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It fits just fine! When you last saw it, our quest to build a car for the 24 Hours of LeMons race was at the "tear stuff out of the car" phase. Now we're at the point at which we can think about getting our 200,000-mile 302 into the Volvo's engine compartment. The Chevy or Ford V8 in a Volvo 200 series is a fairly common swap, so we figured it wouldn't be too tough... but we all breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing how much room we had to work with. Now it's just a matter of fabricating engine mounts and, oh, about a thousand other things.
How Well Does a Ford 302 Fit a Volvo 240?
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3:00 PM on Wed Feb 13 2008
By Murilee Martin
3,720 views
63 comments
Comments
Who cares about pesky things like engine mounts. What number are you painting on the door?
It's what the Swedes wanted all along.
Much safer this way.
@JCWhitless: Who needs numbers, they need to get sponsored by "Peniston Oil" and "Larsen's Biscuts"!
@JCWhitless: 69 dude
I still say it's going to need "Bøss 302" hockey stripes.
They need to be sponsored by "Balsy, the 5 point Harness Owl" and by "Truck Nuts"
Soo does the 302 you bought fit into the < $500.00 budget? I had sent a link for a 100 dollar 302 on the LA craig's list back on your positive cash flow post. The car we got for LeMons already has a Ford 302 . . . but we'll be at Vegas in June, not Altamont. Perhaps you should see if you can get the Jalop Volvo through two LeMons events.
@Bento: Funny you mentioned Balsy... 5 point harnesses are required this year (as opposed to 4 point last year).
@Disgustepated darn,, now I've got to get other sponsors!! Hmmm, how does "Clarkson's Melons" sound (cause you know,, he's got a huge noggin).
Seriously though, Murilee,, you're gonna be up all night makin parts for that thing!!! (but it's going to be one hell of a lemon!)
Can't wait to hear it!!! (step 1 crank engine,, step 2 post video)
Lemons away!!!
Jesus, that's a rather capacious engine bay.
Looks like it was always meant to be in there. And you have plenty-o-space for turbos, nitrous....
A hybrid drive system......
I sure hope you added the cost of truck nuts to your budget.
@LTDScott: Well then, I will have to donate one to the Boss 302 Volvo. (Boss in Swedish is Chef I believe...so would that make this a "Chef 302"???)
Will the Volvo have Truck Nuts?!
200,000 miles!?
The Volvo 240 engine bay and front suspension was designed for a V8, actually- but I guess they decided it wouldn't be cost-effective, and wouldn't appeal to the average Volvo buyer.. Looks to me like you could go a bit bigger than 302 ci, too.
Personally, when I had my '84 & '78 244 DLs, it was a pet dream of mine to drop in a Hyper-Pak 225 slant6.
@Bento: So I guess it would then be the Swedish Chef 302. Bork Bork!
sorry this was fast and in MS Paint
but I think this fits the project
[www.gluck.net]
@freds4hb: Uh, well... we haven't exactly started the engine yet, so there's a certain air of uncertainty about it. But not to worry- 302-equipped cars are $150 (and plentiful) at the San Francisco towed-cars auction, and complete 302s are even cheaper on Half Price Day at the big wrecking-yard chains.
@slantsick: You could go a lot bigger than a 302 in there, although exhaust clearance might require funkified steering shaft mods.
I always thought 33-1/3 was a pretty groovy number.
can you run open headers in lemons? it will certainly give you some HP if you dont have to use pipes..
@freds4hb: "Jezza's House of Pancakes"
"James May's Antiques Road Show"
"Hammond's Rocket Car Helmets"
@crazygutgut: Stock exhaust manifolds will be fine. Adding power will just nuke the Volvo differential. Anyway, we'll need mufflers at Altamont. Cherry Bombs!
@Murilee Martin: I want big wrecking-yard chains!
USA! USA!
If it was me, I'd probably go with 284 for the number. (Too obvious?) I like the blue w/yellah stripes "flag" idea for the paint, also.. but if it was me, I'd just go down to you're local Economy Emporium and pick up a roll or two of "brick wall" contact-paper.
Boss 302 stripes in yellow on a blue Volvo....even put Chef 302 on it. And it needs an "ABBA" bumper sticker
Looks like there's enough room to fit at least two 302's in there (or maybe just set up some sorta grilling system for before and after the race).
Two words . . . Fuzzy Dice.
Looks like there's room for a Cummins in there. If the price was no impediment, I would expect Murilee to bolt the Audi V10 TDI in there.
Although, in all my oil-burning madness, the Volvo diesel will only leave you in tears.
.
.
Step 1 - Roller paint it yellow
Step 2 - Name: TEAM P*SSY MAGNET
Step 3 - Number: 100, speed of P*ssy Magnet impact with palm tree.
Methinks with a K.I.S.S. technological approach the car should do well so long as any other kissing is avoided.
Other Possible Sponsors:
Tomas Delgado's babysitting service
John Travolta's M5 Flying Service
The Auto Suck
Team Prosthetic Vulva.
Yes to the ABBA sticker. With loudspeakers blasting out "Take a chance on me...". Solid white with fake fur glued to the roof. XOOM!!
D.B. Cooper's E-Z Livin' Double Wide Mobile Home Sales and Auto Emporium - Bakersfield, CA
Wow, that makes ME want to find a Volvo for a Small Block swap.
Unfortunately, my Small Blocks are all Mopars, so no kits are readily available. To hell with that, I'm a Jalop and and fabricate!
Team Irvine Meadows West.
Murilee gets the reference.
@POLAЯ: Step 4: Profit
@danio3834: Yeah, we ain't usin' no kit!
@Mad_Science: Yes... yes I do. But The Man bulldozed IMW. The Man crushes your dreams.
@Murilee Martin: I'd say LeMons has a pretty heavy element of stickin' it to The Man. Not in any specific way, but more in spirit.
Although, I suppose if you do it at Altamont you're stickin it to that crazy couple that lives nearby that wants the place shut down. (Despite the fact that they have a motocross track on their property)
BTW, you ever going to post on that epic junkyard I sent?
I've already come up with the most kick-ass team name, well, excluding Red Meat and Poontang, it's: "Team Here for the Chicks"
@TOMANDERSON
YES
Well, if Murilee would disclose a theme, all of us Jalops could send in tacky but amusing good luck trinkets and trim!
@Novaload: Unlike the mechanical stuff, the theme is going to be a surprise.
call it
BLUEY'S UTE WORLD!
and put a pic of bluey on the side of it...
or shit, STEAL the whole statue and have him riding in the back...
i assume you ARE gonna AMINO the volvo, right?
AND IT IS BLUE...
JUST SO YOU KNOW
"And that fibreglass Big Dog now has half a dozen brothers and sisters, all riding around in the backs of Bluey's Utes creating a stir and living happily ever after."
Murilee, are you going to weld the open rear diff?
By the way, in the interior, in front of the firewall, on the passenger side should be a heavy metal plate. You're going to want to unscrew it. It's big and heavy and absorbed vibration.
@slantsick: The original plan was to have two engine choices, the slant four and a 3.5L aluminum V8 which was developed together with Peugeot and Renault. The oil crisis freaked the French out though, and they decided to hack two cylinders off the motor. End result, PRV V6 and an engine bay big enough for the VW inline diesel six.
Hey Murilee, do you have a rev-counter in that thing? The 240 manuals (at least mine) didn't have tachometers. Are you putting one in and if so, how do you do that? Much as I like shifting based on how my engine sounds, I like keeping the revs down - Econoscope style.