Torana - 1UZ

[TOBES]

Hey team

My son has just come home with a LX Torana set up for a small block Chev... However, being a smart lad, he is keen on fitting a 1UZ with a tiptronic auto.
Have searched the site and found some posts on this subject but no updates for a while... Would be keen for any updates and the answers to some initial questions...
The Chev is a rear sump so will the rear sump 1UZ fit or is it a custom job required...
How to solve the clearance problems with the brake booster, etc (UC booster?)
And the list goes on...

Thanks

 

[cseufert]

Toyota Sourer/SC400 engines are rear sumped.

 

[TOBES]

Well mid to rear anyway...

Can anyone give me a measurement from the bell housing flange on the motor forward to the front of the sump bowl....
We will follow KDogs very sound advice and take the sump of my motor, mount it where it needs to be and see what room we have left for the sump. We can then build the mounts and finish the rest of the car while we find a motor for it.

So we are looking for a worn but rebuildable rear sump 1UZ motor and trans....???

 

[qca]

you need to fabricate a sump too fit so the engine sits low enough to have the crank at the same height as an original v8 or six cyl.the rear of the oil pan will be approx 14 cm long , 16 cm from the rear of the block , use 308 engine mounts and adapt them to fit to the 1uz block . i have adapters and sumps for this conversion also L- C/J
and HQ/WB.

 

[TOBES]

Cool... Just what I wanted to hear...

The crossmember has mounts welded on to fit a small block Chev although they are quite low as the Chev sump was sitting on the crossmember/steering rack. Would they be anywhere close to the 308 mounts or is there a combo that might bolt up?
What is the story with trans mounts/crossmember as we will be using the A340 trans?
What is the oil capacity of your sumps?
Have you any photo's you can post to show us what is required?

Am keen to see your prices on the parts. I have a brother in Melborne who will help with shipping etc if required.

 

[qca]

the mount adapters we have fit straight onto the standard x-member mounts , from here we use 308 engine mounts part -(mt 8103) then our adapters from this mount too the 1uz fe block.( you may have too remount original mounting feet to the x-member) we have made the gear box x-member to fit W58 supra only
you would fabricate this yourself.
the sumps hold 6 litres and still leave enough room for good custom extractors ,
also available.

 

[TOBES]

Thats excellent news... almost a kit car...

On closer inspection the crossmember mounts may be the original six cyl mounts, which would make life easier. I will ID them asap. Hopefully even post a photo so you know exactly what we have to work with. The trans crossmember shouldn't be too much drama once the motor is settled on its mounts.
The sump holds a decent amount of oil, good to see, and I assume comes complete with pick up etc.
The extractors would be a huge bonus as well and save a lot of work...

Any other bit and pieces available...???

Can we sort some photo's of the parts and pricing and we can get under way. Email, PM or on here... whatever suits.

Thanks

 

[qca]

we have everything you need for the conversion pipes , computers and wiring fuel systems, radiators fans gear box conversions etc.

 

[TOBES]

Ok.. Ok.. Ok..... Stop teasing us....

Show us what you have got and lets get started... The lad is champing at the bit...

We are initially after a set of engine mount adaptors, a sump to suit, a set of extractors and a wiring loom. This will get us a long way down the track and will look at other parts as we get to them. BTW the mounts in the car are the original 6 cyl Holden.

 

[dakka68]

TOBES, Interested to hear how you are going, I am planning a 1UZ into an LH/LX 4 door this year so any updates on your progress would be great. I would like to plan on there being a turbo upgrade to this project but from the one conversion I have a photo of there does not appear to be much room at the front of the motor in the Torana's, is this the case with yours as well? Would be interested to hear about any sump mods to get the motor in.

Thanks
Dakka68

 

[Sprint32]

I'm looking to do the same thing dakka68. But I'm mostly concerned with clearance from the chassis rails on either side, and the steering shafts from the exhaust.

Also, Does anyone know if you can build your own front crossmember out of two tubes of steel and some plate to get the engine as low as possible, and get it engineered in queensland? Just wouldn't mind the possibility of a lysholm screw compressor on to at a later date, and keep it all under the hood.

 

[TOBES]

Hi guys.

Have got to the stage where the engine is mocked up in the engine bay and am about to start on building mounts.
It is a snug fit.
Clearance from the uncut chasis rails to the cam cover bolts is about 15-20mm each side - I hope to get away with bending the lip back under rather than cut it.
The rocker cover is 10mm off the brake booster and stopping the engine moving back that last 15mm towards the firewall - I don't think I can move the booster outboard enough and may have to trim the cam cover to get it back to where I want.
The engine is about as low as possible. Allowing for 20mm crank to sump, 6mm alloy sump pan and 10mm to the steering rack, its close... The crank is actually closer to the crossmember than a SBC's would be. The alloy sump is 68mm deep and pushes the motor too high so the only viable option is a full custom job...
There is at least 260mm between the plastic distributor covers and the top radiator support panel. Enough for a radiator and thermos or even a pair of GT30's...
The 1UZ is about the same width at the exhaust ports as a SBC so the exhaust manifolds aren't a major. I am dropping the top arm mounts down 25mm to improve the handling and that will free up more room.

Will have some photo's later this week...

Building a tube crossmember would be a major exercise. Also the steering rack sits slightly higher than the crossmember and can't be lowered without ruining the steering geometry.

 

[bango]

Good stuff TOBES...so even with a rear sump is still not enough clearence?I even Thought of putting the 1uz in the back(Hatchback)...but its way off fantacy atm..would turn the Torana into a rear engined beast..how ever the budget is not enought for that atm..hehehe,What brakebooster do u have? Theres a smaller one like the twin diapham one might be ok..?

 

[Sprint32]

What about using different uprights to move all the steering system lower?

 

[bango]

Yeah,the front end is worth thinking about..aftre all we r talking about a "new" improved Torana here..

 

[TOBES]

The std rear sump is not even close. Pan too far forward and its too deep over the crossmember. I have 250mm from the bellhousing flange to the back of the crossmember and may only get another 10 - 15mm with some 'adjustments' to other bits. I also need to leave access to the converter/flexplate bolts which will reduce the volume again.
Might have to look up qca again..

Brake booster is the late UC single diaphram unit with the Commodore style master cyl mount so I can run a 1" cyl and loose the separate proportioning valve. They are all the same dia unfortunately. I will slot some holes and move it up 10mm and out board 5mm or so, which should be enough.

Not a lot of room anywhere...!

The front end....?????
My next trick, once this little lot is sorted and the mounts built, is to turn it over on a spit and fit the Skyline GTR rear subframe, diff, suspension and brakes. The front suspension will work with this setup, with a few minor mods, so I don't want to get too carried away here...

 

[gloverman]

Hello TOBES.

Great to see you are back into it. I was starting to wonder what you were doing. Have you sorted the van? Maybe you could fire up the digital camera and show us some photos of the torana. Cheers Kelvin

 

[Sprint32]

I dont mean to be a pain in the arrrrse, but you say it's too hard to make a new front end, but then your slotting in the whole rear subframe from a nissan?

Anyway, how easy is that to do? The reason i ask is I'm wondering if it would be possible to retrofit the whole nissan GTR driveline (complete with 4wd and 4ws) into the torana. I know it was done in a VL, so perhaps it mightn't be that hard after all.

(Albeit, they still used a convensional live differential in the rear with a suitable gearset.)

 

[TOBES]

Hey Kelvin, yip, slight change of pace with the Torana... The van was my old courier wagon and at 500,000km proved to be coming apart at the seams, literally, so it was dispatched to that great highway in the sky... I have kept all the xmembers and mounts, etc and am looking out for a 5Dr swb L300.
New advertising is out and work has gone ballistic on me so I haven't been near the car for a fortnight...

Have hung the motor and trans in the hole and taken a load of photos. Fits like a glove! I'll get some up over the weekend. Pulled it back out to cut the original mounts off the crossmember and modify a few things. I have a pair of TransDapt big block biscut mounts about 3 weeks away so will try trial fit number two then.

Sprint32, there is a huge difference between a GTR rear end and a custom front end... The GTR rear is a self contained setup with suspension, diff, axles, hubs, brakes, etc all used as standard. It only needs 4 subframe mounts, 2 coilover mounts, and the usual driveshaft, brake lines and handbrake cables, etc and its in... The front requires a huge amount of work by comparison.
I have seen the VL/GTR hybrid and what a superb machine. The VL has strut front suspension and so is a lot closer to the Skyline than the Torana. Even then he mounted the GTR crossmember, made custom struts, bent and re-heat treated suspension arms, custom steering parts and geometry, etc, etc...
Don't worry, I have looked at that before. I have a GTR front diff/sump assembly, modified for a RB30DETT hybrid, that has spent some time sitting on the Torana crossmember.... Would be a much easier proposition in a Capri...

 

[bango]

Wow,you are one busy dude TOBES,your project is outstanding for us TorriesI reall fans..
I really wished i had a pile of money right now..lol seeing your work coming along an all,good effort..I never knew fitting 1UZ to Torana's can be a handfull like this..Do You Think that with GTR rear end and Torana (A9x/L34) front end will handle ?Should..! Front end of Torana's are allways a handfull,with no Power steering as standard,sometimes i wished for Power steering....lol, parking a Torana with 245's front in a tight spot really work your arms..gonna have to do some really hard thinking on the front end,ill wait and see yours...Buy the way,yours a 4 door?