howdy all

**Dago** · 22-03-2013, 10:05 AM

A mate of mine put the 6 speed manual into his HZ tonner and he had clearance issues. Not sure about the dimensions of the auto, hopefully it'll clear for you!

**Alien DNA** · 22-03-2013, 11:17 AM

Keen to know what cross member you'll be using for mounting the trans

**Epic_Dragon** · 22-03-2013, 05:12 PM

looking at piccies the manual ones look like a bigger housing that this auto, but see how we go. will just cut tunnel and make it bigger if need be. my cross member for the gear box is a welded in one. went in during last engine/gearbox change. i did not weld it in, would rather it were bolted, but one of those things. so hoping it functions with this one. i believe it will. i will try remember to take a photo of it.

**benvanman** · 22-03-2013, 06:15 PM

Hey leone glad to see you are getting close to having it in there, I'm sure you will be very motivated once it is ! When I was reading up on doing the ls1 conversion the auto trans fitted in the tunnel but you need the turbo 400/700 trans crossmember and yours is the 350 one but you may be able to modify in some way ( not 100 percent sure of this ) I hope it just slots straight in there for ya tho

**Epic_Dragon** · 22-03-2013, 09:19 PM

ill wing it and see what happens

haha gotta have some good luck/karma at some point hahaha

hows that 308 going? in a vehicle again yet?

and yes already quite motivated. cannot remember for the life of me how to plumb it all up though, i need some converter thing i think to make the auto and speedo talk to each other. new guages too as dont think the originals will work with the motor. i seriously cannot remember. will all come back to me as i progress though i am sure. new fuel filter and fuel lines, i remember that much! brake upgrade too along the way!

**benvanman** · 24-03-2013, 09:23 AM

yeah you will be right at least plenty of people have done the conversion now and there is a lot of reading on the net , aussie v8 is another good forum with plenty of read ups.
dont know if the 308 is in another car yet as im sorry to say i sold the van and motor with it but i did get another project a hq coupe and it already has a chev in it. i will still always be a vanner at heart but its just a bit hard to fit the family in one thats all

**Epic_Dragon** · 24-03-2013, 09:05 PM

ahh sounds like you got a good hq coupe to take the family cruising in

**Epic_Dragon** · 26-03-2013, 11:12 PM

well my dad is an absolute legend!! and a great mate also was up helping. needless to say flex/plate/ flywheel is now all covered up :D was a bit of a mission. but all done :D and engine still on tractor ready for thursday for sump gasket to be attached, plate to be all tightened up and round 1 putting it into its new home! tractor has hydraulic leak so set up some 'jack stands' to hold it up so it doesnt go down and crush my engine LOL. so excited. i hope it goes in ok. nervous about the trans, and the trans cross member so cross all fingers and toes for me for it to be a smooth fit!

The other issue i have, is what to do with oil dipstick, i would have thought the new sump, which was rather expensive, would have a hole somewhere to fit it. but there is nothing. What would anyone do in this situation? how do you make a hole yourself in the sump and fit the dipstick? i have absolutely no idea what to do. will put a piccie up. taking for ever as ive used all my internet gbs for the month :( only get 15gb a month and costs a small fortune!!!!!!!!!!!!

sump, and dipstick which needs to be moved. but not sure of plan of attack.

the plate fits nice and snug

my dad rocks!

and engine ready to rock n roll on thursday when another mate comes up to continue helping get it fitted in the pano, wish me luck on thursday :D make shift jack stands because the tractor has leaking hydraulics as most old tractors do. doesnt really takt it long to go down so this will stop if from squashing my engine!

**jaft** · 27-03-2013, 12:02 AM

Nice work leonie

**Epic_Dragon** · 28-03-2013, 10:54 PM

First thing i did when got up this morning was sus out what the heck to do with the dipstick, and little legend of a bung was my hero!!!!!!!!!! there was a spot in the block just for it after all :D

ENGINE IS IN :D :D :D :D :D :D :D:D
BUT OH MY GOD IT WAS HARD WORK!!!!!!!!!!!
i think moroso needs to change the shape of the sump just slightly, as in no corners, and it would have been so much easier. took ALL day to slowly get it in. I thought it was going to be a job to take sump off to get in. it just was fighting hte whole time, took air con thing, off, then one of the alternator brackets. then engine mounts could go further forward to where they needed to be. but god dam, what a mission. then seriously, its like the panel van just decided to 'breath in' and it just went that tiny bit more and was in! then heaps of room! ended up having to cut my gearbox cross member out. it was stupidly welded in (not by me) to get it all angled right to bit by bit get the engine in. dont know how people get these in without a tractor AND and engine crane!! And a jack!!!!!!And a ride on mower (i lvoe my ride on mower) all working together to get odd angles. Dad is going to weld some plates on the ends of my gear box cross member over the weekend so it can be bolted in like it is supposed to be. And it will be perfect for the job. Auto trans fits in there lovely. it all looks so good. I am in a serious amount of pain, and in pretty bad way BUT MY ENGINE IS IN :D :D :D:D:D:D after all this time ITS IN :D :D:D:D:D:D:D
Now i get the awesome bits of figuring how to wire it all up. no idea on all this. new territory for me. And i need to work out how to relocate A/C, and i think can make a different bracket for the back of the alternator. Want to make the trans run with column shift so see how that goes!
feels so good that my pano finally has its engine in :D and pics :D

It was getting this close all day! just wouldnt go in!

Then all of a sudden, it FINALLY just fell in! Engine mounts were a bit temperamental as well! But got there in the end!