V6 Commodore to Toyota Crown

[ian]

i had this beutiful 72 crown with all the options available
it was a bit sad in the engine dept , so i stuck the spare 308 boat engine in
it was only a matter of buying a crs bellhousing
as it had a factory 4 speed , the diff ratio was low so i stuck in a 3;O8 SLIPPERY CENTRE from a torana
this was a bolt in conversion , as in those days they used holden diff centres , falcon 4speed gear box , due to the aust content policy , this made a nice car great

[JustCallMeOrlando]

All of that, and that's the conclusion you came to, the more expensive, worse performing, non bolt-in conversion?
Your edit makes that redundant

[fnlow1]

I'm sure you would get a much more enthusiastic response asking the same question on a commodore forum...

Driving a VP V6 auto day to day, I can tell you they are no power house- but if that is no issue for you then you should be sweet. Parts are cheap and easy to come by, common problems are well known and generally easy to fix. Too frequently the auto boxes are ignored when it comes time to service- fresh oil, filter and trans cooler works wonders, provided the box is not too far gone.

If I were you, I would be trying to find a donor vehicle with a good service history and something with low km's- but there are plenty of these motor's still going with 500'000kms on the clock and more. Maybe take some measurements before purchasing anything- does the location for the shifter match up okay? It maybe ideal setting up some thermo fans just to save space in the bay rather than the large fan and shroud standard on the Holdens.

[gianttomato]

If you want a nice daily and a fuss free conversion, 7MGE all the way.

If you want a serious project, buy an LS1 with auto for 2K and drop that in. Go to local performance shop and buy all manner of fasts for next to nothing. Rip mega skids, run 12s and pull skanks.

Please abandon any notion that a Rattletec is a worthy conversion option.

[1975ToyotaCrown]

Bought a complete VS Commodore with 98,000 klms for the conversion and only paid $3500, have booked a meeting with the engineer so to follow the correct procedures for rego.

[gianttomato]

Sump looks like a basket case on these. Very unlikely to just slide in unless you're able to push the motor a long way back. Thankfully people have put these into Hiluxes etc so maybe the Marks 4WD, High Voltage or V6conversions sumps may work for you.

I hate the fucking things but good luck! Have fun and update the thread with pics.

[twentyEight]

Bought a complete VS Commodore... and only paid $3500...

You could've bought an LS1 and fitted it for nearly the same as what you spent on the car alone...

[wa5]

whilst I think the GM V6 will be a good conversion, I would have advised you to find a VN series two or VP. So much easier if you are going auto, as they are a Hydraulic box, not electronic like the VR /S.
Also the VNs have no security crap to worry about, you may have to find a fix for the factory immobiliser in the VS.
VS was the first of the Ecotecs, they were a redesign of the earlier motor, and some gained a reputation when new for using a bit of oil (due to shorter piston skirts and less ring tension IIRC). still a better choice than a headgasket munching 7m IMHO.
GM autos have always been pretty good, the one in the VS was used up until the VE series one. compared with newer transmissions they were criticised for being less reffined, still ten times better than the old Jatco /asian warner/ whatever ... you are replacing..

[TheStitt]

I'll just jump in this thread as an owner of a 7MGE powered early crown.

It was awsome, 4M sump, oil pick up, mounts, no belt modifications, W58 box,

only had to do the usual EFI stuff like fuel lines and pumps, and ECU. MS5X had to modify the gear box X member but on a MS6X you may not have to.

The car had 110rwkw, turned the tires and got around really well, never really had an acuate speedo but 10l/km per 100km was the norm

Not sure why you'd go to the 3.8 and with the edited posts Im not sure which path you have gone for.

[gianttomato]

Stitty he's gone the way of Satan.

[Shifty]

no offence but what the hell are you thinking?

i've done some stupid shit over the years but a commodore v6 is crap, even in a commodore.

[TheStitt]

can't win them all eh, are the atleast over head cam, you see all the 186's and the odd 202 in early crowns and I think to myself.

From Factory they didn't come out with push rods why put them in??

[gianttomato]

can't win them all eh, are the at least over head cam,

Dude, Commode V6 has filthy pushrods and a fucking balance shaft!

[CrUZida]

can't win them all eh, are the atleast over head cam, you see all the 186's and the odd 202 in early crowns and I think to myself.

From Factory they didn't come out with push rods why put them in??

Stitty, the two are mutually exclusive.
You either have OHC or pushrods.

[ian]

i dont know how anyone can bag the v6 commodore
my vt wagon has just ticked over 300,000, and still gets 9ltr/100klm
and by the time that it needs a 1/2 ltr of oil its overdue for an oilchange anyway
we took it away for our holidays , and we counted 4 fords on the side of the road with overheating problems no commodores
i think they built fords to keep the dills out of commodores ,