Yeah they still run with the cam shaft broken into two and people think its a coil problem 🤪🤪
gazman wrote:Hey VN/VP motors are a good choice, they are strong and reliable, easy to retrofit the engine management system, easy to get parts or even replacement motors. Sure they're heavy and a little on the thirsty side but where else are you gonna get that sort of power & torque for that price?. If they were $hit motors there wouldn't be so many of the damn things on the road...
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲
ian.mezz wrote:I would keep away from the old VN/VP motors as there getting on to being 20 year old and they were already a 27 year old Buick motor before Holden stuck their name on em 🤪🤪🤪
Yes its a shame that GMH didn't get their oil leaks etc cured prior to fitting this boat anchor to their cars,what a disaster after the brilliant Nissan 6 cylinder engines.
I know this thread is old but does anyone have a pic of 3.8 in a type 3?
I am thinking maybe in a year or two to buy a fasty or something and install a brand spanka
mildly tweaked 3.8L
These engines are absolutely fantastic and have fallen in love with these power plants.
Its tragic that the car they are in is so not on par with the engine. I beat the hell out of my VP everyday and it my only car to get to and from work a total of
160km everyday. Its always the plastic and rubber parts that fail on my car and stupid other things but never the engine and never the T5.
reliable as hell, economical, torque makes you jiz every time, plenty of power and don't leak oil (don't know what people are talking about when they say they leak?).
I am not ready to give up the buick engine but I am pretty sick of the car falling apart on me.
So why not take the good reliable body of a VW and couple it with a reliable power plant of the Buick?
I say hell yes!
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE
vlad01 wrote:....plenty of power and don't leak oil (don't know what people are talking about when they say they leak?)....
Its because the early VN's had rope seal rear mains that were prone to leaking. Series 2 VN's on had neoprene seals and were fine. People see old VN's leaking oil and assume that all Holden V6's leak everywhere but really they are as good as any other engine.
yep the early motors did leak a little but coming from a family that only has fords (except me 😂 wouldn't touch the POSs)
the Holden's leak nothing and even a t1 engine with broken push rod tubes is nothing compared to early to mid E series ford.
put synthetic oil in them its like holy shit! I have a strainer under my bonnet.
The best feature of the series 2 Buick is the beautiful torque curve. pretty much roars in at 1200 rpm at maxs out at 3200 rpm.
these engines are not realised their full potential until its coupled to a manual and everything (engine and management wise) is fresh.
My Vp with its semi tired engine and auto did 0-100 in just under 12 sec and economy was around 15L/100.
Dumped in a newish engine (barn find somewhere around 50K Km on it) pacemakers, CAI(proper one that ducts to the vent in the bumper),K&N panel, new injectors, new 4 wire heated O2, machined my own tb to 66mm, ECU remapped by guy with 10+ years of v6 and v8 delco tuning, T5 manual conversion, polished manifold to tb elbow. some other stuff l can't remember now.
anyway it resulted in 0-100 times under 7 sec (6.8 was the best I could to with a sloppy shifter, T5 has 400,000km +)
economy is 6.5-7L/100km on the highway and around 9ish in the city.
definitely can't complain about that 😉
I was so so surprised when I first started it up and took it for a run up the road. I was like HOLY SHIT for days after that.
Imagine this in a fastback where it would be 150kg lighter with a V6 than the VP
It just goes to show people that these engine are fantastic when all engine and the management system are looked after and in top condition.
EFI is not maintenance free. sensors and injectors lose their efficiency and wear out like any other part and causes high fuel consumption and poorer performance.
commodores fuel guzzlers? I love proving people wrong. 😂
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE
I have an opinion here, so dont need to be shot down, but I like to say it to give people ideas.
A V6 3.8 Commodore engine is a budget engine suitable to mass produce in family cars. It is not a particularly a performance engine.
A heavy cast iron thirsty 3.8 pushrod V6, compared to a light all alloy economical 2.0 or 2.5 litre DOHC Flat 4 Subaru.
Ummm no choice to be made for me. Flat 4 is traditional for a VW, and the engine is in every way superior. The only difference is the cost of replacement parts is more expensive for a Suby (if needed)
All other aspects of the conversion are the same cost. You need conversion adapter plates, radiator, engineers report, wiring etc.
Oh and the weight and driving handling is no real issue with the Suby, but the V6 is definitely an issue.
So save a $1000 on purchase price of the second hand parts, to create something thirstier, no quicker and more of a pig to handle. Still it is your choice if you are the owner of the car, so do what you want, but there is no way I would ever convert a car to V6 Commodore. I would drive a standard family car V6 Commodore though. It is what it is.
but some people don't like the characteristics of a subaru.
I find the buick far more drivable and enjoyable imho. I like to be able to take off swiftly and change gear at less than 2500 rpm
thirsty? did you not read the effective I have achieved with my engine?
2nd had parts? who said I would want to use a 2nd hand engine?
yes you are right about the handling, it could be an issue.
interesting info I just found: a complete type 3 engine is about 130kg, a SII buick is 190kg minus the radiator.
ecotech is 178kg lol , which is only 10kg more than the alloytech.
this is just a thought, an idea, a possibility. I want to see if some else has done it before?
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE
V-Dubber wrote:well the K frame should be here by next weekend if the ebayer ever responds !!!, Im looking into a Kaefer bar setup for the type 3 with no luck, so the 30mm torsion bar is looking the go, as to gearbox still trying to hunt down a 2lt box in my price range....not easy!. The motor fits in like it belongs, only one small adjustment to the back of the deck lid opening to get it almost flush with the existing box/transaxle, unlike the Kombi i dont have to adjust the rear thermo housing or move the sensors, they all sit above the opening, just need to custom some stainless piping, thats easy as I work in a winery 🙂 and its everywere. If anyone can help with parts I can pay in wine LMAO (I dont drink the stuff.....scotch or bourbon all the way for me). as to wiring up I bought a complete VP fuse box and am looking to Custom make a dash with the VN calais Digital dash so all the looms will work together, not sure yet but its there just in case I go that way, the radiators going in the front spare wheel well, with moulded fibreglass bumper/forced air intakes. Roll cage is still in production, hope to have pics to post in here. Let the good times ROLL!
APVWC (Australian Performance Volkswagen Centre in Vic) did the v6 commodore motor in a fasty a ferw years ago, Im not an engine conversion enthusiast but this did tick all the boxes. Call mick the owner I am sure he would be happy to give advice.
"If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you." - Anonymous 🥷
If you like the very very low torque curve of the V6 buick then why not fit an Subie 6 cyl a-la EZ30 or ER36. These have a wonderful low burble and fat torque curve off idle and no need to rev them. They are significantly lighter than the buick motor and don't have nasty pushrods. Oh and are fuel misers with their modern ECU's tuned for the latest emissions.
Having said that, if you like the buick V6 then go for it, there's plenty of em around.
I could almost see someone coupling up an EZ30 or ER36 to one of the subie diesel 6 speed transmissions which has a 6th gear ratio of 0.56 and diff ratio of 3.9. I bet the ratios would work perfectly and provide amazing fuel economy..
Reversed gears for Subaru transmissions.
Fit a Subaru 5 speed to your rear engined car www.subarugears.com
there is nothing wrong with pushrods. the Buick has hydraulic roller lifter/cam setup so much more advanced than your average pushrod engine.
Never ever heard of a pushrod failure on these engine, infact an engine off a VN i bought last year has a catastrophic failure in which the piston hit the valves and the force
was transferred through the pushrods and into the cam lobs and took huge chunks out of the lobs, surprisingly the push rods, lifters and rockers were all intact and was no apparent evidence of
of bending or damage?
this is it running.
insides.
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE
Yeah I'm a pretty big commodore v6 fan, a good mate of ours who rallies a vn v6 (that we prepare) has belted the piss out of this car for 3 seasons and we've only ever changed the oil, awsomely reliable.
I bought a vp a couple of years ago for a manual conversion which had run low on oil and grabbed a big end bearing. Smashed the rod to pieces along with punching holes in either side of the block you could put your hand through, but the thing still ran, started and idled perfectly. I drove it on the trailer and then up the drive into the garage when I got it home. You can't do that with many engines.
If I ever get around to my baja project I'd say I'll be going the v6 route.
Oldsmobile Toronado brought out a front wheel drive buick 3800 V6, motor faced forward with auto or manual transaxle, runs CV Joints, bang em in the back of any vDub, no more breaking vw trannies
ahhh (sigh of relief) long are the days when i was 4 yr old in the very early 90's sitting at the side of the road, broken down on the way home from the family trip surfers, with the old oil dripping, constantly breaking down XF Falcon. It would be dusk, mum was baby sitting us and dad would leave, and return 40 mins later in the dark after finding somewhere with a pay phone for RACQ. It was on the old M1 heading northbound just after the smith street on ramp, where it was a huge round loop onto teh highway (well... i vaguely remember, i was 4)
Ever since dad traded it in and got his 92 VP commodore, till this very day and onwards such drama has never occured. damn that ford was a POS.
Ever since, dad has never stopped his pride for his machine, although its rattly and ratty now, it still trucks on. This reputation isn't from rumour, its from experience straight from the horses mouth, cept dad isn't a horse. u get the jist..
I abuse the crap out of my 92 Vp old rat of a thing and engine sounds better than most early 2000's cars, consumes less petrol and beautiful driveability.
my ex hoons tranny has already 405,000 ks and still shifts good and is solid as a roc, little bit of a whine in 1st and 3rd but nothing major.
we used to have an XF in the late 90's and a EF which is still here and they both are POS.
worst oil leaking car was the EA I recon. there was 1/4 kg of grease inside the alternator in my half brothers EA, with that picture in your head can you imagine how much grease was on the side of the engine?
I am thinking now to get a white VS berlina. This will fix the paint problems these cars have as white is the only paint Holden and ford have that didn't peal in 5 years.
2ndly the alloy seal trims protect the rather frail seals from the sun and also IRS! 👍 f**k live axle its too tail happy
VS being ecotec opens the door for lighter, more power, efficiency, torque and even longer lasting engine and more mod options.
I think this is just easier than doing a conversion.
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE
