To ditch the Eseries or to DOHC it, that is the question.

by **vegabass** » April 6th, 2012, 8:20 pm

I'm currently separating from my wife and once its all settled Ill have a bit of play money. I was thinking of buying a cheap race car like a EA Saloon but then i was thinking ill be doing a shit load of kms from the Gold Coast to Canberra regularly. I was thinking of getting out of E series and into something like a AUIII XR8 Rebel manual, or a G220, or a BA/f Fairmont Ghia V8, maybe even a Subaru GT liberty or XT Forester. All of the things I was thinking would cost 10-18K. Then I thought what if i did a DOHC on my EL XR6?

Who does drive in drive out conversions and actually knows what they are doing? Id want a BF XR6 turbo engine and a T56 box conversion. The car will be rego'd back in QLD so it will get a mod plate.

I'm also happy to have this done anywhere eg, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide.

It has to be reliable, it will be put on LPG for the long trips, it has to make me smile when I smash the throttle!

by **markr154** » April 6th, 2012, 8:25 pm

I know someone in NSW mate

Sorry to hear about the seperation, been there, done that ...but no regrets, lol. You will be fine mate :drinks2:

by **NUT347** » April 6th, 2012, 8:31 pm

Shit man sorry to hear!

I live on the coast now too so we will have to catch up man!

by **superhuS!** » April 6th, 2012, 8:36 pm : **nothin suss Likes this post**

1 - Buy BA LTD for ~$13K.
2 - Remaining monies go toward turbo SOHC in your EL XR6.
3 - ????
4 - Profit.

by **vegabass** » April 6th, 2012, 9:09 pm

Either that or keep the XR as is, drive the wagon till it dies, and buy this

http://www.my105.com/ListingDetails/tab ... fault.aspx

or this

http://www.my105.com/ListingDetails/tab ... fault.aspx

Nut, I am so keen to catch up with everyone again. Ill be based in Tweed again but chances are Ill be working at maybe Gold Coast hospital or even the new Robina hospital.

Hus, I'm putting most of my cash away but am dedicating a little for play. My EL is so damn reliable it would be a shame to disturb its chi with something mental.

by **TAXI** » April 6th, 2012, 9:35 pm

Hienrich performance in adelaide does conversions for around 8k

by **vegabass** » April 6th, 2012, 10:57 pm

I knew Hienrich has done a few, but i thought they were a little cheaper than that. Maybe the 6k mark. I guess each conversion is different depending on what the client wants.

Anyway I have plenty of time to think about it driving from the ACT back to the sweet sweet Gold Coast!

When are you heading up mate?

PS: Queensland fucken rocks.

by **Bipolar** » April 6th, 2012, 11:13 pm

Damn Drew, talk about unexpected change. Whatever happens, I've come out of a long-term relationship and moved all my shiz from Canberra to the Sunsnine State so I have an idea of where you're at.

Let us know when you're back up and I'll get a cruise happening you can join in on.

by **vegabass** » April 6th, 2012, 11:54 pm

Hell yeah! Ill be doing a quick trip end of April/early May, but am confident ill be fully moved back end of May early June just before my birthday :drinks2:

I have to do a few trips as I cant drive 2 cars at once lol.

by **ed40** » April 7th, 2012, 9:28 am

wtf I thought u where coming to WA?
Sorry to hear about the seperation.

Buy the saloon car. You cant do shit on the roads these days and you will have tonnes more fun racing. One of my goals is to have a race car probably saloon, you can pick em up ready to go for under 10k these days.

by **vegabass** » April 7th, 2012, 10:10 am

Yeah WA was looking pretty good but in the end it would of ended in disaster anyway. The other thing that appeals is if I break the race car on the track I can just shrug the shoulders and put it on the trailer, and not think oh shit how am I going to get home...

by **Commando** » April 7th, 2012, 10:32 am

vegabass wrote:I'm currently separating from my wife and once its all settled Ill have a bit of play money.

Normally play money is mentioned AFTER everything is settled. But srsly, I hope it's all for the best for you & your ex wife.

Drive-in-drive-out DOHC-T T56 LPG sounds like a best-of-all-worlds scenario, if not pricey. I dunno why i'm using so many hyphens...

by **vegabass** » April 7th, 2012, 12:21 pm

Dont worry, my play money is just that, 90% of my settlement cash will be banked and not touched.

by **EF ECTIV** » April 7th, 2012, 4:29 pm

sux to hear about the separation mate... saloon car sounds ideal given the circumstances; but marky mark seems to
have had a great conversion for the DOHC...

by **wicksy** » April 7th, 2012, 5:29 pm

Turn a EA into a power cruise car something that can rip skids and hang sideways

by **Hayden** » April 7th, 2012, 6:17 pm

theres a place down here in belgrave that does walk in walk out conversions, kyle knows the name..

just buy the au

by **markr154** » April 7th, 2012, 6:54 pm

EF ECTIV wrote:sux to hear about the separation mate... saloon car sounds ideal given the circumstances; but marky mark seems to
have had a great conversion for the DOHC...

Yes, I have had a great conversion ...no regrets whatsoever, and the best decision I've made ever for my car.

Just bear in mind the Heinrich (and other) conversions are a basic install, you will still have power steering / AC lines, Temp gauge, and Tacho issues to sort out yourself ...and you won't be able to have much input into what gets done and put where etc.

Make sure you use someone who has mechanical AND auto-electrical expertise as I did. Give Jacob a buzz ...I can PM you his details if you like

by **TUFED6** » April 7th, 2012, 8:07 pm

If its your daily, get a BA 4sure.

by **Sunboost** » April 8th, 2012, 8:13 am

Buy BF XR6T (~$15k for a good one), put it on gas, never look back.

by **vegabass** » April 8th, 2012, 10:09 am

I hate having options....*sigh*

That's interesting about shops doing conversions and not sorting out the little things like temp, a/c, power steer etc. I guess if by the time you finish all the loose ends it costs you $10k then buying a good factory BF XRT looks like good value at 15k

Mark, ill send a PM at some stage. How did you go with cruise control? That is a MUST! and will be a deal breaker in the DOHC conversion option.

by **krisisdog** » April 8th, 2012, 10:33 am

Fuuuu that's expensive if all they're doing is dropping the motor in and wiring it with the bare minimum to run!

Maybe a BA turbo would be the best op for a daily, then drop a motor from one into an EA or something for a powercruise/track hack?

by **vegabass** » April 19th, 2012, 3:19 pm

Sundeep wrote:Buy BF XR6T (~$15k for a good one), put it on gas, never look back.

I am having a discussion on another forum about BA/F FPV's. They are saying the build quality is rubbish and that either spend extra for a FG XR6t or get a gooood AU. One blokes opinion (and not challenged) is that AU's trims and plastics are streets ahead of anything B series and that B series feel loose and fall appart.

I Ipromptly said Im not selling my low km EL XR6 for an AU. I can pick up a FG XR6T for about 20k but they have about 100k on the clock and some are ex HWP cars.

Sunny, I dont think anyone is as expirenced as you are with B series so whats you opinion?

by **ford_racing_8** » April 19th, 2012, 4:13 pm

I agree with the BF, scrap the e series. Ive got 2 B series now and had no real problems, build quality isnt quite as nice as the AU's but they look heaps better, there comfy and seem to be reliable.

by **vegabass** » April 19th, 2012, 5:00 pm

Their main gripe with them is the suspenion is prone to wearing quickly and that the plastics are crap and rattle.

But seriously, at what point (km wise) do B series start to become more hassle than they are worth?

by **needfordspeed** » April 19th, 2012, 5:11 pm

I had one with 178,000 kms, and yeah they have their common problems as does any car but I wouldn't say they're crap quality.

PS don't bother modifying your daily, just buy the best car you can afford for a daily and have a project on the side.

by **vegabass** » April 19th, 2012, 5:33 pm

Well thats what Im thinking, either have a race car and keep the el as is or buy a F6/GT do some basic mods like intake and exhaust and just drive it.

would you buy a BAII F6 with say 150k on the clock?

by **ford_racing_8** » April 19th, 2012, 6:09 pm

vegabass wrote:Their main gripe with them is the suspenion is prone to wearing quickly and that the plastics are crap and rattle.

But seriously, at what point (km wise) do B series start to become more hassle than they are worth?

I guess it comes down to how they were treated.... My turbo has just over 170,000 and i dont have any rattles, my only issue is the 4Spd is a little rough.

by **nothin suss** » April 20th, 2012, 7:00 am

My 2003 Wagon has approx 205k and is fine now.
I spent a grand replacing all the front end when I got it including bearings so it drives like new.
Anything over 100k expect ball joints and some bushes but factor that in.
As for the rear end in a sedan they do flog out a bit. It's obvious if a low Klms one has been mistreated.

by **nothin suss** » April 20th, 2012, 7:06 am

Interior wise I wouldn't knock the BA's either.
No they aren't super high quality plastic but they do the job.
At least they look better than AU and in my opinion don't rattle as much.
A bit of silicone spray here and there works a treat.

by **Commando** » April 20th, 2012, 7:51 am

Yep, as mentioned, the bushes flog out in them. Mine's on 245k and seems to have "aged" more quickly since 220k, but when I get around to freshening it up it should feel like a sub-200k car again. It has held together better than any of my previous cars.

Interior has held up excellently. One door trim (fake brushed aluminium on passenger door) is now loose but a dab of glue or even blu-tak would fix that. Driver's seat has developed a quiet squeak since 240k.

My car is having a harder life as it ages, I tried to 4wd it last weekend in the Alpine National Park.

Good brakes are a must, the std brakes are sheizenhausen.

by **vegabass** » April 20th, 2012, 8:17 am

Soooo, it sounds like with ANY car including E series they do age and often require a little love (like sticking the odd trim with glue) and keeping maintenance up with new bushes and fresh fluids.

With the next car I will be factoring bumper to bumper new bushes, shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends etc. That was I can have tight handling for years to come. Oh and yes brakes will be getting done to my specs.

Sounds like hard core AU owners are a lil special?

by **nothin suss** » April 20th, 2012, 8:34 am

AU2 onwards are great simple cars.
Bulletproof mechanically, the Inline 6 is economical but the car as a whole is zzz boring.

BA is just as easy to work on. Cheap to repair.
Not as economical but more comfortable so that's probably a sacrifice.
They have their quirks but they are really the new e-series but actually stop and handle.

by **Jet** » April 29th, 2012, 9:35 pm

You are going to get a lot more for your money buying a BF XR6T onwards. E-series builds never end; once you've done the engine conversion, you'll want bigger brakes, better suspension, etc, and you still have an old outdated interior. Everything is easier for B-series cars because there is now about 10 years worth of aftermarket development which means everything pretty much bolts up. An E-series car will easily spend three times as much time off the road because there is a lot more custom fabrication involved, and it can be very difficult to predict how much money you will spend. This is why there are so few workshops that will work on an e-series for a good price. You can own a B-series anywhere in Australia and easily find a reputable workshop where you can drive in knowing exactly what you are going to drive out with and how much it will cost.

by **EF ECTIV** » April 29th, 2012, 11:33 pm

ab_futura wrote:You are going to get a lot more for your money buying a BF XR6T onwards. E-series builds never end; once you've done the engine conversion, you'll want bigger brakes, better suspension, etc, and you still have an old outdated interior. Everything is easier for B-series cars because there is now about 10 years worth of aftermarket development which means everything pretty much bolts up. An E-series car will easily spend three times as much time off the road because there is a lot more custom fabrication involved, and it can be very difficult to predict how much money you will spend. This is why there are so few workshops that will work on an e-series for a good price. You can own a B-series anywhere in Australia and easily find a reputable workshop where you can drive in knowing exactly what you are going to drive out with and how much it will cost.

probably one of the most intelligent posts Ive seen... Unless you're really attached to your eseries upgrading is a much better idea; if I had
my time again I probably wouldve done things differently...

by **vegabass** » April 30th, 2012, 7:12 am

I like your post and have actually given this some thought. The DOHC conversion would be done at a shop or by some one who has done it before (has the space and tools) and can do it in a reasonable timeframe ie 2 weeks. My EL is pretty tidy, it already has koni shocks, superpro bushes, perfectly match king springs, and a great lpg system (which will be ditched or updated) I have cebco brakes ready so that takes care of most of that list. The interior is great although I have just got a job for a company that if I ever need leather retrim it will be no trouble.

Im moving to melb so once I arrive and finally sort out the legal stuff with the wife Ill be looking at my options and going from there. There will be a toy and it will be fun!

by **nothin suss** » April 30th, 2012, 8:13 pm

If I could justify 20 grand on a sedan i'd buy a high Klm BF2 Ghia in Ego, the Euro pack type and typhoon engine it. That would be sweet.
But add an injected LPG conversion and that's gonna blow your budget.