I reckon there were s lot more than that. Just local to me heaps were wrecked in the 80’s as they were a cheap source of 5.0L and 4spd. If you wanted 5.0L and TH400 donor these were plentiful from Statesman and Caprice but 5.0L and 4spd really only came in GTS and these were still popular in the 80’s but VB’s were almost throwaway cars as you could buy a new one. Sure you could find 5.0L and 4spd in other cars like Sandman etc but not as common to find cheaply.

Option yes. Rare, not in my experience.

I'll reword my comment.......If you ordered the 5.0L in the SL/E the auto trans was standard and the 4 speed an option.

Does anyone have build numbers to see how many 5.0L 4 speeds were built ??

Going back to the original post, I doubt very much GMH would have fitted a 2.78 rear axle behind an M21 Aussie 4spd with 15” rims. Plus 2.78 rear axle ratio was replaced by 2.6 well before VB release. You could still get 2.78 in a banjo or disguised banjo (small Salisbury) which means only 6cyl and 4.2L got it. 5.0L manual was generally standard with 3.36 or 3.08. Torana with its smaller tyres and less weight generally used the taller ratios with 5.0L and 4spd.

Hi , from VB parts book October 1978 , 3.3-MC6-3.36-Econ-3.08
3.3-M20-3.36-Econ-3.08
3.3-M40-3.08-Pref-3.36
4.2-M20-3.08
4.2-M40-2.78-Perf-3.08
5.0-M21-3.08-Perf-3.36
5.0-M41-2.60-perf-3.08

Well put Mick. The 4spd 5.0L wasn't exclusive to GTS in W size vehicles though. Although 5.0L 4spd is not common (in volume terms) outside of GTS and Sandman in the W size Holden (HQ-HZ) there were significant amounts of 4spd 5.0L Kingswood (and HZ Kingswood SL) sedans and utes made, plus a number of others in wagon, coupe and van in most luxury levels. There was also at least one HQ Statesman built as 308 4spd. The only one you couldn't order a 308 in was HQ cab-chassis, and with 5.0L in HJ-HZ cab-chassis it was only with a TH400 or later TH350. Probably the rarest place to find 5.0L 4spd in HJ-HZ would be in a wagon or any LS/Premier (I don't think there were any HJ LS manuals made with any engine).

I remember the VC and WB release, the 5.0L was only available in Statesman and by special order in VC for Police or similar usage. The dual exhaust 4.2L XT5 engine was that much better than the final red 4.2L XT4 engine and not that much down on power compared to an XT5 5.0L that I guess GM decided that the VC didn't need the 5.0L.

It is a shame so many of those VB SL/E's were destroyed as less than 10 year old cars to donate their driveline. Most of the cars I saw in wreckers were still really good cars and not wrecks. They were simply bought from dealer trade-ins. The only thing wrong with them appeared to be faded metallic paint and some driver's seat wear. An awful lot of HJ-HZ Premier sedans and wagons and Statesmans went the same way at my local wrecker. In the mid 80's you could buy a low-ish kM HZ Deville at the auctions for $2000 or a 5.0L Premier wagon for similar and even less for an SL/E. Even then the front doors off the Holdens were $300 each and $1000 for a good running 5.0L, but most of the trim and panels off the SL/E's were junked as no-one wanted them. So they pulled out the driveline, the head and tail-lights and a few other trinkets and sent them to the scrap metal yard