Modify the 1979 242 GT?

Hello All,

I 'm wondering what are the recommendations of tbrickers
to change the Engine, Brake system etc. to a later model 240 car as compared to the working 79 k-jet?
There is a 1992 240 with all the bells and whistles that we can use for the swap. It has a manual tranny and abs brakes and the improved chassis wiring harness etc.
I don't expect to sell the gt, so doesn't it make sense to improve it or is keeping it original worth while?
I really appreciate your input on this decision.

Thanks for replying!

Drinking The Drank...

Sounds like a tall order, just the ABS brake swap is an involved process, let alone basically building a car from the chassis harness on up, not to mention smogging a modified car and or reffing it so it can be smogged.

My guess would be jackstands for ~ 3 years, countless hours spent and finally off to 8451 San Leandro Street on the back of a roll-away.

If it were affordable and successfully completed 2 months tops, would the updated benefits (Lh 3.1 injection, better idle, ABS, cruise control, etc.) outweigh the lost 79 k-jet originality?

Volvokid did this to his 1980 in 5 weeks without power tools...

What's affordable, 17? / hr & a wrecked 92?

Do you have two lifts right next to each other, so you can swap the suspension chunks, and lose the decarbons / billies because they don't fit in the later struts?

I wonder why on some 92 240s the billies fit and on other 92 240s they don't?

I guess if you call hanging in there by two threads 'fitting' they do.

So worst case with the struts is 1/2 fitting or buy new struts that fit?
New ABS system or none with Billy HDs?

And the rest of the perks are worth it?
There must be more to consider. What's a more modern Volvo like?

volvo gt said:

So worst case with the struts is 1/2 fitting or buy new struts that fit?
New ABS system or none with Billy HDs?

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IDK but JohnMc's doing it, just look at his results..

YASVT (Yet Another Sixteen Valve Turbo)

volvo gt said:

And the rest of the perks are worth it?
There must be more to consider. What's a more modern Volvo like?

Click to expand...

Worth IT what?

It's still a 240 at the end of the day...

I'd say you could live without Regina, but that might not be a problem [the case] since Cali 240s were LH2.4 to the bittersweet end.

IDK the newest one I take care of and drive is Mom's 87 245 the gold car, but the 82 245 Turbo goes pretty good on the open road...

N/A k-jet sucks to work on and maintain imo. Slow low compression B21.
If you don't ever intend on selling it, the newer more powerful drive train is much better. Do it if you actually have the skills to finish it.

ABS brakes are amazing on 240's. Separate system so you can do that at a later date if you really want to. Most are fine w/o ABS.

Worth IT what?

I don't know. Pwr windows, auto interior light on/off, 3rd brake light, engine codes when problems occur, ac that works?

volvo gt said:

Worth IT what?

I don't know. Pwr windows, auto interior light on/off, 3rd brake light, engine codes when problems occur, ac that works?

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I have all of that in the 82 but the 3rd brake light and the engine codes, plus a turboz.

It's probably cheaper to find a 242 Turbo than do all that.

At this point the entire upgrade is under $800, smog, dmv, parts car and labor included.
At the end the 92 gets sold back to Ca for $1500 so it ends up a profit.

The question is, should I upgrade an original GT?

If you are keeping it, yes. If you are selling it, only if you do an OEM quality swap (which most are incapable of for some reason).

Tuff240 said:

If you are keeping it, yes. If you are selling it, only if you do an OEM quality swap (which most are incapable of for some reason).

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Not sure why 3rd brake light matters so much, but add it if you insist

It's still a 240, but 5 real gears (though heavy flywheel is weird to drive) and EFI/2.3 (on the N/A DDs) is an improvement. Noticeable.

An LH2.2 '85-'88 donor might be a little easier and you could keep your flywheel, it would be non-ABS brakes and a little more similar.

Maybe with the new CA laws (if passed) you can (maybe) dodge the smog bullet (for the ~3 years they are proposing, then back to F-U smog policy 1976-1995 presumably ) up to 1980 if you do the EFI think. Or ref it if you have a parts car and donor VIN and narc yourself out that you have a modified car, or keep all the pre-heat junk on there and no shiny bits and hope they can't tell the difference k-jet/EFI, or uh...some manner of it being a diesel or 1975...
For just a driver, it's probably easiest fly below the radar and not draw unwanted attention from the state.

This all said, it's far easier, less time, more predictable for overall time start-finish to plug and play with direct fit like parts of same/similar in the best condition possible...
(see quoted bold text though).

Didn't "Duder" have a low miles B21F for dirt cheap/free?

volvo gt said:

At this point the entire upgrade is under $800, smog, dmv, parts car and labor included.
At the end the 92 gets sold back to Ca for $1500 so it ends up a profit.

The question is, should I upgrade an original GT?

Click to expand...

http://www.smogtips.com/vehicle_buy_back.cfm

http://www.smogtips.com/cap_eligibility_requirements.pdf

Under Vehicle Retirement Option 1, payment of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) for each vehicle retired from operation for vehicle owners that meet income eligibility requirements. All other vehicle owners shall receive one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each vehicle retired from operation. All vehicles shall be retired from operation at a dismantler operating under contract with the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR). NOTE: Financial assistance is based on the availability of funds.
␣ The vehicle must have failed its most recent Smog ␣ The vehicle must be a passenger vehicle, truck, Check inspection (aborted, manual mode, and sports utility vehicle (SUV), or van with a gross training mode tests do not qualify). vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less.
NOTE: The Smog Check failure must not be due solely to an ignition timing adjustment, a failed gas cap functional test, or a tampered emissions control system where the tampered system is the cause for failing the Smog Check inspection.
␣ The vehicle must not be undergoing an initial registration or re-registration in California.
␣ The vehicle must be currently registered with the DMV with a valid, unexpired registration sticker OR have all fees paid to the DMV and not have a registration that has been expired more than 120 days.
␣ The vehicle must have been registered in California for two consecutive years preceding the current registration expiration date and the registration must
␣ The vehicle must not be undergoing a transfer of not have lapsed for more than 120 days during those ownership. two years.
␣ The vehicle must not be registered to a business, ␣ You must be the registered owner of the vehicle with fleet, or non-profit organization. vehicle title issued in your name.
␣ The vehicle must not be a dismantled or a total loss ␣ You may only retire one vehicle as a sole owner OR salvaged vehicle that has not been re-registered with two vehicles as a joint owner through CAP within a the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). twelve (12) month period.
If approved, the vehicle must pass an equipment and operational inspection (see page 3) at a BAR- contracted dismantler.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has to be in your name, registered and insured for the last two years, fail smog, be fairly complete, not totalled out, and run and drive 15 feet back and forth when you turn it into the junkyard.

None of which this pile will do..

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5553085249.html

volvo gt said:

At this point the entire upgrade is under $800, smog, dmv, parts car and labor included.
At the end the 92 gets sold back to Ca for $1500 so it ends up a profit.

Click to expand...

d00d, this is the CA criminal 'pray on the poor & overt corruption' state/cesspool of humanity.

CA is gunning for exactly those kinds of shens.
If it were that easy every mom & pop tow yard/junkyard would be overnight millionaires many times over on every $100/free POS they dragged in by now.

Has to be registered in your name for 2+ years for starters.
Add up all the fees to change a title, insure a car (even if your insurance is dirt cheap for liability...like cheapest I've seen is ~$175/6 months), pay for registration & smog and scrap price of a POS car that runs and will back up and go forward 25ft or whatever and I think you'll find you are right ~1000 just in fees/purchase/tow of the car before insurance. They have this all figured out, don't worry.

Now, if you want to 'skate by' and drive various registered heaps 2 years at a time into the ground without putting a dime into them, you can wring that rag out and crush your beater cars every 2-4 years . Definitely 740/940 owner friendly. I can only dream that CA will crush all 740/940 soon.
Though, for all the trouble of changing horses of unknown maintenance history in mid-stream like that, a diesel/smog exempt something and just keeping it forever is probably fewer dollars/time. There is a balance. Younger/maintained car you keep up on resourcefully and ideally smog exempt is probably least expensive and keep it forever. Not real exciting, but works. Or even just fly below the radar for your driver but keep to easily reversible and know/make a very good guess if you will pass or not before you go to smog your car.

This is really one of those things, if you wanted to do it, you would just do it and figure it out as you go.

Its not happening in a weekend. Look at Stiggy Pop's thread for some insight as to the work required.

Im fairly competent when it comes to 240s, and it would take me a month or more, at 8 hours a day to do it successfully.

If you half ass it and toss it all together, and you dont know your way around a 240...figure 400+ actual manhours.

^True. Just doing a basic refresh on a 1991 240 with a rod knocker short block I pulled it in friday night and drained it an did minor prep to the motor to be installed and drove it to work monday morning after working pretty much solid and carefully all day saturday and sunday with all the little parts/gaskets on hand. And that's with lots of air tools, big shop and 2 bays and EFI B230 to EFI B230 (and I got the other EFI B230F shorblock at basically no cost and didn't have to pull it) and most everything checked and in pretty ok/usable shape, didn't hit any unexpected hurdles.

That was just R&R. Had I hit any big snags which are inevitable on old junk, I would have been hung up for X many more days with a dead car taking up space worth $50-100/hr.

EFI B230 in a cared for 1991 240 that didn't need every imaginable wear part and didn't have any missing/hacked/dicked up hardware like so many 240s have by now. Boring, fairly predictable for time, still probably 20ish hours for a real simple car that I had parts cars/new gaskets/space/special tools to deal with. And this is a tractor of a car. Granted, I don't 'hurry' and stuff things together like many mechanics, it's not all about speed for me, I hate comebacks. "If you don't have time to do it (mostly) right, when will you have time to do it over?" 2 8 hour days, couple hours friday night to drain it, prep this and that, couple hours monday morning to double check/adjust various things/check fluids/check for leaks, pinch and poke.

I just resealed it, head on the old motor was good, flat, no cam rattle, adjusted the valves. So, yeah, I could have been a little "faster" if I had just had a complete motor with a harness on it, not changed any seals or checked or examined anything whatever or done any tests on the stand and just thrown it in there greasy/filthy/don't check anything dirt dogg style. Those kinds of jobs you don't often come out 'ahead' on old junk though

I cut plenty of corners as it was just resealing and being resourceful on cost. Just a complete set of OE seals and gaskets will run you about $2-300+ whatever other wear parts are inevitably needed. I even stuck a used rear main seal on it because it wasn't leaking at all and was a nice near new used brown OE viton with a perfect lip and didn't even take the intake/exhaust off the head and cleaned it and stuffed it back on the short block. I didn't even remove the transmission from the car (faster to change a motor that way) and only removed the AW converter housing with the trans supported and in the car carefully to change the two big o-rings and used the special tool on the lift to change the tailshaft bushing later on as a separate repair. I had a spare PCV box sitting in chem dip and stuffed it on there with a used green viton distributor o-ring I had and so on and so on...lots of stuff I had at my finger tips prepped that I had found all kinds of ways of cutting time/cost on by planning ahead and writing a detailed plan/list. And taking some calculated risks.

I've managed similar swaps with no lift in a 1 car garage in the dead of winter staying carefully organized. It's not easy to do a basic weekend refresh, let alone conversion.

Guys, guys, guys, the TB elves work for nothing but the satisfaction of modifying, lets get back on the dollar$ and ?ents of the matter.

Hey Ken the $$ part was pretty easy.
None of that 2+ years ownership is required.
His check came fast and easy with a non ref smog.
Cali has more buy back programs than you may be aware of.