240 performance

Slowbrick

Kcam + Manual conversion + stage 0 + opened up exhaust + tight suspension will be a very fun car. Even our 245 with just a K cam was a fun car before we turboed it. Now its just a funner car :p

A_Volvo_Driver

I'll need to show you my car, and how fun it can be.

morgan

Springs and braces being fitted as I type , now looking for a manual box and someone to fit it and speaking to ash about cams

Vee_Que

If you want to turbo it, then cam choice is going to be decided from that really.

Philia_Bear

Ipd turblow or kg2t

Anthony

Lets be clear for Morgans sake advice on - turboing it -
What replies are not-quite-saying is you need to ditch your existing low-km B23E engine and replace/fit a complete turbo EFI engine from another Volvo model eg 740T.
Primary reason is your existing B23E engine has too-high a compression ratio to suit bolting on a turbo.
Associated with a turbo-engine replacement is major challenge, involving a time-consuming rewire of the 245 system and converting it all to suit EFI, as your existing mechanical injection (including main pump, fuel lines) and ignition control is not suited.
Add installing a totally different engine management system, exhaust for the first metre, intercooler and plumbing, engine mounts reconditionng of bits, gaskets etc, etc. Budget $10,000 for a garage to do properly. (being an order of magnitude greater than your original stated budget.
Least you wouldn't need to change your dashboard.

Your considering a manual gearbox, good idea. - The seller needs to assure you the box and overdrive are functioning well. The change to a manual M46 with O'Drive you might achieve for $1,000 (factor in obtaining and having the flywheel reground, new clutch assembly, pilot bearing, clutch fork, new tailshaft uni-joints, centre bearing, shifter bushes etc.. And pray the overdrive works properly or you will regret it.
The upto 1980 overdrive has a simple direct operation to trigger the overdrive solenoid, and the latter models a relay system that requires a lot more work to wire in.

After the gearbox, you can take peoples camshaft advice - as with a manual gearbox and human transmission control your not restricted in choice compared to an auto box that needs to idle properly and have low down torque.

morgan

Thanks Anthony for that in depth information will look into a 740 turbo engine

egads (she/her)

Generally the best way to get one is to get a whole car. Then you have all the fiddly bits you need too. Otherwise you end up 3/4's done then need to get a random part from a wreckers which is no fun.

morgan

If I put a m46 manual gear box in it now is that compatable with the 740. Turbo engine down the track , as it runs so we at the moment as its only done 120000 kms I am not keen to change the engine until it has a major problem

Ex850R

To confuse you even more , i have a LPG injected turbo off an 850T5 that would give you cheap running cost on a turbo build...
Been meaning to put it up for sale once i get it out of store and take pics.
Factor in the tank and instal for it , i have most parts needed.

Philia_Bear

Anthony;46649 wrote Budget $10,000 for a garage to do properly.
.

Man that was a good laugh
For $10k I will happily make his car a 10 second daily driver and put several thousand into my own bank account

Bluntly
nothing wrong with using a 10:1 compression engine with a turbo
As long as you spend a little time and effort with it and use the right cam (like a KG2t)
Tentacle wagon ran 10:1 on pump gas and 15PSI out of a hairdrier of a 15g for over 100,000KM

Best practice

A 95+ 940s in good running condition with 99% of everything you need will run you around $2200
There are multiple for sale
This covers Engine complete turbo setup
I'd spend the extra
Finding a 89+ wrecked 240 is done any day of the week for sub $800

So add in another $500 for spare gaskets/ebay IC/ etc...
Now at $3500 max and you would get (conservaticvly) $1000 of that back when you sell the extra stuff
(or probobly buy everything you need from Mark for $2500 just the same)

Install would be about 10-15 hours labour for the engine swap and stuff
But... that can easily be discounted through the bruces network

IIRC GLE and I charged ~$2k for a +T job including all parts and labour
On a 199x 240 that already had LH2.4

Also I would avoid anything from a 740 like the plague as they are all either thin rod or evil B23 stuff....

Slowbrick

I did my turbo conversion for about 2k including engineering costs. I can be done cheaply if you are sensible about it. Wiring in LH to a Kjet car is a bit of a PITA but isnt too bad if you read up on the two systems and work out how to integrate the LH into the K-jet car. Ive done both the LH2.2 to LH2.2T and a KJet to LH2.4. The KJet to LH2.4 doesnt quite run right but that is purely down to the fact circumstances changed and what was supposed to be a nice well thought out project turned into a dash to get the car running overnight so alot of shortcuts were made. Still it runs and wasnt that difficult to get it running.

Vee_Que

+1 on the not costing 10k. 10k with me gets a rebuilt with for rods and pistons 16v turbo motor in a 240 with a box that will last and diff that will never break.

A_Volvo_Driver

To be fair, I thought that Anthony was saying $10K if you paid a garage to do the work for you, not a Bruce.

Philia_Bear

A_Volvo_Driver;46691 wroteTo be fair, I thought that Anthony was saying $10K if you paid a garage to do the work for you, not a Bruce.

IIRC Jerry (A-class) charged less than $2k for labour to do one

Slowbrick

A_Volvo_Driver;46691 wroteTo be fair, I thought that Anthony was saying $10K if you paid a garage to do the work for you, not a Bruce.

I think the point Anthony was trying to get across is that it wont be a walk in the park and done for $500. It will require lots of planning and reading before you even pick up any parts or tools. It WILL cost more than you plan for and it WILL break at some point. That being said, it is a hell of alot of fun during and after the build and I highly encourage the OP to attempt it themselves. Having a shop do it takes half the fun and education out of it.
IIRC Jerry (A-class) charged less than $2k for labour to do one
[/quote]

Thats because it will never get finished. I dont mean to be rude...but Jerry is more or less...questionable with his approaches.

Vee_Que

No. He does mean that sort of money. Paying full retail for everything and using a motec no doubt.

Anthony

Philia_Bear;46662 wrote
Anthony;46649 wrote Budget $10,000 for a garage to do properly.
.
Bluntly
nothing wrong with using a 10:1 compression engine with a turbo
As long as you spend a little time and effort with it and use the right cam (like a KG2t)
Tentacle wagon ran 10:1 on pump gas and 15PSI out of a hairdrier of a 15g for over 100,000KM

I'll challenge the above:
B23E (non-turbo) around 83 era had compression as high as 10.4 : 1, with a few owners reporting they couldn't solve a pinging problem, maybe their engines had their head reconditioned and machined flat hence raising compression. So if a no-turbo is having issues, it must be torture on components with compressed air being pushed in as well.
Pinging is obviously a far bigger potential issue with turbo engines, and this occurs at peak torque around 3,700 rpm (plus or minus 200 rpm).

I had a knock sensor setup that flashed a dash warning light and this occurred a bit before I could actually hear it. The aftermarket computer was then mapped to retard ign timing by a few degrees, and fuel was increased a little to cool down the rapid heat buildup.
From a mechanically sympathetic point of view I couldn't contemplate a static 10:1 then run 15psii (1 atmos boost), as the effective comp ratio is far higher around 20:1 = major mechanical (and heat) stress on piston and big / little end bearings. The usual result is a piston out the side of the block.
Max safely would be 5psi or 1/3rd atmos boost).

Haven't tried the KG2T but note its meant to rev to high rpm. Does it clatter bad at idle?

morgan

So turbo first or manual box first ?

jamesinc

Okay, in this thread there are two types of build being put forward.

The build Anthony has given, where you basically dump the car with a performance workshop, tell them what numbers you want, and let them figure it out, is realistic. It will also probably be very reliable and ensure good longevity.

The build Dynamite or Mr Bear are describing is the opposite end of the spectrum, where you mix and match from other turbo Volvos, and retain LH-Jetronic 2.4 engine management, and generally keep the cost low. 2.4 has limited tunability but the groundwork is there - it has a couple of sensors, it is closed loop. It will in most cases stop you from blowing up your engine.

The real drawback of keeping the N/A block is that you will only be able to run a small turbo (e.g. TD04-15G) at modest boost levels. It will be rapid compared to an N/A 240, but it will not be sportscar fast.

Given that it is not hard to get hold of a B230FT (recently someone just gave one to me), I would get that bottom end. It'll make your life easier and you won't be on a razor's edge with engine knock when you start turning the boost up.

For the do-it-yourself method I would budget $2500, which should also pay for a quality exhaust system. Remember as soon as you start poking around under the hood of an old car, you'll break everything, so there's a reasonable budget to renew parts just because it's convenient.

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