Duder
Watch it man, there's a beverage here!
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2009
- Location
- Torrance, CA USA
Recent-ish pics:
Original post from 02-28-2011:
Well, since I've had my Volvo for about 15 months now and have done a fair amount of work on it, I think it's high time for a project thread. Even though the "real" project has yet to begin, I want to maintain this as a log of sorts, to document all the work that has been and will be done.
The back story:
I've always liked Volvos, be they 1800s, Amazons, 140s, 240s...several friends in high school had 240s, one girl even had a green 242! I lived in Berkeley for 4 years during college and saw older Volvos everywhere, all the time, which made me realize that I wanted one someday. It only took about 5 more years before I gave into the urge (my friends and I used to call it Volvovaginitis).
The car:
I thought about getting a 142 for a while, but started looking here and on Craigslist for a 242 since they are a) easier to find, b) slightly more modern (steering / suspension) and c) easier to get parts for. 2-door was chosen simply for reduced weight and better looks. I found this CA-native beige DL advertised here, and bought it from a lying scumbag in Pasadena. I'm really only the third owner according to DMV. Here's the wonderful tale of the purchase: http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=204857 I did not buy it for his full asking price.
And here's one of the seller's pics of the car (taking nice photos was just about the only good thing he did when selling it):
242 by Chris Floren, on Flickr
As purchased, it had mis-matched tires with cut up sidewalls (remounted by PO to face inwards so no one would notice ), 4 nice Hydras, a very shaky idle, misfiring under medium to full throttle, torn up drivers seat, busted glovebox door, totally worn out front end, non-working OD, interior spray-bombed black and peeling, dried-desert cracked dash and nasty old floormats with cigarette burns. Somehow that stuff wasn't visible in the for sale pics or mentioned in the ad...hmm... Overall the body was solid with only a few small rust areas that still need to be tended to. And the paint is original and pretty nice with a few minor chips and bumps.
The Plan:
I want this to be a nice capable sleeper with no issues. I'm not going for perfection and not expecting to transform it into a new car. It would be fun to dumb-found some BMW douches at stoplights, at trackdays and the like. Not saying that everyone who owns a BMW is a DB, but that's the major trend around here anyways.
The 242 is also sort of a "practice" car (a la Meg Griffin) in preparation for building a proper hot rod in the next few years. I want to get more experience with engine tuning, suspension setup, and general car development via testing, before I start building my '32 Ford pickup. For the hot rod the goal is to attain a traditional hot rod aesthetic mixed with capable handling and reliable power. I figured an old Volvo was a good place to start as it's basic, cheap and RWD.
Squirter-block B230FT swap and stealth Garrett ball bearing turbo are in the works.
Also I'd like to set some real (numerical, quantitative) goals and see how closely I can hit them. I'm looking forward to geeking out over skidpad times, measured g's, 0-60 times, calculated % anti-squat...all that good stuff. In that spirit, I've been working on a goal sheet. It is a work in progress.
Straight-line
0-60 mph: 5.1 sec.
Weight/power (at crankshaft):
10.0: 3000lb / 300hp, 2800lb / 280hp
11.5: 3000lb / 260hp, 2800lb / 244hp
BMW 335i: 11.5 (3570lb / 310hp) (stock cars dyno around 280 whp, so about 350 hp at crank)
1/4 Mile: low to mid 12's for starters
Top speed: ??
Benchmark: BMW 335i (E92)
Skidpad
Speed @ diameter: needs more research
Max lateral accel: above 1.0g onR-compound street tires
Benchmark: a well-sorted NA/NB Miata
Drivability
Suspension cycles/sec: firm but not bone-jarring (1.5-2.0 Hz?)
Boost response / time-to-torque: 1.0 – 2.0 sec?
No major NVH sacrifice. Maintain or improve current wind/road noise levels (subjective).
Maintain seating comfort
Improve seating “grip”
Benchmark: Subaru WRX for ride/NVH
Capabilities:
I'll end this posting with an action pic, and an artsy-fartsy shot...
About 15 degrees of body roll by my estimation, and trying to de-bead the tires (training wheels were suggested by a colleague):
SpeedVentures_02-27-11_Fontana-16 by Chris Floren, on Flickr
This was taken this weekend in Southern CA, no BS:
Snowy_mountains_greenhouse by Chris Floren, on Flickr
DSCN0613 by Chris Floren, on Flickr
Original post from 02-28-2011:
Well, since I've had my Volvo for about 15 months now and have done a fair amount of work on it, I think it's high time for a project thread. Even though the "real" project has yet to begin, I want to maintain this as a log of sorts, to document all the work that has been and will be done.
The back story:
I've always liked Volvos, be they 1800s, Amazons, 140s, 240s...several friends in high school had 240s, one girl even had a green 242! I lived in Berkeley for 4 years during college and saw older Volvos everywhere, all the time, which made me realize that I wanted one someday. It only took about 5 more years before I gave into the urge (my friends and I used to call it Volvovaginitis).
The car:
I thought about getting a 142 for a while, but started looking here and on Craigslist for a 242 since they are a) easier to find, b) slightly more modern (steering / suspension) and c) easier to get parts for. 2-door was chosen simply for reduced weight and better looks. I found this CA-native beige DL advertised here, and bought it from a lying scumbag in Pasadena. I'm really only the third owner according to DMV. Here's the wonderful tale of the purchase: http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=204857 I did not buy it for his full asking price.
And here's one of the seller's pics of the car (taking nice photos was just about the only good thing he did when selling it):
242 by Chris Floren, on Flickr
As purchased, it had mis-matched tires with cut up sidewalls (remounted by PO to face inwards so no one would notice ), 4 nice Hydras, a very shaky idle, misfiring under medium to full throttle, torn up drivers seat, busted glovebox door, totally worn out front end, non-working OD, interior spray-bombed black and peeling, dried-desert cracked dash and nasty old floormats with cigarette burns. Somehow that stuff wasn't visible in the for sale pics or mentioned in the ad...hmm... Overall the body was solid with only a few small rust areas that still need to be tended to. And the paint is original and pretty nice with a few minor chips and bumps.
The Plan:
I want this to be a nice capable sleeper with no issues. I'm not going for perfection and not expecting to transform it into a new car. It would be fun to dumb-found some BMW douches at stoplights, at trackdays and the like. Not saying that everyone who owns a BMW is a DB, but that's the major trend around here anyways.
The 242 is also sort of a "practice" car (a la Meg Griffin) in preparation for building a proper hot rod in the next few years. I want to get more experience with engine tuning, suspension setup, and general car development via testing, before I start building my '32 Ford pickup. For the hot rod the goal is to attain a traditional hot rod aesthetic mixed with capable handling and reliable power. I figured an old Volvo was a good place to start as it's basic, cheap and RWD.
Squirter-block B230FT swap and stealth Garrett ball bearing turbo are in the works.
Also I'd like to set some real (numerical, quantitative) goals and see how closely I can hit them. I'm looking forward to geeking out over skidpad times, measured g's, 0-60 times, calculated % anti-squat...all that good stuff. In that spirit, I've been working on a goal sheet. It is a work in progress.
Straight-line
0-60 mph: 5.1 sec.
Weight/power (at crankshaft):
10.0: 3000lb / 300hp, 2800lb / 280hp
11.5: 3000lb / 260hp, 2800lb / 244hp
BMW 335i: 11.5 (3570lb / 310hp) (stock cars dyno around 280 whp, so about 350 hp at crank)
1/4 Mile: low to mid 12's for starters
Top speed: ??
Benchmark: BMW 335i (E92)
Skidpad
Speed @ diameter: needs more research
Max lateral accel: above 1.0g on
Benchmark: a well-sorted NA/NB Miata
Drivability
Suspension cycles/sec: firm but not bone-jarring (1.5-2.0 Hz?)
Boost response / time-to-torque: 1.0 – 2.0 sec?
No major NVH sacrifice. Maintain or improve current wind/road noise levels (subjective).
Maintain seating comfort
Improve seating “grip”
Benchmark: Subaru WRX for ride/NVH
Capabilities:
- Autocross respectably/predictably
- NASA track days (drive or trailer to event?)
- Occasional road trip
- Reliable street driver
- Occasional drag strip action
- Time Trials...maybe...
I'll end this posting with an action pic, and an artsy-fartsy shot...
About 15 degrees of body roll by my estimation, and trying to de-bead the tires (training wheels were suggested by a colleague):
SpeedVentures_02-27-11_Fontana-16 by Chris Floren, on Flickr
This was taken this weekend in Southern CA, no BS:
Snowy_mountains_greenhouse by Chris Floren, on Flickr
DSCN0613 by Chris Floren, on Flickr
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