New SL-C owner

About the weight, did you take it to a trunk weighing station? If so, the scale would have been calibrated for big trucks, so 4-5000kgs would be very light, therefore when you are weighing a car, especially one as light as an SLC, you may be dealing with a very inaccurate reading. It would be like weighing something like a bunny on a bathroom scale, since it's not made for weights that low the readings can be pretty far off.
Anyway, you picked up a marvelous car! I hope it's enjoyable and reliable... Cheers!
 
You're correct Kyle, it was a weigh station for trucks carrying scrap metal, I think I will have it weighed on more 'delicate' scales!
Appreciate the comments!
Reliability... I've now put 2,000km on the car. I drove it on a 200km trip today and it performed perfectly! Sitting on the freeway at 110kmh was a breeze.

One thing I would comment on for others in the build stage. one of the loudest items, noise wise, penetrating the cabin is the main fuel lift pump! Having said that remember my car is RHD so pump sits right behind my head. If you can somehow apply extra insulation there without causing the pump to run too hot I would recommend it.
 
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Mike

This one on ebay looks identical to mine! it has infrared tubes to aid in night vision and camera rotates up and down within the housing.
Mine works pretty damn well!

CCD Color License Plate Mount Rear View Backup Camera | eBay

pic of mine below for comparison

Thanks Stu -- Operation/size looks good, now I just have to find one that has a narrower camera lens. 180 degrees is pretty wide. It'd be nice to find this set-up with a lens closer to 100 degrees. -- Mike
 
Hi Stu

Nice car and nice to see you up dating us on your progress.
I have been looking a lot at the SLC lately.

i am 6 ft tall and 115kg do you think i would fit in the car?
 
Hi Stu

Nice car and nice to see you up dating us on your progress.
I have been looking a lot at the SLC lately.

i am 6 ft tall and 115kg do you think i would fit in the car?

If you’re ever in Sydney let me know…happy for you to try it on for size!
I’m 5’11” and fit in easily and can even manage wearing a helmet although the helmet does hit the roof in a couple of spots.
I have friends the same height as me but are longer in the leg and thus can’t get their knees under the steering column properly – that’s without adjusting the steering column.
The foot pedals can be moved along way forward/ back so that would help.
You made need the ‘gentleman’s’ seat option if you are ‘wide’ in the hips
It’s a got a lot of ‘elbow’ room once inside…I went in peter D’s GT40 once and I reckon the SLC has heaps more room.
 
A little further commentary…

Despite my SL-C being engineered and registerable in 2 other states, my State NSW, requires more…
This is just to give other a little overview of the hoops we jump through down under in NSW.
- No ‘rotating’ part of the engine can be within 10mm of the chassis or body work. The
sump on the LS3 sits within 10mm of the chassis rail.
Solution = cut and re-TIG weld the chassis rail so it’s 10mm away!
You might say… ‘hold on the sump doesn’t rotate’…will its connected to the engine which
rocks back and forth hence it ‘rotates’! pfft.
- Emissions testing. Failed Nox levels straight up (have 200cel ‘outlaw cats’), purchased
Euro4 cats to install and try again. Once I pass Nox then I have 4 more gasses to pass
at required levels! At least we can ‘tune’ the engine to pass these (fingers crossed)
- Exhaust decibel testing. Must achieve less than 89DB 3,500rpm while stationary and then
78DB on drive by (I won’t even go into the testing method, it’s painful to say the least!)
- Brake testing is the big one. For a start the cops won’t let us perform it on a public road.
Private road then, either race track or airport runway! It involves testing the braking
ability with front brakes disconnected, then reversing the procedure, and disconnecting
the rear brakes. Plus more, won’t bore with the details.

Anyways, that's enough of the dramatic painful stuff.

I’ve now punched out 3,700km on the car and it’s still faultless in performance and reliability is spot on.

Went to a car and coffee gathering on the weekend and just happened to make primetime TV, despite the confusion…but SL-C owners are used to that!

Coffee and cars | Videos | Today | Jump-in

As a result, I think the perfect number for the car might be “WTF”
What do you think?

Dyno run:
http://youtu.be/qOU1wc6zZRw
 
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Stu Nox are produced due to heat, A hot or over heating engine will produce high nox levels. I had this problem with my GT40. I ended up doing the gas test with the rear clip removed and a dyno fan blowing on motor, made a huge difference. i failed the first gas test due to high Nox readings. I also had my car trailered to the workshop second time so heat soak was not an issue. The good cats to use are the big FG Falcon items. They clean up real well.
 
Do the testers have any control over the fuel that the engine is running on when the emissions testing is performed, or is it just whatever's in the tank?

JR
 
Thanks Dave!
The bloke performing the IM240 is also a Walkinshaw Dealer with government certification for the IM240 test, so he doesn’t fail you and send you on the way…he actually helps you get to where you need to be.
He said NOx was so high that even if we retarded timing and upped fuel pressure (running rich) it wouldn’t get the NOx to a passable level.
So, we start with installing Euro4 Cats (grabbed some 2nd hand Cats for $30 each of him from a current series Holden, will let him know re FG Falcon ones) and test NOx again then we start adjusting timing and fuel.
I appreciate the tips on keeping heat levels down!

G’day JR
The tester doesn’t control what fuel I put in the tank or when testing is performed.
What are your thoughts?
 
Run it on E85 and you will get rid of a lot of the hc's.not sure about the Nox though.
If the engine is standard with good cats you should be able to get it through on pulp no worries but E85 should piss it in.
Im already saving for my slc. I hope the act is not to much of a pain but im sure they will be.
My Bridgeport turbo rx7 will never be emissions legal in any state so im looking forward to my slc being untouchable
 
Thanks Dave!
The bloke performing the IM240 is also a Walkinshaw Dealer with government certification for the IM240 test, so he doesn’t fail you and send you on the way…he actually helps you get to where you need to be.
He said NOx was so high that even if we retarded timing and upped fuel pressure (running rich) it wouldn’t get the NOx to a passable level.
So, we start with installing Euro4 Cats (grabbed some 2nd hand Cats for $30 each of him from a current series Holden, will let him know re FG Falcon ones) and test NOx again then we start adjusting timing and fuel.
I appreciate the tips on keeping heat levels down!

G’day JR
The tester doesn’t control what fuel I put in the tank or when testing is performed.
What are your thoughts?

I have a feeling your emissions test are the same as the UK. From reading some of your posts it sounds like you are running the LS376 engine? We tried for a long time to get this engine to pass emissions spent a lot of money rolling road mapping, 2 sets of cats even changed to a special ecu and loom so we could map better. What we should have done was pull the engine out and change the LS376 cam shaft back to the standard LS3 shaft. That is the only way to get that engine to pass in the UK. GM did state at the time the LS376 was Euro emissions compliant but it is NOT.

NOx was also our issue.

Just a heads up and worth you asking questions because you could go through all the work of trying to get an engine through that will never pass unless the Cam is changed. We would have saved so much money and time if we had of just changed the cam shaft.
 
G’day JR
The tester doesn’t control what fuel I put in the tank or when testing is performed. What are your thoughts?

When the tank is almost empty and you are a mile from the testing facility, pour in two gallons of denatured alcohol purchased from the Australian equivalent of Home Depot and take the car to be tested. As soon as you pass, drive to a petrol station and fill the tank up with what the car normally runs on.

That trick has never failed me here in the U.S.

JR
 
I don't think a rotary will ever pass, maybe if you run it on methanol. Mine smokes, flames shoot out decellerating, mixing gas and oil when you fill up, only thing that made mine go thru, is the fact the car is new, titled as a 2013, so no E Check for 3 years whoo hoo.

My daughter lives in a county with no e check, if I still have it then ill use her address for the plates.
 
When the tank is almost empty and you are a mile from the testing facility, pour in two gallons of denatured alcohol purchased from the Australian equivalent of Home Depot and take the car to be tested. As soon as you pass, drive to a petrol station and fill the tank up with what the car normally runs on.

That trick has never failed me here in the U.S.

JR

Wouldn't this cause damage to the pistons or heads? I'm just asking because I don't know. I've never heard of this. If not, then this seems like a great idea. Very clean burn. My assumption is that then engine will run on it for a while at least.

Would racing fuel work as well? (or Sunoco 115 octane)?

Curious.

Mike
 
Congrats Stu. Great looking car. I really appreciate the videos that you have linked. They sure lend perspective to how much fun these cars can be.

Nice Buy!
 
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