My AU XR6T with a fair share off problems

[Casper]

Originally Posted by MNM96

Not to cast any aspersions, but the other thing that is funny is that the previous owner, who you purchased it from, is conspicuos by his absense in this thread!

Dan is just staying out of it. He bought it in good faith himself and is pretty upset at the whole situation.
I know Dan personally and can say, with absolute certainty, that he was nothing less than totally shocked and devistated by this issue. He hardly drove the car when he had it, did NOT remove anything and, in fact, spend quite a bit of money tuning and updating some of the turbo setup himself.
Whatever happened to this car (missing parts)happened before Dan gad posession of it.

[TCK-098]

Id be taking the engine builder to the MTA and then bringing youre lawyer into the situation as from what ive read so far the guy has stuffed up with a few things in the magazine with what the car is fitted or what hasnt been done and as for Dan id be asing questions too as he sold the car in good faith but its also making him feel like a beetle.

Ive been down this road before as i had a Nsw Group n scruiteener supposely build me a 308 that i handed $5000 over and the engine basically crapped itself a mere 3 months later due to Sfa machine and numerous other things afterall i took the beetle to the tribunal and won the case and got my money back but its good too as he lost a lot of his main customers "Fleet companys".

[Bucknaked]

Dan I think had the turbo rebuilt before selling it. It's a pity. Its a great car and I really hope you get the issues sorted. Good luck

[HotRod]

sfr_rob
mate i really dont no but i got a stock tickford head that ant oringed,a crank and rods straight from a Taxi and a c3 drum and b1 band outa the autothats absolutlly stuffed full off stockness
but if only the auto had someone to lookafter it and service it it may off lasted
EFFalcon
mate i got the car and couldnt drive it in high boost cause it pinged,so i retuned it , took out some timing in boost and lowered the hard cut revlimiter and activated the soft cut revlimiter and at 15psi it made 400hp atw which is were the previous owners claim was so i drove it at that noing its got some pretty great parts in it ????
i havent been to the dyno to gather a new power reading with the new engine and auto combo i have built , ill keep u posted...

Noddy
that convertor sounds sweet...may have to invest in one!

MNM96
mate im ringing them when they reopen in the new year,cause i havent asked them weather they have spook to the magazine people yet or weather it was from Mal , as for the absence in the thread i dont no why someone needs to answer for him i think he could type for him self

krustytheclown
mate if it ever did go there, i really want to speek with Mal first , but i have tryed to get a number but nothing has come of it yet

OK..i think i have answered all the questions......yes as for a sweet looking car it is , the engine and tranny i have rebuilt and i went away over newyears and done 650kms and all looks great , time for some fuel maps to be cleaned up on the dyno now that the motor has a set a rings that seal!!!

the biggest thing im ****ed about is its done 35000kms roughlly since Mal got it built at 20000kms and it shows how it isnt so bullet proof
anyone has Mals number it would be greatlly apreciated

HotRod

[Falcon Coupe]

I feel your pain HotRod, i bought my GT thinking it was a monster when in reality it was about to let go due to detonation, the previous owner ran 150hp of n2o through it without retarding the timing, anyway, there is light at the end of the tunnel, like yours mine is now a car i built, not someone else, i know exactly what's inside and it's reliable, good luck sorting the issues and keep us posted, i think most members here know the car and it has quite a large fan base.

[HotRod]

Thanks Falcon Coupe,thanks Bucknaked,so fair the cars is going great , in lotsa ways it still dont fix what it was :(

Cheers HotRod

RAW Performance QLD

[HLC]

Originally Posted by HotRod

, its a bit different when you pull the motor down to find it first hand , especially when i had purchased another AU short motor to compair notes

now, that me be the problem.

i dont doubt your ability, but are you sure that everything went back in the right spots?

[sfr rob]

you are a D-ick head HLC, LOL

[Bucknaked]

Originally Posted by HLC

now, that me be the problem.

i dont doubt your ability, but are you sure that everything went back in the right spots?

Sounds something more like what I usually do. Start stripping things down and placing screws and washers and nuts and bolts into 1 icecream container. Put everything back together. Hmmm, just a few left over Maybe we'll see how things go. : :eclipsee_

[HLC]

Originally Posted by sfr rob

you are a D-ick head HLC, LOL

HAHAHAHAAH im not on my P-plates for nothing! :

and Bucky, yep, or i try and arrange them on the floor, but end up kicking them everywhere so it just becomes a mess! :

[XRQTR]

Hey Hotrod, before you talk to the guys at GR, first thing you should do is try to get an original invoice which should have the parts itemised, forget the mags they get it wrong and for whatever reason no one seems to have corrected them.

But even still, unless the engine bulder or workshop was interviewed and gave this information to the mag then theirs no point in taking it further, sorry to say but thems the breaks.

But i would still want to see the invoice, to be honest I can't believe you don't have it or at least asked to see it before you bought the car.

Good luck though wherever this road takes you.

[HotRod]

Hi XRQTR
thats never crossed my mined, i could nearlly bet that Dan dont have one ether (owner before me) i will try but getting hold off Mal is my next step,to do so ineed phone numbers..someone here must no how i can contact him?
Cheers HotRod

p.s you guys theres nothing better than a strip and revamp and everything goes back in with nothing to spare

o and before i go... Dan Mcivor do you have a engine or car build invoice??

[dansedgli]

Sorry Rod, I don't have any invoices, Mal was supposed to give them to me when I picked up the car but when I picked it up he had forgotten them.

If anyone does have Mal's contact details can they please pass them on. I have tried several of his email addresses but no luck.

I'm really interested to see the invoices as well. As Casper said, Mal wasnt the type to know about the things that were written in the magazine unless he was told they were there.

[MNM96]

Originally Posted by dansedgli

Sorry Rod, I don't have any invoices, Mal was supposed to give them to me when I picked up the car but when I picked it up he had forgotten them.

If anyone does have Mal's contact details can they please pass them on. I have tried several of his email addresses but no luck.

I'm really interested to see the invoices as well. As Casper said, Mal wasnt the type to know about the things that were written in the magazine unless he was told they were there.

Hey Dan,
Good to see you here!
I always thought you purchased, and sold, this car with utmost trust. As mentioned above, what a STEAMING Car. Drama's or not I love it.

I think, whoever charged Mal a swag, has some answers to give!

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by MNM96

I think, whoever charged Mal a swag, has some answers to give!

I think it may have been more than a swag, more like 2 swags...it owed him plenty...

[HotRod]

Hi Dan
Thanks for your support....for now cars up and running , and going even better

MNM96....someone has alot off answers to give and im shore everyone is ready to listen :

Cheers HotRod

[GTPFPV]

I find it amazing that so much rubbish gets to print. I was workshop foreman when Malvin's vehicle was done and he got exactly what he requested. Initially he had a smaller turbo and cooler on the stock engine fitted by us, after 12 months he wanted more power so he enlisted us once more to make the improvements. At the time there were question marks over what the transmission could be built to handle so the aim was for 250 rear wheel kW on approx 9psi. The engine received forged pistons new bearings and a freshen up, it already had a camshaft fitted by New Oak Ford. We fitted a Haltech E11 v2 GT 40, larger intercooler 3" mandrel exhaust, GFB Stealth blow off and modified auto. We set the boost at 9 psi and made 270 rw kW. The vehicle performed without fault for Malvin for 18 months including a number of flat track days as was Malvins perogative. The vehicle was sold and unfoutunatly a magazine article went to print, after Malvin had left the country as he was here on a study Visa, that made some untrue statements about the build of the car. Malvin had no opportunity to proof read the article nor did we, perhaps a little poetic liscence on behalf of the editor. The crankshaft was balanced as is necessary when fitting aftermarket pistons, particularly pistons of different weight to stock, as any resonable engine builder or mechanic would know that there would be considerable engine vibrations. The block was never "o" ringed, the factory shim steel gasket is more than sufficient for what the car was built for. (Despite being over boosted and destroying bearings it did not blow a head gasket!)
Since being sold by Malvin I am aware that the software program was deleted and the car retuned by someone unknown to me, an E-Boost fitted, the boost increased and the turbo had failed. I am aware the owner after Malvin ran the car on the strip with detonation and a failing turbo. Draw your own conclusions as to what this does to an engine, in my experience however it causes piston ring land failure causing high oil consumption, power loss and eventual engine bearing failure due to high bearing loads.
I have attepmted to help the current owner in setting the record straight, I offered the origional program at a small cost to help out as well as supplying information as requested on the source of the pistons and general engine assembly.
I have also been informed indirectly that the car made 300 rw kW on 15psi when retuned, it made 270 and 9psi initially and in my opinion that is not a significant increase in power for an additional6 6psi in my opinion.
Please if there is reason for complaint go to the source, uninformed heresay and gossip by people with large ego's and little knowledge helps no-one and solves nothing. Much of what I have read on this and other forums is ill informed, all to often I see good people take poor advice from these forums and get left with nothing but headache and heartache.

[dansedgli]

The original MAP was recovered after it was lost. The laptop that it was saved too was fixed and the MAP went back in.

This map was then modified afterwards to deal with the extra 4 psi that was fed into it by a very reputable tuner.

Why was it that when I rang asking if you had the original MAP saved that you said you no longer had it?

The original unmodified tune was given to the new owner on a CD as I had saved it just in case.

The car made 260rwkw on 10 psi and 308rwkw on 14psi. All on the same dyno.

The car was not detonating on the strip as it was tuned properly.

The turbo was rebuilt the week after it was found to have chipped blades.

[Bucknaked]

I thought Mal said the car had never been on the track when he was trying to sell the car orginally. With PFM being a sponsor on these forums, maybe they can help to clear up the issue around the material that went to print. It's unfortunate that Mal doesn't get on these forums anymore. This has become an interesting thread and its interesting to read all the replies.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by GTPFPV

The vehicle was sold and unfoutunatly a magazine article went to print, after Malvin had left the country as he was here on a study Visa, that made some untrue statements about the build of the car. Malvin had no opportunity to proof read the article nor did we, perhaps a little poetic liscence on behalf of the editor.

I'd be very curious to know exactly what was put in the magazine to be honest.

The specs given from Mal to aufalcon.com are:
Engine Modifications: [In Brief] Balanced crankshaft, shot peened and linished con rods, custom forged pistons, custom-grinded camshaft, cylinder head o-ringed, custom turbo exhaust manifold, Garrett GT40 roller bearing turbocharger [AR .70], GFB Stealth FX BOV, 3-inch dump pipe, 3-inch mandrel bent exhaust [single muffler and 3-inch cat], Turbosmart Progate 45mm external wastegate, high capacity injectors, Bosch fuel pump, 4-inch custom intake, K&N pod filter [battery unit relocated], custom front mount intercooler [air-to-air, tube and fin core], Haltech E11k engine management system, custom built crank sensor, custom-built 4-speed transmission [rated at 400hp], tranns-cooler fitted, and much more.

Performance: 260+rwkw at 4800rpm [10psi]

These were sent to me directly from Mal when the car was first picked up after the rebuild, at least a year before the magazine was published.
There is also a thread on the old FF.com that was like a diary of the build where all the parts above were mentioned at some stage or the other (except the O ringing.. I dont remember that part).

What was in PFM? How does it compare to the above specs?

[dansedgli]

It is very similar except there is more detail. ie. It mentions what was specifically done to the trans. I have the article here at work.

EDIT: The tech specs at the end of the article are exactly the same as above.

[Casper]

As far as I can see, the main issues are around the engine and transmission.
Balanced crankshaft, we have an explination now from GTPFPV that TSA did balance it.
shot peened and linished con rods, unknown
custom forged pistons, its accepted that the pistons were not stock
custom-grinded camshaft, maybe not custom but it isnt stock, it was a crow cam IIRC
cylinder head o-ringed, certainly not done.. possible mistake or confusion on Mals behalf?
custom-built 4-speed transmission [rated at 400hp], well, the magazine certainly seems to go into detail on this. Can anyone post up what the mag said?

So really its now down to 3 major items.. the rods, the orings and the trans build.

Somewhere along the line there was also obviously a lot of detonation occuring however this has me puzzled as Mal only did one track day (advanced driving course) and Dan only did 1 drag day and only a few runs at that. So I would suggest neither of these "performance days" could have done the damage that was mentioned, there has to be another factor involved.
I'm not pointing the blame at anyone, I'm just using logic, timelines and deduction to find an answer. The old saying, "when you have eliminated every option and every avenue then what remains, no matter how improbable, has to be the truth"

[LG]

Mal never mentioned about o-ringing in his build thread.

Hope this gets sorted. Needless to say, it's a terrific car!! Inside and out!

[GTPFPV]

I am unaware of where the information came from in regards to shot peened and linished rods or the "o" ringing. The trans was sublet and not done in house we don't do transmissions here. The sugestion that we pulled the wool over Malvins eyes is funny in that Malvin was here nearly every day taking photos and video of every stage of the engine build and the whole project, to the extent he produced a video for us that we used at the Holden/Ford show a couple of years ago. As I mentioned if you use non-standard weight pistons in an engine rebuild without balancing the engine will vibrate, can you tell a factory drilled hole on a crank counterweight from one done later?? Cranks are balanced by drilling or grinding the counterweights.
I can only comment on the condition of the car when I saw it last. If you look at old threads you'll find the owner after Malvin states how he fitted the e-boost and incresed the boost to 15psi.
I have had no communication with the owner after Malvin, he did contact us(not me personally) and requested the program as they had lost the program through a laptop failure, we offered to re-install the program at our workshop at an appropriate cost. We were not taken up on this offer. The boost was fixed(not adjustable) and Malvin was not mechanically minded enough to alter the boost himself. He was a good customer, loyal, he always bought it to us. I had nothing to do with owning or selling the vehicle, what transpired was between Malvin and the purchaser.
Prior to Malvin selling the car he bought it to us complaining of poor idle, on test driving the car we found it to be detonationg, an examination of the plugs showed one had melted(bad). Further investigation and discussion with Malvin found he had used Optimax where the car was tuned for and we recommened BP Ultimate or Mobil 8000. The fuel was drained the plugs replaced abd the car ran fine(no detonation). No leak down test was performed as there was no sign of fault, blowby was normal and the car retained its origional performance. It is possible some damage was done by this but it was not evident at the time, with the exception of an engine teardown further diagnosis was not possible.
I would also advise that the fuel system consisted of a Walbro pump fitted in tank replacing the origional, we had advised Malvin not to run the car low on fuel as we found the tank baffling was insufficient and fuel surge could occur under 1/4 tank on hard acceleration, he was aware of this and his budjet did not extend to surge tanks and auxulliary pumps.
I hope this helps

[dansedgli]

Originally Posted by GTPFPV

I have had no communication with the owner after Malvin, he did contact us(not me personally) and requested the program as they had lost the program through a laptop failure, we offered to re-install the program at our workshop at an appropriate cost.

Im sorry but this part isnt true. I was told the MAP was no longer available or I would have taken you up on the offer. I was due to be in Sydney the following week to get the car engineered.

The car sat at another workshop for over a week until the laptop was repaired the original MAP reloaded. I missed my appointments in Sydney to get the car legal, I could not make other arrangements to do the same thing again which is a major part of the reason for selling the car on.

[Casper]

So apart from the o-ringing which was some sort of mistake (and certainly overkill even for that engine) and the rods which (although mentioned in the build thread) probably were not ever needed, done or paid for the engine is everything thing it was claimed to be.
As for the damage, GTPFPV has given some explination as to when at least some of it could have occured and, to be honest, there is no way Mal, Dan, TSA or anyone else could have known the extent of it without pulling the engine down. This simply is a case of "buy a heavily modified car, take a risk" bad luck unfortunatly.

So all that is left is the reason why the auto died.. which is not TSA's issue.

So really, for all the fuss, there really isnt THAT much of a mystery now is there?

[GTPFPV]

You and I have never spoken, I was not your contact here, if you say that is what happened I don't understand. We are a workshop why would we not sell you something? But I say again I was not your contact when you called. The person you contacted is not involved in this discussion, I am only trying to help and make sense of all the crap I'm reading. What was discussed with me in the workshop was the sale of the program, I can not think of any reason as to why we would not sell it, if what you are saying is true it was beyond my control and beyond my reasoning

[dansedgli]

Im not blaming you, sorry if I came across that way.

I was simply told that you guys didnt have the program anymore which is why I couldnt have it.

It doesnt matter anyway I guess as the the program was recovered.

[GTPFPV]

No worries, I'd love to help eveyone I met if I could, bottom line is it's a business and it's got to make money to pay wages. I love jobs like Malvins, it was very challenging especially with regards to the crank sensor and cam sensor as at that time Haltech couldn't get them going due to difficulties with the reluctors on Fords, I sorted all the electronic issues and did the tuning as is my job here. It was built to a budjet, like most things could have been better, but ultimatly we work out with the customer what they want, what they can afford and try to get those two thing to meet. I am sorry if you got greif from the car but It was not our intention or Malvins I'm sure, he was a very genuine and patient person to deal with, better than most.

[FalKeen]

good posts GTPFPV, very informative and i commend your efforts to make it into this thread and sort the bullИИИИИ from the facts