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which is the easiest fuel injected V8 to fit

13K views 40 replies 24 participants last post by  Joey Diesel 
#1 ·
as title says, getting little tired and bored with the TD42+t, s am and have been thinking about an engine conversion for a while now

with the v8s which is if any the cheapest and easiest option to look at
 
#4 ·
as title says, getting little tired and bored with the TD42+t, s am and have been thinking about an engine conversion for a while now

with the v8s which is if any the cheapest and easiest option to look at

The holden 5 litre is the cheapest to buy (both motor and adapters) and easiest to fit. If you run straight gas you don't even have to run a computer. You could always add a turbo if you want more zip further down the track.
 
#6 ·
id go a 304 cheap and easily accessible

you could buy a whole running car for 1k and you'v got everything you need except the bellhousing

plus an upside, parts are extremely cheap for the holden motors and lots of 253-308 parts bolt right on too

if you do go a 5lt id make sure you look around for a HQ sump and oil pickup line

and when you think that motor is not enough any more, bolt on two hairdryers or even better valley mounted blower, upgrade cam, bigger throttle body, ect ect and watch the so called out dated motor fly :D
 
#8 ·
and when you think that motor is not enough any more, bolt on two hairdryers or even better valley mounted blower, upgrade cam, bigger throttle body, ect ect and watch the so called out dated motor fly :D
meh, done all that before (with the exception of twin turbo's) and still nothing special, especially when going from a 1400kg commodore to a 2.7 ish ton patrol (which would be the average patrol weight with barwork and stuff).

There's no doubting the 5l will be the cheapest to do but why go to all the trouble to get roughly 170-180 rwhp when for about the same money you could get that out of the td42 and have better economy. The Ls series motors have so much more power potential it's not funny.
 
#7 ·
if budget was a concern i'd go the holden too, they make more torque down low than the chevs but dont' make near the same power and are heavier.
blower will make 300rwhp and a ****load of low down torque, just what you want in your forby:)
 
#13 ·
Id really love to compare what sorta power the TD42T and the costs compared to a 5L or even 5.7L
Recon the 5.7L well the TD42T , would it know whats goin on
Considering that a TD42 with a turbo the TB42s will shake it down,id wonder what a 5.7L would do

You have to compare a diesel and turbo and intercooler ,EGT guages,boost gauges blah blah
Vs a near stock , i wont worry about it,V8
 
#14 ·
I know of a stroked 355 Holden fuelly motor in a GQ in Melb, it makes over 430hp and goes very well.

Holden V8's are cheap, make better grunt down low than a Gen3 (especially when stroked) and adaptor kits are cheaper. I believe you have better clearances etc with a Holden V8 then a chev too.
 
#16 ·
Holden motors are absolute junk mate...Don't waist your money...You can get an LS1 making 400bhp with minor mods...Spend the little bit extra now for an LS engine...You wont regret it mate.
 
#19 ·
the holden 304 aint no junk and definitely not a waste of money
compare the price range between the two then add the extra cost of the ls1 to mods for the 304 you'v got the same horsepower plus extra reliability over the ls1 motor

they are simpler easy and cheaper for parts and to rebuild, the wiring harness is simpler and cheaper to mod for another vehicle and second of all last time i checked this is for a 4wd not a race car or race truck.

a stock 304 with small cam to give extra grunt down low (towing cam even tho not needed) will give the GQ more then enough power to over come anything plus great fuel economie to boot and cost what? 1000-1500 grand for running and drivable VN commodore there is everything you need for the conversion minus the bellhousing for the GQ gearbox

last time i checked the cost of an LS1 engine was up in the 3k ballpark

sorry to say if i was after a budget v8 conversion i know exactly without any doubt what id be doing specially as iv played with alot of both of these engines myself :)
 
#17 · (Edited)
I wouldn't say the 5L is complete junk. The LS1 is better in every way, but that's just technology. The 5L are still a good motor, and are much cheaper then an LS1.
 
#22 ·
Its all depends on ones budget
Cant buy a Ferrarri with a Holden budget

Im sure IF money wasnt an object you wouldnt stuff around with an LS1


IF memory serves me right the new Turbo 6 falcon wipes the floor with the 5l and the LS1
 
#35 · (Edited)
Ok yeah not real sure how you come to that conclusion, I have 2 x GQ utes both TD42's + turbos and both very different setups eg "one low one high mount" "one ball bearng one jurnal bearing"

$3000 is not going to get you 300hp at the wheel on a TD42 (GQ version) Ip mods will cost you that alone, then Bigger turbo (2860rs) I highly doubt will get you that power, need huge air intake , the list just keeps climbing, not to mention you need to run a million psi thru it to get anything decent as far as (dyno charts) go

How about a 4.0 lexus... very compact and light.......smoothest too
tbh mate I wouldn't as the cost I think would out way the performance benifits need to be reving there tits of to make power, they might be all right for a light weight hilux but patrol I don't know

Nissan 4.8L with a turbo
if i was an oil barron I would 1,000,000% go this way, but for 4wd'ing think the V8 would be much better and more drivable option, wouldn't need to be screaming it's tits of to be on boost, and if you were to do a TB$* turbo, why would you bother if you were going to put a small turbo on it :/


tbh I was thinking this a longer term project but as it happend I might have access to a full GQ with new susspension new KM'2 35's with a 5.0L engine in it already as a donor, but think I will not go this path as it would be a straight swap for my leaf sprung ute with TD42 turbo, and the bloke just about killed the engine over the weekend just gone and it has queens land rego on it, so to me it means it's a just drivable wreck basically as would need passing for Tasmanian roads need standard susspension and who knows what else has some rust in it also, plus would still need to rebuild or replace the injected 5.0L engine.
Had been thinking take the 5.0L out refit a TD42 (none turbo) have a spare, and resell with standard susspension and 33's might get $5000 for it being a diesle and front having arb air locker rear 1/4 chop tube bar and highmount winch up front
 
#26 ·
did a ls1 conversion on a mates car he got it cheap $1900 for ls1 with dellows adaptor was a bit off mucking making own extractors and engine mts, clutch was the dearest at $1100 (npc). dellows adaptors seem to be the way to go have to do a bit of panel beating on the fire wall but sitt right back in the engine bay.
 
#27 ·
I'll weigh in on this debate as I have done a ls1 conversion into a shorty which I drive every day but also in my stable I own a vy2ss, 355 vt senator and a monster turbo LS powered vs manta so I can offer some insight between the Holden vs Chev argument.

Personally unless you have been given a free 5lt and conversion I wouldnt even bother with it however the 355 is a different story.

Both my Senator and VY are bog stock so it easy to compare the 2 which I also drive on a regular basis and have also run them againt each other. Personally the 355 wins hands down when it comes to torque, fuel economy and overall smoothness of the engine. The SS does start to reel it in but we are still talking about side by side over the 2 ton mark.

In modded form the LS will always be ahead of the Holden 8 and so it should being with the amount of r and d that has gone into them in the states.

Conversion costs are minimal between the 5lt and LS and nothing between the 355 and LS and if my plan for my shorty was to keep it STD it would have a 355 sitting between the rails and not an ls1. I personally don't like diesels so I'm not going to get into the whole rebuild yours rather than a 5lt but it proberly has some merit.

One other thing i will say is I don't recommend listening to anyone that gives advise on the cost of their conversion. Costs are a nightmare to add up so do your own ground work and ask as many questions as you can if your not sure about something unless you plan on just paying someone else to do it.

Hope my insight has helped and good luck with your decision.
 
#28 ·
the one thing nobody has really mentioned is the fact that you have to have the ls series motors revving before they really start to pull and when they start to pull they are quite aggressive about it.
the holden 5ltr has a much smoother torque curve and it starts lower. i would think that this would make it better for tricky situations in 4wd.
also the 5ltr will handle higher temps alot better, the ls motors lose alot of power when they get hot and its easier to screw them when they overheat.
In my opinion the 5ltr is a hardier motor that tends to stay fresher over time when pushed, ls motors can get tired easily if pushed often.
just my 2cents
 
#29 ·
i am in a similar boat with an rb30 powered GQ. From what i can tell from the Marks Adapters website it will cost 8-10K to do either the Holden v8 or the LS1, and thats before any modifications to the engine for more power, torque or reliabilty. i have an LS1 sitting in the shed minus the front accessory drive gear as its on another motor in my VY commodore. In my case i would have to change the transmission as well to an TB/TD42 5 speed at the minimum or lose the manual and fit an auto of some description. is there any other companies that do installation parts for such an conversion?
 
#31 ·
Everyone doesn't need or want the same things.
Diesel Vs Petrol; I have already rebuilt my 2.8 once due to a cracked head. After the rebuild, it worked fine (Still is) but it is still a 2.8. For me to convert this to a 4.2 Diesel, it still doesn't have the output that I want.. The diesel is a super tough motor, but still slow...(unless you spend big $$ on it which I am not prepared to do)

I chose the V8 as I wanted to do it. I chose the 5Ltr due to costs, availability of parts and ability to work on it myself and maintain it myself.

An LS1 could be better than a 5Ltr, but the costs are NOT the same. I have done my homework and for me, the price difference outweighs the benefits. The adapter kits alone are much more expensive, the engine is more expensive, the extra Electronics you need to get and keep it running in the GU cost more. They are not apples for apples. Do your own homework, and put some facts down if you are stating anything with pricing.. I have listed my pricing facts for the 5ltr into my GU. I also chose to purchase a whole donor car rather than just an engine. Once I compete the conversion, I will part out my donor car and sell the RD2.8TD, I hope to come out about neutral... I will keep you informed.. I cant speak for any other conversion except mine..

I would love someone to do the same for a GU 2.8 Diesel to an LS1/2 or 3..

if we go back to the original topic of this thread and the original question;

Which is the easiest Fuel Injected V8 to fit
as title says, getting little tired and bored with the TD42+t, s am and have been thinking about an engine conversion for a while now

with the v8s which is if any the cheapest and easiest option to look at
Not the biggest / fastest / most modified - The EASIEST.

Hard to beat the 5Ltr for that!..
 
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