hi all.i have a hg belmont wagon with a 161 3 on the tree and drum brakes all round.the car is in a pretty tired state and im researching the ins and outs of fitting a v6 from a vn s2 or vp commodore. unsure whether to go manual or auto at this stage.the questions i have for now are can i use the front vn/vp discs,calipers and brake booster? ive read that i can use the commy diff with the hg mount brackets welded to it,is this correct?if i went with an auto would i need an auto pedal box from a hg?use the commy one?or use the one i have and remove the clutch pedal?
I will be buying a complete vn/vp donor car and a v6 conversion kit.
Are there any preferences which kits to buy ie:pat gardner or castlemain?

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Originally posted by HK1837
Firstly, i'd buy a VN-VP V8. Much easier conversion, and you won't have to Engineer it if you do it right. V6 won't fit properly transmission wise, and will reauire floor surgery. V8 will fit if you use a TH350.

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Agree 100% & will sound a whole lot better.

The HG had a cast iron block 308 from factory.

Get a pre '76 308 block and TH350 transmission, add all associated 308 brakes and suspension. Your car is able to be legally registered as a 308, as long as you add all of the 308 bits from another 308 HG.

Then if you want, put VN-VP heads, fuel injection etc on the block. You can end up with an easy 300hp all day any day reliably and fuel efficient (sort of efficient).

The V6 will be less power by far, and end up costing just as much, if not more to do.

for the kinds of dollars a somewhat decent HV8 will cost, its probably cheaper to buy a crate SBC.

Myself I wouldn't use the VN V6 because of the bottom end oiling, the rod bearings have to be kept an eye on as they suffer quicker wear than one would like. I personally like the idea of a V6 in these cars, it may not be the smartest choice money wise, I think the fellow who said add a fuel injected V8 308 is probably on the money for the best bang for buck. Later model ecotec engines had the oiling fault rectified, I also think the compression is way too low for any decent performance.

Pete good question, I just asked a friend, he said he was sure the V R didn't have the problem, can't be sure exactly when it was sorted. Sorry can't help anymore but maybe ask over at just commodores. I must admit I have been considering options to just get the holden inline six going stronger. Good luck with your project.

G'day pete11 I have seen them for sale at Castlemain rod shop they have kits for this type of thing and rod hadfield has been in the game for a long time,but he has sold the business a while ago and the new guy is pritty good they can help with the brakes,if you need a different boster crossmembers for auto and manual boxes, The diff i'm not to sure if they are the same widths or not if the size is close you should be able to cut of the old brackets and weld the new ones on,I have fitted a VB commi diff to a kingswood ute but i placed 10' wide deep dish rims on and a modified tailshaft and your pedal box i don't think you need to change but not 100% sure and the sump you can get as well also the v6 set up would be shorter than a v8 and you may be able to move the engine forward or backward to minimalise how much you have to cut the trans hump

cheers steve