TOPIC:

Alright, time to break the V8 ice.

I'm currently working on a Ford 5.0/T5 conversion in my 1993 940 Turbo wagon. I'm transplanting the setup from another wagon thats rusted out, but was built using the Ross Converse Kit. The engine will be getting GT40P heads, a Ford Cobra intake setup, Ford Racing shorty headers, and a good cleanup before it goes in. The car has gotten new Ipd heavy duty springs front and rear (stock shocks though), chassis braces, and Ipd sway bars front and rear to help beef up the suspension.

Hopefully I've accounted for a lot of stuff as I've been planning this project out for a couple years...still have a few things I'm iffy about:

Radiator. I was thinking about having a custom aluminum 3 row built to fit in the stock location, but I also hear of other guys using stock Volvo rads and not having any problems. What are your experiences?

Clutch Cable hookup. This is one of the most common breaks I've heard about; the stock Volvo cable not being beefy enough to withstand the heavier Ford clutch. Has anyone come up with a good way to modify a Ford cable to fit the Volvo clutch pedal?

Gauge hookups: I'm putting in some aux gauges simply because I'm not sure how much to trust the factory gauges running off the Ford sensors.

I'm very interested in hearing any other bits of advice people have who have completed these projects before (unless its 'don't do it'...they've been tellin me that for a couple years already =D )

Thanks much!

Any luck with the conversion so far?

This can be a viable conversion w/ Ford -or-Chevy V8 and it's fairly straightforward. My '84 760 has about 50K Ford V8 miles w/ orig. rear-end, gets better mileage than 4 cyl., is docile, and can get out of it's own way, since 1996. I have stock Swedes too, but Ahhh...the V8.I See that finally VoVo does have an Eight Cylinder model, no faster than mine at 1/8th the price.
Regards, Ken
Driving Swedish Steel since '69....Pushed/Pulled a few too!!

BTW---for HOT-ROD-VOLVO( above post)---Radiator...use a diesel one..no problems.

You are in good company! One of the car mags (Hemmings Sport & Exoctic??) recently had an article on the conversions Paul Newman made with V8s in Volvo wagons. Apparently Paul also made several for friends, including David Letterman, back in the day. I have friends that did the Ford conversion for various Jaguars (much cheaper than an OEM engine build), they generally used 289 vintage Ford V8s as they were smaller than the GM engines and easier to fit.

The V8 Swedes are out there. The Brickboard and Turbobricks forum have a V8 section. I missed that Hemmings , but Paul had Converse build his 960 wagon and talked Letterman in to one. These were brand new 960's!! Newman's had a supercharged 5 liter w/ 5-spd and 9" rear. It was out there for sale for 100K I saw rumored on the net. Letterman 's was featured on a bit w/ Seinfield called something like "Driving w/ Seinfeld for coffee"---an 1800 was also featured. Since the 5L Ford V8 only weighs about 35 LBs more than the Volvo motors, it's a breeze. There is now an"stand alone" wiring harness for the GM/ LS motors, so you can just dial in the Horses you want, even a "paddle shift" tranny, and dig in your wallet. The 2/7/9 series can handle the power, and there are some A** kicker swedes....sleepers, and all in all MUCH cheper to build than to buy a Bimmer or fast Mustang. " Boxy but Safe.....and Fast !!!
Regards from Sunny FLA. Ken......Driving VoVo's since '69

Wow! I almost forgot this post was up! Thanks for the good words everyone! My build is about 98.5% finished...and boy am I happy with how everything has come out. Just some wiring loose ends to polish up, mostly on the auxiliary gauge install.

I did end up using a 240 diesel radiator (tested and with Ford size and positioned hookups), Spal dual puller fans (wicked tight fit), VDO aux gauges in the (3) a-pillar pod, cable clutch, beautiful custom dual exhaust by a local shop makes it sound mean. GT40P heads, factory cobra upper/lower intakes, E303 cam, Ford Racing shorty headers should put it in the 300hp range? Engine fits like a glove, looks stock and goes like a ROCKET. Can't believe how much fun it is to drive.

The lower end in the engine I started with was low mileage (~85k) and I was trying to save a couple bucks on the initial build and didn't replace the main bearings...Whether something was wrong that I missed or the engine wasn't as good as it appeared I'm not sure, but after some successful test miles it began to have low oil pressure at hot idle (6-10psi). Shows every sign of shot main bearings...soo, back out it comes for a lower end refresh. Not making that mistake again- everything going in brand new . The lower end was the only thing that didn't get refreshed the first time around. Whomp.

This summer the work will commence again once the snowpocalypse has subsided. Hope to drive it to a meet in the near future!