Been thinking about this for a while, and of recent been considering making the dream a bit more of a reality. Currently have a fairly bog standerd VH SL/E with a black 308, have been throwing a few ideas around with friends over a few beverages such as going a the rebuild way, a 304 conversion. But depending on the cost, the one idea that i've had in terms of something that could both be reliable, but have a decent ammount of punch is a LS1 conversion. Anyone out there done it? That is fully convereted, enginereed & road registered? what issues are there to watch? Did you go auto or manual, and would I need to widen the trans tunnel to fit a 6 speed to suit? From what I have read most have required a custom shortened tailshaft to suit, currently running a 3.08 28 spline sailsbury LSD. Also issues as with wiring? get the dash and trip computer to work with a different loom? I'd imagine there woul.d be some kits that could be purchased for the job. And most of all, has anybody had any dealings with engineers in the east/south east of melbourne regarding a silimar project? Someone that has had previous experiance with a similar project could make things go much smoother. As it stands in the next few months im going to be on the hunt for a good wreck that I will be able to strip motor/box/brakes etc. from and sell whatever else off that I dont need to recoup some of the cost of the overall project lol. Any feedback or advise would be much appreciated Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

aussiev8.com might be a better help.. keep us posted though man, sounds like a wicked project

I'm planning on making it a daily driver, I dont want to mod the engine really at all except from maybe a exhaust to suit the VH engine bay. At the end of the day, what I want is a old style car with the reliability of a new age car and turn key power with better efficency than a worked 304 to reach the same power output. Heres a few old photos of the car, had the VK 308 conversion since and a few bits and pieces such as a new diff, rims etc but overall the car looks fairly similar: I love the plum interior, it's in awesome condition. Planning on whlile I go for the conversion (whatever engine combo/rebuild I decide on in the end) to replace the rear passanger and maybe rear drivers doors as they are a bit rusted out, bonnet and fixing a bit of a kink in the rear beaver pannel right behing the drivers side tailight, and also front end/bonnet. Would like to respray it 2 tone either over factory maroon, champagin or gun metal gray - heres a photoshop I did ages back of a SL/E with the gunmetal/astriod silver combo: Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

I love that chop

I love that car, and with the above colour combo and an LS1 T51R T56 package it would be near the top of my most wanted list. Sadly I don't think I'll ever attempt a build like that in my life though

that chop looks good mate. not sure what to think about the car in the back ground with the pod filters hanging out though.haha

there was a blue over silver at easter nats a few years ago but when it was at sanddown, with a ls1, surely its still around

got a mate putting an ls1 into a vk seems the trickiest bit is setting up the starter motor and getting headers to clear the chassis rail

im converting my VLC starting in a few weeks time when i get back to melbourne (should be pretty much the same as doing a VH apart from dash), ive spoken to an engineer down there who said it can be done legally, just chased up an email he sent me (pasted below) ill be sending mine in for the first review to get all the details as soon as im back down there so will have more info then if your not in a rush. The way i see it cant be to hard, starter and headers are the biggest headache as someone stated but pretty sure you can buy aftermarket starters MSD? i think (mini style) to suit havent looked that far into the conversion side of things yet as im not to fussed how much work is involved i know it can be done so it cant be to hard lol, i was more worried about the legal side of things but since that should be easy sorted im going ahead with it. Heres the email i received to give you a rough idea on how its done and the cost, my question to the engineer was if it can be done legally and how much work is involved to keep it legal & costs etc... (REPLY) Yes it can be approved, it's not too hard (as I see it). However it has to be done in a certain manner. It's too much to explain in an E mail. What usually happens is you make an appointment to review the vehicle together. You tell me how you plan to carryout the conversion, I in turn explain what the rules are that I need to follow to approve your installation. I also explain the pit falls with such an installation, as I have witness in other similar installation, by other owners. I must approve all modifications that I witness, not just the ones you are asking me to approve. I.e. different brakes, diff, aftermarket seats, battery relocation, larger rims, tyres, etc., etc. My cost is time related, if it is only the engine swap you will be up for between $660 and $770 for the approval, the prices slowly goes up from there depending on any further mods that take me more time or require testing, or calculations, or if you fail a test, if required. Based on you description, I would be surprised if the total project at worst would go above $1000 but we can talk about that in more detail once we carry out the first review. My price does not include any fees for traveling to site for any inspection. I charge an additional $144 to drive to your place to carry out an inspection each time,over and above the cost of the inspection etc. You do not pay up front or at the end but as you go. Your first inspection assuming I travel to you would cost around $336 which assumes a 1 hour inspection, the fee to set up your file when I get back to the office, and the $144 travel out to site fee. $192 comes off the overall estimate. If you bring the car to me on a trailer you would only be up for the $192 so long as we only take u[p to 1 hour. Give me a call if you would like to discuss further or make an appointment for the first review. P.S: I'd sell my misses for that gunmetal/asteroid VH thats ****n porn lol!

theres 6 million threads on retrofitting ls1s into older commos on streetcommodores forum. nice car will be a sweet device with a ls1 in it

cheers for the feedback guys some decent replys in here, i'm going to have to do the hard slog and maybe get off the computer chair... time to spend some days off having a few decent talks and some number crunching. Will have to keep everyone updated when the ball starts rolling, but knowing me, I probably wont even get on here for a few more weeks haha

Any updates Kyle?

I cleaned out the car as it sits and started taking a few parts off, but only so much I can do with a carport... working out something for the near future with a mate but so we will see soon enough Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Pacemaker are making extractors to suit ls1 in Vk and Vl. Engine mounts best ones to use are tough mounts Auto t 350,400 or t 700. Bolt up

I thought pacemaker had already made a extractor set you can buy off the shelf to suit LS1 in the VB-VL engine bay shape? Just looked it up quickly: Quote: PH 5345 - ENGINE SWAP COMMODORE | VL-VS Fitted with GenIII 5.7-6.2 Litre | Manual & Auto | TRI-Y Design P/Steering: Yes Gasket: DSF 138 Air Con: Yes Primary Pipe: 1 �" (44mm) Oxy Sen: Yes Secondary Pipe: 2" (51mm) E.G.R: N/A Outlet (flanged): 2 �" (63mm) Y Branch: N/A Fitting Time: 3 � Hrs Note: To guarantee fitment of this header we recommend using our engine mounts and gearbox crossmember. Engine Swap Kit - Use HK, HT, HG V8 Engine Mount Rubbers - Use HQ 8Cyl Turbo 400 Gearbox Rubber Mount VL with RB30K Frame use: - PEMPLS1-6 LH & RH Engine Mounts - PEMPLS1-A6 LH & RH K Frame Mounts VL-VS with V8K Frame use: - PEMPLS1-8 LH & RH Engine Mounts - PGXMLS1-A Automatic Gearbox Crossmember with Spacer PGXMLS1-M Manual Gearbox Crossmember Both kits use the same engine and gearbox rubber mounts http://www.pacemaker.com.au/holden_c..._v8_vb-vt.html (http://www.pacemaker.com.au/holden_commodore_v8_vb-vt.html) maybe not says to suit bays VL-VS for LS1, but isn't the bay the same as a VB/VC/VH/VK? just different positions of stuff like starter motor/PS etc.

pacemaker's pipes are ok **** to fit slip joint leaks tough mounts are the same bit medioka look good engine sits crooked in the bay takes heaps of ****ing round to fix it and i dont belive for the price are worth it auto what ever tickles your fancy im running a turbo 350 and it does the job well but i only race it and rarely drive it so that more of a desicion for yourself

im using ve pipes on my vl, tuff mounts, spaced vl manual rack. all good in the hood. $250 th400 bit of rubbish behind the ls1.