Project '82 Volvo 242

[Karl Buchka]

We've been lurking here for a while checking out the amazing builds and decided to post up a little thread about our project. My brother Alex and I are working on what could most accurately be described as a g-machine Volvo 242. It's not domestic, it doesn't have a V8, and it's not being professionally built, but we're pretty sure it still fits the mold. The car was originally my brother's project (I had my own), but we realized that it's a much more rewarding experience to share time on one car. Everything is being done in our garage with spare time and funds.

Since no one likes huge blocks of text with no pictures, here's a quick pictorial run down on what we have so far.

The victim: an 1982 242DL. Note the two-door configuration. Among us Volvo wackos it's generally considered the most desireable of the 240 body styles.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/RSw-SsffABI/AAAAAAAABT0/JbaqWiuBt5Y/s800/DSC00441.JPG

The car sat in a stripped condition for a couple of years before we decided to really move it to the front burner in December of 2008.

Moved the firewall back 6" and fabricated a new transmission tunnel.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SW1v54aj-aI/AAAAAAAAQ9k/ijEjxWhTqVQ/s800/IMG_6360.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SXFfeTV3NPI/AAAAAAAARG0/MHPoqYNlo7c/s800/IMG_6373.jpg

Minitubbed the rear end and built a new parallel four-link.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SYUxRPi5nCI/AAAAAAAASLI/W9irROfp_zQ/s800/IMG_6396.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SaJGutsk8GI/AAAAAAAAS1c/dMTZC8fVrDs/s800/IMG_6438.jpg

It came stock with a fairly anemic single cam 4 cylinder, which was promptly tossed as the car got stripped. The new engine is a three liter (183ci) all aluminum DOHC straight six from a 1996 Volvo 960.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Scwyo8HZjkI/AAAAAAAAT18/R6fcFldcX_8/s800/IMG_6469.jpg

Tacked up a divided inlet equal length tube header. 1.5" sch40 with ~25" primaries and a 9" collector. The flange is specific to the turbo and falls somewhere between a T4 and T6.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SgZNqYzLx6I/AAAAAAAAU2w/1Y8qu0PWpls/s800/DSC00058.JPG

Happy Holset is happy. Factory remanufactured HX50. Came off some Cummins powered dump truck. Compressor maps indicate that is tops out somewhere around 700hp.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SlK26EtOjSI/AAAAAAAAWYk/5I5bV-9Hbg4/s800/IMG_6554.jpg

60mm HKS knockoff wastegate.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SmOKQDhCO-I/AAAAAAAAWrc/Y_i9iLSfya8/s800/IMG_6574.jpg

We decided that a turbo just wasn't cool enough, so we added a blower to the mix. Eaton M90.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SmOKRyyed_I/AAAAAAAAWrw/zWwi3Ad8S0s/s800/IMG_6577.jpg

Mounted some carbon/kevlar buckets.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SmOKUyoh5dI/AAAAAAAAWsQ/ugmo-Ia30dU/s800/IMG_6583.jpg

Tacked in the main hoop. The whole cage is being made from 1.75" .095" mild steel DOM.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SmOKVtNucgI/AAAAAAAAWsY/3c-2VtK0tQg/s800/IMG_6584.jpg

Mounted the intercooler. It's an eBay special with a 4" core.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SmOKXTlN45I/AAAAAAAAWso/shIs2PLb378/s800/IMG_6587.jpg

The wheeltubs were originally measured out to tuck something like a 285, but we recently got a new set of wheels that throw a wrench in those works.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SlK23tQZvWI/AAAAAAAAWX8/e4glQIrzU88/s800/IMG_6551.jpg

BBS E28 race wheels. Three piece, single lug. 335/30R18 on 18"x13" ET25 rears and 285/30R18 on 18"x11" ET20 fronts.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SlK24Sdm1nI/AAAAAAAAWYU/vaKJEMOrdTM/s800/IMG_6552.jpg

It's currently sporting a T5-WC five speed with a custom adapter plate that I put together. With the kind of power we hope to be making it won't last very long though, so the latest hare-brained scheme is to cut out the 4-link and install a complete C5 Corvette rear end. They're cheap, available, and seem to be pretty stout.

That's pretty much the story so far. If you guys don't totally disapprove we hope to be posting up more updates in the future.

/Karl and Alex Buchka

[montessaj]

This an awesome build. Keep up with the updates. I Love those meats too!

[SickSpeedMonte]

Definately keep up the updates!
Is that turbo going to stick out of the hood?

[Teetoe_Jones]

DUUUUUDDDDE!!!

I had a light blue 82 242 Volvo with a 5 speed turbo as my first car. I love that you are doing this project.

LOVE IT!

Tyler

[Darkclaw13]

Definitely keep us up to date on any progress.

[Tig]

Seriously, keep us updated. This is going to be a sweet build.

My brother had a Volvo just like that one, w/ a manual tranny to. It was a pretty fun car to drive.

subscribed

[70rs]

:thumbsup: Very cool build! Great way to think outside the box on this too!
But since you already have the 4 link in, why not use a new T 56 Manum? It's rated to 700-750hp I believe. Unless you are making alot more power than that? Thanks for sharing , please keep the info and pics coming.

[Karl Buchka]

Well I guess it's unanimous. Thanks for the kind words guys!

Definately keep up the updates!
Is that turbo going to stick out of the hood?

Yeah, the turbo is going to come out of the hood. We would have loved to keep it under, but with a turbo that size and a 9" collector it just wasn't happening. Some guys have bitched about loosing the sleeper factor. The only thing I can say to that is "have you seen the rest of the car lately?". :P

:thumbsup: Very cool build! Great way to think outside the box on this too!
But since you already have the 4 link in, why not use a new T 56 Manum? It's rated to 700-750hp I believe. Unless you are making alot more power than that? Thanks for sharing , please keep the info and pics coming.

Thanks! I would love to run a T56 Magnum, but spending upwards of $3000 on a new transmission just isn't happening. My brother and I are 22 years old and we just don't have that kind of money to throw around. As it stands now we've got about $5000 in to the car, and by the time it's done I don't see us having spent more than $15000 total.

[TreySmith]

I can guarantee that when people first opened this up and saw the first picture they would not have expected anything like this!! Nice project!

[CptKlutz]

Veeeery nice! :thumbsup:
Love the oddball car & project! Those Volvo blocks can take a ton of punishment so be nice to your T5.

[Karl Buchka]

Got some more tubes in the car:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SnZgDFCO_DI/AAAAAAAAW04/DjAGjK4xDGM/s800/IMG_6595.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SnZgEVQhviI/AAAAAAAAW1A/SRhn_IYMMK4/s800/IMG_6597.jpg

We're pretty satisfied with the fit, especially considering this is the first cage we've ever put together:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SnZgFJtzwHI/AAAAAAAAW1I/GUDiMVqMzK0/s800/IMG_6598.jpg

The car is going in to storage for a while, as we're both going back to school in a few weeks. There should still be some engine-related updates in the coming weeks/months though, so stay tuned.

[Karl Buchka]

Posting an update, sort of. We're both in Sweden right now going to school, so the car is stored away. We're still putting time in to little projects though. We spent a few days on and off making this thing. Finished it last night.

It's made from two Stromberg float bowl covers. Broken down:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5Q8RsTNI/AAAAAAAAXGU/KDUkfEY-SUk/s800/DSC00086.jpg

The top of the upper cover has been turned down and threaded:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5Wlbg3lI/AAAAAAAAXG0/ELcESykPWtM/s800/DSC00088.jpg

The inside has also been turned down to hold a spring:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5fiABtpI/AAAAAAAAXHM/8hI2WaW5YeU/s800/DSC00091.jpg

Bottom cover has been mostly hacked apart and also has some slits along the perimeter (I love the indexing table):
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5ZtKDu5I/AAAAAAAAXG8/CKR1VEUGcoE/s800/DSC00089.jpg

The tube has a snap ring that places it flush with the face of the bottom cover:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5lcHHvAI/AAAAAAAAXHc/O-aXGKHoqvw/s800/DSC00094.jpg

Rubber membrane with a spring perch/50mm disc:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5dK0A90I/AAAAAAAAXHE/sOVqhsP7MSg/s800/DSC00090.jpg

Tube goes inside the bottom cover, membrane goes on top:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5La0kZeI/AAAAAAAAXGE/7YXLSgx5638/s800/DSC00084.jpg

Then with the spring on the membrane's perch followed by the top cover and the threaded bushing, you end up with this:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SrL5FEQpbBI/AAAAAAAAXF0/PMhdN3Dh3rI/s800/DSC00082.jpg

Weld the tube to your charge pipe and run a vac signal to the threaded bushing and you've got yourself a blow off valve.

[prostreetz28]

Posting an update, sort of. We're both in Sweden right now going to school, so the car is stored away. We're still putting time in to little projects though. We spent a few days on and off making this thing. Finished it last night.


looks great guys! so where in sweden are u studying? Blir en tuff bil när den är klar!

[Karl Buchka]

Tackar! Vi pluggar på Chalmers.

Thanks! We're studying at Chalmers. (For those of you who are Swedish-challenged. :D )

[waynieZ]

Welcome from another Ma. guy. Sweet project ! This is going to be fun to watch, very interesting. How long will you be in Sweden ?

[tgvettes]

Cool I always wanted to go to Chalmers (did go in Norrkoping etc instead) You should have all the possibility
in the world to pick up any Volvo parts you need for your
car. I assume parts for them should still be plentyful back home.

Tonny
I love the warm and sunny Arizona :lateral:

[badbu68]

Bad ass! Looks like just a normal volvo, something sinister about that body style w/ a good drivetrain. :thumbsup:

[prostreetz28]

Cool I always wanted to go to Chalmers (did go in Norrkoping etc instead) You should have all the possibility
in the world to pick up any Volvo parts you need for your
car. I assume parts for them should still be plentyful back home.

Tonny
I love the warm and sunny Arizona :lateral:

I´m from norrkoping.. www.gcp.se in sweden , makes remanufactured parts for volvos

[jannes_z-28]

I´m from norrkoping.. www.gcp.se in sweden , makes remanufactured parts for volvos

Your Volvo might end up something like this?
http://www.hocky.se/imagearchive/hocky/cars/volvo_242-75/090714/index.html

Its in Norrköping BTW


Jan

[tgvettes]

I'm from Vadstena myself but have lived in the US for 15 years now.

Tonny

[blown9746]

Any estimates on what your power output and final weight of the car is going to be?

this is a badass car

[Karl Buchka]

Thanks guys. Looks like all the Swedes are coming out of the woodwork.

Any estimates on what your power output and final weight of the car is going to be?

this is a badass car

Thanks! Neither my brother nor I are huge fans of the numbers game, but looking at similar builds, it should fall somewhere around 2500lbs wet and 650whp.

[prostreetz28]

Your Volvo might end up something like this?
http://www.hocky.se/imagearchive/hocky/cars/volvo_242-75/090714/index.html

Its in Norrköping BTW


Jan

yes thats håkans car, Ive been helping him out fabricate wheel tubs and some other metalwork like alu fuelcell etc. its a really badass car and runs like a champ both on the streets or the racetrack!

antar att du är janne suhr? isf har jag varit o druckit kaffe hemma hos dig med henka blyfot ;)
/simon

[jannes_z-28]

antar att du är janne suhr? isf har jag varit o druckit kaffe hemma hos dig med henka blyfot ;)
/simon

Yepp, the one and only :unibrow: Världen är liten.

Nu bor jag närmare Norrköping, i Stigtomta utanför Nyköping.


Janne

[coolwelder62]

Nice project.HotRod mag. should love this thing. Keep us posted on this kick a## build. Scott.

[Karl Buchka]

Thanks Scott.

Updates are still slow. Juggling projects and school is taking a lot of time. Made a tentative start on the next little side project today. This is a scale 1:2 foam mockup/prototype, but you get the idea:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Svn87eDJBqI/AAAAAAAAXgI/EV65FotwWwA/s800/DSC00173.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Svn87RKKm5I/AAAAAAAAXgM/dMWc85nu_QM/s800/DSC00174.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Svn87lAj02I/AAAAAAAAXgQ/364S1bm25T0/s800/DSC00175.JPG

Since the small CNC in the shop doesn't have a tool changer (and I can't be bothered to re-zero the thing every time I swap tools :P ) it doesn't have any of the mounting holes, fillets, or chamfers. It was just as well, since I have to change some of the dimensions and setups now anyway.

This is the cad model in its current state, and should be pretty representative of the final product:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Svn-hmZKDdI/AAAAAAAAXgs/sYjGsjidry8/s800/passagerarsida.jpg

[Swift]

damn, that is sweet

[cheapta]

That's the fugliest car I've ever seen....I love it! So,you guys are 22 and you're turning out work like this? I'm curious-where did you learn how to do this fabrication stuff?
I'm 55 years old and have wanted to build cars my whole life. I'm just getting started now and,I gotta tell you,it's a pretty steep learning curve. I'm building a rectangular tube frame 1st gen Nova and I have to research every step. It's taking me forever,I'm afraid I'll be dead before the car ever turns a tire. Where did you guys learn to do this stuff?
The car looks great...well...relatively speaking-keep up the great work.:thumbsup:

[Karl Buchka]

Swift, thank you.

That's the fugliest car I've ever seen....I love it! So,you guys are 22 and you're turning out work like this? I'm curious-where did you learn how to do this fabrication stuff?
I'm 55 years old and have wanted to build cars my whole life. I'm just getting started now and,I gotta tell you,it's a pretty steep learning curve. I'm building a rectangular tube frame 1st gen Nova and I have to research every step. It's taking me forever,I'm afraid I'll be dead before the car ever turns a tire. Where did you guys learn to do this stuff?
The car looks great...well...relatively speaking-keep up the great work.:thumbsup:

First of all, thank you for the kind words. I'll take your fugly comment as a compliment. :lol:

I can tell you that neither of us have had any kind of schooling in any of these subjects, so for the most part I'd say we're self taught. We definitely inherited a strong penchant for DIY from our dad, but his interest in cars is fairly fleeting. I think the main driving force, for me at least, has been that every time I see something cool or interesting that I would like to have or try, I think to myself "what does the guy who made that know that I either don't or can't figure out?". And the answer is always nothing.

It's great to hear that you're getting your hands dirty. The learning curve is definitely steep. It still is for me. I have a personal motto that keeps me on track for stuff like this: "You have to be dumb enough to start and stubborn enough to finish." :thumbsup:

In the end, just remember (to use a somewhat trite expression), it's not the destination that matters. All the fun is in the journey. As long as you're having fun building your Nova, everything else is secondary.

Anyway, enough of my philosophical raving. People come to expect pics in threads like this, and I aim to deliver.

Had some down-time before I could start re-drilling the flywheel for the VW (another project of ours, '72 Beetle with 911 suspension, fiberglass fenders, whaletail, cage, and with a soon-to-be Volvo 850 powerplant swap), so I made the cross braces for the calipers. Since the part couldn't just be clamped, I drilled and countersunk the mounting holes in one setup and then mounted it to a jig plate in a second setup.

Facing the plate (because machine tool marks look bad-ass):
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SvzBFiu3Y3I/AAAAAAAAXjw/v4DKRPBwxAg/s800/DSC00177.JPG

Initial result (sans deburring):
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SvzBF1huFLI/AAAAAAAAXj0/x8MMtatbiZw/s800/DSC00178.JPG

We decided to chamfer the inside edges as well, so back in the CNC it went:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/SvzBF3yP97I/AAAAAAAAXj4/sZm8E-HABOA/s800/DSC00179.JPG

These will get anodized along with the caliper bodies.

[70rs]

Amazing work to say the least. And a very cool project. I have to ask though, why fab your own brake calipers? If the answer is "just because we can" then that is good enough for sure. But is there not a ready made unit that will work for you?
I do appreciate the "because we can" very much. Lot's of respect for you guys doing all of the work yourselves!:cheers:

[WILWAXU]

Killer project! No problem with dare to be different there.

How much power will it have?

[Karl Buchka]

Amazing work to say the least. And a very cool project. I have to ask though, why fab your own brake calipers? If the answer is "just because we can" then that is good enough for sure. But is there not a ready made unit that will work for you?
I do appreciate the "because we can" very much. Lot's of respect for you guys doing all of the work yourselves!:cheers:

Thank you. It's definitely just because we can. I could easily adapt most any commercial brake caliper, but I thought it would be a fun challenge to see if I could make something myself. In the end it's just a glorified hydraulic piston.

Killer project! No problem with dare to be different there.

How much power will it have?

Thanks! One of the numbers we've tossed around is 650whp, but I'm more concerned with a nice torque curve than peak power.

[70rs]

[QUOTE=Karl Buchka;247467]Thank you. It's definitely just because we can. I could easily adapt most any commercial brake caliper, but I thought it would be a fun challenge to see if I could make something myself. In the end it's just a glorified hydraulic piston.

I kind of figured as much after seeing your work. I get it.:cheers:

I'm looking forward to seeing more "because we can" stuff on this build.

[Karl Buchka]

Progress is still glacial. Money is very tight, so the car has taken a very distant back seat.

Tossing up a pic of the latest purchase. We've been watching eBay for a few months, and we finally found one that matched our needs. It's rusty, ugly, and came in several boxes, but after some examination it looks very promising.

6-speed pulled from a flooded 19k mile C5 Z06.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S00O5B2g0sI/AAAAAAAAYMQ/gdjKAYalvU0/s800/DSC00255.JPG

The 5-6 cluster is trashed. Looks like someone dropped it on the floor. Other than that all the gears and engagement teeth look to be in good, usable condition. They're rusty, but with some bead blasting, a rebuild kit, and a new 5-6 cluster it should be good as new. We wanted a Z06 box since the ratios should match the powerband in a better way. Still need to pick up a differential and a 4.10 gearset, but that's for later.

Also been doing a lot of reading on suspension kinematics. I've got a rough cut of the front and rear suspensions down on paper. I still need to consult with some friends of mine that are more in the know regarding these things. Here's a quick shot of the latest revision on the front suspension (units are millimeters):

http://dump.basketofkittens.com/framvagn.PNG

The hard points on the uprights as well as the brake rotors are tailored to allow 16" wheels to fit, both front and rear. That opens up a lot of wheel options, and should allow us to tuck a 26x11.5-16 drag slick for when we hit the track.

[MSTSFabbed]

Man that looks amazing!! All of it! Youre definitely right tooling marks are bad a$$!! So what are you guys studying? And did you draw the suspension in solid works or autocad or another program? :thumbsup:

[Karl Buchka]

Thanks!

I'm working toward an Electrical Engineering degree, and my brother is studying Mechanical Engineering.

I use Solidworks almost exclusively. It's what I suck the least at. :lol:

[70rs]

That's too bad about the 5/6 cluster, nice find though. A Z06 with low miles, should hold up pretty well in there. Have you done any estimates on finished weight of the car yet?

[Karl Buchka]

That's too bad about the 5/6 cluster, nice find though. A Z06 with low miles, should hold up pretty well in there. Have you done any estimates on finished weight of the car yet?

Considering I got the trans for $170, a damaged 5-6 cluster is a small price to pay.

Based on other 240s of similar configuration, it should be about 2600lbs wet.

[70rs]

Considering I got the trans for $170, a damaged 5-6 cluster is a small price to pay.

Based on other 240s of similar configuration, it should be about 2600lbs wet.

Nice deal on that trans!! With that light of a car the trans should hold up really well I would think.

Now see if you can find me a TKO600 for that price!:lol:

Nice work on the car. This build is one I am very interested in watching. You and your brother do some really cool stuff here.

[Karl Buchka]

Making some headway with the pedalbox. Clutch pedal is mostly done (7075-T6).

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S5xZiEN47oI/AAAAAAAAYsk/6zDAIBiNG3E/s640/DSC00323.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S5xZ6-R4BTI/AAAAAAAAYtA/mtlEz0RX2dE/s800/DSC00330.JPG

I've finished two out of three setups on the brake pedal. The gas pedal and mounting base are done in CAM and ready to go in the machine.

[WSSix]

very pretty!

[Karl Buchka]

Thanks!

Picked this up the other day. ~380mm mount-to-mount, 100mm travel, adjustable for rebound and compression, and wonderfully rebuildable. Now we only need three more.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S6_-z935cuI/AAAAAAAAYyM/KPc7ekDxwRI/s800/IMG_6803.jpg

[Karl Buchka]

Got a brake pedal mostly finished. Really not happy with the end result, but it'll have to do. Sorry about the blurry pic.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S7FSMqcDWFI/AAAAAAAAYzU/lbwfsILqwIw/s800/IMG_6805.jpg

[70rs]

Hello Karl,
The brake pedal looks good from here. What do you not like about it?
What did the shock come off of? It looks JUST like the one on my buddies Ducati. Even the mounting points look the same.

[Karl Buchka]

Hello Karl,
The brake pedal looks good from here. What do you not like about it?
What did the shock come off of? It looks JUST like the one on my buddies Ducati. Even the mounting points look the same.

Thanks. I got some pretty nasty chatter on a few features, so the surface finish isn't as nice as I'd like. I also managed to damage it slightly when I tightened the vise down for the last op.

The damper is off a Cannondale MX440 motocross bike. I need to get some uniballs to press in to the mounting ears instead of the bushings it has now.

[Karl Buchka]

Got a killer deal on a 2.5l Volvo 960 motor the other day. 80k miles, got to hear it run, $200.

There's also a 3.0l version of this motor with a larger bore and stroke, but I prefer the 2.5l. The 80mm (3.125") stroke means we can run the engine to about 9300rpm with a mean piston speed of 25m/sec (82 ft/sec). If we destroke it to 75mm (2.95") we can turn to 10k.

The block will probably need to be sleeved since these motors are notorious for cracking liners at elevated power levels.

We've got some bat**** crazy plans for the head, but I'd rather not let the car out of the bag until we've explored the concept a bit more. :)

What we're keeping:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S988wprLHBI/AAAAAAAAZZQ/CO-M7R9T7YA/s800/DSC00355.JPG

Some of what we're not:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S987iVyk7_I/AAAAAAAAZY4/8mREJ_PtUhA/s800/DSC00354.jpg

Degreased and ready for "surgery" :_paranoid :
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S988yD248wI/AAAAAAAAZZY/HWoF-sV1ok4/s800/DSC00360.JPG

The suspension hardpoints are all nailed down now, and all the unsprung components for the front end are finished in CAD. Should be starting on the uprights next week. I can post some more details on the workings of the suspension geometry if anyone is interested.

Alex finished the brunt work on the front rotor hats yesterday:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S-rBeT3dIFI/AAAAAAAAZeg/jngB37BUnPw/s800/IMG_6954.jpg

Had some fun with the engraving. They're 8mm 7075-T6. They still need to be deburred. Hopefully going out for anodizing next week.

Designing the majority of the unsprung mass on the car does have some advantages. The hats weigh about 450g (1lb) and can be machined all in one setup.

[MSTSFabbed]

SWEET! Youre machine work is amazing! Are you taking any classes for CNC work or just learning as you go? And yes we ALWAYS want more details on everything! I'd love youre cad stuff for the front.

[Karl Buchka]

SWEET! Youre machine work is amazing! Are you taking any classes for CNC work or just learning as you go? And yes we ALWAYS want more details on everything! I'd love youre cad stuff for the front.

Thanks! Both my brother and I are pretty much all self taught in the CNC department. We've run manual machines before, which definitely helps.

I'll do a little write-up with some graphs and figures on the suspension when I have some more time.

[Karl Buchka]

Here's a little write-up which should give you the gist of the suspension situation.

Since neither of us have done anything like this before we decided to set modest goals for the design. This suspension isn't about pushing the envelope, pulling x number of lateral Gs, or extracting some set amount of tractive force from the tires. We're simply going for a stable and predictable car that avoids plowing in to crowded playgrounds at speed. Every design decision has reflected that sentiment and when in doubt, we've always erred on the side of caution. Any performance gains beyond that are considered a bonus.

Initial front-view swing-arm items like instant center, roll center, scrub radius, steering axis inclination, and control arm plane were established by laying out the steering rack, wheel, tire, brake rotor, and brake caliper in a SolidWorks sketch.

I then translated all the hardpoint coordinates over to a suspension modeling package called Lotus Shark. Shark allows you to jog the pivot points arbitrarily and see the resulting geometry change in real time. This kind of simulation is possible in SolidWorks but it requires all the suspension components to be placed in a finished assembly first. Obviously that can't be done since nothing has actually been designed yet.

The wheel offset was the major limiting factor in reducing scrub radius and steering axis inclination, which are still the two values I'm most dissatisfied with. The brake caliper was placed as far inside the wheel as was deemed comfortable, which determined the brake rotor position, which subsequently determined the lower control arm's outer pivot point. The final compromise ended up landing the scrub radius around 70mm with a steering axis inclination of 7 degrees. This is about twice what I would have preferred, but you can't (always) have your cake and eat it. :-P

Rear track is about 90mm narrower than the front (1430mm vs. 1320mm). This should reduce diagonal load transfer on corner entry and increase stability on corner exit.

The caster angle is 5 degrees both front and rear. This was done to simplify fabrication, as the same base upright can be used on either side of the car.

The front and rear static roll centers are 30mm and 65mm above ground, respectively. The front lateral roll center movement is less than stellar, but the control arms simply aren't long enough to affect any decent change in the area without completely ****ing up the camber curves.

Front camber in bump-roll is fairly linear with about -0.7 degrees per degree of body roll. In the rear it's slightly less aggressive at about -0.55. The camber gain could be considered small, but since the tires are fairly wide (285/30R18 front and 335/30R18 rear), it should be more than adequate.

The steering rack was placed in front of the front axle and below the axle centerline (as stock). This has the effect of creating an understeer tendency during lateral loading.

The front end has between 12% anti-dive, as well as about 20% Ackermann. In the rear there's about 25% anti-squat throughout the range of travel.

Our friend David "Mad-Dog" Madås was a huge help in getting the kinks ironed out, so I'd like to give a shout-out to him.

This is obviously a pretty superficial run down on the design of the suspension. If anyone has any other questions I'd be happy to answer them, but in the interest of full disclosure, be aware that I am by no means an expert. Literally hundreds of books by smarter men than I have been written on the subject.

In other news, here are some pics of the latest progress.

Alex finished the centering rings for the centerlug adapters in 7075-T6. The angled face contacts the nut and should also keep the wheels from deforming when we torque the nuts. They're out for black anodizing now.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_VP0fDqEbI/AAAAAAAAZgI/18R7D5ShIvg/s800/DSC00023.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_VPy1nrrsI/AAAAAAAAZf4/vulTaUJI-Xs/s800/DSC00019.JPG

Alex also started on the centerlug adapters themselves. We had originally designed them as stainless weldments, but weight was an issue, so we decided to make them out of billet 7075-T6. These should end up weighing around 650 grams each, as opposed to 1.8kg. Hopefully we don't **** these up. The material was not cheap.

Start weight:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_VPsxvjHWI/AAAAAAAAZfk/4Qo9TAUO-RU/s800/DSC00013.JPG

Getting the big boy drill out:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_VPsv1M4fI/AAAAAAAAZfg/h-Wdhcytogo/s800/DSC00011.JPG

After one setup:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_VPtRy6E9I/AAAAAAAAZfo/sBcPMP74wIM/s800/DSC00014.JPG

Backs all done:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_VPtqH5dLI/AAAAAAAAZfs/yMnKcxjy3MU/s800/DSC00017.JPG

Still need to do the front snouts, thread them, machine the bolt pattern in the backs and make the nuts.

[Karl Buchka]

Hot off the lathe:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_cu0m5sKtI/AAAAAAAAZjw/yBuN34bD1bA/s800/DSC00027.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_cu0KTiJ0I/AAAAAAAAZjs/geEKpg6yplw/s800/DSC00026.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_cuz77lsdI/AAAAAAAAZjo/zdh_YLllgJ0/s800/DSC00025.JPG

Unfinished nut:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_cu0_vNsPI/AAAAAAAAZj0/x9ZxbJTZ1m8/s800/DSC00028.JPG

Still need to add the bolt pattern:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_cu9mAWVvI/AAAAAAAAZkY/9HLYdTsh3n8/s800/DSC00031.JPG

Some of the swarf:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_cu1d98OBI/AAAAAAAAZkQ/8u0Uax2aJiQ/s800/DSC00029.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

*Insert obligatory nut joke here*

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_iISzTAo2I/AAAAAAAAZnM/BDHPqzVg--E/s800/DSC00036.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_iIZ5j3vDI/AAAAAAAAZng/KHLsIRbhiXQ/s800/DSC00038.JPG

Missing the centering ring underneath the nut, should end up looking something like this when it's all stacked on there.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_iISk8iusI/AAAAAAAAZnI/G_V7jW3cfgo/s800/DSC00035.JPG

Large nuts or small hands? You be the judge.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S_iITaJLs4I/AAAAAAAAZnc/3frfwtHdKDU/s800/DSC00037.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

Started on the front uprights:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S__F6ZO9ofI/AAAAAAAAZo8/di9cqbEvrCs/s800/DSC00045.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S__F7QvMezI/AAAAAAAAZpA/M38cieEJ5js/s800/DSC00046.JPG

Should look something like this when they're done:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/S__PbF3lGxI/AAAAAAAAZpk/9HIJRtz1tMU/s800/upright.JPG

CTS-V/C5 Corvette hubs bolt in to the center hole. Camber adjustment is done by swapping the rectangular shims up top.

[HWY Nova]

Can't wait to see the uprights welded up and installed!


--Eric

[Karl Buchka]

Can't wait to see the uprights welded up and installed!


--Eric

Thanks! The install is right around the corner. We just need to finish fabricating... everything. :lol:

[deuce_454]

unless you hard anodize the centerbolt adapters and nuts i would be worried about gouging... the thread should in to teh best of my knowledge be made in steel so the aluminum dont fuse then you try and loosen/tighten it..

I have an alfa corse spindle from a 93 DTM alfa and its made in thinwalled steel for teh same reason i suspect...

[Karl Buchka]

unless you hard anodize the centerbolt adapters and nuts i would be worried about gouging... the thread should in to teh best of my knowledge be made in steel so the aluminum dont fuse then you try and loosen/tighten it..

I have an alfa corse spindle from a 93 DTM alfa and its made in thinwalled steel for teh same reason i suspect...

Not to worry. The adapters and nuts will be Type III anodized and the machining clearances reflect that.

[nvr2fst]

You guys definitely know how to design/machine some sweet parts. Its going to be heck of a Volvo. :thumbsup:

[Karl Buchka]

You guys definitely know how to design/machine some sweet parts. Its going to be heck of a Volvo. :thumbsup:

Thanks!

All four adapters are finished. Alex really did a great job on them.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAPET8lalhI/AAAAAAAAZr0/yI2Z0e7ICiw/s800/DSC00055.JPG

Got the centering rings back from anodizing:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAPEJKKi40I/AAAAAAAAZrE/Y1xU646v75g/s800/DSC00047.JPG

All bolted up:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAPEJ5703uI/AAAAAAAAZrM/VggNj0HbhIM/s800/DSC00048.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAPEKtEdDxI/AAAAAAAAZrU/lM0fMbGXwbw/s800/DSC00049.JPG

Final weight:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAPEMM5viuI/AAAAAAAAZrc/mE9lJYGLDa8/s800/DSC00050.JPG

Progress on the front uprights:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAPEPvL363I/AAAAAAAAZrk/gwNYW2_XIZI/s800/DSC00053%20copy.jpg

[MSTSFabbed]

Amazing. Those look great! Looks like tigging in those cross peices on the uprights is gonna suck haha. :thumbsup:

[frojoe]

This fabrication work is awesome, good job on not only the research & modeling, but carrying through with it too.

And hip hip hooray for Solidworks, anything you can dream up can be a reality when solid modeling!!

[Karl Buchka]

Amazing. Those look great! Looks like tigging in those cross peices on the uprights is gonna suck haha. :thumbsup:

Thanks! The spokes should be simple compared to the rest of uprights. :P

This fabrication work is awesome, good job on not only the research & modeling, but carrying through with it too.

And hip hip hooray for Solidworks, anything you can dream up can be a reality when solid modeling!!

Thank you! There are plenty of parametric modeling packages out there, but I much prefer SolidWorks. It has the most intuitive and user friendly GUI imo.

Put in another all-nighter last night. Alex and I got the uprights completely tacked. After we drill a few mounting holes they'll be ready for mock-up on the front end.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAUTtuVnmiI/AAAAAAAAZsw/esVPVCZvxOw/s800/DSC00062.JPG

Missing two 2mm shear plates and filler. Looks like we're on track for weight (CAD says 3.49kg).
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAUTt_16vlI/AAAAAAAAZs0/5MCm5MbOaS4/s800/DSC00063.JPG

[70rs]

Looking really good as usual. :cheers:

[Bryce]

WOW, I just saw this thread for the first time. You guys do great work.

[frojoe]

Thank you! There are plenty of parametric modeling packages out there, but I much prefer SolidWorks. It has the most intuitive and user friendly GUI imo.


This is definitely true, after using Inventor, Unigraphics, and Pro-E (holy steep learning curve!!!) SW is definitely the funnest one :D

[Karl Buchka]

Thanks guys!

Just got back to the states yesterday and I couldn't resist bolting up an adapter on one of the rear wheels:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TAxCEbgzG8I/AAAAAAAAZu8/mIL5S2g1kjw/s800/IMG_6973.jpg

:unibrow:

[Karl Buchka]

Sincere apologies for the lack of updates. Both my brother and I hit on some hard times recently and our car hobby was relegated to a fairly distant back seat. Things are looking better now though, so we're excited to make up for some lost time.

Here's the car in its current state. We removed all the strut sheetmetal and exposed the frame rails.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TFpdZ9AH9aI/AAAAAAAAZ90/Ka_E5-VNQAg/s800/DSC00200.JPG

I did this back in December. Gas pedal for the billet pedal box. It came out beautifully. The pictures really don't do it justice.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TPblF400QkI/AAAAAAAAaWU/lYz1GyStaP4/s800/img_7127.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TPblRM0iCgI/AAAAAAAAaWc/mEvy6P7ygHg/s800/img_7128.jpg

My brother Alex has been putting in serious time in CAD lately. Uprights are starting to resemble something useful after about the 20th from-scratch redraw. The old uprights had to be scrapped due to some major packaging issues. The pictured upper control arm mount on the uprights are probably pretty close to what the final version will be. Should be plenty strong with the whole thing made from welded 4130 sheet. He also completely revised the frame tubes and upper coilover mounts to what we consider a completely reasonable solution.

This is showing at ride height. Upper control arm mounts will basically be something like this with the cross tubes attached to the frame tubes with judicious amounts of .065" sheet. The camber adjustment should allow us to dial in up to -5 degrees of camber without impacting the steering axis inclination. The track rod is obviously a place holder for the real one (see below).
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TaI6UD2HtqI/AAAAAAAAaro/SruSB7D4Zc4/s800/assembly%20rev5.JPG

Full bump and full left steering input. It's looking like the wheel angle at full lock will be about 30 degrees for a curb to curb turning circle of ~10m.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TaI6WQy167I/AAAAAAAAasA/IcenHwm5W98/s800/assembly%20rev5-3.JPG

Ride height with the frame rail hidden. The sheet around the lower control arm mount and the track rod mount are not the final version. Still trying to wrap our heads around that 3d puzzle.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TaI6UVILpQI/AAAAAAAAars/T0JBvlhR6nM/s800/assembly%20rev5-1.JPG

The brake caliper mounts are pending a revision of the calipers themselves.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TaI6UrRPx7I/AAAAAAAAar0/VZ0IODjiyhA/s800/assembly%20rev5-2.JPG

The steering rack is mounted forward and below the axle centerline and parallel with the front lower control arm hard points to minimize bumpsteer (it's at around 0.3 degrees at full bump and droop). The way it's all laid out means the wheel and track rod try to occupy the same space at full bump and full steering lock. Alex drew up the outer track rod so it dodges the wheel. Making it machined 4130 with a captured 1/2" uniball. Some cursory FEA gives us a FOS exceeding 3 with a 10kN load applied along the steering arm axis.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TaMLLDhQ-kI/AAAAAAAAass/UWdFfbgjt1E/s1024/assembly%20rev5-4.JPG

Scored big time on eBay. 30k mile C5 diff for under $200 shipped.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Tag2bjAgkiI/AAAAAAAAauA/EQR5qOgOIuU/s800/%24%28KGrHqMOKpoE1qp6syhCBNkzvecE%2Cg%7E%7E_12.JPG

Also found a largely complete torque tube:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TayvbJti3BI/AAAAAAAAau0/7c24TO4urok/s800/PICT1461.JPG

The entire assembly obviously needs to be shortened quite a bit. We haven't done any measuring yet, but we're hoping the input shaft length and torque tube bolt pattern allow for a simple adapter plate arrangement with the Volvo bellhousing.

With the diff and torque tube we finally have all the major driveline components (clutch, flywheel, transmission, diff, torque tube, and driveshaft). A buddy of ours has a Faro arm that I'm hoping to use this summer to digitize the transmission and diff casings. Should make the CAD for the rear suspension nice and simple.

[HWY Nova]

Great CAD layouts!!!!!!!


--Eric

[novaboy7272]

this build looks crazy sweet guys. Gives me motivation to keep going on whatever i'm doin haha. Keep up the great work. . .AND PICTURES :faint: :willy:

[elitecustombody]

Can't wait to see it together,it's going to be one trick Volvo:woot:

[Karl Buchka]

Great CAD layouts!!!!!!!

--Eric

this build looks crazy sweet guys. Gives me motivation to keep going on whatever i'm doin haha. Keep up the great work. . .AND PICTURES :faint: :willy:

Can't wait to see it together,it's going to be one trick Volvo:woot:

Thanks guys. The kind words are always much appreciated!

Time for a small update.

Here's what a "permanently sealed" STS-V/C5 Corvette hub/bearing assembly that's been permanently disassembled looks like. Turns out they're more user serviceable than Timken would lead you to believe.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Tbcw723QBbI/AAAAAAAAaxc/Y2yHzW617VQ/s800/IMG_0698.JPG

Pop off the ABS sensor cover, pull the ABS trigger wheel off, then remove this two-piece retaining ring. After that it presses apart easily (too bad we didn't figure this out until after we had wailed on it in a 40 metric ton press).
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/Tbcw7FJG7vI/AAAAAAAAaxc/6cqL_pZT2cE/s800/IMG_0696.JPG

Disassembling the hubs makes it easier to modify the bolt pattern and center bore.

CAD update: Alex did a ground-up redesign of the front brake calipers. The basic piston layout and pad is the same, but these are lighter, easier to machine, use smaller stock, deflect significantly less, and look about 100x more bad ass than the old ones.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TbWq-Z4DkfI/AAAAAAAAawA/svq0qGb3ASY/s800/brake%20caliper%20rev1.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_7EUAij74Ycw/TbWrAVljqpI/AAAAAAAAawE/qW_AISDCXik/s800/brake%20caliper%20rev1_1.JPG

[lilcraigford]

Glad to see this back on track! The design work going into the front suspension is incredible!

[Skullcandy]

Design and engineering in this build it top notch.:willy:

[xtreme]

any updates on this?

[Karl Buchka]

any updates on this?

Gant,

Thanks for the bump. Unfortunately there has been no real progress. Other projects have taken up a lot of time. Both my brother and I have also been trying to focus on school, and being 3000 miles away from the car for most of the year doesn't help either. Alex has actually done quite a bit of cad work on the car, but we want to get in to manufacturing before posting any pics of that.

I've picked up a lot more electronics stuff. A few months ago I developed an add-on board that will convert almost any Volvo from the 1980s to distributorless ignition. It also adds launch control and shift cut (for full throttle shifting).

Here's a picture of it mounted and wired inside the ECU:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZR3wtyMui7I/TpNLf6OEuQI/AAAAAAAAbUA/M8EMU_StVlg/s640/photo.jpg

The first production run:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zEHmx-cHGTg/Tp3Xg2CsV8I/AAAAAAAAbUc/FL_eZvyFoJ4/s640/photo.jpg

Alex and I have also dumped quite a bit of time in to this project. It's a 73 VW beetle rallycross car. It was purchased as a rolling chassis (stripped, cage, 911 suspension and brakes, slicks, etc).
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GkvSsVCgd-U/TZz8_8HyUdI/AAAAAAAAaog/oBhPCJUU3VE/s640/IMG_7238.jpg

We dropped in a 170hp 2.5l Volvo 20v 5 cylinder mated to a 4 speed vanagon transmission. Added a programmable EMS, coil on plug, individual throttle bodies, all new wiring, new fuel system, etc.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z8FPxd-Pjmo/TlbuCWp1cHI/AAAAAAAAbJs/_7pWm5nKjlc/s640/photo.jpg

Here's a start-up video with the old intake manifold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjY_-ioMMsw

So yeah, work on the 242 has been slow, but we've got tons of **** keeping us busy. Sorry for the lack of updates.

Karl

[xtreme]

Awesome cant wait to see some stuff!

[Karl Buchka]

Gant,

Thanks for the pity bump. :(

As usual, we haven't had any time for real progress. We've been doing a bunch of CAD work and the redesigned front uprights are coming along.

We've also got a new powerplant with the "correct" number of cylinders for most guys around here. :P

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KThDHgl5rus/Tys2p6ZxA-I/AAAAAAAAbis/Uo8JLBBRf4k/s800/100_0595.jpg

It's a 4.4 liter (268ci) DOHC V8 out of a Volvo XC90. It's stock rated at 315hp/315ftlbs. I talked to a good friend that works at the engine development lab at Volvo and said that if you remove the four cats from the stock exhaust it'll put out closer to 350hp.

[muggz]

Awesome project (coming from a fellow ovlov nut!)! Also mixed emotions going from 5 to the 8 pot motor! but looks like you will pull this project off without no problems :)

[daemon2]

Was that b8444s hard to find?

[Karl Buchka]

Awesome project (coming from a fellow ovlov nut!)! Also mixed emotions going from 5 to the 8 pot motor! but looks like you will pull this project off without no problems :)

Thank you very much for the kind words. The project has really been dead for a while, but both my brother and I are looking forward to re-animating it shortly. :thumbsup:

Was that b8444s hard to find?

We were pretty set on the straight six for a long time, but when a local guy posted on Turbobricks that he was selling this motor, we decided it was stupid not to buy it. The price was so low I'm still in disbelief. So no, it wasn't hard to find at all. :lol:

If you're in the market, a friend of mine has one that he's looking to move.

[krptonite]

any progress?? also, are there any aftermarket harnesses for that v8? or would it be easy to make it run with original harness? i would love this motor in a p1800!

[Karl Buchka]

any progress?? also, are there any aftermarket harnesses for that v8? or would it be easy to make it run with original harness? i would love this motor in a p1800!

Damn, I could have sworn I was keeping this updated. Sorry guys! :_paranoid

In terms of aftermarket for this engine, there might be cold air intakes and catback exhausts out there. That's it. There is nothing else. We're probably going to salvage the connectors from the harness and make everything else from scratch. The aftermarket ECU connectors are different anyway, so the stock harness is really of limited use.

There has actually been some progress. My brother and I have spent most of the last couple of summers renovating a workshop with our dad. We put in all the labor in exchange for keeping the car in the shop once the reno was finished.

The previous owner was a carpenter and he had very little in the way of dust collection equipment. This, coupled with a raised wooden floor, water creeping in under the roll-up door, and some dubious cleaning practices over the years resulted in hundreds of pounds of putrid sawdust on the floor and an equal amount of sawdust covering every horizontal surface in the entire shop.

The shop is about 1000sqf with a mezzanine and a small office. A small half bath is tucked into the corner of the ground level:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-atVOcpPDpvY/TiUGIucmfxI/AAAAAAAAbAo/lFNdR5w61RY/s800/IMG_7398-IMG_7411.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SqnyEcdvb3E/TiUGINA7GsI/AAAAAAAAbBQ/TAWiLt5rc6w/s800/IMG_7392-IMG_7397.jpg

We started by tearing out the raised floor to uncover the concrete and let it dry out properly

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eoU1x03lWyw/Ti9yRZpP50I/AAAAAAAAbDo/6jAHL8RB64Y/s800/IMG_1193.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XsBQ_toIWOU/Ti9yXEa26-I/AAAAAAAAbFA/XGAEwuxZAh0/s800/IMG_1200.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-glCoIWRS3E4/Ti9ye-xtEcI/AAAAAAAAbEg/m7YdkT8UbqU/s800/IMG_1207.JPG

Painted the walls:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d6rimTALhp0/TqLUMEPeD8I/AAAAAAAAbP8/uJxWpPyuVzU/s800/PICT1517.JPG

Installed studs under the beams supporting the mezzanine:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TOWmxoaZAG8/Ti9yhph1LDI/AAAAAAAAbEw/skUpfM-Aaw0/s800/IMG_1210.JPG

Built a small closet under the stairs to house the compressor:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jAOVq4kYrNE/TjIhjTIEoMI/AAAAAAAAbGk/__FxZ7BcQig/s800/IMG_1217.JPG

Drywall:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cpPl4OF4LgI/TjIhphFzW8I/AAAAAAAAbSg/dH0NHNZQFPA/s800/IMG_1224.JPG

All new wiring pulled through EMT with 220v outlets for hooking up welders:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CE1fRuTg1eE/TqLUNEv9EUI/AAAAAAAAbQk/DLdXKuytKtY/s800/PICT1522.JPG

Replaced all the outdated T12 fixtures with T8's and electronic ballasts. They're a little more expensive than magnetic ballasts but they raise the efficiency of the bulbs and don't have any annoying hum. All in all, ended up being about 4kw of lighting, it's really bright in there now and it's awesome.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8JWCvWOfWDc/TwCQ0Mfv6OI/AAAAAAAAbZk/Jecs3d4gz1I/s800/PICT1589.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KFJWayFnG2k/TwCQzNDijVI/AAAAAAAAbZE/hkVYw0UYUV0/s800/PICT1585.JPG

Got a used, dealer trade-in two post lift:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OSmWaBrjSbc/TwCQxBDS9TI/AAAAAAAAbYQ/IY4mxILfhl4/s800/PICT1575.JPG

Swapped a set of wheels for a lot of industrial shelving. The mezzanine is now geared for parts and junk storage:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jN7y4ev68-Y/TqXcOZ7blkI/AAAAAAAAbS4/xLi7irl_EzM/s800/PICT1545.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

Ground the floor and laid down epoxy coat. Thought about spreading those flake things to pretty it up but if you drop a small bolt or washer on there it becomes impossible to find:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SbrynpBj9-8/UAQQ5KEwxsI/AAAAAAAAcWk/UCBhDWwIVwo/s800/photo%25203.JPG

Ran copper pipe for compressed air outlets around the shop, along with a 50ft hose reel mounted on the lift.

Completely gutted the bathroom and installed hex mosaic tile flooring, recessed lights, new fixtures, and a utility sink.

We picked up a Miller Syncrowave 250 TIG at the start of this summer.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-L5PcFG0dvgs/UC1LAaA-6wI/AAAAAAAAcZQ/6wRU2uhvhpg/s800/photo%25201.JPG

Moved in some workbenches that I put steel tops on, along with some storage cabinets.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8GTRI7e0lqQ/UAaV0SGwO4I/AAAAAAAAcXI/nLh_vNxr_9M/s800/photo.JPG

There's always tons of fiddly stuff to take care of but all in all, I'd say the shop is nearing completion. Before we dragged the 242 over from hibernation, my brother put together a makeshift chassis table for it. Building one out of steel was outside the budget so it ended up being 2x6 framing with 3/4" poplar ply on both sides, standing on 4x4 legs with adjustable feet. Final size is 4'x10' so it covers the wheelbase of the car with some room to spare on both ends. It's not perfectly flat by any stretch, but much better than the old concrete floor, and it gets the car off the ground for a more comfortable working height.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-saM-GB6ru0Y/UC1LAS6utqI/AAAAAAAAcZQ/CydnHRKFxQs/s800/photo%25202.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mJ-daCmfY44/UC1LAXBH0BI/AAAAAAAAcZQ/HQ2RKf3Ldts/s800/photo%25203.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ehop1oI63sg/UC1LAaXHX7I/AAAAAAAAcZQ/1u1maiF0jSA/s800/photo%25204.JPG

The car was dusted off and loaded up.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V9LzC-Hgf9E/UC1QhGMtjQI/AAAAAAAAcc8/huvO2OU319s/s800/IMG_0108.JPG

Raised up on the table at ride height.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PsrmLqalGEM/UC1PZ0DU9rI/AAAAAAAAcc0/mTkwKfJdvt4/s800/IMG_0111.JPG

The old wheel wells were made with smaller wheels in mind so we had to hack the rear frame rails out completely. Got one of the rear wheels jammed up in there to get an idea of how the car will sit. It was a real motivation booster to see the wheel in there, and it finally dawned on me how dumped the car is really going to be, but still with usable suspension travel.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qkUHmx-UUCA/UC1m6LiKEII/AAAAAAAAcg4/VBSXT_C0a5k/s800/IMG_0180%255B1%255D.JPG

Hacked the trans tunnel out and got the driveline temporarily mocked up to see where it should go. Because of the V8 having some extra crap hanging off the back the firewall will need to be moved back just a smidge more than it already is. The parts have all been measured and positioned in CAD.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C_PN0wJtPes/UC1VdKUmvqI/AAAAAAAAceU/7OIGd0V2YA4/s800/IMG_0132.JPG

Pulled the intake manifold off the engine. The intake ports look pretty good, but the tight packaging of the engine leaves a little to be desired on the exhaust side.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WuH2zRoofSo/UC1LAfeckDI/AAAAAAAAcZQ/BdCLyH1ZVaA/s800/photo%25202.JPG

Scored some good stuff on ebay too. Got a Nascar reverse mount starter, a ring gear for that, and a hydraulic release bearing. The ring gear is known as reverse mount style and bolts to the top of the Tilton 7.25" clutch cover. Since the clutch and starter package is so small the bellhousing can be brought down in diameter quite a bit. The bellhousing and other driveline parts are nearing finished design in CAD.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pMkhFv5CO2k/UC1fEcR4ryI/AAAAAAAAcgY/eAtHPcMxoN4/s800/IMG_0182%255B1%255D.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-msn_wipiyV8/UC1fFVjpXiI/AAAAAAAAcgY/WTrPEDFG6Ak/s800/IMG_0184%255B1%255D.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w506PuUAsjg/UC1aGfX0vsI/AAAAAAAAcfY/TBQ4fB3ByjQ/s800/IMG_0148.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

Put in some time on the clutch/flywheel assembly as well:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s6TrH2UfXYk/UEZ1a4XS7II/AAAAAAAAcjM/tiornvoCgjQ/s800/flywheel%2520screenshot.PNG

Unfortunately I wasn't around to snap any pics of the turning operations, but the basic procedure was the following: Rough cut a circle out of 20mm plate with the oxy/acetylene torch, weld a scrap slug to the center of the plate for the chuck jaws to grab, then turn the front and the back profiles.

After the turning and drilling the bolt patterns, he milled recess slots for the clutch cover bolts:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GbJjTxZbUp4/UEZ1AdzDsOI/AAAAAAAAcjM/fWvT9haKlSE/s800/IMG_0182.JPG

Adding some chamfers:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0pJff7w3MNQ/UEZ1ApUsCqI/AAAAAAAAcjM/zam2GrFWyDw/s800/IMG_0183.JPG

Final weight:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7vo5hjDoA8A/UEZ1AkRgdMI/AAAAAAAAcjM/gGxr9gOHX20/s800/IMG_0184.JPG

The reverse mount ring gear we're using is intended for a newer 7.25" cover than what we have, so the cover needed a small amount of material removed from the OD.

Alex started by mounting the cover on the flywheel and clamping the flywheel in the soft jaws:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WQ9frL-w8_8/UHqhQOOk-4I/AAAAAAAAcno/0w_R8uoWo0Y/s800/IMG_0234.JPG

Checking for runout:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4OH3dhGhzvM/UHqhQCSOQzI/AAAAAAAAcns/7ZxEb1Vy3T4/s800/IMG_0235.JPG

Turning down the OD:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sYgB417wrgY/UHqhQHCUnzI/AAAAAAAAcnk/2xxFuqsKahM/s800/IMG_0239.JPG

Fits like a glove now. You can just barely glimpse them, but there are small alignment tabs on the bottom of the ring gear that keep it concentric with the clutch cover.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uAK7ViWa6Io/UHqhYSImnUI/AAAAAAAAcoM/5G3Qhnj1ztI/s800/IMG_0242.JPG

Next up: trigger wheel. It's going to be a 60-2 mounted on the starter ring gear

Found a perfect steel pipe on the material rack. Unfortunately it was pushing the limits of what fit in the horizontal band saw, so we had to get a little creative.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Fjzi2hduii4/UHqhev2LtYI/AAAAAAAAcoc/uN8AgpSEOws/s800/IMG_0245.JPG

Almost through. We didn't trust the clamp completely, so we kept the feed low. I think it took about 15 minutes to make this one cut.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cZ4swhl9de4/UHqhgxxuwjI/AAAAAAAAcok/nuEHrhKkv64/s800/IMG_0246.JPG

This is the part after the first setup:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KXk68w554ww/UHqhprmmnlI/AAAAAAAAcpA/5S4IljWard4/s800/IMG_0250.JPG

Re-setting the soft jaws:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FakulBKorv0/UHqhsl_QqSI/AAAAAAAAcpQ/u-Z9vqh90SA/s800/IMG_0252.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-175mC-vq6og/UHqhxD7PM6I/AAAAAAAAcpY/LymijaH1-ao/s800/IMG_0253.JPG

This is as far as Alex got last night. The clock struck midnight and the lathe turned back in to a pumpkin. The trigger teeth are getting cut out of that standing ring section and the other ring with the tapered step will get reduced to a few mounting ears that will bolt to the starter ring gear. Projected weight of the trigger wheel is about 150 grams.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UIO87znJNfU/UHqhzR8UG1I/AAAAAAAAcpo/PUTIzxG8AOg/s800/IMG_0255.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-egxC3QQkbj0/UHqh1XSalfI/AAAAAAAAcpw/jX3xUKFsKBk/s800/IMG_0256.JPG

[krptonite]

nice job on the shop guys!! bet that sawdust smelled ripe! good to see its moving along again:thumbsup:

[WSSix]

New shop looks great!

[JayR]

Pretty funny looking back at your first post with you saying this isn't a pro-build. The scope and tech of this car eclipses many if not most pro-builds and you guys are an inspiration to everyone who has ever turned a wrench at home in the name of performance. My new favorite Project thread.

Subscribed.

[Karl Buchka]

nice job on the shop guys!! bet that sawdust smelled ripe! good to see its moving along again:thumbsup:

Thanks! Yeah, that sawdust was absolutely disgusting. The concrete was so slick and slimy that I almost broke my ass more than once. :lol:

New shop looks great!

Thanks!

Pretty funny looking back at your first post with you saying this isn't a pro-build. The scope and tech of this car eclipses many if not most pro-builds and you guys are an inspiration to everyone who has ever turned a wrench at home in the name of performance. My new favorite Project thread.

Subscribed.

I'm not sure what to say. Thank you! That really means a lot. We're doing the best with what we have and trying to have fun doing it. I'm glad other people are enjoying it as well! We'll try not to let anyone down. :cheers:

On to the evening's update!

Ran the (soon to be) trigger wheel through the CNC to carve out the mounting feet:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FLoGjlcje7g/UICQk0wX8kI/AAAAAAAAcrQ/iqbe7K3SPVI/s800/2012-10-19%252000.21.55.jpg

Hopefully the final result is becoming clearer. The trigger teeth will get cut out of the remaining solid ring. The step on the feet centers on the ID of the starter ring gear.

Weight so far (300 grams, ~10.5oz):
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZyUM49xah7k/UICQjCMM4RI/AAAAAAAAcrQ/eTZHs6kY3p0/s800/2012-10-19%252000.21.42.jpg

[muggz]

Love it! awesome workshop and intense machine work! :thumbsup:

[Karl Buchka]

Love it! awesome workshop and intense machine work! :thumbsup:

Thanks!

Got some more work on the trigger wheel today.

Hoisted the dividing head off the shelf and set to cutting the trigger pattern in the manual mill.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fsd1sN-87Zk/UIH5cmHHYFI/AAAAAAAAcrg/p3rGo_vIFCk/s800/IMG_0264.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZOG-N_Sebik/UIH5cuMDd9I/AAAAAAAAcrg/X-Lp0JgJ8Ns/s800/IMG_0263.JPG

Unfortunately, the above picture is about as far as we got before things went pear shaped. We fought a few different issues for a while, and when we finally made it to the last slot, it became apparent that the teeth were not evenly divided. I think the trigger wheel had been slipping imperceptibly, so by the time we got to the end, it was too late. Definitely a drag, but such is life. Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. Better than it was before. Better...stronger...faster.

[krptonite]

wow that sucks after all that machining! i think you underestimate yourselves in what you are acheiving here, this build goes way beyond what most guys are capable of including some "pro" shops,! all credit to you and keep up the good work , you are a great inspiration to us all when we are having a downer over whatever issue we have in our builds!:thumbsup:

[G-Body]

Wow Dude im a fan of hard work and that you have been at for sure,
Best of luck amazing work keep us posted!

[gogowrc]

Hello Karl.
I send you a private message.
best regards :thumbsup:

[daemon2]

Would it help to cut the teeth before dancing the feet?

Nice work btw

[Royalworks]

Anytime I see a post from this I am always hoping for a huge update. Love this build

[gogowrc]

great design and great details.
I love the perfection that is used in the pieces.
Here in Portugal there are only few people who do that well.
respects :thumbsup:

[krptonite]

update please, we need our fix!!

[Karl Buchka]

What's better than a B8444S?

Two B8444S's.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Gpe27JhQls/UN3otNSNwxI/AAAAAAAAcyU/occKsc2I2OQ/s800/photo.JPG

Block, crank, rods, and pistons look pretty good. Other than that, it's fairly wasted.

The failure mode was fairly obvious once we got the balance shaft out. Rear balance shaft bearing seized up and fell apart, leading to failure of the front balance shaft bearing. Once the shaft was unable to spin, the sprocket sheared off and the timing chain suffered... shall we say "spontaneous catastrophic disassembly". The chain cracked the oil pump housing and broke one of the tensioners. Also found some bent valves.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VLfcJOg560U/UN5Opy168mI/AAAAAAAAczs/SZ-59LfIVM0/s800/photo%25201.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qX77s0CvOno/UN5OqhPJj8I/AAAAAAAAczs/6jZ5ecTX0zY/s800/photo%25203.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VZJ9cj3X7G4/UN5O0aUIT-I/AAAAAAAAczs/7PD69Chv4dg/s800/photo%25201.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Fw4Q27PcA0Y/UN5O05LInNI/AAAAAAAAczs/Ob-vrb50KkU/s800/photo%25202.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mMNjwbJOyYE/UN5O1ScxRYI/AAAAAAAAczs/0N0RIamVfN4/s800/photo%25203.JPG

Haven't looked too closely at anything yet, but first impressions of the design are good. The castings look to be very high quality and the designers have clearly gone to some lengths in order to make a compact and light weight engine.

[Royalworks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSDtrCxpKKI

I hope your car sounds like this!!

[Karl Buchka]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSDtrCxpKKI

I hope your car sounds like this!!

Haha, I hope so too! Not sure how the exhaust will look yet, but I can't imagine it will have much in the way of mufflers.

My brother is out slogging with the pressure washer as we speak. Should have a nice assembled mock-up engine by the end of the day.

[Karl Buchka]

Decided to go Megasquirt on this build. My brother and I have done MS installs on previous projects and for a few friends, so we're pretty familiar with it. The one thing I've always hated about MS has been the ****ty connectors, the need for a lot of extra hardware, jumper wires, and board mods.

Decided to do something about it, and here's the result.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gjlqG7K59z0/UMAo7ievZbI/AAAAAAAAcso/_YaZGgARYzA/s1024/ems1.PNG

Designed a replacement main board. Takes an MS3 processor. Has hardware for 8 spark outputs, 8 injector outputs, four cam VVT, dual map sensors, six wheel speed inputs, real time clock, knock sensor interface, spots for two SLC DIY wideband drivers, on board CAN I/O expander with 16 analog inputs and 8 digital inputs, and waterproof automotive grade connectors. There's a bunch of other stuff in there as well. It's a long list.

[krptonite]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
you have got to be kidding me! are you sure you aren't a rocket scientist? lol, seriously, to be able to design and build that board is awesome, :thumbsup:

[Karl Buchka]

Haha, thanks. I won't offend rocket scientists by claiming this is on their level, but in my defense, embedded systems design is what I do for work when I'm not at school. :thumbsup:

[Karl Buchka]

Dropped the engine in the bay last night. It's within a few millimeters of the intended position. Looks like the cowl area is going to need some modifying to fit the intake manifold. Firewall will also come back a bit to make room for the coolant manifold that bolts to the back of the heads.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9utb-gphSz4/UODvwLlrkVI/AAAAAAAAc3o/q8nmBbISFKM/s1024/photo%25203.JPG

The front two cylinders line up with the front axle centerline. Not quite mid engine. :(

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4zuboIXyFho/UODvwuDEhkI/AAAAAAAAc3o/fcAMrle_0JQ/s1024/photo%25204.JPG

This pic shows how the exhaust ports are offset from the bores. The front one is especially bad. "Fixing" it would be a pretty ****ty task that neither of us is interested in doing. Hopefully we can get a head on a flow bench to see how it matches the other ports.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tmxEY68XDpI/UODvvY6vZsI/AAAAAAAAc3o/993jBv5H6e8/s1024/photo%25201.JPG

[WSSix]

Talk about engine set back! This is going to be cool as hell.

[Karl Buchka]

Talk about engine set back! This is going to be cool as hell.

Thanks!

After years of removing material, we finally added some.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yfStKmnFRFE/UOO5G1KDBbI/AAAAAAAAc4w/JL9zAGgKwD8/s1024/photo%25202.JPG

TIG welding, complete with a costume change.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9bkLFJnz2k4/UOO5HfA4SoI/AAAAAAAAc4w/RzAlE1-eHcw/s1024/photo%25203.JPG

Once they're welded up they'll support the front end structural tubes that run back to the safety cage.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WYeO8NV8v1c/UOO5HmZPW_I/AAAAAAAAc4w/E5rF4G-ohlg/s1024/photo%25204.JPG

[coolwelder62]

Thanks!

After years of removing material, we finally added some.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yfStKmnFRFE/UOO5G1KDBbI/AAAAAAAAc4w/JL9zAGgKwD8/s1024/photo%25202.JPG

TIG welding, complete with a costume change.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9bkLFJnz2k4/UOO5HfA4SoI/AAAAAAAAc4w/RzAlE1-eHcw/s1024/photo%25203.JPG

Once they're welded up they'll support the front end structural tubes that run back to the safety cage.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WYeO8NV8v1c/UOO5HmZPW_I/AAAAAAAAc4w/E5rF4G-ohlg/s1024/photo%25204.JPGVery cool build thread.Love the Jayhawk motorsports t shirt.I help w/KU SAE team all the time.:thumbsup:

[Karl Buchka]

Very cool build thread.Love the Jayhawk motorsports t shirt.I help w/KU SAE team all the time.:thumbsup:

Small world! We've got friends that are former and current members.

Got some new tubes in the car! These will ultimately support the upper control arm mounts and damper mounts:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I-hz5yLiGYA/UOTPvEwm_mI/AAAAAAAAc5g/Sjk9lW_3PlU/s800/photo%25201.JPG

[MoparCar]

This is one of the coolest and truly innovative builds on this site! Wow! Pro-Build quality all the way. Wow again!

I love the updates.

Wes

[bonecrrusher]

Had to go back quite a bit - nice unique Volvo motor you have there!

[Karl Buchka]

This is one of the coolest and truly innovative builds on this site! Wow! Pro-Build quality all the way. Wow again!

I love the updates.

Wes

Had to go back quite a bit - nice unique Volvo motor you have there!

Thank you for the kind words guys. It really means a lot!

I'm back in Sweden getting an early start to the semester. I'll be starting my bachelor's thesis in a couple of weeks. Really looking forward to it.

My brother decided to stay with the car for a little while longer and he just put the finishing touches on a killer upgrade for the TIG machine we picked up last year. He's done a little write-up with pics, so I'll just hand it over to him:

Bought a new torch for the TIG welder last summer but didn't had time to hook it all up until now. It's a water cooled WeldTec WT-20 with a 25ft hose setup.

Made up a ~4 gallon reservoir out of 0.63" 6061-T6 sheet:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lWeQYwHL-U8/UOzM_ESsgaI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/XSmv-64qwqw/s1024/2013-01-07%252014.30.14.jpg

Tacked up the tank. From front to back the fittings are for filling, suction from the bottom through the tube, and return from the torch.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CecmFOGQZy8/UOzM_Rl2wxI/AAAAAAAAC1U/Q1qPYSqHwbk/s1024/2013-01-07%252017.05.42.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8k0dQdcXB2M/UOzNC1_vN6I/AAAAAAAAC1o/CHuKRwY0eYQ/s1024/2013-01-07%252018.12.14.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QWePqkgFMts/UOzNEm_si7I/AAAAAAAAC1w/iXAtg-9PP4w/s1024/2013-01-07%252018.12.25.jpg

Pretty happy with the penetration:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JFpX6Fjdj74/UOzNLkxPXxI/AAAAAAAAC2I/dR3cl1cgRtU/s1024/2013-01-07%252018.15.06.jpg

Pump bracket:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9ECFf6gOU9c/UOzNFDnOZrI/AAAAAAAAC10/ipcvviD9SaU/s1024/2013-01-07%252018.13.28.jpg

Mounted up with the sight tube:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_eFQzR5xmjc/UOzNRbHmtYI/AAAAAAAAC2c/3NbBOiSggiU/s1024/2013-01-08%252012.40.44.jpg

In place and hooked up. The wiring was just temporary for testing.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6c6OMiYYbHo/UOzNSXITe4I/AAAAAAAAC2k/IluPmVY_9zM/s1024/2013-01-08%252018.13.24.jpg

Made up a ballistic nylon hose sheath and joined it to the handle with a piece of glue lined heat shrink.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3qGFkNxxA_4/UOzM_N1wZbI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/ofx3znTk-b8/s1024/2013-01-07%252014.30.03.jpg

Size comparison between the old busted down air cooled 26-series torch and the new one.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iex2HnBAyDw/UOzNSrTGxEI/AAAAAAAAC2o/RY1GpwU7sp0/s1024/2013-01-08%252018.55.18.jpg

All in all, really happy with the new setup. The reservoir is big enough that there shouldn't be any issues with temps. If it turns out that it needs a radiator it'll be easy to add one. Right now I have to plug the pump in manually when I want to run it but Karl is working on a pump controller that'll be the bees knees.

The pump itself was salvaged from an old industrial-type espresso maker. I believe the line pressure is set to about 50psi.

[Karl Buchka]

More tubes:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hPwzcUDh43w/UO-pQSiiySI/AAAAAAAAc74/ZZiMUAXGbQQ/s1024/2013-01-10%252023.00.48.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-v7ZvTN3n4hg/UO-pPgkGVjI/AAAAAAAAc7s/pAKqoxl5hJA/s1024/2013-01-10%252022.51.58.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ODPlvLVE9UI/UO-pPhuwz5I/AAAAAAAAc7w/kwZabOgYYuI/s1024/2013-01-10%252022.51.43.jpg

The tube that goes across the front of the windshield is bent and notched, just needs a little more trimming to fit in. The first 60' of DOM tube is now all used on the car. Probably going to need an extra 60'-80' to finish up the entire cage structure.

[Karl Buchka]

Mocked up one of the front wheels:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rpnrq_a_284/UPN3vUkLBQI/AAAAAAAAc_w/yZS0ktCXEjE/s1024/2013-01-12%252023.34.23.jpg

Alex measured the cams. Since it's a single point measurement on the lobe itself, the values are really only useful for a rough estimate of duration and lift. More conventional values for duration and things like acceleration profiles would require a better setup.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-poDzJJd-pFE/UPDScxZBDnI/AAAAAAAAc_M/B4tds-yak44/s1024/2013-01-11%252015.35.55.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4BO8CJs-F0o/UPN3yLZamhI/AAAAAAAAc_4/SIV_cbMepXk/s1024/lift%2520chart.PNG

[coolwelder62]

The cage fit up is lookin good.Love the body style and build.

[Royalworks]

Are you going to raise the wheel wells or are you just gonna run it like that?

[Karl Buchka]

The cage fit up is lookin good.Love the body style and build.

Thanks! I'm really happy with how the cage is coming together, especially considering neither my brother or I have ever built a cage before.

Are you going to raise the wheel wells or are you just gonna run it like that?

Do you mean the wheel arches?

[Royalworks]

LOL! Yes. The wheel arches. I put a lot of new wheel wells in cars. Gets stuck in the brain.

[Karl Buchka]

Haha, no problem.

The wheel arches are staying that way, at least that's the plan now. I think the tuck looks good.

[Ketzer]

Haha, no problem.

The wheel arches are staying that way, at least that's the plan now. I think the tuck looks good.

The tuck looks awesome... if you can get enough supension droop to get that back wheel off :unibrow:


Jeff-

[Karl Buchka]

The tuck looks awesome... if you can get enough supension droop to get that back wheel off :unibrow:


Jeff-

Heh, that's the crux of the situation. We'll have to see how it plays out. Thanks!

My brother started digging in to the steering rack. A rebuild kit is on order and he turned new stainless gland nuts that hold the central steel tube onto the aluminum ends. The old ones were pretty trashed. He also cut the old rack mounts off and turned the aluminum parts down to a uniform diameter in order to accept a new, more stable mounting solution:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nJeAOq14Ffw/UQB5zUbinaI/AAAAAAAAdAo/eiWIRoUJWLU/s1024/2013-01-22%252023.35.34.jpg

He also made a spanner wrench to aid in assembly:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vYLbvMaMDho/UQB59GtcfGI/AAAAAAAAdBE/bEzyvlgQbsM/s1024/2013-01-23%252023.38.44.jpg

[krptonite]

this build is off the hook!! so much creativity and engineering knowledge, this is truly a one off build:thumbsup:

[Royalworks]

You guys are nuts. Very amazing.

[lilcraigford]

I simply can not get enough of this thread! Updates don't come quick enough, haha. Not only do I love the departure from a traditional pro-touring platform, but the skill and talent I see in here is incredible... and thats an understatement! Truly unbelievable engineering and fabrication going into this Volvo. I'm looking forward to future progress!

[Karl Buchka]

this build is off the hook!! so much creativity and engineering knowledge, this is truly a one off build:thumbsup:

You guys are nuts. Very amazing.

I simply can not get enough of this thread! Updates don't come quick enough, haha. Not only do I love the departure from a traditional pro-touring platform, but the skill and talent I see in here is incredible... and thats an understatement! Truly unbelievable engineering and fabrication going into this Volvo. I'm looking forward to future progress!

Thank you so much for the kind words guys. It's always much appreciated.

Not much of an update today, but every little bit help. Trying to get closer on some of the bellhousing stuff.

Co-axial indicator and a hacked up XC90 trans, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the DRO.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vAcbZnwzUtI/URBa13knLsI/AAAAAAAAdBs/jsWajF7GRTQ/s800/IMG_0408.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

We drafted up a list of which gauges should be on the dash and the list was long. A dash display would be a welcome addition that would save weight, dash clutter, and wiring. Both my brother and I have always liked Stack products except for the price; $1500 for a base model and several hundred dollars for options makes it a hard sell for a couple of broke college students. Luckily we both value our time at zero so we decided to roll our own.

I'm doing all the electronics and Alex is taking care of the mechanicals. The entire assembly is now finished in Solidworks so he started by machining a couple of molds for the housing:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_LTVVfUGU_U/USayfHB7tbI/AAAAAAAAdDc/Il1dMd6TDhA/s1024/photo.JPG

This is the mold for the rear part of the housing after way too many hours of wet sanding, with many hours of sanding and polishing remaining. A sympathetic friend who also happens to be a magician with carbon is going to lay up the housing in pre-preg carbon fiber for maximum fake race car status.

The PCB is taking shape and I'm burning the midnight oil to finish up the layout. The white blob on top is the stepper motor to drive the tachometer needle and the big white box is the LCD.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sdF97oKeqjk/USbMnI3LDGI/AAAAAAAAdEA/3UgjqpCZx-I/s1024/dashpcb.PNG

It will be connected to the Megasquirt via CAN bus and will also support an AIM compatible serial data stream. It also has support for additional analog inputs.

[Bryce]

freaking awesome!

[dug]

Let me get this straight, you are MAKING your own gauges? simply bad ass. :thumbsup:

[Ron in SoCal]

Let me get this straight, you are MAKING your own gauges? simply bad ass. :thumbsup:

Yes it is!!! :thumbsup:

[19,69camaro]

I am simply blown away. Keep up the good work!

[Studio57]

holy fuc....k your building skills are amazing and your project... this will be Volvo that we dont see every day.:peepwall:

[krptonite]

and the bar gets raised again!! way to go boys

[Karl Buchka]

freaking awesome!

Let me get this straight, you are MAKING your own gauges? simply bad ass. :thumbsup:

Yes it is!!! :thumbsup:

I am simply blown away. Keep up the good work!

holy fuc....k your building skills are amazing and your project... this will be Volvo that we dont see every day.:peepwall:

and the bar gets raised again!! way to go boys

Thank you guys! Not sure if the idiocy should be encouraged, but we're learning a lot and having fun doing it.

I finished the board layout earlier today. Relatively speaking, this is Play Skool level stuff, but it's all part of the process. I've never routed anything with this component density before and it was a challenge to get everything on one side. Going with a double stacked layout (components on both sides) would have made the design phase much simpler, but with a significant cost increase (monetary and/or opportunity) in the manufacturing stage.

I compromised by going up to a four layer stackup, so I've got the top signal layer, two interior layers for power and ground, and the bottom signal layer. I've tried to take current paths and signal integrity in to account, but I also realize that this is a comically low frequency/precision system, so I've really prioritized just getting all the routes done .

Not worth posting any pics since it looks identical to the above, just with traces actually connecting all the components.

I need to hand etch a smaller dev board now so we can test some stepper motor drive code and backlighting strategies. Stay tuned for that.

[Karl Buchka]

Unfortunately the dash display project has been put on the back burner due to lack of moneyhats, but other aspects of the build are progressing.

Started working on the bellhousing today.

Started out with some strips of 5mm 6082-T6 plate.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x35Us5t9rmI/UXHSszt6dLI/AAAAAAAAdMo/koFdNkPkG9A/s800/IMG_0504.JPG

The sheet metal roller in the shop couldn't cope with material of that thickness, so we decided to curve it by bending it in sections in the press.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wWNgs6Jx5Fs/UXHStOP05PI/AAAAAAAAdMs/GSVMjcp87Yg/s800/IMG_0505.JPG

Alex tacked up the quarters after prepping the joints with some deep chamfers.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZntVtribT38/UXHSvMx9N5I/AAAAAAAAdM0/6GM7DF19N3U/s800/IMG_0509.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-t_tvVo12gZs/UXHSs4jJuyI/AAAAAAAAdMc/sWv6e41pxrU/s800/IMG_0508.JPG

The cone has a 230mm minor diameter, 275mm major diameter, and is 120mm tall.

Hoping to put some serious hours in this weekend, so stay tuned for more updates. :)

[Karl Buchka]

Bellhousing progress report.

Started by roughing out the engine and torque tube mounting plates on the large rotary table. The smaller of the two plates is nested inside the other so we could get the most out of the available material.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LmTEbZGnPds/UXMkOj9mZaI/AAAAAAAAdNQ/IRBEFr2IwrA/s1024/IMG_0513.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ChkApOq-DFQ/UXMkPc5F07I/AAAAAAAAdNg/PLJpIt75kPE/s1024/IMG_0515.JPG

Cleaned up the outside of the torque tube plate and turned a step into it to hold the tapered section:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mZqT4Sgruak/UXMlaCCoJ-I/AAAAAAAAdOo/okmCvC6bBn8/s1024/photo.JPG

The roughed-out and un-contoured engine side plate is ~400mm in diameter which is pushing the limits of what fits in the big lathe without removing the bed extension. Alex had to get a little creative with tooling (the spindle is turning in reverse):
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T8-X19j0fk4/UXMkXOZOY8I/AAAAAAAAdN4/SqFiwXNGtvY/s1024/IMG_0522.JPG

The rough machined plate had about 0.5mm of clearance to the ways.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g3GIcOqwrOQ/UXMkb1rtJFI/AAAAAAAAdOA/a1WkyK17KV0/s1024/IMG_0523.JPG

Got the plates all roughed out and tacked together on this quick jig. Not visible in the photo is the plate the starter will bolt to. Now we just have to do some minor finishing and after that it's time for welding. All the important surfaces and dimensions have been left generously oversized. This will make the bellhousing easy to machine to spec after the parts have gone crooked from welding.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-x2RgsOPrnx4/UXMkdNtiAhI/AAAAAAAAdOQ/UDLXLqz8rSs/s1024/IMG_0526.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

Lots of this today:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KXb-_JXcSaM/UXR0LeIWD8I/AAAAAAAAdPU/U6At5nk-Mj8/s1024/IMG_0528.JPG

Reclaiming all the surfaces that warped during welding:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n4kw-lhCYFk/UXR0LpWUYyI/AAAAAAAAdPc/ioIkoT3_U_M/s1024/IMG_0530.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AD_9mODbCgg/UXR0LYlMjnI/AAAAAAAAdPY/LUUY6aeju_g/s1024/IMG_0532.JPG

Now it looks like an igloo:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B9MxIeYnJ-E/UXR0PpBokiI/AAAAAAAAdPk/QEpl9Mwv41I/s1024/IMG_0533.JPG

Next up is to bring the total thickness down to finished size, machine out a hole to clear the hydraulic throwout bearing, mill some pockets for the starter, and drill/ream some hole patterns.

[krptonite]

just freakin awesome, guys!!!

[SBDave]

Sweet! I really appreciate you guys documenting all this. Let those chips fly!
Dave

[Karl Buchka]

Thanks guys! Glad you're enjoying it.

Alex finished all the turning ops today.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2jMHm1fDTfY/UXcgRCHNMnI/AAAAAAAAdP4/oOVzJ2AIzC4/s800/IMG_0539.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

Torque tube bolt pattern drilled and tapped for M10x1.5 helicoils. Alex also drilled and reamed the dowel pin holes that align the torque tube.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IwwYIOrUXPM/UXhqYUhUAMI/AAAAAAAAdQM/PgJFg3q5Zqk/s800/IMG_0543.JPG

The hole for the starter has also been opened up.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s8bENJtEI1Q/UXhqYHIy15I/AAAAAAAAdQQ/9Z28ZmoQuOI/s800/IMG_0545.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

Machined a hole in the tapered sheet so the starter gear has room to engage.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CqvSV3D2zYQ/UXnApGc7ztI/AAAAAAAAdRA/32RzQHSmNuM/s1024/IMG_0549.JPG

Then we milled some clearance slots for the feed and bleed connections on the slave cylinder.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--j1f1TSFxhc/UXnAooe-OAI/AAAAAAAAdQ8/ukTW9geT-_k/s1024/IMG_0550.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FWK0pXE7Itg/UXnAmXALpbI/AAAAAAAAdQ0/RUdjnf_bxZk/s1024/IMG_0552.JPG

Apart from a few minutes of deburring the bellhousing is pretty much done for now. The hole pattern on the engine block and mounting holes for the starter will both be transfer punched when we get back to the states in a few weeks.

[Karl Buchka]

Trigger wheel, take two.

Old and busted on the left, new hotness on the right. Going in the CNC tomorrow.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f6ByVsBu-bI/UYBNLZJ4P0I/AAAAAAAAdTc/pb5wIvNcLxo/s800/photo%25202.JPG

[coolwelder62]

Totally Awesome Machine work.

[Karl Buchka]

Totally Awesome Machine work.

Thanks!

Here's the latest on the trigger wheel. The fixture and programming for machining the mounting tabs was re-used since last time so the entire thing went pretty quickly. Also drilled and tapped the ring gear to check the fit. The trigger wheel has six countersunk M4x0.8 cap screws that will get loctited and staked to hold them in securely.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wg50pnD3mb0/UYGLOqzsD8I/AAAAAAAAdT4/EOtO-vidJeM/s1024/IMG_7722.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

Alex machined a 60-0 trigger pattern in the wheel earlier tonight.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B4_pf_gaj8k/UYLwJ9NObuI/AAAAAAAAdVE/gaqxMqE6GzI/s800/IMG_0574.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3WS2pDfYoJs/UYLvObZUdBI/AAAAAAAAdU4/qoSqs8RB76I/s800/IMG_0577.JPG

Anyone have a thermal deburring machine handy? :bang:

[FETorino]

:wow: That is some impressive work :hail:

[Karl Buchka]

:wow: That is some impressive work :hail:

Thanks! :thumbsup:

Alex came back to the states last week, so he's started putting in some work on the car. Here's his update, along with some photos he snapped:

Together with the steering rack rebuild kit I ordered back in January and the new gland nuts and spanner wrench I made up the rack was ready to go back together. Assembly was relatively straightforward and the ~$180 savings over buying a re-man rack was money well saved.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nMK7EIlMfHw/UZ1FG6gVCWI/AAAAAAAAdak/v6s89RJ8WbQ/s1024/photo%25203.JPG

I just taped over all the oil and breather holes since the updated steering rack mounts I've designed will need new hydraulic lines. That's a project for later though.

Here is one of the new gland nuts in action. Really made assembly a breeze, much more convenient than the old castellated nuts:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Wy5W9-WqawM/UZ1FHLQnnvI/AAAAAAAAdak/yXXq6zBMEm0/s1024/photo%25204.JPG


Test fitted the bellhousing on the torque tube. Looks like the hole pattern was absolutely spot on, it snapped right onto the dowel pins:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Uxvd-Op9fEA/UZ1FGUUeoVI/AAAAAAAAdak/FhPSS80-gD8/s1024/photo%25201.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HeIgT-lxRQg/UZ1FGo-mNTI/AAAAAAAAdak/zDZP6-4lV6c/s1024/photo%25202.JPG

Time to transfer the bolt pattern on the engine to the bellhousing. I started by removing the hollow dowels on the mockup engine block and replacing them with some brass bushings I turned earlier:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ChvtftqnY3E/UZ1FHVMd46I/AAAAAAAAdak/2KG5hHOk72g/s1024/photo%25205.JPG

The reamed hole in the bushing accepts a length of drill rod that I turned to a point. That way I could center the bellhousing on the crank and tap the punch from behind to get the proper hole positions:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0CmWSaWtWmQ/UZ1FPZJ1ZXI/AAAAAAAAdak/ayNpaiejREA/s1024/photo%25201.JPG

Centering the bellhousing was really easy with this plate I made up. The ID fits snugly over the crank snout and the OD goes inside the bellhousing

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ayf7aJnHgos/UZ1FPn9t_II/AAAAAAAAdak/7kj0Dr3e9Jw/s1024/photo%25202.JPG

I snapped the bellhousing onto the centering plate and rotated it to the correct orientation using a protractor and a spirit level, then I transfer punched the dowel positions:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PXe1zha8BZA/UZ1DqhbaI4I/AAAAAAAAdY8/6Igaz7rCBTk/s1024/photo%25201.JPG

That's as far as I got today. I don't have a 16mm reamer, a matching drill bit, or a drill chuck big enough to use either so I decided to drop the bellhousing off with a local guy named Keith Fenner, the owner and operator of Turn Wright Machine Works, to have the drilling and reaming done.

If anyone is at all interested in any kind of machining, welding, brazing, or general shop practices I can highly recommend Keith's youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/KEF791

He is truly a talented machinist and his videos are some of the best out there.

[shok]

Pretty instructional post :thumbsup:
I also subscribed to that youtube channel.

[Bowtieracing]

Any F1 team would hire you in a second for R&D ! Awsome work!!

[sonu]

Any update?

[Karl Buchka]

Any update?

There has definitely been some progress, but we would like to get it to a certain point before making an update.

We’ve also been working on some other projects that have been taking time away from this car.

A good friend of ours asked us to help him do a set of individual throttle bodies for his ‘73 Volvo 142. It’s powered by a 2 liter pushrod inline 4 called the B20 (no, not that B20 :P).

Here's one of the initial mock up photos. The throttle bodies have been stripped down and moved apart to check the stack-up and alignment.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-AE1zmmkXc9U/UVjAu3CZ9oI/AAAAAAAAdHo/1mbMCexPY_0/s800/IMG_0449.JPG

When we had figured out what spacing we needed on the throttle bodies, Alex turned new spacers and extended the long bolt on the top side. I fabricated a new brace for the bottom of the throttles.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cahjbwzObkc/UVjAuthDhyI/AAAAAAAAdHk/jxShtLBnlE4/s800/IMG_0456.JPG

Alex fixtured the cast manifold in the mill and machined the mounting surfaces flat and parallel. They turned out to be anything but because he needed to take over 5mm off the head side to get a surface that was even close to being parallel.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x0254kQShjE/UVjA0kZq19I/AAAAAAAAdIA/kblA1yKZKCY/s800/IMG_0474.JPG

Welding the throttle barrels to the Weber flange. In this photo you can also glimpse the step that was turned in to the mouth of the throttle body. The custom made velocity stacks slip in there and get locked down with a small grub screw. Changing to either a plenum, filters, or different length velocity stacks only takes a few minutes.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fQILxheHXnc/UVjAyT4eBBI/AAAAAAAAdHw/LCFmBgTdVw4/s800/IMG_0472.JPG

A small part of the weld bead had to be milled off to make clearance for the bolt heads. It's a pretty tight fit.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-i9YjEtD92VQ/UVjAz46O89I/AAAAAAAAdH4/0KBwdtnQrVQ/s800/IMG_0475.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W7Q-xkeMp4o/UVjA5AxKp4I/AAAAAAAAdII/otbk7WsQWhk/s800/IMG_0478.JPG

Turned the fuel rail ends between centers to prepare for welding.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GmEDOJOqTHw/UVjAPsLkvLI/AAAAAAAAdHI/FMIsv1tuG84/s800/photo%25202.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ktLxUhT6xA8/UVjARJKL7EI/AAAAAAAAdHM/5VxccE64FO4/s800/photo%25203.JPG

Boring out the injector holes.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hjnky1CP8u4/UVjA6qvzlfI/AAAAAAAAdIQ/tRJzIJIsi1Y/s800/IMG_0481.JPG

Progress shot.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-A4MDrCPpWnE/UVjBAvxONJI/AAAAAAAAdIs/1YL4wooGNKg/s800/IMG_0488.JPG

The fuel rail needed to have a small notch milled out to clear the bolt head.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pefIi82m95c/UVonPpFUVbI/AAAAAAAAdJw/b8yElgtRIc8/s800/IMG_0493.JPG

We extended the linkage brackets by simply welding on longer tabs to fill the gaps we created earlier.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mwlRO-qMNis/UVonPyJ6aGI/AAAAAAAAdKA/XfGqawJ1qc0/s800/IMG_0491.JPG

At this point the manifold was nearing completion, so we decided to add some "flair" to the fuel rail.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9YqbEPchZXc/UWXjEPR47lI/AAAAAAAAdLM/Xp1SlFcHHAg/s800/IMG_7710.png

Here's a quick shot I took of the fully assembled and completed manifold. The casting got another round in the mill to clean up a few mounting surfaces and to get rid of whatever ****ty company name was cast in to the thing.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jQ0cNHcOjL0/UWXjBKX-xHI/AAAAAAAAdLE/oNvONKTeVkc/s800/IMG_0500.JPG

This is getting shipped out shortly, where he'll be able the finish work like re-plating the linkage brackets, port matching, and general prettying up.

[lilcraigford]

You guys are just too much!

[sonu]

Wow, nice job. Looks awesome!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jQ0cNHcOjL0/UWXjBKX-xHI/AAAAAAAAdLE/oNvONKTeVkc/s800/IMG_0500.JPG

[Twoblackmarks...]

This is going to be great looking car! It already is, even in parts ;)

It is like you are making a homemade (professionaly homemade), modern Group A car :)

[Twoblackmarks...]

I just must add a couple pics, is this your inspiration for the car?

[coolwelder62]

Just Amazing.

[MSTSFabbed]

F1 in Volvos clothing...

I'm continually amazed!! Keep at it y'all!

[krptonite]

awesome work as usual!!!

[SBDave]

Thanks for sharing, very cool stuff!
Dave

[MSTSFabbed]

Whats the latest from the mad engineering brothers?

My guesses:
a) You built a space ship in your "free time" and have just been having too much fun in 0g
b) You accidentally created a time machine while working on a modification for a car or shop equipment and haven't figure out how to get back to this century :goggles:

:hello:

[67goatman455]

Talented doesn't even begin to cover both of your ability's, i hope you guys realize how good you are!

[Karl Buchka]

I keep forgetting to update this thread. Sorry guys. :underchair:

Whats the latest from the mad engineering brothers?

My guesses:
a) You built a space ship in your "free time" and have just been having too much fun in 0g
b) You accidentally created a time machine while working on a modification for a car or shop equipment and haven't figure out how to get back to this century :goggles:

:hello:

Option A is actually somewhat ironic. Alex currently spends his days building actual space ships at SpaceX in Los Angeles. I'm going out there for an internship this summer as well.

Talented doesn't even begin to cover both of your ability's, i hope you guys realize how good you are!

Thank you!

We haven't made a ton of progress lately, as Alex has been in LA and I spent about 8 months in Boston building killer robots at Boston Dynamics/Google.

During that time we also decided we wanted a simpler project that could actually be driven before this century is over, so that took up most of the latter half of 2013. It's still a Volvo 240 (big surprise, right?), but more quick and dirty than anything else.

'83 242DL. Two doors, skinny bumpers, 5-panel tailights, no sunroof, and the older style front end sheetmetal make this the best 240 to have. This is a roller we've had sitting around for a while that finally got an engine.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DN5-79GjgrA/UdJ8V4_q4qI/AAAAAAAAfBg/JgQEL8n_IDg/s800/photo%25202.JPG

The longblock is pretty straight forward. It's basically a freshened up DOHC "redblock" out of a 1990 740GLE with h-beam rods and upgraded valve springs.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Pkld3x_-Vyk/UiUaZ5xMPCI/AAAAAAAAeGY/7zTkeG5fGfY/s800/photo%25204.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_D65sDrV43M/UcPek8xQZRI/AAAAAAAAdmY/xSDaypR4ubA/s800/photo%25201.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PXn9qy6-aGM/UjUlFeXYjiI/AAAAAAAAeMc/0vNxWMLs2XU/s800/IMG_0906.JPG

Shortened intake manifold, 800cc injectors, 3" throttle body from a Volvo 960.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eTEmt5wNeZ0/Ueh63mw2dDI/AAAAAAAAdyQ/RyqviXAu6og/s800/photo.JPG

Flywheel got some love in the CNC in the form of a 60-2 trigger pattern.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FCCPMRJARU0/UfKaLRaFq7I/AAAAAAAAd1o/kpD8wFIP1Pw/s800/photo%25201.JPG

The turbo is a Holset HX35 out of some 6L Cummins something or other.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aqamsM9Zt60/UjUlMMQJKNI/AAAAAAAAeNQ/w2xyvS00ovE/s800/IMG_0948.JPG

Transmission is a T5 World Class.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zjWBJUrNGFg/Uhqt845Y9QI/AAAAAAAAeDg/-MR9K8BF5bA/s800/photo%25204.JPG

Rattle-canned the engine bay.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1QAaNEdSMYM/Uhqt9bKNGrI/AAAAAAAAeEc/D4FC8LBXyxg/s800/photo%25205.JPG

3" aluminum charge pipes with a home made blow off valve built from repurposed single barrel Stromberg float bowl covers.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8jT2k_f_Ls0/UkDfpkvnckI/AAAAAAAAeTw/k78Yney-dyM/s800/photo%25202.JPG

4" downpipe to a 3" side exit.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-99yy-Asu-4E/UlrfhO5DtFI/AAAAAAAAec4/jrS7k25bCCE/s800/photo.JPG

A VEMS ECU does the engine management.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1zRs7lGAaAk/Ums6_eBTomI/AAAAAAAAekI/8xr20znb_Js/s800/photo.JPG

[Karl Buchka]

I probably spent the most time on the harness. It's mostly Teflon coated 20AWG wire with Raychem DR25 heatshrink over all the wire bundles. Every split and termination is covered with heatshrink boots and glued using high shear epoxy.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PmJ0r90jGzY/UnHE1DaHZSI/AAAAAAAAens/F7AqrkE8Xlw/s800/photo.JPG

The terminations are labeled using printed heat shrink.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5uYXvsroIlg/Umx-Ret3ziI/AAAAAAAAekw/Fv5K9HZtLfk/s800/photo%25201.JPG

The harness comes through the firewall with a 32 pin MIL-DTL-26482-II bayonet lug connector.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-982on5xp6s8/UqPVibdDiHI/AAAAAAAAe-M/-B4YR8xSOUE/s800/photo%25201.JPG

Here's everything in place. There's also a baffled catch can on the left that we built.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hPiOqoi_zbs/Upt4DIOdWsI/AAAAAAAAe7s/QlQaNKkdN3A/s800/photo.JPG

The car also got a different headlight/turn signal/grill/hood combo off an early 70s 240 and some new wheels on custom spacers.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zriygTYMbE0/Usji4zeXq7I/AAAAAAAAfK8/mQbuXUIWzs8/s800/photo.JPG

By christmas 2013 it was even running and driving.

qjB5u8nCMlU

eWgE6ofuEXk

It still needs quite a bit of tuning, especially in higher boost. In its current state it should be able to make about 400hp reliably.

[Karl Buchka]

Anyway, on to the actual update!

Finally scraped a set of dampers together. I think the grand total for these four has been about $400 shipped. Double adjustable Öhlins reservoir deals.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-igT5Fgkwonk/Uq6OUG-AdtI/AAAAAAAAfCM/XntrqEt8XBc/s800/photo%25201.JPG

Alex made a nice write-up about the chassis progress, so I'll hand over to him:



Assembled the starter and mounted it to the bellhousing with the correct lash:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2vomvlk2x5w/Usujvv76R4I/AAAAAAAAfN8/zyKhsBLfi8I/s1024/photo%25201.JPG

Lately both Karl and I have become disenchanted with the idea of keeping the stock "frame rails" on the car and patching up the half cut-out floor. Mostly because it will be more or less impossible to quantify the chassis stiffness until the frame is completely done and can be tested. Also, the more I looked at the cruddy floor pan and firewall sections, the more I saw nothing but a piss-poor compromise that wasn't going to work well or look good.

I drafted up a proof of concept for a tube chassis, re-using most of the existing cage tubes until I was reasonably happy with load paths, triangulation, room for the driveline and driver/passenger.

The floor of the chassis is all straight mitered 2x2x0.065" and 2x3x0.083" ERW to make fixturing easy. The "drivers cell" is 1.75x0.095" DOM and the rest of the chassis is a mix of 1.5x0.065" DOM, 1x0.049" DOM, and .75x.75x0.065" square.

I'm going to break my own personal rule of not posting CAD screenshots. Here's one of the draft quality versions that started homing in on the final layout:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9-2OzhGAYUM/Usui5_iwV7I/AAAAAAAAfNc/5MebIuPHAPk/s1024/a0001_aa_242_fake_race_car6.JPG

Making a stiff enough chassis that's also light is a bit of a brain buster, especially when you have to work around silly nuisances like an engine, transmission, and people.

I ran a really simple first cut beam analysis in Solidworks so I could iterate fast and get a rough idea of the stiffness:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mc5h6CZIbkk/Usuil2htc6I/AAAAAAAAfNU/KE4wp3e35H8/s1024/fem%2520screenshot.png

These results gave us enough confidence to start building the chassis. At the same time, I'm now working on a much more comprehensive analysis model in different software that doesn't suck.

Chopping up some tube and laying it out:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R8J98iQMAZg/Usm9uQKdsTI/AAAAAAAAfMo/oEN-kQE8_HY/s1024/photo%25201.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kpR2rWeRqdA/Usm9vg7GOrI/AAAAAAAAfMo/mkJZ0GtqOP8/s1024/photo%25203.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-G2TND9hOKgE/Usm9wHdkR6I/AAAAAAAAfMo/XfSbi10gckY/s1024/photo%25204.JPG

Both halves tack welded and roughly positioned:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-W_MCYfV6Glw/Uspz6fZQYKI/AAAAAAAAfMo/K6V75wwldLs/s1024/photo%25202.JPG

Dropped the body and driveline on the table just to see how it would look:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vLyEuZbRQuU/UsuhOEtY42I/AAAAAAAAfNg/Z8RyYBL18pA/s1024/photo.JPG



So that's where we're currently at. Sorry for the slow progress. **** happens I guess. :whenitsdone:

[MSTSFabbed]

Option A is actually somewhat ironic. Alex currently spends his days building actual space ships at SpaceX in Los Angeles. I'm going out there for an internship this summer as well.


You have got to be kidding me... That is freaking awesome!

So this is what rocket scientists do for fun. Interesting.
I love yall, but you make me feel a little insecure as an engineer haha!

Thanks for sharing and keep us posted on your craziness as you can, its a hoot to watch! :trophy-1302: :trophy-1302:

[frojoe]

As a fellow enginerd (I'm mech.. you?) it's great to see 1) such awesome attention to detail, and 2) such insane fabrication skill, backed up by legit computer calcs. Not enough engineers out there getting their hands dirty, be it for work or for play.

Again.. keep up the impressive work and updates.

[Bowtieracing]

You guys are the Chuck Norris in fabrication times two!

[groovyjay]

This is EPIC! :king:

[Karl Buchka]

You have got to be kidding me... That is freaking awesome!

So this is what rocket scientists do for fun. Interesting.
I love yall, but you make me feel a little insecure as an engineer haha!

Thanks for sharing and keep us posted on your craziness as you can, its a hoot to watch!

As a fellow enginerd (I'm mech.. you?) it's great to see 1) such awesome attention to detail, and 2) such insane fabrication skill, backed up by legit computer calcs. Not enough engineers out there getting their hands dirty, be it for work or for play.

Again.. keep up the impressive work and updates.

You guys are the Chuck Norris in fabrication times two!

This is EPIC!

Thanks guys! I'll do my best to keep you updated.

frojoe, Alex is a mech-e and I'm an EE.

[classic_volvo]

WOW...I'm impressed....no limits....you really are skilled !!! :-)

[Nonhog]

Crazy (in a good way!) Very entertaining. My V8 Volvo build is super boring compared to this. :rolleyes:

Do you have more info on your rack rebuild (TurboBricks maybe?)