Finally getting started on my folvo head swap.. Sending the head to the machine shop on tuesday to get welded and decked.. I'll grind the oil feed 'bowl' and drill the head once i get it back and start getting everything set up.. Having the machine shop do the welding, so if there are any issues, it's on their part.. I have a stock volvo intake to cut the flange off of, but no exhaust flange, so the machine shop is milling me a 7/16'' exhaust flange and t3 flange for my header. Thinking about building a lower intake with the 2.3 flange, so i can use my gutted upper. I was bored today, so i started making a pair of alt brackets to move my alt low on the passenger side. I might start pulling my harness tomorrow and start running my DIY Autotune harness, so i can start soldering all of my sensor plugs into the harness, so it's 1 less headache once i get the head back in a week or 2. I'm itching to get it done and running, but i'm trying to pace myself as best as i can, so i don't miss anything. I'll be happy just to have the head and MS setups done. Then i'll resume on the bodywork and start piecing my tubular front clip together, before cutting my stock fender aprons/strut towers out.. I'm just happy to finally be making this kind of progress on my rust bucket
Subscribing! :popcorn: :thumbup:
Updates and pictures as you progress would be most welcome!
i started taking a bunch of pics, but they're all of disassembly for a car show photo album.. I'll start posting pics as soon as i get the head back and finish my top alt bracket
Turns out I'll be building my tubular front clip sooner than I expected and I'll be starting my motor on an engine stand.. the rust has gotten a lot worse than I expected and my front clip (from the strut tower, forward) is starting to sag. I'm still going to focus on the motor until it's done, but I'm going to start rebuilding my front end as I'm waiting for the head and whatever parts I need to acquire in order to get it all done and ready to fire up. I have to run to the junkyard tomorrow to pull measurements off a cougar they have in the yard before I can even begin to square things back up. But here are a few epics of where my upper should be located once I build my lower. In the 1 pic that's taken from the passenger side, you can see a little of the rust.
still waiting on my head.. Machine shop said the welding is all done, but they're behind on a lot of stuff after losing 1 of their machinists to injuries from a car accident.. My flanges have been made, but the head still needs to be decked, which is realistically ok with me.. I still haven't gotten the motor out :x
Maybe I missed it, but what are you running for engine management?
MS1.. Sorry.. Not sure if i even mentioned it or not.. I'm going to try getting her going with my stock ecu and harness on a run stand, so i can make sure everything is mechanically sound.. Plus, i'm too anxious to hear it run to wait until my front end is done :x
*someday* I want to do this with my '86. I've been wanting to do it for a while. I'm content with letting other people be the guinea pigs, though.
I'll wait until there is more bolt-on stuff available. I see it happening before too long.