Qs about M47R/M90/AW71

[TheMadChigga]

fellas, I've been thinking for a while now.

I think I'm gonna stick w/my B230FT instead of going for a B5234FT swap. I know that my stock AW71 will break once I get to reach certain hp level. and I have great faith in my good ol' red block. As my 740 is not a daily car, although I do sometime drive it for long distance (like 100km trip... thats long distance to my car). As the purpose of my 740SE is bein the ultimate Volvo in southern Ontario. Both in drag and track.

I have no concern about the engine, wat I'm worry about is the tranny. I heard that M90 can hold up to 400hp, but will it fit on a B230FT? and how much money it is for the tranny?

I also heard about Unitek's M47R. How much does it costs? and is it reliable? how much hp 'n torque will it hold up to?

I'm wondering are there more ways to make my AW71 bullet proof? handle more power?

any suggestions are appreciate!

[thelostartof]

i'd like to 2nd that request. i am trying to decide if i should do a trany swap for my 740 or if it should just stick with the AW71 and get it rebuilt and strengthened up @ a good trany shop.

wondering if it would cost more to get the AW71 rebuilt to take much more power or if it would cost less to just swap the tranny for something that can take say 300 hp.

[T5Man]

Hey MadChigga.... glad to finally see a volvo enthusiaste here in Mississauga! Yer Chinese too.... What other volvo's you own?

[TheMadChigga]

I only got the 740 right now.

I'm planning to get another el-cheapo-740GLE for daily commute and insurance purpose ( so I can get a coupe or some sort w/out breaking my back.

yo, come to KK on friday night @ 930, we are having a HUGE meet.

[T5Man]

Yah right.... is it a huge volvo meet? didn't know people held them here....can't make it friday though... gonna be busy...

where's KK? i know of a CK but not KK.... hook it up w/ the address

[TheMadChigga]

no its not a Volvo meet.

its held by TSR www.torontostreetracing.com and bunch of other clubs.

KK= Krispy Kreme. u gotta know Krispy Kreme!

[T5Man]

yah right.. didn't know 'bout TSR... i know they used to hold Runs down by Mandarine buffet restaurant.. went down there a couple of times... but it got bated out......
oh yah.. of course i know where krispy kreme is..... i'll try to make it if i can...i live right by there.... well about a 5 minute drive..

[Hank Scorpio]

Well to get back to topic let me recommend a couple things. Be prepared for major headaches doing a transmission swap, though it can be done.

Heres what I recommend. I'm in the same postition. First DO NOT get a super high strength clutch, a weaker clutch will keep some load of the tranny and will help save it's life. Look at your platform, what kind of racing are you going to be doing? Your car is RWD and is the EASIEST car to do rear-end gearing changes. Get a 3.71 out of an automatic first and try that. This will dramaticly change the behavior of your car. On my firebird when I went from 2.78's to 3.23's I dropped a full second in my ET's at the track. Find a compromise bettween hi-speed racing and drag racing and go with that gearing.

Now, I'm not sure what the gearing is for a 740, but I belive for 240's it is 3.31's manual and 3.73's auto. It's also a Dana 30 rear end so any 4x4 shop or driveline shop can set you up with a multitude of LSD/posi rear ends.

Talk to transmission shops and see if they can beef up any of the gears on the transmission, it might be costly to do so but worth it. Then, if your not happy consider a transmission swap. But keep in mind, changing the rear-end can feel like adding 50 to a 100 hp.

...Also, consider running your OD as a gear spliter that will help as well.

[Jeff245Ti]

If you are wondering about the AW71, check out Dave Barton's
site, www.linkline.com/personal/dbarton/SpecSheet.html
If you want a 5 speed wait till Kenny (GTJordon's friend)
gets the kinks out of his T5 conversion. Good solid trans
for not much cash.

[Hank Scorpio]

Ya. Dave's site is great!

As far as the auto box, you'd be surprized most automatics are stronger than you think. First, get it completely rebuilt, that will make a huge difference. Then do some valve body mods, that will increase the pressure to the clutch packs that would help strengthen the tranny.

Also, that would really firm up the shifts as well. A good tranny cooler is also a must. I know a few of the guys at turbobricks know how to mod the valvebody.

Also a torque convertor from mvp w/ a higher stall speed will REALLY make a dramatic difference in the car. The same is still true about changing the rear axle ratio.

It's possible to make a 250 hp car run 13's w/ lots of gearing and good traction.

[Dan]

For drag-racing an auto is easier to drive and they seem to take more abuse than the manuals. I've heard of a company called Level ten that rebuilds or sell parts for these boxes. Also Art Carr's tranny shop has been talked about. Putting more gear in the rear will help the tranny live as well as an engine without a lot of low end torque ie; turbo. Check the turbobricks member pages for more info on what people are running. Dan C

[Hank Scorpio]

Exactly. Cool things is about most of the higher hp turbo cars, is they have less torque at low rpm's due to more aggresive cam timing.

If you bring up the stall speed by putting in a different convertor it will really wake the car up. Then change the rear axle gearing to liven things up a bit.

Let me put it this way. My firebird at first ran 15.3's. I brought the stall speed from stock @ about 2200 to just above stock to about 2500 (only 300 rpm difference) to get back up to into the power band again. Then I changed my rear axle from 2.78's to a 3.23 posi and I dropped a full second plus some and ran 14.0's.

And this was on a stock 3800 pound car.

[gtlover]

Of course, there's always the the M51 route, if you can find one...and can afford the bellhousing adapter. Probably easier to just beef up an AW71 (or, whatever they used in the 960). Dave Barton did the Art Bell rebuild on his, and it seems to be holding up well. His engine is somewhere in the 250+ HP range.

[Dan]

Hey GTlover, I thought Art Bell hung out with aliens, ghosts and time travelers. I didn't know he rebuilt transmissions too! Simple mistake- thanks for the laugh.. Art Carr does transmissions. Dan C

[gtlover]

hehehe...my Freudian slip is showing. Had both transmissions (Art Carr) and turbochargers (Corky Bell) on the brain. I was also thinking of Art Bell the SoCal Volvo guy with the immaculate P1800.

[TheMadChigga]

I'm gonna max out the AW71 first, then move on to T5 if Kenny actually makes the kit.

or if I save enough, I'll get a custom sequential tranny !

[Hank Scorpio]

Now that would be intresting. OR a lenco drag auto!

Now that would be cool, a volvo w/ 6 seperate shift levers sticking up through the tunnel!

[gtlover]

Lenco would rock...but where would you put your cupholder?:D

Better yet, get one of those trick sequential babies from Quaife, rig up paddle shifters. More space on the the console for cupholders.:D

check it out www.quaifeamerica.com
they're expensive, but worth it - this is race-duty stuff.

[Hank Scorpio]

Hey, anything for cupholders!

[Hank Scorpio]

Those are cool!

Hmmm, maybe in a couple years!

[Hank Scorpio]

Actually, their upgrades for the m46 is intresting. That I might do, should I gernade one when I put it back together.

Hell, then if i do that, lets start talking 25lbs of boost!