1967 Volvo p1800s engine swap

[AlexTatar]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on changing the engine in my 1967 volvo p1800s; I love this car but its so uneconomical and powerless! (And not the most reliable engine or the cheapest for parts!)
I don't want an engine that is going to cause major changes to the car; I don't mind moving things around in the engine bay but I don't want to cut into the chassis/body work, also the engine needs to be slim enough not to hit against the steering column!
With this in mind I've been looking at modern 4 cylinder 1.8L engines, with around 160 - 220 hp. I can't put a monster amount of power into it with out having to make major changes to the drive shafts, rear axle and brakes. From what I've researched, other owners have managed unto 250hp on the original axle, but i think 200hp is an ample amount of power in such a light weight car.

I've looked into using a Vw/Audi 1.8t engine, which ticks all the boxes however the a3/golf engine is set transverse, and the a4 is set longitudinal but with a FWD gearbox. They do a AWD gearbox, but it would be much easier to fit a RWD gearbox which I don't think there are any for the 1.8t.

SO... do any of you have suggestions for what engines could be used?

Thanks in advance - Alex

[TheEnd]

BMW M52 328i engine is an easy one for swapping.

[stevieturbo]

Keep it simple.

Just look at what Caterhams, Westfields, MK2 Escorts etc are doing.

Whether the likes of a Zetec, Mazda MX5, Vauxhall engine etc. All tried and tested n/a rwd platforms, so sourcing parts will be easy.

If you're into something with a little more rpm's Honda S2000 running gear.

Or if you wanted to keep the Volvo marque, whilst there were many Volvo turbos, 8v and 16v, not sure if there was a 4cyl 16v n/a engine ?
Either way, if there isnt I'm sure the turbo version could be rebuilt n/a and make decent power if the budget permits

Yep, there is one

http://people.physics.anu.edu.au/~amh110/16V_Folde...

Edited by stevieturbo on Sunday 12th July 21:18

[AlexTatar]

Yes exactly, I'm looking at other rear wheel drive cars so then the setup will be a lot easier.

I like the idea of the honda s2000 powering the volvo, been looking around on ebay and can't really find any engines or gearboxes available and I haven't got the room to break an s2000 down at home, the neighbours wouldn't be happy! Honda Civic 2L vtec engines are quite available, maybe it would couple up to an s2000 gear box?

However I did find a Mercedes CLK engine, a 2.3L supercharged and rear wheel drive gearbox for not too much money, not too bothered about it being N/a, if its supercharged that leaves room for extra tuning!

[stevieturbo]

AlexTatar said:

Yes exactly, I'm looking at other rear wheel drive cars so then the setup will be a lot easier.

I like the idea of the honda s2000 powering the volvo, been looking around on ebay and can't really find any engines or gearboxes available and I haven't got the room to break an s2000 down at home, the neighbours wouldn't be happy! Honda Civic 2L vtec engines are quite available, maybe it would couple up to an s2000 gear box?

However I did find a Mercedes CLK engine, a 2.3L supercharged and rear wheel drive gearbox for not too much money, not too bothered about it being N/a, if its supercharged that leaves room for extra tuning!

If you're open to turbo, then that gives more options.

Does the Merc have a manual or auto box though ?

Nissan 200sx is an obvious rwd platform and perhaps more plentiful than the Honda.

But I wouldnt go buying separate engines and boxes unless as a last resort. Keep things simple and buy all parts from a single vehicle. It will make the conversion easier and it will make replacement parts much easier.

TBH if you could pick up a 16v Volvo 940 turbo engine//box, it would be a nice fit, purely to keep it all Volvo.
Or far more plentiful and could be upgraded to 16v at a alter date...just the regular 2.3 8v turbo engine. They wont make a lot of power standard, but could easily be tuned to 200hp.

if there was room for a 6cyl inline engine, there are Supra or Lexus Soarer options, the latter being a 2.5 and less popular, so a full car could be cheap.
Or Nissan's GTS-T rwd Skylines

If you go mainstream options that are popular with the drifters, prices will get more expensive again.

If you wanted to destroy the vehicle with pure evil, you could consider some of the BMW rwd diesel engines.

[AlexTatar]

The Merc has manual or auto options, I think its 193hp standard, and with a pulley upgrade about 230hp. But there are probably a lot more sensors on that engine than others which I don't want to have to deal with!

I agree, if i can buy engine, gearbox, loom + ecu all from the same car, it will make things a lot easier!

I like the idea of the Volvo engine, the 2.3 turbo T5 has the power, its affordable, and in keeping with the car - good choice!
However I found one from the c70, with 240 hp standard, one of these

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

I can't find a 2.3 turbo c70 with a manual gearbox though, unfortunately.

A 6 cylinder would be fun, I reckon one would squeeze in, but might make things more difficult. I think the turbo 4 cylinder engines are a good option.
And that Volvo engine doesn't seem to mainstream like you said, quite a cheap engine to get hold of!

just found out that those C70 volvos are front wheel drive, but you said the volvo 940s have a similar engine?

Edited by AlexTatar on Monday 13th July 15:36

[stevieturbo]

The 940 turbo engines are all 4cyl, rwd. UK models were all 8v as far as I know, but there were definitely 16v versions. I think you could get away with a cylinder head change to achieve that...although would need manifolds to suit as well

The later engines in fwd cars were 5 cyl, not sure whether these would bolt to the rwd boxes or not though.

Or for a bigger heavier lump, I think the Volvo 960's came with a V6 ? Maybe around 3.0 or so ?

For the Volvo stuff, I'm sure you could ask here

http://forums.turbobricks.com/


As for engines, wiring, sensors etc. Wouldnt really be a huge pile of difference with most Part will depend whether you want to try and use the factory wiring loom and ecu, or just move to an aftermarket.

In many ways the latter is easier as it's more flexible, especially if you were to start tuning it.

[AlexTatar]

I found which one you mean, apparently they have an m90 gearbox and a different manual gearbox depending on the year. The m90 looks pretty wide and my volvos tunnel isn't very wide, however the m90 is meant to bolt straight up to the T5 and 240hp in a car that weight about a tonne would be fun!Maybe not so fun with the 60's brakes.

Thanks for the link, i'll see what info I can get!
I think i would start with the factory loom and eventually upgrade these things, for me its just about getting the right engine that will do for now but has the options to be tuned in the future

[stevieturbo]

AlexTatar said:

I found which one you mean, apparently they have an m90 gearbox and a different manual gearbox depending on the year. The m90 looks pretty wide and my volvos tunnel isn't very wide, however the m90 is meant to bolt straight up to the T5 and 240hp in a car that weight about a tonne would be fun!Maybe not so fun with the 60's brakes.

Thanks for the link, i'll see what info I can get!
I think i would start with the factory loom and eventually upgrade these things, for me its just about getting the right engine that will do for now but has the options to be tuned in the future

The Nissan 200 option would be good. It's rwd, turbo, 200hp with ease and it's an alloy block.

The Volvo and still a lot of other stuff are cast iron blocks.

Not a massive difference, but in a light car...may as well try and keep it light.

Of course, the 5cyl engines really do sound superb. If you can make that work, for that reason alone it would be worth it.