Possibly, thinking of converting V6 auto ecotec to a V8 manual. Thinking a nice stroker 5.7(Maybe COME) backed up by a T5.
Anyone there no the possible costs involved and the parts that will be required to do the deed?? Any tips /possible problems i may face would be great?? Or should i just bite the bullet and get a different car, im a bit attached to it, to telll the truth.
What about licencing and ****??, will the RTA have a whinge about the larger/ heavier engine and v6 suspension/ brakes (prob get changed to VT twin spots and larger rotors any way).
Cheer guys.
they wont have a whinge if you do the correct ****.
youll need to upgrade your suspension anyway and probably be wanting to upgrade your brakes with the COME engine
This sort of swap is regarded as an owner certified engine swap as all of the parts are a straight bolt in swap and come out of the same model of car from the factory.
Just don't tell them the engine is a 5.7 litre as they will try to get you on emissions maybe,then again it maybe o.k.,as the VS was released with this engine,I know on the RB30DE swap I am doing I was always getting the runaround from engineers not giving me a straight answer,telling me the engine will need emissions testing and to charge me a fortune ($1100) for compliancing,or it would be impossible to ADR it as the engine management is not from an Australian vehicle and the increased airflow will affect emissions.
After visiting a mechanic he basically said it is pretty straightforward,just bolt the head on and the fact the engine number stays the same makes things easier,so I thought bugger engineering,they are just screwing me around.
your in luck brother. i own a VR and when i brought it it was a V6 auto and about a bit over a year ago i converted it to a V8 5 Spd.
-The brakes in the VR V6 and the VR V8 are the same. (VS might be different)
-The Brake Master Cylinder size is the same on both modles.
-you need a V8 Radiator
-V8 Crossmember (i got a new one from GMH cos used one could be slightly bent but a new one only costs a it over $550.
-and something to think about is that the air con pipe that comes out of the fire wall comes out of the passanger hand side on a V6 and it comes out of the driver side of the V8. i just very neatly ran a hose down the right hand side of the engine bay and around the front. a little hard to explain (ill post u a pic if you like.)
-you need a modification plate (QLD) but thats no trouble at all.
-what i did was find a suitable buyer for the V6 Auto. as it turned out a bloke brought it to put it in a toyota hilux. i left my V6 in my car till i had a buyer ready to buy and that gives them the option to test drive the engine (much much easier to sell that way). when he tested it and was happy i got the money then removed the engine for him to take.
- there will be little things you need to know. (my car was a Berlina, it might have a different cluster than you) but the tempreture guage is different on a v6 to a v8 and it will read cooler than it is once the V8 is in.
-also your rev tacho will be out by a mile. it has to be recalabrated. (you can get that done the same time as the temp guage)
-the list goes on. do not be put off by this cos its not all that bad.
-you need a tailshaft for a v8.
-have you got IRS or not. you will benifit with 3.45:1 diff gears but other than that the diff stayes the same.
i paided $4500 for a low Kmr EFI V8 out of a VP SS. that price was everything except for the new radiator, crossmember, belts, coil, bla bla bla...
you get the point you will work it out as you go along.
also you can get pedals (clutch, brake) from any modle commodore VS back wards to a VB not sure about VT/VX/VY i think there different
i have a full set of pics for you if you like of the auto to manual conversion.
if you have almost any Q you can ask me cos there is a really good chance i have the answer about this topic.
after i got all this done to my car it still turned out a lot cheaper than replacing my car. and if i reaplaced my car whats to say i did not end up with a lemmon.
vr v8 5spd Berlina
how many of them have you seen. i have not seen any
so i made one
you can email me if you like or just post here its all good.
feel free to ask the q's though thats half the fun of the swap...
see ya
sorry, i typed that a little quickly. i think you will find that a tail shaft is for a 5spd and its the same from a v6 to a v8
tll tell you now it cost about $4500 for the V8 and everything with it
i paid about $1000 for labour (for the swap but not including tacho and other little expences
but on a higher note i sold my auto and V6 including loom and radiator. (everything i didnot need) for $3700 so it never cost all that much. and its fun to do and you learn a lot in the process
have fun with the conversion
remember don't forget to ask me any q's if you need....
well in all honosty the most tricky bit was the air con (message me and ill tell you what not to do ha ha i learned the hard way about that)
although the air con really was not that bad.
but there was a headake with some of the wireing
its all not that bad
Thanx for all that, its reassuring to know that it can be done for a approriate price, instead of selling/buying a whole new car, ive spent a bit on the body and susp, stereo and im sorta attached. New car might mean a bit of respraying and interior work, cuz im pretty fussy *******.
$3700 for the old motor and box sounds good too, if i can get it, lowers the price of the whole conversion. I will definity suss out this option in holidays cuming up.
What about the diff?? I've got a VS berlina live axle, can i keep the same diff? I waz going to change the centre to 3.45 any way, prob LSD, but could i keep the housing or whatever?!?
So basically im trading eng, loom, radiator, crossmember, g/box and tailshaft yep?
