• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

smoothys 242 Turbo Build

Strut bearings and Alignment

After installing Bens upper strut bearings and QSRC pieces I was in bad need of an alignment.

I decided to go with the star setting on the strut bearings. The triangle setting may be an option at a later date but I have about a 0.7 degree difference on maximum camber between each strut tower. Perhaps my car was bumped a few years back?

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


I used my camber adjustment tool to help me dial it in. With the star setting on the camber plates the best I could do is -0.7?

picture.php



After that the toe was set about 0.25? (3/32") total toe in, again using my toe plates

picture.php


picture.php


I've heard that some people have problems with enough tie rod adjustment once using the
QSRC pieces but I was ok.

I also had a huge amount of rake going on between the the front and rear of the car.

Measuring from the ground to edge of the rocker behind the front tire and the ground to the rocker just forward of the rear tire I had about 1.5" of rake! I adjusted the rear lower by about an inch but I was curious what rake (if any) others are running.
 
Have you experienced any improvement with trans vibrations since revising preloads and such?

Unfortunately there was no difference.

Bens hybrid torque rods made the biggest noticeable difference but the howling is still there just a little narrower in the RPM band and not as loud.

I'll be honest, with the windows down and my system up I hardly notice it anymore ;)
 
Lockdown 2.0

Drive Shaft Update

Taken from my post to the following thread I have added the BFSY to my driveshaft.

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=352028

Here are some picks of the BFSY installed.


50716697202_72f5bd7da5.jpg


50716618291_a9176a68eb.jpg


50716694522_e8518fd671.jpg


These are the parts I needed to make it work
BFSY -> F6ZZ4841BA
Neapco U joint ->1-0134



Sound insulation.
We are in full lockdown which usually causes me to revert to the garage and play.

I recently purchased a 2019 Golf R and I was blown away how smooth and refined modern cars are. Now I know my 37 YO Volvo will never ride as quiet as this car but I figured I would add some sound deadening to the interior and hope the car wouldn't sound so much like a tin can.

The original Volvo sound deadening was removed when I have to cut out the floor (See post two http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpost.php?p=4844462&postcount=2 ) and I never put anything on top of this except the foam that came with the car.

Having pockets of time this week I was able to get the vast majority of the floor completed.

50738786698_f9b62f86bd.jpg


50738786178_ca52fd5711.jpg


I still have some additional areas I need to cover (Doors and rear quarters) and I am debating whether or not to remove the center dash control panel to gain access to the trans tunnel.

The product I used was Noico 80 mil car Sound deadening mat. 36 sqft was enough to complete what I needed below. I have ordered an additional 10 sqft to finish up some odds and ends.

Curious to hear what people have done to cover the doors and rear quarters. My buddy Dan aka B2fkb0 suggested some neoprene sheets for the doors.

Here is a link to his build thread as to what Dan did.
http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=318066&page=10

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
You covered the whole thing with foil backed butyl?? That stuff is only intended to keep panels from reaonating and should only cover 30-40% of sheetmetal. You want mass loaded vinyl foam (ie Noico Red 140 mil) as an actual noise barrier that covers the whole area.
 
You covered the whole thing with foil backed butyl?? That stuff is only intended to keep panels from reaonating and should only cover 30-40% of sheetmetal. You want mass loaded vinyl foam (ie Noico Red 140 mil) as an actual noise barrier that covers the whole area.

Whoops?
 
Window Frame Repair

My drivers side window from is cracked and the door doesn't seal properly resulting in wind noise right by my ear. I repaired this 6 years ago in three places but the most rearward position had cracked again.

50744379751_170dd4d707.jpg



After grinding down the area the crack is a little less visible. Followed by the weld repair. And painting

50748589547_79219dc9c0.jpg

50748589097_86fab4b9d7.jpg

50747751078_5115f4f292.jpg


This is how much the top of the door stuck out before the repair and the after

50744486262_1a4aacbd4d.jpg

50750893752_507f070773.jpg



Hopefully I'll get another 6 years out of this repair.
 
Last edited:
I did something similar. Just ground it as far back as I dared and went to town with weld. Next time it breaks (it will), I'm going to stick a strip of plate on top to give it a little more rigidity.
 
Does this have to do with door slamming or does it just happen?

Basically I think it comes down to the fact that these door are longer, and heavier then 4 door models and slam harder and twist easier when they close. Add to the fact that this door is 37 years old so sheet metal fatigue has definitely taken its coarse.

This door was cracked in three other places when I originally repaired it in 2013. Those other repairs have held up, but as Harlard mentioned this will crack again.

On a side note: I used to work in a body systems test lab and you would be surprised what 25 J of energy will do to sheet metal when slam cycled 200,000 times. I have seen failures substantially worse then this on many modern cars. But few (if any) modern cars will be drivable in 37 years.
 
Last edited:
Interior Refresh Completed

The front carpet on my car was toast. Not only was it 37 years old, smelled bad and was full of cigarette burns but the worst part about it was it was pretty torn around the shifter cut out which is highly visible.

51138035034_e5623f2381_z.jpg


51137475868_8ea8d9fd33_z.jpg


I had a couple of options;

1. Clean and try to repair it. By far the cheapest option but in the end the cigarette burns would still be visible.
2. Replace the whole carpet with a 1 piece aftermarket carpet. I gave this option serious consideration but I imagine installing a new one piece carpet would be challenging and my rear carpet was in great shape.
3. Replace the front section with a new carpet. Probably the most expensive option but the fit would be exact.


I ended up opting for option 3.

VP Autoparts had a NOS carpet in the color that matches my interior.

After several months of waiting it finally showed up and the color, fit and overall appearance was impressive. except for a few small holes which are probably there to hold some floor mat to the carpet.

51137475798_e3bb71e6d2_z.jpg



After about 20 minutes of finessing it the carpet was perfectly laid out.

51137475693_76ccda0791_z.jpg




I am pleased with the overall finish and new car smell was an unexpected bonus. All in all it's pretty amazing how durable these interior panel are. Almost 40 years old and the clean up really well and don't crack easily. My be a cool weather climate thing

51138365460_70f580061a_z.jpg
 
Brembo Medium Brake Upgrade

The E1 wheels look great on a 240 but a rusty caliper behind it is so 1980's. I came across a set of the Brembo calipers needed for Bens medium brake upgrade so I decided to add them to the car.

Below is what I was working with and the rotors where already warped so that annoying peddle / wheel pulsing during hard braking gets old pretty fast.

51793236378_d53275f404_z.jpg



I decided to use the the 316 mm rotor option as I was able to source the rotors and pads for essentially free and the modification required to the brake caliper was next to nothing.

My mock up showed where there would be contact between the caliper and the wheel spindle

51793487379_ae4f12a5b1_z.jpg



Slight trimming with a Dremel is all it took

51792171077_eb645fb1af_z.jpg


For the rim to clear the brake caliper I would need to run some wheel spacers. I ended up using 20 mm spacers but I suspect 15 mm would also work.

To do this I needed to press out the old studs from the wheel hub and I trimmed my extended studs as the lug nuts I use are capped.

51793855740_533423b9a1_z.jpg



Here's a comparison between the stock diameter rotor an my new 316 mm rotor

51793855715_28126a423b_z.jpg


And the end result!

51793487284_63f88a658b_z.jpg



The fit behind the wheel was great

51793855700_e62472638a_z.jpg


After a few hard burnish cycles I found the initial brake bite is better and I was fully confident hard braking into corners once I got use to the slight increase in front brake bias.

Some things I came across were;

Stock dust shields will need to be trimmed to accommodate the larger caliper if you desire to use them. The offset of the 316 mm rotor is not the same as the stock rotor which will allow you use the dust shield without and interference between the rotor and the dust shield.

I replaced my front wheel bearings when I had the hub out because they where 40 years old and replacing them is cheap and easy.

I used the brake line kit Ben sells. Works flawlessly and comes with the brake junction block port plugs you will need.

Patiently waiting for a rear brake solution will be next on your mod list. :oogle:
 
Last edited:
Back
Top