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L98 into VE Thunder ute 2011

vr304

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I believe there’s a company called gc cars over there that do complete supply and fit conversions for a reasonable price somewhere around the $11-$12k mark, that would be the best option if you were to go down that track as I doubt you’d do it cheaper by yourself
 

someguy360

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I believe there’s a company called gc cars over there that do complete supply and fit conversions for a reasonable price somewhere around the $11-$12k mark, that would be the best option if you were to go down that track as I doubt you’d do it cheaper by yourself
I'd say the only way they'd be able to do it that cheap is they'd buy wrecked vehicles and use them.

Thats how they do it cheaply because they can just transplant everything over, rather than having to source it. It could take months to piece together every little bracket, bolt, hose, fitting etc you need as very little is interchangable.

What OP doesn't realise is the list of things required is a couple of pages long, and requires GM diagnostic tools to be able to code everything and sync it all after the job which these shops have.

It's once again NOT as simple as buying an engine, loom, trans and ECU.
 
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uglyoldfatbastard

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Not hijacking the thread but have seen multiple times on this forum one person say the k-frames are different for the V6 & V8 and another say the k-frames are the same for V6 & V8?!?
Educate me, show me a photo of a V8 k-frame and a V6 k-frame noting the differences.
Not starting a argument just wanting to know.
 
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keith reed

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If OP has his heart set on doing this conversion then I suggest he goes ahead and does it. If he could keep a record of the costs and let us know that would be good.
 

REXDRUMMER

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If you can find a place to do the conversion for $12k then do that.
Also why would you ask for prices on this conversion if you reckon you can do it cheaper. No offence but you didn't cone across capable of doing the job yourself when you asked questions that suggested you hadn't even looked into what is needed.
well yeah but just because i didnt mention i coukd do it myself diesnt mean i cant,,ive done many of car builds tgrough rotarys cirvettes xr6 utes etc but as you would know every build is completely different,,hence the research on here asking the questions,,its not a thread for people to give theyre opinion weather the build is worth it or not its to ask whats needed for the conversion,things like boltons and exhaust are a given and radiators etc thats pretty standard with any build you do but ecu bcm and wiring etc the important parts are why there are sites like this one,,its not acquestion if money if your smart you can do it for much less than what everyone else pays,,you just gotta be patient as the parts do pop up,but no point buying parts that arent needed thats why im here to ask the questions,,WHATS NEEDED so i can go on the hunt and track them dwn pretty simple really,,No offence to anyone whos replied but yeah wen ive finished the entire project ill report bak and let you know the total cost you mite be surprised wot a no nuthing can achieve
 

REXDRUMMER

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The point is, it's really not worth doing this conversion as it's never going to be a genuine V8... You might as well sell this car and save the 12k so you can buy a factory produced V8, rather than a backyard hack job frankenstein of a car...
Yeah I do get what your saying but to get the ve ute manual in white for a good price is not as easy as you mite think,,i managed to pik this one up in mint cond with really nice wheels in white for a very good price as the motor isnt going,,perfect car to get a donor in and do the build,,i have already done the research as to donors and yeah i know its the cheaper option as all the parts are there to be changed over,,but my question was what parts are needed so i can change them outa the donor if infact thats the way i go,,i mite find an ls2 and manual for a decent price private and find most of the parts from another vehicle for a really good price who knows,,but im not going to go buying just any part in my head that i think i mite need,,its obviously a better idea to ask the questions,,sqeaky wheel gets the oil remember so for ive had kinda negative comments and noone to actually give me a list of what exactly i needed which is the purpose of this thread,,and like i said in another comment really its irelavent weather i can do the build,,just because i didnt mention i could do it doesnt mean im not capable,,people are too quik to judge,,i wrote a little story about a rodeo that i was told you couldnt put a vz engine in because theyre different,,no way they said,,cant be done they said,,weve tried and it doesnt work,looms are different they have 2 cams yada yada yada,and that was holden on the gold coast,,but i cracked it and got it running perfect and not in limp mode and people have taken my advice and theyre rodeos are still running today with a vz engine,,hows that for a backyarder telling holden something they knew nuthing about,,honestly i shoulda got a job from thatone but anyway off topic,,its up to me weather i think its worth spending the money i just thought asking for some help with the list would be a good start,,but i guess im on my own to figure it out like a big boy,,
 

Commo64

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Yeah I do get what your saying but to get the ve ute manual in white for a good price is not as easy as you mite think,,i managed to pik this one up in mint cond with really nice wheels in white for a very good price as the motor isnt going,,perfect car to get a donor in and do the build,,i have already done the research as to donors and yeah i know its the cheaper option as all the parts are there to be changed over,,but my question was what parts are needed so i can change them outa the donor if infact thats the way i go,,i mite find an ls2 and manual for a decent price private and find most of the parts from another vehicle for a really good price who knows,,but im not going to go buying just any part in my head that i think i mite need,,its obviously a better idea to ask the questions,,sqeaky wheel gets the oil remember so for ive had kinda negative comments and noone to actually give me a list of what exactly i needed which is the purpose of this thread,,and like i said in another comment really its irelavent weather i can do the build,,just because i didnt mention i could do it doesnt mean im not capable,,people are too quik to judge,,i wrote a little story about a rodeo that i was told you couldnt put a vz engine in because theyre different,,no way they said,,cant be done they said,,weve tried and it doesnt work,looms are different they have 2 cams yada yada yada,and that was holden on the gold coast,,but i cracked it and got it running perfect and not in limp mode and people have taken my advice and theyre rodeos are still running today with a vz engine,,hows that for a backyarder telling holden something they knew nuthing about,,honestly i shoulda got a job from thatone but anyway off topic,,its up to me weather i think its worth spending the money i just thought asking for some help with the list would be a good start,,but i guess im on my own to figure it out like a big boy,,
Well you do you...
 

losh1971

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the LS2 was only available in the HSV's so looking for one of them might be more expensive then a L98 or LS3
Apparently $7k-$10k including box? These are getting really rare now, so not sure if OP could find one easily?
 

Jeda

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Apparently $7k-$10k including box? These are getting really rare now, so not sure if OP could find one easily?

Absolutely no way the OP is getting an LS2 for that price unless it has completely grenaded and requires a full rebuild. Can't even pick up an L98 for that price.

The cheapest way the OP can do this is to buy an older wm caprice and use that for parts to transfer into his ute. Even the exhaust will fit as they're both built on the long wheelbase.
 
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