Thinking Volvo 5.0 .......

[TwoToneTerror]

Ok, it's my senior year of high school and me and my buddies had a great sceme to buy a used school bus and take it on a massive road trip. Alas we ran into insurance problems and cost problems (5mpg really would cost a ton ) so it's highly doubtful it's gonna happen. Then I got to thinking that a station wagon would be the way to go for road trips, but i'd want like a grand Torino that would also get 5mpg So, then I rememberd about Michael Yount and his volvo 5.0......

So the morale of the story is that I'm thinkin since my car has a salvage title, i might pirate it for the engine, trans, and what ever else you need to swap to a volvo and get an old volvo wagon and make that my road trip machine. What i want to know is a) how overly optimistic am i being? b) how much is it gonna cost? c) are there other options you guys have? d) do you know of any good links to volvo 5.0 swaps?

Thanks a lot, I look forward to the replies...
-Bart



the alterior motive of the plan is also to give me a new project, since i don't have the money to make my car a real project 'go fast' car i'm content with re building it multiple times in differnt configurations.

 

[samuraichamploo]

The converse kit is pretty pricey, Some would say you get what you pay for, But your really paying for the phone calls of support he will give you, not the 200$ in parts. If you can do it yourself, I wouldnt imagine it costing you too much, but if your paying someone else to do it, you better have a fat-cat checkbook to cover the expenses.

 

[Scorcher2005]

why dont you all just chip in for an older mini-van?

 

[Michael Yount]

www.converseengineering.com

www.brickboard.com -- select the v8 conversion forum

Like any conversion - it will probably take longer and cost more than you estimate. Make your best guess on cost and time; multiply the cost times 2 and the time times 3. And if you intentionally mislead or lie to the insurance company -- in the event of a disallowed claim, you'll be out your premiums and your coverage.

PM me if you want more info on my experience with the swap.

 

[TwoToneTerror]

Thanks guys! The multiplying cost and time is probably a good idea, i have a big habbit of being overly optamistic.....

The van is a good idea, we might still do it, but that's too straight forward i want another project (i think) How do you make a mini van cool?

Michael, do you have any rough figures for how much it cost you to convert your Volvo? Or a better way of asking, i've got like 1k to play with, would that be able to cover it or is there no way at all i could pull it off?

Thanks for the replies,
-Bart

 

[TwoToneTerror]

Ok, scratch that plan... lookin at the brickyard and they're sayin $2k+....
Me the lowly student cannot afford such riches...
Maybe Mini Van?

-Bart

 

[urban96]

VW BUS!

 

[Michael Yount]

Here's the deal Bart - speed, quality, cheap - you can have any 2 of the 3. If you want to do it cheaply and with quality, you can't do it quickly. If you want to do it fast and with quality, it's gonna cost you. And if you want to do it quick and cheap, the quality's gonna suck.

I have at least 15 to 20 times in mine what you have to spend - but mine's been pretty much all gone through - paint, interior, suspension, brakes, rear end, wheels, tires, top end motor rebuild, detailing, and too many miscellaneous things to mention.

If you had both cars in good working order, I think you could do the swap for a grand - but you better be a good fabricator and have plenty of time to shop for bargains. I wouldn't have the patience to do it that way. I'd rather spend the money. But if that's not an option....

And - I didn't do the original conversion. The original owner of the car - Frank Plumbley - did the conversion in 96 using a Converse kit. I know he paid $2300 for the engine/tranny/harness/computer/relays/switches, etc. Had to have radiator, electric fans, driveshaft, and exhaust work done. The kit's probably in the $700-800 range -- but you could wire it/plumb it up yourself. I've got a friend that just did the wiring/plumbing on a 96 Mountaineer 5.0L/AODE into a 92 Volvo 940 - MUCH more complex wiring job than mine. He spent six months on it working a couple nights a week and 6-8 hours per weekend. Had to have one header cut/re-fabbed, lots of stuff. And he wasn't funding restricted.

If you really only have a grand to spend, I expect you'd end up as a good percentage of conversion projects do - stuck in the middle somewhere along the way.

 

[FoxForever]

How about an older 4 runner? I see them everywhere, cheap. those engines are dependable, parts are cheap, and insanely easy to work on. can pack in some friends, coolers, really fun trucks. get a pre-90 and the top is removable. I had 2 different yota trucks while I had my stang, both had 200k on em when I sold them and I would drive either across the country in a heartbeat.

 

[cmozez]

I had a 91 LX 5.0 taht I sold to a dude and he flipped it. My buddy and his brither bought the car and put the whole drive train in a volvo station wagon. I asked him about it and he just smiled and ssaid"a blow torch, a welder, some iron and a little time was all it took". The car rocked when they finished with it. I t was cool enough that some guy flew from California and bought it and drove it home. These were just some good ole Mississippi boys with good welding and fab skills.

 

[Scorcher2005]

how do you make a minivan cool?

well, my friend used to have one before he got his 65 Nova. (well, he still has it, but doesnt drive it) It was awesome. He had the middle bench seat taken out and left in the rear seat. Normally people always call shotgun but the place to be in this van was that rear seat and when that filled up we started sitting on the floor. Man, we prolly had like 10ppl in that van before, 8 in the back, 2 up front. We would always just go cruising around town and yell stuff out the windows and all. It was awesome, you should get one!!!!

 

[TwoToneTerror]

Yeah Michael, i want all 3.....
It's the 'dark side' of optamism, i figure i can do anything and it'll work I might just save that plan for a later date then, or at least look a whole lot more into it before i decide. Thanks a ton for the input though, it really helps!
Now back to square 1, and assess my options. The van could be cool, i'm pickin up ideas from what u guys are saying.

Thanks so much!
-Bart

 

[TwoToneTerror]

I'm thinkin a VW bus would leave me dead in the middle of the desert....
I'd be more thinking full size econoline

 

[TheUser]

I know you're not looking for a drag van, but there was a guy who had an 8 sec (1000 ft) chevy astro van, so vans can be cool Ha ha, I want to set up a short bus for drag one day...big fatties out back, and probably turbo or something ha ha.

If you only have $1000, I don't think you'll find much that would be reliable to drive on a long trip. Optimism is why I've spent $9000 and have a $3000 car...I've got so much in it, I can't force myself to sell it cheap...

 

[Michael Yount]

Oh - if you can fabricate the correct motor mount plates and tranny plate (mild steel 1/4") - everything on the 240 Volvo swap bolts in - no welding, torching or hammering. There's no need to 'butcher' one if you know what you're doing.

 

[TwoToneTerror]

Oh - if you can fabricate the correct motor mount plates and tranny plate (mild steel 1/4") - everything on the 240 Volvo swap bolts in - no welding, torching or hammering. There's no need to 'butcher' one if you know what you're doing.

So with some minor fab work it all bolts together, then where does the 2k conversion cost come in, is that including buying the motor, trans, and volvo?
I was thinking getting a dirt cheap volvo (i've seen some for $500) and then borrowing parts out of my car (engine/trans). I've got a metal shop at school that i could use for fab work so if that's where all the cost comes in i might still be able to do it. But then again i might be dropping out some quality.....
If i did something like that, since my car does have a salvage title, would I be better off just pirateing that or selling it and then using that money to buy a cheap volvo and then seperately buying the motor and trans and other parts?

Thanks!
-Bart

 

[Michael Yount]

From my previous post above - bolting in the motor mounts and tranny mount is the EASY part. Connecting the Volvo wiring harness to the efi harness, modding the radiator for more capacity, electric fans that will fit (not an easy thing as there is WAY less clearance in the Volvo than the Stang), control system for the fan, custom power steering hoses, custom a/c hoses, custom driveshaft, throttle cable fabrication, clutch cable fabrication, full exhaust system fabrication, custom plumbing for the radiator, overflow resevoir and heater hoses, fuel system connection mods, suspension and brake upgrades, adding a limited slip diff unless you want no traction til 3rd gear -- uh, there's plenty to do besides the mounts. Or did you somehow think all that other stuff just magically connected?

 

[Michael Yount]

Here's an idea of what I've been through building mine - you can certainly do less, but it's been fun:

Car bought new in 1981 and delivery was taken in Sweden by the original owner while he was stationed in Germany. Car was converted using a Ross Converse kit by the original owner in 1996 in Augusta, GA. Car was purchased by Michael Yount in April of 2001 and a full resto-mod was begun in Feb. 02. The car is a daily driver and has 123,000 miles on it.

1991 5.0L HO; stock bottom end; Ford Racing Performance Products (FRPP) Y303 aluminum heads; FRPP 65mm throttle body; FRPP 9 mm ignition wires; FRPP King Cobra clutch; FRPP T-5Z transmission with B&M shifter; FRPP oil cooler; FRPP Cobra-style 1.7 roller rockers; FRPP coil; FRPP ceramic coated shorty headers; Explorer intake manifold; Pro M 73mm maf; custom cold air intake box w/K&N filter; ‘93 Cobra valve covers; custom 3” single exhaust w/Spin Tech custom muffler; Buddy Rawls custom cam; custom driveshaft; 3.73 Turbo Volvo wagon rear end with TrueTrac Torsen-type limited slip differential; battery relocated to trunk; Ford A/C compressor and P/S pump work with Volvo factory air and Volvo P/S rack; fully shrouded dual 11” SPAL cooling fans; Delta Current vari-speed fan controller; 95A alternator and mini-starter; 270hp@4900; 330 lb-ft@3800; +270 lb-ft 1800 rpm-4900 rpm; 18/25 mpg

Chassis – IPD sport coil springs; polyurethane bushings throughout; IPD 25mm sway bars front and rear; Bilstein shocks/struts; 16x7 Miglia wheels w/ 225-50Z/16 Michelin Sport Pilots; stainless braided brake lines; IPD adj. panhard rod; IPD/Volvo GT upper strut braces; IPD lower chassis brace; upgraded to factory Brembo vented front rotors and 4-piston calipers on front; standard 2-piston calipers on solid rotors in the rear

Exterior repaint by Malibu Collision in Halls, TN; interior seats refinished by Lonnie’s Upholstery in Knoxville, TN; Volvo O.E.M. tach, speedo, coolant temp, oil temp, fuel economy (vacuum), oil pressure gauges all calibrated to work with Ford engine; custom electric cooling fan speed gauge fabricated to look just like the rest of the factory Volvo/VDO gauges; aftermarket fully electronic cruise control operated by Volvo factory cruise control/turn-signal switch; Sony 200W stereo/CD w/ Infinity (front) and Polk Audio (rear) speakers

 

[TwoToneTerror]

Here's an idea of what I've been through building mine - you can certainly do less, but it's been fun:

Car bought new in 1981 and delivery was taken in Sweden by the original owner while he was stationed in Germany. Car was converted using a Ross Converse kit by the original owner in 1996 in Augusta, GA. Car was purchased by Michael Yount in April of 2001 and a full resto-mod was begun in Feb. 02. The car is a daily driver and has 123,000 miles on it.

1991 5.0L HO; stock bottom end; Ford Racing Performance Products (FRPP) Y303 aluminum heads; FRPP 65mm throttle body; FRPP 9 mm ignition wires; FRPP King Cobra clutch; FRPP T-5Z transmission with B&M shifter; FRPP oil cooler; FRPP Cobra-style 1.7 roller rockers; FRPP coil; FRPP ceramic coated shorty headers; Explorer intake manifold; Pro M 73mm maf; custom cold air intake box w/K&N filter; ‘93 Cobra valve covers; custom 3” single exhaust w/Spin Tech custom muffler; Buddy Rawls custom cam; custom driveshaft; 3.73 Turbo Volvo wagon rear end with TrueTrac Torsen-type limited slip differential; battery relocated to trunk; Ford A/C compressor and P/S pump work with Volvo factory air and Volvo P/S rack; fully shrouded dual 11” SPAL cooling fans; Delta Current vari-speed fan controller; 95A alternator and mini-starter; 270hp@4900; 330 lb-ft@3800; +270 lb-ft 1800 rpm-4900 rpm; 18/25 mpg

Chassis – IPD sport coil springs; polyurethane bushings throughout; IPD 25mm sway bars front and rear; Bilstein shocks/struts; 16x7 Miglia wheels w/ 225-50Z/16 Michelin Sport Pilots; stainless braided brake lines; IPD adj. panhard rod; IPD/Volvo GT upper strut braces; IPD lower chassis brace; upgraded to factory Brembo vented front rotors and 4-piston calipers on front; standard 2-piston calipers on solid rotors in the rear

Exterior repaint by Malibu Collision in Halls, TN; interior seats refinished by Lonnie’s Upholstery in Knoxville, TN; Volvo O.E.M. tach, speedo, coolant temp, oil temp, fuel economy (vacuum), oil pressure gauges all calibrated to work with Ford engine; custom electric cooling fan speed gauge fabricated to look just like the rest of the factory Volvo/VDO gauges; aftermarket fully electronic cruise control operated by Volvo factory cruise control/turn-signal switch; Sony 200W stereo/CD w/ Infinity (front) and Polk Audio (rear) speakers

That about sums it up...

Yeah, optimism has reared it's ugly head again, for i thought it might all just magically connect.... why wouldn't it?

I'll do some more research and see what I come up with, if i'm gona go w/ optamism or wate for a later date.... Thanks so much though Michael, all the info is giving me much needed reality checks!

-Bart

 

[xxxCadillacxxx]

So Mike, where can we see some pics of your car?