squeezing power out of the AU I6

Sterling · 05-09-2011, 08:57 AM

so... after a thorough read of the BA into AU topic,

turns out what first thought was simple was actually far from it....

unless i read incorrectly, the BA with inoperative VCT is almost pointless, and the solutions to this are endless and look to be quite expensive!!

so yeah what have you guys done?? im talking cams & head work, turbos, supercharger installations, even 5ltr v8 swaps???

just looking for summaries here from people who are happy to share!!

how do the manual Au's go??

im still looking to do that conversion regardless, and if some people are more than happy with the gearing from the 5spd that might just be what i need....then again you can never go TOO fast

Cadge · 05-09-2011, 11:23 AM

Do the conversion

I have an AU S1 Fairmont and i threw in an XR6 i6 and Manual Gear box... Was extremly happy with the feel and power i got out of it (sorry have never put it on a Dyno to get an official reading...

I paid $3000 for a wreck with all the bits and pieces, evnded up only costing me about $1000 once i sold off most of the spare parts

Sterling · 05-09-2011, 03:10 PM

so how did YOU solve the vct problem??

Cadge · 05-09-2011, 03:22 PM

I dont have a VCT, i got an xr6 engine before they changed.

Sterling · 05-09-2011, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cadge

I dont have a VCT, i got an xr6 engine before they changed.

oh woops i thought u meant the BA one

Beer Baron · 05-09-2011, 05:19 PM

To fit an au VCT motor you fit the the motor, VCT engine loom and VCT ecu i think.

Ive converted my AU2 to manual and have some XR bits fitted and it goes well. Much more fun than the auto.

dansedgli · 05-09-2011, 05:40 PM

How much do you want to spend?

FGII-XR6 · 05-09-2011, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grease Rat in Mad Max

speed's just a question of money. How fast you wanna go?

A budget is an important starting point or it gets out of control.

mik · 05-09-2011, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dansedgli

How much do you want to spend?

that is the most important question of the lot i think, you have to be realistic, and i`m with you, i think i`d stay away from forced induction if your running gas unless you have a good supply of panadol and or a big wallet.

robbyj · 05-09-2011, 06:40 PM

why would you bother putting a BA motor into an AU? my non xr AU is "faster" then my mates non xr BA, both with just exhausts no real engine mods. (its probably not, just from little drags with each other etc it seems to be)

For the money you'd spend id just strap a supercharger to the AU.

FGII-XR6 · 05-09-2011, 06:43 PM

A BA engine develops more power than an AU but the BA is heavier a properly functioning BA engine in an AU would get up and go. also some people like something a bit different, something nobody else has

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobuleh

why would you bother putting a BA motor into an AU? my non xr AU is "faster" then my mates non xr BA, both with just exhausts no real engine mods. (its probably not, just from little drags with each other etc it seems to be)

For the money you'd spend id just strap a supercharger to the AU.

Sterling · 05-09-2011, 07:08 PM

im trying to stay away from forced induction, simply because the au is dual fuel, (i know it sounds like a got my priorities wrong :P ) but hey, its still in the cards...

the preffered budget would probably be about $500 - $2000?? ( no professional work, ill be doing it all)

if i broke 2000 i would probably start to back off lol...

atm its already got a sports exhaust and "highflow" cat & pod filter.

got enough power at the moment, where if you have a d*psh*t sitting the car with you, you can make it "feel" fast... but in all due honesty, no its not...

read up that crow cams make a street cam for the AU motors. range is 900-3500, for $450... would going down that path help at all?? or would the redtop motor just solve the power issues cheaply on its own? (with a manual conversion of course)

FGII-XR6 · 05-09-2011, 07:19 PM

getting the head done will get things flowing nicly add a good crow billet cam to suit the rev range you want and you will have a nice package . most cams are regrinds and require shims but the crow is ground from a new billet and goes straight in. be aware of how you will be driving day to day when you select your cam and don't be afraid to call crow , they are very helpful. if you later decide on FI as an option you can still run dual fuel if you use SVI or liquid injection

Beer Baron · 05-09-2011, 07:20 PM

$2000 will get ya a XR6 HP motor and manual conversion. Maybe some other little bits and pieces too.

Sox · 05-09-2011, 07:21 PM

For 2k go and grab a DEV3HL kit from JMM, just the parts you want are less than $2000 without the exhaust & filter, which you already have.
You'll have ~145kw at the treads and plenty of torque for a nice streetable tractable engine.

Plonk some decent gears in the rear, say 3.7 for a manual and 3.9 for an auto and you'll be running mid to low 14's all day long.

Don't stuff around with a B series engine, it's not worth it for the effort and $$ involved.

Sterling · 05-09-2011, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by au3xr6

if you later decide on FI as an option you can still run dual fuel if you use SVI or liquid injection

yeah i thought of that, what would a injection system cost to get made up?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sox

For 2k go and grab a DEV3HL kit from JMM, just the parts you want are less than $2000 without the exhaust & filter, which you already have.
You'll have ~145kw at the treads and plenty of torque for a nice streetable tractable engine.

Plonk some decent gears in the rear, say 3.7 for a manual and 3.9 for an auto and you'll be running mid to low 14's all day long.

Don't stuff around with a B series engine, it's not worth it for the effort and $$ involved.

this sounds the goods to me. diff gearing wasn't originally going to be on the cards, but since you mentioned it...hey why not.

gotta ask though, whats the "DEV3HL kit from JMM"?

Sox · 05-09-2011, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling

this sounds the goods to me. diff gearing wasn't originally going to be on the cards, but since you mentioned it...hey why not.

gotta ask though, whats the "DEV3HL kit from JMM"?

Here for the details -

http://www.jimmockmotorsport.com/htm...kits_EA-AU.php

And here for the prices to fit yourself -

http://www.jimmockmotorsport.com/mai...Mail_Order.php

Gearing plays a huge part in how our cars go, shorten the rear end and things just get going quicker.

Sterling · 05-09-2011, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sox

Gearing plays a huge part in how our cars go, shorten the rear end and things just get going quicker.

yeah i love the effect, letting the engine hit its power-needed revs faster,

my old escort used to have a 3.77:1.

the second i hopped in my first falcon, i couldnt believe even though the car was moving, how slowly the revs pick up!

(first gear in the escort used to rev out at 7K at 40kph!

Jimmyd · 05-09-2011, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sterling

yeah i thought of that, what would a injection system cost to get made up?

this sounds the goods to me. diff gearing wasn't originally going to be on the cards, but since you mentioned it...hey why not.

gotta ask though, whats the "DEV3HL kit from JMM"?

http://www.jimmockmotorsport.com/

LukeyST · 05-09-2011, 08:54 PM

For $2000 you will end up with more power out of an AU engine than you would from transplanting a BA engine surely?

JMM = Jim Mock Motorsport:

http://www.jimmockmotorsport.com/

And the kits:

http://www.jimmockmotorsport.com/mai...Mail_Order.php

which Sox was referring too.

Sterling · 05-09-2011, 10:02 PM

well looks like ive got a new shopping list in the future,

DEV3+ High Lift Cam kit, DEV-AU Valve Spring Retainers, DEV Hi-Performance Valve Springs, Vernier adjustable Timing Gear.

should double check if i need all that gear or not.

-i wont bother with the leads, plugs and exhaust.

- i MAY bother with the intake kit...but that might be in the future.

dieseltrain79 · 06-09-2011, 10:53 PM

No use going for more power if your leads and plugs arent up to the task ...

WannabeXP · 06-09-2011, 10:53 PM

Intake mods aren't really worth doing if your car has a gas mixer in it!
But if you take a look at your airbox where the piping comes into it on the engine side there is a massive restrictive adapter!
What i did was holesaw it out and file it out enought to jam a bit of 3" intercooler piping into it. It improve responsiveness slightly but my car is on gas as yours is!
Just thought i'd share my cheap intake mod with ya ;)
And for anybody else without gas I'd highley recommend doing it! Compliment your expensive extractors and exhaust with a nice flowing intake!
Cheers Jason

Beer Baron · 07-09-2011, 04:45 PM

Standard AU PCM's don't like big cam changes with out a tune.

TheSneakiness · 07-09-2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beer Baron

Standard AU PCM's don't like big cam changes with out a tune.

True.

Had an AU ute with full exhaust from engine back, Crow cam, double valve springs and a JMM CAI.

Untuned it went 180rwhp on dual fuel (petrol was used, not gas)