V8 Conversion - Melbourne

[smokem]

Gday all,

Ive got a 86 model bundy with a tired 2L-T and am looking at doing a V8 conversion (1UZ-FE ).. I can remove the old motor, supply the V8 (loom, ecu, alt etc) and supply the conversion kit. However i want to get a shop to do the labour, fabrication and fitment of new mounts, installing the motor and wiring/tuning it.. Simply to save time as it is my daily. My question is:

Any recomendations on workshops to do this? and contact details...

Cheers

Andy

[smokem]

sorry mods, it double posted coz my computers fuckin up.. can u delete one?

[+dj_hansen+]

Maybe try Australian 4WD Specialist or Marks 4WD Adapters..

[smokem]

Marks 4wd only do conversion kits.... an infinity V8 into a patrol is about 8k drive in drive out at aus4wd ive hear, bit exy!

[bogged]

Marks 4wd only do conversion kits.... an infinity V8 into a patrol is about 8k drive in drive out at aus4wd ive hear, bit exy!

That would be with an engine included.

What is your budget, that would help

[80diesel4play]

Marks 4wd only do conversion kits.... an infinity V8 into a patrol is about 8k drive in drive out at aus4wd ive hear, bit exy!

Go factor = $$$ factor...

You have gotta see the amount of work involved in that conversion "infinity V8" - prolly $10-11K once you get everything else made to suit!

Aus4wd can do your conversion- allow for a surge tank, exhaust setup, radiator to cope and plenty of wheel spin! You'll love it!

PM'd u details dude!

[Vulcanised]

to do it with a Marks kit, on your own would probably cost around 7 grand. including motor.

[smokem]

budget is round 5-6k, twisty in queensland got one in a four runner for about that as did nemsis i think in nsw.. any other shops apart from aus4WD?

[MUD000]

they also did a lot of work them selves

[smokem]

yeah i know they did a lot themselves, im willing to as well... just want it fitted and wired really

[6.5 rangie]

the fitting is the easy bit, its all the bracketry and designing thing to suit that is hard. I fitted my motor in a day, bolted in, its the hours and hours making it all work that costs time and if your getting it done, money

[MissDrew]

1UZFE conversion done with a Marks kit I`d love to see that

As far as Marks are concerned Chev and Holden are the ONLY 2 motors in the world.

Dellow and Castlemain Rod Shop are the only 2 that make conversion kits for the 1UZFE.

If I was you I`d do alot of research on radiators that will cool a V8 in a bundy before you got started on it. A lot of rad`s will cool the 1UZ noworries on the highway or even around town. But once you are doing the slow work it will heat up.

I did ALL!!!!!!!!! the work either myself or with the help of mates that didn`t charge me a cent and it still cost me approx 4 1/2 to 5g.

half cut - $2000 to $2500 depending where you get it. If you`re lucky you might find a motor with all the extra`s including PS pump, alt, starter, airflow meter, loom, computer for $1500.
conversion with everything needed including new clutch - $1200
sump - $600 you might even get lucky here and get a motor with the correct one allready fitted. But then the chances of EVERYTHING else being what you need is slim. These things are - a crown fan assembly as its the only one that isn`t hydrolic. A crown oil filter remount mount, most have the filter directly mounted to the block and it usally needs to be moved for clearances. The best standard computer to get is the crown as it has a sepperate one for the auto and is the easiest if running a man. Then there is the exhaust headers as some are never going to fit between chassi rails.
engineers report $600

Now as you can see I haven`t listed the cost of somebody doing the mounting of the motor or the wiring of it. Kdog I think does a loom for the 1UZ into a hilux, I`m not certain of the cost but its more then a few hundred bucks. Exhaust well that can be from around 100 to 500 depending if you need a new cat converter or not.

$5000 mmmm might be doable even with paying somebody to do some of it but hell it`ll be tight as.

[smokem]

thanks for the info guts.. yeh im just doing the initial investigations at the moment, workin out prices and time... yeh i wasnt gunna use marks, they dont seem very hlepful at all!

[MissDrew]

If you`re not allready on there www.lextreme.com then go to the V8 forum, will give you loads of info. Just search around on there and allmost everything you could think of is on there.

[jcclures]

I am currently fitting the 1UZFE into my 86 Nissan wagon. It cost $3000 delivered to Cairns, I am doing my own work including wiring and I have spent at least $1500 when you buy the parts to do the conversion, and service the engine so as to have no problems. Things like timing belt, rotor caps and buttons, sparkplug leads, oxygen sensors and spark plugs, well I hope no problems.
I am using the original ecu and using the auto as well.
My thinking is, if you are paying someone to do the job I could cost a small fortune to do the job right.
It seems reading that a lot of people are having heating problems with small radiators so getting custom made seems the go.
I should post my conversion so as others know what I mean.

[MissDrew]

My biggest problem with cooling with the standard rad in the front was air flow. It now cools great with the big GQ rad mounted on the tray

[mico]

1UZFE conversion done with a Marks kit I`d love to see that

As far as Marks are concerned Chev and Holden are the ONLY 2 motors in the world.

They even had the hide to ask me "why would you want to put one of those P.O.S into a Hilux? Our V6 coversion IS the best conversion for YOUR Hilux" don't know what he said after that as I hung up on the rude Bastard

My Coversion cost me about $5000 all up and was worth every cent and like guts said cooling is the biggest problem (still have to fix mine)

[Vulcanised]

as 6.5Rangie said..... wiring takes AGES!!! thats where it will cost you an arm, a leg, and your first born.

[HG]

I wonder if any of the Lexus V8 conversions have used the Aussie Desert Coolers radiator.
I have one of their triple flow puppies in mine (I have a 308 iron block in mine though) and I do a shitload of low range work as well it's my daily driver/work car with a trailer on the arse all the time and she never gets hot headed.
Even when we were in the high country over New Year when the temp got to 44+, the motor didn't get hot at all.

[beatle_bayly]

Castlemain Rod Shop http://www.rodshop.com.au/ do conversion kits for lotsa stuff. Maybe they can do what you're after.

[sudso]

Marks 4wd only do conversion kits.... an infinity V8 into a patrol is about 8k drive in drive out at aus4wd ive hear, bit exy!

Commo ecotec V6, Dellows kit - shouldnt be too exy and enough power with better economy than V8.
Cheaper and easier parts availability too.

[smokem]

thanks for the replies guys

Anyone know of another shop they can recommend apart from Aus4wd?
Just to get price comparisons... I rang ontrack and they reckon about 2 weeks labour to get it in and wired and tuned.

Andy

[turps]

If you plan on playing in water and mudholes. Might pay to do abit of research on the motor.
As at the OBC. Sean Calcino and Luarie (dual cab Lux with lexus 4lt V8). Drowned the motor. Problem was they got water in thru the cams (or something like that). Which are mounted to the front of the motor with 2 holes in each cylinder. I got the impression these may be hard to or unable to be sealed. But it maybe possible to pipe a breather into the intake.

[bogged]

thanks for the replies guys

Anyone know of another shop they can recommend apart from Aus4wd?
Just to get price comparisons... I rang ontrack and they reckon about 2 weeks labour to get it in and wired and tuned.

Give cheezy a call.
But all the places that do a good job will be expensive. If you want a shit job that will have issues - cut corners.

[MissDrew]

I wonder if any of the Lexus V8 conversions have used the Aussie Desert Coolers radiator.
I have one of their triple flow puppies in mine (I have a 308 iron block in mine though) and I do a shitload of low range work as well it's my daily driver/work car with a trailer on the arse all the time and she never gets hot headed.
Even when we were in the high country over New Year when the temp got to 44+, the motor didn't get hot at all.

I was going to go this root but since I allready had the GQ radiator it was cheaper and the other plus is the fact that the radiator will never get filled with mud being on the back.

[HG]

Yep I had a good look at the way you have set the rad up Guts and on a tray thats the way to go for sure, one of my mates has come up with a radical set up on a Surf that gets the radiator up the back area, but he has yet to put it into action.
As far as the mud goes I run a tarp set up when it looks like being a bit deep.

[smokem]

I spoke to cheezy a while ago in regards to a 5ltr converion but he wasnt interested.. Says he only builds buggys and fabs stuff. So any other shops anyone knows of?

[V8 Middy]

When I was getting quotes, Total 4wd in epping sounded good although you have to supply the engine so that they take no responsibility for the reliability of the 2nd hand motor.

Just make sure that before you start you know exactly what you want to do. Saving a bit more cash and waiting to do everything in one hit will end up cheaper. I've ended up spending way too many $$$ re-doing things that were done on the cheap the first time.

[Ruffy]

You're gunna pay for the job you get. Like bogged said, good job, neat job, warranted and right the first time will cost money and plenty of it. If you just want someone to bang it in as quick as they can and supply a plethora of head aches then you'll be able to get it cheap

[V8 Middy]

sent this in a PM but thought it might be useful for anyone considering a conversion. You don't want to know how much I'm out of pocket because I chose the wrong mechanic the first time:

Find someone who has done a heap before, who has seen all the problems so that your conversion won't be an experiment. (The guy at total had a gen III in his cruiser)

As I said, pay more at first to avoid hassles later. I would recommend buying a new engine, or getting one really cheap cos you'll probably end up re-co ing it anyway.

Originally, after my conversion, I had 1 loose wire that would make the whole engine die. Good wiring is priceless.

Be as involved as possible without pissing the guy off. The more you see when its being done, the more chance you have of tracing a problem if you're stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Write everything down. A mate had a 40 series converted by Eureka Offroad. They have done hundreds of them yet the exhaust ended up twin 2in, sounded like shit and came out through the wheel arches so that any flex would crush them.

Get your engineer involved early to ensure the whole lot will pass later. The extra $100 for 1 hour of his time could save you heaps

I'm starting to sound like my dad but I had most of this in mind when I did mine but I'm still spending heaps to re-do stuf that was not done properly the 1st time