Holden v8 in RRC

[Richard Kaye]

142236

This post just shows a VR Commodore 5 Litre in my 1985 RRC. The original conversion was done by Ritters, it was a Brock engine that decided to put a connecting rod through the block. It also has the A727 gearbox. This engine has straight LPG through the banana manifold via an Impco 425. Has a small gas camshaft, about 9.2:1 compression and set of adjustable roller rockers. Vehicle also has a 8000Lb winch, front and rear diff locks and a set of mud tyres. Mostly gets driven in the Wombat State Forest. Goes really well except for the fuel economy of around 25 litres per 100km. Currently has 3 gas tanks which can hold around 130 litres.

[Bigbjorn]

142236

This post just shows a VR Commodore 5 Litre in my 1985 RRC. The original conversion was done by Ritters, it was a Brock engine that decided to put a connecting rod through the block. It also has the A727 gearbox. This engine has straight LPG through the banana manifold via an Impco 425. Has a small gas camshaft, about 9.2:1 compression and set of adjustable roller rockers. Vehicle also has a 8000Lb winch, front and rear diff locks and a set of mud tyres. Mostly gets driven in the Wombat State Forest. Goes really well except for the fuel economy of around 25 litres per 100km. Currently has 3 gas tanks which can hold around 130 litres.

Good one. Range Rovers always needed a few more cubic inches. Why Rover made the BOP V8 at 3.5 litres in a two ton car is beyond belief. Buick had that engine family out to 5 litres.

[Vern]

My old holden 336 stroker rangie did 26L/100, on petrol! Consider yourself lucky[emoji4]

[loanrangie]

Good one. Range Rovers always needed a few more cubic inches. Why Rover made the BOP V8 at 3.5 litres in a two ton car is beyond belief. Buick had that engine family out to 5 litres.

At the least they should have fitted the 4.4 Terrier motor.

[DoubleChevron]

Good one. Range Rovers always needed a few more cubic inches. Why Rover made the BOP V8 at 3.5 litres in a two ton car is beyond belief. Buick had that engine family out to 5 litres.

That would be about the same economy as my 3.9 with a manual gearbox running on gas ........... (short trip around town.... much, much worse towing)

[Bigbjorn]

At the least they should have fitted the 4.4 Terrier motor.

Which was made in Australia and the poms attitude was always that the colonials had strange ideas that should be ignored. The good old "not invented here" syndrome.

I have seen a number of engine swaps into earlier RR's including small block Chev, Ford, Chrysler V8's, A Falcon 4.0 litre in-line 6, a Chrysler 265 Hemi 6, diesels various. Yes, those in-line 6's fitted nicely. The SBC Chev I drove was overkill. A very high performance engine of 400+ horses. A high speed rocket ship but very bad mannered at city speeds. I reckon it would have been a pain to live with unless you were using it almost always on highway. The nicest one to drive was the Hemi 6 which was slightly tickled up to around 300 horses but still had low speed manners. Quite quick. The Falcon 6 was a rough home conversion and was a bit worn and smoky. I really don't know why they bothered.

[Homestar]

Which was made in Australia and the poms attitude was always that the colonials had strange ideas that should be ignored. The good old "not invented here" syndrome.

I have seen a number of engine swaps into earlier RR's including small block Chev, Ford, Chrysler V8's, A Falcon 4.0 litre in-line 6, a Chrysler 265 Hemi 6, diesels various. Yes, those in-line 6's fitted nicely. The SBC Chev I drove was overkill. A very high performance engine of 400+ horses. A high speed rocket ship but very bad mannered at city speeds. I reckon it would have been a pain to live with unless you were using it almost always on highway. The nicest one to drive was the Hemi 6 which was slightly tickled up to around 300 horses but still had low speed manners. Quite quick. The Falcon 6 was a rough home conversion and was a bit worn and smoky. I really don't know why they bothered.

How did the Falcon 6 fit? Were there any issues with the length? Assuming a cross flow motor? Would think that would be a fairly decent conversion with a donk in good nick.

[Bigbjorn]

How did the Falcon 6 fit? Were there any issues with the length? Assuming a cross flow motor? Would think that would be a fairly decent conversion with a donk in good nick.

It was cross flow SOHC carb. engine. Both it and the Hemi 6 fitted nicely. I didn't look to see if the radiator had been moved forward. The Hemi fan and fan hub extension was removed and an electric fan fitted. I don't like Falcon 6's. My opinion is that the Hemi was the best 6 cylinder engine produced in Australia, compact, light weight, enormous ports and valves give them lots of tuning potential.

[DAMINK]

I would love to put a "real" V8 in my disco.

Just need a descent disco to put it in.
A decent new motor.
A shed to do it properly.
The money to buy all the bits and bobs.
The patients to bother doing it.
A wife that will tolerate me doing it.
Kids that will stop annoying me to do it.

Then im good to go. LS in the disco hahahaha.

Na i kid i kid, its far worse than that actually!!!!!

But i enjoy you guys stories and like to wish.

[350RRC]

Jeremy Clarkson reviews an LS3 powered Defender in the glossy bit of the Australian today.

Quite amusing article and he gives it the thumbs up.

There is a mountain of LS conversion info here (including a couple from Oz):

GM Gen 4 conversion including LS - Defender Source (http://www.defendersource.com/forum/f6/gm-gen-4-conversion-including-ls-51290.html)

cheers, DL

[Meccles]

I’ve always liked the Hemi 265 heaps of torque my mates Dad brought a complete new 265 R/t charger engine with triple 45Dcoe Weber’s for their Ramsay ski race boat. Lovely engine but head gaskets were a problem. This is I believe solvable today? Then used standard 265 Chrysler as a tow car with 3 speed manual it had the torque however 1st was too high geared so clutches were a bit of a problem[emoji849]. But that engine towed the race boat no issue at all.

[ozscott]

The 245 and 265 were awesome engines...especially in triple carb guide. Cheers

[Bigbjorn]

I’ve always liked the Hemi 265 heaps of torque my mates Dad brought a complete new 265 R/t charger engine with triple 45Dcoe Weber’s for their Ramsay ski race boat. Lovely engine but head gaskets were a problem. This is I believe solvable today? Then used standard 265 Chrysler as a tow car with 3 speed manual it had the torque however 1st was too high geared so clutches were a bit of a problem[emoji849]. But that engine towed the race boat no issue at all.

I used them in all sorts of things, daily drivers, work horses, repowers, speedway and never knew them to have a head gasket problem. Put one in a P76 to replace that crappy OHC in-line 6, another in an LJ Torana, and a Jaguar XJ6. The Torana one got painted Holden Engine Red and got 3300 decals from Rare Spares. A couple went into Series III LR wagons.

[Bigbjorn]

The 245 and 265 were awesome engines...especially in triple carb guide. Cheers

They were awesome performers in E43 format. Make a nice street engine with a Quadrajet four barrel and CM split iron exhaust headers running separate 2 1/2" systems all the way to the rear. A 245 head with the valve seats opened up to take the bigger 265 valves is a good relatively cheap mod. Depending what you are going to do with it you should get a camshaft to match your application. Early Hemis would revlike turbines but the later ones, CL & CM, had emissions control camshafts that made them into a low speed high torque engine and took away that delightful revability.

[Meccles]

Maybe my memory is the problem? They replaced the 265 with a283 chev and from that point it was always chev race engines with Ford tow cars[emoji3]

[ozscott]

I have also driven the slant valiant engines...lot of grunt too. Valiant/Chrylser 6 cyl motors were far and away stronger, more powerful, reliable and longer lived than Holden and Ford 6 cyls. Awesome and plenty of Mopar go fast gear available. Cheers

[Bigbjorn]

Maybe my memory is the problem? They replaced the 265 with a283 chev and from that point it was always chev race engines with Ford tow cars[emoji3]

What have you been smoking?

[Meccles]

Sent you a pm

[Meccles]

This is the link to my mates Facebook page with his shop. He was skier in the days of the hemi then went boat racing. Still in engine building business lots of nice stuff here.
Affordable Engines and Transmissions - Home | Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AffordableEnginesAndTransmissions/)

[Dervish]

The old 2 door I bought dirt cheap had a 308 in it, which for reasons I'll never understand had a Holley 650 on top. One tank I put through it I worked out to have averaged 33L/100km - I sold it within a week of that.

It's probably still out there, keeping some poor bastard insolvent.

[justinc]

Id pick a 308 over a terrier engine hands down....😞