245 GL -90 "B6284T" and other 6-cyl builds

[Lankku]

Originally Posted by LC4CARL

I wish I had 1/2 your skills.

That isn't too much then

Seems like the last update has been pretty far back. Though nothing revolutionary has happened since.

I assembled and installed a new engine for the -92.
Now the bottom end consists of a -99 S80 2.9l block and rotating assembly, 850 flywheel which has been machined lighter, 215mm sintered 4-puck disc, 8V Saab Turbo pressure plate. I did some porting to the head, had a valve job done and it has been milled 1.22mm. Block has been milled 0.2mm to bring the piston a bit higher.

Visited a friend for the balancing of the rotating parts, he did the rods and pistons too. Crank was spot on, flywheel and damper needed only a little drilling, pressure plate needed more, rods and pistons needed some grinding.


Unsurprisingly the car feels like flying compared to the old with DMF More tuning needed and dyno time would be nice. Installed T6 injectors, they might be enough for E85 with a regulator "adjusted" to 4 bar. Had to swap a couple of bad looking coils because it started running a little rough after some harder driving while tuning.


"B6284T" got itself a 2L surge tank to help with long left handers with lower fuel level. Just have to box it some, drill a drain hole for leaks and make a bracket for the pump. Fits nicely under the trunk floor.



Wanted to reduce power steering force and tried to do it by shortening the valve spring. First try was ok and second one was better. Shortened in total around 2.8mm. Still would like less assist, but now it is not anymore over sensitive and without a feel.

Just removed the plug and pulled the parts out.




Yesterday it was time for VRCF summer meet on a track called Kemora and before that had to do some preparations.
Cleaned the interior, scrubbed outside and the wheels, swapped semi-slicks, etc. Repainted a small bit of engine bay because it had too thick paint and last summer oil cooler heated it enough to make the top coat peel off.

Second pressure pump was broken, lasted only a bit over a year. Lended it from another car, I think I'll install an AEM high flow pump. Installed a reipar kit to the left rear caliper because the wheel had a bit more brake dust than other side. Changed driveshaft rear u-joint, it had some steps while moving.

It would have been nice to have an uneventful trackday and be able to drive the whole day because it was my first time there. The first run went ok but steering pump started to leak through the axle seal. I was prepared that with a shorter belt and that was it. Took a couple short stints and after a while engine started running poorly, like starving and barely made it to the pits. Alternator decided to take a dump

Drove over halfway back with a battery from friends car and another friend borrowed a recently recharged battery wich helped to get back. Alternator started working for a while, then was dead for a while, worked again and died completely. On the way home swapped a fresh alternator from -92 and drove home(got to have two broken ones rebuilt).
Total driving distance of the day around 670km/419miles plus track laps.

Today was again cleaning day, two sets of wheels and the car. When does it end

Here is a crappy incar of a couple of laps. Positioned the camera badly, passenger covers the most and B-pillar the rest. Was going to drive some without a passenger, but well
https://youtu.be/ZUW6QccKCXk

[poulrais]

Originally Posted by Lankku

That isn't too much then


Here is a crappy incar of a couple of laps. Positioned the camera badly, passenger covers the most and B-pillar the rest. Was going to drive some without a passenger, but well
https://youtu.be/ZUW6QccKCXk

They let you drive around the racetrack wearing shorts??

Looks like the car handles pretty well though!

[Lankku]

Yep. Only mandatory equipment on almost all non-timed trackdays has been a helmet for now. Some quarter mile and standing mile events require driving gloves, long sleeve shirt and pants.

Handling is ok, semi-slicks make the car and driver look better Working power steering would have helped some and I didn't yet learn the track enough to push more. There is a pair of turns which you can drive quite fast, but I have to change gear in the first one and steering with one hand in the middle of the corner already got a little heavy.


I ordered new spherical bearings for the top mounts and those arrived today. Barely too late for the track day. They solved another thing I should have noticed before and it would have been nice to repair before the track day.

Installed new bearing to the right side. Outer shell had small vertical play and it had worn itself a little on the edges. Also the snap ring had some wear you could feel. Snap ring is a little narrower than a regular one, had to grind one to make it fit. Now it is nice and snug. The most sound came from loose shock nuts on both sides. Time and hard use have done what they can, can't believe didn't realize to check those earlier

These shocks have a very short and angled shoulder on the nut and with that even a little loose the strut can also move sideways. Goodbye alignment. After a quick all round check and alignment the front feels good again. And no extra noise.

[Lankku]

"B6284T" has had new street tires for some time now, old ones were worn out. Same Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 and same size. Looks like front tires last max four summers and rears two, how that can be?

Changed new oil, again Valvoline VR1 10W-60 with a can of STP Engine Treatment. Old Redline smelled pretty burned. Haven't happened before with other oil makes. Bought and installed an AEM "044" pump as a second pressure pump. Let's see how long it lasts.

Today I have owned "B6284T" for nine years. It's a long time for me, some might stay only a day or two.

Finally there was time to take it to a dyno. Around 18-20 pulls in the span of 2.5 hours. Inertia dyno so not enough load to wake the turbo properly but it's still something. And first dyno with the "HX45" after installing last year. First on 5th gear and later on 6th to get a little more load.

Slowly raising the boost, adjusting the cams some for a nicer curve and such. Running really rich because of the low load and losing power especially on top end. Torque was surprisingly monstrous compared to the power and previous turbos(and different dyno). New try after the dyno has a newer program and a brake.

1.95bar boost, engine numbers.


Some clips and a longer pull with going through gears: https://youtu.be/V3rXUrgwUgQ

Intake runners seem to flex a lot and its pronounced because I just remembered that the intake plenum bottom support doesn't have a nut. But they have been taking a beating for a long time and still have survived without a fault.

Other deals have been buying fiberglass front fenders for the -92 and Kent Cams VS5 valve springs to deal with the rpm and new cams. And bought a spare bottom end, had to pick up a complete car though

[Harlard]

And all that through those skinny little rear tires?

[Lankku]

Hasn't been a problem with bigger numbers before, why would it be now? Some plastic tires might not have enough grip

With K31 1.7bar was the limit on 3rd gear when making a full pull from low rpm, not so much when accelerating through gears or with semi-slicks.

[DET17]

Very impressed with the Volvo I6 with boost!

[Lankku]

Originally Posted by DET17

Very impressed with the Volvo I6 with boost!

Thanks.

And here we go again, updates just happen

-92 had been burning a lot of oil since assembling the new engine. A bit over a week ago after work took the head off and 3rd cylinder was wet from oil. Wanted to make sure that nothing was wrong with the piston, so removed the crossmember and oil pan. Pushed the piston out and it was ok. Replaced the piston rings just in case, reassembled the bottom end and put crossmember back. Removed both 3rd cylinder intake valves and there were aluminium chips inside the stem seals. Apparently I had not cleaned the guides properly

Next day(Saturday) changed all intake and four exhaust stem seals that had signs of a leak. Would've changed all but local parts store didn't have enough. Polished all valve stems, assembled and installed the head. At least the smoking ceased. Not that big of a deal, ~11,5h work.

Took a power steering pump and alternator from a parts car, swapped the pump to "B6284T" and installed the alternator to -92(still didn't have one because I borrowed it). Changed the -92 engine oil and filter. This time Valvoline VR1 5W-50.


Bought Sparco Circuit II for the "B6284T" and swapped it in. Comes too close to the steering wheel with current brackets, have to move it backwards some.



Old drivers seat found its place in the -92. Moved the old one to the passenger side:



Dug Galaxy set with 205/50 tires from the corner of the storage:



Bought a couple polycarbonate sheets and made new "glass" for the rear(doors too). First had to fix some rust issues:






Got to paint or tape the edges for a nicer finish:




Yesterday continued the -92 weight reduction by swapping a smaller battery. Has enough power for regular cranking, had it earlier in the "B6284T".

Today installed a used -588 Truetrac to prevent unneccessary right rear wheel action and it seems to be working Reused old bearings, tabbed a ring gear and regreased rear wheel bearings.

[Lankku]

Bought a BC Racing coilover kit for the -92. It arrived yesterday and I installed it today after work. 7kg front springs, 4.5kg rear springs. Basic kit for 240 includes 6kg springs front and back. Back spring is meant to be used with stock upper mount and there is no other stiffness. Had to choose a generic coil instead because I think that 6kg might be too stiff for this.

Disassembled original front struts, cut them like manual says and welded. That was a fast operation because shock nuts weren't stuck as usual. Everything else took time. Setting the ride height, adjusting rear shocks(length and stiffness), making upper mounts for rear springs, etc.

Now the rear spring adjustment is maxed out and height is ok. Adjusted front shocks 10 clicks and rears at first 7. Rear felt really bouncy by pressing from the bumper and adjusted more and more. Of course now rear drives too hard, front is ok. Front brake line supports did not tighten properly to the strut and can move, so I have to make some changes to those.






Driveability is naturally worlds better than before, just needs thicker sway bars.

[Lankku]

A couple of days has passed again and something has happened, again.

Adjusted the -92 rear shocks. 16 clicks is way too loose, 19 is a bit too loose also and 22 is too tight. Best so far is 20 and that seems to be the result with some other little heavier 240/740 too. And it's still not as good as I would like. Might have to try some other shocks.

Shortened the panhard, adjusted the steering wheel straight and made a stopper for clutch pedal out of a M10 bolt. Bolted it through the floor with big washers and ground the head to make a good slot for the pedal. Works nicely.

Took it to a local dyno for a couple of baseline pulls and few adjustments. More timing gave only marginal improvement, now it is 28 degrees on max power/torque and 30 on higher rpm. Advancing intake cam and retarding exhaust gave the best result and much nicer curve, sounds better too. Engine is just out of breath after max hp.

First pull, 228hp and 309Nm:


Last pull, 235hp and 325Nm:


Wave on the torque on low rpm is caused by fuel mixture, didn't pay much attention to it on that area. Intake pipe is 3" and has a small generic air filter. Removing the filter did not make any difference, might try a 4" pipe and a bigger filter on the next try just to make sure.

Next time is with E85, this was just to see what is going on and make sure the tune is ok. Just filled the tank with E85 and started making the tune. Won't add more timing to WOT until the dyno. After that I'll start planning a new intake manifold.

Changed new reflectors for the headlights and found a pair of old Osram Silverstars. More light but worse pattern as to be expected of aftermarket reflectors. The bulb is slightly in a wrong position. At least I can see better than with the old ones and the light does not scatter upwards.

[Lankku]

Refueled -92 second time with E85 and visited the dyno again. Gains are not big as expected, around the same relative to the change with the 2V modular. At least it'll be cheaper to daily it with E85

First pull, very slight torque improvement. Seems that the wave in the beginning might be exhaust manifold instead of fuel mixture.



Two degrees more timing after 4500rpm. Both max torque and hp came on marginally higher rpm. +5hp and 3Nm compared to gas(98E) and the numbers are higher all the way between 4600rpm and limiter.


Tried two more degrees of timing but there was no real improvement anymore. I have a few clips of the dyno visit but will try to record some incar sounds too before making a (short) video.

Was going to visit a local track with both cars this Saturday but it closed for the winter a week early

[poulrais]

Originally Posted by Lankku

Refueled -92 second time with E85 and visited the dyno again. Gains are not big as expected, around the same relative to the change with the 2V modular. At least it'll be cheaper to daily it with E85

First pull, very slight torque improvement. Seems that the wave in the beginning might be exhaust manifold instead of fuel mixture.



Two degrees more timing after 4500rpm. Both max torque and hp came on marginally higher rpm. +5hp and 3Nm compared to gas(98E) and the numbers are higher all the way between 4600rpm and limiter.


Tried two more degrees of timing but there was no real improvement anymore. I have a few clips of the dyno visit but will try to record some incar sounds too before making a (short) video.

Was going to visit a local track with both cars this Saturday but it closed for the winter a week early

AH!!! Tell that to Greta!

Nice info btw...

[Lankku]

Installed Federal RS-R 205/50 semi-slicks on to Hydras and swapped them under the -92. Removed sidetrims and spare wheel, filled the tank and today weighed the car. On paper stock car is 1350kg/2976lbs without the driver. Now it is 1230kg/2712lbs. 650kg/1433lbs front, 580kg/1279lbs back. Around 300kg/661lbs lighter than "B6284T"

Changes from stock are: wheels and tyres, engine, transmission, 3" exhaust with two oval straight through mufflers, front seats, steering wheel, suspension, 3" intake pipe(steel), small battery, figerglass hood, polycarbonate "glass" on the rear, bigger aluminium radiator(more coolant), removed rear door window lifts, all rear central locking parts and wiper mechanism, somewhat stripped interior.

What is left of interior is dash, A- and B-pillar panels, front doorcards and handles, front seatbelts and all sound deadening bitumen.

On the list is removing all bitumen, installing fiberglass front fenders, buying rear doors and tailgate.

[Lankku]

On Tuesday changed new bushings to replace mushy upper rear control arms of the -92. From Opel Vectra B(Chevrolet Vectra in the States?) to be exact. They are ball joint-type and allow the control arms to pivot.

Installing included cutting slices of 48mm pipe for making a sleeve for a tight fit and bending the rear axle brackets slightly, because new bushing is wider. I will replace the rear bushing with a poly to reduce increased noise and vibrations. With that setup it should be ok and it doesn't really need to pivot that much from both ends.

Finally made a short video including a few dyno pulls and accelerations: https://youtu.be/Nww6NIGMfxQ

Temp gauge is hanging low because the sensor is in the upper radiator hose. Colder air cools down the sensor from the outside and thermostat might be just a bit open because of the bigger radiator. Engine is in temp though.

[Broke4speed]

North America got the Vectra as the Cadillac Catera, if anyone is interested in those bushings.

[jmc0369]

Lankku,
Great build and I know we all appreciate your diligence in recording your efforts for the benefit of the community.

Do you think you sould have enough room to build a bottom mount turbo header and still fit that Holset? How much bigger is the Holdet over say a BW256, anybody know off hand?

[Lankku]

I'd say that frame rail and engine mount will be in the way of a bottom mount. Might be possible by using B6284T exhaust manifolds(they are flat) there could be just enough room for a HX35 size turbo. I would think that BW S256 isn't much bigger than a HX35? Something of a HX40 size will be really tight.

Wednesday installed a used "race" cat to -92 and had wheel alignment checked. A printout is required for making suspension mods road legal(mostly because of the springs). Yesterday did a emission test and started making a half cage. Also removed some of the bitumen on the floor and removed rear seat brackets.

Today finished the cage(picture coming) but in the mean time removed some rust on the floor next to rear wheel well. Easier to do before the cage got in the way.

[Harlard]

Are you saying that the only thing the wagon will be able to haul from here on out is ass?

[Lankku]

Adding a cage, half or full, won't affect too much because everything is in front of the rear axle. Still can fit a 6-cyl whiteblock or two if I need to

[hessam69]

Hi,

In your post #99 you have a picture of the top of the engine. There is a pipe on the top that has been cut and folded (next to the coils). My 960 has the same pipe but is bolted to a bracket on the exhaust, and there is a cylinder on the end of it which on my car doesn't go anywhere. What is this for and can I just remove it? Thanks

[Lankku]

It's a line for the pump which pumps air near exhaust valves after a cold start. You can plug the line and remove the pump if your regulations don't require it. Looks like someone already has removed the pump or changed an engine from a car which has originally had it.

[Harlard]

Originally Posted by Lankku

Adding a cage, half or full, won't affect too much because everything is in front of the rear axle. Still can fit a 6-cyl whiteblock or two if I need to

[Lankku]

Painted the cage and rust repairs with black epoxy. Hood got two cans of old semi-gloss white rubber comp. At least it's not anymore peeling yellow.

[Lankku]

Recently bought poly bushings for -92 rear upper control arms and installed them to the axle side. The small flex they have reduces noise a lot. Got the car inspected and now all mods worth approving have been officially approved for road use.

Part of the inspection is a formal measuring of exhaust noise. From idle smoothly revving up to a certain rpm and then releasing gas pedal at once. Limit is 95dB(A) and result was whopping 84 average of three tries

Then the most interesting part for me was weighing the car again with better scales this time. Result 1231kg/2714lbs without the driver. FL 330kg, FR 315kg, RL 293kg, RR 293kg. That makes 645kg/1422lbs front and 586kg/1292lbs rear. Tank full, no spare wheel, tools, jack, etc. Unsurprisingly most of the weight has been removed from the back. Just the car is balanced pretty well left/right. Driver throws that off but there seems often to be someone willing to shotgun on track. I have to weigh the summer and winter tires because I think that the winter tires are lighter than semi-slicks. Both are on Hydras.

[petiww]

Still drooling all over your projects and fab quality...

I want to ask you about the hollow section you welded in to the sill bottom, back in 2016. What size did you go with and how did you manage to fit the stock seatbelt back in? From the pictures it looks like a 3x30x50 one.
Also do you think it made any difference in rigidity?
I'm deciding now on my beater 244, should i go with the stock sheetmetal setup or go mad and install a hollow section.