Identifying early Holden V8's. Iron lion, muscle cars, classic cars.

[@sudsy0666]

I know that some of the last factory 304's that went in the VL Commodore still had 308 cast on each side of the block, because I have 2 of them and they're both VJ prefix. Both were cast in 1988, but are factory 304 engines. When Holden reduced the stroke of the 308 engine by 40thou (1mm) in August 1984, it only involved a new crankshaft, rods, pistons and cam.

[@borismcfinnigan3430]

Every 304 between 1984 and the introduction of the efi engine had 308 on the side..

[@RVK355]

Good video, a lot of people get confused with this and thinking what their block is, casting date never lies

[@StreetspecTV]

Thanks for watching, make sure you check out my other video's 🇦🇺👍🔥🚘🇦🇺

[@TODDY_2_FINGERS]

Good video cobber

[@stevenkirk2563]

Don’t forget the Holden v8 did come in a 355 cu in high end hsv

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

I always wanted to do a forged everything 253 V8 , VN heads , de-stroke it to like 2.5 inch stroke , so about 200 ci and let it rev , just like Smokey Yunick did in early Indy cars , he de-stroked a 400 small block to 2 inch stroke and 4.155 inch bore , so about 220 ci so 3.5 litres , it reved to 13000 and made 765 HP. But that's revs and HP not torque. I love the old wives tale " oh the 253 loves to rev !" That goes against all engine building rules , it has the same 3 inch stroke as a 308 , revs come from short strokes and big bores , if the 253 wanted to really rev or was designed to rev it would have had the 308s 4 inch bore and a 2.5 inch stroke , that is still 253 but over square, the way you make an engine want to rev, but GM Holden didn't, they kept the 3 inch stroke and put small 202 Holden Six pistons in it , so it wants to rev even less than a 308 !

[@borismcfinnigan3430]

you missed out on stroker blocks. they had a blank space where the 253/308/5l is on earlier blocks.

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

Nope 355 was cast 5 L on the side , even 5 L had cut outs for stroker 355 crank . Because the 355 was not a Holden motor , they were taken off the assembly line already 5l and pulled down , 3 inch crank removed and 3.5 put in at an outside engine builder !

[@ldnwholesale8552]

You mean the plastic fantastic. Its rumoured that there is one with 16 cam lobs but I dont believe it. And I have owned dozens of them. Eight pistons was an option as well. More so in 27A 308s. Gummed up or burnt pistons 3rd hole back on the left. Done several of those on 253s HZs were generally ZR ZT. Toranas HR HT and Crapadores were VR VT HQs also had 253L, low compression. Primarily export engines but a few got here as well. I had an early HQ Prem with one. Gutless thing but car was ok. This late 70s. The one you want is a QU. Proper engine, HQ350!

[@grantreid8583]

I used to work as an engine reconditioner back in the late seventies through to the mid nineties and spent a lot of time boring and honing cyl blocks. I only ever struck one of these in v8 form it was a 308 block with HP cast where the 308 should of been. my only explanation is it may have been an l34 block or a truck block i have not come across anyone else that has ever seen one, only the old 179 red motor HP block of which there were plenty about back in the day.

[@TheShedSesh]

Nice one mate. Just found your channel.... will be watching :)

[@StreetspecTV]

Thanks for the support, 🇦🇺🔥👍🇦🇺💥

[@kelvinrf]

Who remembers the white hot 1970 HT kingswood with 253 V8 heavy duty clutch and 3speed gearbox and disc brakes as standard.

[@grantreid8583]

I knew a guy that had a HJ kingswood optioned with 308 3 speed column shift gts dash and a bench seat not the most common combination. I am pretty sure all the v8s right from the HK had front discs as did all the autos regardless of the engine.

[@gazza116]

we sold heaps of them,they were called white hot specials.

[@jimclarke1108]

I remember GMH had a "white hot deal" HT 253 4 SP. manual white in colour and light blue interior, disc up front, think an LSD? over 50 years ago🤔

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Have owned one. And a 253 Saginaw HT Kingswood, far better. V8 3speeds had taller first and second gears

[@ldnwholesale8552]

253 3 on the tree with blue trim and discs.@@jimclarke1108

[@jimclarke1108]

My 1982 WB caprice was 12WT308 - - -, and my VT commodore 304 engine had blank patches on both sides of the block is VM - - - - with a roller cam/lifters, i have a 308 from a HZ GTS, QT 91 - - - - turbo bolt pattern

[@ldnwholesale8552]

All HJ HX HZ 5 litre autos had T400 pattern. Still no good for fitting a Chev as starter location is opposite. Very early WBs may have had it as well, a few used t350s but went back to traumatics

[@jimclarke1108]

@@ldnwholesale8552 HJ had trimatic, HX was the start of turbo 400, WB was the only Holden with Turbo 350 and back to trimatic, iv owed 2 WB Caprice cars 1 with each, Cheve never had trimatic, any Cheve turbo power glide, 350, 400, 700r will fit 308 turbo bolt pattern, the starter motor bolts to the engine block, the torque converter cover plate is different for the starter motor L and R side of the engines

[@borismcfinnigan3430]

Not all blank blocks were VM prefix only the roller blocks..There wwre many, many VU prefixed blocks made in VR and VS that had no 5L cast on the side because they were stroker blocks.

[@jimclarke1108]

My VM is a blank roller block out of a VT, its all i was saying!@@borismcfinnigan3430

[@jackbell6364]

Thanks!! the 308 I just bought has been restamped RPM! Do you know anymore of the company? did they have a good reputation or nah?

[@StreetspecTV]

Thanks for watching, RPM where a big Melbourne engine reconditioning business. did hundreds of engines every year. Had a good reputation for quality work by skilled tradesmen. They closed down in the late 90's l think. Make sure you check out my other video's 👍🚘🇦🇺

[@tturi2]

What about Larry perkins blocks?

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Having seen Jacks 'expose' on the Larry heads the ports were lifted an inch!

[@georgeappleby4731]

good stuff

[@4x4maximus]

So my 308 with VP stamp is police confiscation not VL walkinshaw. I'm confused

[@StreetspecTV]

Sorry, l guess l didn't word it to well. V at the start of number and P at the end were vicpol numbers. You are right. VP is Walkinshaw prefix. 👍

[@4x4maximus]

@Street spec TV that's sweet cause it's VP #### so that's walkinshaw! Score! Police would be V######P ? So does that make it a walkinshaw hilux? 🤣🤣🤣

[@davidewhite69]

were the four bolt mains Group A blocks in the walky and VN marked differently?

[@StreetspecTV]

The 4 Bolt VN had a VK prefix and the Walkys had a VP prefix

[@mandyburke5127]

@@StreetspecTV pe engine number?? 11wt engine number va vb vc engine number?? hz engine prefix?? 308 h ?? how about no side casting ,or hp casting ??

[@nz5123]

My vks block starts with sm what does that mean

[@StreetspecTV]

VS series 3/ VT replacement engine.

[@nz5123]

@StreetspecTV cheers, what would that be... like a crate engine from holden ?

[@StreetspecTV]

@nz5123 correct, possibly done under warranty for someone back in the day. So not from a VK.

[@nz5123]

Yes i converted the car to v8 efi, just wondered where it originally came from as i brought it with no real history, cheers.

[@perpetualgrin5804]

Never liked the 253 except for the sound.

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

Same engine , only 202 six pistons !

[@PaulHayman-tq5kb]

What a beautiful noise coming from the 253

[@peterhinds9057]

One designer was a yank

[@rayban5737]

304 Never was a good engine none the less... good video

[@tomnewham1269]

It was good enough for Larry Perkins to win Bathurst with.

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

No was grate ! Years before it's time , look at that intake ! Look like something else ?? Oh yeah it's the LS /LT intake ! Oh port location , now were have I seen that ? Oh yeah the LS! The valve angles of 8 deg were oh the LS .