Kyle Kyle Heacock Mega Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 03/04/2013 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 21 Rally Car: 81 volvo 242 |
Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been wanting to build a rally car for years, and even bought an 85 celica that I had (still have) big plans for, but never could make the time to get it started. Then I stumbled across a certain half-finished volvo that was for sale, and now the celica will have to wait for a few more years.
The goal is to remove the V8 and put a b230/T5 back in, finish the shell prep, plumb it, wire it, and go racing.
Attachments:
open | download - IMG_20140716_092929_116.jpg (42.1 KB) open | download - IMG_20140715_150611_621.jpg (38.7 KB) open | download - IMG_20140715_145025_270.jpg (34.3 KB) open | download - IMG_20140715_145421_010.jpg (51.7 KB) open | download - IMG_20140715_144925_055.jpg (32.3 KB) open | download - IMG_20140715_144819_981.jpg (32.1 KB) |
Kyle Kyle Heacock Mega Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 03/04/2013 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 21 Rally Car: 81 volvo 242 |
What I'm starting with:
Caged shell with RA logbook 8" toyota rear axle with equal length 4-link and a watts link, axles redrilled to 5x114.3 FC RX7 front cross member, suspension, and steering rack LT1 V8 and T5 transmission, pushed back several inches into a custom firewall/tunnel Super bitchin suspenders all around The v8 is definitely coming out, and in addition to looking terrible, the seat mounts won't work with my seats (OMP HTE XL), so I am redoing those. The pedals are too close for my liking, so I'm installing a wilwood floor mount pedal box. |
Kyle Kyle Heacock Mega Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 03/04/2013 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 21 Rally Car: 81 volvo 242 |
The first project is the seat mounts. What a mess. I told myself I was going to keep them if my seats would bolt in, and imagine my relief when they wouldn't. I cut everything out, including the stock seat platform, and started from scratch. Both seats are now mounted, and I got them low enough to work with the existing harness bars.
Attachments:
open | download - IMG_20140715_144939_397.jpg (41.7 KB) open | download - IMG_20140715_144950_726.jpg (31.1 KB) open | download - IMG_20140725_105216_615.jpg (28.1 KB) open | download - IMG_20140919_154238_035.jpg (35.5 KB) open | download - IMG_20140917_163818_015.jpg (26.5 KB) open | download - IMG_20140725_105205_137.jpg (36.8 KB) |
john vanlandingham John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Kyle, that gearbox crossmember is right in the way of where you want to get the exhaust UP.
You seen the easy solution? John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
heymagic Banned Ultra Moderator Location: La la land Join Date: 01/25/2006 Age: Fossilized Posts: 3,740 Rally Car: Not a Volvo |
|
Kyle Kyle Heacock Mega Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 03/04/2013 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 21 Rally Car: 81 volvo 242 |
There should be enough room to fit a 2.5" pipe through there, if not I can notch the cross member a bit.
Got a bit more work done today; I finished the lap belt mounting points and welded up some more holes in the floor. Making some headway on the aluminum plate for the pedal box and foot plate |
Kyle Kyle Heacock Mega Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 03/04/2013 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 21 Rally Car: 81 volvo 242 |
Haven't been able to work on the car much recently, but I'm going to have a couple weeks off next month, so I'm going to spend them fitting a volvo engine back in the car. I got a spare rx7 front crossmember (the current one was hacked up for header clearance) that I will put in and build the engine mounts off of. I now need to source an adapter to fit my T5 (I believe it's a Camaro version, have to check) to a b230 block. Then I can use the current transmission mount to locate the engine fore/aft and build some mounts that put the engine at the correct angle.
|
Thomas Kimsey Thomas Kimsey Ultra Moderator Location: Rochester, New Hampshire Join Date: 10/05/2013 Age: Settling Down Posts: 271 Rally Car: 1988 XRatty |
Good, that LT1 is a bastard of an engine. The optical distributor "Optispark" is know for giving out at the worst moment especially if there is water involved. It is a chevy small block going through puberty. |
heymagic Banned Ultra Moderator Location: La la land Join Date: 01/25/2006 Age: Fossilized Posts: 3,740 Rally Car: Not a Volvo |
I would have pulled it out also, for the same reason. I understand the principal but don't care for the actual finished product. One of many stupid dog tricks from automotive engineers. 12 hour heater core jobs, intake manifolds draping over 4 bolt valve covers..stuff like that.
|
mellow65 Oliver Klozoff Ultra Moderator Location: Oregon Join Date: 09/10/2008 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 480 Rally Car: Nada |
|
Kyle Kyle Heacock Mega Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 03/04/2013 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 21 Rally Car: 81 volvo 242 |
I wasn't having much luck finding a decent used T5, and the GM one that came with the car is in pieces, so I broke down and bought a new Ford Racing T5. I got a bellhousing adapter machined locally and have a line on a running b230 and bellhousing. I still need to figure out what to do for a clutch and flywheel setup.
As for a throwout bearing, I'm thinking of using a tilton hydraulic unit made for the T5. To use this, I'll have to carve out the center of the volvo bellhousing so it will fit around the T5 input bearing retainer/TOB sleeve. This also means I don't have to use a custom input bearing retainer. Since I likely won't have the engine or transmission in my possession for a couple more weeks, I borrowed some stuff out of a certain rally tractor so I can get started making the motor mounts. Thanks Pat! |
|
Kyle Kyle Heacock Mega Moderator Location: Portland, OR Join Date: 03/04/2013 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 21 Rally Car: 81 volvo 242 |
|
john vanlandingham John Vanlandingham Ultra Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Just mill the shit out of the flywheel like all the heroes do. Don't think of this: But if you do I might think about this; Give you 2 guess who made those nice steel flywheels and made them so you can use better proessure plates than Volvos. John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
That pressure plate is freaking huge.
I decided to be all smart and machine a stock flat Volvo flywheel (I had to add the timing teeth). It took about an hour of machine shop time, and if you have the tools available for free... That's not a bad option. If you're paying out of pocket, one of johns flywheels would be the smarterererer choice. |