"Boss" - EH Ute Build

[hewey]

Looks pretty solid. Happy with it, having got even more up close with it?

[Sly Fox]

Looks pretty solid. Happy with it, having got even more up close with it?

Hi Hewey, it has its share of issues that can all be fixed but overall its fairly solid.

After a heap of research on what others have done to fix similar issues and the great availability of reproduction parts, it had to be saved and kept in the family.

It has to wait its turn, but I'm looking forward to the day I can hook into it.

[Gojeep]

A great result.

[Sly Fox]

I saw this for sale in NZ about 18 months ago at a heaps cheaper price compared to what I had been seeing them advertised for so I agreed a sale and crossed my fingers that it would turn up.

Time was getting away and I was starting to think I’d done my dough, then to my relief it turned up.
Should clean up well when the time comes and add some character to the interior.

[Gojeep]

Nice shape to it. What was it out of?

[Sly Fox]

Nice shape to it. What was it out of?

It's an original EH console, I'll need to fill the hole that someone cut into the top.

[Newbee]

Nice score there Pete, it would have been out of a Premier I believe.

Regards Newbee

[FRANK BASILE]

Nice score with a family history. Body looks pretty solid and straight. For drive train I would say if not going the "restored look" keeping the red motor with period hop up gear. A Commodore V6 with its AOD box will give plenty of grunt with reasonable fuel economy. Whole donor vehicles are cheap to be found. IMHO the best for such swaps would have been the VP Commodore. The engine was an improvement over the first V6 VN that had cooling plumbing and pipes at the rear. The VP like the VR had the cleaner simple looking engine. The VP was the model with the 4L60 an upgraded T700 without computer controlled system. VR went 4L60E with engine management trans controller . My wife had one of those VP,s for 10 years got it for free in 2012 with a busted piston. 93 model with 403,000 Ks on the clock. I shoved a lower Kms VR donk into it. The plastic cogs in the odometer stripped out in 2013 so we never could tell how many K,s it ended up with when the trans started playing up in 2022. I got hold of a warranted T700 to swap into it,and seeing the F1 pickup was not far from rego, my wife now losing driving confidence .told me not to bother and I drove it around to the local "Jollys" wreckers, pulled the plates and got $550 for it. Made sense as we registered the PU to her and took advantage of the half price full rego per individual card holders having full/ part pensions. Yep It always cross my mind during those years with that Commodore as to if ever having an early Holden those V6 plants would be a neat swap, have seen one locally in a 48-215 Ute.

[zuffen]

It's sort of funny Frank that people talk down those early engines as if they fall apart at low K's.

I drove a SP around 15 years ago with almost 400,000k on it and when I gave it back to my mate I said to him "that rattle in door would drive me mad" that was the worst part of the car. it drove really well

Any thoughts on the later Econo engines? I see they have really long timing chains and susoect they are a bit of an issue.

[FRANK BASILE]

Those eco engines just look downright ugly to me, the earlier somehow look a lot neater. As for any other pros and cons. We only had the VP to go on. I got hold of a VN from a young guy at work before I retired,he was offered $100 trade in. I gave him $100 instead and collected the vehicle from outside the dealership. I removed the engine/trans for one of my grand kids mates, that is when I noticed the cooling plumbing manifolds, not stat top back of the engine. And they also had steel header style manifolds, not cast. And the exhaust ports circular rather than rectangular.I liked the VP /VR version for that better look,and the VP with a plain simple non computer trans, Also now that the memory is jogged, those ecotec engines have alloy oil pans with a groove and O ring style gasket, whereas the earlier had the familiar steel.I remember this from our son trying to fit one into an E36 BMW,

[Sly Fox]

Thanks for the info Frank, I’m with you on the look of the Ecotec engine compared to the look of the Series 2 VN, VP engines that I think work better with the age of the ute.

Over a year ago I purchased my late father in laws Aug 91 VN Commodore that he bought new and was always a country car and well serviced by Holden. The mother in law needed a new washing machine and wanted to sell the Commodore but hadn’t done anything about it so I paid $700 for the washing machine and I got the car, so everyone was happy.


It’s been parked up for quite a few years now, but I remember driving it and it pushed the Commodore along well. Unfortunately, it’s a manual so I’d need to get an auto box and I’d look to use the diff and wiring harness as well.

The V6 fills the engine bay nicely, an LS1 would be nice but combining two of the father in laws cars was the original plan and will give the car its DNA.

Here’s some in EH engine bays.

[FRANK BASILE]

I remember paying $400 in 2012 for an under 100kms VR engine as a c/o to transplant into the VP. Delivered with harness. They collected the old one a week later. The best AOD trans was in the VP,s as well. Improved T700 called a 4L60. Then with the VR they went 4L60E with electronic control. One good bit I collected from those VN/VP/VR was their Bosh alternators with the sense wire. Similar mounting config as the earlier versions, with higher o/p and swappable into our Mustangs and Fairlane after swapping pulleys to vee belt. Main attaching bolt holes need a slight drill out.

[Sly Fox]

I remember paying $400 in 2012 for an under 100kms VR engine as a c/o to transplant into the VP. Delivered with harness. They collected the old one a week later. The best AOD trans was in the VP,s as well. Improved T700 called a 4L60. Then with the VR they went 4L60E with electronic control. One good bit I collected from those VN/VP/VR was their Bosh alternators with the sense wire. Similar mounting config as the earlier versions, with higher o/p and swappable into our Mustangs and Fairlane after swapping pulleys to vee belt. Main attaching bolt holes need a slight drill out.

Thanks for educating me on the different model gearboxes Frank, sounds like I'll be looking for a 4L60.

[37fordpu]

Vn and VP used 2 different speed pulses ( from memory 10 pulses for speedo and 2 pulses for ECM). There is a signal splitter in the speedo. People using the original harness used to hide the speedo under the front seats to get around this. When I built an FJ with VN v6 I got a 2 pulse sensor from Castle auto electrics and piggy backed it on the speedo sensor. If the ECM doesn't get the right signal it thinks the car is revving but not moving and does weird things to the tune

[Sly Fox]

Managed to score a left hand door that was complete except for the glass for $50, how could I refuse.


I’ve decided to reskin both doors as part of the build to make sure they last and it turned out to be a good idea.






Lots of rust on the door skin, luckily the door survived a lot better than the skin.