I don't know what's going on I typed an answer about the wiring but it didn't come up.

Any way Dr Terry has covered what I wrote which basically said that for a VN V6 the workshop manual tells you to disconnect the ECU an pull the wiring plug through the hole in the firewall (tricky from memory as the hole is barely big enough) That disconnects most of the engine wiring. I would assume that V8 models are similar and Terry has confirmed this.

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Vandals and graffiti "artists" do everyone a favour and target parking meters and fixed speed cameras only.

Yes, the V8 models are the same:
2 plugs in the ECU, and 1 plug in the dash loom beside the ECU, and push all 3 through the firewall.
2 plugs near the battery, plus a single plug for the alternator charge wire.

What you're left with attached to the motor is called the engine loom.
The rest of the underbonnet & dash wiring is referred to as the body loom.

Oh - Don't forget to unplug the harness for the speed sender & reverse lights before pulling the box out!

I agree with Dr T's approach. Keep the VN engine loom 100% intact (the above instructions will ensure that).

As far as other wiring, you can use the underbonnet fuse box, but you'll only need 4 relays & the fusible link box that's mounted to the front of it. I would advise keeping extra relays in there though, and wire things like the VH headlights through them - but if you want this to be easily reversible, I'd use the bare minimum - fuel pump, EFI & start relays only.

You will need to keep the section of loom that runs from the top of the trans tunnel down to the gearbox, as well as the plug from the dash loom near the ECU (you can then link these up with extra lengths of wire). It's not quite that simple, but it's not too hard.

I cut the VN body harness off at the firewall (driver's side) and remove 85% of the wires out of it - leaving just the crucial ones that need to connect to the VH engine/body harness plugs at the firewall - things like the temp signal, starter trigger, ignition 12V+, oil light etc.

Go to a wreckers & get a VH 6 cylinder engine harness - cut the harness off near the motor, leaving you the plugs you need to attach to the VN body harness to make it true plug & play in the engine bay, so you can return it to stock if you want to, without having to rewire it.

One other trick - use the wiring in the body loom & underbonnet fuse box (present in both V8 & V6) to run a thermofan - and get it enabled in your memcal so the ECU controls it (like it does in a V6).

Cheers,

Mick
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Judge a successful man not on how he treats his peers, but on how he treats those less fortunate.

ahhhh, how the times are changin, we used to buy HQ's and put the 6 cylinders from them into FC's and EH's, now look VN with wires everywhere...hehehe

good stuff mate, good pick up and good luck with it, it seems daunting but really straightforward once you get into it, and look how all the guys have helped so far.

thats why this is really the greatest forum and has the best guys available.
look forward to seeing the end result


"Reputations are made and broken as soon as you enter or leave my shed.."

quote:

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Originally posted by hainzy
Wow thanks guys. You make it sound so simple!! Thats great info though. i think Ill do as suggested and leave the engine loom in place and keep as much of the body loom as possible. Then when im ready i think rather than get selective about stuiff I dont really understand; ill trailer the beast to a seasoned professional and get them to marry the bits up....

Also forgot to ask, will the VN V8 wagon tank fit into the VH? I think it was Mick said id have to cut the filler neck by 40mm..? Is that still the case?

Thanks again.

And cheers dave. Might be callin on you to help me fillet this thing...

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VL sedan tank would be easier!

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If we all had the same (good) taste, who would buy all the Fords?

Thanks Byron and Mick. Again..

Mick will this one suit? Its VR. As its not far from me in ballart.. Cheers.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/8...ries&hash=item1c13957276

No worries Mick. Thanks for that. Ill just stick to a VS live axle tank then and wont stray from the tried and true. Are the 6 and 8s both compatible with the VH? I dont care about capacity cos ill be running gas to. Just care about them fitting..

Also another question.. Hopefully not too many more!! I was underneath both cars today and noticed that the VH sway bar link attaches down to the lower control arm whereas the VN bar link attaches up to the strut tower. otherwise the design looks much the same including the shocks and the 3 bolts on the tower top. For that reason is the best way to go, just to swap the entire K frame, rack, rotors (etc) and strut tower across? It seems easier and it would avoid messing around with ball joints and the like.. Are the chassis mounting points for the sway bar otherwise the same? Guess the front ride height might be a bit different on the end product but thats no biggy..

Is this the best approach??

Cheers for yet more advice.

You can mix and match the front suspension components in fact you'll find that your VN control arms still have the VB-VL anti sway bar holes in them. It's the VR where things get different (as previously discussed).

My theory on the placement of the VN anti sway bar outer attachment points is to wring the absolute most out of the anti sway bar.

If the VN strut gets compressed 1 inch then the ARB (anti roll or sway bar but I'm a slow typist) deflects that whole inch but when the ARB is connected to the bottom arm it's inboard of the strut so theoretically if the strut compresses one inch then the ARB may only deflect 7/8th of an inch thus being less effective.

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Vandals and graffiti "artists" do everyone a favour and target parking meters and fixed speed cameras only.

With the tanks, doesn't matter if it's V8 or V6 (V8s more commonly have a long range tank though), and you can use anything from a VP, VR or VS sedan, with a live axle. (Avoid VN, as some had the dual-pump system that's more cumbersome in a conversion).

The reason I prefer VS, is mainly because they are much newer, so less chance of corrosion inside, or exterior damage, as they have seen less use/age.

The VS ones are a little narrower than the earlier ones (this happened during VR), giving you a bit more exhaust room (but no loss of capacity). This allows you to run a true dual exhaust system, with a muffler under each rear floor (factory locations), and dual 2 inch pipes from the diff to the tail, with a hot-dog on each tailpipe to get rid of the bark (one mounted offset ahead of the other one to keep the pipes close together), rather than using a crappy 2-in 2-out rear resonator where the dual pipes converge inside it. Without that little bit of extra room, you're running too close to the tank.

Cheers,

Mick
_______________________________________________________________

Judge a successful man not on how he treats his peers, but on how he treats those less fortunate.

Had a few afternoons to play with the donor car and nearly got the engine out. Only things giving me grief are the computer loom which I couldnt get through the wall and had to cut, and the allen key bolts in the driveshaft which wont budge so im hopin this week ill be able to drop the middle join and drop it out of the gearbox that way.
The other more annoying things are the clutch cable and the extractors. I cant get to the flange to undo the extractors and im pretty sure i wont be able to budge them even if I do so I think I might cut them. Or undo them from the engine but that sucks too. And the clutch cable I just cant seperate from the top of the pedal!! Its drivin me crazy. I have a VH one here and it look like it just hooks over the top but it wonrt come off. Is there something else holding them on on the VNs?

Anyhoo enough yak, time for beer..

Cheers.

Thanks Mick.
Yep might just try to get them out from the cat.

I have undone the clutch cable at the box. Got plenty of play, but just cant unhook it from the pedal and cant really see in there to work out whats goin on. Theres a big alarm thingy in there and everything else is covered in silicone and gunk. It looks like something out of Dr who!!

Anyhoo will do more muckin around when I get the chance. (while the mrs is still away!) Thanks for the reply.

Cheers.