I am in the final stages of reassembling a 240 with the drivetrain out of an 89 240 and the body of a 240DL 1990. We purchased the 1989 new and have greatly enjoyed it until my Wife's 50 MPH accident in January. Lets just say that if she were in any other car, I would be a Widower. For example, the nose of the car was 3 feet shorter, the B pillar was pulled in and forward by the seatbelt, and there wasn't a single piece of sheetmetal that didn't have a wrinkle in it. She didn't walk away, but is recovering from a fracture in her neck (NO PARALYSIS!)

Now down to the details.... I have bored the block 0.060 over, installed larger 240Z intake valves, ported / polished the head and intake manifold, and radically reduced flow restrictions in the intake system. These changes have gotten the HP up to 150 (from 113 stock), but it still "seems" inadequite in a 4000 pound car.

My questions are as follows:

1: Has anyone strapped a NOS system to a B230F before?

2: Was it necessary to run a wet or dry system (ie. did the ECU compensate automatically?)

3: If a "dry" system was used and the ECU did not compensate, was an additional pressure fitting required for the fuel pressure regulator?

4: If a "dry" system was used, was the cold start injector or additional injector(s)used to "in effect" create a "wet" system?

In closing, I am not looking to create a drag car. I am only interested in getting the HP over 200 for "merging"/"emergency" situations. Please also note that this "project" started as a "let's create reliable transportation", it has now "GROWN" to be a true restoration with performance modifications only. Can you say "SLEEPER"... I knew you could! The exterior is being maintained at a "Rock Stock" level.Honest Officer... I am a Physics Professor driving an extremely safe lead Brick.... Your Radar Gun must have been "confused" by a secondary sub-90 degree Doppler Reflection off of the surrounding vehicles! If you are interested, I can share my Ancestral Doughnut recipes with you!

Thank you,
John Orrell

I used an NOS wet system on an 83 242T with the B21FT engine. Your EFI injectors are 213 cc/min at 43 psi if I remember correctly, which does not leave a margin for much nitrous on a motor that is mildly modified to start with. You would be better off running a wet system, as there is plenty of fuel available from the pump to support all but a very serious system.

I used a single fogger nozzle located about 8 inches before the TB. Obviously, 4 port injectors in the intake runners is better.

Serious nitrous users have ignitions with nitrous retards. MSD and Crane sell these. For a modest system, you should be OK with stock ignition timing and stock plug gap, but maybe use one heat range colder plugs (like a Bosch 6 instead of a 7).

To make a nitrous system really useable, you need a few more parts than the basic $400 or $500 kit. A remote bottle valve will let you open it on the fly; otherwise you have to open the bottle on the days when you want to use it and if you leave it open for weeks at a time, the nitrous generally leaks out. A bottle heater and blanket will help keep pressure consistent so your mix is the same every time. On any system but a real light one, a progressive controller will help hold your motor and trans together. The sudden bang of 80 hp is great but really shocks the trans and engine. I cracked a head, blew a headgasket, and broke an M46. If you have a manual, you may need a stronger clutch depending on how much nitrous you run.

Other great mods are an electric primary fan, an alloy underdrive crank pulley, a steeper rear gear (with a manual you should not go much steeper, but with an auto, you can go maybe two or three steps steeper), a header and larger cat and higherflow exhaust, and a performance cam.

Philip Bradley

You didn't mention transmission but a 230F with a M-46 will drive circles around a 70W. If you really want to take off, use one from a diesel with a higher first gear. Another surprise with a M-46: better mpg. Of 4 89 240's the one with the M-46 gets 100 miles more per tank full. It's hard to believe but it's been doing it for years.

Can you run a nox system in a state with pollution inspections?

Good Luck

Steve L 3-240'2 in Charlotte, NC

Steve:

Thanks for the advice! I have spent way too many years maintaining "stock" perfection... now its time to have a little fun! The car does have an automatic with 99K miles on it. I had it "revalved" by a life long Volvo Mechanic turned LUNATIC, so the shift points have lost ALL sublty!

As far as the emissions go, I am not worried one bit. As long as they don't see the tank in the trunk they can't say a thing. As far as the exhaust emissions go when it comes to passing the "sniffer", I have one foolproof solution. As a test, I tried it on our 1965 Thunderbird with a 390 and it met LEV emission levels. On a 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo with no CAT, oversized Turbo and injection system, the car barely made ULEV specs! Now... you ask what is the solution? It is quite simple as long as you are willing to have your car run like CRAP for a few hours! Run the tank down to approximately 3 gallons and add one half gallon of Denatured Alcohol. Once you pass the test, fill your tank with premium and enjoy the ride for the next 12 months!

John

Hi John!
I haven't installed a dry shot sys on a volvo but have installed several on Hondas. I would suggest you contact Zex and see if they have a system you can use for your application. www.zex.com
the advantage to the Zex system is the tie in with the vacuum controlled fuel pressure regulator, this sytem will shut off the nitrous in a lean out condition hopefully saving your motor in the process. (if an injector clogs for example). the Honda kits are really easy but i'm sure that they have something for us volvo lovers...best of luck and let me know how you make out. I'll be installing a wet shot system this fall (150hp to the runners!)