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l67 to ls1 conversion

jakbuv

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Hi there I am thinking of doing a ls1 and t56 conversion to my vx s2 l67 auto but im not sure if this is very hard to do and cant seem to find anything on how to do it
 

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Easier to just buy a car with LS motor in it.
 

Draimond

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Are you thinking about doing all the work yourself and if so, do you feel like you are capable?

Can you manage to get to work etc if your car is off the road for a period of time?

Do you mind that it is likely going to be cheaper just to sell yours and buy one with the V8?

Is the goal to have an essentially stock converted V8?

If you're 100% committed to the journey, I'd say the most user-friendly way to tackle the conversion is to sit on the idea and continue doing research whilst actively looking for a written off vx that is as similar to your car as possible.
Sit the two next to each other and start moving things across being as methodical as possible.

Personally I've done conversions before, and having the two cars in their entirety sitting next to each other is by far the best way. You know you've got all the parts. You know that the base cars are the same and you've got a constant reference to double check things that you've lost track of from the donor car.
 
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Draimond

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I think the gist of the 'how to' part is:

Without a hoist -
1) get the car up high on jack stands, bench press the gearbox and put your back out whilst rolling it down onto the floor off your chest.
2) use an engine crane to lift the old engine out.
3) have a really thorough understanding of where every nut and bolt goes or be prepared to label literally everything.
4) replace stuff that's different, eg the two hoses coming out of the firewall for the air conditioning are going to have different ends on them. You'll need a solution for this or you will have no AC. What about vacuum lines, hydraulics for brakes and steering, the heating and cooling systems, fuel system parts.
5) change all the electronics over - ecu, wiring harness, probably even into the fuse box.
6) lego it together again.

It's frustrating because swapping engines is easy but in the scope of a back on the road completed conversion - putting the engine in is only 5% of the job.

Again though if you are serious about it, talk to every single auction house that will answer the phone and every single wreckers in your area and tell them what you're looking for and ask them for their advice, price and availability on the donor car you are looking for.

Keeping in mind that just buying an engine and gearbox is a minuscule percentage of the total parts needed for this to work.

I can see ls vx Commodores on car sales for about $15k and you'll probably be lucky to get half that when selling your l67.
Maybe you can subsidise the cost of getting a write-off vx by selling the V6 parts, particularly if you sell it as an l67 upgrade package for somebody with an na 6.

If you're confident you can complete the project and you can find a write-off VX for under say $5k in good shape, I'd say you'll come out ahead.

But it's going to be a ton of work, probably going to need to buy stuff like an engine crane and maybe some of the parts coming off your donor car won't be up to scratch and you'll need new parts.
 

jakbuv

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Are you thinking about doing all the work yourself and if so, do you feel like you are capable?

Can you manage to get to work etc if your car is off the road for a period of time?

Do you mind that it is likely going to be cheaper just to sell yours and buy one with the V8?

Is the goal to have an essentially stock converted V8?

If you're 100% committed to the journey, I'd say the most user-friendly way to tackle the conversion is to sit on the idea and continue doing research whilst actively looking for a written off vx that is as similar to your car as possible.
Sit the two next to each other and start moving things across being as methodical as possible.

Personally I've done conversions before, and having the two cars in their entirety sitting next to each other is by far the best way. You know you've got all the parts. You know that the base cars are the same and you've got a constant reference to double check things that you've lost track of from the donor car.
Yeah I’m thinking about doing it myself with some help of friends who have converted some rbs but they are completely different engines so yeaa , I also have a daily car so that’s not a biggy , i know its probably more practical to just buy an ss but i just love my vx its in really good condition apart from the engine and it all ready has a ss body kit on it , so i might just look for a wrecking vx ss , thanks for the advice
 

jakbuv

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I think the gist of the 'how to' part is:

Without a hoist -
1) get the car up high on jack stands, bench press the gearbox and put your back out whilst rolling it down onto the floor off your chest.
2) use an engine crane to lift the old engine out.
3) have a really thorough understanding of where every nut and bolt goes or be prepared to label literally everything.
4) replace stuff that's different, eg the two hoses coming out of the firewall for the air conditioning are going to have different ends on them. You'll need a solution for this or you will have no AC. What about vacuum lines, hydraulics for brakes and steering, the heating and cooling systems, fuel system parts.
5) change all the electronics over - ecu, wiring harness, probably even into the fuse box.
6) lego it together again.

It's frustrating because swapping engines is easy but in the scope of a back on the road completed conversion - putting the engine in is only 5% of the job.

Again though if you are serious about it, talk to every single auction house that will answer the phone and every single wreckers in your area and tell them what you're looking for and ask them for their advice, price and availability on the donor car you are looking for.

Keeping in mind that just buying an engine and gearbox is a minuscule percentage of the total parts needed for this to work.

I can see ls vx Commodores on car sales for about $15k and you'll probably be lucky to get half that when selling your l67.
Maybe you can subsidise the cost of getting a write-off vx by selling the V6 parts, particularly if you sell it as an l67 upgrade package for somebody with an na 6.

If you're confident you can complete the project and you can find a write-off VX for under say $5k in good shape, I'd say you'll come out ahead.

But it's going to be a ton of work, probably going to need to buy stuff like an engine crane and maybe some of the parts coming off your donor car won't be up to scratch and you'll need new parts.
Yeah man It does sound like a lot of work and i just realised that it’s probably gonna be way more expensive than just buying an ss and I’ll probably be way in over my head trying to do it , I was legit just about to buy a ls1 and t56 but might have to rethink it. Thanks though
 

Draimond

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I don't want to put you off, I just want you to have a clear idea of the full picture.

I've taken on more than I can chew with my V6 turbo conversion... I'm in way over my head with no idea what I'm doing, having to learn new skills at every step... But I'm loving it!
I've bought thousands in new weird tools and 10x in parts. For me it's an investment in life experience.

I honestly believe if you can sit a donor car beside your VX, it should be copy paste Lego. My VS engine swap and auto to manual conversion took me under 24 hours having both cars.

You don't wanna go down the path of buying just an engine for a conversion... You'll make a million trips to the nut and bolt store and spend 2 years waiting for eBay parts. And it'll end up costing 10x
I know because I did this...
(The car was unfortunately destroyed by flood water).

I just love my vx its in really good condition apart from the engine and it all ready has a ss body kit on it

That's the main reason why I think you should convert your VX. I'm the same, I want to work on MY car, not some random thrashed car with unknown mechanical issues etc.

Give it some time.
If you watch Turbo Yoda from the skid factory (guy who's been doing mental swaps for many years) you'll soon learn that half the job is having a good sit and think. Like, I work on my car a few hours a week, but I've been thinking, googling, researching, price checking and planning my build for years. Last thing I think about before bed and every morning with my morning coffee.

@Immortality We've all got a stack of parts for a build we want to do someday. ;)

If you're up for it, send it.
 
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Draimond

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Hahaha .... Or rebuild the L67 and plumb a turbo into your supercharger :D
Screenshot_20240601-232136.png
 
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