Anyone else have a 240 volvo?

Didn't think that a fawkin noobie question like this was worth a new thread so I just brought this back from the dead.

How wide is too wide for a 15" gravel tire on a mildly tuned 240 rallyx tire?

Friend has a set of 205s that he will basically give me but the just seem too wide. Sould i snatch these up or pass?

-Thanks

---

Zap zap my ass...

slidewayswrx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Didn't think that a fawkin noobie question like
> this was worth a new thread so I just brought this
> back from the dead.
>
> How wide is too wide for a 15" gravel tire on a
> mildly tuned 240 rallyx tire?
>
> Friend has a set of 205s that he will basically
> give me but the just seem too wide. Sould i
> snatch these up or pass?
>
> -Thanks
Realistically a Michelin 15-65 x 15 is plenty, but why not get these if they're for free, only drawback is weight and clearance.
Most all the 4wd Sububish and Misterburu guys buy the fattest thing available and nearly all would do better with skinnier---it's not like they're driving hard enough that they NEED 17-65s.

If it's too wide, add a lot more power.

---

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.

Good god this is ancient! Just found it again! Fire in the hole! Bwahahaha. The ancient B23E in my ancient 242 runs awesome! Even on the k-jets contraption that makes it go.

As to an update: I repiped the whole brake system in order to use a front/rear master cylinder for the single line RX-7 calipers. I found that the wheel bearings on the ABS 240s are a good bit larger, but kind of annoying in that it is harder to keep spares since ABS 240s are a relative rarity and finding the better ~81+ generic 240 wheel bearing is freaking cake...they literally can just about come by the dozen.

I get to have JVAB make me up some strut sleeves/tubes to hold onto stock volvo bilsteins it looks like. Hard to say there though. I mean, I have these 240 bils that I didn't really pay anything for that can be revalved for about $60 a corner, but they aren't a standard 40mm strut insert.

I am of two minds about this. Keeping the stock volvo-fitted strut is nice because it is for all practical purposes free, they work, and I can keep the upper mounts and reinforcements. The factory mounts allow for about -1.5* of camber with a 5" spring, which ought to be adaquate camber for all I need to do. Since I have the strut reinforcements and reinforced mounts, I am inclined to keep them since they are also free and making up a camber plate could add to the cost considerably. Also, short of bending a tube, or some very serious front suspension carnage, I can still rebuild them, volvo or not.

On the flip side, standardized stuff is nice plain and simple. Long lasting all steel strut tops are also nice. Putting the front suspension together now and doing it once would be a real blessing.

So, JV, just how feasible would it be to use my free volvo bilsteins in a set of your reinforced tubes with 5" springs? It seems I could attain most of my goals of having tough tubes, putting it all in there once with a decent but somewhat flexible combo that will last, and being able to adjust the camber to some extent at least.

Basically, I have this pile of junk to now get a start on the front suspension:


And just to make john happy, I put round headlights on it:





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2007 02:04AM by fridgewagon.

I don't know but more important than all that shit is KEEP THE ROUND HEADLIGHJTS!!

And CALL and BRING MORE BELLHOUSINGS!!!

---

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.

Actually, yeah -- keep the round headlights. Don't do anything dumb like have a real flathood grille and e-specs and then nose dive the friggin' thing and break them all. BTDT last rally. Put that on your street car. That way, when the car is at the fabricator ('cause you had to get a new front clip and the light pods need remounting), you won't have to pull the grille off your street car. People at work don't understand why my 245 looks "toothless". Errr, umm, no way to explain that the parts are going onto the rally car for now without getting odd looks.

Go with a T5. I just put a Ford Racing T5Z in. Bought the thing brand new with a short shifter in it for $1300. We go testing this weekend (Prescott is next weekend). I know where you could get some SF Pyora dog gearsets for the M45, but nobody stateside will know what to do with them. With a T5, everybody and their brother knows how to work on those. (Sorry JVL -- no camaro box for me -- Ford version was easier to source everything in a timely fashion).

Talk to JVL and Kevin, the Northwest Brick disciples. You can email me, too, if you'd like (I'm down in Los Angeles). Maybe you'll get far enough along that we can add you to the rallybrick gallery. (I just realized there were possibly two of you new brick guys asking in this thread).

Most important thing is to get the car out on the roads and race it. Figure out the details later. All building and no play in the dirt turns the rally car owner into a miserable, depressed whiner.

...Brian...

RallyBrick.com (site sucks -- we work on the car more than the site)

PS. Jeff Griffin's G5 142 has found a new home in San Diego. Hopefully it will be at a rally soon. That would make 3 active 1/240's in CRS.

PPS. Kevin, please email me. I need to talk to you about the upper strut mounts.
---"Some guy in LA."

Brian,
Kevin sliced up the material I bought to make more top mounts and I should be on them in a day or so.
All you need is a new "COM 14" sperical bearing, right?

Kevins arfully busy working lately cause UW begins for him tomorrow (my wife starts back too) so what more you need?

---

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.

John:

I just wanted to make sure I squared up with him RE the mounts. The bearing isn't a big deal at this point.

I may need another lower spring perch. I'll contact you off-list.

Just got the car back tonight. You should see the T5 trans mount the kid who does my fabrication made. Whoah. Doubt I'll be breaking that. I'll send you a picture. Tomorrow we plug everything back in and top 'er off. Hopefully it moves under it's own power again. When we hit hard at Gorman, the circlip that held the gear selector in place on the M45 popped out and we kept shifting from 3rd to Rev, when I thought I was shifting into 1st. Boy was that a bummer!

..Brian...

Thanks rally brick! I am in the early stages. Yeah, no e-spec headlights except maybe my nicely canadian rusted dual H1s with the good H1 highbeams in them. The lowbeams have a nasty hotspot due to the dedicated highbeam reflector in the same light. The other e-spec NOS lights just sit on the shelf or will be used for (relatively) gentle street use only.

The roundies came off a low mile '75 242 parts car. They are the original non-halogen sealed beams. I needed lights to move the car more than anything. Still, I can out drive them at 50-60mph on a clear night on flat pavement. Needless to say, I stopped driving on them much after that.

RE- T5s. I've made phone calls and been just about all over and finding a V8 T5 camaro/firebird f-body is slim at best. I have called/looked at/inquired about 50 F-body camaro parts cars. About 8 even had 3 pedals, much less a desirable V8 one. More likely than not, it isn't all that hard to find a V6 f-body T5 from what i've seen. The idea from there isthat will be a possible route to take to put the V8 gears into and alternate .73 or .86:1 5th gear to make a 2.95-.73 or 2.95-.86 gearset, neither is too shabby with big icky gaps like my tired M46, and not too expensive like a T5z (relatively). The .73 might be good with the relatively mild volvo H and K-cams and some street use with a tallish (for an N/A car) 4.10 axle.

Anyone know anything about making a 4cylinder F-body T5 into a V8 one? Possible? Case issues? Basically, I found a 4cyl 84 firebird and gearboxes are relatively inexpensive for it. It would have the correct tailhousing for the volvo I think, but disgusting gears. Was Kevvie's S10 thing a 4cyl hopefully? Got any pics that I can compare? JV?

Sent you a PM. Feel free to email me back.

...Brian...

I too now have round headlights and a flathood to boot. Not to mention a welded 4.3 rear, new wheel bearings all the way around and a hand full of other shit. Rally x season is now over but I am determined to stay motivated over the winter.



Will I see any of you nuts at the mt hood rally this weekend? Thinking I might drive the rally tractor for the hell of it.

Take care
-Pat

---

Zap zap my ass...

We just took 2nd in G5 behind Bill Holmes (in an F150) at Prescott this weekend. Malik did well in his G2 car.

Here's a nice shot of our car that Ronnie Arnold took (yes, I'll be buying from him):

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=ronjarnold&gallery_id=868718&image_id=28

I can't say enough great things about the close ratio T5. Sweet jesus, it's a vast improvement over the M45/46 stuff I've been used to all this time.

Ironic that we just took off the flathood and e-specs. Barely got it back together after a little off-course adventure in Gorman. Cheers.

...Brian....

rallybrick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's a nice shot

Vanessa got some of you as well. I think we'll try to get the remainder up on the site tonight. Even so, here are yours from Perkinsville East.

http://vanessajo.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=327
http://vanessajo.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=330

I like the counter-steering in the second shot.

---

Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest

Ok, so to update: I am headed up to JVAB headquarters this sunday it looks like with my new pretty freshly rebuild 2.95-.73 ratio spread camaro T5, a pile of 81+ volvo struts, some volvo bellhousings and possibly a spare cross member.
I have a notebook with a list of things to make work.




JV, do you have a core 240 power steering rack? I'd be interested in seeing if the total rack travel from the merkur rack is comparable to the 240. If it is, adjusting the ends and modifying a spare 240 x-member would be wicked. Still, I don't want to lose how tight my 240 turns, as that is one of the things I love about it. The 3.3 turns of the late 240 power rack and general feel is pretty darn good, but 2.7 turns with the car turning just as tight could be completely silly.

James do cut out some steel to weld to the bottom of your control arms to box them. This will help a LOT with keeping them from bending the first time you apply brakes on gravel with rallytires on the car. BTDT.

Just needs to be flat steel. After welding them in place drill holes (holesaw) in it so that you can get to the fasteners for balljoints.

---

JohnLane

Overkill is consistently more fun

still trudging along in the build of this hog and am trying to plan/budget my off season projects.

For this round of questions:
1. What B block should I be looking for as the best for the rally build. I am sure john will chime in about squiters but im not cetain what setup they came with.

Keep inm mind this will stay NA and will be my first stage car so I am not looking for gobs of power. Just a light build for fun and learning!

2. What am I looking at in a mild B23? rally build?
3. Anyone got a spare they want to get rid of cheap?

Thank you to those more knowledgable than I. Thats alot of thank yous.

---

Zap zap my ass...