Pays to shop around

[BusyKiwi]

I priced up a timing chain for the v6 commodore in the bedford, phoned repco who are usually reasonable with their prices, they wanted $780.00 for a timing chain, next call was to segidens, sure, we got them $120 (these are retail prices).
As the timing chain tensioner is to expensive I'm just going to replace the chain for now.

[ShaneJ]

$780? Damm, you could get a brand new crummydore engine for that surely?

[vintageholden]

a good second hand one easy..

[Rogue Trooper]

It would be worth going to a wrecker and grabbing a timing chain tensioner from a later model and putting that in to replace the crappy VN unit while you have the front of the engine in pieces especially with all the pissing around resealing the sump. You'll probably find you never have to take the engine apart again and save yourself about $300 in the process.

[BusyKiwi]

ok this is getting weirder and weirder

I phoned up segedins to enquire about an inlet manifold for the v8 ... then I asked about timing chains for the commodore. I asked what they were worth, $8 (yes eight dollars) but sadly they had none in stock and wont be getting any until the new year.
So I phoned parts galore, asked about a chain, they said $57, so asked about a tensioner ... he said yeah it comes in a kit, so $57 for chain, tensioner and cogs.  I said send it *quickly* then he noticed it was for '92 commodore onwards. We aren't sure if the '92 commodore ran the series one engine or not (am sure they did), but hell, I'd buy the kit just for the tensioner - they say you should use the later model anyway.

so from a grand for chain and tensioner down to $57.00 for a whole kit

[Bedfordcrazy]

Hey busy, sounds like you are in the twilight zone mate. lol  My 93 VP is a series 2.

george.

[Rogue Trooper]

Series one was only in the VN range and was mainly identified by the thermostat being located at the rear of the engine however they were all Buick V6's and I know the later model tensioner fits because I've already sorted that on mine. I haven't read anything about the timing chain changing between different models and didn't notice anything different when I had the timing chain cover off on both blocks so you'll probably be OK. Have you slapped a post up on the JustCommodores website? They'll tell you for certain.

[BusyKiwi]

Hopefully the kit will be here this morning and I'll have a look, am away this weekend so if it's wrong will drop it off on the way out and try get an earlier one

[Rogue Trooper]

Whoops. Had a bit of a search killing some time in my lunch hour and it appears that the timing chains may indeed be different. Took a bit of trolling around but I found this comment on the JC forum...

"As a note , it looks like the chains for series 1 & 2 are different profile, the gears also have a different profile.
You can't use a series 2 timing cover, cam, cam gear , chain in a series 1, without changing all the gears and the cam , so it is probably better to stick with all series 1 parts except for tensioner.. Cam thrust bearing is different too."

Bugger!

[Bas NZ]

David give Shane a call, ex Auto Lab, I'm sure you know him, he now owns a dismanterling yard in New lynn on Portage Road, Gt North Road end, not sure of the name, but could find out. Holdens are his life. Bas