3.8L V6 into AE/KE

[ke.slider]

[SAMS EDIT] all 3.8L into AE/KE conversion questions in here


hey just got given a commodore thats been hit up the ass...motor and all that jazz are fine....was wondering how much effort is involved...not too sure bout these things had a search without much luck...any help wud be appreciated cheers

[70XIN]

They aren't the pinnacle of engine technology, so i wouldn't think you'll find alot of info on putting one in AE/KE's .. but if you've got a welder and an angle grinder almost anything's possible. Larger motor/gearboxes have been fitted :)

[Nikkojoe]

depends which v6. Dont bother if its the 3.8L pushrod junk. If its an 3.6L alloytec, do it :)

[H8CHIR6KU]

3.6 alloy techs are junk too. and with the canbus system they are just a pain in the ass for engine conversions

sell the car to the wreckers you might get a hunji. then put it towards something decent

[Skylar]

Hey, what're you calling junk.
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/2/0/2/5/58414.jpg

and while I'm in photobucket, here's a pic of the turbo mani. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v298/kenPro3/?action=view&current=DSC00294.jpg

[ke.slider]

thanks been revised and its going to sims tomorrow hahaha

[Nikkojoe]

3.6 alloy techs are junk too. and with the canbus system they are just a pain in the ass for engine conversions..

If that's the only bad thing then it aint really a problem (for me at least).

[H8CHIR6KU]

nah thats just one of the many problems. there are other stupid things like crappy electrics, thermostat at the back of the motor. have you tried to fix a leaking thermostat housing on your ve yet? they are gay. even just doing the o2 sensors which seem to always fuck up are a pain in the ass. also the timing covers always leak. then there is the gayass fly by wire. the coil packs that always break down. also in the 6 months i worked on these i saw 5 motors drop valves and 7 motors melt sparkplugs.

im curious as to how you run the engine management without all the other modules too. im sure it can be done with some effort. would like to know how tho. i have even seen alot of aftermarket stereo places fit new systems but not disconecting the original stereo just so the car will run.

also what are your solutions for the alternator?

[Nikkojoe]

You missed out the stretched timing chain issue on 06 models (and early 07 models):P Thermostat on the ute doesn't need replacing yet, and it seems about the same as replacing the one on my vn that i had many years ago. You can get a brand new crate motor for about 2k which includes pretty much everything and are easy to get any if something does fuck up. There are duds, but there are also plenty of guys running boost with no dramas (appart from them running stock clutches).

I wouldn't source a ve setup, it would be more a pain in the arse to do. The EASY way to do it is keep most of the modules with it, but there is far less on a vz than a ve. There are edits available to trick lots of things into thinking shit is still there. On ve's you can edit a lot of the modules to do whatever you want. They once said you didn't need codes for radio since you wont be able to use it in another ve, except you can now flash your module and it will work. You can even install dual zone climate control and colour screen radio in an omega and trick your module to make it work. As for alternator i would use a vz since it works like a conventional type (not like ve's).

A lot of people just run the alloytec's in older commodores and from memory there is a guy running one in a torana, though not stock ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b8PPYy91zk&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-SDoTPjOXo&feature=related, not like it cant be done).

Thinking about it though, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to keep the interior loom. Could run the digital cluster which i could reprogram to obtain accurate speed, then display shit like oil pressure, water temp, oil temp etc.

[lolwat]

not hard at all amtes got one and it hasent cost him a dime, memcals, it bashes limiter (6.2 grand) in 3rd (auto) all day

[lolwat]

depends which v6. Dont bother if its the 3.8L pushrod junk. If its an 3.6L alloytec, do it :)

are you serious, push rod crap wtf, the older 3.8L V6 go hard, comapred to those fucking plastic heaps of shit

[ke70dave]

i belive its one of those "if you need to ask, you probably wont do it"

the only way putting a v6 into a ke70/ae71 is a reasonable idea, is if you can do 98% of the work yourself.

a little bit of inspiration, much harder conversion than the ke70, but oh so much cooler.

http://www.fullboost.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=60275

[Nikkojoe]

Dont worry, i've had a taste of all series of commodore engines. Assuming most of the time a 3.8L is used its probably pre VS (i.e. pre ecotec) and they don't rev much. They are heavy because they are pretty much all cast iron (including the head), but the benefit is they dont blow up*/rarely blow a hg even if you overheat them (i've had mine overheat MANY times without an issue later on, still sounding as shit as it did before mind you). The other benefit is they make decent torque from low rpm.

But in reference to blowing up, you can snap a crank quite easily on a 3.8L vn engine if you know what your doing (and you know why it happens).

If it's an ecotec generation then its a step forward, they do rev much easier. If it's an L67 it's even better :)

And i like that link you posted ke70dave :D Works so well with the fwd wide engine bay :)

[lolwat]

well i know for a fact, the one my mate has in his ke limiter bashes like a rotary (it has memcals 6.2 limiter) like IT REVS ITS TITS!!!!!! OFF

[Nikkojoe]

Yeah, its got a memcal edit. Is it ecotec or the 1st gen 3800 injection engine (id assume first gen since it would shift out of gear with that high rpm on the electronic auto box)?

Good to see people backing the old 3.8L though. They are cheap to get (or get an entire commodore for cheap and part it out for a zero $ driveline setup) and you can have some fun with them (in smaller cars). Early ones have a low compression ratio (8.5:1) which is good for boost, most likely why there has been an explosion of turbo conversion on them. I remember the first one i saw just used stock manifolds flipped sides and mounted the turbo infront of the thermo fan :)

[lolwat]

yea its the 1st gen, yea like awesome jsut how it runs man, like they made a straight though zorst out of the old commo one, the auto KE70 tailshaft fits PERFECT, welded diff, memcal and BAM off chops rolla
and used the commo fuel pump its in his surge tank

[ke_70]

i can supply a cheap modifyed 190kw alloytec motor.

hey it worth a try?

[FAST EDDIE]

there is a dood that comes out to mallala in an ke70 with a commo v6 manual, prety crazy old bogan dood, still running the stock ke diff, kingys all round and it is prety quick and he can drive!!! said it owes him 200 bucks or something.

[Gunner]

I think some people need to research the buick grand national, before they go slagging off the good ol 3800 buick engine.

[spiderman]

^This, although it's the GNX they should be researching. The normal Grand National was a fairly uninspiring thing from all accounts, typical slow American boat :P

[Nikkojoe]

Some pictures off my old hdd:
Pontiac bonneville 1992:
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/1/0/58610.jpg
Pontiac bonneville 1991:
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/1/0/58611.jpg
Buick Riviera
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/1/0/58612.jpg
What update they got:
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/1/0/58613.jpg
What we still used:
http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/1/0/58614.jpg

[spiderman]

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/4/web/2308000-2308999/2308509_3_full.jpg
'87 Buick GNX

[Gunner]

i knew what i meant hahaha. ALso GNX = Grand National xylophone

you can even buy 1000hp capable crate motors for like 10k or someshit.