427CI LSX VN Powercruiser

Combine expert knowledge with some great ideas and you too could end up with something as truly awesome as Luke’s 427ci LSX-powered VN.

“I bought the car off a mate as a half-finished project” starts Luke, owner of OVN427. That purchase took place in April 2010 and “I was originally just going to put a standard LS2 in it and tidy the interior, but after talking to the boys at Hi-Torque I ended up buying an LSX block and starting from scratch”.

“The whole project snowballed from when I saw TUFFSS in a magazine and decided I wanted something similar” he says. And now it is likely that this car will provide similar inspiration to other enthusiasts just like you.

It can’t be denied that the two most effective things required to make any car old-school tough are a V8 with lots of cubes and back wheels with a very deep dish; anything else – including the very neat body, tidy paint and custom interior – is just a bonus.

The LSX cast iron block wears GM alloy LSX heads ported by Higgins Race Heads and a Comp Cams solid cam ensures that this 7L V8 sounds properly mean. It also has an LSXR intake manifold and 102mm throttle body plus a hefty 250hp shot from a Zex direct-port N2O system.

Luke reckons the most challenging part of the build was the fitment of the LSX into the VN engine bay and the best part was “hearing it come to life in the car”. Following that his first drive of it was at a Powercruise 1-day Powerplay at Queensland Raceway.

As for other mods Fabrication 81 made the custom exhaust and they did a decent amount of metalwork on the chassis to make everything fit and behave the way it does. There are mini-tubs to fit the seriously wide 20x11in rear wheels with 285/30 tyres, they installed a triangulated 4-link rear end, and they created the 6-point safety cage that includes side anti-intrusion and a taxi bar.

And that brings our attention to the interior that we touched on earlier. Luke succinctly described the car’s cabin as having “black suede everything” and he wasn’t exaggerating. The seats, door trims and dash are all very neatly covered in the stuff, plus there’s black plush carpet and a black suede Momo wheel to match. The original instrumentation has been replaced with a panel filled with Auto Meter gauges. The ventilation is also gone and a Moroso switch panel now lives in about the spot where that radio once was.

OVN427 is more of an event car but if you like the look of this creation and find yourself overwhelmed with the urge to create a sweet street weapon like this for yourself, well it turns out you can. The VN SS weighed 1403kg and the new NCOP VSB 14 says you multiply that five times to determine the maximum capacity in cubic centimetres. 1403x5=7015cc so the VE W427’s engine, for example, can be approved.

The tyres could also get through on HSV VNs. In states where NCOP VSB11 is applicable it's the tyre size on the placard that matters; the rim just needs to be a recommended width for said tyre. It says you can have 1.3 times the maximum original tyre width and even the SV3800 was available with 225s so you could go as wide as these 11in wheels with a 285 tyre of appropriate rolling diameter.

We’ll end it there but we hope that we’ve opened your mind up to some of the possibilities and inspired you a little. That’s mostly what we write these features for.

SPECS

OWNER: Luke

VEHICLE: 1990 VN Commodore

PAINT: Sting Red (Standox)

STYLING: Formula grille and extensive colour-coding

ENGINE: 427ci LSX V8

ENGINE MODS: Machined cast iron LSX block, steel 6-bolt mains, Callies crank, Oliver rods, JE pistons, 12:1 static comp’, ported alloy LSX heads, Comp Cams solid grind, T&D roller rockers, Moroso sheet metal valve covers, FAST fuel rails, LSXR 102mm intake manifold and throttle body, Zex direct-port N2O (250hp shot), Motec M800 ECU

POWER: 658hp (aspirated)

EXHAUST: Custom 4-into-1 headers (1 7/8in primaries), twin 3.5in system with two Borla mufflers

TRANSMISSION: 2-speed Powerglide, Neal Chance converter, B&M shifter

DIFF: 9in Chromoly housing, Mark Williams 40-spline axles, 4.11:1

SUSPENSION: King Springs coils, Pedders 90/10 front shocks, AVO rear shocks, Whiteline rear sway bar, triangulated 4-link rear, mini-tubs

BRAKES: VT front discs and calipers, VN rear discs and calipers, braided lines, Simpson parachute

WHEELS/TYRES: Simmons 20x8in and 20x11in, Neuton NT5000 235/30 and Lionhart LH-Three 285/30

INTERIOR: “Black suede everything”, black plush carpet, Momo wheel, four reclining sports seats and Sparco harnesses, safety cage (painted silver), Auto Meter gauges and shift light, Moroso switch panel

BOOT: Custom 5L surge tank (fed from custom 60L fuel cell under boot), three Bosch 044 pumps, -8 braided lines and fittings, two Zex nitrous bottles, extinguisher, rear members of safety cage

THANKS TO: Kent, Dallas, Chris Ash and Stevie at Hi-Torque Performance, Fabrication 81, Mal Wood Automotive, Daltrim, Cody Kittson, Protrans, Adam and Justin at Harts Paint Supplies, “my family for support”, and Scott

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