V6 to V8 Upgrade - Advice before i start

[feistl]

Hey guys,

Brief history... - Purchased a 93 VR Commodore (V6 Man) about 3 years ago. Was driving nicely for about 12 months till i had a crash. Well it wasnt a crash, basically had a mechanic mate of a mate work on the car, he damaged the bonnet clip and as a result i had the bonnet come up at 140kph.

Anyone who's seen a bonnet come up would know how bad the damage is....

Anyway the car sat in my driveway for about 12 months till i eventually decided to fix it. I basically had the roof fixed and the car resprayed. (Manual wagons with only 130,xxx kms are rare).

Well its been back on the road for a while now. Seemed to be driving pretty well (brakes etc are brilliant). No strange noises etc.

Recently it started to develop a misfire... took it to holden to find the petrol tank had rusted and a lot of rust particles had been sucked into the injectors. Holden's quote to fix it was $1500+, possibly more.

So now ive got to decide what to do... I dont want to spend $1500 or more on a V6, especially as their could be more wrong with it. However i dont want to scrap the car as ive spent a LOT of cash recently.

Ive been looking at purchasing a V8 Manual VS Series 3 ute and transferring the engine/gearbox/driveline etc over into my wagon. Ive been told they are all interchangeable.

I do plan to do this myself (with help from my dad, few mates). I have fairly good mechanical knowledge (Ive done work like new power steering pump/rack, changing brakes/rotors, diff, alternator etc). Now thats pretty basic in comparison to changing an engine.

The advantage ive got is its a straight swap, so should be just a matter of unbolting and rebolting.

What do you think? Am i going to run into any major problems? Am i in over my head? Are there any work logs around with this kind of a swap etc....

Would REALLY love some feedback....

(BTW, is there anyone in the south east suburbs of Melbourne who would like to help out? I can offer the old manual gearbox/parts in return (has a BRAND NEW clutch installed less than 300kms ago).

Cheers, Errol

[accentstencil]

You will also need to swap the ECU and BCM from the ute I think, but I'm not that familiar with the VR even though I used to have one.

[keep it warm]

feisti where r u located.. i think the engine loom is different to...

[feistl]

Hey mate,

Im in Rowville (between knox and dandenong).

Even if the loom is different, cant i just use the original from the ute? Will it still have the wiring for the wagon?

Also do you think the old parts are worth anything?

I mean the gearbox is in very good condition and has a brand new clutch. I recently (last few months) replaced the alternator, waterpump, radiator, power steering rack/pump, new ECU (one of those ebay ones), Cold Air intake, new springs, new brake bads and a new exhaust system and a new fuel pump.

The whole problem ive had is the rusted petrol tank let rust get through, so the tank/lines need to be replaced. The injectors seemed to be running very well today (since i put some cleaning **** through, and holden cleaned them).

Its almost worth fixing the tank and just run a V6, but i like the idea of a Manual V8 '

Cheers

[Lumps of cheese]

Do you plan to keep the car awhile?
Mabye it might be better to cut your losses and try and buy one already done, mabye a later model or something.

[keep it warm]

feisty,
maybe.. ill find out for u... im in hampton park, bout 10 mins from rowville,
cant find out till tomoz, but i will.. i need a ps pump for my car.. if u want a hand give me a yell.. not a mechanic, but 14 years as a panel beater, i know a few ppl..also if u know anybody who wants to swap those altizza chrome lights, (for vr sedan) for stokkys...
cheers mate

[TheForgotten]

Hey mate,

Even if the loom is different, cant i just use the original from the ute? Will it still have the wiring for the wagon?

yeah you can use it no hassles. there are 2 looms in the car, the engine loom and the body loom. keep the body loom from the wagon and use the engine loom from the ute

Also do you think the old parts are worth anything?

ahhhh yeah. everyone seems to want manual trans for their v6's

The whole problem ive had is the rusted petrol tank let rust get through, so the tank/lines need to be replaced. The injectors seemed to be running very well today (since i put some cleaning **** through, and holden cleaned them).

that shouldn't cost 1500. think about it, reco injectors go for about 100-150 on ebay, replacement tank say about 2-300max and lines I'd say a 100-150 max from a wrecker, and they're all basic jobs, you don't need to be a neurosurgeon to swap them

Its almost worth fixing the tank and just run a V6, but i like the idea of a Manual V8 '

Cheers

i like both ideas personally, but it comes down to what you want