What VS engine is it? 165kW/185kW or the later 179kW/195kW?

What gearbox was originally on the VS engine?

What was in the WB originally or now?

There are easy ways to do the conversion and hard. The easy way is to use a TH400 or TH350 or even an aussie 4spd. Trimatic will work too but harder. The next easiest way is if the VS gearbox was an auto and you intend to use that.

The VSIII is a bit harder as the box has no speedo drive and the ECU is significantly bigger. Plus I think these have 2 x O2 sensors. And you have to get a modified memcal to remove the security stuff - but you'll probably want to change the ppk constant anyway to suit your tyres and diff ratio anyway.

Fitting the actual engine is easy into a WB. All you need are:

HQ-WB V8 sump, pickup and dipstick.
HQ-WB V8 engine mount adapters.
WB V8 radiator and shroud.

If you have power steering it'll bolt straight up using a HQ-WB pump bracket, spacers and bolts.

You can buy already made up throttle cables on Ebay to go from WB to EFI 5L.

That is basically the engine in, just make up some heater hoses to fit the engine and it'll use WB radiator hoses. From memory you need to use a V6 exhaust pipe flange on the LH side so it clears the sump easily - these are smaller than the stock V8 one.

Gearbox you will have to either buy a crossmember for the application or find a TH350 one from a HZ ute/van or shorten a HZ-WB TH350 sedan/wagon/statesman example. That is how you make the earlier 4L60's fit, but not sure if the VSIII 4L60E mounts the same way. I do remember seeing somewhere you can change the extension housing over off some of the earlier boxes and fit a speedo drive gear as well, so you can then use a speedo cable, this may move the rear mount if different to suit the TH350 crossmember as well. The VSIII 4L60E has no speedo drive so if you don't do this you have to get your speedo converted to an electronic unit. If you can change the extension housing then you can simply run a HQ-HZ TH400 speedo cable with an inline speed sensor for the ECU. Just get some LPG copper lines made up for the coolant lines to the radiator or use rubber or whatever way you want to do it.

A HQ-WB rod type T-bar will operate the box but will only show L-S-D.

Tailshaft just shorten the tonner one - gearbox uses the same yoke.

Then you are left with wiring, fuel and exhaust. Engineer will make you fit cats.

You can pay someone to make you a whole engine harness that is simply plug and play.

If it was me I'd remove the carbon canister and fit the little VS one off the RH side radiator upright so it uses the VS plastic tubes to the throttle body, and simply plumb to the fuel tank breather line. Find another place for the washer and radiator overflow bottle or fit something off another car elsewhere.

Then move the battery tray to the driver's side, so you can then use the full VS battery harness and battery. Use the whole fusebox off the VS right behind the battery, and connect it up to the battery. Grab the plugs off the VS that the engine and battery harness plugs into over at the fuse box. Then modify the fuse box leaving only the relays and fuses you need, and then patch these into the car's harness. This will sort out your EFI relays etc. Use some of the spare relays in the fuse box for headlights, horn etc and just patch the relay coils to the car's wiring from the dash to drive them. There are a couple of other wires here that need joining to the car like alternator excitation - can't remember them all but only a few.

Mount the ECU up behind the glovebox - you'll have to cut a hole in the firewall for the big engine harness grommet. There are a couple of wires to hook up here to the dash to power the ECU plus mount a dash light for fault codes, connect the speed sensor etc. If I remember correctly you have to put a different wattage globe in the dash for the alternator excitation too.

The best bet with the electrics is get the VS diagrams and work out what you need - or simply get someone to make you up a whole harness which is mainly modifying your engine harness off the VS so it plugs into the WB harness. I'd still move the battery though.

Exhaust needs the O2 sensors placed roughly where they were on the VS.

Fuel needs a swirl pot or an in tank fuel pump or whatever you choose. Best bet is to talk to someone like Castle Auto Electrics for guidance. You need a high pressure fuel line and a return line to the sswirl pot or tank. On my mate's WB tonner we used a low pressure Facet electric pump to feed a swirl pot, then ran a high pressure pump out of the swirl pot via a HP filter, then up to the engine. Return line back from the engine pressure regulator to the swirl pot.

The other option for fuel is what I started doing for my HZ Overlander tonner - take the tray off, remove the fuel tank and fit a VN-VS sedan tank with in-tank HP pump laying flat with the "back" of the tank facing the RH side of the tonner. It was going up high just under the tray. You have to add a new filler neck to the tank to fill it from roughly where the original filler was, join the filler neck to the new tank spout using rubber just like the tonner neck attaches to the original tank. Then simply connect the tank electrics and fuel lines up to the engine like it would in the VS. If you go this way I have a little circuit you can make up so that the VS sender will drive the WB fuel gauge.

Edited by user Friday, 22 April 2016 11:54:53 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Spellin

What a read....I remember HK from other forums from years ago that he no longer posts in....I see he is still the same....Giving helpful advise and parting with his vast knowledge.

You HK and and a cpl of others here should run classes ....I for one would attend.

All can say is thanks for being so generous and I am bloody glad I found this forum.

That is what I’m doing with the SBC in my HK. But it isn’t really easier as the most difficult part is the fuel and that bit is basically the same either way, although you can dead head the Sniper using a VY era MRA (which is what I’m doing). I’m also using a Hyperspark dizzy and coil which is controlled by the Sniper ECU.

The VN engine is an easy bolt in to most Holdens and you can buy ready made inline 2ppr speed sensor and ready to go throttle cable. And you can use cruise on the VN setup. Plus this method is cheap compared to a Sniper. My Sniper Quadrajet was about $1700 plus another near $900 for all the hyperspark bits.

The advantage of the Sniper is you have touchscreen controlled tune ability but that is also easy with a Delco and a notebook PC.

No idea. But it’s a Holley so should be good.

If I was building a Holden V8 car I’d use the EFI V8 not a Sniper on an old red V8.