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DET17's "Project cheap thrills" - '92 944T

I'll say that the B&G Progressives with KONI sports are an improvement over my original IPD blue sport springs & the Bilstein HD's. However, this current setup is not as "comfy" as the OEM parts were. I have my front KONIs set at the lightest setting of rebound, and the rears set on the 2nd setting. After driving it several months, I am planning to pull the rear dampers and reset them to the 1st setting for rebound. As much as I like the handling of this setup, the ride is stiffer than I like (for an old guy).

With my 25mm front IPD bar, I'm also tempted to pull the rear wagon bar and run "naked" out back as the 2 series guys do. However I'm not sure the results will be the same for the 7/9 rear suspension with it's asymmetrical subframe and torque rod design.
 
That's very good to know! Having done a (pretty trivial) amount of math and reading on our cars' suspension and stock wheel rates/ride frequencies, I was planning on a setup of B&G springs with the Bilstein HDs and 25mm front sway bar along with new rubber bushings. I do like the adjustability of the Konis, though.
 
Great work as always! Dude, when are we getting some videos of this thing in action!???

I'll say that the B&G Progressives with KONI sports are an improvement over my original IPD blue sport springs & the Bilstein HD's. However, this current setup is not as "comfy" as the OEM parts were. I have my front KONIs set at the lightest setting of rebound, and the rears set on the 2nd setting. After driving it several months, I am planning to pull the rear dampers and reset them to the 1st setting for rebound. As much as I like the handling of this setup, the ride is stiffer than I like (for an old guy).

With my 25mm front IPD bar, I'm also tempted to pull the rear wagon bar and run "naked" out back as the 2 series guys do. However I'm not sure the results will be the same for the 7/9 rear suspension with it's asymmetrical subframe and torque rod design.

For a spirited DD, I think fresh, OEM, German-made, gas-charged suspenders and some mild, off the shelf "sport springs" is the way to go. That's what I initially had on my wagon when it was briefly a DD and I thought it was perfect for that role. I do like Konis better than Billys though. Billy HDs for 7/9s are overly harsh, but Koni Sports are ok for a fair weather project car.
 
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Do I sniff an extra set of valves a-comin?

Nope, not in this sedan. It is quickly approaching the FINISH LINE.......

There is however another project, slumbering in my shop, that will have a minimum of 5 cylinders and 20 valves. That is, if I'm able to build it before I die. ;-)
 
Oy Vey PhotoBugger, again with the giant pics?



Well the car just got a bath, the weather is LOVELY here in NWGA, and I'll just show off my repaint, new bumpers, fogs. Here's a few more from various angles. I swear that PhotoBugger has changed again, as it would let me alter picture size via display settings.... and now that page is missing. I KNOW, but I don't have the time to move all these damn pics.






More to come. Despite my earlier threats of completion, I'm breaking my word (don't tell the wife) and doing MORE to this sedan. And better yet, I'm going to try and find a way to get this thing down the 1000 ft. track to see if it's as fast as my butt dyno says it is (for a 2.3L 8V).... The 19t is currently set to 16psi, and it's a hoot.
 
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Well the top secret "perform this work when the wife is gone on vacation with the girls" will include these goodies:



You see, driving the car the last 6 months has convinced me that I'm under sprung. Drilling DEEP into the TB archives, I find the majority of the more intelligent users of KONI Sports have matched them up with spring rates of 250~300#/in front..... and 175~200#/in rears. I'm pretty sure the B&G Progressives are less than 175#/in (butt dyno, no actual measurements BUT comparing with the MikeP spring thread).

My old 745T with factory wagon springs and Bils HD was damn near PERFECT when traversing rough pavement... once & done. I want that same performance from this sedan if possible. I consulted with Michael Yount and Ben Kaplan, and the survey says that even a near 60 year old enthusiast would be pleased with 250#/in front, and 175#/in rears. I bought the XT barrel springs for the fronts, standard 5" Eibachs for the rears. No shortie struts for me.....as BNE states that If I'm happy with the 40mm lowering of the B&G's, there is no reason to shorten the struts. Last, I'm waiting on 2ManyTurbos to send me a pair of ABS struts that I can cut up and weld Ben's stop rings to.

Hope those struts get here before the summertime Girlfriend gettaway beach trip!
 
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Excellent. I love it! White paint look so fresh and that front end looks great with the ecodes. So good to see it out in the sun.
 
Excellent. I love it! White paint look so fresh and that front end looks great with the ecodes. So good to see it out in the sun.

Thanks man, it does look pretty good for a Grandpa (me, literally).

I like the NON fog look, the E-codes better (got 2 sets from the Netherlands, combo'd into a single set from the pieces). The other detail only 9 series guys might get - the grille is the 95 only "black waterfall". One turned up on eBay which a local guy found a Pullapart South.... I happily paid him. After running the chrome waterfall for years, I really like the black version with the chrome surround.

When Roy sells me the struts I'll add some pics of the weld ring stops..... nothing sexy. As you know, I already have Ben's economy camber plates and the QSRC's down below. He warned me that the full height rear springs might be too tall.... so I have to fit check carefully and return to swap out for the next step shorter.

For the record:

Fronts Eibach 2.5" ID XT barrel springs 250# x 12"
Rears Eibach 5.0" springs 175# x 13" (which might be swapped out for 11")
 
Hi, just wondering if you still have trunk strut 3529925 on your 940 & if so would you be so kind to take some photos of the writings on it, hopefully it’s got the lift force & Stabilus part number equivalent printed on it. According to Stabilus the lift force is 350Nm as opposed to 310Nm for the non-spoiler version, but I’d like to confirm from a genuine Volvo 3529925 if I can. Thanks in advance!!
 
Hi, just wondering if you still have trunk strut 3529925 on your 940 & if so would you be so kind to take some photos of the writings on it, hopefully it?s got the lift force & Stabilus part number equivalent printed on it. According to Stabilus the lift force is 350Nm as opposed to 310Nm for the non-spoiler version, but I?d like to confirm from a genuine Volvo 3529925 if I can. Thanks in advance!!

I ordered the OEM PN for the struts required when one runs the rear spoiler. As that was a L O N G time ago, I'm not certain I have a record of what actually arrived. Seems to me they were an eBay score, but I can't be sure. Shoot me a PM and I'll take some pics to see what PNs are on those struts. I do know that what I have handles the boot lid + factory spoiler without issue.... it's properly damped and easily raises the lid.
 
I love the Propuseseses, one of my favorite Volvo wheels. I think the spoke/face design is pretty much perfect. I don't think it's possible, but I'd love to rebarrel a set to RWD offests with some baller lips.
I've been thinking the same thing. Sorry to hijack thread, but if I ever end up doing that I will post back here with the results - I think it'd look sweet on my 240 that the'll be on with spacers soon. Cheers.
 
well it's been such a long time......

I thought I'd bump this thread. The car runs well, probably better than it ever has since I brought it back from the grave in 2011. Here is how she looks presently with new HELLA fogs up front:



With a near 18 hour day job as the Manager of Maint. & Engineering, I have had scant little time to even think about further improvements to the 9 sedan. I've got my BNE parts in the workshop, and my strut cores arrived from Roy, but I have not had any chance to execute them. I have a large block of offtime scheduled between Xmas and NY's, with intentions of going to see my grandchildren (Yes, I am a LEGIT G'Pa).

Most importantly.... I am giving serious consideration to selling this car. It has been a long road from way back in 2010/11 when I dragged the shell to my workshop. I've learned a tremendous amount in building and modifying this car..... and as some of you know, I've got a 242 languishing in my workshop with a 5 cylinder swap waiting. I also have a 1970 Chevelle Malibu Pro Touring car which I've owned since 1984. The wife has been working me over that I'm too damn old to have "a project workcar"..... and I am thinking she is right! This sedan is now IMO too nice to drive to work daily, after the paint work that has been completed. Over the remainder of this month I'll debate and make the decision.

If I do decide to sell it, then it will certainly be posted here..... SwedeSpeed (I think that is the IPD sponsored site), and perhaps even eBay. It will be a sad day for me to see it driven/trailered away...... but the time may be at hand. Next update, likely at yearend as the final work & decision are rendered.
 
It'd be a shame (for me) to see this project come to an end, but also thinking about driving a car with freshly redone bodywork every day... I get it.

I've certainly learned a lot from this car, even having never seen it in person.
 
2020 KAIZEN work, YTD....

Realizing that I had done several "continuous improvement" upgrades this year that weren't documented, I thought I'd remedy that and get those changes on the record.

I've driven the car to work for probably 6 months of this year, sharing DD duty with my trusty Ford van. One of the issues which has troubled the car each summer was keeping the AC compressor belt tight. I have always used the original 92 version of the accessory mount, the one that uses rubber bushes to isolate the AC compressor. Sadly, it never seems to keep the belt nicely adjusted as these mounts "creep" with the belt load (and probably the reaction loads from the compressor cycling). I've tried the FCP Scamtech replacements, the IPD blue poly bushes, but nothing seemed to avoid this creep and it always ends up with the AC compressor belt loose and jumping/slipping.

In a related story, My son's GF bought a 92 940 NA sedan. Among other stage zero work we did to get that sedan reliable, we installed a Denso 100A alternator and a 94 accessory mount which does NOT use the rubber bushes to isolate the compressor. I had been wrongly told years ago that the early compressor won't align properly with this later mount (93-98 I understand), but my son fitted it together and proved it worked well. That was enough proof for me..... so he bought a replacement 94 mount for the one he used from my stash, and I set about to installing it. Here is the 94 ALT and AC mount, just as it arrived from 2ManyTurbos:



Note that the bottom mount is solid metal, with no elastomeric bushes to creep and move. I found all of the adjustment brackets which mount to the casting (not all shown in the above pic), and then installed. It was tricky with my non OE coolside charge pipe from do88, and required a custom belt length for the AC compressor (I think it was 1012 long) but it assembled and aligned perfectly for the AC. The only hitch was my large 100A BOSCH alternator was pushed out further and collided with the intake pipe. Since I had another 100A Denso on the hoard shelf, I installed it and the fitment issues were gone. Here is how the assembly looks with all belts taunt and centered (I confirmed off the harmonic balancer face with a framing square, and both the AC and ALT V-belt pulleys were aligned.




Both drive accessories work well, and the AC belt adjustment is rock solid. I strongly recommend all 7/9 series folks to toss their original bushed mounts and upgrade to this latest version which works very well.

This past summer, I was pulling out of work and realized I had hit this milestone on my 94 speedo cluster, which matches the age of my 94 squirter engine and AW71. This drivetrain is barely broken in!



So the final improvement was engine management. I'd noticed that at part throttle/boost, I was typically seeing near stoich..... no enrichment. There was a thread in Performance at that same time, and several TBers were discussing the same issue. My TLAO chips were bought second hand, and I'd guess they were for a stock AMM and perhaps injectors. My engine had moved past that, but the chips didn't. As a result of that thread, I reached out to the man himself (Mike), and soon I had a custom chip ready for installation into my 984 ECU. Would this chip solve my fueling concerns?




Success! The new chip which was custom matched to my injectors, 3" AMM, works great. I get some enrichment at low boost, and still sitting at ~12.0 at 16psi. It is great to have this concern behind me, and know the squirter engine has protection against lean damage in partial fueling conditions.
 
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