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Newbie looking for advice/options for my 240

J

J Volvo

New member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Location
Oregon
Hello I am new to the forum my name is Jason and I?m located on the Oregon coast which I am finding is a great location to own a Volvo. I welcome any opinions/advice on my Volvo 244 DL B230F NA. The previous owner appeared to care for the car. I just finished ordering a plethora of parts from IPD in Portland (seems like a great store) in order to stage zero the vehicle. I am curious what options are out there beyond stage zero for this car? What is practical and what is not? I appreciate any suggestions don?t be afraid to propose mild to wild, I?m just looking for options for my car at this point. And once again feel free to introduce yourself if you are near the Pacific Northwest.
 
Welcome to Tbricks! Lots of members out in the PNW.

There are a few "common" avenues for increasing power...
-"+T" adding a turbo to a non-turbo engine
-16V cylinder head swap (in addition to +T)
-V8 swap (LS or 5.0 Ford)
-Whiteblock swap (5 or 6 cyl from FWD cars)

I have found it very helpful to use Google to search the message board as the built-in search function is "meh" IMO.

type the following into Google:
site:tbforums.com search terms

ex: site:tbforums.com +T 240
 
Thanks for weighing in guys. It sounds like turbo is the biggest bang for the buck but I'm curious if there is any advantage to a b230+t over an b230ft?
 
If you are staying NA, you could switch to a VX, A, B or T cam. A decent exhaust will help free up some power. Your compression isn't high enough to use a ton of camshaft.

If you are turbocharging it, there are tons of options from mild to wild.

For suspension, the next step would be Ben Kaplan's stuff.

In the end, it depends upon your goals. If you want a nice driver, one of the above cams would bump the power a little bit. The car would at least pull a hill in high gear on the highway. Converting to a manual makes these cars more fun to drive as well.

If you want to run 9's, you have to do a lot more work.
 
Welcome noob, love to have new guys who are into our beloved cars! What are your goals with the car? What will you be using it for mostly, there are so many directions to go, if you have an end goal in mind you will get much better help here.
 
2turbotoys said:
Welcome noob, love to have new guys who are into our beloved cars! What are your goals with the car? What will you be using it for mostly, there are so many directions to go, if you have an end goal in mind you will get much better help here.
Click to expand...

quillc said:
If you are staying NA, you could switch to a VX, A, B or T cam. A decent exhaust will help free up some power. Your compression isn't high enough to use a ton of camshaft.

If you are turbocharging it, there are tons of options from mild to wild.

For suspension, the next step would be Ben Kaplan's stuff.

In the end, it depends upon your goals. If you want a nice driver, one of the above cams would bump the power a little bit. The car would at least pull a hill in high gear on the highway. Converting to a manual makes these cars more fun to drive as well.

If you want to run 9's, you have to do a lot more work.
Click to expand...


Thank you for your response have to admit there is a massive learning curve when it comes to altering an engine. I am trying to keep my goals very realistic since engine mods can spiral out of control without a good plan.

Goals:
* Something reliable enough to use as a daily driver vehicle.
* I would like to focus on keeping fuel economy at a reasonable level.
* I would like to have any modifications reversible or easily replaceable if for some reason down the road I needed to change it back.
* I do not want to add anything that will stress the engine to unsafe levels (from what I have read the b230ft is a stronger block than the b230f however I plan to overbuild or strengthen anything that might be too weak for the modifications).
* Of course budget is always on the list but since I am in the early stages of this project I don't really know enough to consider what would be too expensive.

Options I am floating:

option #1: Keep the engine NA, switch to a VX, A, B or T cam and add an exhaust (This might be the best option but I wouldn't mind going a little further).

option #2: 16v n/a conversion no turbo - I think this is a really cool idea but I am thinking it may become a chore to maintain and the cost of parts may start to add up quick (this would be my choice if money and practicality were no object but this realistically seems like it would be hard to pull off for a newbie in addition I have no clue how it effects the fuel economy).

option #3: Add a stock turbo or something very similar to the stock turbo and strengthen any weak elements of the b230f (not 100% sure what that might be?) so that it could handle the turbo. This would be the b230f +t option I guess.

option #4: Find a b230ft and switch the entire engine. I'm not sure what the cost would be to do that but I would imagine it's pretty expensive.

I would love to hear what you guys suggest and thanks again for giving me advice on my ideas.
 
J Volvo said:
* Something reliable enough to use as a daily driver vehicle.
* I would like to focus on keeping fuel economy at a reasonable level.
* I would like to have any modifications reversible or easily replaceable if for some reason down the road I needed to change it back.
* I do not want to add anything that will stress the engine to unsafe levels (from what I have read the b230ft is a stronger block than the b230f however I plan to overbuild or strengthen anything that might be too weak for the modifications).
* Of course budget is always on the list but since I am in the early stages of this project I don't really know enough to consider what would be too expensive.

Options I am floating:

option #1: Keep the engine NA, switch to a VX, A, B or T cam and add an exhaust (This might be the best option but I wouldn't mind going a little further).

option #2: 16v n/a conversion no turbo - I think this is a really cool idea but I am thinking it may become a chore to maintain and the cost of parts may start to add up quick (this would be my choice if money and practicality were no object but this realistically seems like it would be hard to pull off for a newbie in addition I have no clue how it effects the fuel economy).

option #3: Add a stock turbo or something very similar to the stock turbo and strengthen any weak elements of the b230f (not 100% sure what that might be?) so that it could handle the turbo. This would be the b230f +t option I guess.

option #4: Find a b230ft and switch the entire engine. I'm not sure what the cost would be to do that but I would imagine it's pretty expensive.

I would love to hear what you guys suggest and thanks again for giving me advice on my ideas.
Click to expand...

For DD duty, you would want to stick with the stock EFI system. For any of the modifications, it seems like this is the biggest issue.

Obviously, a cam change and some exhaust would be the easiest. It adds some fun factor and makes a little more power. Very DD territory.

+t is very streetable. The higher NA compression ratio helps build low RPM power. Combined with a cam and good exhaust, its also a good DD and makes decent power.

To me, a B230FT swap doesn't hold any real advantage.

The 16V conversion could certainly be a decent DD, but like any custom work they can be challenging to keep on the road.

This is true of any modified car, the more modified it is, the more challenging it can be to keep it on the road.
 
I've been using my 240 with +t for many years now.
My experience so far:
-engine holds up easily. My +t is still pretty mild, 230hp. So far I did not grenade the engine from any of my bone head moves. Tried many things with different tunes, different fuel (e85).
-as daunting (for some) adding turbocharger, oil cooler and stuff to the engine sounds, it's all pretty easy if you take the right path. And durable if you keep it simple and don't reinvent the wheel with cheap solutions. It's worth it to spend some money for good hydraulic hoses for feed return etc.
-don't underestimate the amount of work to make stuff like air intake, relocation of washer bottle, that kind of stuff.
-downside of turbo.. So many hoses. Oil water air. Added stuff like cbv, wastegate, oil cooler, intercooler, maybe catch can.
-do a good stage zero with a +t. Now that you have a chance to have easy access to stuff like gaskets, studs, fix those.
-especially rear end needs some help imho. Expect to fix or replace at least the torque rods. After a couple of years I have replaced every bushing. From poly back to stock even sometimes. Many choices.

This +t had been very reliable and fun. I drive my 240 every day. Easy to service. Valve lash doesn't alter, compression still great. Mileage between low 20s and 30mpg. Enough power to have fun and get in trouble.
Now I'm looking at upgrading this setup. Maxxed out the injectors, amm, clutch. Time for some new parts. Would I do a +t again? Yes. For sure? Whiteblock of 200ish hp 16v would be fun too.
 
How about some more information on your car? Like what year and what trans? That will also let you and us figure out where you are and what you can do to keep in line with your goals.
 
dl242gt said:
How about some more information on your car? Like what year and what trans? That will also let you and us figure out where you are and what you can do to keep in line with your goals.
Click to expand...

it's a 1990 DL 2.3L b230f automatic (needs to be auto since not all family members can drive a stick).
 
J Volvo said:
it's a 1990 DL 2.3L b230f automatic (needs to be auto since not all family members can drive a stick).
Click to expand...

In the mid 90s I saw interesting figure for France and Italy..
50% of drivers are women..
Italy 2% of car sales were automatic
France 3% of car sales were automatic.

Both places the traffic density is thick and the tempo high..( I spent nearly 2 years in France from one end to the other..They drive with the foot planted down.)

2 and 3% total automatics..

Somehow, they are able to learn.
Ruining the fun with an automatic is a choice, not a need.

How to teach them easily: turn the idle up to about 1400-1500 rpm..
Done.

Now, no more talk about "need" automatic.:oops:
 
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