Hello there Volvo fanatics,

My name is Casper, 26 years old from the Netherlands. Since about a year I also got the Volvo virus and got myself a Volvo 245 of 1984. I have to say, it feels really good to be part of the Volvo brick community. I get a lot of positive responses when driving around :)

As the title suggests, I am planning on swapping in a S80 T6 engine (easier said than done). I am very new to the world of engine swapping and I am here to learn from you folks who can help me fill in some blanks I have and share some useful information. Although it is all new for me, I am very driven to make this work and have a lot of colleagues with generic knowledge but not Volvo specific. I have done a lot of research the past couple of days and want to share my plan with you. Please let me know if I forget something major and let me know if you have any answers, tips or other ideas which could help me in this project.

First about the car. It currently has the B21A engine, so the carburetor version and the previous owner switched the M45 transmission for an M47 transmission. A few months ago, I upgraded the suspension and wheels. I now have B4 Bilstein shocks, Lesjefors springs, new bushings, new wheels (SSW S013 Trex) and Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Because I know you guys will love to see a picture as well, here you go:


I can get my hands on a 2.9 T6 from the S80 from January 2002 and a 2.5 24V from a 960 including the M90 transmission from August 1996. As you can expect, I want to merge the S80 block with the M90 which should be a bolt-on job since the M90 also came from a whiteblock. Because the trans is from a '96 model, it is probably the M90H version and not yet the by Volvo upgraded M90H2 or M90L2 version. For now this is fine, maybe I will switch to the upgraded version when wanting to exceed the 300 hp over time. For now, my goal is to not make things more complicated then it needs to be and just get the engine and transmission working in the car.


What has to be done to make the engine work

• Fabricate or buy the two lower engine mounts, use the upper engine mounts from the 960. Lower engine mounts for 240 T6 swaps are sold by retroturbo Retro Turbo: Volvo Motorsport UK | Volvo 240 242 Series, Solid Engine Mounts for 5/6 cyl ?whiteblocks? T5 T6
• I read that whiteblocks are normally mounted 11 degrees to the right side of the car. Is this important to take into account when mounting the S80 engine? Does it has to be tilted within a certain range?
• I will use the 960 oil pan, This oil pan is less deep than the current oil pan of the S80 so I guess I therefore cannot use the S80 oil pickup and dipstick. Can this problem be solved by simply angle grinding a bit of the oil pickup and shortening the dip stick to make these work?
• Can I use my power steering rack or do I need to go back to man power?
• The steel pipe of the cooling system will probably not fit. I have no idea yet how to make this fit and what to take into account
• Based on what I have read, the intake manifold should fit the engine bay and engine mounts however the throttle body probably has to be rerouted. I have not yet looked into solutions for this. For the people who have done this, how can you recommend to reroute this?
• Because the turbo's are mounted low at the right side of the block, these will foul with either the engine mounts or the engine bay itself, therefore the exhaust manifold of at least one of the turbo's has to be rerouted.
• And now my biggest concern: the ECU. Because the S80 is originally equipped with a CANBUS system, we cannot just add a piggyback ECU to fire this engine up. So I think going for a standalone ECU is the only option (please let me know if there are other options). I read that some people use KMS, VEMS, KDFI, Haltech or MaxxECU. I just need the ECU to run the car and use its power but it does not have to be a top of the notch super race ECU. Is there a certain ECU you guys can recommend for my setup? When I get the ECU and connect all wires to all sensors, can I then start the car with a base map or does the car have to go to a tuner to get it fired up and tuned? Is it also possible to start the engine with the ECU when it is not yet mounted in the car?

What has to be done to make the transmission work?

• M90 transmission shift linkage needs to be shortened (is this literally as easy as angle grinding the shift linkage in the middle, delete a few cm's and welding it back together?)
• Driveshaft needs to be lengthened bij 50 mm (Can this only be done by a manufacturing company or are there other options like using a driveshaft from another car, combining two drive shafts to one or shimming the driveshaft to make it fit like this one: Retro Turbo: Volvo Motorsport UK | Volvo 240 Series, M90 Box to M47 Driveshaft Conversion Adapter Link?)
• Switch to a hydraulic clutch (can I use the one of the 960 for this? Is there something specific I need to take into account?)
• Fabricate or buy a lower transmission mount like this one: https://lucacarmods.com/en/shop/engi...ear-box-mount/
• I read somewhere that I need to change my rear differential to a differential built after 1986 because the M90 does not have a cable for the speedometer and the differentials after 1986 use the electronic speedometer. Can someone confirm this?
• Can I use the dog-dish flywheel of my M47 in combination with the standard cluth and pressure plate from the 2.5 24V 960? I read multiple people switching from the heavy dual mass flywheel to the dog dish flywheel. Are these two flywheels interchangeable or do I need to take anything else into account?

I am sure this project will take a lot of time and effort and that there are easier ways to get more power in this car, but I have the time and I am keen to learn on the job and looking forward to this big challenge! I hope you guys can support me with the questions I have and I will keep you guys posted with my progress and pictures along the way!

Cheers!
Casper

 

Anything is possible but I've never seen this transplant in the US. I doubt that the 6 cyl would fit in the 240 engine bay. Even the B230 needs a front mounted distributor to fit. Putting usually a Ford V8 is what they do here, seems to be the preferred swap, more compact, easier to fit in, better reliability and power.

 

Thanks Lev! It would indeed not be a straight fit indeed. The throttle body and exhaust manifold have to be adapted to fit the engine bay. What engine code of the Ford V8 do you recommend for this swap, as in, easiest to swap in and get to start running. If I will be going the T6 route, I have found that MaxxECU has a T6 basemap and engine harness (MaxxECU). That would be really helpful. Is there anybody with experience using this harness/ECU?

If you guys have any other suggestions, please let me know