hey guys im currently selling my calais its in a thread or two of mine everytime someone looked at my car, they told me its a 308 but i searched the vin and that came up Your car is a Holden Calais Sedan From the factory it was equipped with the Holden 304 V8 producing 122kw at the flywheel. It was produced in 1988 at the Adelaide plant with a serial number of 90518 so it probly means the motors been changed at a stage, but when i did the rego, i didnt have any problems how can i tell by looking at the motor apparently if its 304 its blue n 308 is black does this matter, dus it make a difference also, can the 304 be stroked more?

my vk was a 304 , its was a black motor

Holden VL V8s are 304 4.9L not 308

Despite many people calling it a 308 its not. 308 was last seen in the VK.

r the 308's better or not can the 304's be stroked better any advatages with the 304 since their a newer model

if its a genuine v8 vl, engine number should start with vj

Quote: Originally Posted by elz [View Post] r the 308's better or not can the 304's be stroked better any advatages with the 304 since their a newer model all VL's 304, 308 were last seen in VK's. theres no difference in the block itself that makes it better for stroking, they are all trimatic pattern. turbo blocks from VN-T 304 are supposedly abit stronger.

better internals.. rods heads ect 4ci aint gonna do ****

Quote: Originally Posted by REALIST [View Post] turbo blocks from VN-T 304 are supposedly abit stronger. The two main differences in the blocks are: 1. The cast webbing from the outer main block that runs across to the main bearings is thicker on the late model blocks, It is highly unrecommended to do a 4 bolt main conversion on the early ones due to this fact as there just isn't enough meat in the area where the extra bolt goes. 2. The thickness of the main deck is thicker on the later blocks, all head bolt holes are blind in the late blocks and they are all through holes in the early ones. Quote: Originally Posted by elz [View Post] r the 308's better or not can the 304's be stroked better any advatages with the 304 since their a newer model They're almost identicle, Start with which ever you have if you want to stroke it, The bore is still 4.000 inches and the deck height didn't change. Later engines got better conrods, which are the same length and they all run a cast piston which never changed a whole lot either.

Quote: Originally Posted by aZ` [View Post] It is highly unrecommended to do a 4 bolt main conversion on the early ones due to this fact as there just isn't enough meat in the area where the extra bolt goes. What about welding the webbing to allow for the extra bolts to be machined in? Only reason why I ask is that I have a virgin bore Black 308 from my old VK sitting in the shed waiting for when the moolah is available to do something with it or should I be on the look out for a VN-VS block that the conversion can be carried out on with no real issues.

the 308 will have 308 written on the side of the block, i think passenger side, and the 304 will have 5.0 or 5 litre on the same side.

Late VK and all VL blocks will still have 308 cast on them, even though they are 304's, Holden just didn't bother making that change. I think the confusion is that most people think that all carby 5.0's are 308's and all EFI 5.0's are 304's. With the VL's, if the engine number matches the build plate then there's no mistake, it's a 304. 304's in carby form are all Black motors, 308's are either Red or Blue.

But the first run of VK's before they went with the de-stroked 308 were all Black motors also! From memory the 304 cube motor didnt start appearing until some time in '85. I have '84 build Black 308 sitting in the shed & to confuse you even further the VK Group A 304 motor was actually a Red motor but only because it was painted a Reddy Orange colour.

Yep, you're right, I should have said all carby 304's are black motors, as well as the first run of VK's with the 308. VK went 304 mid '85 I think it was. As for the GRP A, even though it was painted it was still a black motor was it not?

Quote: Originally Posted by Waughy [View Post] As for the GRP A, even though it was painted it was still a black motor was it not? Yep, your right on the money.

also if you want a stroker block, go with the 5 litre 304's that have the "5.0" missing on the side of the block instead it should be blank, theyre already clearanced for a longer stroke crank i think its vr-vt, Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

First VK's in '84 have the engine ID as L31 which was the 308, During the VK era Holden wanted to get a weight advantage for Brocky and the boys if the engine capacity was less than 5000cc under the rules at the time so Holden de-stroked the crankshaft from 3.062" to 3.026" which changed the engine ID to LV2 or 304. Geez am I showing my age?

Quote: Originally Posted by Chock [View Post] Geez am I showing my age? no but you seem to know ur ****.. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.