Towe's Turtle

[towe001]

'75 KE30

The day i bought it

Our first day at work

 

Lets see so far the specs on it are

Extractors

2" exhaust

rear louvres

and

 

 

 

 

 

 

two speed auto (slow and slower)

 

 

Plans for it after we come back from Wagga are swapping out the auto for either the trimatic from a '55 or a 5 speed manual. Its a tough choice cause i'm loving the lazy man's car.

Upgrading the front end with T-18 struts and either twin the sway bar or a thicker one

Stiffen the arse end.

Either re-build the 4k i have sitting in the garage or swap in the 2t-g (just need a 'box for it)

Or some where down the track swap in a 1.3lt from a different pedigree of manufacture.

 

Need more photos of this wild child turtle :y:

[SLO-030]

Lookin Good Towe.

 

Mounts differ between auto and manual chassis. Talk to Sam Q about an adaptor mount. He has the original adaptor mount that i made. (allowed a KE70 5spd to bolt up to an Auto KE30 chassis.

 

CHEERS

Ryan

[towe001]

Your kidding right ?? I thought it was only the '55 that had take problem ?

[SLO-030]

I had that problem with my 30. then again it was an AMI 78 model, so pretty much a 55.

 

Best way would be to have a looksy. Manual X-members are a fair whack forwars from the auto X-member.

[towe001]

Man, you've got me a little worried in a way. Just had a look under the car and it looks like it has bolt holes a few inches after the auto x-member. I guess i'll have to wait and see how it all goes after i get back from Wagga.

 

Thanks for the heads up Ryan :y:

[SLO-030]

hmmmm, behind the auto x member or infront??? Manuals have the X member in the forward positon, Autos are further back. So possibly not a problem limited to the 55's. Let me know though, you've got me curious now.

 

And all Good man, just trying to help people out. We (Greenmac, JasonKE30 and myself) found out the hard way, right at the time we were ready to bolt my manual geabox in. Realised there were no holes that even remotely lined up.

 

We Modified the auto X member with a rectangular steel plate and as i mentioned earlier, Sam Q is now in possesion of it as to make some more for this purpose.

 

CHEERS

Ryan

[JJT036]

You could always "Trick Out" the Auto and the Diff so it goes faster and so that it gains more speed in both gears. But also at the same token, if you are going to go with this idea, you would need a pretty quick motor in front of them for support.

 

Cheers,

Josh :y:

Edited December 15, 2009 by ewt

[towe001]

Well the plan for tonight was swapping the ke55 cloth front seats over to the ke30

Couldn't be arsed in taking the cover off the drivers seat but its only got a small tear as well

Till i found this with the seat belts.

Bloody things are bolted to the seat frames :y:

You could always "Trick Out" the Auto and the Diff so it goes faster and so that it gains more speed in both gears. But also at the same token, if you are going to go with this idea, you would need a pretty quick motor in front of them for support.

Yeah i've been thinking of that but with manualising the trimatic instead of the two speed auto

[JiP]

You should be fine with the cross member. Its Jap built. You'll be fine. I think they switched to AMI in around 77 when the new dash came in. If not then in late 78. My KE30 was late 78 and it was pretty much a KE55. Intrusion bars in the doors etc.

[towe001]

Turtle sitting in the driveway....." do me do me"

 

So i did

I did start the shelf when i got my old '55 but wound up cracking into other parts of the wreck along with what can be seen in the background.

Anywhat, making up a bit of a list on things i want done after our trip south. Like the stereo - i've a feeling its been hooked up wrong, there's no memory (which i'd say there's no constant 12v) and every time the key gets flipped on the dash lights come on....

Also want to see if its got a thermostat. Takes a good while for it to heat up some days.

Electronic ignition - be gone the points gap system

 

 

Been scooting to work and back driving the turtle like a two speed manual at the moment. The shifter needs to be re-aligned but i'm not too worried at the moment.

 

Thanks JiP, you've given me a sigh of relieve with the x-member. Went out and measured the lengths of the x-member to the end of bellhousing on both the fve speed and the auto and their both about the same - given i was looking at the measurement for the auto at an angle

[Taz_Rx]

Have you accounted for the slight curve in the parcel sheft? A flat piece of MDF is going to give you nightmares trying to fit it back in!!

 

As for the stereo - Yes you'd be right in assuming there's no permamnent power. The yellow and red wires must both be hooking into a accessories power source.

[towe001]

Have you accounted for the slight curve in the parcel sheft? A flat piece of MDF is going to give you nightmares trying to fit it back in!!

Urm, depends on which area your talking about with the curve. Before i did the speaker mounts i was test fitting the shelf into a ke55 that i had

As for the stereo - Yes you'd be right in assuming there's no permamnent power. The yellow and red wires must both be hooking into a accessories power source.

Its what i'm figuring on i'm also thinking that the ground wire has also been connected to a wire for the dash lights, they don't dim down at all.

[Taz_Rx]

Yeah you're probably right on the ground wire. When you're fixing the permanent power put a ring terminal on the earth and ground it to the dash somewhere.

 

The sheft curves up a bit at the back.

[towe001]

Not really any up dates

 

apart from that i miss my little turtle :lol:

[towe001]

Updates, updates, updates

 

 

Got back from Wagga on tuesday arvo and started cracking into the turtle.

The first port of call was the front suspension - T-18 struts

Before

After

Had a bit of fun fitting the calipers up. The hose that runs from the strut to the calipers was a bit short so had to swap over to the T-18 hoses

Now, just have to fix the tail dragger look.

Next on the list - Nolathane for the front swaybar. Done

 

Next port of call - the stereo.

And what an interesting bit fun that was

Don't know why these wires had been cut for, but its the ciggie lighter fuse (constant 12v). one wire goes to the interior light and the other one is for the ciggie lighter. I was a little puzzled as to why the red wire was used to go to the lighter when there was already one there for it.... Anywhat fixed that and i now have a working interior light.

Then i found this

A new use for surgical tape :) whats not in the picture was the styro foam behind the stereo holding it in and up

Oh and figured out the problem with the dash lights and the no memory stereo. The blue/black wire is for the radio (accessory 12v) and the green wire is the dash lights.

And with a bit of cutting

Front carpet from the old '55 thats in better condition then the old stuff. Just had the cut it a little to fit nicely

 

Next to go on the list is -

1. Finish parcel shelf and stereo
   
2. Re-fit seats
   
3. Add a leaf to the rear suspension
   
4. New rear shocks
   
5. Fit the gauges i've got sitting here - oil pressure, temp, volt and a tacho (one of those massive mother humping monster tacho's with, oh, 4 shift lights)
   
6. :y: :(
   
7. the five speed man box
   
8. rear tow bar
   
9. and possibly the pair of Hella Rally 4000's sitting in the wardrobe
   

 

Oh yeah and an oil and filter change. Peace of mind in that i know its been done and when it was done