1979 242DL - Analog Motoring

[oldschoolvolvo]

I realized that having zero preload on the wastegate actuator was drastically conservative, so I adjusted it to be 1/2 the diameter of the actuator pin and wow, what a difference, haha!

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

Got an AEM wideband and pieced together a Grainger MBC to turn up the boost a little...right now boost is stock 7psi and creeps to 8-9 by redline...my goal is to bump it up to 10-12psi, but we'll see once I get the wideband installed. I'm also keeping my eye out for a decent M46 and 3.73 diff to make cruising more enjoyable. My 3.91 / M45 combo is torquey but I quickly run out of gears. I know a T5 is another option but seems like an OEM combo would be more cost effective and will withstand "stockish" power.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

Removed the downpipe today to have the wideband bung welded in and also tried locating the source of an oil leak around the turbo. When I went to ensure the oil drain flange bolts were snug, one of them ended up stripping in the cartridge...must have been on it's way out to begin with as I did not put much torque on it before it gave out. Only one bolt on the drain flange isn't going help stop leaks...looks like I need to find another 13C.

 

[Harlard]

May as well make it a 15G

 

[JW240]

An exhaust leak between the turbo and manifold, the condensation area can be seen on cold starts. Any thoughts on this? I may not have the nuts torqued to spec here...it is difficult to get a torque wrench on the nuts and I went by feel, but they may be a bit shy of where they should be. (Reference: 32ft-lbs + 45deg)

Maybe try this gasket:
http://www.skandix.de/de/fahrzeug-teile/auspuff/turbolader/dichtung-turbineneinlass-lader/1021401/

Used it on more +T's and it helps to seal that connection a bit better. Standard on S60/V70 turbo.

White sludge is not so much a turbo problem, maybe the engine is running a bit cold or only being used for short trips?

Nice swap/+T BTW! Always liked this car and excellent to see it getting the attention it deserves!

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

Time for a brief update...

Put poly bushings in the panhard rod and rear trailing arms plus a fresh coat of paint and also replaced the rear trailing arm bushings in the axle. I used SuperPro poly bushings and Lemforder axle bushings. The torque rods already had poly installed, but could use a coat of paint...maybe some other time.







Homebrew tool in use.


Old vs. new.


New TAB installed!



I followed the "homebrew tool" method for removing the rear TABs. After multiple soakings with PB Blaster, this job really wasn't as bad as I had expected, but I did need to add 2x 1.25" (2.75" OD) washers to aid in the installation of the new bushings. Otherwise the "pusher" part of the TAB tool was very hard to get centered on the new bushings and would want to push on the rubber instead of the metal shell or deform the metal shell...with the large washers installation was easy.

"remove mode"


"install mode"

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

The car is almost ready to come out of winter hibernation...time for another update.

New shifter cage bushings (p/n 1232158). These are the stiffest of the 3x different bushing p/n's available for 240s.

Replaced the large stock steering wheel with a 14.5" diameter wheel and put in an SAM short shifter.

While the car was running fine with the stock "B" cam, I wanted to change to something with less overlap now that it is turbocharged. I was able to find a "V" cam and swapped that in and reset the valve lash to .015-.016". I needed to replace all but one of the valve shims. I am anxious to get the car out on the road to see how the car drives with the "V" cam. It started up and ran fine in the garage. I replaced the cam seal, valve cover gasket, timing belt and tensioner while I had it apart. I must have bumped the aux shaft when installing the timing belt b/c the ignition timing was very advanced when I started it again, but that was an easy fix, just needed to rotate the distributor a bit.

Also, here is an OEM cam spec reference chart that I found useful and just for kicks, I made a chart to be able to better visualize the differences between some of the more common cams.

Simple tool for tightening the cam gear.

I also decided to try a set of Kaplhenke torque rods. Installation was straightforward, the hardest part was keeping the spacers from falling out while aligning the rod ends at the body and axle attachments.

 

[Finnish240]

Whats happening with that red panhard rod end secure spacer thing? Is it me or is it out of the line some how?

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

Whats happening with that red panhard rod end secure spacer thing? Is it me or is it out of the line some how?

The nut isn't fully tightened in the picture so the spacer is hanging loosely.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

Removed the atmospheric vent (filter) on my catch can and routed a line to the pre-turbo hose b/c catch can vapors smell nasty!

I pieced together a cheap boost leak tester and found a few leaky charge pipe connections that sealed up with a few more turns of the hose clamp.

I also replaced the water pump which had begun to leak after a few startups in the garage. A new Hepu pump fixed that issue.

I also got to get out and drive today and get a feel for how the "V" cam behaves. It is very smooth, revs easily and the power comes on around 4k. Compared to the "B" cam that was in there before, I think the most noticable differences are that the "V" is smoother and more free revving.

I was expecting that having all new bushings in the rear end would solve the "clunking" when starting in 1st gear but unfortunately it is still there. I will double check that everything is tight after driving it for a bit more, but I'm assuming it is the U-joints in the driveshaft that are making the noise.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

The smaller steering wheel and SAM shifter are big improvements for driving "feel", but the shifter buzzes quite loudly over 4k rpm, kinda annoying.

I may look at finding a stiffer spring like this member did w/ the same issue:
http://turbobricks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274604

I also installed some Yoshifab lower chassis braces and they are most noticeable under braking as they eliminated some shudder that my car had.

 

[canyoneagle]

really cool thread, and nice progress on the car. I enjoyed reading the backstory too.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

Thanks!

I added an actual gauge pod and got a calibrated boost gauge instead of the stock Volvo one.

Also installed my MBC tonight and bumped the boost up to ~11psi. It scoots pretty well now! Here's a quick video...the buzzing at the end is the shifter.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cvG-jHfLhQo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[brendon_ak]

What turbo are you running? Is that a generic pod fitted to a plastic bit where the center grill is on the dash? I have the old dash too.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

What turbo are you running? Is that a generic pod fitted to a plastic bit where the center grill is on the dash? I have the old dash too.

Turbo is a Mitsubishi 13C.

You are correct...the gauge pod is a universal one from eBay and I cut a piece of plastic sheet to replace the speaker grille in the middle of the dash.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

Got the rear of the car up on ramps today to see if something was loose and causing the clunking sounds...I rechecked the pinion angle and realized it was off a few degrees, so I readjusted the torque rods and now a majority of the clunks are gone. I guess something was binding and causing the noise.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

After some high rpm runs, I've been noticing some coolant burping out of the reservoir...something to keep an eye on I guess. I just installed a new Hepu water pump w/ the cast impeller which isn't supposed to cavitate. Also, cooling system pressure seems high after high rpm runs as well (judged by squeezing the upper rad hose). Pressure seems to come back down after driving normally for a while. Maybe this is nothing to worry about, but just some observations.

Made some progress on the appearance-side of things. I have 98% of the black paint stripped via Goof Off and some spots needed to be repainted. The red paint on the car is not the original shade of red (seems like it was repainted once or twice in it's lifetime) and I was able to find a shade of Rustoleum at Home Depot that is a close enough match (Regal Red) to do some touch up. The areas below the beltline trim were in the worst shape so I taped it off there and repainted below that line.

Before:
*front fender was already painted in this shot

After:

I also tested out some rubbing compound on the hood and was pleasantly surprised w/ the results...besides a lot of elbow grease, I think the paint will look ok when all is said and done. I may need to find a random orbital buffer to make this an easier process, but it is a good workout.

 

[MoCounselor]

Looks good. DEFINITELY get a orbital. My white was just as oxidized as your red, and the orbital made it easy work!

 

[canyoneagle]

Nice work! That paint should really buff up nicely. +1 on an orbital.

 

[oldschoolvolvo]

I'm getting a bit annoyed by the gearing in the car. It currently has an M45 with a 3.91 rear and with the +T the gears just feel very short. I'm going to seriously consider a T5 trans swap as I've been reading positive things about the ratios being a good match for the turbo engine.

I've also been following a few other build threads to observe the best way to piece together the swap and it seems relatively straight forward. I'd be doing this on the "budget" side of the spectrum so I'd just modify the existing x-member, keep the cable clutch and prob just do the Yoshifab clutch disc and a 240T pressure plate. Not sure if I'd do the Mustang driveshaft or modify what I have...will ultimately come down to cost and what I can find most easily.