fb or ek wagon

[fat62ek]

hi guys yet another question. im thinking a wagon might be the go now just love how cool they look. my question is ive heard that eks are heavier than fbs so v8 conversion is better to be done on an ek. i like fbs aswell but can anyone confirm this . im probably just gonna leave it with a grey motor for now and do the resto first. but dont want to get all revved up to do a conversion and then cant cos its not heavy enough. any one know of any ek wagons for sale cheap in need of resto thanks again guys. ps i know there are some good ones around already done but i just get a kick out of building them myself. plus i dont like to see any cool cars go to the scrappers.

[fat62ek]

carn guys any info pleeeeaaaasssseee

[Blacky]

The difference in weight between an FB and an eK would be bugger all , the maximum engine size you can fit to them is calculated off the mass of the vehicle , the displacement of the new engine , and the type ( turbo , rotary , etc ) From what I understand , in NSW the approximate maximum engine size for an FB/EK is 330 cubic inches. If you are seriously considering doing this conversion , the first thing you should do is consult an engineer - you will save yourself a lot of pain getting an engineer on board at the start rather than the end of a conversion.
The best thing you could do re: finding cars , getting info etc is to JOIN THE CLUB in your state !

[earlyholdenfan]

Hi fat62ek!
As the FB and the EK used the same body and almost everything else, I doubt that the difference would be enouh to allow you to run a larger engine in one over the other,
However I have been wrong before, Below are the weights from the EK manual, and if one of the other guys with an FB manual might post theirs then you would be able to check the differences, aldo if you check with NSW RTA you will find they may consider them the same weight in their tables (which are not always correct weights as per the manual) , so it sorta negates the small difference.
As far as getting a lesser quality car and bringing it back to life, I commend you for not ruining (opinion only guys!) a good original car beyond future restoration, and take my hat off to you for undertaking a mammoth task, but the more we can save from the crusher the better!
Cheers
Matt

EK 215 2471lbs
EK 225 2490lbs
EK 219 2587lbs
EK 229 2606lbs
EK 2104 2511lbs
EK 2106 2452lbs

Hope this start helps

[earlyholdenfan]

hehe Blacky and I were typing at the same time! hehe

[fat62ek]

thanks guys. yeh im thinking v8 probably only coz ive got a pretty worked over 308 and turbo 400 box sitting in the garage doing nothing and it cost me about $6000 to build about 10years ago so dont really want to sell it coz ill only get about 1000bux for it these days. im really into the standard thing too but i wouldnt mind something just a little different sick of seeing the run of the mill commodore(ahhhggg that dirty word) with v8s . and ive always liked the coolness of the fb ek so yep thats for me. alot of work i know but not in any hurry to finish it. and yeh dont liketo see good restored cars of any type for that matter ripped apart and fooled around with. so ill start from the bottom. tghanks again wayne

[parisian62]

No one likes cool car to go to the scapper...I say go for it Wayne! As for FB weights here they are...

FB 215 2473lbs
FB 225 2494lbs
FB 219 2605lbs
FB 229 2627lbs
FB 2104 2559lbs
FB 2106 2479lbs

Interesting that all the FB's weigh heavier than the EK's...

Regards
Stewart

[earlyholdenfan]

Thanks Stewart, now to really confuse the issue and to show how sometimes "official" paperworks can be slightly off reality, the official Queensland transport "modification codes" under the section for "Engine Substitution" lists the accepted weight (The weight they will use for conversions) as
1960FB 1099KG (2422.88lb)
1961EK 1120kg (2469.17lb)

So thus using conversion ratio's from same document, the largest engine capacity legally allowable in QLD for
FB = 323.106CI
EK = 329.28CI

weird isnt it!

Matt