Looking to make your car turbocharged? READ FIRST

[elmer fudd]

Im all about doing research, im also about shareing what i know with others and I belive that is the point of a fourm, the search here sucks, we all know it. so us newbes have to ask questions, sorry if it gets old. im not afraid of turbos, infact I am a ase/gm/saab certified auto tech with lots of turbo experance, just not with volvo.


a post i made that I was hoping a mod here would sticky somewhere for other newbies. http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=122522

as you can see I spent a lot of time with that post.

I have the basic idea about what I need to do this swap, when I made my post I was just basicly saying that I agree that this thread is basicly a bunch of dead links and people telling people to search.

a thread that was filled with info would be much better. thats all.

anyway I know how the web is and I dont want any one to think im e-thuging, if that how i come off, im sorry. just trying to help the other newibes.

[eyb]

Hi
Will a B230K normally aspirated engine be converted/upgraded to a B230FT engine? I have access to all the parts needed except for the FT engine block.. If this is doable, can you refer me a forum/write-up on how to go about this especially on the electrical side. All the write-ups and forums I read are conversions from an F engine to and FT, etc. I really want this project to succeed.

[vt740]

ok I'm new to volvo, been into volkswagen since I started driving about 10 years ago. But my recent girl friend, and the long love hate relationship with vw has given volvo my attention. I just bought a 1989 740gl 5-speed, solid car. SLOW! My newbie question is; How hard, and possiable, is it to drop in the 740 turbo engine? Is there any major wiring? Are there any good write ups on this here? Thanks. (yes I've been searching)

I've been thinking about doing the same. It would be easier to just turbo the engine you have now. With the higher compression of the N/A engine, you would make more power. Being an 89' like mine, you have the later LH 2.4 set up that didn't come on the turbo cars until 1990.

[vt740]

Originally Posted by mrsam740

I've been thinking about doing the same. It would be easier to just turbo the engine you have now. With the higher compression of the N/A engine, you would make more power. Being an 89' like mine, you have the later LH 2.4 set up that didn't come on the turbo cars until 1990.

So is it as simple as installing a turbo head?

Originally Posted by vt740

So is it as simple as installing a turbo head?

No such thing as a turbo head. The lower compression comes from the deeper dish in the b230ft "turbo" pistons.

To be fair, the "turbo" head has sodium filled exhaust valves... but that's it.

The main difference between the B230f and the B230ft is the lower compression, and the different cam, and the b230ft has a hole stamped in the bottom for the oil return line for the turbo.

The M cam is just fine to leave in. The higher compression is ok too. The hole is stamped in the bottom of the b230f, you just have to drill it out. Other than that, from what I have read most everything else is plug and play. Just collect all of the parts and get it together. It would be better to source all of your parts from the 1990 and later turbos. The bigger mitsubishi turbocharger and the manifolds are better. You could just find a wrecked car and get most of what you would need. Any other things you wouldn't find, you could get from other people on the board.

(the cams in both heads aren't too good, the T and M cams give out after about 4k rpms.)

Originally Posted by mrsam740

The main difference between the B230f and the B230ft is the lower compression, and the different cam, and the b230ft has a hole stamped in the bottom for the oil return line for the turbo.

The M cam is just fine to leave in. The higher compression is ok too. The hole is stamped in the bottom of the b230f, you just have to drill it out. Other than that, from what I have read most everything else is plug and play. Just collect all of the parts and get it together. It would be better to source all of your parts from the 1990 and later turbos. The bigger mitsubishi turbocharger and the manifolds are better. You could just find a wrecked car and get most of what you would need. Any other things you wouldn't find, you could get from other people on the board.

(the cams in both heads aren't too good, the T and M cams give out after about 4k rpms.)

I hate to nitpick, but I'm going to nitpick.

1. I don't recommend drilling out the oil return hole... and it is a drill-out procedure... not a punch out. Weld a bung onto the pan and be done with it. Here's a pic. http://www.pbase.com/740atl/image/77262473

2. The higher compression is ok as long as you didn't stop school in the 3rd grade. The turbo fuel and ignition ecu's are required (not recommended), but even so, they are idealized for the 8.7:1 CR engine... not the 9.8:1 CR engine. Don't pay attention just once, run a tank of bad gas and you will blow it up. See most any 500dollar740 posts for evidence.

3. The early Garrett T3 turbos are just fine. They can be run as is, or bolted to the higher flowing 90+ manifold. The mitsu 12b found in 88-89 turbo cars is fine, but relies on the pre-90 manifold. The late mitsu 13c is fine, but tiny.

You know more than me. Nitpicking is fine

It's all good. .... and I know at least one person is going to give me hell for the anti-drilling the block stance... but damn it makes a mess. Ask any of the people standing by at the ATL +T meet. They can verify how quick and painless it is to weld a bung onto the pan.

http://www.pbase.com/740atl/plusteemeet

[vt740]

so why not just drop in the turbo engine? Wouldnt it be alot easier rather then sourcing parts and drilling and all that? When you say plug and play? is it as simple removing the non turbo harness and installing the turbo computer and harness? Again I'm new.

Originally Posted by vt740

so why not just drop in the turbo engine? Wouldnt it be alot easier rather then sourcing parts and drilling and all that? When you say plug and play? is it as simple removing the non turbo harness and installing the turbo computer and harness? Again I'm new.

I meant plug everything. It would be the easiest just to by turbo car.

[MikeHardy]

Originally Posted by vt740

so why not just drop in the turbo engine? Wouldnt it be alot easier rather then sourcing parts and drilling and all that? When you say plug and play? is it as simple removing the non turbo harness and installing the turbo computer and harness? Again I'm new.

don't have to remove the non-turbo harness. you just plug in the turbo computers

From what I have read. there isn't really as much to swap as one would suspect.

[vt740]

ok so Basically drop in turbo engine, unplug n/a computer, install turbo computer, plug everything in (also intercooler etc...), exhast and I'm done?

You don't need to put in a turbo engine. You can drop everything in on your N/A engine. Then just install everything.

[vt740]

so this is really easy in a sense. What kind of numbers would I be looking at hp wise? Thanks for all the help.

Well a stock 740 Turbo Intercooler makes about 165hp stock. So a little more than that I'd say. I don't know specific numbers, but with the higher compression of the b23of it should be more. There are more threads than this one for this. Alot of people have recorded their Turbo setup. Just look around.

[24DinCT]

Hi guys...I'm a newb here so bear with me. I'm in the process of collecting parts for my budget turbo build. I have an '83 DL sedan with what I beleve is the B23f engine. I have a TD05 turbo, manifold, and intercooler on the way. I've been reading on here a bit before I posted this to try and figure out what else I might need for my brick. I see that many people are running the MSnS system. I am fairly mechanically inclined and I am not new to boosting cars but boosting my Volvo is new to me. I have a couple of questions.

One of my questions is...can I get away with simply bolting everything up and running an FMU on stock injectors or do i need to change them out for something else?

The other main one I have is...if I am forced to run MSnS...are there any reputable tuners for it in New England that anyone knows of?

mods...move this if necessary

[iLLicit wiCCit. 850]

whats a +T? very curious...

[The Ironswede]

the addition of a turbo

[linuxman51]

Originally Posted by iLLicit wiCCit. 850

whats a +T? very curious...

they have these neato things called turbochargers...

[iLLicit wiCCit. 850]

thats what i thought...but how exactly do you turn a N/A into a turbo? i mean, granted the obvious addition of the turbine itself and the manifold...? and should i just look in junkyards for parts? where i come from volvo's are extremely rare, especially in the junk yard

Originally Posted by iLLicit wiCCit. 850

thats what i thought...but how exactly do you turn a N/A into a turbo? i mean, granted the obvious addition of the turbine itself and the manifold...? and should i just look in junkyards for parts? where i come from volvo's are extremely rare, especially in the junk yard

From what I hear you can't T+ an N/A 850. This is mainly for the redblock motors found in the 2/7/9 series cars. The N/A 850's have too high of compression

[racingragej]

How much work would it be to go from a B21FT with kjet in a 81' 242 to a B230?