Omega Rv8

goodsy1968 · Post by **goodsy1968** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:29 pm

As mentioned before, I have now removed the v6 from my Omega facelift & trying to fit the v8 in. The problem I'm having is the steering box is the only thing stopping me from having a snug fit. Has anyone on here ever done one of these before? Any advice is muchly appreciated!

As you can see, its a tight fit!!

Plenty of room on the passenger side, & gearbox & front cover are ok also. One other job is to modify the sump to hang over the subframe.
Wish me luck!!

JJMclure · Post by **JJMclure** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:01 pm

Someone did fit a sbf to a carlton but he changed to rack and pinion due to the steering box I think the website has been down for a long time tho...

hee you go - http://www.cardomain.com/ride/706031/19 ... ll-carlton

omega is very similar to a carlton underneath

kiwicar · Post by **kiwicar** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:18 pm

Hi
Holden managed to shove in an SBC, holden V8 and an LS engine in that shell with some success I suspect if you could get a full spec it would tell you all you need to know on how to fit one. If you can convert to rack and pinion it is probably worth doing just for the "feel" from the steering

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_VT_Commodore

It says they "simplified" the rear suspension but I suspect that was because it saved money.
Best regards
Mike

goodsy1968 · Post by **goodsy1968** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:33 pm

Rack & pinion sounds like a good plan, - cheers for that! Something like a Granada rack would probably do the job, I will look into that. As for the Commodore, I have heard that they had wider chassis rails so that they could fit the v8 in, but Vauxhall did do a v8 Omega version for Europe, but couldn't keep it cool enough, which was a shame!

BMWE36V8 · Post by **BMWE36V8** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:44 pm

Hello,

All the Holden and UK Holden based cars use rack and pinion, they are also about 3" wider bodied, I have a Monaro coming next week for some suspension bushes.....

Steve.

goodsy1968 · Post by **goodsy1968** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 12:39 pm

Thanks Steve! I will have a search on Holden stuff too. Does anyone know if the old carlton or senator used racks or not?

DaveEFI · Post by **DaveEFI** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 12:53 pm

goodsy1968 wrote:Thanks Steve! I will have a search on Holden stuff too. Does anyone know if the old carlton or senator used racks or not?

Think they were all steering box. BMW of that era too. Perhaps it's what the Germans preferred in that size of car.

goodsy1968 · Post by **goodsy1968** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:12 pm

Omega's are a pain in the backside steering wise, & go through a lot of wishbones too if not set up correctly. I am of to the garage now & see what can be done.

Nollywood · Post by **Nollywood** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:11 pm

A lot of grief, but well worth the effort once completed. Conversions generally aren't simply bolt-in, else everyone would be doing them.

goodsy1968 · Post by **goodsy1968** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 8:47 pm

Well its definitley not as easy as i would have liked, but its getting there! After having a look, having a rack wont save me much room anyway, so the steering box stays. The next problems are the sump, which will have to be a hybrid of 3.9 rangie & p38, as the subframe is in the way, also exhaust manifolds are tight against the steering box, so will have to sweep them forward & underneath the subframe.

JJMclure · Post by **JJMclure** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:33 pm

If you put your mind to it, nothing can stand in your way

bigaldart · Post by **bigaldart** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:21 am

Nothing helpful to suggest, looked into this when I put a sbc in a monze, that steering box is a pain, put a rack on it, had to build a subframe under the crossmember, ended up a nightmare job. Never did get finished, had it driveable but then had to move house to a place with no offroad storage, ho hum, broke it for parts and waved goodbye.

Alan

Nollywood · Post by **Nollywood** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:00 am

bigaldart wrote:Nothing helpful to suggest, looked into this when I put a sbc in a monze, that steering box is a pain, put a rack on it, had to build a subframe under the crossmember, ended up a nightmare job. Never did get finished, had it driveable but then had to move house to a place with no offroad storage, ho hum, broke it for parts and waved goodbye.

Alan

Wow. That's a heart-breaker. You'd gotten so far too.