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5.3 + CD009 in 242

DocterHow

New member
Joined
Sep 25, 2016
Location
Davenport, IA
Hello Turbobricks, this is my first post and project on this forum. I have been a lurker for a while now but I have already started on my project. Last year I built up my first car, a Miata into a nice turbo "streetcar". For this year, my dad and I picked up an 82 242 from the bay area, and had it shipped all the way to us in Iowa. This is our third Volvo and for this one, I want to build my dad and I's dream 242. Here are a couple pictures of the car in it's current state.

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The car has no major rust, a slightly misaligned driver's door, faded paint, ugly quad headlights/coffin hood, m46 4 speed, a gutless b21, and faded tan interior. But, most of that will change :)

I started this build already about a month ago, when we picked up a 5.3 locally off craigslist. After degreasing the engine I decided to take the heads off to look at the engine, since it had been sitting for a while. You won't believe what happened next...

ZZXdylA.jpg


After being a little frustrated, I bough a harbor freight bore scope and picked up an even cheaper 5.3 a few days later with all of its accessories.

xv7qNlZ.jpg


The engine has been cleaned up and I will be doing a few mods to the engine. For the transmission, I'll be running a Nissan CD009 from a 2007 G35. Furthermore, I will pick up a set of the STS mounts and the associated Holley oil pan and Hooker manifolds.
 
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Neat!

What CD009 kit are you planning on using? What shifter?

I'm part way through a very similar swap - LH8 (an early alu Gen4 w/o any DOD/AFM/VVT parts) with a Nissan JK41C trans - basically the same as a CD009 but from a G37/370Z.
 
Neat!

What CD009 kit are you planning on using? What shifter?

I'm part way through a very similar swap - LH8 (an early alu Gen4 w/o any DOD/AFM/VVT parts) with a Nissan JK41C trans - basically the same as a CD009 but from a G37/370Z.

I plan on using the Collins adapter kit, and for the shifter I'm unsure. I may use a forward plate mounted shifter as from my estimates, that will be the best off the shelf shifter.
 
A couple of days ago my transmission came in on a pallet :) Now I can start ordering some more parts to adapt it to the LS.

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Over the past week I completed the engine refresh and did a few upgrades while I was in there. For starters, the engine was cleaned and most of the parts got a fresh coat of paint. I also replaced a few leaking seals/gaskets, replaced the corroded knock sensors, and installed a new waterpump.

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However, I didn't do all that work and not add some horsepower. I also installed a "sloppy stage 2" cam (Elgin 1840p) and PAC 1218 valve springs. Here's an artsy shot of new valve springs and valve stem seals.

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Then I picked up the Hooker headers and the Holley oil pan locally from Motion Raceworks, and they completed the transformation of this junkyard engine. I even did the valve covers in wrinkle black and swapped to the short oil fill cap.

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I know from experience it can be a little dicey buying a CD009 version specifically - if the sticker is worn off (very common) it can be exceedingly difficult to tell a CD009 from any of the earlier, weaker varieties. In cases where the seller didn't specifically state 'CD009!' (and then usually charge more because 'they know what they have') it was a bit of a crapshoot.

Buying the G37/370 JK40/41 version might be a little easier, because they're all strong, no weak early versions to avoid.

The year the CD00X trans came from might not be the end-all either - many of them were replaced under warranty. Some were replaced with later versions, but before the CD009 was available. So it might be a weak warranty trans. Or the earlier year G35/350 cars might have been warrantied with CD009 or CD00A transmissions.

There are some general guidelines about what the trans is based on the shifter cage but those might be swapped around. And some on the case numbers, but I think those are not specific enough to be sure.
 
Quick update while I am stuck in parts waiting limbo.

I have almost all of the transmission parts, except the bell housing. The Collins kit uses a LS style t56 bell housing, and I wish they would've used a 4L60E bell housing. Long story short, local craigslist flaked and I had to order a bell housing off eBay, and am still waiting for it to get here. But, here's what I have:

ewbJdhR.jpg


I'll be using the "stage 1" Collins clutch with a Wilwood 3/4" master and stock f-body t56 slave cylinder. Not pictured is a new JEGS LS1 replacement flywheel I picked up for $90 shipped. Beyond that, I will need a custom shifter for the CD009, but that will wait until I get the engine/trans mocked up in the car.

In the meantime I have been working on stripping the stock 5.3 harness and converting it to standalone. I'm deleting all emissions, auto trans and rear O2 sensors. I'll get some pictures when it's done. Lastly, I painted my manifolds with cheap VHT ceramic paint to prevent rust.

gp4jP05.jpg
 
Can I ask why you went with that trans? im not familiar with this transmission so im just curious.

It's cheap and they can handle a good amount of power. T56's have hit the point of being the go to LS swap manual transmissions and have become expensive. Also, after searching for about 2 months, I can't find any for sale locally at a reasonable price. After doing an excel spreadsheet, the CD009 and associated parts came in at ~$300 cheaper than the cheapest LS style T56 I could find. That's about what I paid for a new cam and valvesprings.
 
It's cheap and they can handle a good amount of power. T56's have hit the point of being the go to LS swap manual transmissions and have become expensive. Also, after searching for about 2 months, I can't find any for sale locally at a reasonable price. After doing an excel spreadsheet, the CD009 and associated parts came in at ~$300 cheaper than the cheapest LS style T56 I could find. That's about what I paid for a new cam and valvesprings.

+1

I just picked one up at a local junk yard from a 2008 G35. Paid $380 USD for it!
 
I'm sort of thinking I should get a steel bellhousing for mine, instead of the aluminum one. Something, something, exploding flywheels.


I do like how the Collins kit is all stock LS/T56 parts other than the clutch disc. That just makes it easier to maintain in the future.
 
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