Another 1uz-fe into Commodore - n00b questions

[Zuffen]

I don't need a surge tank as my tank was built for racing. it has dual pickup (one each side) so it won't starve. My tank is 500mm wide but 700mm high and only 300mm thick at the base.

This suits me as there is no room anywhere near my tank to run a surge tank.

As part of my supercharging effort I am looking at running a small 1 or 2 litre tank after the first pump to ensure the second pump gets only fuel as a diet. I can fit this beside the chassis but cannot run a gravity feed surge tank.

When looking at the gas option look very carefully at the costs involved. A tank and pump won't cost much but getting the gas fitted and running properly may just cost a heap.

 

[Grega]

yeah VL tank and lines will fit straight in and you get the added benefit of the unleaded filler too. that also goes straight it

grab from a VN the remote release fuel filler flap and chuck that on there - much better than the crap manual vb-vk ones.

like zuffen suggests do look at the gas conversion costs. unless you really know someone in the know gas conversions can get REAL expensive REAL quick. example a GRA carb and aussie b2 and you're talking $700aud. LPG tank well, figure $350 new. and then you have to figure out how to do the ignition side of things...wanna run the stock ECU and a gas ring perhaps, maybe a cheaper alternative but won't go as well.

also bear in mind engineering requirements and how you're going to go on getting it registered....

 

[Damo]

Cool, will have to starting scouting some wreckers then. The remote fuel cap release is a nice idea too. Will go well with the whole "Calais" thing (unless of course it already has one! As you can see I know so much about this car already!).

After much more thinking and a bit of talking, i think gas would be too much of a hassle and probably cost wise prohibitive. I mean half the stuff would already be there (like tank for example), but it would just be the engine conversion that might be the hitch, so i think going back to petrol is the way.

And on a side note, does anyone have any vids of these things running, i mean, i just want to hear how they sound more than anything. I did see about 5 secs of one vehicle in High Octane 3 that was lexus v8 powered, but it was a drag car so probably wasn't a true indication!!

 

[Zuffen]

Damo,

These things sound awsome.

Any V8 that will rev to 9,000 rpm (stock 6,500) is awsome.

I think it has a certain Ferrari sound to it due tothe revs it can pull.

Don't worry about it sounding wimpy. That's the last thing it wil do.

 

[Cobra]

I can guarrantee that they sound mean. I have a 1UZ powered Shelby Cobra Replica with a duel 2.5 inch system. All it has on each side is a cat and a straight through resonator.
At the moment it has the standard log style Crown manifolds but I am in the process of building the headers. As I said to Zuffen last night, you can hear it coming a mile away but at idle it sounds like any other moderately worked V8.
Anyway, Cobra are supposed to be heard as well as seen.

 

[Damo]

Brett, very true, very true. I love that cobra shape, it just looks damn fast sitting still, on jacks with no wheels. I'm gonna have to double check it, but the pipe thats already on the calais i think is larger than standard, so i'm gonna try plug it all into that, add a bit more noise to it.

Just got an email from STZ Automotive in Qld, they have Crown cuts for $2200 and Celsior cuts for $2400 in stock. Any one dealt with them, are they good?

 

[Zuffen]

Damo,

Decide which sump and ECU/ECT set-up you need before you decide.

It will cost around $600.00 to change from mid sump to rear or front sump but $1,500 (minimum) to change from Celsior ECU only to the Crown ECU/ECT separate units.

Think before you buy on up front price alone.

 

[Grega]

re ; the sound, i had the *pleasure* of hearing steves v8 sprinter. that thing at full noise sounds like a bloody supercar (needless to say i reckon it goes about the same also) - steve indeed built his own extractors his his little piece of work.

 

[Quadcob]

If anyone is interested, Asian Auto Imports at Slacks Creek in Brisbane has 2 Crown UZS-131's and 3 later model Crown(single computer)half cuts . At this stage the advertised price(Trading Post) was $1500.

 

[Damo]

Fudge me, thats a rather large difference in price. Would this be because they would be older or higher kilometre motors?

 

[Peewee]

Nah, some places just charge way to much.
Other places just have no idea how popular they are.

Any motor from 1990-1995 should fetch roughly the same price
Depending on sump/ecu configuration.

Also the $2200 cuts may include panels, lights, dash, brakes etc
and the $1500 ones could be bare.

 

[Damo]

It seems that "most" places are charging from $2000-2500 for a Crown or Celsior halfcut, but i have seen a couple of others for less than $2000. Having a cut stripped of its dressing wouldn't be a problem for me if it meant saving a few hundred bucks, as long as the silly thing ran goodly.

 

[Damo]

Oooooooooo, just got an email from Rod at CRS and he sez they are going to be doing a 1uz into commodore conversion real soon, and will have a kit within 4-6 weeks that will make the swap "easy" (his words). Might be interesting.

 

[MaxPower]

Oooooooooo, just got an email from Rod at CRS and he sez they are going to be doing a 1uz into commodore conversion real soon, and will have a kit within 4-6 weeks that will make the swap "easy" (his words). Might be interesting.

I hope so, he told me few weeks back that it would be unlikely that there would be anything before the end of the year. Would certainly make it easier.

 

[Peewee]

You have 3 things to worry about
A sump (I beleive this should be a simple solution to find the correct one)
Engine mounts (few hours work here)
Tranny mount (1/2 hr work here, if that)

Just chuck it and and go for it, its not that hard.
I made my own mounts and it took me probably 4-6 hours, but that was by myself, no help at all.
I then gave the mounts I built to a friend, he drew it up in CAD, and got them laser cut for me.
Here is the result

And btw, expect this 'kit' from CRS to be well over 1000, probably closer to 2000 if he builds custom sumps.
Anything that comes out of CRS is of the highest quality, and is perfect, but you pay for it.

 

[Grega]

a "kit"...well now that is interesting...most stuff from the rodshop is very expensive. i wonder if rod has sold it yet (if you didn't know the rodshop was up for sale)

peewee those mounts are indeed very nice pieces of work there mate well done.

 

[vn1uz]

old post i know

old post i know but i have had some mounts for commodore from rod shop for 3 years
they will fit an holden v8 setup
and the early 6cyl
and gear box mount adaptor
cost me 180 for mounts and 40 for adator plate 3 or so years ago
not bad price for a drop in setup

 

[Grega]

jeez thats pretty cheap.
did it make it a bolt in affair?
wonder if you could use the later VN/VP crossmembers with the mounts?

 

[vn1uz]

i bought them for a vn
now i have a vk and i am about to puchace a 1/2 cut
it should all bolt in with the mounts
ill keep u posted

 

[Grega]

yeah that would be good to know.
what are the mounts called? any idea on the CRS kit "number" that they're using
i see they make mounts to suit HQ-WB but would have thought the commodores would be pretty different....not that the 308 mount really changed much up to the gen3 though....