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89 GTUs getts a Ford 2.3 Turbo but with a Volvo DOHC head
I purchased an 89 GTUs for $500 a month ago.
The car was a non runner when I bought it and had been sitting for 12 years. I worked thru prepping the engine and did finally manage to get it to start. It was very difficult to start, idled poorly, blew huge clouds of smoke when started, and seemed under powered.
I've buffed the car and this is what the exterior looks like now.
Don't you love the trailer hitch. I kinda go WHAT?
I checked compression and found only 45 psi on the front rotor and only 30 psi on the rear. So, I decided to pursue an engine swap. I decided to do a "Folvo" engine conversion. This is a 2.3 Ford block mated to a Volvo B234 DOHC 4 valve head and turbocharged.
I've been working on this for several weeks and I'll post some pictures of the build in a bit. Right now the engine is in the car and I'm starting to wire it with a MegaSquirt.
Looks familiar....heh, I will be keeping up with your thread...my Folvo RX7 is currently on hold, but it is all physically in place...currently assembling a new MS3 unit(my old one only had the 2.2bar MAP sensor so I decided to build a new one)
So, Have you ever wondered about moving the shifter back for a T5 install? The Granny kit solution is simply not acceptable. Here's how I moved it back 125 mm. That puts it right where it was. Not shown are the braces for the back of the shifter and the sealing cover over the old shifter area. Don't be fooled by the shifter handle. That is not in the car. The handle is a straight piece about 2/3 the length.
So, here's where I am today. Keep in mind that a lot of this put in place for test fit.
I'm just now starting to work out IC piping. Oh, engine control will be via a Pimp (Microsquirt)
Yeah, the grannys kit solution is terrible. I dont mind the shifter location(though a little further back would be nice) so much as the angle, the up,down motion. I was planning something similar...I was just going to make a remote shifter based on a simpler method...essentially just a ball joint installed in a plate that bolts to the top and a linkage that connects the ball joint to the shifter stub, that way I dont have to modify the trans case itself. You just made an intake from the volvo base and a box right? I had a hell of a time making my BMW M3 ITB setup work...had to modify both the box and the ITBs themselves as well as use a B2300 master cylinder and miata booster to make it all fit.
P.S. I will be using a cosworth rs500 radiator and intercooler I have from an old XR4Ti project. The cossie radiator is nice since its short(easier piping for IC, the IC outlets can either go over or under it depending on my mounting) and the outlets are on the correct side. All in all it will make for very short piping, which is essential for the rather large turbo I chose.
40 Bob made my intake back around 2007. It is not based on the Volvo intake. All custom.
On the trans...I took the tail housing off to get the shifter block out so I could weld the shaft extension on. Then I just drilled a hole in the freeze plug to let the rod come out. I used a spare shifter block from another T5. Note I had to grind a few clearances on the second block.
crazy deal. crazy sweet swap, but i dont think the swap add value stacks with the was a gtus value... if you are are looking at selling for a profit, like i am with all of my projects. if i blow the motor after the build and have to start over the $$ counter starts over tho, i've started over 10 times on the 10th ae of mine.
Current engine pictures of the Folvo in the RX7. I have to say the chassis is huge improvement on the 76 Euro Capri II chassis. I had to trim a brace in the hood directly over the throttle end of the fuel rail.
I'm running an MS2 with it and the EFR 6258 turbo. Unfortunately injectors are only 50 pph. Yesterdays datalog was 94% duty cycle at 6600 rpm and 10.5 psi boost. Even at that she was a bit lean with an AFR of around 12.5. Fuel VE is set to 102 at that point.
I suspect that the stock fuel pump and wiring are not keeping up. Next step is to rewire the fuel pump and datalog again.
04-29-16, 06:36 PM
89 GTUs getts a Ford 2.3 Turbo but with a Volvo DOHC head
