Volvo RWD 120-130 Forum

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122/Chevy conversion 120-130

Hey all, I am in the process of rodding my 122 wagon and am wondering if it is actally possible to do a chevy conversion. I have been looking everywhere and can only find later cars that have done it. Will a small block actually fit in there? With headers? Can I get a kit? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Josh








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Looks like a Honda S2000 engine swap would give you the HP you're looking for!! 120-130

Hello-

I noticed someone on ebay bidding on a '67 122 car and a Honda S2000 engine swap setup (engine-4 cyl-240HP/tranny-6 speed/computer/wiring/etc), and I thought the setup looked like it would fit well into a 122. I emailed the person, and that was what they were planning on doing. He wouldn't tell me if it has been done before or not.

It might give you an idea, check out the Honda engine setup:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1851696836

Paul








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Looks like a Honda S2000 engine swap would give you the HP you're looking for!! 120-130

Great Googly Moogly! That's gonna fly! It would be even better in a 544 - about 2 - 300 lbs less weight to haul around.

Those are incredible engines - they have a 9000 rpm redline, titanium connecting rods and higher pistons speeds @ redline than an F1 engine has at 15,000 rpm. And with the 2 separate cam profile the torque curve isn't particularly peaky either.








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Looks like a Honda S2000 engine swap would give you the HP you're looking for!! 120-130

John;

...an S2000 drivetrain in a vintage Volvo?...it just doesn't seem right!...wouldn't a later turboed Volvo engine be good for lots of entertainment?...besides what would you do to prevent disimilar metal compatability (Swedensteel vs. Japanmetal)?

Please explain your "higher pistons speeds @ redline than an F1 engine" statement.

Cheers








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Looks like a Honda S2000 engine swap would give you the HP you're looking for!! 120-130

Oh dear, there I go again quoting facts of which I don't have the complete 100% grasp.

But my understanding is that F1 engines have much shorter piston strokes, while the S2000 engine has a more normal street car stroke. So while the piston might be going up and down roughly half as often as an 16,000 rpm F1 engine's, the stroke is roughly more than twice as long. This would result in a greater piston speed between BDC and TDC, and more stresses on the con rods and piston as it speeds up and slows down from this peak velocity over and over.

Detailed specs on F1 cars aren't given out freely but I found a few here and there on the 'net.
1998 Mercedes Ilmor engine (not as high revving as newer engines) 91.00 mm x 46.09 mm
Honda S2000: 87.0 mm x 84.0 mm

Just crunching those numbers
84 / 46 = 1.826 times the piston travel
1.826 * 9000 = 16,434 rpm - the Ilmor engine would have an equivalent peak piston speed at 16,434 rpm as the Honda would at 9000.

And the trend since 1998 in F1 has been towards larger bores (allows more/larger valves) and shorter strokes (higher RPMS and displacement rules) so the strokes are almost certainly less than 46mm in a 2002 F1 engine.

Metal compatibility problems aside I think a normally aspirated 2.0 liter with 240 HP and a sweet 6 speed manual would be more un to drive around than a turbo Volvo.

Although to be honest, if I had spent $6,000 and gotten that neat engine and tranny I'd be more likely to want to put it in a Lotus Super 7 than into a Volvo. 1200 lbs/240 HP? Yahoo!










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122/Chevy conversion 120-130

The space between the spring/shock towers and upper A-frame mounts is
very narrow on the 122. I suspect that you can't fit one in there
but I don't have any chevy v8 measurements. You'll need to get your
tape measure and check them out in considerable detail to know for sure.
If you do get one in there you will be hard put to adjust caster/camber
without pulling the engine.
--
George Downs, The "original" Walrus3, Bartlesville, Oklahoma








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122/Chevy conversion 120-130

Yes - thats why almost all conversions are done on later 240+ series cars - they have MacPherson strut front ends and a lot more room for an engine.

Still - I've seen more than a few 122's and 544's with V8 drivetrains - so with enough cutting and chopping it is possible. You might consider just ditching the Volvo front crossmember and putting in one of those 'Mustang II style' front suspensions - those certainly have the clearance for a V8 - and you could get other goodies with it like rack-n-pinion steering, vented discs, etc.

Alternatively you could build up a B20 to 200+ HP NA with several grand. Even more with one of John Parker's Volvo supercharger kits.







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