5k: Repeat Offender: 1992 Volvo 240 B230FT Swap
Another day, another boxy blue Volvo sedan on the pages of Daily Turismo, except this one we’ve featured before. But the reasons for posting it then are still valid today — this car represents the best money spent on a car…the other guy’s. Find this 1992 Volvo 240 B230FT Swap
currently bidding for $1,702 on ebay located in Houston, TX with 6 days to go.
The last time this car was featured on turbobricks forums it was purchased by a member named jaxwithanax and it moved to Texas. That was a little more than 1 year ago, and now Jaxwithanx on ebay is looking to sell it with a no reserve ebay auction — although the questions/answers section shows he is willing to take an offer and mentions $5k for clean/stock examples… It’ll be interesting to see if it bidding gets near the $6k range (that is asking price, actual sale was probably less) by the end of the auction.
This car isn’t just a boxy blue beauty queen, it also has major mechanical upgrades to go along with the cosmetic,
like the B230FT turbocharged 2.3L engine from a later 940. Stock, this
would have put out about 165 hp but they can easily be tweaked past the
200 hp mark with minor fueling and boost modifications. This one has
been cranked up to 14 psi with what is likely the stock turbo.
See a nicer completely rebuilt smurf blue family box? tips@dailyturismo.com
I really wish this car was closer to CA and that he had kept the wheels of the previous owner
The disjointedness that follows is about 5 minutes of unfiltered thoughts spread across 5 hours of work, written as I had spare time. I apologize in advance.
I wish-wish-wish this was a 245.
A few minor details in the engine bay – has the head-mounted bypass valve indicative of this car at one point having a Garrett T3 on it. It's disconnected from vac, the compressor-housing mounted CBV of the Mitsu (late TD04-13c, also of note it has the more desirable – and crack prone @ the collector – "round" quasi-tubular exhaust manifold) that's currently on there is performing the bypass valving. It can itself be bypassed with a block-off plate, and the external valve can be used… but I'm not sure why it's on there in the pics. Next owner should figure it out, either run the TD04's CBV and get the correct hot-side intercooler piping / AMM-to-turbo hose or use the external T3 bypass valve w/a block off plate. No need to have 2x cbv's on there… that's asking for boost leaks.
It's missing an airbox / air filter. No biggie, probably just for the pics, but in case it doesn't have one I wouldn't run it for… well any period of time like that. There are screens on the AMM but they aren't going to keep the dust off of the AMM or out of the compressor.
Not sure what's up with the strut towers… where the nuts went, and if those slots are a factory thing… looks like a lot of attention was paid to the suspension so I wouldn't worry about that little detail.
Injectors look like brown tops (35#/hr) and it looks like a stock-type FPR (those can be had up to 3bar maybe beyond?), so fueling won't be an issue with that little baby turbo. Go up to a 16g, I'd get an RRFPR and a Walbro. Bigger than that (18g+) I'd go megasquirt and bigger rods.
Overall, there was quite obviously a load of solid work put into this car. Looks like they took the conservative, stock-ish approach with the engine which with the non-squirter, skinny rod block and tiny turbo is a good thing. Just get the CBV situation figured out, throw an airbox on there or a heat-shielded cone and enjoy the other guy's investment for the next 100k or so.
The slots in the strut towers are indeed standard. I'm thinking the underhood shot shown in this auction (same as the previous sale pic) was taken during the build before little details like the strut plate nuts and air filter were reinstalled. That little guy? Don't worry about that little guy.