that is removable easily.

Its water and dust tight. We sealed the air box as well.

bump, someone wanted to check this out, and they reckon they couldnt find it. so bump

Did you get vents on the bonnet. My old 85 that I bought with a Holden 253 then fitted a Chev had gal brick vents fitted painted black. Cheap strong from Bunnings

hay,

Not yet, atm looking at maybe ford focus vents, but the cars got parked for a while yep got lazy

Gidday Nat,
Your project reminds me of the one I did...a while back now, a 1978 2 door classic..completed in 1986. Bathurst spec 327 and Turbo 400, used a Land and Sea conversion kit. Was a great thing now long gone.
Only thing I wished was that I should have used 400ci Chev small block instead of the 327...more torque.
Anyway headers..I was lucky and had a mate helping me who was a hot rodder and brilliant customiser/fitter...he built a set to fit. I couldn't find any off the shelf. Worth doing as they made it run cooler and a bit more grunt.
You do need to insulate the floor inside in front as the floor got hotter than with manifolds.
Jetfisher

further to my last message...and as a result of having the aforementioned hot rodder helping me...I took the bonnet to a hot rod shop in Dandenong in Melbourne which had a louver press like used to create the lovered bonnets on early hot rods I then had them punch 12 louvers either side on the top of the bonnet at the windscreen end...this was where the heat seemed to get trapped at idle the fans pushed ir through and when motoring along there seemed to be a suction effect caused by air moving over the bonnet and up the windscreen which sucked the hot air out from under the bonnet..worked really well. It seems to me that the natural under bonnet flow doesn't go out via the guards
Jetfisher