Start of fc project

[biff]

 I would like any help I can get on running a 6ltr chev,6spead gear box as well as commodore front and rear suspension and brakes. thanks Biff

[JB]

Hey Biff,

It hasn't been done yet... There was an FJ with the strut front end on it, and I know of an EH with an independent rear end.

6 litre engine depends on which state you are in... Would love to do this myself, but QLD will only let me go to 5 litre.

Sorry mate probably doesn't help much.

Cheers
Jason.

[biff]

Thanks Jason. Car has been in shed gathering dust for too long, and I have had had these ideas in my head for a long time so its about time to start on her. Biff

[ASUS]

Hi,

I've been thinking about conversions my self.  Castle Main Rod shop has a number of setups which may be of use.

Hope this helps. Cant say Ive seen any 6ltr conversion kits but the do have other sorts available.

Asus

[Ed]

Biff,

6 litres?.. sorry you're dreaming.

i think you will find a 5 L max in most states.

the only way to get 6L is to stroke a 5.0L and don't tell anybody.

the rest of it is achievable, it all really depends on the size of your wallet or how good your engineering and fabrication skills are.

there are a host of workable solutions pre-existing to get a v8 into your ride, but if you're hell bent on a commodore front end I'd reckon there would be few issues raised. As Jason says it has been done (orange EH?)

I would be consulting a good engineer before doing anything and reading the relevant guidelines to ensure you don't end up building an un-registerable car.

If its your first go at a conversion, try using a HR front with commodore disc and brake adaptors also a commodore diff and FC leaf springs.. much easier.

tunnel just chop out your original one and weld one in to suit CRS has all this stuff for sale.

you will also need to fit or fab a 3/4 chassis.

be prepared for alot of work making lots of brackets and little stuff which you normally wouldnt give a second thought.

Cheers

Ed

[fccool59]

there was a FC at city spares (wrecker) in newcastle about 9 years ago with a commodore front end with the commodore strut towers grafted into the fc subframe, it was a abandoned project, maybe it was unregisterable but its been done.

[minifcvan]

well if a certain person can get a v12 in a early f#*d registered in vic shorly you can get a 6ltr rego'd in a holden down there??? i remember a 454 rego'ed in a red ek down there.so biff if you dont live in mexico you may have to move there to get it done..... cheers mark

[Phantom]

We dont accept Gringos down here(hehe)
                        The Phantom                                    

[minifcvan]

yeah i supose your right rusty.you have too many there now (sorry for hijacking your thread biff)

[Ed]

Guys,

you're right.

There's a big block powered EH in NSW with full rego running single circuit brakes with copper lines too!

i think he got in before any limits were imposed.

hmm come to think of it hte orange panel van FE? runs a big block too??

OK, so I retract that statement.

Biff good news! it can be done... it's who you know.

for the rest of us, it can't be done... lol

check out the cool commodore reared project on the forum too for inspiration.

Cheers

Ed

[bent8-58]

Welcome Biff,
Hey Ed, l was thinking about the same car,l've been to summernats 4 times & l'm pretty sure that orange-red FE van has been there every time. I dont know whether its purely by coincidence but l've never seen that car with the bonnet up-ever.l only found out it was a big-
block from a small photo in a magazine.Good luck with your quest,Biff. If l have learned anything from this world it is dont be afraid to ask questions.    Daz.

[fccool59]

i have a feeling that some of these cars get the big block in for shows with burnouts like the summernats but are registered with smaller v8's, a give away might be a modified stone tray to allow the radiator to come further forward.but if you know the rite people you can do stuff probably like fit a aircraft engine.

[customFC]

The car referred to here is Greg Gleeson's FE Van.
Greg has had the car for a long time and has had a 454 in it at 1 stage. Last time I saw the car and spoke with him, I believe he had a 427 under the hood.
Here's a pic under the hood from the '02 All Holden Day.


My understanding is that this car is legal with the BB in there.
Biff.....good luck with your project.
Regards
Alex

[Rob_FE_56]

 As far as vic goes, you can just about use any engine you want.

The real trick is shopping around for the right engineer.

Vic roads leaves everything in the engineers hands so if you can provide an engineers report and a rwc you can register it.

The biggest hassle is using later engines which need to comply (pollution wise) to the vehicle they came out of.

Pre pollution engines in pre pollution cars is a non issue and neither are cubic inches if you get the right engineer as some are very petty and pick the stupidest things.

I was going to run a big block chev in my car but eventually decided to go with a injected 5 litre for the sake of fuel economy if we end up using the fe as a daily driver.

Cheers, Rob.

[bent8-58]

Hi guys,
Wouldnt it be great if QLD adopted your rules for mods?
That panel van has had some work since l last saw it,( summernats 12 l think),it has to be one of the tuffest fe's around.The first time l saw it was at the servo outside the summernats & my jaw hit the ground & stayed there!
Incidently Biff, another way might be a Pontiac V8. A mate of mine has a 455 putting out around 650 hp in a 67 Firebird,not exactly a budget build, but from a 326 to a 455 there all the same external dimensions. Apparently they're slightly larger than a Chev small block but much smaller than a Chev big block with no identifying sizes on the block(if you catch my drift!).
 Its a pity l didnt know this earlier, l might of had a - er- "326" in the Fc instead of the Chevy.  Daz.

[Russ]

Hi guys i am looking at doing the commo front end and irs. Ive been told the vt irs is crap so just use the diff and hubs and fabricate the rest. as for the front the wheel track is significantly wider in the vt so a new rack and cross member is needed to keep the length of your a arms a reasonable length?? maybe VH rack??? .

Also the struts in the vt would come pretty close to hitting the bonnet in the fc and would not leave any room for the hinges

The one good thing so far is that the 6cyl vt radiator looks like an easy fit and will actually sit closer to the grill.

as for engineering or rego any major mods will need engineering so if you have to do a small mod you might as well go the whole hog and go full chassis new brakes anti pollution shit and all that.

This is why mine hasn,t moved on because i cant afford to do it right so im not doing it until i can ......maybe

[Ed]

Hey Daz,

the stealth way to cubes is the way to go!

Hey Russ,

From a little bit of research I'm doing at the moment off given dimensiosn, The VT radiator at around 800 - 810mm end to end is a (very) tight squeeze.. you can mount it further forward as you suggest but it will be taller than the radiator support bar/panel. this also has impications for fitup of the bottom radiator hose.

I think this is why Jason fevanv6 made some smaller alloy tanks, for a better fit.

be handy if i had an actual unit in hand to do the research tho.

Cheers

Ed