OK guys needing an opinion or two....I have an XA sedan with a stock, slightly tired 250 pre-xflow running through a 3 speed on the tree all synchro box so I'm looking to change out the engine. This is just the family hackster so not looking for a hottie, just a nice reliable car.

OK, so I've put an ad out there looking for a crossflow to throw in there and I've got two possibilities...

no. 1 is an XE ute a guys wrecking, has a good running 250 carby motor and an auto, wants $150 and will chuck in the auto for free ( tho I'd probably just use the existing 3 on the tree if I was to go this way...)

no.2 is an XF wagon, EFI 250 with 4 speed - whole car is $500. OK, this is going to be a little more powerful and has a 4 speed but where option 1 would be pretty straightforward, I'm a bit worried that option 2 is going to involve a lot more work - wiring mainly, installing the computer, fuel system upgrades such as return line, tank maybe? (unlikely that the tank will just drop into the XA so again, more hassles)

So, remembering that I'm not really looking at a hottie, just a reliable family car, which way do you reckon you'd go? Is the little bit more power of the XF worth the extra work and hassle?

Opinions would be gratefully appreciated...

OK....couple things....the XA has an accelerater linkage, not cable ( unless it's already modded to cable).....so an Xflow engine will be harder to set up....the carby is on the opposite side to the Log engine.
Next is the XE engine has a rag rear main seal, and the XF has a one piece rear seal.
You can easily convert the EFI engine to carby.
You could use all XD (alloy head, NOT iron head) intake, dizzy ( swap over dizzy gear) and carby on the XF EFI engine.

Cheers, thanks for the reply - you're saying about converting the XF engine to carby - would I not be better simply going with the XE since its already carby? Or is what you are saying about the rear seal a big enough consideration that I should avoid the XE motor?

Buy them both, strip all the EFI off the XF and fit all the carby bits to the XF engine. Use the accel pedal and cable from the XE to convert the XA to cable throttle.

Use the 4 speed from the XF.

Bundle all the leftover x-flow stuff together and flick it on Ebay and recoup some cash.

Enjoy.

yeh, good idea - I'm just a bit intrigued why everyone wants to stay right away from the XE motor though - is the rear seal situation that bad?

The XE should have a rope rear seal, where as the XF should have the one piece rear seal. They both work fine, but when they do need replacing, the XF one is piss easy, the rope seal means you need to drop the crank out - big job.

cheers, thanks for that - yeh did a bit of researching last night on the topic and found a bunch of horror stories of people replacing XE ones and having them leak 300 kays later...

Having a rope seal in 300K's ..........must have been done by a rank amateur....

Just a word of warning if you use the XF's long motor and change it over to carby you will have to run an electric fuel pump as the EFI camshaft doesn't have the mechanical pump lobe on it.

Just a thought, I think the XE EFI engines had a full oil seal....they were a different size to the XF ones....IIRC.