Originally Posted by: HK1837 
I've only ever seen one or two 195i VSIII. There was no V8's left when I bought mine, all gone by mid 2000.
All you had to do to a VSIII 179 to make it 195 I think was exhaust, cold air and memcal. I don't think the commercial 195kW got the HSV head changes, Mick might confirm. The 165-185kW was the same add on's but also a knock sensor from memory.
You are right, the earlier VSIII's used the VS's 186kW engine and the V8 engines were stockpiled for VSIII once VT ended. They should have stockpiled more as people still wanted them in later 2000.
I thought the 195KW was just like the old 165KW and 185KW job done at the time, but I found out that the exhaust valve and cam is changed in the 195KW engine, the head is the same and the roller cam is the same as that in the 5.7L Holden V8 in the first VT series.
The head part number maybe different only due to the valve, but the 195KW HBD = HSV engine has to be just that, not a 179KW with just exhaust and chip change on the utes, as the Maloo has the 195KW and this 195KW engine is made by Holden not HSV, only the VT HSV GTS enhanced 230KW optioned 5.7L blue printed HSV is I believe. not to mention the old flat bottom cam 5.7L enhanced in the VS HSV GTS 225KW that was done by HSV.
I know a bloke who had every 5.0L commodore ute and he said that the 168KW one was the most gutless one he had, I don't know if they had a knock sensor, I would not think it needed it as it's just a air box snorkel fitted to a 165KW engine, but if they do then that could count as why he said it lacked power, maybe the timing map was altered a bit to pass ADR.
The V8 Getrag box comes about when the VT sedan comes about from Aug 1997, so that makes it a late series 2 VS ute that gets them, changing gear going from 1st to 2ed real fast can bite your finger on them utes, so you soon learn to change how to do that.
I think that the VU ute was delayed a bit, so the planed stock pile ran short.
The VU rear end arms are not the same as the sedan so Peter Brock informed me, when I was on about the setup of the VT was 3rd rate and I was pointing out that GTS, VX type setup was the way to go, but he said don't do it because the ute arms are a little different to the sedan and wagon.
I was pointing out what a bucked of sh-t the VT SS was, with the rear end habit of wanting to kill you when pushing hard, say 160KM/H plus through tight corners, as the stupid geometry would make the outside wheel toe in too much and the inside wheel toe out to much, so the bastard was steering from the rear setting you up to loose control, the first time I came across this I was heading up to a single lane bridge and some fancy foot work and steering was deployed instantly, I still remember that like it was yesterday and the utes could do the same but not as bad, but with my dirt bike in the back the rear end was fine, I would say that if the rear comes up too high and low because of body roll one rear wheel is toeing one way and the other is doing the same direction as well.
So if the rear wheels are neg camber you have more toe in and if the wheel is at pos camber it has toe out. who want's to debate that subject.
So Brock informed me not to do this VX setup with the utes and non of the utes did, but for some Maloo utes, VZ I think they may have it, but they are not as high load rated and may use the sedan arms. the shocks are all different lengths for the sedan and then the wagons are the shortest and then the ute gest the longest.
