steppin it up to a v8 project :)

[vktorana]

Well I finished the v6 conversion. Wiring was a pain in the arse but got it done. Sold the vk for 3400 so I recon I broke even on costs for what I got for it. Anyways i wanna build a show car. Really like how the vn 5l can have such a clean engine bay! Il keep the engine close to standard cos a v8 has plenty of power anyways. Just want ya ideas and thoughts. Any problems I might have with the v8?

[DANNY8]

Il keep the engine close to standard cos a v8 has plenty of power anyways.

A stock 304 only has like an extra 20rwkw then a stock V6. Altho all v6's sound like ass so for that reason alone I'd go a 304.

A mate recently bought a VH with an injected 304 conversion. Come with papers as well to say it's legal, he got it for 4k. But he's over it already so he wants to clean it up a bit more and flog it off. I'd buy it if I had the cash!

[SLE-883]

VN is my 2nd favourit commo after the VH. do it but don't leave the engine stock. even with a HSV tune you'll only get 185Kw (don't forget standard they're 165kw). Might as wellmassage the engine abit while you're at it.

[DANNY8]

VN is my 2nd favourit commo after the VH. do it but don't leave the engine stock. even with a HSV tune you'll only get 185Kw (don't forget standard they're 165kw). Might as wellmassage the engine abit while you're at it.

And that's at the flywheel hey? Ya average stock EFI 304 these days has about 120-ish rwkw.

[vktorana]

Yea I understand it ain't a whole lot of power but its gonna be a show car not a drag car. Hmm what about a little head work mayb bored mayb stroked if I find the money? I don't want turbo or superchargers because I want the clean minimal engine bay. I like the look iv the 5l its got Sharp clean lines over eg the ls1.

[ari666]

to start with, are you talking about buying a VN? if so isnt this is the wrong section?

secondly, there is no way we will let you get away with a stock 304 how can you have a show car with a zzzzz engine?

[vktorana]

Na sorry I guess I should have stated I wanna put the vn v8 in a vk! Love my vks! :P ok well what do you suggest? I don't want anything added to the engine bay so hasta all be internal mods. Start listing ari lol. Any ideas to make the interior or exterior are most welcome too! I want to keep the original old school styling just give it a new age face lift :P

[vktorana]

Ok well now iv narrowed it down to two engine I wanna use. Can get a vn 355 stroker for 1800 or a gen 3 for just over 3 grand. Leaning towards the vn stroked 5ltr. Anyone know a rough amount of kw a 355 would pull? And how much harder would the gen 3 be to fit?

[vkwalks39]

Gday go with vn 355 stroker mate.... I'm still deciding on what to put into my vk. Cheers Jason

[RazzaCaine]

CRS do engine mounts and kits for fitting a gen 3 into a vb-vs but they aint cheap

[vktorana]

Yea can get most the stuff for the ls1 from 4blokes but like ya said its dam pricey! I recon the stroker is the way to go! Hey when ya do one of those engine bays where like ya remove everything but tge engine, where and how do ya move the brake fluid thingy lol mental blank.

[RazzaCaine]

i couldnt help you there mate with the brake reservoir location but im sure someone else can. i personally would go a ls1 over a 355 stroker. ls1 has more power potential and would be a lot more reliable and more fuel efficient, not to mention lighter etc etc but its personal choice really. keep it an aussie built motor for originality or go with the yanks motor for more power. either way keep us informed and good luck!

[ari666]

um, undo the two bolts holding it on?

is that a trick question?

[RazzaCaine]

i think he wants suggestions on where to move the reservoir to ari so that he can tidy his engine bay

[savage1987]

If you have the money, go LS1. You will not look back. And when you cam it, which you will, you'll reap the benefits with a spastic amount of extra horsepower. Easier motors to work on than 304s too. At least personally I think so


if you stay 304, an effective way to clean the bay up is to use a torque power dual plane manifold on it, get the thing pointing upwards old-school style instead of the intake running all over the place.


as for lighter... me and my dad lifted an almost fully dressed LS1 from the back of the ute onto the work bench using the headers as carry handles. Try that with a 304 / 355 / anything iron. 6 bolt mains is an added bonus for LS1 also, as well as the far superior ignition/fuelling systems. and everything else on the motor

[vktorana]

Grr just as I almost had my mind made up you go and throw in some good points about the ls1. How much lighter is it? Iv always prefered v6s cos the weight is less in the front n makes it easier to drive handling wise. Is the ls1 an alloy block or? Figured the 355 wouldn't have been much heavier. Oh n ari I know how it comes off just where do ya put it?

[savage1987]

LS1 lighter than V6.. much lighter. My front end went up noticeably

LS1 is alloy, yes. That's half the advantage for street use IMO

It's not cheap though, I think I've spent near on $12000 on my conversion and still not quite where I want it. And no, that wasn't with brand new top shelf parts either.

[RazzaCaine]

if i had the money i would drop an ls1 in my vb in a heartbeat but i only have the money to fettle with the 308 a little. OP go ls1 if you can afford it, if not then go 355 stroker

[vktorana]

Money ain't a problem, makin 1800 a week. Hmm how hard was the conversion? Heard ya hafta move starter motor n things like that to fit it in. Ok so apart from the engine what interior/exterior ideas ya got? Will be a show car remember. Theme I'm going for is black and a real nice green with lots of silver flake. All the exterior Chrome will be black. Then the interior will be black with green highlights.

[RazzaCaine]

CRS do the complete kit for an LS1 into a vb - vs, includes the adaptor bracket to move the starter motor etc, pretty much everything you need besides the ls1 engine and gearbox. one day, far far away when i have the $ its what ill be doing to the vb if the sa nanny state deems it a legal conversion if not itll be 1uzfe. hmmm exterior wise you could either keep it clean or you could an ss or hdt bodykit if you want to make it look more aggressive. the black and green idea sounds pretty wicked. what sort of black you thinking? a metallic black with a lime green or something could be pretty cool if done right. interior you could do black leather with green stitching to match the outside and you could do green footwell lighting or something. this sounds like an interesting project, when it starts happening be sure to chuck up a ride thread to keep us all updated

*edit: $1800 a week? what job you got? i want in for that kind of money!

[vktorana]

I'm a chef lol I'm second chef but head chef quit so guess I'm head chef atm. It's spli5 shifts and I'm doin about 50 hours a week so def work hard for every dollar!

Yea I'm gonna do nice black interior with green piping etc. Not sure if il go the green glow in the footwell but thanx for a top idea! Keep em comin! Any info on cleaning up the engine bay would be great aswell!

[Darren_L]

mate in your first post you indicated that you weren't seeking huge power, so if that's the case an LS1 conversion is going to be an unnecessarily expensive exercise.
Everyone says 'put an LS1 in it', but you've got the cost of buying the engine and the conversion to consider, when a 304 & gearbox literally drops straight in and is a very simple case to wire up. In regards to earlier comparisons to a V6, the 304 is good for an additional 40fwkw, and almost an additional 100Nm of torque. Throw on a cold air intake, exhaust & HSV memcal and you get an additional 20fwkw/15Nm on top of that. You could do the entire conversion these days for a couple of grand (including the cost of the engine & gearbox)

A fresh rebuilt 304, mild-moderate cam, intake manifold and tune will be good for at least 250+rwhp. That's a potentially a low 13 second car in an early model. If tuned properly, it will have good street manners and still manage 10L/100 on the highway. Go with a mild 355 stroker and you can realistically expect 300+rwhp.

You mentioned that you wanted a tidy engine bay - let's face it, the LS1 is a messy engine with the ugly rocker covers, all the wiring, coils etc. The only easy way to tidy up the mess is to cover up the engine with plastic covers. In comparison, the Holden engine has very little exposed wiring. And any wiring that is visible is easily concealed.

I'm not trying to turn you off the LS1 idea. If that's the path you want to go, then go for it. But when it comes to the early models, the Holden V8 still has a lot going for it. Don't get talked into an expensive, time consuming LS1 conversion, when originally you indicated that you weren't really seeking big hp.

[RazzaCaine]

hmm thats definately some food for thought there darren. vktorana im a waiter so i work with chefs and i know you guys work damn hard for your money! make sure you spend it on something you will love

[savage1987]

You mentioned that you wanted a tidy engine bay - let's face it, the LS1 is a messy engine with the ugly rocker covers, all the wiring, coils etc. The only easy way to tidy up the mess is to cover up the engine with plastic covers. In comparison, the Holden engine has very little exposed wiring. And any wiring that is visible is easily concealed.

those are problems that can be fixed it's pretty straightforward to relocate the coil packs, etc etc, and pretty up an LS1.

304 low 13s... mild H&C LS1 potentially low 11s or high 10s depending on the rest of the setup

[ari666]

wow you can really make 600 horsepower from a mild ls1????

i find that hard to believe.