vn v6 5.0L conversion

[ryan21]

hey guys ive got an 89 vn v6 and was thinking about doing some performance stuff to it but im thinking i might just convert it to the 5.0L engine as that would be more worthwhile problem is money. my car is on gas at the moment and im wondering what gas components would need to be changed to suit the v8 im just guessing at the moment but probably mixer and maybe converter???. I also want to know if the v8 runs well on gas. because going from a v6 on gas to a v8 on petrol don't think my wallet could take it.
let me know what you think.

Cheers

[zskinner]

sounds like a top idea, power and exhaust note of a v8 with the fuel cost of lpg , but converting to a v8 isnt that cheap. its not just a simple engine swap over. youve gotta change a few things, i forget what exactly though. front suspension and crossmember comes to mind. im sure there was a fairly long list ive just forgotten most of it...... might be worth doing a search. good luck anyhow mate

[jimmyd17]

front suspension can be retained. control arms are the same V6-V8, radius rods are the same, steering racks are the same, (although series 1 VN are different to series 2 {S1 has a spline shaft fitting, S2 has a square fitting}, but there is no difference between V6 & V8). struts are the same (however V8's have a stiffer spring rate for the extra weight of the V8, but you can get away with V6 ones). brakes are bigger on V8. the K-frame is different, so you need a V8 K-frame and engine mounts. you'll need a V8 transmission too. its a BIG job, so unless you're attached to your car it'd probably be cheaper (and much much easier) to sell your car and buy a good condition VN which already has a V8. you'd have to do everything yourself to make it remotely worthwhile, but probably still more expensive to do an engine conversion than buying a V8 VN.

if you do go ahead, the most practical way to do it would be to have a donor car (with a straight k-frame). as for the method... unbolt the k-frame, gearbox mount, strut tops, disconnect exhaust at the cat, disconnect engine wiring loom from the ecu & feed it through the firewall and leave it attached to engine. remove a/c compressor, possibly need to remove alternator to get clearance from chassis.... make sure everything is disconnected that needs disconnecting, and lift the chassis up over the whole front end with the struts/wheels still attached, trans still attached... do the same for both cars and switch the entire front ends over in one hit. if you need to change stuff like steering racks or suspension components, do it while you've got the whole front end out... much easier than doing it in the car! you can lift the car from the radiator support as long as you're only lifting the chassis minus the front end attached... if you try and lift it with the weight of the engine still attached, you'll bend it good and propper.

hope that gives you some idea of the process etc. let me know if you have any questions.

cheers,
James

[ryan21]

hey thanks for the reply's i wanna go all out like a reco v8 engine and a reco t5 trans my budget would be about 6k wouldn't really want to spend more than that. i have had a look on ebay cant find any reco v8s but used ones are going for about 1-1.5k. do you know how much it would set me back to ether buy a reco v8 or get a v8 engine reconditioned? and if anyone knows about the above gas questions let me know.

Thanks

[ovp92]

Hey mate, if your budget is around the 6k mark, like jimmy said save yourself the MASSIVE pain in the arse swapping and just buy a VN with a 304 already in it. After reading this i had a quick look on car sales for VN V8's you can get one for 6k easy. Looking right this minute there a couple of VN SS on there for around the 5K mark (200,000k's which is still youngish for a 304). I wouldnt worry too much about reco's 304's are bulletproof