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Hackster's Lifted T56 swapped 940

hackster

Active member
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Location
Portland Or.
I have been admiring a few buddies lifted volvos since way back, Crandandal's 240 Wagon, then Pats, then Jerd's. Then a while back Pat invited me to the Lifted Volvos facebook group.

Coming to an end on the winter upgrades for the LSA 242 has had me thinking about whats next on the list, I want something that can be a daily driver but still fun. I didnt want another 240 but still like rear wheel drive volvos.

Not really looking last saturday this add popped up on a volvo for sale Facebook page. I was sure that it was a misprint.

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A few DM's back and forth with the kid that owned it and sure as **** its a t56 swap. I didnt even make an offer on the car, sent him $500.00 and told him to consider it sold. This was late on a Saturday night so move stuff around, get the trailer loaded up and head north. I live in Portland and it was In Monroe Washington, about 250 miles one way. Left my place at 4:30 am on Sunday.

Fueling up on my way. This thing isnt the best around town but for a tow rig with street manners its been awesome. 2018 MANUAL trans 3500 Crew Cab shortbed. One of the last manual transmission diesels to roll off of the FCA production line late in 2018. I have racked up 20,000 towing miles in the last 12 months and will probably do that again in 2020.

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He was out in the sticks up in the hills. The clutch is totally hammered, car barely moves but its nicer in person than it is in the ****ty pics.

From the Ad.

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****box loaded up and headed for home.

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So here is where the story gets interesting. Turns out this kid's mom bought two cars, this car and a bad ass 740 rally car from a friend of mine in Seattle this summer. Shawn in seattle built this for his daily, the trans gearing and rearend gearing along with living in downtown Seattle with lots of hills killed the clutch years ago, car was parked in 2011 with a slipping ZOOM Clutch. Kid drove it a bunch, needed money and posted the car up for sale.

Luckily Shawn kept a totally detailed binder like I do of the car and build so I have every receipt for the car including from Standard Transmission the purchase of a brand new Tremec T56 (More than I paid for the entire car mind you)

Thousands of $$$ in IPD receipts and a well documented car all in all. Shawn drove it with the t56 in it for a few years and then got a TDi and parked it. Car has 134,000 miles on it and is in pretty damn good shape. Interior needs a bunch of clean up, door panels are hammered but its all there and should clean up pretty well.

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It did have some nice wheels on it but they went somewhere else, I am guessing sold.

So its got some ****ty rollers on it......clearly mechanic installed too =) You will notice the taper on the lugs pointing out.....other side of the car is correct. Luckily I know the original builder and he is OCD like I am so not much to worry about there.

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Car is home, waiting for a clutch now but will be a few weeks so I am going to start on some other bits.

Going to get it unloaded and cleaned up and start on the lift. Will be super mild with a cut and extend of the front struts, XJ rear coils and some extended rear shocks.

Will be running NA 940 wheels on it with 235/75/15 all terrains. Planning on some tube work up front and some big ass HELLA lights and some kind of tube rear tire carrier.

Had a Group A cam in it other than that totally stock all the way down to the airbox. Probably get a 19t, some injectors, cam gear and a full exhaust.

Lets hope that this doesn't snowball into a bigger project.........:omg:

Sean
 
Ahh sweet, I can't believe you got the car that cheap!

The 940 and 740 rally car were being sold as a crazy package deal about a year ago. I wonder if the 740 is still available, or maybe the parts?
 
Ahh sweet, I can't believe you got the car that cheap!

The 940 and 740 rally car were being sold as a crazy package deal about a year ago. I wonder if the 740 is still available, or maybe the parts?

I know what they sold for as a pair. The rally car was bad ass, it was in a very good friend of mines possession for a few years actually.

Everything sold in one lot, this car, all spares, rally car all together. Its somewhere in a garage no idea if it will ever be seen again to be honest.
 
LOL. I?m excited to see another build of yours, glad it?s another red block Volvo!

Its not going to be anything crazy, should be fun though.

I mean. It already has a t56 in it. I think you know what needs to happen

Dude I have a gen IV 4.8 in a pickup I can get for dirt cheap but that is way more work than I want right now. You are a bad influence by the way.

damn I gotta get on fb marketplace some good deals on there.

Dont do it....but I have found far better deals on there than Craiglist in years.

Hope you don't mind me asking...Did you get it for $500 or was the just money down to hold it?

No prob. I paid $2,000 for the car, It was worth it to me knowing the history behind the car. I figure $2,000 transmission- Free Car =)

Managed to get some stuff rolling.

Located some wheels going to get those tomorrow and front springs

Got some spare strut housings to chop up and extend for the front. Deciding on tires now should have those on Monday.

This thing could be lifted and sitting on new tires by New Years day!!!

I have to say this part of car stuff is way too much fun, searching for parts, meeting people, driving all over to get stuff. This is what I love about our hobby. Volvo people are some of the best I have ever met.

Happy Friday.

Sean
 
No prob. I paid $2,000 for the car, It was worth it to me knowing the history behind the car. I figure $2,000 transmission- Free Car =)

Sean

That?s a smokin deal for what?s been done to it already and as you mention. the history you know of it. Congrats man, great find!
 
That?s a smokin deal for what?s been done to it already and as you mention. the history you know of it. Congrats man, great find!

Thats kind of what made the decision happen =)

that sounds like an interesting swap. I wonder where the adapter plate and trans mount were made at?

The previous owner is quite a talented individual I am pretty certain that he built everything himself.

In for the King coilovers and hydro bumps.

Haha....I love your optimism but thinking more cool lifted all purpose daily driver.

So it took me a little bit to figure out what the hell I was doing here then I started rounding up parts.

Picked up a couple sets of strut housings to chop up, Search was on for wheels, springs and some other parts. Luckily Roy chimed in and said he had some some stuff so I made a big round trip Saturday, visited the twins then took the back roads out to Lebanon to get stock 940 front springs, 5- 780 Bertone wheels, 4 much better condition door panels and some other little nick nacks. Thanks for the good chat and parts Roy.

Also sourced some stock XY springs for the rear.

Figured out my game plan for the lift with some pointers from Dickman.

2 sets of struts so only one weld. Chop chop, added on 2.75 of total tube length.

Tearing down all the crap.

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Easy way to get a straight cut. I use this method or wide painters tape. Cutoff wheel was the best method for cutting these nice and straight.

Also notice I ground off all of the galv coating.

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I originally was going to add in some tube, turns out I didnt have the right size.

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I like this method of keeping things straight, its just a couple pieces of angle and clamps.

I also checked for straightness after tacking. I tack the two open sides then move the angle to the opposing sides, clamp and tack, then insert the strut and put the top nut on just to be safe. I had the first one dead on, second one had to cut the tacks and rejig it.

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Still very much learning with the TIG but happy with how this turned out. Very little clean up inside the tube needed.

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Cleaned up, painted 2.75" longer strut housings ready to swap in. I got this done about 2 pm today and no clue why I decided to just tackle the install but I did.

Fairly straightforward install, luckily all the stuff on the 740 came apart really nicely and nothing needed replacement including the hubs and bearings.

Found nice great condition SACHS struts in the front and got things all cleaned up and reassembled.

And for the icing on the cake, I did it on the trailer. It was better than laying on the garage floor =)

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Gotta figure out some sway bar end links since I really dont want to lower the sway bar.

Tires should be here tomorrow. Car still needs a clutch but I couldnt just let it sit there and not make any progress, it will be 3 weeks wait on the clutch so Might as well keep n trucking.

Hope to get all the lift done and start working on bumpers and some additional lighting in on New Years day. I have a bunch of HREW tubing kicking around so might as well build some **** right?

Sean
 
Hah tb style on the trailer! Love it!

Its super ghetto I know. But man was it nice to work on something up in the air!!!

I will never get anything done if I keep finding cool threads to subscribe to. LOL

Hahaha, ain't that the truth???:rofl:

Well, we...mostly Asher, got three of the four tires mounted up last night after work. The fourth one required 9 oz of weight to balance so we need a new one for that fellow.

Bertone 780 Desone wheels, General Grabber 235/75/15 ATx Tires. Thing looks massive, its not on the jackstands that is on its own weight =)

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Lights will be here today, have a bunch of tube so going to start on the rear suspension then move onto a tube front bash bar with some lights on it as well.

I have a centerforce clutch on order, but its weeks out and I am super impatient. LUK is available locally, halfway tempted to throw one in and see how it does so I can get it on the road.

Sean
 
This reminds me of jesses ?trophy ? 940. Did you see his rear suspension set up?


Yep, chatted with him a bunch about it. His car was far more modified than this turd will be. I am thinking more adventure vehicle than dune crusher. His car was the original inspiration for this **** box.

Sean
 
Nah who cares if its ghetto, getting the job done and having fun! Did asher try to rotate the tire on the rim since it needed so much weight? Sometimes that works.
Ive also told the machine the rim is wider than it is to get it to balance out also. That or take the weights and split it, move it away from the marked spot if it calls for a lot of weight. Especially if you balance it and then it calls for more weight in another spot. So ill take that amount and move it to half way between the two.
 
Nah who cares if its ghetto, getting the job done and having fun! Did asher try to rotate the tire on the rim since it needed so much weight? Sometimes that works.
Ive also told the machine the rim is wider than it is to get it to balance out also. That or take the weights and split it, move it away from the marked spot if it calls for a lot of weight. Especially if you balance it and then it calls for more weight in another spot. So ill take that amount and move it to half way between the two.

Mounted up, spun it up, said 9 oz, spun again, said 7.5 and 2.5. Rotated tire on wheel 90 degrees. Spun it again said 9 oz. Removed tire from wheel, inspect tire and wheel, mounted tire on a different wheel, spun up again 9 oz.

I feel that we did just about everything we could to try and make it balance out, you could see a clear vertical and side to side hop in the tire. In my opinion sending it back and getting a better round tire makes a lot more sense after all that ****ery.

Gheto for sure!!

=)
 
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