V6 conversion kit

[ben]

hey welcome man of steel.. hey cool user name!

from the conversions that ive seen just engine and trany.. purely because of the width of the diff. also depending on what your putting it into..

what you looking at putting it into? ie. lwb, swb. trayback?

dont think anyone would bother with the diff

cheers
ben

[hammers_spanners]

Gday Man of Steel

In my opinion the best way is to use the eng & trans but not the diff as it will be too narrow for the Bedford. I would as recommend using the Commodore wiring loom, dash gauges and switches to make the wiring process easier.

Cheers

Craig

[Man Of Steel]

Thanks Ben and Craig, for the advice.   I have two(2) swb beddies one in better nick than the other body wise.  By the sound (text) of things its a good thing I cant afford much more than a VN or VP.
On the plus side I am a fitter welder by trade and have access to a large lathe. So i am quite keen to have a crack at widening a diff.  I figure if I get two the same and cut them right I can assemble and CGW  (Cut Grind Weld) up a wide one . Sounds a little simplistic I know but I think it would be quite straight forward. Any thoughts as to exactly which diff to mangle?

Btw Craig ever heard of a "Monday Hammer"?  No!  Its a 28lb hammer used for tipping when rolling steel plate and its  called a monday hammer because you need two days rest before you can use It

[hammers_spanners]

Man of Steel

Sounds like my kind of hammer! Big!!

If you want to make it easy for yourself and have the room then buy a whole car to get all the parts. Hoses, pipes, clips, fuel tank etc. I have seen a whole VN wag on ebay go for $20. It was smashed down passenger side and body bent but perfect as a donor car.

Craig

[Noid]

Yeah engine and transmission are usually used because in some cases it has an effect on the engine computer. The early model commodore v6 is still pretty basic so is easier to fit. I fit the engine, auto transmission, radiator fuel pump and gauges. I did this so all was compatible, you will need a minimum of the engine wiring loom and the other connections can be adapted into bedford if you want (made it easier for speedo though). As the guys said diff can be what ever, best ratio I found is around 3.55 to 3.45:1, sits in the best rev range for the engine and still gives good fuel mileage. 

Hope that helps.

[Man Of Steel]

Thanks  Noid

I have just scored a Salisbury Lsd diff with 3.55.  I notice that the VN runs a 3.01.... and i am guessing here, the difference is because of the extra surface area we are pushing in a CF.

i am hanging out for an entire wreck fingers crossed and all.

MOS
 

[Rogue Trooper]

It can be a major operation to convert a wiring loom from another vehicle especially if you're tied into using donor vehicle components that you don't want. Also when using the computer from a donor vehicle it will require inputs from engine sensors you may wish to do away with like some of the emission control equipment.

Another option can be to use an aftermarket computer. These are great in that you don't have to worry about all the sensors the factory computer would require. You just tell the aftermarket one what it has to work with and go from there. Also if you want to get more pep out of the motor forget about speed chips. Just reprogram the computer accordingly.

This will allow you to use different vehicle components like instrument clusters etc that may better suit the vision for your vehicle and you can then rewire your vehicle from scratch which to me is a damn sight easier than trying to alter something designed for another vehicle.

This is what I'm doing (again!) anyway.

[SandB]

   Hey Guys, Just a little information regarding the V6 engine transplant!!  ""IF"" you're not putting power steering rack in--- DON"T use the p/steering pump as an idler gear!!! I found out the hard way on the weekend!!  The blanked off pump almost siezed on a trip to Adelaide, luckily managed to limp home with all the "ungodly noises" you could think of.
 Not too many options, so am having a fully bearinged idler assembly made here in Pt. Pirie--- $300 thank you; but should eliminate any further problems
 This entry could also be put in the Power Steering  topic, so no one else gets caught out (Forum Tech HELP!!!)
Cheers Brian O

[Noid]

Was just looking on the 'Pat Gardiners V6 Conversion' website and they have them premade for $175 doh!!!!

[ben]

computers!!!! why ever did they put them in cars!! now i cant work on them!!!