V6 questions.... Jack? Dave D?

[Danb1987]

Just wondering really about the practicality and cost between a v6 or an xe?

They seem to be both priced around the same but the v6 obviously has abit more power.

Is the v6 much harder to fit than an xe and in a saloon (jack) will it be immensely sh*te for handling ??

The car wouldn't be used for racing around just a few 1/4 miles n the odd blast around!

Mpg wise anygood? Reliabilty?

Dan

[Mazz]

V6's with 3.0 cams & enlarged TB will make nigh-on 200bhp, iirc they are only 10-15kg more than an XE...

[General Baxter]

problem is, with the v6, that extra weight is you might aswell say, hanging over the bumper lol

[Jack]

Handling isn't ideal lol Although to be fair mine had eco tyres and I didn't intend to use it as a B road basher. It'll never run rings round a 2.0 though.

I wouldn't entertain the idea of a 2.5 tbh unless it had the 3.0 cams, inlet etc in which case you may as well just get the 3.0 unless you find a 2.5 for good money with all the parts stuck on as required.

Fitting isn't that much different to a 2.0; NS mount is obviously different. Radiator is a squeeze, waterwork piping needs a bit of work iirc. Rear exhaust manifold will need cutting or reshaping, as it won't clear the steering rack. Custom exhaust is needed too. Not sure about the 2.5 inlet, but on the 3.0 Lee had to make a custom throttle linkage. Errrm can't remember what else off the top of my head was needed.

MPG, I get low 20's daily. On a run you can up this to 27-28, ~30 if you go steady. Thats with no lambdas though. Compared to the ~40mpg I had with the old 2.0..! They're fairly reliable, I had CTS and air leak issues on mine, but was cheap to fix. Other issues are mainly heat related - oil cooler tends to get hot and spring leaks, plastic rocker covers can cook and warp (so replace with metal ones) and generally they can run hot unless they have a good supply of air in the front. I think mine has been one of the more reliable conversions though when you consider reliability vs. usage.

[edit] No different to fitting into a saloon than a hatchback btw; front end is the same. I suppose the saloon might have the advangate in than you have the opportunity to distribute the weight better but I'm not sure I'd want to have too much hanging off the back to act as a counterbalance lol

[gunny]

Is the v6 much harder to fit than an xe and in a saloon (jack) will it be immensely sh*te for handling ??


Personally ive found my past saloons far more capable in the twisties than the hatches

[mowgli]

i spoke with a bloke who used to compete in the old astra/nova challenge on a 1300 saloon, and he was adamant that the saloon was better balanced & had a much more rigid shell, so it helped the handling.

[gunny]

Personally i think the extra weight over the back makes them less skittish and more controllable/predictable.

[Balley]

Why didn't you run the Lambda Sensors Jack?

[Jack]

Couldn't be arsed to drill them into the manifolds. Plus its fun to shoot flames out the back lol


i spoke with a bloke who used to compete in the old astra/nova challenge on a 1300 saloon, and he was adamant that the saloon was better balanced & had a much more rigid shell, so it helped the handling.
That would kinda make sense actually. The saloon doesn't have a large opening at the back, even if you cut out the rear shelf and seat plating it still has metalwork running under the rear window which would help I suppose

[MattBrown]

Local lad has built a tidy 3.0

Brand new sintra 3.0 bottom end, ST220 heads, with G cams, fully ported and polished, new valves etc

Made 245BHP on the rollers.

Now on its 3rd set of valves though, when they let go, they let go hard lol

[Danb1987]

Basicly with the loon not selling for what I wanted I'm gonna stick with it and fit a bigger engine....

I'd like to go turbo but I haven't got £1200+ free lol

The Saab thread I made would be the cheapest but iv not seen any threads with anyone completing one for reference?? So I'm guessing it's nion impossible :|

An Xe would make sense due to them bieng pretty cheap and millions of people do that conversion so it would be easy to copy!

The v6 is tempting me after seeing the YouTube video (jack) it looks immense in a straight line but I wouldn't want to not be able to drive it/ lose it in a ditch lol

Really I'm on a pretty tight budget but just want something thatl bring a smile to my face everytime I get into it, that won't leave me with majorly empty pockets?

[MattBrown]

XE then.

Limiter limiter all day for laughs.

Same as V6's, but my mates does around 18mpg lol lol lol

[Danb1987]

The one that really comes to mind is the Saab conversion bit as stated in my other thread I can't find anyone that's done it...

You can get a full Saab 900 for like £400ish where as you'd just get a shonky xe for that lol

[Nobby]

its all about the v6 lol

[blue_peg_16v]

2.0 ecotec will give about 145 with egr and cat removed and a decent exhaust and won't of done moon milage like an xe can get early vectras for feck all and the 2.0 calipers are same as v6 so just need discs from a meriva weight the crusty shell and cat in and you will get 150 for it mounts and shafts are same as xe too so not expensive

[NOVA saloon]

1.6 16v ported and polished head good 4-2-1 exhaust powerbox fuel pressure reg. That's what I have in my loon and will batter majority of xe's. Plus handle loads better than xe. 1.6 16v FTW.

[bazil]

Z32SE, stick that in it! end of.

Oh and this 3.0 cams in a 2.5?
I thought the X25XE in the GSI was around 200 anyway??

[mk1nova_rich]

Another vote for baby XE with the mods mentioned above

[AlexW]

Z32SE, stick that in it! end of.

Oh and this 3.0 cams in a 2.5?
I thought the X25XE in the GSI was around 200 anyway??

The Vec GSI's run 3.0 cams as std, Thats why they have more bhp than the SRi V6's

[gunny]

Ever had an XE nova?

[scott.parker]

Ever had an XE nova?

Yes! yes i have, I'm on my second nova with the same engine just allot more evolved..

And IMO an XE wins hands down on a standard easy conversion, you have to realise that there is a reason why you see so many of these engines in novas, and OTHER cars (escort mk1/2) all over the world...:thumb:

[gunny]

I was asking Dan :tard: Lol

But yeh agreed they're winners pure and simple. If you build one you won't regret it.

[Jack]

To be fair, I got bored of my 2.0 very quickly, but I was expecting it to be as quick as people make out. Which it wasn't lol

[scott.parker]

I knew that mate i was just putting my answer with some sarcasm.

[Danb1987]

Iv never had an xe gunny.. If you did an xe conversion but decided to eventually go let isit a simple swap bar gearbox mount?

Iv had a Corsa c c20let and that was mint until It started getting problems lol

[scott.parker]

To be fair, I got bored of my 2.0 very quickly, but I was expecting it to be as quick as people make out. Which it wasn't lol

Yes but you had already got/drove faster cars etc, so it wont/don't have the same effect as some one who's not etc.

Plus it must be the extra wight in the saloon that makes it less effective! lol

[Mazz]

Even the same g/box mount if you use an F20

[scott.parker]

Iv never had an xe gunny.. If you did an xe conversion but decided to eventually go let isit a simple swap bar gearbox mount?

Iv had a Corsa c c20let and that was mint until It started getting problems lol

Pretty much, but you then have to decide what your doing turbo/inter cooler/ inlet pipe wise, as these also need mods for on some due to what your running etc.

Look around, Benn's Nick J's Mieran's and you'll see what i mean.

[Danb1987]

An xe would make sense tbf as I'd always be able to go let.... The plan is to go turbo at some point but I just don't have the money for a let :( lol

I went in a friend xe tigra and that shifted pretty well but my Corsa ate it for breakfast!

[scott.parker]

Yeah but tigra's are over weight funny looking corsa's! lol

[Mike]

Yeah but tigra's are over weight funny looking corsa's! lol

Corsa C's are incredibly heavier then a Tigra though Scott, an handle a LOT worse IMO. Come to think of it they look worse, cost more to repair, PITA to work on compared to Tigra/Corsa/Nova etc etc.

I would only EVER own another Corsa C if I was never ever going to modify it in anyway at all. Ever. IMHO there diabolical cars.

EDIT: Just to add, Jacks car is forking quick in a straight line aswell! Managed 15 something at the Pod last year on pretty much part throttle & 4krpm changes lol lol

[Jon_nova1]

how stramge, i was looking into a V6 conversion, i've got a shell ready to take an F28, big block, have an F28 to collect and just need an engine, was looking at the 3L,/3.2L, but which V6 would erm.... "fit" so to speak aslong as they have XE in the code they're based on the same range as the nova/astra mountings right??

and what regarding a saab?? I'll be looking at a whole car, taking what i need then scrapping it, I found a £300 montery:tard:

[scott.parker]

Corsa C's are incredibly heavier then a Tigra though Scott, an handle a LOT worse IMO. Come to think of it they look worse, cost more to repair, PITA to work on compared to Tigra/Corsa/Nova etc etc.

I would only EVER own another Corsa C if I was never ever going to modify it in anyway at all. Ever. IMHO there diabolical cars.

EDIT: Just to add, Jacks car is forking quick in a straight line aswell! Managed 15 something at the Pod last year on pretty much part throttle & 4krpm changes lol lol

Sorry Mike i didn't notice the "C" near the Corsa, just assumed it was B, as thats what i was comparing etc.

[Adam]

1.6 16v ported and polished head good 4-2-1 exhaust powerbox fuel pressure reg. That's what I have in my loon and will batter majority of xe's. Plus handle loads better than xe. 1.6 16v FTW.
The XEs you are "battering" are broken then.
A standard xe is soo much quicker than a mildly messed with 1.6 16v.

And yes ive had both :thumb:

[Danb1987]

I think I'm gonna go with the xe tbh just for ease of eventually going let.

The Corsa I had was ****e at handling it was fine in a straight line but in the twistys the steering felt to light and fluffy lmaoo!

[scott.parker]

You wont get the light feeling with an XE nova! lol

[Nobby]

xe's are stupidly easy to fit the v6 is abit more of a ball ache check my project thread lol and as for swapping the xe to a let or v6 to a let theres no real dfference same gearbox just a front mount swap and a few water pipes

[Danb1987]

What will I need to leave in the nova when I remove my engine? Can you use the same accelerator cable clutch cable etc etc?

Also jack how bad is your saloon to drive? Isit undriveable?
Maybe the 2.5 in a saloon will be slighty better as there's a little less weight?

[Mazz]

Compared to?

[mowgli]

3.0 ? there will be little or no difference lol

[Jack]

Also jack how bad is your saloon to drive? Isit undriveable?
LOL no, if it was undriveable I'd take the engine out lol

It drives how you want to drive. Quite happily purrs along unless you stomp your foot down in which case it attempts to launch you through the nearest hedge.

I can't imagine the 2.5 being any lighter tbh as its essentially the same engine. If you're going for something that heavy, you may as well just get decent power from it. I probably wouldn't consider fitting a standard 2.5 as the weight distribution vs. power output over a 2.0 isn't all that great.

[Danb1987]

Tbh iv never driven or been in an xe nova so il have no comparison to how it drives to one... Il be happy if it goes where I want it to steadily for general driving about and enough grunt to easily overtake when needs must.

Will it just be a case of getting an xe mount kit v6 mount off dave and sorting the shafts/hubs out....

(never done a conversion before)

But hopefully itl be ready for pvs.... The 1.2 should be coming out this week.

[Jack]

If you use an F20, you just need the same shafts/hub setup as an XE.

You will also need to figure out what to do with the exhaust, as the rear manifold won't clear the steering rack and you'll probably need a custom flange (snigger) back creation too.

[Danb1987]

I read nobbys thread about the rear manifold.... I'm sure me and my mig can come up with some genius masterpeice!!
All being well I'm getting the shafts hubs and mounts Friday. x25xe and a rollcage Saturday and order the chassis strengthening kit so that should be here next week...
Il be using an f18 box as that's what's coming with darrels engine.

[Nobby]

You can use -

Radiator
Speedo cable
clutch cable
some of the water hoses
rear gearbox mount but you will need to spaceit over
gear linkage but it will need some cutting off as it hits the engine

thats it i think you will need -

engine
geabox
shafts either 22 spline gte/gsi or big block shafts and hubs
brakes im using v6 drilled to 4 stud
decent suspension to take the weight im using bilstein yellows
exhaust system
front engine mount
the front drivers rad pipe is a bit of a bitch just trial and error to see what works!
Smaller alternator belt i used a Halfords 1 HAL975 part number

think thats it lol

[Bubba]

Tbh iv never driven or been in an xe nova so il have no comparison to how it drives to one...

i found it quite a big let down tbh.lol

[david dixon]

Nobby, you should not have to cut the linkage, it should not be hitting the engine!
The rear manifold needs a wedge cutting out of it then bending back together then you have to weld the inner skin back together then weld the outer skin back together, after you've dont that you will need to alter the downpipe to suit the position of your newly modified rear manifold.

p.s. if you are building a v6 for 1/4 mile then go for a 2.5, if you are building it for road use then use a 3.0. just my opinion.

David.

[Danb1987]

Another couple of questions.....

Looking at your thread dave the offside chassis mount looks like it's just been stitch welded? Do you supply a kit that makes it easier to fit?

Also what metal mass needs removing I.e bulkhead etc...

The main thing I'm concerned about is actually mounting the engine, will anything be needed from my 1.2?

[Jack]

Also what metal mass needs removing I.e bulkhead etc...

I still have mine, loads of clearance round the back BUT thats with the 3.0 inlet.

Also had to cut the slam panel a little so it fitted round the front bank

[david dixon]

We stitch welded most of the bay on the 3.2 nova.
We can do you a front mount and rear spacer kit for that engine.
The slam panel was removed on both and fitted a length of angle iron bent in the middle to retain the V

David.

[Nobby]

Nobby, you should not have to cut the linkage, it should not be hitting the engine!
David.

oh right lol i havent fitted mine yet but the linkage was cut on my old v6?? fart knows with that build though lol

[Danb1987]

Any chance of some pics of the rear of the engine? Without the bulkhead cut if anyone has any?

[david dixon]

The fire wall is half cut on the white one if that pic is any good to you? not the bulk head though!

David.