Mike K's '79 242 Barn Car Revival

[Rfoltz53]

Very nice build im looking forward to seeing it complete!

[odinthewanderer]

Originally Posted by Stiggy Pop

Yeah he mentioned that you had helped him tune it, car ran great so good work. Matt is a really good guy and he did a nice job on the car. He certainly spent money in the right places, it was the first Volvo I had seen with that kind of work done to it. If it helps at all by the time I got up there Matt was just happy to get the car out of his barn and have something be done with it. Hopefully the tan car is a deserving home.

Can't thank everyone enough for the positive remarks on the car. I've been at it for a while now but never wanted to put a thread up because I didn't think it was exciting or interesting enough. It's nice to share it with people who "get it" and appreciate the work.

Tan car looks nice! was more solid than my 77 244 was...
for what its worth to those that are sad about the gold 245, i did get Mike's rotten red 245 parts car "back on the road"

glad to see the parts go to a good project, nice work so far!

...and yes, i was happy to have the car out of the barn. for one, Mike can attest to how it did on the roads around my house with its ride height, and the other is, i had these guys on their way, and needed the cars out of the barn.


some of the funding mike provided went to the needed role of, truck.


i'll keep looking for updates, and stop stealing this thread with sheep...

[odinthewanderer]

...undercoating is not easy to remove! i hope you used an oscillating tool to scrap it, made my life a lot easier with the 244.

[Stiggy Pop]

I think we left off around here. I still have wire tying up and some tidying up to do.



With the engine in and running I needed to get an intercooler figured out. I decided to buy one off of eBay because they are big, cheap, brand new and I haven't read about anyone having issues. It's 31x12x3 with 3" in/out.... big.



We made a bracket out of a piece of industrial shelving from the back yard that mounts it just forward of the lower radiator support. I decided to offset it a bit to the passenger side to make life a little easier for cold side piping with the ABS module. The upper mounts on the IC didn't land in a good spot on the upper radiator support so we made two small brackets and used SAAB 900 ignition bushings as spacers for extra swede cred.




Threw some hydras on for around the yard duty. In the garage with my Dad's '83 242 turbo


With the big intercooler up front the oil cooler wasn't going to get any airflow in the stock location. I wanted to move it up front in the airdam so was going to need to run custom lines. If I was going to go through the trouble I would like to have nice lines with AN fittings. I learned that the oil cooler uses BSP fittings with limited options (BSP>AN adapters were $50). Better option seemed to be cutting the BSP end off and welding on an AN bung.

I got two male-male -10 AN fittings and I cut one end off of each and the BSP threads off of the oil cooler.


He had a coworker weld them on for me who did a great job. He even touched up the factory welds and painted it and all for way less then adapters would have cost.


We made another bracket to sandwich between the intercooler bracket and lower rad support. I had to notch that center brace there a bit to clear the cooler. Happy with how this came together, looks clean and nice and solid.


For hoses I ran -10 AN Aeroquip socketless hose with 90* fittings. I thought the socketless hose was good to work with, it's nice heavy stuff and once you have it cut to length you just push it onto the fitting and it's done. I'll add some clamps off the bracing here to keep them in place.


Also put on some parts I've had waiting; non rusty headlight buckets from out west with Hella H4 rounds. I have a relay setup and 80/100w bulbs to run them. Also put in a really nice looking powdercoated hood latch set up that I bought from Jordan. Also bought an RSI stg 2 cam from him that I'll sit on until I've run the engine a bit.


I had bought some couplers and was starting to think about getting intercooler piping figured out and exhaust hung on it. But, as with the gold car, something that popped up in For Sale caught my eye and sent me off in another direction. I drove down to the CT shore to meet another tbricker (psac). Like the hood latch, cam, and overflow tank bracket these pieces came off of Jordan's car... but are a little more exciting.


Ended up with:
- Holset HX35
- RSI manifold with TIAL MVS wastegate
- RSI 3" stainless downpipe
- RSI 3" stainless exhaust with single magnaflow. (think I'm going to have to get a cat in it for inspection)
- Synapse BOV
- box of assorted goodies

I guess this all follows the general theme of "jumping in with both feet". The quality on the RSI stuff is impressive; I didn't plan on getting the exhaust but it all went together so well it made sense to keep it.

Did a test fit on a spare block and


Unfortunately I saw that my 740 oil cooler setup wasn't going to clear this stuff, and I JUST made my lines. I am buying a 240 cooler plate which should fit fine and am hoping I can just cut and shorten one end of the oil cooler lines. Glad the socketless hose is so easy to get together. The other thing I'll need to do is get the -12 AN oil return from the Holset to the block. I have a pipe thread to AN adapter, so will need to tap the stock return in the block. I wish I had known this was happening when the engine was out and the pan was off but will have to make it work.

The stock oil return spot has a larger bore with a narrower step at the bottom: has anyone tapped pipe thread into just the larger dia to the step? Or will I need to drill the step out and tap all the way through?

Glad I have the turbo that will stay on the car so I can make my intercooler piping once and for good. Need to buy some 3" aluminum bends and start making pieces. The battery is very much in the way so I'm going to need to move it to the trunk.

Also think I need a heater control valve, since I noticed mine dripping once I got the heater core plumbed

Still lots to do. Spent a couple of minutes driving the car up and down the road and running VE Analyze Live on the megasquirt today. Discovered it runs better with the vac line hooked up to the MAP sensor . I'd like to get the plumbing stuff figured so I can put the turbo on, make the intercooler piping and then start putting the inside of the car together. Figuring I'll keep boost low on the Holset while I figure things out and learn how to get a nice safe tune on it. Still want to grab a squirter block and put some rods in it to go for some real power.

Long list, would love to have plates on it this Spring.

[mikezohsix]

Originally Posted by Stiggy Pop

My, what a messy workbench - is that a piece of bone there?
Maybe you should help your dad out and clean that up for him?

[didenpx]

Originally Posted by mikezohsix

My, what a messy workbench - is that a piece of bone there?
Maybe you should help your dad out and clean that up for him?

[The Full Banana]

Those are rear torque rods

[Stiggy Pop]

In the box of stuff I got with the header there were these two adjustable rods with heim joints on either end, about 16" long eye-to-eye. Any ideas what they could be for?



also been wondering if guys with heavy turbos on headers like these are bracing them in any way? Seems like a lot of weight hanging out there.

[Stiggy Pop]

Originally Posted by The Full Banana

Those are rear torque rods

That's what I was thinking, but they seemed so small compared to the ends on the car now I wasn't sure.

Got a big NPT tap, going to do some trial on a spare b21 then run it into the block in the car so I can get the 3/4 NPT to -12 AN return fitting for the Holset on. Also have a 240 style oil cooler sandwich plate on the way so I can redo the lines.

[volvoskiah]

Great thread, much inspiration to the +t of my 79 242 GT this summer!

[boostabear]

I am so glad someone saved that car, and is doing a spectacular job at that. Well done!

[blkaplan]

Originally Posted by Stiggy Pop

We made another bracket to sandwich between the intercooler bracket and lower rad support. I had to notch that center brace there a bit to clear the cooler. Happy with how this came together, looks clean and nice and solid.

I would be careful with that mounting scheme, You will want some type of impact protection on that oil cooler. Something like that is susceptible to getting damaged by silly stuff like branches or cones in the road.

A skid tray with proper ducting would be sufficient.

[Stiggy Pop]

Originally Posted by volvoskiah

Great thread, much inspiration to the +t of my 79 242 GT this summer!

Thanks. Stop by with the GT once we thaw out, we're about 20min west of you.

Originally Posted by boostabear

I am so glad someone saved that car, and is doing a spectacular job at that. Well done!

credit to senior for spotting it on CL. it needed a lot of saving...

Originally Posted by blkaplan

I would be careful with that mounting scheme, You will want some type of impact protection on that oil cooler. Something like that is susceptible to getting damaged by silly stuff like branches or cones in the road.

A skid tray with proper ducting would be sufficient.

Yeah I thought about that. I'm going to see what things look like once I put a bumper back on it and see what I want to do.

Pulled out the manifold/15g and drilled the oil return hole. Greased everything up and it doesn't seem like much of anything went into the pan. Drill bit was wicked sharp, and had been shortened and turned so I could fit a drill in the bay. Waiting on exhaust manifold studs then I can tap, flush, hang turbo, run lines and have it running again.

Starting to think about the interior. I like the beige/brown but don't think I'm going to find the kind of seat I want in brown very easily.

[2fast242gt]

very.... very nice work!

[Old Iron]

This car really looked great when you gotbtoir hands on it! Its really get the work over and shaping up nicely!

[blkaplan]

Originally Posted by Stiggy Pop

Yeah I thought about that. I'm going to see what things look like once I put a bumper back on it and see what I want to do.


Starting to think about the interior. I like the beige/brown but don't think I'm going to find the kind of seat I want in brown very easily.

You did run the lines correctly, the worst is when people have the oil cooler lines hanging down at the lowest point. thats asking for problems.


Volvo did sell the 88 240 with a the 2 tone interior to match the beige exterior. Top half of the dash was black, bottom half was brown, as were the door panels, seats, carpets etc...

If you can only get black seats they don't look that out of place in a brown interior.... Allthough brown seats are t3h bests.

[Stiggy Pop]

Originally Posted by blkaplan

If you can only get black seats they don't look that out of place in a brown interior.... Allthough brown seats are t3h bests.

There was a set of brown corduroy LS back Recaro's for sale on here a while ago, kind of wishing I had those now.

Parts came in at the end of last week, so got to do some work this weekend. Main thing was to tap the block for 3/4" NPT. Thankfully the threads cut really nicely and it was entirely drama free. We greased up the tap and block to catch the chip, then flushed the hell out of it with kerosene. Magnetic drain plug was coming out clean so expect it to be fine. I'll change the oil/filter soon and forget about it.

With that done I could put the header in. Initially I tried to just lower everything down in one piece, which was optimistic (and heavy). Separated everything and was still having trouble getting the header on the studs. Ended up taking the bolts off the pass. side motor mount and tilting the engine up for some more room. Need to paint that water pump pulley...



I got a 240 oil cooler plate and got away with only having to remake one of my oil cooler hoses. I was glad for the socketless stuff and for having a piece left over that was long enough, really easy to make. Fittings are m16x1.5 to -10 AN, I had to cut a few threads off of the metric end to get them to seat in the Volvo oil cooler plate. Please excuse my scuzzy block.



The turbo drain line is -12 AN and is snaked in pretty tight behind the header. It has a DEI fire sleeve but I'm going to have to keep an eye on it once I'm getting things hot. Not sure how else to run a line that size with how much space the header takes up.



The wastegate tube was hitting the strut tower, so we put a few mm of shim under the motor mount to give it some clearance. Getting the feeling I may be pulling it back out to dent my strut tower, but maybe stiff poly mounts and a third motor mount would allow me to get away with it.



Put the turbo on and ran the feed line to the front of the block, and plugged the stock b230ft feed. With the header it made sense to feed it from the front.



Stuff fit and went together nicely, though there is certainly no more extra room on that side. I'll have to get some socks on the plug wires. Also think I'll put heat shielding on the strut tower and underside of the hood to protect the paintwork a little bit.




Between the IC piping and giant intake size on the holset there's no way I'm fitting a washer fluid reservoir over there, maybe that will end up in the trunk too. Wish I lived in a non-inspection state so stuff like that wasn't necessary just to get it on the road.

With everything back together and tight I started it back up, definitely sounds different than the stock setup. No big obvious leaks or anything catastrophic, just smokey anti-seize and pb blaster. Looking forward to hearing it with the rest of the exhaust. (I think I suck at embedding video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIXX9bqCswE)


I was really struggling to get the car around the yard with one conti dw and one bald all season in the back, so I shuffled some wheels around and put the 14" studded snows back on that came on the car. Kinda liking it in winter mode


Need to get a list up on the whiteboard, but next focus will be getting the battery in the trunk and figuring out intercooler pipes. Would also be nice to get a dash in it soon. Seems like most things have turned out a little more involved than expected, but really things have gone pretty smoothly for the most part. Car starts every time and feels good from what I can tell so far. Can't wait to drive for real, I'm sick of winter.

[mikezohsix]

moar pictures of the tapping process for the turbo drain line.
I know there's a thread running elsewhere on how to tap the block, what did you do for tools, and how did it come out?

[Stiggy Pop]

I put it in there, you're just proud because you drilled the hole straight

[volvorod85]

Nice build. You can put the washer tank in one of the buttcheeks of you want, I did this on my 245 due to lack of space with the turbo and air filter. With the wagon it was easy too, aside from running the 2 wires, there was already a hose from the front to back of the car for the rear sprayer. No A/C with this build? And you gotta slap some paint on the motor dude, haha the rest of the car looks too good not to!

Mark

[Stiggy Pop]

Originally Posted by volvorod85

Nice build. You can put the washer tank in one of the buttcheeks of you want, I did this on my 245 due to lack of space with the turbo and air filter. With the wagon it was easy too, aside from running the 2 wires, there was already a hose from the front to back of the car for the rear sprayer. No A/C with this build? And you gotta slap some paint on the motor dude, haha the rest of the car looks too good not to!

Mark

Thanks, I think getting it in the trunk will be the answer. Decided not to carry the AC over from the '92. I've only driven one car in the past 12 years that had working AC so I won't miss it much, plus with the turbo/downpipe setup there's no way it would fit over there anyhow. It may sting me on resale, but I question whether it would ever be sold as a complete car anyways.

Ugh, the motor I know This is where working in someone else's garage kind of prevented me from taking some more time. Also at that point in the build I was just trying to get a basically stock setup in the car to get it moving. We had the engine on the hoist and the car ready so just said **** it let's get the thing in so the car moves and worry about pretty later. The other thing is I'm going to grab another block and freshen it up/put rods in it as soon as summer so wasn't too upset about not investing the time in making this block look good. It does bother me when I look at the pictures though

[496truck]

Originally Posted by Stiggy Pop

- RSI 3" stainless exhaust with single magnaflow. (think I'm going to have to get a cat in it for inspection)

Not really, if you feel like taking a ride out to SE Mass I can put a sticker on it. PM me when the time comes.

[Stiggy Pop]

Well I should get my new door and window seals in, as I seem to be collecting a bit of water in the front footwells under heavy rain. On the plus side the floors are tight. Brought the car into the garage today and put it in the air for the first time in a while so I could put the exhaust on. This is 3" stainless with a single magnaflow. First exhaust I've had with v-bands and I never want to deal with a slip fit again. I had to loosen the downpipe to get clearance to get the clamp on then everything fit like it was made to.



The dog was enthusiastic


It mounts very solid, no leaks or rattles on first start up though it was buzzing somewhere in the car at idle. Sounds good outside the car (for a redblock), sure it will sound good tuned right and under load. The tail pipe looks like a spear coming out the back of the car, have to see what it looks like with bumpers on.


I replaced the leaking heater control valve which wasn't bad with everything exposed. Also put on a new expansion tank and cap and radiator hoses. I had to shorten the lower hose about an inch to pull it away from the header. It's still closer than I'd like, maybe I can put some kind of shielding on it.

Also played around a bit with some couplings and spare 3" aluminum bends to get ideas for intercooler piping. Looks like I can get out easy on the hot side with a one piece 45* bend. Just need to buy some pieces.


I'm starting to swing back towards a small dry cell battery up front rather than running a full size battery to the back. A few guys on here seem to be running them with success, Dad thinks it's just too small to have the power. But it's cheaper than buying an Optima and running cable, and it's a simpler and significantly lighter setup.

Also need to start thinking about getting a fan on it. Rumor has it there's a 960 fan in the shed so will have to go digging. The temp gauge in the instrument cluster is dead, but I can pull it up in megasquirt so will have to see what's going on there. Hopefully I can spend some time inside the car this week and move towards getting a dash in it again.

Slowly but surely...

Mike

[Stiggy Pop]

Happy birthdays to both of the Mike's today, 28 for me and +30 for senior.

Nothing too exciting this week. Spent some time spinning my wheels on Saturday when I realized I had the heater lines run backwards at the firewall, then the new heater control I installed starting leaking right away. Not completely surprised since it's scantech but that seems to be the only thing available. I'll do the job again and hope that it sticks this time. Then I thought I wasn't getting oil at the turbo, so spent time disconnecting lines and checking oil pressure etc... everything was fine. Had the alternator bracket off to get at the oil feed line so I took the alternator off and got rid of the oil cooler line brackets I won't be using. The combination of alternator and adjustment arm I have on there now doesn't get the belts tight, so I'll have to see if I have something longer. Also gave me a chance to take care of important things like painting the water pump pulley black (lipstick on a pig)



Replaced my 1 and 1/2 door seals with nice flexible stuff from a kinder climate.


Trying to seal the car up a little bit, so I put the shifter surround thing back in. This is from Matt's gold car which he was trying to quiet all the noise from the t5 in, so he welded some steel to the back of this with just enough clearance for the shifter and wrapped it all up in dynamat and cell foam. Thought it was cool, also shows the t5z shifter's un-volvo like throw. I did have to open it up a bit since it didn't seem to be sitting the same in the 79.



Still deciding what I want for a shift knob. Getting a steering hub adapter from Kaplhenke as a bday gift, so that's piece one towards figuring the interior out. Trying to work out the wiring inside a bit, pulled some things off that I won't need then I can get things tied up and put ducting in. Intercooler pipes are on the way so that will be the next project. Also thinking I'm probably going to end up needing more injector. Better do my taxes and hope for a return.

Mike

[didenpx]

The Scantech heater control valves are absolute junk; had the same thing happen to me.

Dave Samuel (Wagonmeister) has one that he developed himself. Next time I need to do one, I'm going to use one of his.

I really admire the quality of your work and am enjoying watching the project.

And happy birthday!