242 2.3L Ecoboost 6spd Swap **Picture Heavy**

[jstblz]

I really appreciate the help guys. I'll look into soon.

look at the angle on these ball joints and what side they are specific too and compare to yours

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/volvo,1990,240,2.3l+l4,1287031,suspension,ball+joint,10070
'

Power steering ball joints (offset).
LEFT: PN 274118. RIGHT: PN 274119 (RIGHT side pictured below).

Manual steering ball joints use the same part number for either side.
PN 274117.

 

[jstblz]

Happy new year and happy build season!

I drove the 242 for the rest of the fall. Everyone seems to love the hell out of it. It's a blast to drive. I put as many miles on it as I could comfortably and learned lots of things. Between PA winter and whatever the new flavor of covid is, I'll have the time to work on this decent list of improvements and upgrades. This post will start to see some activity again <3. Thanks for showing love!

 

[jstblz]

Hola! We've made some progress!

A shot from last fall <3

OEM end links vs the new end links and new (correct, lol) ball joints

When I got under the car to change that stuff, I found out that the radiator was failing. It was very cheap so that's what I get, I guess.

Not a fish-eye lens

Went with a Griffin Thermal Products (2-56185-H) Scirocco-style rad. Larger tubes, same core width and thickness, without a filler neck like the original Mustang setup. I upped the CFM to deal with the smaller rad with a Mishimoto HD 12" (MMFAN-12HD) puller fan.

I cut out a section of the crossmember to fit the last rad. I don't know that I needed to put support back, but I decided to since I had the angle iron and welder.

Decided to use the old end link cups and poly bushings to mount and cushion the rad.

 

[jstblz]

Switched from a RasPi 4 from a 3B. Printed a cool little case too. It's so much faster to boot and display data.

I also update to the newest version of RaceCapture to power the dash. I'll update with pics of that soon.

I'm a few iterations deep at this point, but I'm using Cobb/TunePlus to get the most out of this setup as it currently sits. He sends tunes and I send logs until we're happy. 1st thoughts, this car is more powerful than I expected and it makes me grin like an idiot.

Biggest changes that needed the tune:
Modified intake/bigger intercooler
3" downpipe and exhaust (logging with the cutout open)
Cooler spark plugs
93 Octane
Upgraded wastegate

Shout out to Matt for catching me on a test drive!

 

[jstblz]

Worked on the catch can and plumbing this weekend. I noticed after the last few logging runs (I assume due to the big rise in PSI) has misted oil on some of parts/piping in the intake system. Previously the "out" port was plumbed to the intake pre-turbo along with the hose from the valve cover that was OEM designed. The hose off the bottom leads to a ball valve and runs near the oil filter so I can drain everything from the same location.

I cleaned the catch can and filter medium, doubled the capacity, and replaced the regular port in the radium baffle plate with a 10AN ORB PCV valve that's supposed fix the leaky PCV from the factory. So now the air comes from the baffle plate to the can then to the manifold.

Tall boy!

 

[jstblz]

*** FYI that original catch can hose was incorrect and started sweating oil and splitting. It was just something I had laying around that was the right size. I've since replace it with 1/2" SAE J30R7 hose.

 

[jstblz]

I upgraded the door speakers and decided to go to 5.25" Kenwood KFC-1396PS. Perfectly fine for the the usage. Printed mounting plates and covers.

Another oversight on my part that almost lead to catastrophe.

The 16awg blue wire was the power for the electric fan. It was the size on the original fan connector. The 10awg wire is the power wire from the distribution box. This wasn't a problem with the old fan. The new fan pulls double the amperage. I melted the connectors and started overheating in downtown traffic. Heat on full blast saved the day.

So yeah make sure your previous wiring is up to snuff when you're upgraded to more powerful equipment.

 

[Harlard]

That nail polish is what my car's paint wants to look like

Also, yes, 10 AWG for fan makes for a happy engine.

 

[propav8r]

I dig this car and the swap. You should definitely come down to MountainMeet, but if not I'll be up for Peterpalooza a few weeks later.

 

[Mark G]

I love this build and all of the thoughtful attention to detail. Your digital dash reminded me of Jonathan Whitfield's development work, if you haven't seen it before

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margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/whitfijs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank">Jonathan Whitfield</a> (@<a href="https://www.instagram.com/whitfijs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank">whitfijs</a>) ? 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[dl242gt]

Those clusters are fantastic.

 

[shellshock]

Heh, looks like it was bought new at Passport Motors here in Tulsa. They're long gone, but I still see a few bricks roll into the shop with their decal still on the back.

Awesome build btw!

 

[jstblz]

Thanks for all of the kind words!

Hey Guys! It's been a hell of a year, but we're back to progress and hoping to enjoy the upcoming spring and summer.

I took the car out for a Track Night in America event at Pittsburgh International Race Course. One of the cooler things I've been a part of. 2 of my
good friends were working the event for the SCCA so I got some VIP parking out of the sun!

https://flic.kr/p/2ojRnPm

I learned this build is racecar adjacent haha. Plenty fast and stable, but original fuel bathtub and 3.73s are not built for such steep elevation changes with long turns and straights. Oh well, it is a street car after all.

 

[jstblz]

Headed out to Radwood in Philly last year and that's where tragedy struck! I'm being dramatic but it was a very sad day. My wife and I drove from Pittsburgh to Philly for the show the night before. We had the only room that had a shitty A/C unit that sounded like a diesel truck starting up every 25-30 min - great start to the weekend. On the morning of the show I wanted to get these amazing barbacoa tacos in South Philly, got on I95 and immediately proceded to hit the worst patch job I've ever seen in PA. They added about 2" to the road surface, but only left a what looked like 6" of transition to the overpass deck. This was across 3 lanes so there was no way to avoid it. So with no warning I slammed my front end at speed once and slowed for the next 2 before the 1st exit. Got off the highway and made it to a gas station. As soon as I was in the stall, I saw smoke, turn the car off and could hear the oil pouring out. 5 min later and she was empty.

Crossmember bent and cracked the oilpan in two places. Had it sent home and caught a flight back. I didn't even go to the show because I honestly couldn't handle seeing a cool car at that point. Airport beers for the tears.

You can see the big bend in the crossmember.

Nice part about Ford parts is that they are cheap ($140) and easy to source.

 

[dbarton]

Time to build a skid plate.

 

[jstblz]

Since the front end was apart, I decided to do some upgrades.

Rockauto offers to fully refurb a ZF racks for about $200 so off it went. Grabbed a S40 power steering unit for $50. I had more $ in fluid and hoses than I would have liked, but I wanted to put it in the trunk. Custom high pressure hose was from DiscountHydraulicHose.com.

Built a little mounting bracket

The yellow wire is a signal wire and the pump has a built in relay that's wired to the battery that's also in the trunk.

https://flic.kr/p/2ojTGXq

It's not as loud as it seems, but you can tell when it's on if the music or car isn't loud. I forgot how nice this car is with power steering.

All new bits. Now bigger and blacker. The bottom of the crossmember was plated and reconfigured to give more space and less flexibility. I also added the the QSRC. (I've since chopped the original ball joint arm)

I also added a clean side catch can too. These EBs seem to be juicy when the boost is turned up.

 

[jstblz]

I met @propav8r at Peterpalooza last year (His car so sick!) and decided I needed an 8.8 LSD rear for big, long, smokey burnouts. So here we go!

$92 at a Upullandpay. The gear oil didn't smell and looked great. Thank goodness I've been hitting the gym because this was work to dead lift on to this wagon and into the car.

There are a ton of great videos on Youtube on how to shorten a Ford 8.8. Clean off the tube, cut down the driver's side to make both sides equal and center the carrier, weld it back together, weld on brackets from Giffins Performance, ???, then profit.

So much room for activities!

Changed the driveshaft flange to fit the 8.8

Test fitting for the top mounts

 

[jstblz]

Boxed in the trailing arms

Aluminum cover with carrier cap supports and drain

A little unnecessary customization

I blocked off the hole for the speed sensor with a plate that is now the axle vent.

Looks at home

And now we're all caught up and current. Whew!

 

[culberro]

I'm not sure if I shared this before, but RetroFord in the UK sells a steel Duratec/Ecoboost rear sump pan. It's very low profile and includes baffles.
It's not cheap, but neither is a new engine or a tow...

Duratec Rwd Wet Sump (D007)

To fit Escort MK 1/2. Fabricated from steel and fully tig welded. Features baffle to prevent oil surge. Complete with dip stick, dip stick tube, oil pick up, sealer and all fitting hardware. For clearance issues a lowered rack mount engine cross member must be used when installing a Duratec into...

www.retroford.co.uk

There was someone on a turbo ranger forum that was making rear sump steel turbo Duratec pans a while back (like 2016). You might be able to find one of those if you ask around. That's what I ended up using on the ecoboost merkur.

 

[poulrais]

Didn't know that the S40 ran an electric PS pump! I was about to by one from a 2000 MR2 Spyder and they aren't cheap! Is the one form the S40 capable to do the variable assist?