GQ V6 or big diesel

[Froon]

Hey guys,

looking at conversion options for the GQ at the moment... Most of the info available is for V8's etc but being a NSW P plater for atleast the next 2 years, I need to find something that'll be P plater legal... The Chev V8 Diesels are kinda cost prohibative (I'll be spending $8k at the absolute most) and the TB42 is a gas guzzler that makes driving it anywhere further than a day trip also cost prohibative...

Ultimately, I'd like to do something where I could possibly drive in and drive out (Dunno how much something like that would actually cost, but I'd be willing to do the work myself if required)

What options are there where I can get bolt on kits for?

Would a TD42 turbo be a better option than going for a V6 or other diesel option?

[bogged]

What engine are you running now?

Mate had a commodore V6 in his GQ Shorty and loved it. he did all the work himself, which saved lots.
Well worth considering

TD42 is good with turbo, might be done for your coin, but dunno, call a few places and ask

[Froon]

Has a TB42 (carby) in it at the moment...

[bogged]

Has a TB42 (carby) in it at the moment...

On gas?

[Froon]

Its dual fuel at the moment, options are for me to convert it back to petrol (get that fuel consumption down a fair whack hopefully), EFI the thing and hopefully smooth it all out to what it should be running... Problem is, I have a strong suspicion that the engine has actually been bored out at some point in the past.

[stressed]

have a look at turbo the TB42 on gas meet to go very well

[Froon]

Can't run a turbo on the TB42...

Prohibited vehicles
The prohibited vehicle condition restricts provisional (P1 and P2) drivers from driving certain high performance vehicles. The condition applies to provisional licences issued on or after 11 July 2005. The scheme aims to prohibit young driver access to vehicles that are overrepresented in young driver crashes.

Prohibited vehicles are those with:

Eight or more cylinders (except diesel).
A turbocharged engine (except diesel).
A supercharged engine (except diesel).
Engine performance modifications.
Certain high performance six cylinder engine vehicles or other vehicles as described in the publication Novice Drivers - High Performance Vehicle Restrictions.
The following vehicles are not prohibited vehicles and may be driven by provisional licence holders:

Suzuki Cappuccino 2D Cabriolet Turbo 3 698cc (released between 1/01/1992 - 1/12/1997).
Daihatsu Copen L880 2D Convertible Turbo 4 659cc (released from 1/10/2003).
Smart vehicles (all models).
If you are unsure whether your vehicle is prohibited

[/quote]

[Hoonz]

turbo diesel!

to many issues with holden V6s

[chimpboy]

I would not go near a commo v6 in a vehicle as heavy as a GQ.

Personally I think your $8k budget will be more than enough to cover the extra fuel a TB42 would use.

The idea of converting a dual fuel back to petrol to get fuel consumption down is bizarre. A dual fuel might be a tiny bit less economical on petrol but you can fix that if you put a bit of time into it, and dollars-per-km-travelled of course is way better on LPG anyway.

TD42 turbo is a good option, but you'd probably be better off swapping the whole car rather than swapping just the engine.

My personal opinion is that you should keep your $8000, save up for something more useful instead of wasting it on cars, and just spend a couple of hundred to get the current dual fuel set-up into top notch tune.

[La Fonda]

Point taken mate...

Let me clarify the whole removing the LPG system for fuel economy... At the moment, it has a 250km range on LPG (80litre tank) and another 200 or so on a 60 litre petrol tank... Thats a total of 450km... Finding reasonably priced LPG outside of city areas can be painful and I'd very much like to do some long range trips in the Patrol...

$8000 cover the cost of fuel? That might work in the short term, but I plan on having the patrol for years to come, I'd much rather have something that runs right than treat symptoms. In the long term, it would certainly be better for me to run the TD42 or similar engine that uses far less fuel than the engine in its current shape.

Edit: Dang it... missus login AGAIN -Froon

[Hoppy11]

turbo diesel!

to many issues with holden V6s

What are the issues??

I would not go near a commo v6 in a vehicle as
heavy as a GQ.

Patrols run a 3 litre, why do you think the 3.8 would be worse, is that any brand V6 or is just the Commodore V6?.
Hoppy

[GQ Bear]

Point taken mate...

Let me clarify the whole removing the LPG system for fuel economy... At the moment, it has a 250km range on LPG (80litre tank) and another 200 or so on a 60 litre petrol tank... Thats a total of 450km... Finding reasonably priced LPG outside of city areas can be painful and I'd very much like to do some long range trips in the Patrol...

$8000 cover the cost of fuel? That might work in the short term, but I plan on having the patrol for years to come, I'd much rather have something that runs right than treat symptoms. In the long term, it would certainly be better for me to run the TD42 or similar engine that uses far less fuel than the engine in its current shape.

Edit: Dang it... missus login AGAIN -Froon

I've got a Mazda 121 which i use as a runaround vehicle when the Trol's off the road. I get around 380ks from $60 of unleaded (35-40l). The Trol gets me 330ks from around $50-$60 of gas (90l usable). So fuel economy is roughly the same between vehicles.

Basically what i'm driving at is spend on $8000 on useful mods such as lift and lockers, etc. or performance enhancement such as cam, electronic ignition, extractors, etc.

Just accept the fact that fuel is outrageously expensive and there aint no way around it. Then enjoy your truck for what it was built to do.

To spend big $$$ to save small $$$ at the pump is false economics.

[Froon]

As I said, point taken...

In terms of performance increases... I can't really do much with a petrol engine as per NSW P plate laws... its got a fair amount of work done to it as it is (lift, lockers, bar work etc) and I suppose I have to weigh up whether it would be cheaper/less time consuming to go out and buy a TD Patrol and transfer parts or whether it would be easier to do the engine swap.

[GQ Bear]

As I said, point taken...

In terms of performance increases... I can't really do much with a petrol engine as per NSW P plate laws... its got a fair amount of work done to it as it is (lift, lockers, bar work etc) and I suppose I have to weigh up whether it would be cheaper/less time consuming to go out and buy a TD Patrol and transfer parts or whether it would be easier to do the engine swap.

How thorough is RTA/cops in NSW? Surely an exhaust upgrade, say extractors and 2.5" system is ok??? If you put a performance cam in and shaved, ported and polished head nobody would know without stripping down engine anyway.

[Froon]

I've had a cop under the car measuring my track at one point, they can be very thorough depending on how much of a prick they want to be.

[chimpboy]

I would not go near a commo v6 in a vehicle as heavy as a GQ.

Patrols run a 3 litre, why do you think the 3.8 would be worse, is that any brand V6 or is just the Commodore V6?.
Hoppy

I wouldn't recommend the 3 litre that much either personally. But regardless, at any given capacity an inline engine is almost always going to be a lot more torquey than a vee engine, because a vee layout usually means a short stroke (and stroke is what you want for torque). This is just a fact of life with vee engines because the piston strokes will interfere with each other if the stroke gets long enough. Same goes with V8s but at least they have more total capacity to make up for it.

The commo v6 would not be a bad choice if you were really pressed for space but with a patrol, you aren't. So a straight six or V8 is the go imho. Or there are some bigger V6es out there than the 3.8 as well.

The other thing is that a V6 swap is going to cost about the same as a V8 swap for much less benefit (or probably no benefit at all.)

Just my thoughts, I know there are a lot of people who think that Buick 3.8 is a really good engine but I am not much of a fan of it. I would rather have Falcon inline 6 in a patrol than a holden V6, for the torque.

[jtraf]

if you want a TD42 engine sell yours and use the $8K on one that had the TD42 from factory...

Range an issue.....replace the LPG tank for a bigger one or add some EF falcon wagon tanks on the floor at the rear and get an extra 100lt's or so to go with your 80lt tank......

[brad-chevlux]

Point taken mate...

Let me clarify the whole removing the LPG system for fuel economy... At the moment, it has a 250km range on LPG (80litre tank) and another 200 or so on a 60 litre petrol tank... Thats a total of 450km... Finding reasonably priced LPG outside of city areas can be painful and I'd very much like to do some long range trips in the Patrol...

seems as though your fuel consumptionl problems are more realated to your right foot then the engine it self.

if you realy want to loose the duel fuel, get rid of the petrol, have the dizzy regraphed to suit LPG get a good electronic ignition conversion and fit as much LPG storage as you can.

also learn to go easy with the right foot.

[Froon]

So if I changed my driving style, I'd get eleventybillion km out of the landcruiser as well? Rather than the 10ltr/100km that I'm oh so happy with?

[brad-chevlux]

So if I changed my driving style, I'd get eleventybillion km out of the landcruiser as well? Rather than the 10ltr/100km that I'm oh so happy with?

yes you'll get eleventybillion km. but only if you fit 10 hyclones use every every feul aditve you can. hang on, dont use petrol, just fill up completly on aditives.

Oh and dont forget that pod filter.

just think about whats going on. 20km from 60L of petrol!!!!!!!!!!
either your foot is heivy or your engine is so far out of tune that is beyond a joke.

[Froon]

Its 200km per 60l, that equates to roughly 30ltr/100km... The understanding I've been given is that a TB42 will chew around 18ltr/100km under normal circumstances.

The engine is very out of tune... I've taken it to 3 seperate 'gas' specialists who get it running really well for a few days before it drops back to its old habbits. I have had it running below 20ltr/100km without altering my driving habbits after a tune up... frankly, after spending the amount of money I have on so called experts to repair the engine, I'm about ready to give up on it.

[Froon]

Well, the decision has been made for me I think... Started her up this morning and she was billowing black smoke...

[bogged]

what state are you in?

[Froon]

NSW

[bogged]

NSW

yea, owned myself then, re-read the post...

so who have you taken it to so far?

[Froon]

Since I've got nothing good to say about them, I won't name names... But theres a bloke on Magowar street in Wentworthville/toongabbie area that I went to first... only thing he managed to do was make it not idle correctly... Went to a mob on Sunnyholt Road at Blacktown, they did a reasonable job in getting it running decently but it only lasted about a week before it reverted back to running like a... um... datsun.

[bogged]

Went to a mob on Sunnyholt Road at Blacktown, they did a reasonable job in getting it running decently but it only lasted about a week before it reverted back to running like a... um... datsun.

did you contact them to say its fubar again? they seemed on the right track.

[Froon]

Took it to them twice, both times ended up exactly the same.

[90Mav]

I have a TD42 ute, which i braught thinking about fuel savings... its not that great.. esp with diesel at ~ $1.50L $100 to fill up, gets me around 450kms.. if i was doing it again, id probably get a tb42 on straight gas..
with a few mods, you can get effiency close to petrol, mostly higher compression.. ditch the 80l tank and get some big ones... it will be a lot cheaper than a deisel or whatever conversion.. remember the serviceing cost on diesel too. Twice as much oil, twice as often, 2 filters ect ect...

[bogged]

Twice as much oil, twice as often, 2 filters ect ect...

and engine lasts 3 times as long.