1975 Holden LH Torana Sedan - Supercharged, Intercooled & Fuel Injected 6.3 Litre/383 Cubic Inch Stroker V8
Update 22-10-09;
The engine/gearbox is now in, & the car is coming very close to completion. Originally I was only fitting the Turbo-Hydramatic 700 performance transmission with stage 3 shift kit, corvette clutch servo, full manual valve bodies, a modified TH700 - Torana LH/LX cross member, B&M Quicksilver ratchet shifter plus a custom built 3000rpm TCE high stall convertor with a top gear manual lock up switch. However, as things go a new engine with forced induction & capable of close to 1000 flywheel horsepower was sourced. Specs of the new donk are;
-C.O.M.E Racing 383 stroker bottom end including a balanced steel crank, M&W four bolt mains conversion, "O" ringing of the block & heads, 1/2" ARP head studs, copper head gaskets, new H-beam rods, 8.2:1 compression ratio Wiseco forged blower pistons (safe to 25psi ), Harland Sharp roller rockers, harrop single plane manifold + 90mm throttle body, 850cc MSD injectors & a malpassi fuel pressure regulator. I have also added a new Camtech roller cam/lifters with 690 thou of lift & considerable duration.
The overall displacement is now 6.3 litres or 383 Cubic Inches, hence the new plates (INJ-383) Once the car has been fired up & soft tuned less intercooler, it will go down to have the intercooler, pipework & hard tune dyno completed by the guys at Pro-Flo Performance who specialise in hard core forced induction systems on holden V8's....
The expected result will be around the 600hp mark (at the wheels ), with more to come once I increase the boost pressure from 10psi to 23psi. The previous car this set up was on, (355 stroker in a VR) had 900hp on 23psi. That is serious HP :) Incidently, the new manifold required a lot of porting to meet my heads :)
Watch this space! Here are the specs......
Engine: 600 RWHP (estimated on 10psi)
-Holden Fuel Injected V8 stroked to 383 ci with 4 bolt mains conversion
-Extensively ported heads & matched Harrop single plane manifold
-CC'd combustion chambers with 3 angle valve job, 30 degree mid angle
-COME Racing fully balanced steel 383 crank, H-beam conrods & ARP rod bolts
-De-burred block with JP hi-volume oil pump
-7 litre hi-energy modified sump
-Oversize stainless steel inlet & outlet valves
-Crane Triple Valve springs with Titanium Collets & Retainers
-Harland Sharp Roller Rockers & 1/2 inch head studs
-8.2:1 compression ratio Wiseco forged blower pistons
-Vortech V7 YSI Supercharger
-850cc hi-flow MSD injectors with Twin 044 Bosch Electric Fuel Pumps
-Camtech custom spec roller cam & roller lifters
-Intercooler, polished alloy pipe work & TIEL blow off valve
-Stainless HSV extractors
-Dual 3 inch mandrel bent exhaust system
-Twin Hooker high flow performance mufflers
-K&N pod style air filter
-Polished 90mm billet throttle body
Assembled 383 Long Motor;
Polished Vortech V7 YSI Supercharger;
Polished Harrop Manifold with billet 90mm Throttle Body;
Intercooler & Pipe Work;
Harland Sharp Roller Rockers;
O'Ringed Block With Wiseco Forged Pistons/ Heads Machined Prior To Assembly;
New 383 Stroker Bottom End Featuring M&W 4 Bolt Mains Caps;
Stock 5.0L with 144 RWKW picks up a healthy 111 RWKW Increase with the Smaller V2 set up;
You just can't beat forced induction for great street-ability & gut wrenching performance for your buck.....
Engine Management:
-EMS computer
-LCD handset with rev limiter
*Note the full autometer custom dash with the EMS handset on the left. The car also has recaro seats, custom door trims etc.
*The battery has been relocated to the boot & all of the wiring has been hidden in aviation grade temperature resistant looms. The standard heater/heater box was removed & replaced with an electric unit mounted under the dash. The throttle cable & bonnet release cable have been sleeved in colour coded tubing to neaten things up. Polished VT 5 litre engine covers, polished rocker covers & braided lines also help to add a little "bling". (Photos above prior to mods)
Fuel System:
-Dual 5/8" fuel lines (one per fuel rail)
-Carter electric pre-pump & twin Bosch 044 electric high pressure pumps
-Polished alloy surge tank with braided lines & "Earls" screw on fittings
-850cc hi-flow MSD fuel injectors
Transmission:
-Turbo-Hydramatic 700
-Full manual valve bodies, corvette clutch servo, HD clutches & stage 2 shift kit
-3000 RPM "TCE" hi-stall convertor with manual lock up switch in top gear
-B&M Quicksilver ratchet shifter
-3" thick walled tail shaft, heavy duty universal joints & drive shaft safety loop fitted
Differential:
-Shortened Ford F-100 9" 28 spline axles
-4.11 Ratio Richmond Extreme Duty Gears
-Ford motorsport HP LSD clutch pack
Brakes:
-Front; 290mm HSV style cross drilled/ventilated discs & twin spot calipers
-Rear; 10inch ford drums
-Willwood brake proportioning valve fitted allowing front-rear adjustable brake bias
Suspension:
-K-Mac heavy duty springs & sway bars (F & R)
-KYB performance carbon gas shocks
-4 link rear end with boxed trailing arms
Wheels/Tyres:
-17"x8" HSV VP GTS/VR Senator
-225/45ZR Front Tyres
-235/45ZR Rear Tyres
Body:
-All wheel arches relieved for greater wheel/tyre size & travel
-Bumpers fibreglass filled, smoothed & colour coded
-Passenger side door lock removed & smoothed over
-Custom side repeater lamps fitted
Many thanks to all those who have voted for the car! On 6-7-08 INJ-49L (now INJ-383) achieved the #1 Australian vehicle spot & then became the #1 ride on Car Domain out of 601,754 members cars.
New photos will be added of the engine bay post modifications soon....
How she looked prior to the rebirth;
A complete rebuild took place, going back to bare metal & file finished by the previous owner....
All rust was cut out & plated;
The wheel arches were all relieved for greater clearance;
Once painted in striking white 2-pack polyurethane, it was on to the engine & driveline;
The engine had a mere 40,ooo kms on it when it was taken out of a VP SS Commodore, rebuilt & transplanted into the Torana;
By combining this engine with the Supra Turbo 5 speed & nine inch diff, an extremely reliable streeter was born with plenty of stick on tap when needed;
The car fully engineered, just after the 1st registration post rebuild. Note the bumpers, which were fibreglass filled to smooth over the location of the rubber & the over-rider mounting holes. The below photos are very close to how the car looked when I purchased it;
INJ-49L at the 23rd annual All Holden Day on the 3rd August at Hawkesbury showground......
On the way out....
Just over 700 cars attended the day....
Track day at Wakefield Park;
A Little History On The LH/LX Torana;
LH Torana : The first all Australian designed Torana ( apart from it having German engines in one variant ), the LH was a superior car to the LJ in almost every respect. In many ways it is a smaller HQ Holden, not a larger LJ Torana. Introduced in March l974, it was greeted with open arms by buyers who were looking for a simple, rugged, mid size car that was cheap to run and easy to repair. Rather plain in its styling both inside and out indeed, simple to the point of being boring in looks.
The all-new LH Torana was Holden's first all-Australian medium-sized car. It was also the first model to be offered with a complete range of four, six and eight cylinder engine options. The series, characterised by a bigger, roomier, more modern design, capitalised on Torana's strong points: good power-to-weight ratio, excellent handling, solid build and reliability. On the racetrack, it was the highly developed SL/R 5000 L34 version of the LH that forged a formidable racing reputation.
Externally, the L34 was identified by bolt-on flared wheel arches, front air dam, rear spoiler and steel rally wheels. Under the bonnet was a punchy 5 litre V8 powerplant (originally planned for the LG GTR XU-1) with improved mechanical components. It proved a great successor to the XU-1's straight six, propelling the L34 Torana to the front of the Bathurst pack and into the record books.
First out, the L34 took second and third placings in 1974's Bathurst classic, then went on to dominate the Mountain for the next two years, scoring back-to-back top three placings. The first all-Holden winner's podium was headed by Peter Brock and Brian Sampson in 1975, ahead of privateers Bob Morris and Frank Gardner, with the Holden Dealer Team's Colin Bond and John Walker coming in third.
The L34 returned to Bathurst in 1976 for another Torana trifecta. TV viewers nationwide saw an emotional Bob Morris willing team-mate John Fitzpatrick to nurse their battle-weary car across the line in first place. The Holden Dealer Team pairing of Colin Bond and John Harvey took second and a flying Peter Brock, who was lapping seconds faster than anyone else after overcoming mechanical problems, snatched third. The event was a Holden whitewash, with Toranas filling the first seven positions.
