More volvo questions?

I have 3 main questions about Volvos in general.

1. I haven't been able to track down a manual Volvo 240 in my area. (I know its better to buy a car from somewhere rust free like the south, but when I talked to my mom about it she said something along the lines of "you want to buy some old decrepit car from somewhere far away from people you don't know? You're stupider than I thought!) I was thinking about just buying the auto and swapping in a manual as my first project. I heard the Ford T5 World Class from a V8 Mustang is a good choice, but would swapping the auto for a T5 be particularly difficult or expensive? Is it something suitable for a first project? Would I be better off buying a manual 240?

2. What kind of weight would I be looking at for a fully rally prepped Volvo?

3. What is the cheapest but still good LSD for gravel AND pavement? Detroit TrueTrac?

EDIT
4. Where is the best place to stay for NEFR?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2013 09:32PM by LexusFman.

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LexusFman
I have 3 main questions about Volvos in general.

1. I haven't been able to track down a manual Volvo 240 in my area. (I know its better to buy a car from somewhere rust free like the south, but when I talked to my mom about it she said something along the lines of "you want to buy some old decrepit car from somewhere far away from people you don't know? You're stupider than I thought!) I was thinking about just buying the auto and swapping in a manual as my first project. I heard the Ford T5 World Class from a V8 Mustang is a good choice, but would swapping the auto for a T5 be particularly difficult or expensive? Is it something suitable for a first project? Would I be better off buying a manual 240?

2. What kind of weight would I be looking at for a fully rally prepped Volvo?

3. What is the cheapest but still good LSD for gravel AND pavement? Detroit TrueTrac?

Swapping in a stock Volvo box and pedal assembly etc is what i call a "grovel job'. Zero skill needed but you will wrestle with things... Just follow the book and if you have simple hand tools and can get the car HIGH---and a jack--and a pair of extra hands, its a single day thing.. In the heat and the driveway...

T5 is just a bit more involved, prolly not a newbular newb type job and yeah it'll cost more: the box might be found for $100 or 300 or 400. Adaptor plate for the bellhousing to box is 275 for the Ford box, $200 for JVAB modded bellhousing for GM box... then there's a flywheel, clutch and pressure plate... and modding the front yoke on the propshaft, and that can range from $50 to whatever.


Weight; don't worry...Are you a pudge ball? Lose weight.. Weight is very low on the cost/benefit scale.. Good club cars in Sweden range from 2500 to 2700...but they go like stink when modded right---and DRIVEN hard.
power, gearing and brakes can take care of weight.


BEST diff? Probably SF, or Gripper. SF costs nearly $2000, Gripper over $1000

(see why I like Toyota 8"? I've gotten whole rear diff with 4.3 final drive and strong 4 pinion LSD from $32 to 150)

---

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.

My 240 rallycar is 3025 lbs ready to race without putting any special effort into taking weight out of it.

A 240 comes with a differential that can be easily welded up... Chances are the car you will be working with will come with a 3.73 final drive ratio. Easily swapped for 4.1 should you wish for it as this was offered for a bolt-in solution. The complete axle will be available for next to nothing.
With the turbo motor it can easily make more than enough torque that you won't notice the difference between 3.73 and 4.1 for a final drive ratio.
Get stupid (read: FUN) with power and you will break axles.... I fixed that in my car with a Ford 9" and Moser 35 spline axles. No more broken axles... wheel studs ect....

Volvo 240s can be purchased with a turbo motor or not... The turbo car will already have an oil cooler, many to most have an intercooler... The intercooler will have to be upgraded but the plumbing is there.

Find someone's project car that is done and drives well that they have already put thousands into.... They are out there and available for adoption. You can find a car that already has a turbo motor with programmable engine management, a transmission and clutch that will live with the power ect....

Lots of fun to be had in a 240.

---

JohnLane

Overkill is consistently more fun



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2013 09:13AM by JohnLane.

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LexusFman
(I know its better to buy a car from somewhere rust free like the south, but when I talked to my mom about it she said something along the lines of "you want to buy some old decrepit car from somewhere far away from people you don't know? You're stupider than I thought!)

Clearly your mother and mine went to the same school of parenting. Your mom must have missed the course on adding curse words for effect though. Mine would have thrown at least one effenheimer in there for emphasis.

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Kirk Coughlin
Woodbury, MN and River Falls, WI

Quemadmodum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est.

Quote
darkknight9

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LexusFman
(I know its better to buy a car from somewhere rust free like the south, but when I talked to my mom about it she said something along the lines of "you want to buy some old decrepit car from somewhere far away from people you don't know? You're stupider than I thought!)

Clearly your mother and mine went to the same school of parenting. Your mom must have missed the course on adding curse words for effect though. Mine would have thrown at least one effenheimer in there for emphasis.

Such kind words, so encouraging.

Hey Yengie-baby, tell your mom that a great Englishman, Willam Blake famously said "If a fool shall persist in his folly long enough----
he shall become a wise man"

Another wise Englishman name Winston S. Churchill said
"The crime is not in failing--------

But in setting low aims"

Everything we're doing and trying to do could easily be looked at as an extended, long term learning exercise...and depending on what you put into it you can learn a whole bunch of real world skills---not the least of which can be learning to set goals, planning, discipline, and the most important in my opinion : how to look at problems....

There is a strong parallel between the ways people approach the problems here (acquiring a suitable car, setting the goal, planning the finances, planning and executing the work, prioritizing the areas to expend time/money/effort on etc )
and how they approach real life...)
For some the answer to everything is BUY everything. Accept always "everybody says I should ______________"
Some resist everything "I only can learn from my own mistakes" (False you CAN learn for others mistakes simply by looking and thinking"
Some forget what the ultimate goal is: driving down roads and giggling your brains out.

---

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.

What about NEFR? Where are the best places to stay at? Also, my mom is worried the most about safety.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2013 05:05PM by LexusFman.

Quote
LexusFman
What about NEFR? Where are the best places to stay at? Also, my mom is worried the most about safety.

Away from the vicious mosquitoes!

---

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.

Got the same thing from my mother when I wanted to buy my Chevelle. And one of the first things I did with it was swap from auto to manual, along with a bigger motor.

Don't don't about Volvos but a swap like that is work, but doable work. I had zero background with cars or anything mechanical then. That's how I learned.

This is my first year going to NEFR (except as a spectator once for a day). Only place I know about is "the Jordan". Check the NEFR web site and supp/spectator info. See if they have deals with any places.

Tim.

Someone's project that runs and drives; available for adoption. Already has a T-5, bigger turbo than is needed, programmable engine management....

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=281495

---

JohnLane

Overkill is consistently more fun

Quote
JohnLane
Someone's project that runs and drives; available for adoption. Already has a T-5, bigger turbo than is needed, programmable engine management....

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=281495

Never thought of buying someone's project car. I'll look into it.

take advantage of the universal rule of hot rods: One islucky to get half what was put into it when its sold.

One more quick question. I've been looking at the supps for numerous rallies and it seems like a common thing is to have "recce registration" on Wednesday. If you miss this registration, can you still be able to do the recce on Thursday?

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LexusFman
One more quick question. I've been looking at the supps for numerous rallies and it seems like a common thing is to have "recce registration" on Wednesday. If you miss this registration, can you still be able to do the recce on Thursday?

You're a long loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way from having to even THINK what that means...and if anybody tells you now, it will have faded by time you're ready..

Comeon big hint time: SERIOUSLY concentrate on the NEXT STEP---don't worry much about little, variable details years from now..
(in other words a guy your age/position shouldn't be reading Supps, you should be reading ads and road maps plotting finding and returning a CAR, then reading HAYNES MANUALS for how to work on the car)

---

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.

Quote
john vanlandingham

Quote
LexusFman
One more quick question. I've been looking at the supps for numerous rallies and it seems like a common thing is to have "recce registration" on Wednesday. If you miss this registration, can you still be able to do the recce on Thursday?

You're a long loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way from having to even THINK what that means...and if anybody tells you now, it will have faded by time you're ready..

Comeon big hint time: SERIOUSLY concentrate on the NEXT STEP---don't worry much about little, variable details years from now..
(in other words a guy your age/position shouldn't be reading Supps, you should be reading ads and road maps plotting finding and returning a CAR, then reading HAYNES MANUALS for how to work on the car)

Yeeeeah but I got bored. lol.

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LexusFman

Quote
john vanlandingham

Quote
LexusFman
One more quick question. I've been looking at the supps for numerous rallies and it seems like a common thing is to have "recce registration" on Wednesday. If you miss this registration, can you still be able to do the recce on Thursday?

You're a long loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way from having to even THINK what that means...and if anybody tells you now, it will have faded by time you're ready..

Comeon big hint time: SERIOUSLY concentrate on the NEXT STEP---don't worry much about little, variable details years from now..
(in other words a guy your age/position shouldn't be reading Supps, you should be reading ads and road maps plotting finding and returning a CAR, then reading HAYNES MANUALS for how to work on the car)

Yeeeeah but I got bored. lol.

Then you aren't trying to get a car hard enough. Never a reason for boredom in life.
Try harder.

---

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.