Project '82 Volvo 242
 

We've been lurking here for a while checking out the amazing builds and decided to post up a little thread about our project. My brother Alex and I are working on what could most accurately be described as a g-machine Volvo 242. It's not domestic, it doesn't have a V8, and it's not being professionally built, but we're pretty sure it still fits the mold. The car was originally my brother's project (I had my own), but we realized that it's a much more rewarding experience to share time on one car. Everything is being done in our garage with spare time and funds.

Since no one likes huge blocks of text with no pictures, here's a quick pictorial run down on what we have so far.

The victim: an 1982 242DL. Note the two-door configuration. Among us Volvo wackos it's generally considered the most desireable of the 240 body styles.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/RS...0/DSC00441.JPG

The car sat in a stripped condition for a couple of years before we decided to really move it to the front burner in December of 2008.

Moved the firewall back 6" and fabricated a new transmission tunnel.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SW...0/IMG_6360.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SX...0/IMG_6373.jpg

Minitubbed the rear end and built a new parallel four-link.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SY...0/IMG_6396.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sa...0/IMG_6438.jpg

It came stock with a fairly anemic single cam 4 cylinder, which was promptly tossed as the car got stripped. The new engine is a three liter (183ci) all aluminum DOHC straight six from a 1996 Volvo 960.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sc...0/IMG_6469.jpg

Tacked up a divided inlet equal length tube header. 1.5" sch40 with ~25" primaries and a 9" collector. The flange is specific to the turbo and falls somewhere between a T4 and T6.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sg...0/DSC00058.JPG

Happy Holset is happy. Factory remanufactured HX50. Came off some Cummins powered dump truck. Compressor maps indicate that is tops out somewhere around 700hp.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sl...0/IMG_6554.jpg

60mm HKS knockoff wastegate.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sm...0/IMG_6574.jpg

We decided that a turbo just wasn't cool enough, so we added a blower to the mix. Eaton M90.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sm...0/IMG_6577.jpg

Mounted some carbon/kevlar buckets.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sm...0/IMG_6583.jpg

Tacked in the main hoop. The whole cage is being made from 1.75" .095" mild steel DOM.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sm...0/IMG_6584.jpg

Mounted the intercooler. It's an eBay special with a 4" core.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sm...0/IMG_6587.jpg

The wheeltubs were originally measured out to tuck something like a 285, but we recently got a new set of wheels that throw a wrench in those works.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sl...0/IMG_6551.jpg

BBS E28 race wheels. Three piece, single lug. 335/30R18 on 18"x13" ET25 rears and 285/30R18 on 18"x11" ET20 fronts.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sl...0/IMG_6552.jpg

It's currently sporting a T5-WC five speed with a custom adapter plate that I put together. With the kind of power we hope to be making it won't last very long though, so the latest hare-brained scheme is to cut out the 4-link and install a complete C5 Corvette rear end. They're cheap, available, and seem to be pretty stout.

That's pretty much the story so far. If you guys don't totally disapprove we hope to be posting up more updates in the future.

/Karl and Alex Buchka

This an awesome build. Keep up with the updates. I Love those meats too!

Definately keep up the updates!
Is that turbo going to stick out of the hood?

DUUUUUDDDDE!!!

I had a light blue 82 242 Volvo with a 5 speed turbo as my first car. I love that you are doing this project.

LOVE IT!

Tyler

Definitely keep us up to date on any progress.

Seriously, keep us updated. This is going to be a sweet build.

My brother had a Volvo just like that one, w/ a manual tranny to. It was a pretty fun car to drive.

subscribed

:thumbsup: Very cool build! Great way to think outside the box on this too!
But since you already have the 4 link in, why not use a new T 56 Manum? It's rated to 700-750hp I believe. Unless you are making alot more power than that? Thanks for sharing , please keep the info and pics coming.

Well I guess it's unanimous. Thanks for the kind words guys!

Yeah, the turbo is going to come out of the hood. We would have loved to keep it under, but with a turbo that size and a 9" collector it just wasn't happening. Some guys have bitched about loosing the sleeper factor. The only thing I can say to that is "have you seen the rest of the car lately?". :P

Thanks! I would love to run a T56 Magnum, but spending upwards of $3000 on a new transmission just isn't happening. My brother and I are 22 years old and we just don't have that kind of money to throw around. As it stands now we've got about $5000 in to the car, and by the time it's done I don't see us having spent more than $15000 total.

I can guarantee that when people first opened this up and saw the first picture they would not have expected anything like this!! Nice project!

Veeeery nice! :thumbsup:
Love the oddball car & project! Those Volvo blocks can take a ton of punishment so be nice to your T5.

Got some more tubes in the car:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sn...0/IMG_6595.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sn...0/IMG_6597.jpg

We're pretty satisfied with the fit, especially considering this is the first cage we've ever put together:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sn...0/IMG_6598.jpg

The car is going in to storage for a while, as we're both going back to school in a few weeks. There should still be some engine-related updates in the coming weeks/months though, so stay tuned.

Posting an update, sort of. We're both in Sweden right now going to school, so the car is stored away. We're still putting time in to little projects though. We spent a few days on and off making this thing. Finished it last night.

It's made from two Stromberg float bowl covers. Broken down:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00086.jpg

The top of the upper cover has been turned down and threaded:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00088.jpg

The inside has also been turned down to hold a spring:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00091.jpg

Bottom cover has been mostly hacked apart and also has some slits along the perimeter (I love the indexing table):
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00089.jpg

The tube has a snap ring that places it flush with the face of the bottom cover:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00094.jpg

Rubber membrane with a spring perch/50mm disc:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00090.jpg

Tube goes inside the bottom cover, membrane goes on top:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00084.jpg

Then with the spring on the membrane's perch followed by the top cover and the threaded bushing, you end up with this:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sr...0/DSC00082.jpg

Weld the tube to your charge pipe and run a vac signal to the threaded bushing and you've got yourself a blow off valve.

looks great guys! so where in sweden are u studying? Blir en tuff bil när den är klar!

Tackar! Vi pluggar på Chalmers.

Thanks! We're studying at Chalmers. (For those of you who are Swedish-challenged. :D )

Welcome from another Ma. guy. Sweet project ! This is going to be fun to watch, very interesting. How long will you be in Sweden ?

Cool I always wanted to go to Chalmers (did go in Norrkoping etc instead) You should have all the possibility
in the world to pick up any Volvo parts you need for your
car. I assume parts for them should still be plentyful back home.

Tonny
I love the warm and sunny Arizona :lateral:

Bad ass! Looks like just a normal volvo, something sinister about that body style w/ a good drivetrain. :thumbsup:

I´m from norrkoping.. www.gcp.se in sweden , makes remanufactured parts for volvos

Your Volvo might end up something like this?
http://www.hocky.se/imagearchive/hoc...714/index.html

Its in Norrköping BTW


Jan

I'm from Vadstena myself but have lived in the US for 15 years now.

Tonny

Any estimates on what your power output and final weight of the car is going to be?

this is a badass car

Thanks guys. Looks like all the Swedes are coming out of the woodwork.

Thanks! Neither my brother nor I are huge fans of the numbers game, but looking at similar builds, it should fall somewhere around 2500lbs wet and 650whp.

yes thats håkans car, Ive been helping him out fabricate wheel tubs and some other metalwork like alu fuelcell etc. its a really badass car and runs like a champ both on the streets or the racetrack!

antar att du är janne suhr? isf har jag varit o druckit kaffe hemma hos dig med henka blyfot ;)
/simon

Yepp, the one and only :unibrow: Världen är liten.

Nu bor jag närmare Norrköping, i Stigtomta utanför Nyköping.


Janne

Nice project.HotRod mag. should love this thing. Keep us posted on this kick a## build. Scott.

Thanks Scott.

Updates are still slow. Juggling projects and school is taking a lot of time. Made a tentative start on the next little side project today. This is a scale 1:2 foam mockup/prototype, but you get the idea:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sv...0/DSC00173.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sv...0/DSC00174.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sv...0/DSC00175.JPG

Since the small CNC in the shop doesn't have a tool changer (and I can't be bothered to re-zero the thing every time I swap tools :P ) it doesn't have any of the mounting holes, fillets, or chamfers. It was just as well, since I have to change some of the dimensions and setups now anyway.

This is the cad model in its current state, and should be pretty representative of the final product:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sv...agerarsida.jpg

damn, that is sweet

That's the fugliest car I've ever seen....I love it! So,you guys are 22 and you're turning out work like this? I'm curious-where did you learn how to do this fabrication stuff?
I'm 55 years old and have wanted to build cars my whole life. I'm just getting started now and,I gotta tell you,it's a pretty steep learning curve. I'm building a rectangular tube frame 1st gen Nova and I have to research every step. It's taking me forever,I'm afraid I'll be dead before the car ever turns a tire. Where did you guys learn to do this stuff?
The car looks great...well...relatively speaking-keep up the great work.:thumbsup:

Swift, thank you.

First of all, thank you for the kind words. I'll take your fugly comment as a compliment. :lol:

I can tell you that neither of us have had any kind of schooling in any of these subjects, so for the most part I'd say we're self taught. We definitely inherited a strong penchant for DIY from our dad, but his interest in cars is fairly fleeting. I think the main driving force, for me at least, has been that every time I see something cool or interesting that I would like to have or try, I think to myself "what does the guy who made that know that I either don't or can't figure out?". And the answer is always nothing.

It's great to hear that you're getting your hands dirty. The learning curve is definitely steep. It still is for me. I have a personal motto that keeps me on track for stuff like this: "You have to be dumb enough to start and stubborn enough to finish." :thumbsup:

In the end, just remember (to use a somewhat trite expression), it's not the destination that matters. All the fun is in the journey. As long as you're having fun building your Nova, everything else is secondary.

Anyway, enough of my philosophical raving. People come to expect pics in threads like this, and I aim to deliver.

Had some down-time before I could start re-drilling the flywheel for the VW (another project of ours, '72 Beetle with 911 suspension, fiberglass fenders, whaletail, cage, and with a soon-to-be Volvo 850 powerplant swap), so I made the cross braces for the calipers. Since the part couldn't just be clamped, I drilled and countersunk the mounting holes in one setup and then mounted it to a jig plate in a second setup.

Facing the plate (because machine tool marks look bad-ass):
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sv...0/DSC00177.JPG

Initial result (sans deburring):
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sv...0/DSC00178.JPG

We decided to chamfer the inside edges as well, so back in the CNC it went:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Sv...0/DSC00179.JPG

These will get anodized along with the caliper bodies.

Amazing work to say the least. And a very cool project. I have to ask though, why fab your own brake calipers? If the answer is "just because we can" then that is good enough for sure. But is there not a ready made unit that will work for you?
I do appreciate the "because we can" very much. Lot's of respect for you guys doing all of the work yourselves!:cheers:

Killer project! No problem with dare to be different there.

How much power will it have?

Thank you. It's definitely just because we can. I could easily adapt most any commercial brake caliper, but I thought it would be a fun challenge to see if I could make something myself. In the end it's just a glorified hydraulic piston.

Thanks! One of the numbers we've tossed around is 650whp, but I'm more concerned with a nice torque curve than peak power.

[QUOTE=Karl Buchka;247467]Thank you. It's definitely just because we can. I could easily adapt most any commercial brake caliper, but I thought it would be a fun challenge to see if I could make something myself. In the end it's just a glorified hydraulic piston.

I kind of figured as much after seeing your work. I get it.:cheers:

I'm looking forward to seeing more "because we can" stuff on this build.

Progress is still glacial. Money is very tight, so the car has taken a very distant back seat.

Tossing up a pic of the latest purchase. We've been watching eBay for a few months, and we finally found one that matched our needs. It's rusty, ugly, and came in several boxes, but after some examination it looks very promising.

6-speed pulled from a flooded 19k mile C5 Z06.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S0...0/DSC00255.JPG

The 5-6 cluster is trashed. Looks like someone dropped it on the floor. Other than that all the gears and engagement teeth look to be in good, usable condition. They're rusty, but with some bead blasting, a rebuild kit, and a new 5-6 cluster it should be good as new. We wanted a Z06 box since the ratios should match the powerband in a better way. Still need to pick up a differential and a 4.10 gearset, but that's for later.

Also been doing a lot of reading on suspension kinematics. I've got a rough cut of the front and rear suspensions down on paper. I still need to consult with some friends of mine that are more in the know regarding these things. Here's a quick shot of the latest revision on the front suspension (units are millimeters):

http://dump.basketofkittens.com/framvagn.PNG

The hard points on the uprights as well as the brake rotors are tailored to allow 16" wheels to fit, both front and rear. That opens up a lot of wheel options, and should allow us to tuck a 26x11.5-16 drag slick for when we hit the track.

Man that looks amazing!! All of it! Youre definitely right tooling marks are bad a$$!! So what are you guys studying? And did you draw the suspension in solid works or autocad or another program? :thumbsup:

Thanks!

I'm working toward an Electrical Engineering degree, and my brother is studying Mechanical Engineering.

I use Solidworks almost exclusively. It's what I suck the least at. :lol:

That's too bad about the 5/6 cluster, nice find though. A Z06 with low miles, should hold up pretty well in there. Have you done any estimates on finished weight of the car yet?

Considering I got the trans for $170, a damaged 5-6 cluster is a small price to pay.

Based on other 240s of similar configuration, it should be about 2600lbs wet.

Nice deal on that trans!! With that light of a car the trans should hold up really well I would think.

Now see if you can find me a TKO600 for that price!:lol:

Nice work on the car. This build is one I am very interested in watching. You and your brother do some really cool stuff here.

Making some headway with the pedalbox. Clutch pedal is mostly done (7075-T6).

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S5...0/DSC00323.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S5...0/DSC00330.JPG

I've finished two out of three setups on the brake pedal. The gas pedal and mounting base are done in CAM and ready to go in the machine.