ek ute dial up beware picture heavy

[ari666]

then i cut through the strengthening rails with the grinder. the underlay started to smoulder, so i grabbed the hose, this is the result.

cheers shane

ah hahaha

i did the same thing once, but used an oxy...

dunno what the f... i was thinking at the time. or not thinking. the fire brigade were not happy either.

[grovers_1983]

nice job abit of work to go have fun =)

[maginoodle]

just had the last 2 weeks off to get some work done. finally got to it yesterday. i finished making my engine mounts yesterday.so today i thought i would put the motor in, needed to change the front x member to hr. last bolt on the ek x member was rusted so i grabed the 9 inch grider to cut it, when it cut through the x member dropped grabbing the grinder causing it to grip and force my right hand into the rim. result was me sitting her typing this left handed cause i have 6 stitches in the back of my right hand. needed 2 to close the artery that wouldnt stop bleeding and the other 4 to stitch the gash.
It happened around 2pm, i just rapped a clean rag around it and kept going. got the hr x member in and then sat the engine in. then i lifted the ek up on the hoist and was going to put the tranny in but i made the mounts too high.
i have to work out another way to make them. i want to avoid haveing too cut the sump if at all possible.

[Calaber]

Hey Magi

When it was popular to fit Chev small blocks into earlies, the cross member needed serious modification. It was done by cutting out the centre of the member between the engine mounts, then boxing and reinforcing the member so that the top of it sat a few inches below the original level. The small blocks had the advantage of a nice neat, narrow sump that didn't need huge amounts removed from the crossmember.

I can't recall the sump on the Buick motor. Is it narrow like the early Holden 6's an d 8's or broad like the Ecotec? Is crossmember modification an option?

[Blown V6 Hatch]

Won't get it in there without modding the sump.....Not a chance. You need a reverse sump with the well at the rear. You *might* get it in there, but you will never get the auto in there and even if you did, the driveline angle would be terrible. You will flog out front uni's in about 5 minutes.

Calaber: To fit a V6 into an early girl, it needs the same basic mods as fitting a Chev. That is, cut the crossmember (which is an engineering requirement as it allows the motor to slide over the crossmember in a front on hit) and reinforce it, convert to rack & pinion steering and have a reverse sump that puts the well at the rear (unlike a Commodore sump which has the well at the front).

1 other thing, in Vic, you will require a chassis kit to get in engineered with the V6 in it. Although, in NSW, i don't think it's a requirement. Not sure on the other states.

[maginoodle]

havent done anything for a while, i cant concentrate on anything.
have done built this


have the front of the bonnet to put on and santa has the blinker lenses and the mags


will try and get to the ute soon. i have been fixing too many of my mates cars. will have to invest in some type of scanner to connect to the obd(or whatever they are called) plugs.

cheers shane

[VSSECO]

Kind of a long project if it was to be your daily driver... but I love it

[maginoodle]

Have got the motor and box in again. I cut the hr engine mounts from the x member. Made new mounts on the motor. Used vl mounts(what was here). Re-welded the x member mounts in thier new position.
Just mucking about with the tailshaft. Am thinking of using the vn tailshaft. It is too long. I need to get a shorter one or shorten what i have. Will have too see if there is a commy tailshaft 100mm shorter. Doesnt matter if its shorter in the front or rear section because i will make the centre bearing mount to suit.

[maginoodle]

Due to all the rain here, i have been able to do a bit. Have shortened the front piece of the tail shaft and dummy mounted it, i will mount it properly once the chassis kit is in. Have made a high flow left header, dont matter how good they will flow as long as the exhaust gases get to the cat and beyond. I will re-direct the position of the cat once the chassis kit is in.I used vn series one headers bercause i can cut and weld as i need, i think the engine pipe is series 2 or vr due to the o2 sensor in it near the cat flange. Am using as much bolt on stuff as possible because it will be easy to source spares.
I want to front mount the steering rack but that means making a long steering shaft, it may be a lot easier to rear mount it so that the steering rack and steeing column etc will be straight bolt in commy.












Cheers Shane

[Maccasmack]

any new progressions mate? was really getting into this haha

[vk.jonno]

yer any updates scince chrissytime?

[maginoodle]

have done a bit of mucking around, have been really busy at work so not much time for the project.
have been doing some welding that cant really be seen also been mucking with front wheels tryin to work out a better way with the brakes. Have worked out if i go with as bigger rim that i dont need to use a hoppers stoppers kit or make my own. 17 inch rims clear the hq-wb pbr calipers just have to use a rim that has the correct centre or whatever is different between a hq-wb rim and a commy rim.

[maginoodle]

done absolutley stuff all since feb, been way too busy. i also has the shits with welding the floor from underneath getting splatter all over me so i decided to build a rotisserie after finding them to be a grand or more to buy. with mates cars and stuff i have had no time to do much. i am currently on leave from my primary job to work at my casual job and have had a couple of days off due to breakdowns(am driving trucks).
i know it doesnt look pretty, but it does the job. i had to buy the blue x member(had it since march) and the 75mm angle welded together to make the upright. also used my old engine stand.

i would have made it lower if i didnt have a forklift. i made the post removeable, that way i can cut the in ground upright off at ground level so when it isnt being used it wont be in the way.



thats a left hand stub assembly form a vt, it came in to be changed cause they stripped one of the bolt holes for the caliper. i have drilled holes in the rotor so i can lock it into place. i have only set it up today, i am waitin for a mate to come around so we can turn it around.

[maginoodle]

had to modify the engine stand to allow the rotors to clear. could have removed the x member but decided to modify it so that it can be used for other cars as well. am glad i made it high as it only clears the ground by about 200mm which gives me enough room to do a wider car in the future.


am going to have to work out how i am going to lock it in place, i dont want to leave the tie downs out in the weather.

[ari666]

Awesome!!!!

[maginoodle]

came home to find this the other day




dont know what i was thinking, i forgot that the control arm was made from cast, i know that the drivers rear is damaged but i dont want too look until i have finished the floor. maybe that will tempt me to do another mod that i was already thinking about. i have now used the strut mount holes to bolt it to the upright. i am also using a dog and chain to hold it where i want it.

dont worry about the long bolts, i always use whatever i have here before i even think about buying something.

[Leo.Bullterrier]

Its not pretty but I love the concept.

[GypsyNz]

Going to be awesome when its done.....with the wiring for the V6 through your thread i take it that would work for any V6 conversion? Going to drop a series 1 V6 in my Vc commy wagon soon & been trying to get info on the wiring side of things, also you might no. With the series 1 trans do you need the electronic speedo unit on the trans, i've been told a turbo 400 speedo cable will hook straight up....Any info would be very much appreciated & good luck on the ute i'll be keeping an eye on progress Cheers

[ari666]

look in the vb-vk section bro. there are 100 guys there that have already done that swap before and know all there is to know

[GypsyNz]

Yeah looked in there just not much indepth info on the wiring side of things, this thread has more info than anything ive seen yet.....