Ecotec or not?

[VKCOMMO]

hey

i cant decide what to do, do an ecotec conversion and leave it for about 5 years or hold off and just save up for a 5l/ls2 conversion??

whats your opinion

thanks

[old mate]

depends what cond your original engine is in, whether you can put up with that for the whole time on your p's, if you can be stuffed doing 2 conversions (if you do the ecotec then go to 5 litre/ls2), whether you think the money spent on the ecotec conversion is warranted if you just leave it as is then start getting bits for the conversion now..

ecotec would get the vk moving better than the black 202 (if thats whats in it) but im not sure if you can get done for a modified car on your p plates.

[VKCOMMO]

yer, its got a carbed 202 and i could get cheboorators old vs and use that engine but idk. im thinking i might becuase it will be my daily and its easier on the pocket. i still havent called the RTA. ive been really busy with exams and that. my 202 has 319xxx on the clock

[dynoryder]

if you want to go something with cheap power then go a rb30 turbo nothing more cheaper for power in a vk

[Jesterarts]

I'd put a 5L in it... with an huge cam... I think the 5L are a nice torquey engine and they will have the muscle car sound to go with the VK oldschool style.

Ecotec... eh... nah... who want's an ecotec in their VK project... just doesn't sit right with me....

[VKCOMMO]

cant have an 8 or a turbo, the 'boat anchor' as my mate called it is just going in the vk so i can quickly get off the lights incase an emergency vehicle comes up with sirens . then a 5l or ls2 will be in the making in the garage.

id love another 5l cause i love mine but i want something, everybody and their mums has a 5l, now how many vk's do you see with a ls2?

[BenHarJon]

Do it man, i have an ecotec in a vh and it is far quicker than any reasonably stock 5.0... Good economy, good drivability and wicked sleeper. Sadly it doesnt wuite sound the same though

[VKCOMMO]

wiked sleeper, white group 3, 17's, p plates.. say no more

[VKCOMMO]

Sadly it doesnt wuite sound the same though

i dont want the massively lumpy v8 sound, thats why torana's were invented. just loud and deep, with a bit of throatyness

[danja]

Given the very low price, and high availability of Ecotecs, and the fact they produce more power and similar torque to the original VK 5L V8, sounds like a goer to me.

For less than $500 you can pick up complete conversions, or for just a little more you could probably get a rear-ended VT/VX to cannibalise.

They aren't a super-sporty engine, and in the later models they are a bit of a boat anchor, but in a 1200kg VK you're bound to get a bit more poke out of a 150kW power plant.

[v8commy]

i dont want the massively lumpy v8 sound, thats why torana's were invented. just loud and deep, with a bit of throatyness

1.a 5l is way quicker then a shitty ecotec
2 they sound bettter and are more reliable
3 you build a tough 5l and will nevr have to touch again
4 every homo and his mum has a v6
5 v6's are straight gayness in an engine

[VKCOMMO]

1.a 5l is way quicker then a shitty ecotec
2 they sound bettter and are more reliable
3 you build a tough 5l and will nevr have to touch again
4 every homo and his mum has a v6
5 v6's are straight gayness in an engine

ok when i said i dont want the sound i meant i dont want to try to make that sound from a 6cyl.

and what part of p plater restrictions dont you get???

[danja]

1.a 5l is way quicker then a shitty ecotec
2 they sound bettter and are more reliable
3 you build a tough 5l and will nevr have to touch again
4 every homo and his mum has a v6
5 v6's are straight gayness in an engine

What a worthless post.

[v8commy]

i was stating that you should put in a 5l

[VKCOMMO]

cant have an 8 or a turbo,

what part of that didn't you see.

[Jamie-b]

Vk's didnt come out with The ecotec so you would need to gt it mod plated so you couldnt legally drive it on your P's...

But most cops wouldnt be able to tell anyway...

[VKCOMMO]

theyd see the v and probably say its a v8.. lol.. well its only a 200 buck fine and a cop has to have some certificate just to open your bonnet which most dont

[old mate]

theyd see the v and probably say its a v8.. lol.. well its only a 200 buck fine and a cop has to have some certificate just to open your bonnet which most dont

wow is that all the fine is, makes victoria seem a tad mean with a max fine of $1168 and 3 demerit points.

if you just keep the motor in a running state, and build yourself an eight while on a restricted licence, the money you would have spent on the conversion you can spend on your 8 and have a fair bit tougher motor/driveline setup.

or even just pull the vk into the shed and go nuts building it up and get something like a manual vn to keep you out (and in) of trouble.

that way you wont have to pay rego for it while its off the road, just get a roady when its all finished. good way of making sure your mods are legal too.

so many options, so much time still mate, as your still a youngin' like myself. sometimes it might just work out easier to wait, but its all up to you in the end.

good luck with your exams btw

[VKCOMMO]

wow is that all the fine is, makes victoria seem a tad mean with a max fine of $1168 and 3 demerit points.

if you just keep the motor in a running state, and build yourself an eight while on a restricted licence, the money you would have spent on the conversion you can spend on your 8 and have a fair bit tougher motor/driveline setup.

or even just pull the vk into the shed and go nuts building it up and get something like a manual vn to keep you out (and in) of trouble.

that way you wont have to pay rego for it while its off the road, just get a roady when its all finished. good way of making sure your mods are legal too.

so many options, so much time still mate, as your still a youngin' like myself. sometimes it might just work out easier to wait, but its all up to you in the end.

good luck with your exams btw

thanks for the luck on the exams. i just got one of my trial results back and it was 92% and the top was 95% so im very happy with that.im thinking that i still might do the eco because im getting some ,money in soon from insurance and the conversion will only set me back about 1000$, then in the mean time i will hopefully get a late model t-boned from auctions and build that up, supercharge and everything because it will be 5 years in the making..

still dont know what rta will say.

ill probs call them tomorrow and get back to you'se

thanks

[VKCOMMO]

im still going eco if i can because my engine is sh!t, im hopefully going to be based at bathurst soon so ill be living at my farm near lithgow where most nights it gets to about 3 in summer and about -3 in winter so i need a engine that is not carby and not 25 years old that i can trust to start when its cold.

[ari666]

ummm, efi VK?... i still dont know why you bothered to ask if you are just going to ignore;

"if you can be stuffed doing 2 conversions (if you do the ecotec then go to 5 litre/ls2), whether you think the money spent on the ecotec conversion is warranted "

"1.a 5l is way quicker then a s.. ecotec
2 they sound bettter and are more reliable
3 you build a tough 5l and will nevr have to touch again"

and probably the most important posts on here "Vk's didnt come out with The ecotec so you would need to gt it mod plated so you couldnt legally drive it on your P's..."

and "wow is that all the fine is, makes victoria seem a tad mean with a max fine of $1168 and 3 demerit points."


personally i dont think p'platers should be modifying anything about their 1st cars. although you think you are a competant driver, you are not. not until you have had a good collision do you appreciate how dangerous cars actually are.

remember, you may be able to park on a dime, avoid obsticles at high speeds and do doughnuts in paddocks, but do you know when the idiot in front of you is about to jam his brakes on? or the guy on the other side of the road swerves in front of you to avoid something else.

drivers competance can only be gain by road expierence, and modifying your car just increases the severity of your first accident. it can be te difference between someone dying or someone living. going back to my first answer, though worded very differently...you should WAIT/save/gain valuable expierence driving and build a nice ls2.

my 2c.

[VKCOMMO]

ummm, efi VK?... i still dont know why you bothered to ask if you are just going to ignore;

"if you can be stuffed doing 2 conversions (if you do the ecotec then go to 5 litre/ls2), whether you think the money spent on the ecotec conversion is warranted "

"1.a 5l is way quicker then a s.. ecotec
2 they sound bettter and are more reliable
3 you build a tough 5l and will nevr have to touch again"

and probably the most important posts on here "Vk's didnt come out with The ecotec so you would need to gt it mod plated so you couldnt legally drive it on your P's..."

and "wow is that all the fine is, makes victoria seem a tad mean with a max fine of $1168 and 3 demerit points."


personally i dont think p'platers should be modifying anything about their 1st cars. although you think you are a competant driver, you are not. not until you have had a good collision do you appreciate how dangerous cars actually are.

remember, you may be able to park on a dime, avoid obsticles at high speeds and do doughnuts in paddocks, but do you know when the idiot in front of you is about to jam his brakes on? or the guy on the other side of the road swerves in front of you to avoid something else.

drivers competance can only be gain by road expierence, and modifying your car just increases the severity of your first accident. it can be te difference between someone dying or someone living. going back to my first answer, though worded very differently...you should WAIT/save/gain valuable expierence driving and build a nice ls2.

my 2c.

look, your right, its just that my engine is really sh!t,

and probably the most important posts on here "Vk's didnt come out with The ecotec so you would need to gt it mod plated so you couldnt legally drive it on your P's..."

im checking up on that this arvo after school

the main thing is this:

Given the very low price, and high availability of Ecotecs, and the fact they produce more power and similar torque to the original VK 5L V8, sounds like a goer to me.

For less than $500 you can pick up complete conversions, or for just a little more you could probably get a rear-ended VT/VX to cannibalise.

They aren't a super-sporty engine, and in the later models they are a bit of a boat anchor, but in a 1200kg VK you're bound to get a bit more poke out of a 150kW power plant.

im looking for a bit more poke, this engine i have now is 25 years old, 319xxxkms on it and doesnt like hills, not reliable and all over sucks.

im looking at about 70KW power increase, not so i can drive like a fu**wit, but because i can move down a highway faster than a VW Kombi.

im not ignoring all youse information, but using it to see the pros and cons of it.

and if were talking safety here as well if i have a head on the v6 is a bigger engine sitting in the front of the car so there will be less chance of the whole car crumpling up on me.

[ari666]

i am confident when i say that you will not be allowed to put that engine in your car and drive it on your p's. the reason vic went to the stupid red and green p's, and no V8's or turbos, was to bring us into line with other states, which means fines here, are fines there. we used to be a calculation of power to weight.

now accoring to someones sig, the v6 puts out more power than a 308... which will give you more than just a poke. just cos' they are slow in a vn doesnt mean itll be slow in a vk. considering the weight difference.

guaranteed, you will get owned. if the cop who pulls you over isnt certified, he will make you wait by the side of the road till' his mate who IS certified arrives. there is more than just a few demirit points at stake too, you could be facing a 6 month suspension. court and massive fines.

nothing wrong with EFI vk's. if you just want a little "more poke" or something that isnt carb'd cos' "it gets cold at night" (lol) then thats your option right there.

oh, and if you think that an engine will somehow save you life in an accident you are seriously mislead. more likely it will come and cut off your legs.

YouTube - holden commodore - worst car crash test

that is vid footage of an opel senator hitting a wall at 70 miles an hour. now see if you can spot where the engine is located after the smash.

[VKCOMMO]

\

YouTube - holden commodore - worst car crash test

that is vid footage of an opel senator hitting a wall at 70 miles an hour. now see if you can spot where the engine is located after the smash.

holy fu**, thats bad... yooud be toast after that.

tried calling rta today and no luck, massive que, so its either alot of hassle with rta or buy the gear for an efi conversion.

im still not sure but i think you've convinced me.

i just emailed the rta asking for them to call me about the issue.

[VBRED]

Mate

I have just spent the last couple of months putting a V6 into my vb.

Give me a couple of weeks to sort it out then I will tell you if i think it was wotrh the trouble.

Pete