The (build) story of a Greek (probably fast - 425 whp) 240 brick
Credits and Thanks !
***Dedicated to the memory of my good friend and mechanic Christos. RIP 18/4/2021***
First of all i want to thank all of the TB’s members who have been generating knowledge about our loved bricks in this great forum, which i have been following for a few years. It may seem easy (and cheap) for many of you to be able to modify a car like a 240 due to the access to many yards, or shops that specialize to this kind of cars, and of course the famous Volvo meetings. However i live in a country that these cars are almost extinct (crisis has made it even worse due to taxes), not many parts/shops exist anymore, and of course nobody approves modifying them. This is the reason why TBs is so important to me, which also has been a great inspiration, where some fellow TBers have been of a great help. I really need to thank specifically Duder, nathaninwa, badvlvo, mikep, DavidSamuels, Patrick Dickman and Nikolaos244Turbo (who is the only one i know an owner of a 244 in Greece) who helped me in some critical points and made my decisions easier. But last and not least, Gary aka gsellstr, who is a great friend, has always an answer in every question of mine, and of course helped me to find and buy all the parts i needed that were not available locally, or contact the right people for several matters. Without him i would have done literally nothing. Beware though, he causes addictions to Volvos
Also i owe a big “thank you” to the people (over here) that helped me to complete the project and especially Christos, Giorgos, Filipos and Makis that have spent endless hours with me in order to produce this result.
So … again .. thank you all !!
The actual story .. (if someone is bored to read or wants to see more pics here is my photobucket LINK and flickr -more updated but no comments- LINK)
I have been a proud owner of this white Volvo for about 18 years. During this time it had not changed much: an automatic gearbox that broke and i changed to M46 on a N/A engine, and that was pretty much it. At some point a friend gave me a B21ET K-Jet engine for free which i decided to install. Then i discovered TB, so i proceeded to the intercooler, the cold air and MBC mods, installed a bov and i started operating the car at 1 bar turbo pressure. For sure i started liking the extra horsepower a lot.
A bit later i decided to get into “the last” mods that i had promised myself, a back axle locker, Eaton’s TrueTrac, and an A cam. This is the point where i met Gary, who actually shipped the TT over the pond for me, and … the party started … As Bamse said: “All my money is gone now and i have an old Volvo”.
The new concept though was to keep the car as Volvo as possible i.e. use all original Volvo parts since now it has classic car license plates which means i can not use anything else than original parts of this model (78-93), repaint it externally since it has original paint, or make any major changes. The goal ? Get into the 300+ whp club of TBs. Note that the engine had no ECU, everything was depending on K-Jet i.e. no lambda sensors, no boost control, no MAF, no electronics at all, only mechanical stuff. Note that it will be using the best option in gas over here, which is 100 octane unleaded pump fuel.
The first step was to book a dyno session to see what’s what. The result was crap and surprising at the same time. 166 whp, where in every repeat it was reduced by 3-4 whp, but the AFRs measured at the exhaust were close to 15+ at most of rpm range. Only at about 3-4000 rpms it dropped at 12,5. I wonder how this engine kept working in this state for so many years ..
After starting taking the engine apart, several problems came up, such as the need of boring due to oval cylinders, intercooler was leaking, the turbo needed a service and many others caused by the years of use. Also decided to find a 531 head, which was a real pain over here, but luckily the shops were not aware of its real “value”. Got it ported and port matched to the B23 intake, 90+ exhaust manifold, installed new valve guides and a customly reshaped A cam, spec’d almost similar to an IPD turbo cam. Finally added a custom made timing gear.
160 (?) Head with old setup VS 531
Ported and cleaned ..
The old setup ..
My adjustable timing gear (-10 to +10 degrees)
Before deciding to use an aftermarket ECU, having keeping K-Jet in mind, the injectors problem had to be solved. The injectors on the old head were mounted ON the head, while on 531 were to be mounted on the air intake manifold. Of course i would not drill the 531, so i designed adaptors to seal and place the mechanical injectors on the new style mani. BTW i am selling these if someone needs them (in case you wonder, they seal with 2 o-rings on the manifold, where the injector seals with its original o-ring on the adaptor. The injector is held with two allen screws, which means its position can be adjusted and the o-ring can be compressed as much as needed).
Getting rid of the K-Jet meant one thing : sensors .. So here is a TPS which was taken from a Volvo 460, also exists on BMWs and Porches as i have been told. It has an idle switch and a potentiometer for measuring the throttle position. One of its legs is not used. There is a version of it having a full throttle switch (using the unused connector), but there was no need of it. Note that it is a direct bolt on the throttle body, no need of any adaptors!
The next step was to upgrade from the M46 to a M90. Luckily i managed to buy the one of the 2 existing over here. Of course i was not so lucky to have one of the latest versions, however this one got very low mileage on it, was pretty “clean”. Had it opened and weld the 3rd gear synchro ring, to make sure i won’t have any problems caused by it. Also replaced all the o-rings and gaskets that the M90 article suggested. I was really impressed with its build quality though, and how easy was to open it. Just make sure you take pics when you take it apart ..
However, M90 also meant going from cable to hydraulic driven clutch. So the pedal had to be modified and rotate its push-pull points. Got one like it should be from a friend and copied it successfully.
As for the clutch/pressure plate combo, i trusted the M90 article and used SACHS products for option #2 (Clutch disc 850GLT, stock, organic, 20 splines, 228mm / Pressure plate, Sachs race engineering, strengthened/performance, 228mm). These were installed on a dog dish flywheel (single mass) with 60-2 pattern for the crank sensor, while i got rid of the flat flywheel of the M46.
To install the gearbox on the car the car’s gearbox tunnel had to hammered, had to modify a crossmember so to install the M90 mount, alter the angle of the gear lever holder, install a BMW M5 guibo, and make some lowering adaptors for the crossmember in order to align the driveline with the center bearing. Also the hydraulic pump for the clutch was installed and adjusted.
Crossmember modding
Test fitting the mount
The lowering crossmember adapters
BMW M5 guibo
The finished product ..
One of the things i always liked on cars, was short shifting. So this could not be skipped on this project ! I cut and welded the gear lever in such a way that from the “middle” it needs 3 cms to go to 1st gear, and 2 to the 2nd (or the opposite .. not sure
). It feels nice !!
Also thought that a high performance engine should have better cooling than stock, and have an e-fan since i really did not like the original noise from the fan driven by the fan clutch, nor its performance loss due to drag. So an 100A alternator had to be installed, and also found a 264 radiator which is much larger (taller and wider) than the original 240 but marginally fits under the hood. The e-fan would be donated by an S40, which is actually multi-speed, however converted it to 2 speed, using a high wattage resistor and a 850 relay. It now works at half and full speed, but the radiator is so big and efficient and the fan so strong that i have never heard it working at full speed.
S40 e-fan
S40 e-fan (a bit cut) + 264 radiator
Next step was to find a way to install an intercooler behind the grille of the car, and not in between the water and A/C radiators. So got one from a Mitsubishi EVO VIII, modified its tubes to fit in my setup and welded some different mounts on it. Top tip: If someone wants some sort of psychotherapy, try straightening all the fins of both sides of the IC using two screwdrivers, one per hand.. Takes a lot of time
Before ..
After …
Because of these modifications i made some metal sheets to guide the air better through the radiators.
Also upgraded the oil cooler with one from an old M3, which is slightly bigger in capacity, however its dimensions were exactly same with the size of the three openings of the front fender skirt.
Credits and Thanks !
***Dedicated to the memory of my good friend and mechanic Christos. RIP 18/4/2021***
First of all i want to thank all of the TB’s members who have been generating knowledge about our loved bricks in this great forum, which i have been following for a few years. It may seem easy (and cheap) for many of you to be able to modify a car like a 240 due to the access to many yards, or shops that specialize to this kind of cars, and of course the famous Volvo meetings. However i live in a country that these cars are almost extinct (crisis has made it even worse due to taxes), not many parts/shops exist anymore, and of course nobody approves modifying them. This is the reason why TBs is so important to me, which also has been a great inspiration, where some fellow TBers have been of a great help. I really need to thank specifically Duder, nathaninwa, badvlvo, mikep, DavidSamuels, Patrick Dickman and Nikolaos244Turbo (who is the only one i know an owner of a 244 in Greece) who helped me in some critical points and made my decisions easier. But last and not least, Gary aka gsellstr, who is a great friend, has always an answer in every question of mine, and of course helped me to find and buy all the parts i needed that were not available locally, or contact the right people for several matters. Without him i would have done literally nothing. Beware though, he causes addictions to Volvos
Also i owe a big “thank you” to the people (over here) that helped me to complete the project and especially Christos, Giorgos, Filipos and Makis that have spent endless hours with me in order to produce this result.
So … again .. thank you all !!
The actual story .. (if someone is bored to read or wants to see more pics here is my photobucket LINK and flickr -more updated but no comments- LINK)
I have been a proud owner of this white Volvo for about 18 years. During this time it had not changed much: an automatic gearbox that broke and i changed to M46 on a N/A engine, and that was pretty much it. At some point a friend gave me a B21ET K-Jet engine for free which i decided to install. Then i discovered TB, so i proceeded to the intercooler, the cold air and MBC mods, installed a bov and i started operating the car at 1 bar turbo pressure. For sure i started liking the extra horsepower a lot.
A bit later i decided to get into “the last” mods that i had promised myself, a back axle locker, Eaton’s TrueTrac, and an A cam. This is the point where i met Gary, who actually shipped the TT over the pond for me, and … the party started … As Bamse said: “All my money is gone now and i have an old Volvo”.
The new concept though was to keep the car as Volvo as possible i.e. use all original Volvo parts since now it has classic car license plates which means i can not use anything else than original parts of this model (78-93), repaint it externally since it has original paint, or make any major changes. The goal ? Get into the 300+ whp club of TBs. Note that the engine had no ECU, everything was depending on K-Jet i.e. no lambda sensors, no boost control, no MAF, no electronics at all, only mechanical stuff. Note that it will be using the best option in gas over here, which is 100 octane unleaded pump fuel.
The first step was to book a dyno session to see what’s what. The result was crap and surprising at the same time. 166 whp, where in every repeat it was reduced by 3-4 whp, but the AFRs measured at the exhaust were close to 15+ at most of rpm range. Only at about 3-4000 rpms it dropped at 12,5. I wonder how this engine kept working in this state for so many years ..
After starting taking the engine apart, several problems came up, such as the need of boring due to oval cylinders, intercooler was leaking, the turbo needed a service and many others caused by the years of use. Also decided to find a 531 head, which was a real pain over here, but luckily the shops were not aware of its real “value”. Got it ported and port matched to the B23 intake, 90+ exhaust manifold, installed new valve guides and a customly reshaped A cam, spec’d almost similar to an IPD turbo cam. Finally added a custom made timing gear.
160 (?) Head with old setup VS 531
Ported and cleaned ..
The old setup ..
My adjustable timing gear (-10 to +10 degrees)
Before deciding to use an aftermarket ECU, having keeping K-Jet in mind, the injectors problem had to be solved. The injectors on the old head were mounted ON the head, while on 531 were to be mounted on the air intake manifold. Of course i would not drill the 531, so i designed adaptors to seal and place the mechanical injectors on the new style mani. BTW i am selling these if someone needs them (in case you wonder, they seal with 2 o-rings on the manifold, where the injector seals with its original o-ring on the adaptor. The injector is held with two allen screws, which means its position can be adjusted and the o-ring can be compressed as much as needed).
Getting rid of the K-Jet meant one thing : sensors .. So here is a TPS which was taken from a Volvo 460, also exists on BMWs and Porches as i have been told. It has an idle switch and a potentiometer for measuring the throttle position. One of its legs is not used. There is a version of it having a full throttle switch (using the unused connector), but there was no need of it. Note that it is a direct bolt on the throttle body, no need of any adaptors!
The next step was to upgrade from the M46 to a M90. Luckily i managed to buy the one of the 2 existing over here. Of course i was not so lucky to have one of the latest versions, however this one got very low mileage on it, was pretty “clean”. Had it opened and weld the 3rd gear synchro ring, to make sure i won’t have any problems caused by it. Also replaced all the o-rings and gaskets that the M90 article suggested. I was really impressed with its build quality though, and how easy was to open it. Just make sure you take pics when you take it apart ..
However, M90 also meant going from cable to hydraulic driven clutch. So the pedal had to be modified and rotate its push-pull points. Got one like it should be from a friend and copied it successfully.
As for the clutch/pressure plate combo, i trusted the M90 article and used SACHS products for option #2 (Clutch disc 850GLT, stock, organic, 20 splines, 228mm / Pressure plate, Sachs race engineering, strengthened/performance, 228mm). These were installed on a dog dish flywheel (single mass) with 60-2 pattern for the crank sensor, while i got rid of the flat flywheel of the M46.
To install the gearbox on the car the car’s gearbox tunnel had to hammered, had to modify a crossmember so to install the M90 mount, alter the angle of the gear lever holder, install a BMW M5 guibo, and make some lowering adaptors for the crossmember in order to align the driveline with the center bearing. Also the hydraulic pump for the clutch was installed and adjusted.
Crossmember modding
Test fitting the mount
The lowering crossmember adapters
BMW M5 guibo
The finished product ..
One of the things i always liked on cars, was short shifting. So this could not be skipped on this project ! I cut and welded the gear lever in such a way that from the “middle” it needs 3 cms to go to 1st gear, and 2 to the 2nd (or the opposite .. not sure
). It feels nice !! Also thought that a high performance engine should have better cooling than stock, and have an e-fan since i really did not like the original noise from the fan driven by the fan clutch, nor its performance loss due to drag. So an 100A alternator had to be installed, and also found a 264 radiator which is much larger (taller and wider) than the original 240 but marginally fits under the hood. The e-fan would be donated by an S40, which is actually multi-speed, however converted it to 2 speed, using a high wattage resistor and a 850 relay. It now works at half and full speed, but the radiator is so big and efficient and the fan so strong that i have never heard it working at full speed.
S40 e-fan
S40 e-fan (a bit cut) + 264 radiator
Next step was to find a way to install an intercooler behind the grille of the car, and not in between the water and A/C radiators. So got one from a Mitsubishi EVO VIII, modified its tubes to fit in my setup and welded some different mounts on it. Top tip: If someone wants some sort of psychotherapy, try straightening all the fins of both sides of the IC using two screwdrivers, one per hand.. Takes a lot of time
Before ..
After …
Because of these modifications i made some metal sheets to guide the air better through the radiators.
Also upgraded the oil cooler with one from an old M3, which is slightly bigger in capacity, however its dimensions were exactly same with the size of the three openings of the front fender skirt.
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