volvo 242 with T6 engine

Hello,

Earlier I have written to this forum and asked about a 24V cosworth conversion. Mikael and some others helped well, but since then the situation has changed.

I have sold my xr4 24v and bought a 244 volvo and an S80 T6 engine.
We will convert the 244 to 242, so from 4 doors to 2 doors version.

I'm interested what do u know, what have you heard about these. So have u got experience on this chassis conversion and this engine?

Probably with the correct measures we are able to the chassis work, but of course every good advice would be helpful.

Also if you can help me on the suspension and brake upgrade, I would be very glad. I will use 4 link kit with Watts linkage, coilovers etc. Can I use big brake from other Volvos? I have Brembo calipers but don't know which rotor should I use. Have you got some good LSD for that diff in sweden? I'm not sure whether I have stock LSD or not, I heard rumors that lots of Volvos have been equipped with Dana LSD.

Other thing is the engine. It is strong enough in stock form, but I would need at least 400 or even 5-600 hp if possible. Since due to the manual transmission I need programmable ecu, but with some other mods I will be able to gain more power. My question is, do u know how much power could I receive from the stock parts? I know that the pistons are cast iron, but I heard that the conrods are the weak point of the engine. But forged rods are available in the USA and those are not very expensive. The exhaust side has variable valves, what is the better, to control it or to lock it?

Ohh sorry too much questions
I will keep on this conversation later, after some answers...

Sadly are my knowledge of Volvo somewhat lacking. don´t know if the guys that know here manages to replay in english.

Probably is it no problems att all to manage 400hp but as you say are the rods a bit weak. The pistons is made of aluminum not iron, i have newer heard of pistons made in iron by the way

the rearaxel is very similar to the dana 35 , so meany parts can be shifted around thise axels.

the strongest original axel is called 1031 by volvo.some are equipt with lsd.rumors said thet the volvo lsd isnt good for big power and often requier rebuilds.but other diffrentsials for the dana 35 , such as detroit locker is popular.i hava a detroit locker in my daylydriver 940 whitout any problems.

regarding bigger brakes i know that the volvo s/v70 -00 305mm rotors fit in front , and with adaptors you can use volvo s60r calippers.other i've heard of is volvo xc90/s80 with adaptors and some bmw.

and for the chassis , i dont think you will need watts linkage , espacely if you use triangulated fourlink.theirs allot of meassureing and thinking with wattslinkage so you dont get problems with the rollcenter.

you can problaby get some info about the 240 group a track car volvo raced in the 80is with.outdated compared to most other partisipating racing cars but it didnt finish last.

and as mikael says 400 with stock bottom is problably no problem , but as h-beam rods are getting so cheap it doesent hurt to invest and be sure.

if you want more even power a porting of th head will do much , since it flows worse then the old 4 cyl 16valve volvo.if you want better piston for some reason i think the s60r will fitt , so no need to buy expesive speedparts there.

sorry for bad english and big thumbs up for the project.

Hi Mikael, Richard, thanks for the help, I will consider your advices.

It seems I will keep the stock pistons and rods for the first time, maybe I will swap to the h-beam rods.

Of course with triangulated 4 link there is no need of watts linkage, but if I will keep the stock longitudinal 4 link, I would prefer watts instead of the panhard rod.

But u r right, the triangulated is more simple, so probably I will use that.

What do u know about the front of the car, lamps and grill, etc, I would like to use group-a look, but my car is from 80, it has earlier stuff. I can provide the required parts but I'm interested whether am I able to bolt it without any bigger modification, welding, etc. I heard rumors that the volvos have all the fixing points to each kind of lamp and grill...

changing the frontend is easy , no welding.

but talking of welding , most of the body is spotwelded and by weld it completly you gain much in stiffness.

richard s skrev:

changing the frontend is easy , no welding.

but talking of welding , most of the body is spotwelded and by weld it completly you gain much in stiffness.

Ohh good to know, I was not sure whether it spotwelded or not, but at least now I know it

We'll take care of it.

You might want to check out the Turbobricks Forum.
There's a guy with a T6 engine in a 960.
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=52060

Read this and you'll find a lot of answers to your questions.

You'll also need a M90-2 transmission to hook it up in your car.
Make sure you strengthen the third gear sprocket by welding it to the shaft. They tend to slide off or break.
Here is a link for the transmission.
http://turbobricks.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1483239

It's mostly for the replacement of a M46/47 transmission for the red blocks, but a lot apply's to the version for the white blocks.

PS
Changing from a 244 to a 242 is a lot of work and might compromise the strenght from the body. Why not leave it a 244 and find a suitable 242 which was build as a two door.

Good luck with your project.

Pjotr

What i forgot...

The rear axle is normally a Dana 30 or 35
The stock LSD's are way to weak if you send a lot of power through them.
Also the stock LSD has a weight in it that makes the LSD stop functioning over 25-40 kmh (not sure about the speed).
It can be modified to work at a higher speed, but they are still too weak.
Best thing is a Detroit Locker (100%) or a Quaife.

Good luck

Pjotr

dont use the volvo m90 , it costs more ( in sweden ) then getrag from bmw m3 or diesel and it hanels more power.
if you dont want to build you own adaptor there are some speedshops that you can buy from.other than that the swap in no more complicated.


and i have to agree with F20A2-T regarding the number of doors , the 4 doors are better.

Kl-racing has several adapters for this engine.
I would agree with richard about the trans.

Hi F20A2-T, richard s,

Thx I checked the turbobricks forums, I alredy knew that, but good to let me know anyway.

Regarding the M90, I am able to gain one, but I already have a getrag 265 from a Jaguar and that is stronger. I also have a bellhousing from a 960 automatic which mates with the engine and from the gearbox side there is a large hole, so probably it will be easy to fit the getrag onto it, with an adapter.

I will think about the 244 to 242 project again, as u advised, I'm not sure which is the better. Probably the 244 is stiffer, but it does not matter since it will be a race car and it will get roll cage of course. And my main reason was that I prefer 2 door cars. But know I checked some 4 doors and those are also nice, maybe I will change my mind. Anyway the reason why I wanted to change from 244 to 242, because here is very hard to find 242 and if u find one, that is in price of gold... But we have 244, 245 much more. And u only need to push the B pillar backward, then two 242 doors and a little bodywork.

Regarding the LSD, where can I get a Detroit Locker? And which type of LSD is that? clutch, torsen, other? The Quaife is very expensive when I checked the price.

Another question, what is the better, to keep the 2 minor turbos setup or change it to 1 bigger?

Singel turbo conversion is the most common on big engines like supra and skyline so thats maybe the best for volvo 6 to.. and 1 big turbo is cooler =)

www.summitracing.com has detroit locker for the dana 35 axel , you need a little grinding to fit it to the volvoaxle.

richard s skrev:

www.summitracing.com has detroit locker for the dana 35 axel , you need a little grinding to fit it to the volvoaxle.

Thanks richard, how can I find out which axle do I have?
On this page I found for Dana 30. It's price is not so expensive.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=DTL%2D912A588&N=700+400949+4294907702+115&autoview=sku

But is it good on tarmac, so for example for drift?

now that im looking around , im not sure if the volvo axle is a dana 30 or 35.its proablebly dana 30 since summit says it fit volvo.but i no one here knows i get back to you on that.

prehaps prices have changed in two years , but when i brought mine i saw a guy i norway sellin for 250-300 euros.i brought the entire axle , easiest that way but costs more ofcourse.

i have a locker in my stock 940 turbo.3:31 ratio.works fine for drift and normal driving.the only problem is when drive through tight corners and not accelrate.then it can change fast from locked to unlocked , and it allso stresses the rearend bushes.

but when driving fast and accelrate through corners it feels nothing , exept loads of grip.

theres allsow a version of the locker that you control electrcaly , but havent heard from anyone that have tested it yet.

Normally Volvo's have a Dana 30 (same as a lot of Jeeps)

I've seen the electric locker version and is great for off-roading and trailing.
But i don't know what it would be for a race/drift car. I my opinion i would go for the standard locker. Then you wouldn't forget to hit the "switch" before a race.

Do you know clutch type LSD for Volvo?

you might want to try Auburn Gear. They have them for the Dana 30 axle.