There’s nothing we love more than a cheap, controversial engine swap. While the LS has been at the front of such conversions for years now, sometimes it pays to think a tad outside the box. That’s exactly what Corey Bell has done with his budget VS build, as he tells us below:

“This is my Turbo Ford 4.0-litre SOHC-powered VS Commodore. I bought it in 2020 for $400 as a V6 auto, and it was destined for an LS1 and T56 combo for a fun street car that could be driven to and from the track.

“By the time it got to the chopping block, I seemingly had missed out on the days of reasonably priced LS engine and gearbox combos, so the project got pushed back. Then, a mates cammed SOHC engine came up for sale, so why not do something different!

“It was meant to be a budget build but that didn’t last long, and there’s always more mods to do. Along with the Crow Cams stick, valves and retainers, it has a Haltech Elite 750 with wideband control. 

“The turbo is a Pulsar 3582 with a 50mm wastegate, with a three-inch exhaust. It has 1000cc injectors, an intercooler. It makes 280rwk! at 12psi on pump 98.

“Behind the engine is a T5 manual ‘box, while the diff has 3.9:1 gears with 31 spline billet axles. It has the bigger VZ HSV brake rotors under all corners, with VE calipers up front and VZ in the rear.”

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