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We need more BEIGE, 83 242

Tell me all about that pliers you made there for knurling intercooler pipes? Need that!

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Just a pair of harbor freight crimping cutting pliers with the tips cut off, works pretty well but go slow a few times around
 
This is pretty rambly as it's a combination of several nights work

Fixed the cut spring issue, installed lowering springs, swapped rear shocks with the yellow wagon pictured above and installed bilstiens tourings up front. Turns out the front shocks where blown so it handles much nicer now.

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To solve the lack of front swaybar I tried heating and bending the 32mm foxbody swaybar I got a while ago. Somone about a decade ago said it works so why not. Bending it went well but now the end link eyelets are facing the wrong way.

When in doubt use your girlfriends car to hold it down while you torch it
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Spend one night fixing all the lights, now the front turn signals don't work again, lots of ground cleaning ahead of me.

Going to try to move to a electric Spedo to avoid getting a custom cable made, the cluster I got is missing the 32A pin for 12v from the fuse panel so idk how that's gonna work. Hopefully the new cluster has a working fuel gauge.

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Not a whole lot of work on the car recently, more just driving it.

Went on a spirited drive at berryessa two weekends ago when you still could. Loved the powerband but could use a few more PSI (8 right now) and a front swaybar. Might have to install an LSD down the line as the power transfer was a little off on corners.
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Then snagged some rims to replace the 14 inch enkies, full set of Geminis with caps and the original cap tool. Have some paint scuffs and one curbed spot but got a good deal on some rare stuff so I'm very happy.
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After the rims I went to Lake 2o in tahoe, saw 4-5 Volvos and enjoyed talking to their owners. Car did great yet again, although I had some stumbling when boost first came on a few times I'm going to blame on the stock fuel pump. Still gotta install the DW pump one of these days


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Between Friday and Saturday we went camping, I was relegated to the back of the 242, would have been a little more comfy sleeping in the wagon but not all that bad

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Nice to see the car is getting some proper use! Who's E36 M3 convertible? Very nice.
How did you end up getting your tach going btw, did you use the M4.4 tach output?
 
My brother picked it up a few days before that post, super clean and for a steal of a deal.
Yep just m4.4 tach output from b21
 
Nicely done. I picked one up about a decade ago and they're a blast!
So you just hooked up b21 to the stock tach and it worked? That seems too simple. Did you manage to get the car to boost past WG setting?
 
Seems too simple but it works. Haven't been past ~8psi since I've got the stock NA 240 fuel pump still, need to install the DW300 I picked up. I've messed a little with the TCV but I don't know off hand if it's working, might remove it and see what wastegate pressure is alone and it the valve is working.
 
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Does seem too simple! Good call on the DW300, thats what I went with too. Had a walbro in the old 940 and the DW is a bit quieter despite pumping more fuel. I guess we'll know more if I also don't have more than base boost when I get to it, maybe the speed signal is needed!
 
I was emailing Aaron at vast tuning and he said there was not a speed limitation on TCV duty cycle, but I was also reading about gear limitations (so you don't have tons of wheel spin and boost in first gear) but you can remove that in tunerpro. I have from my .bin but I have no idea if it worked
 
Wastegate pressure is indeed 8psi on my 15g
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Went threw my wiring and it's good according to a 96 850 motornic 4.3 diagram and 98 v70 motronic 4.4. last time I was using the digital dash function in tunerpro I was seeing TCV duty cycle numbers, I'll have to find my cable again and take another run and see what it's at.

My assumption is that if I'm getting a duty cycle output in turbopro then the ECU isn't limiting boost by speed or gear, sound like a solid assumption?
 
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I ran my 15g at 22 psi on LH2.4 with no problems (and certainly didn't use a TCV, used the old school Dawes device style boost controller), I don't understand the last sentence. Crank the wastegate rod a bit and use a simpler boost controller, unless you are concerned about the transmission.
 
Sorry the last sentence was worded strangely. I'm saying if the ECU is outputting a duty cycle signal to the TCV then I'm not having any issues with a speed or gear boost limitation because of missing signals to the ECU.

I've got a spare MBC I may install but would like to get the TCV setup working. High boost at low RPM seems to be a killer of these motors and when upgrading to a larger turbo I don't want to have to pick between setting the boost low enough to not bend rods at lower RPM or being light on the throttle until it revs up a bit.

Once I get the fuel pump in I'll probably throw on the MBC while I try to figure out the solenoid, but it seems like most over at volvospeed tune with the TCV to avoid damage and have more control of boost in specific situations.
 
Haven't really done much besides drive this sucker since September, only issue I've had is the clutch bracket I brazed on broke, got some argon and welded it back on, no issues sense.

Been collecting parts for a while, useful stuff pictured. Want to get the suspension dialed in
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Lips of the wheels had a lot of clear coat issues, but slapping them on the rear and a few sanding sponges later and they are much better, will polish later.

Got the rears installed, fronts and the rest of this stuff should go in tomorrow
 
Got everything but the torque rods installed last night, feels like a different car.

Started with fixing the motor mount, I REALLY underestimated what was needed.
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Original one bent a while back, Ide been ignoring it because I thought it would be a PITA to remove but actually came out easy with a screw jack on the mounting point for the original passenger side lower motor mount. Straightened it out, added a second plate to the bottom and some angled stuff up top. Didn't get a picture of the final product after a few more welds and paint but its about like this
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Oil pan no longer touches the steering rack, really cuts down on vibration, I was blaming a lot of it on T5 trans with single piece driveshaft that's too short, but it's almost "smooth" now under any amount of load. I'll still be using a longer coleman shaft once I decide on a driveshaft yoke.

Clearance now:
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Didn't get many pictures of the rest of the work, just one of the proper way to remove bushings (not burning them out like I've seen people try)

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In went STS derlin front control arm bushings, BNE quick steer roll center correction spacers (soon to be lower making this more helpful) BNE adjustable endlinks, ClassicSwede 27mm hollow drop bar and a tie rod kit.

I may have jumped the gun on the roll center correction spacers, with IPD lowering springs I can't get the tie rod ends low enough to seat, but lowering it onto the tires and kicking them inwards was enough.

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New R888R tires are MUCH better then way too large Michelin X-Ice tires for performance, much better gearing with the smaller size, infantry less sidewall flex and about 200x the grip. I now track pebbles in the from the parking lot when driving into the bay

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This car finally handles well and is much closer to the way I want it to be, next up is likely going to be BNE coilover DIY kit with Koni 8610-1436/1437 race inserts up front and whatever shortened rear options there are now days once I figure out measurements. Car sits rather high in the rear but id like to lower both some more with the 205/50r16 tires.
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Been a little less then pleased with the ride height after the wheels, especially the rear
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In went a set of BNE adjustable spring perches along with 250lb springs (I wanna say 11") and it leveled it out much better, but that was maxed out as high as possible. Even at this height the tires hit the inner fenders, a LOT in reverse. After some trimming and panhard rod adjustment they decided to get along.
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Later this last week I got around to building the fronts, the rest of the BNE DIY kit, sleeves, adjusters, weld rings, spring perches, 10" 400lb springs and the aforementioned shortened koni struts. I opted to cut the full difference (about 3") off the housings, but left the small original Volvo spacer in the bottom of the tubes.
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The goal here was to be able to set preload and still be at a ride height I liked, after installing them they are a lot lower then I expected, unloaded they sit higher (lower car higher wheels when lifted) then IPD lowering springs under full compression, but after adjusting the rear (and cutting out the upper portion of the inner fender) I've accepted this ride height.
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It's obviously much firmer, very little give and sticks to the ground like no Volvo I've had before. Driving with people in the rear and passenger the driveshaft rubs so I'll have to finish up the smaller Coleman shaft I have. Up after that may be a new drivers seat, seeing as I now have more body roll then the car. Hoping to reupholster either Recaro LX/LS or a set of E30 sport seats in the same two tone brown and brown/tan houndstooth pattern as the current seats as I love the interior color scheme.
 
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It's obviously much firmer, very little give and sticks to the ground like no Volvo I've had before. Driving with people in the rear and passenger the driveshaft rubs so I'll have to finish up the smaller Coleman shaft I have. Up after that may be a new drivers seat, seeing as I now have more body roll then the car. Hoping to reupholster either Recaro LX/LS or a set of E30 sport seats in the same two tone brown and brown/tan houndstooth pattern as the current seats as I love the interior color scheme.

That thing is sitting perfectly.

I'm pretty much convinced at this point to stick with 2-piece driveshafts on any lowered 240 no matter which trans. The 1-piece shafts always seem to rub at the rear of the tunnel where the rear seatbelts bolt in.

Putting Recaro LS seats in my car was the single biggest change in driving feel, even more than suspension I'd say - since most of the time driving around on the street you're not at the limit of handling, but you're always sitting in the seat... :rofl:
 
Since most of the time driving around on the street you're not at the limit of handling, but you're always sitting in the seat... :rofl:

Haha never thought of it that way, but probably the best explanation I've heard for driving feel mods.

Got a little sidetracked from seats, decided the car was too loud, in a bad way. 32 cars into my life and maybe half have had working radios, none very good. Since this should be a daily driver I added some speakers and an amp

I snagged a bluetooth amp because ide like to be able to use my phone, no headphone jack because that's the way ****s going now days, but also want to get a "stock" head unit later.
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Someone in this cars past already had 6x9 speakers on the rear shelf, holes already chopped. I had to enlarge them but not much, metal trimming only burned one hole in the trunk carpet.

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More parts laying around just adding these then most of the suspension work, but the roof rack makes s nice shelf.

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Needless to say I'm very happy to be able to listen to music, haven't really in years since I've never spent a dime on audio equipment. Just two rear speakers for now, hoping to find stock volvo covers that fit over them. Then a set of 4" fronts that I can get the color matched brown grilles to fit over.
 
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