[charged88]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone had any recent experience engineering a Sierra with a G16B in VIC?
Looking to get mine back on the road from its 3 year holiday..

Currently has;

G16B using the conversion from NZ, Ben something...
2” body lift
Trail gear rear disc conversion
31s - will be using smaller for rwc
Locked rear diff
5.12 gears

Just wanting to know what you overlooked / general feedback on the experience.

I’m in SE Vic so someone close that comes recommended would be great.

Thanks heaps
Lewis

[saph]

It maybe fine if its been rego'ed like that before the new adr's came in tho i bet gwagensteve will know better then me on this subject.

Good luck and hopfuly its another zook saved from the death of rust and is enjoyed for years to come.

[Gwagensteve]

You will have to remove the locked rear diff, and odds are the disc conversion - engineers are very reluctant to pass brake "upgrades" unless the whole system is matched from another application.

You won't engineer anything over a 28" tyre.

The body lift might be OK if the blocks are alloy or steel and it's well executed, so long as the overall lift height hasn't been exceeded.

However.... engineers also dislike approving cars that are already complete. ZUZUKI might be able to help with an engineer - I believe he knows of a reasonably priced engineer in the South East.

[Brenno]

You can get up to 30.5.inch tyre approved (16 x6.00r + 50mm).
I've been passed with nylon body lift mounts as they have a certain crush rating that is acceptable.
If rear diff is airlocker you'll be fine.
Brakes is a suck it and see. Last one passed no worries, new engineer wants full design including measurements plus brake test.

Your biggest thing will be overall height. Anything over 50mm total lift requires lane change.

[saph]

Nice this has also helped me with my worrys since one place i talked to basicly said i wont even get a pass on a air locked rear (tho im looking at e lockers since they seem less likley to be damaged)

How is it that theres some 4wds that can be lifted well over the 50mm yet no mod plate needed? i mean you can tell its not factory and yet a little zook needs the thing with a lane change test? seems dumb.

[charged88]

Thanks guys.

I did all the conversions (about 4-5 years ago) so will be looking over the whole thing.
Body blocks are poly so hopefully they get through, there is no other lift so should be goo for overall lift with stock tyres.
Forgot to mention it’s also got vitara power steering, anyone had any issues with that?

[Gwagensteve]

Nylon body blocks are permissible in some states but are not permitted in Victoria.
The 6.00 16 thing is a bit complex. Some sierras didn’t have tyre placards. The owners manual for these typically lists 16’s
Or 15’s. However this is typically for “commercial” cars which comply with less ADR’s than passenger sierras. No WT sierras were placarded for 16” rims, for example.

Some engineers will entertain applying the 16” rim tyre size to a 15” rim placarded Sierra, some won’t. Personally I don’t think it matters because it’s not like it allows us to cert a desirable tyre in any case.

VSB14 lift rules apply equally to all vehicles. Just because someone has engineered more lift than VSB14 permits doesn’t mean you can, it just means their car is potentially illegal and can have the cert withdrawn.

Vitara power steering isn’t a problem but you may find the engineer doesn’t like the feel when they road test the car. Expect to add some caster to increase weight and promote tracking.

E Lockers don’t exist for suzuki axles and are no more or less legal than an airlocker. (And no less prone to damage) Expect a warning label to be required that instructs the owner to use lockers only when off road and that handling will be affected. There are many cars with factory lockers- this is not an issue.

[saph]

Gwagensteve wrote:

E Lockers don’t exist for suzuki axles and are no more or less legal than an airlocker. (And no less prone to damage) Expect a warning label to be required that instructs the owner to use lockers only when off road and that handling will be affected. There are many cars with factory lockers- this is not an issue.

So i had to look at this and the only mention of diff locking in the mod codes from vic roads and this is all there is for it

VSB 14 Modification Code LB The following are modifications that may be performed without certification providing the modifications are carried out in accordance with Sub-section 2 General Requirements of Section LB: fitting a manual or automatic gearbox offered as an option by the vehicle manufacturer for the same model vehiclefitting a differential or final drive gear set offered as an option by the vehicle manufacturer for the same model vehicle

Note 1. Permanent locking of a differential or fitting a “spool” is not allowed.

so from this im betting if the engeneer has issues with lockers they dont know the rules they should know.

[Gwagensteve]

That’s not what we’re talking about though.

A manually lockable differential isn’t offered by the factory but is transparent when unlocked and so has no bearing on the operation of the vehicle.

[ZUZUKI]

Now done 4 Sierras in the last 2 years - 2 with G16B, 1 with G16A & 1 electric (don't ask).
Engineer was Tom at Enkleman & assoc. in Breaside, 03 9580 3024. This is the engineer that Mark French used when he owned 'Marks 4WD Adapters'
Thorough, but fair although has thrown up some weird items that fall in to the category of "not really an engineering issue, but if I don't mention it, then a RWC tester might & say "how did that pass"" - alloy checker plate pedal pads is an example.
The later the car, the more stuff has to be looked at to comply with. In Sierra world, there is almost a neat divide - cars that have made to comply with ADRs of 1989 (stated on the Aust. Compliance plate) are looked at harder than cars before this date - just about the cut between N/T & W/T.

They will look at emissions - need to have all your vent & vac plumbing going to the right places - I printed out pages of the parts manual to show layout, as well as a 'up the tail pipe' hydrocarbons sniff test - needs to be within the tolerance for the year of the engine, so will need a cat & be not too knackered that it is emitting to much fumes / smoky.
If it has a non-standard looking exhaust or is thought to be too loud, you will need an independent noise level test.

Car can be 75mm above std ride height - they have the measurements. Last car had a 50mm alloy block body lift - we put it back on std sized rims & tyres & std springs to avoid having to do a swerve test. The body lift needed to stay, as other stuff was built to suit.

Had Jinmy P/S - no issue other than he didn't like my cable ties holding the steel pipes running across the tubular front crossmember.
I would suggest putting new, nylon (not rubber) but well greased shackle & spring eye bushes in, as well as making sure the shackles are tight & not worn, to minimise the slack / slop / general vagueness that P/S Sierras tend to exhibit - to a greater degree than a manual steering box car at least.

Used a Vitara 5spd with shortened jackshaft to std Sierra T/case, so no g/box adaptor needed, but was happy with my g/box mount off the factory g/box x/member. Also had modded engine mounts (not the plates welded to the chassis) - the 'top hat' plates, which passed ok.

Have had airlockers through engineering in the past with no issues. Gearing shouldn't be an issue. If you have to do a brake test - it is harsh, but at least a Sierra is light. I would suggest putting std brakes back on & swap them back again later.

The more things that are changed from Std, the more they have to look at does it meet ADR's, is it sound, safe engineering (design, bolt grades, welds, materials etc) the longer they have to look, the more it costs & the more chance they come up against stuff they don't like.
Cost 2 months ago was $1080.
It is preferable if the engineer can be consulted during the build - everyone hates having to rework something you thought was ok, but the engineer didn't. The cars I have presented have been fully completed, just be prepared for a list.

My biggest tip, is take the rectification list (& there will be a list) with good grace - don't try to argue that an item should pass / was passed on a mates car etc - just accept it & make a decent effort to fix it.
Don't think you are smarter than the engineer in this area, or be a smart arse - it could make your life more difficult in the long run.
I've had stuff passed that still was not quite right. If it had have been the only original issue with the car, it would have been looked at more severely, but a practical rectification was done, and because everything else had been done to satisfaction, a level of discretion was exercised.

A bit like RWC testers, different engineers will have their own 'pet' peevs & pick on stuff another guy won't bat an eyelid at - yet all using the same rules - weird, but live with it.

Good luck, Rgs, Michael

[charged88]

Thanks a heap Michael, I’ll finish tidying the thing up and give that engineer a call.
Cheers
Lewis