Making Donations - Garage Gurus

By: Glenn Torrens, Photography by: Prime Creative Media/General Motors Holden/GT

Date: 12.08.2024

Working to a grand plan, Glenn Torrens performs some prep on a pair of V8s earmarked for a fresh future of fun

Planning ahead is essential for any car restorer or modifier, so it was with a view to the future that I was mucking around with examples of Ford and Holden EFI 5.0-litre V8s recently.

The first of these V8s is a Holden, fondly known by Holden fans as the ‘Iron Lion’, thanks to its construction material, and of course Holden’s logo. I have this engine sitting in a hacked-up VN Commodore skeleton in my backyard. 

I bought it about five years ago to plonk in something else and to be honest, I should have removed this engine and rid myself of the skeleton by now. But it’s been handy: the still-running engine has been used for double-checking the condition of some other, spare, EFI computers for other V8 Holdens I’ve played with and for testing wiring harnesses, which have been modified to operate ‘swapped’ engines in other cars.

Eventually, with a dual-exhaust and a tweaked memcal/chip in its computer for around 190kW, this classic EFI Aussie-made Holden V8 will be a lovely swap into an older Holden.  

The second engine I played with recently is an EFI Ford 5.0-litre V8, commonly known by Ford fans as the ‘Windsor’, thanks to the location of the Ford factory – Windsor, Canada – where it was first made. This one is sitting in the rusty remains of an AU Falcon ute, in my mate Juddy’s front yard. I’m a fan of Ford’s EFI V8; during the 1990s this imported unit powered tens of thousands of Falcons, Fairlanes and LTDs (and about 400 EB and EL GTs) after it was launched in the EB Falcon. This V8’s design is even older (it dates back to 1961, I think) but after learning plenty about it when I project-managed the build of an alloy-headed 240kW version for a Street Machine project Falcon in the late 1990s and for me, this Ford mill is a little sweetie.

This AU Ute has been sitting for years, retired from work after chassis rust made it unroadworthy, but it ran when parked. A quick look on a Sunday arvo revealed the engine turns by hand … after we sliced off its serpentine drive belt to isolate the seized alternator and air-con. The plan is to get the engine running again where it sits, then I’ll lift the engine and four-speed auto box out and we’ll junk the remainder … I’ll do the same with my VN Commodore donor. With a set of extractors and a T-Series tune, this engine should deliver a snappy 200kW.

It’s quite special – almost a dream come true! – to be playing with these two legendary V8 engines, and thinking ahead to the cars I’ll use them in. I reckon regular readers will guess what I intend to do with the Ford 5.0 V8 but I’ll keep my plans for the Holden V8’s transplant a secret for now … but stay tuned. Tuned!

Clearly a parts car, even the factory Holden wiring harness can be modified to run EFI Holden V8s in other cars such as Kingswoods, Toranas and early Commodores. 

It’s 35 years since Holden added fuel injection to its Aussie V8, and it’s a great swap into other cars for better performance and driveability.

Yuk! That’s a rat’s nest on the rocker cover, and some of the wiring has been chewed. As well as petrol, I’ll need a soldering iron to get this running again.

Chassis rust killed this AU Falcon ute. It’s been sitting for years but I’ll give the engine, new life!

I owned a VP V8 Calais in the 1990s, a VT Senator in the 2000s and I own this VN now. Maybe I’m a fan of Holden’s EFI V8 too. 

With its distinctive ‘bunch of bananas’ intake manifold, these Holden V8s are instantly recognisable – even when they are as crusty and grubby as this one! 

Holden kick-started an awesome era of Aussie car performance in 1989 with its electronically fuel-injected V8 option. Two years later, Ford gave us an EFI V8 option.  

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