84' Volvo 760 Turbo build

First off - long time lurker first time poster. So a [very extensive] background behind this project...

I have always wanted to get involved with rally. I've loved racing since an early age and fortunately this local video store down the street from where I grew up had this huge collection of rally racing on VHS which exposed me to the sport when I was little.

When I was in high school I really wanted what my idea of a rally car was [2.5 RS, WRX, Eagle Talon Tsi, Xratty's] for my first car. Somehow that changed on a date with this girl I had a crush on. She drove a Volvo 240 wagon, which at the time I was very ignorant towards and hated. I asked her why hers looked sportier and her response was "my dad put wheels from a turbo volvo on it." I had no fucking clue what a turbo actually did, I just knew most rally cars had them and it made them go faster.

I instantly became enamored with 240 Turbo's. Hell I even forgot about the girl with the 240 and started searching to get my own. I searched the internet for 240's that raced, found John Lane's rally car and instantly wanted a 240. I looked long and hard for a coupe in my price range, but after waiting too long I got impatient and bought a sedan.



This car ended up making me want to learn more about cars as far as fixing them and understanding how they work. I ended up going to a trade school and became a Volvo mechanic for a few years. I held on to the car and continued hot rodding it, even to the point where it became a menace to California's smog-legal society. At this point, I had done a few track days in it, and I also took part in one of the early 24 Hours of Lemons races. So I was like, hey, I wanna make it a road race car.



Did'nt work as planned. Encountered a lot of trouble and I was putting a lot of money into the car, and still did not have a proper idea on how much effort it takes to race a car. Did'nt have a truck or trailer. So I put the car on hold, bought a truck and a trailer.

At the time I was helping out a buddy who's daughter was racing a Honda at the local dirt track 15 minutes away. There was another division out at the track called "American Stocks" that was all 2nd gen Camaros, g body's and Thunderbirds sliding around. It looked fun. So I found an old Camaro chassis that had last been used in figure 8 racing in the mid 1990's for $500

Went from this



To This



I ran 1 full season and got multiple heat race wins, numerous podiums, and only finished out of the top 10 5 times [2 DNF's] in 25 races. With 20+ car fields. At the end of the year, I finished 6th in points out of 19 drivers who ran the full season. I was awarded rookie of the year.

I was kind of over it though. As fun as it was sliding around on dirt, I hated the politics, macho redneck mouth breathing attitudes, and other bullcrap that went along with dirt track racing. Funding it all myself, being the only person working on the car and being my only support most of the time at the track was hard.

So I sold it and started to go after racing the Volvo again in SCCA ITE.

I spent a few months spending mucho dinero on fancy drivetrain parts for it. I saved up some money too for a vacation too.

I ended up going camping at Mid Ohio for the Indy/PWC race, flew to Chicago and NYC and roamed each city for days on end on a bicycle. Afterwards, I took a bus to DC where I met up with a friend who I shipped all my racing gear to a few weeks earlier. We went and raced his Volvo 850 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in a Lemons race.

Between all the soul searching I did in NYC and Chicago, and the Lemons race, I came home and saw the car like this



And thought - why dont I sell all these fancy expensive parts I have, just put the thing back together with nice brakes/suspension and a cheap drivetrain? Than go race Lemons with my buddies and just have fun without worries.

So I did just that




It's been fun as hell. But there's a level of stress that comes from putting a car you have owned 12 years in the hands of other people on a racetrack. For instance, the nice paint/bodywork [the paint job was a gift in 2003 from my grandmother done by a friend of her's for graduating] getting destroyed by a dumb mistake by someone you trust behind the wheel of your steed. But whatever I'll continue to stick random people behind the wheel of it, it's so much fun!


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E6W5bBxpwWQ"; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So while Lemons is my new outlet for having fun with friends, I've wanted something to enjoy strictly for myself.

I had recently been searching for a car to use as a daily driver for a few months while I rebuild the transmission in my Dodge 3500. On a facebook discussion group, I found someone was selling their modified 1984 Volvo 760 Turbo. I actually knew of the car personally and the guy selling it, from being a moderator on Turbobricks.com over the years and also because he is fairly local and attended meets.

Much like my 240, the 760 was his first "car" he dicked around with and had owned it for 8 years. He rebuilt the B23FT 30k ago, added an Enem V15 Turbo cam as well as other numerous mods, including an M46 swap and reinforcing the rear subframe.

So while I picked it up as a DD, I've also decided I am slowly going to prepare it for stage rallying.



My plan is to start with it's current batch of modifications, as well as other simple mods [swapping to a stronger front crossmember, getting everything set up as I like] to make it good for rallycross. I am a 2.5 hour drive from Prarie City where a lot of the rallycross events are held. My best friend also lives near Glen Helen down south so I am going to go visit her later this year and take it out for an event.

While doing this I am going to be researching my best options as far as getting this thing prepared in a few years for stage rallies. I am going to take it slow.



Currently, I am in the process of replacing the head on the car as well as the turbocharger. I found an ebay t3/t4 rebuilt with garrett internals so that will go on.

I will continue to update this thread with progress on the car as well as how events go. I plan on running Glen Helen, Prarie City this year and also am thinking of doing the Mendocino TDS rally with it



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2015 02:48PM by pat244ti.

the 244 looks like its about 3 more tubes in the rollcage away from being a rallycar...

Hi Pat and welcome to the asylum..
240s you know is my favorite and I call it "the oughtter be default car for America"
But obviously 740/940 can work just as well..
You know you're just down the road from a man who was probably the best ever 2wd in the country and he did it last of all in a 740 (cause it was originally a diesel shell---you know what that means tee hee) but the single thing that sank Karl more than anything else and more than too many times was the gaddam links in the 740...

First suggestion is to sketch into the budget a 12-15 gallon fuel cell...then simple 4 link from Coleman or some circle track supplier

The other thing would be planning for rear shock towers so you can go nice long travel coil-overs, same like what Al and any ofg the faster Volvos in the country are doing...grip is the name of the game and springing it "compliant" and letting it hunker down means grip...aside from that not tons to do...

You planning turd-boat or n.a.?

---

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
the single thing that sank Karl more than anything else and more than too many times was the gaddam links in the 740..

Last few times have been turbo and stuck brake calipers.
His car is pretty stock suspension wise from when I checked it over at Olympus. I didn't know he had suspension failures, what failed out of curiosity?

Quote
Robert Culbertson

Quote
john vanlandingham
the single thing that sank Karl more than anything else and more than too many times was the gaddam links in the 740..

Last few times have been turbo and stuck brake calipers.
His car is pretty stock suspension wise from when I checked it over at Olympus. I didn't know he had suspension failures, what failed out of curiosity?

Just what I said: the links --the rod--bushes gone, ovalized the hole, metal fails, or mounts pulled out of the body or the fucked up contraption on pass side upper failed..the shit junk attaching the axle..

---

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.

I think John's referring to his earlier Volvo. The current one's a 940. We had a suspension-related failure at Gorman. The weird, um... I don't even know what you'd call it. Upper link? That weird steel thing that sits on pins and slides forward and aft above and to the side of the driveshaft and has an arm going out to anchor the diff. Whatever it's called, that thing either pulled out and then buckled or buckled and then pulled out. Not sure which happened first. But then the axle started doing nutty things and the driveshaft eventually got annoyed at it and decided to take the rest of the day off and go have tea and crumpets.

---

Self-righteous douche canoe

Quote
alkun
the 244 looks like its about 3 more tubes in the rollcage away from being a rallycar...

I actually re-did the door bars after the pic of it all stripped was taken to make it legal for Lemons.

Quote
john vanlandingham
Hi Pat and welcome to the asylum..
240s you know is my favorite and I call it "the oughtter be default car for America"
But obviously 740/940 can work just as well..
You know you're just down the road from a man who was probably the best ever 2wd in the country and he did it last of all in a 740 (cause it was originally a diesel shell---you know what that means tee hee) but the single thing that sank Karl more than anything else and more than too many times was the gaddam links in the 740...

First suggestion is to sketch into the budget a 12-15 gallon fuel cell...then simple 4 link from Coleman or some circle track supplier

The other thing would be planning for rear shock towers so you can go nice long travel coil-overs, same like what Al and any ofg the faster Volvos in the country are doing...grip is the name of the game and springing it "compliant" and letting it hunker down means grip...aside from that not tons to do...

You planning turd-boat or n.a.?

I realized Karl [I remember seeing the yellow bus at Rim in 2002? I think Streets was driving it] is right over the hill a few weeks ago when I found out he recently put together a new 940.

I definitely want to run a cell. Rear [and front] suspension will get messed with later, it's currently got the rear subframe reinforced already, new inserts all around and the only other thing I want to do at the moment is find a set of diesel springs, a diesel hood [aluminum] and strip it out.

I am going to keep it turbo for sure I think. In the middle of replacing it with a t3/t4 right now. Won't need stupid power just a nice amount would be fine

Quote
pat244ti

Quote
alkun
the 244 looks like its about 3 more tubes in the rollcage away from being a rallycar...

I actually re-did the door bars after the pic of it all stripped was taken to make it legal for Lemons.

Quote
john vanlandingham
Hi Pat and welcome to the asylum..
240s you know is my favorite and I call it "the oughtter be default car for America"
But obviously 740/940 can work just as well..
You know you're just down the road from a man who was probably the best ever 2wd in the country and he did it last of all in a 740 (cause it was originally a diesel shell---you know what that means tee hee) but the single thing that sank Karl more than anything else and more than too many times was the gaddam links in the 740...

First suggestion is to sketch into the budget a 12-15 gallon fuel cell...then simple 4 link from Coleman or some circle track supplier

The other thing would be planning for rear shock towers so you can go nice long travel coil-overs, same like what Al and any ofg the faster Volvos in the country are doing...grip is the name of the game and springing it "compliant" and letting it hunker down means grip...aside from that not tons to do...

You planning turd-boat or n.a.?

I realized Karl [I remember seeing the yellow bus at Rim in 2002? I think Streets was driving it] is right over the hill a few weeks ago when I found out he recently put together a new 940.

I definitely want to run a cell. Rear [and front] suspension will get messed with later, it's currently got the rear subframe reinforced already, new inserts all around and the only other thing I want to do at the moment is find a set of diesel springs, a diesel hood [aluminum] and strip it out.

I am going to keep it turbo for sure I think. In the middle of replacing it with a t3/t4 right now. Won't need stupid power just a nice amount would be fine

Slow down
Because of the miserable upper mount on those miserable 740s is just a steele plate and a rubber bush, iy make the whole install of anything half worth a damn a pain.

What I's trying to say is the problesm with out of the box so called Haitch Deas are as follows
too fucking short
valaved like for a limp-wristed girly man

Did i mention short travel.?
Then they are already machined at the top for that useless rubber strut mount ie diamerte, length of shoulder, overall length..

I think I may have mentioned short travel..

It probably----very probably would be a wash on buying a useless limp-dick stock insert, getting it revaled and lengthened, and then--in order to use easy and cheap 2 1/2" coilover spring machining a bunch of dumb spacers and junk to use a GOOD top mount and upper spring seat (a good one is one which does not "cost" a lotta length over all.)

versus
just getting a "normal custom insert" with the right travel, valved right and since the come unmachined on top, machined right for the right top mount...

Thus is in front of course...
I am doing the "mod the stock so called haitch Deas" for a 740 guy out in Nude Joisey where the roads suck...

Why spend money on wird next-to-impossible-to-find junk like diesel springs?
And who says they any good?
(That's the thing that really suck giant donkey dicks with ALL the alleged hero Volvo vendors and the numb-nuts fan bois who have people ever one of those places:
NO ever PUBLISH rates on stock springs..
NO EVER published rates any ANY aftermarket springs.

DECADES these cars have been fucked with and tweaked and not a single one of the cunts could be troubled to sling some springs on a spring checker...but oh boy are they going to tell you whatchoo need to buy..--fucking twerps)

So slow down, spend money once if there's a way... search for a 15gallon cell---they make some that will fit nicely directly over the axle and between the 2 (future) shock towers....
15 gallons is more than enough for any future rally and big enough to get around on cruise like up to Davis or Sacto for wawwy-closs---they're just kind annoying to find at 15g..

---

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
Slow down
Because of the miserable upper mount on those miserable 740s is just a steele plate and a rubber bush, iy make the whole install of anything half worth a damn a pain.

What I's trying to say is the problesm with out of the box so called Haitch Deas are as follows
too fucking short
valaved like for a limp-wristed girly man

Did i mention short travel.?
Then they are already machined at the top for that useless rubber strut mount ie diamerte, length of shoulder, overall length..

I think I may have mentioned short travel..

It probably----very probably would be a wash on buying a useless limp-dick stock insert, getting it revaled and lengthened, and then--in order to use easy and cheap 2 1/2" coilover spring machining a bunch of dumb spacers and junk to use a GOOD top mount and upper spring seat (a good one is one which does not "cost" a lotta length over all.)

versus
just getting a "normal custom insert" with the right travel, valved right and since the come unmachined on top, machined right for the right top mount...

Thus is in front of course...
I am doing the "mod the stock so called haitch Deas" for a 740 guy out in Nude Joisey where the roads suck...

Why spend money on wird next-to-impossible-to-find junk like diesel springs?
And who says they any good?
(That's the thing that really suck giant donkey dicks with ALL the alleged hero Volvo vendors and the numb-nuts fan bois who have people ever one of those places:
NO ever PUBLISH rates on stock springs..
NO EVER published rates any ANY aftermarket springs.

DECADES these cars have been fucked with and tweaked and not a single one of the cunts could be troubled to sling some springs on a spring checker...but oh boy are they going to tell you whatchoo need to buy..--fucking twerps)

So slow down, spend money once if there's a way... search for a 15gallon cell---they make some that will fit nicely directly over the axle and between the 2 (future) shock towers....
15 gallons is more than enough for any future rally and big enough to get around on cruise like up to Davis or Sacto for wawwy-closs---they're just kind annoying to find at 15g..

In regards to diesel springs, I was only going to swap some on for rallycross use later this year. Got a friend who has a set he wants to give me already. Currently how it sits, it's too low in my book even for rallycross and the fairly flat course at prarie city. I just wanted a cheap stopgap for now to bring it back up to a decent height to fit decent cheap tires for rallycross, I think the car will still be enough fun even with stock replacement inserts and diesel springs. I'm not trying to compete for anything, just want to have fun flinging the car around

I will take it off the road for an extended period I think before any plans of stage rallies. Suring such time I would upgrade the suspension to the specs as you described, with the fuel cell as mentioned I'll probably be talking to you more at some point. I also might even be moving up your way in the fall for work if everything goes as planned, the company I work for currently has plans for expansion in OR and WA because of recent legislation

Makes sense to me. Especially the cell, realized how stupid small the stock tank was after the first few tanks. Better to move that weight too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2015 01:10AM by pat244ti.

Just finished putting the engine back together the way I like, with no AC components, an electric fan, the t3/t4 with braided feed/return, PCV system upgrades and all new intake/intercooler plumbing. Also welded brackets to push the intercooler up with no AC condenser in the way.

Aside from upgrading the to a 3'' and going with a nicer wastegate setup soon I don't really see any more engine mods planned for this thing, just chassis/suspension stuff, brake upgrades and possibly more durable trans. Also will be rebuilding the turbo with Garrett internals/seals when I replace the WG/exhaust.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2015 11:37AM by pat244ti.

So not much construction has been going on.

Engine runs pretty good. Finished a nice 3'' exhaust

Found some Romanian guy who bought a Ford Transit from Utah with perfect size Winterforces on Craigs List that wanted to get rid of them cheap.

Threw some stock springs to get it to a decent ride height.

Welded up the stupid little suspension link in the back with more plates.

Took it to it's first rallycross at Prarie City in December. Quite the downpour and wind that day. For some reason I chose to use the event as a baseline of sorts and leave the car with stock springs and both sway bars [bigguns at that] on as well as the open diff.

Well I was an idiot and realized the very first turn I should have chucked that rear bar!




It had been a while since I had been on dirt, but even though the car was an ungodly plowing peg legged pig I figured out how to make it dance a little.




I did not bother to check my times at the end of the day, I was just glad I got to run my first event in it, not break or get too stuck in the mud and BS with some nice folks afterwards. Worth the 300 mile round trip with no heater/defrost.

Checked them a few days later and was pleasantly surprised for how how dog shit the handling on the car was. Plenty faster [8 seconds] than a 2015 Camaro that was playing in the mud, just a tad off from a E30 looked like it was not it's first [or second] rodeo.

Diff is welded up now, got a set of cheap set of Sensen shocks/struts in there, new tie rods/ball joints/wheel bearings. Sway bars are off [both ends.] If I could sum up the "turning" tests I was doing on Summit Road the other night in smilies it would be I like it. Might try it one more time with a front bar.

Might throw a seat in there as well as a harness. That might be all this car really needs [except for a proper handbrake for the back.]

Any more time/money spent past that will be on either building a 240 for stage rally in the future, or finding one complete.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2016 03:46AM by pat244ti.

Yeah its amazing how a little mud can make cars seem like such pigs. Any car.. In the endless fapping over FWD vs RWD which is better fap fests I've always said "a stock POS FWD car or a stock POS RWD car, it doesn't matter, cause the important thing is the shared POS-ness of open diff, wrong gearing, wrong suspension wrong power... and conversely a well prespped FWD vs a well prepped RWD, it doesn't matter, BOTH work just fine--it is the state of prep which is decisive...
The difference is the COST to build an acceptably good car: FWD is far more expensive because every FWD car has its own unique gearbox/final drive/diff/driveshafts and those cost multiples of what a good RWD box/final drive/diff cost."

Ya know the Fiestas which many guys tout as "the" thing, the super bitchin Sadev gearbox will cost somewhere around $15,000 for the entire set up..I saw price for just the gearstick, mount and cables and it was like $1800 just for those parts...when whole brand new T5 boxes cost less than that...

Ya can't convince me its 10 times more fun to run thru the gears than a T5.

You making any moves to find a starter 240 shell?
You ask Al Kun up in Mill Valley what he has stashed? You should.

---

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.

I've kinda started the search for a shell.

Talked to Al a few months ago been meaning to go up there and pick his brain and check out his stuff. Also wanted to try and just shoot some BS with Karl Jardevall since he's a little up the coast from me [maybe I could be convinced to stay grandpa series...]

I'm in California so my two best options with a shell are to start with a 75' shell or to find a 76'+ and do a diesel swap to get the "D" on the title so I will no longer need to worry about smogging it every two years to keep it road registered.

Lost out on a 75' 242 last week that was local for $400. Saw a cheap 242 shell up in Oregon this week too. However, if I had someone near Portland who could stash a shell for me until May there is a 75' 244 shell that used to belong to me that the current owner wants to give me for free. I don't mind 4 doors. But I must act fast on finding a stash spot....I can't make it up to Portland for at least a few months when I plan on passing through when I go up to volunteer at Olympus Rally.

FWD guys that day dominated in terms of times and in terms of looking like they were having the most fun in that muddy stuff. Overall time of the day was set by a bone stock Suzuki Swift, second was a bone stock Camry, in the pouring rain/soupy mess. It cleared up later in the day and got drier/tacky for the AWD crowd and they still could not get within 4 seconds of the Suzuki.

Speaking of Swifts, there is a nicely prepped one for stage with all the right stuff - brakes, suspension, dogbox a few hours down south for half the cost of the a sadev box for a Fiesta

I prefer a 240 though. I know them like the back of my hand mechanically from screwing with them for 13 years now, and I know I fit in them comfortably [6'5.]

Hey, glad to see that I'm not the only one who plans on building a 740 rally car. Currently using a stock(other than skid plates) S70 T5 for rallycross (first full season). I found a newer lowKM motor for my 91 740T but may end up just doing more rallycross with it once its running. Didn't realize how extensive the chassis and suspension mods are until I read a few builds>>a focus and a 244. . Looks like a lot of fab work and welding!! Did my apprenticeship on them and they have kinda stuck.
Has anyone built a 850 or a S70 for stage rally in north America?