Ah, I was just curious as to why you had brought up the E series thermostat housing, as they're most definitely not going to bolt up to the Barra. I Had once hoped it would, however i discovered just how different they are, which is a shame.

So the Barra and the E Series/AU lower thermostat housing are different?

Yes, as the pictures below show, the mounting points and overall design is different. The only thing that " looks " to be the same is the heater pipe clamp and the upper thermostat housing mounting points.

As for the AU, i'll wait until the family member returns with the AU and take a photo to compare.

AU has the same mount points as the E series, only difference is there is no fitting for the Temp sensor.

EF Onwards i believe also changed the direction of the incoming top radiator hose, left 90 degrees.

If I get either the top or lower housing drilled and tapped to house the temp sensor, all I'd need then is a full EL Hose kit to chuck on before install...

As for the bellhousing, I'm going to bite the bullet and purchase the $150 deal on ebay ( I've attempted talking with the salesperson ). SWC If you don't mind, shall we sort out this AU sandwich plate?

Once that's all said and done, the plan is to attach the bellhousing to the Barra and see how much of the sump i'll need to cut for the clutch cable to pass through.

Hopefully not long before I Get to test the Barra. Unfortunately for me I don't have the luxury of having a spare E series falcon laying about, so I'll need to know if everything is working before install.

Some BA's have the hole already there for the cable. BF's dont as I learnt the hard way. No other mods required

I'll have a look around for the sandwich plate and let you know.

Canister Purge Solenoid update 1 - Swapping designs

One of the many things that need to be wired up, is the canister purge solenoid ( As well as finding the right vacuum hose to suit running from the solenoid, to the intake manifold )

Some people prefer using the E series solenoid and simply changing the command wires. I However, do not have a spare connector and am not willing to dissect the original loom. Instead i'm using the BA Purge Solenoid, it's pretty much the same thing ( Take note of where the arrow points, though ) All I'll need to do, is wire it up to the PCM.

This is the BA Canister purge solenoid :


This is the E series purge solenoid :


For those of you who are not familiar with what the hell this device is, here's a piece of writing from the BA workshop manual.

"
The Evaporator Canister Purge Solenoid (EVAP)
<CANP> controls purging of vapours from the carbon
canister to the air intake system. The canister stores
fuel vapours from the fuel tank. The Powertrain
Control Module (PCM) monitors several systems to
determine when to purge these vapours into the
intake manifold with minimum impact on engine
operation.
The positive side of the EVAP solenoid is connected
to Vehicle Power (VPWR). The PCM completes the
electrical circuit by grounding the solenoid coil in a 10
Hz duty cycle ( Pin B22 ). Once purge is initiated, the duty will
gradually increase with engine speed to slowly draw
the canister vapours in the intake manifold.
"

Hold that thought, I've just had a derpy moment, I'm sure as hell i can just use the auto BA sandwich plate, which still happens to be attached to the motor...

BA sandwich plate should be fine.

Hey mate looking awsome hey-love the way you've documented it too, was wondering what you are using on your oil senders-are you using sealant or thread tape?, I've got loctite hydraulic thread sealer-anyone know if this ok or if I should use something else?

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G'day Johnny,

Myself, I'll be using thread tape as it's never failed me yet. All of my fittings are tapered so i can't see an issue with the use of it. If there are any issues, which I doubt there will be in this case, I'll most definitely document it.

Hopefully this bellhousing arrives soon, I'll have to build up the cash funds to purchase the VCM Suite hardware soon as well, looking forward to tinkering around with the PCM. That, I will also document for everyone, as there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of DIRECT info on the PCM flashing.

Is it just normal thread tape or is there an an automotive specific thread tape, I've gone with VCM Suite aswell (the pro version has a few more parameters than the standard version) well worth the extra money-for me the SCT flash tuner is not worth the money when after flashing your ecu it cant be used again till you return the flashed ecu back to stock-with VCM Suite they work off a points system and you get 8 points with your initial purchase (uses two points for each ecu flashed + you get unlimited access to that ecu) to me that makes a lot more sense then SCT's flash tuner.

AFAIK There's two kinds of thread tape, gas and water. You could go with some hydraulic thread sealant however i think that's a little overkill for the pressures we're dealing with. I'm just using standard thread tape " Suitable for brass threads / water connections ". As stated I've yet to have issues with the stuff, it's cheap as chips too, under $1 at bunnings. As long as it's not applied backwards, you'll be fine.

Ah yes, I've got my eye set on the "HP Tuners MPVI Pro - Ford" version as well, comes with everything we'll need to get the job done. For people wondering about the credit system, as stated above, The BA, BF and FG only need 2 credits per PCM, which means an extra 3 cars it can be used on without having to muck about with unlocking / locking to PCM's.

HP Tuners MPVI Pro - Ford - $895: http://www.vcmstore.com.au/index.php/vc ... -ford.html

SCT - $795 hardware : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SCT-X3-FLASH ... 53ef0001bb ( This isn't for a ford, but it's the same price )

SCT - $395 tune file : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MailOrderTun ... 53e4b0bce7 View the price down below for FORD Stock Transplant Tune

Upon researching SCT I was turned away once i discovered the lack of control the owner has with their device. SCT's prices are downright outrageous. Once i get accustomed to VCM suite and find the parameters for everything, I'll make a guide on disabling PATS and other required parameter adjustments. That way people can spend that extra $300 on other areas of the conversion, such as a $200 bellhousing

LOL!!!