V8 Conversion for 80 Series

I am considering the same conversion myself Socey. I have emailed Marks Adaptors to see if they have a conversion kit available, will let you know when i hear back from them. I would,nt expect the fuel consumption to be any worse. One thing to consider would be the torque convertor, it may have to be changed and also the valve body in the auto, these things are changed when a chev diesel is installed.

youspelt ya name wrong!!HEHE...Scoey.....no idea of the cost for one of these engines - got an 80 me self...manual though.....we have thought about putting in a chevvy V8 when our girl packs it in and have heard from other converters that this is cheaper than doing a rebuild......come to think of it (5 min later!!) went bush one day wth a guy Nathan went to school with and he had a Holden V8 i think from memory in it - auto too......went like the clapper!!

Good luck and happy thinking!!

Laura B

Scoey

Try Outer Limits.

Mike

Hi Scoey,
A guy at work put the older 5L in his instead of the 5.7L . The 5.7L doesn't like gas conversion as his car is already on gas. Maybe another factor to consider . He is very happy with his conversion better economy on gas & petrol . He also swapped from manual to auto .
Good luck
Col

Scoey,
The bloke that owns GPSOz in Sydney had an 80 or 100 Series with a Holden V8 in it. It was a late model engine, fuel injection etc.
Must be someone who does the conversions at least in Sydney.

Geoff.

Was driving my Uncles 04 Caprice 5.7V8 around for a few day’s last year when I was on holiday’s from memory the trip computer was on around 18 but it spent most of it’s time in Brisbane City traffic.

Took it for a flog out to the gold coast and back and the consumption dropped down a bit, got it down to 7 litres left in the tank LOL, They like to hide the servos on the gold coast it think.

Some early 5.7’s suffered from Piston slap and oil burning problems so probably better to go for a post 01 version or something just to be safe.

Alternately there is a Ford 5.4 Boss 290 engine for sale $10,000 with 6 speed Manuel included, Gear Box proberbly no good for you but, the back end of the car was written off and the wrecker is selling the box and motor.

well its a good conversion but not cheap . If you want to buy a donk then bits , iy will cost you a kidney. Best to get a half cut , ot damaged vehicle from the auctions for bits .

Motor and harness will set you back around 3 k , then you need a adaptor kit , this will set you back between 1 to 2 k , then you will need a enginners certificate.

Much cheaper to rebuild your existing engine and fit a hair drier to it.

Hi all, I have a 1991 (ex 3F slug) GXL and have done the conversion unlike some people on here guestamating on prices and problems. If you want particular info then drop me a line. Firstly if your going to run a Gen111 you may have problems with the fan as the Vette motors drive the water pump with the end of the cam shaft. That means fitting thermo fans. I fitted the 5.7 ltr Vortec motor as fitted to the Suburbans for several reasons. 1: they run a serpentine belt with the older style water pump which lends it's self well to adapting the Toyota accessories and the original fan & shroud. 2: I was able to remove the fuel injection and run a manifold so if something stops I can fix it and I could easily fit the LPG (with no probems) 3: These engines are designed to push a 2.5 ton truck around and make good low down torque. Mark's adaptors sell everything you need for the conversion including a tacho convertor from 6-8 cyl. If running a manual you need their slave cylinder to get the clutch pedal off the floor. They have the computer interface so the Chev injection can talk to the Toyota computer. The front engine adaptor kit allows you to bolt all the original accesories (alt,aircon,p/steer,fan ect) back in their original location and run the thick belts. Their quality is outstanding.
Cost?. 3 years ago, and things haven't gone up much, it set me back $5000 for the complete, brand new, out of the crate, turn key engine. This included harmonic balancer, water pump, manifold, QJet carby, flywheel, starter motor, distributor, plugs, leads, thermostat and housing ALL BRAND NEW and fired up in front of me. Why would you bother with second hand? Add approx $1000 for the injection gear. I spent $2500 with Mark's including a clutch, $500 to have it engineered and $500 for the exhuast and bits & pieces for an all up cost of $8500.
It simply transformed the Cruiser into a new car. When cruising on the highway at 110 and you want to overtake you just put your foot down and it pulls like a train. When we are climbing up through the mountains my freinds in their 4.5ltr's just can't keep up and I have no injection and I'm on LPG. I rarely use first gear any more as it pulls from 2nd so easily and yes, it does sound nice. I have done other V8 conversions and this one has been the best. Reliability and driverbility is on par or better than any other 80 series. The motor looks factory fitted (so I have been told) but drives like it to. There have been no compromises. My biggest tip: DO YOUR HOME WORK & ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS. Take your time & pay attention to detail. Cheers Stuart.