To be or not to be...

[LordJax]

I've been scratching my head a lot about what to do about having my 740 Turbo wagon in New York, and living out here in Las Vegas. I've been trying to sell it and maybe pick up a different volvo here in vegas, but apparently no one in New York wants to buy my car :(

So I'm thinking about flying back to NY and driving my 740 x-country back here to Vegas.

If I do I will want to def convert it from auto to manual.

What do I need to go about this? Can I do the getrag swap? If so what do I need. I love the wagon, I just hate the slush box. I really want a 5spd 740 turbo sitting in my parking lot :D

After that hurtle it's on to suspension then motor work. But I really need some guidance on the situation. I'm more of a VW guy, but love volvos, so the volvo thing is still new (learning all of the call letters/number etc) :)

Be gentle, if anyone's in vegas and wants to help with this if/when I get my 740 here I'll supply some beer :P

[Forg]

How much modding do you plan to do?
I'm not sure I can tell you what the limit of the factory manual gearbox is; but others will be able to. And transplanting of any gearbox is a painful procedure compared to just bolting in the factory-standard one.

[LordJax]

If I end up keeping the car and feel like going crazy. I would def want to do bigger turbo, bigger injectors, headers, intake, exhaust, FMIC, P&P the head.

[Forg]

Yeah, you're right then ... you can't use the standard 'box.

Seems to me the most common options are Supra 5spd (which I don't recommend), the V6 Getrag 'box, the Euro Volvo M90, or the T5. I actually would've expected the Getrag to be the hardest to find among them; but it could be a different matter over there.

[Canuckvolvo]

Seems to me the most common options are Supra 5spd (which I don't recommend)
Why not bud? If I was going to do a conversion, that's probably the one I'd look at closest. Toyota tranny's are WAY cheaper and stronger than the ford or getrag over here. The conversion kit is more expensive, and i think there were a *few* more steps to it than the other 2, but it didn't look that bad...what have you seen/heard?

[LordJax]

Where can I find info about these conversion kits?

[Kevin Hawkinson]

Uhh... you want to hotrod a 20-year old car from NY?
Ya might wanna look under the car for any rust. I've heard that they salt the roads over there. If it's got the cancer, then just take what ya can get for it.
If it has the cancer, AND you are seriously in f'ing love with the car (and it doesn't sound like it) then repair the body shell first.
Honestly, hottin up a rusted out POS is NOT worth it. You will NEVER EVER get your investment back. But if you start with a good, solid shell (i.e. a west coast car*) and you hotrod it, you still won't get your investment back, but at least your have a solid, fast car.



*even in a rainy place like Seattle, 20, 30, and 40 year-old car are relatively rust-free because we don't salt the roads in the winter

[LordJax]

Uhh... you want to hotrod a 20-year old car from NY?
Ya might wanna look under the car for any rust. I've heard that they salt the roads over there. If it's got the cancer, then just take what ya can get for it.
If it has the cancer, AND you are seriously in f'ing love with the car (and it doesn't sound like it) then repair the body shell first.
Honestly, hottin up a rusted out POS is NOT worth it. You will NEVER EVER get your investment back. But if you start with a good, solid shell (i.e. a west coast car*) and you hotrod it, you still won't get your investment back, but at least your have a solid, fast car.



*even in a rainy place like Seattle, 20, 30, and 40 year-old car are relatively rust-free because we don't salt the roads in the winter


Actually the car is rust free. It's not from NY. I got it through a used car broker. So no cancer on this one.

[Forg]

The conversion kit is more expensive, and i think there were a *few* more steps to it than the other 2, but it didn't look that bad...what have you seen/heard?
I don't know whether there's more than one kit available ... but put it this way, with one particular brand you wouldn't be able to just drive back to the manufacturer 3 times like I did due to build-quality issues, if you didn't live in Sydney.
I also think the others may be capable of handling more power ... Toyota used the W58 5spd in the ~140kW n/a 7MGE cars, but they used a bigger beefier R154 5spd in the turbo 7MGTE cars with only 171kW. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I do wonder if my W58 is going to hold up to even the ~200kW I expect to get outta my redblock ... if you were more serious, I think you might run a chance of going through W58's quite regularly.

[Canuckvolvo]

I don't know whether there's more than one kit available ... but put it this way, with one particular brand you wouldn't be able to just drive back to the manufacturer 3 times like I did due to build-quality issues, if you didn't live in Sydney.
ah, rhymes with "fellows"? Yes, I seem to remember you posting something about that- good point, especially given the bugger of a drive from my place to sydney....

I also think the others may be capable of handling more power ... Toyota used the W58 5spd in the ~140kW n/a 7MGE cars, but they used a bigger beefier R154 5spd in the turbo 7MGTE cars with only 171kW. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I do wonder if my W58 is going to hold up to even the ~200kW I expect to get outta my redblock ... if you were more serious, I think you might run a chance of going through W58's quite regularly.
Ah, maybe I'm mixing my litterature up. I seem to have it in my head that those trannies are good for 500+ft-lbs and they were totally overbuilt for the earlier non-turbo motors. Regardless, I think the first point you made is more of a show stopper, unless they've got they're Q/C sorted out.

[Forg]

I doubt you're getting anything mixed-up ... however, what concerns me a little is that I can't find the source of everyone's "knowledge" of W58's handling that sort of torque. Like many things I suspect it's a combo of ignorance, Chinese-whispers over the years, and possibly even confusion (eg. with the Supra Turbo R154 'box).

Another example ... B234F heads. When I started looking into this whole redblock caper, the twin-cam heads were pretty expensive; the result is that you could flow more air & get more power out of working a SOHC head, and it'd still be cheaper than buying a standard twin-cam head. A few year's worth of depreciation later, and I suspect that the "knowledge" of a SOHC engine being cheaper than a DOHC up to about the 400hp-450hp level may not be true any more (well, in Europe or North America).