350 chev into vk

[sam5l]

hi i have a vk calais 5l its a pretty neat car the engine has started to develop some chronic oil leaks and wateva else ive decided nows the time to do this conversion now i see alot of threads on the net but not very clear i need to know what it is i need and also ways i can get around some things all help appreciated guys thanks also what type of manual gearbox could i use? as i would like a manual in it

 

[180sc]

not worth the hassle they are a **** house fit clearence problems everywhere evenwhen using suposed bolt in kits from reputable companys, been there with my old vb and wouldnt recommend it to anyone.

 

[HSV802]

I miss my VK that had a 350 Chev in it, once you get past all the little problems with getting the chev into the car its all down hill, hardest problem is keeping the things cool i found.
needs that i can think of
Remote filter and starter mount
engine mounts and cross member spacers, can run with out spacers but the you will never get an air filter under the bonnet.
Little spacer thing on the steering are.
If power steer, hoses and brackets.
Headers or standerd rams horn manifolds can be used.
Had AU fan fans in mine only ones i found to keep it cool.
Radiator modfied or a custom one.
radiator hose's
chev into commodore sump, oil pick up and pump maybe.
Heat wrap the exhaust around the starter as it gets very hot around it.

Good luck all i can think of off the top of my head.

 

[sam5l]

thanks for the help hsv802 u wouldnt happen to have any of the parts needed would u? and what would a worked one be worth?

 

[mikee]

could be in the thousands for a crisp worked 350

 

[sam5l]

yeh being built now 350 chev block 40thou over pistons , 400 small block double lump fullie heads, holley contender manifold, 750 dp carby, heads are ported and all that, double row timing chain and gearset umm yeh think thats it

 

[ari666]

yeh think thats it

lol, you forgot them cam. its pretty much the most important thing about the whole engine. double hump fulies are good, but by the time they are ported you may as well have gone with a set of dart iron eagles for the price.

castlemaine rod shop have the comlete kit for putting a SBC into a VB-VK, 1600 from memory, but im sure there will be tonnes more you need, i.e. cooling (as mentioned)

 

[HSV802]

thanks for the help hsv802 u wouldnt happen to have any of the parts needed would u? and what would a worked one be worth?

Over here on Trade Me (kind of NZ ebay) there is a guy with a complete set up for SBC in to early commodore for buy now $600 you could look in to that i mean with ccurrency rates prob only be $400 AUD plus freight.

Myself no dont have any spare bits, my father inlaw has my old VK which had the 350 init, his in the preocess of putting a 400 in it as well as the 350 ran a bearing. Looking forward to a drive in it with the 400 as it was a handful with the 350 with minispool.

 

[180sc]

bit of a tip, if using power steer get a vl v8 k frame and power rack as it has a smaller power head and gives better clearence. also try and get a mallory points dissy and convert it to electronic trigger with msd ignition as its the smallest i could find and gives better firewall clearence.

 

[ari666]

Looking forward to a drive in it with the 400 as it was a handful with the 350 with minispool.

looking forward to it having less power? weird.