Volvo 745 Pickup + 4.8l V8 conversion

[lookforjoe]

Overall diameter

with 1" spacer barely clears, so suggested 34mm should perfect

but.... I'm really not sure I like the open thin spoke on the 740

 

[tvmaster]

Did the left rear brake line, caliper, pads, rotors & hardware, eBrake shoes and springs. Main cable is still good, no damage to coating. Right cable broken & pivot ripped off the axle tab as per usual on these. So far all brake lines have been frozen & required heating with torch to get them free.

coated the backplate with rust convertor

Heavy duty spring & Bilstein shock installed. Still have to do the right side, ran out of daylight (and time)

silver-soldered the NPT bung to the rail - will look like this in place

What brand of 'rust convertor'

 

[tvmaster]

Archie’s no dope.

 

[lookforjoe]

What brand of 'rust convertor'

Loctite Extend Rust Neutralizer - I bought it off amazon

Archie’s no dope.

Indeed!

 

[lookforjoe]

Adding a keyless entry system - mostly just so I don't have to worry about using a key in the winter. Figured out I can use the ground triggers in the remote unit to activate the lock/unlock of the existing c/lock system - EXCEPT the later 700's went to a single switch in the Driver's door, so although it looks like a standard lock motor, it's not. To make this work I need to add a lock motor as used in the earlier 700's

89-on style

-88 style, has switch and motor. So, I'll need to figure out a way to leverage the linkage for a secondary motor. I want to keep the factory circuit intact, so I can't substitute the switching motor shown above (#5) for a standard push/pull version used on the other doors

 

[Russe11]

Wow, I wasn't expecting you to make it a dually!

 

[lookforjoe]

Wow, I wasn't expecting you to make it a dually!

LOL - I may need to put a stronger rear end in it, but it won't be a dually

kept working on the remote entry/lock setup
figured out where to place the lock motor so it has a good line up to the main push/pull rod, and not have it ripped out by the window channel

cut down & bent a right angle in the link rod

took the parts out & welded the lever to the push rod, and an addition to the motor mount plate

all in place - inner door release arm does clear the bracket

link arm clearance

wired the motor after that - I cut two wires from the rear door window switches, since I don't need those anymore, and spliced the c/lock motor (+/-) feeds into those at the A pillar connector

blue-red (green into door) = lock
white-red (grey into door) = unlock

 

[lookforjoe]

placement of the module - behind the glovebox

wired the '99' adjustable delay wiper relay. Factory harness is too short to relocate to one of the other open relay locations, so I made a bridge that plugs into the stock relay connections

99 relay & bridge: Volvo relay:
31 (gy) = 31 black
I (bl-gn) = I bl-y
T (bl-r) = 86 bl-r
53m (wh) = S wh
53s (gn-w) = 31b or
15 (y) = 15 y

grey socket is for the '99' relay

looped back through the next open relay socket & plugged into the receiver

all tucked away

 

[lookforjoe]

This section of the thread will be to document my V8 swap.

Gathering parts at this stage.

Bought a 2004 LR4 4.8 4l60E transmission (10/24/22 A1 Auto Salvage LLC off eBay)

Areas to cover:
Physical Drivetrain fit - JTRmount kit
Exhaust - LS1 generic manifolds, 2.5" exhaust
Chassis/body mods
EMS (standalone harness relocate)
Driveshaft (hybrid w/ Chevy forward section?)
Cooling System (rad / hoses, heater hoses)
Front Suspension/Brakes (DIY coilovers, 302 brakes)
Fuel supply
HVAC - adapt lines
Power Steering - adapt lines
Rear Axle (how to address pulse wheel?) Mount ear kit
Other stuff I haven't thought about yet...

Reference threads -
What current V8's...
Rear Axle Choices

Corivus's 740SE V8

Drivetrain arrived today

jeesh this thing is heavy

not much space left

EMS stuff - hopefully not trashed - it was all wedged under the oil pan

 

[lookforjoe]

Coilover (Bicknell) sleeves, seats & jamb nuts & (BNE) strut plates, weld rings . 12" 250lb Eibach XT springs coming.

302mm brakes from Volvo V70. I modified the caliper casting so I can still use my 15" (new) snows

hanger bracket corners cut back

hanger bracket is spaced 1/4" outward - others have noted the bracket then contacts the ABS tooth wheel. Mine clear

grinding back the caliper in stages

clears the outer step of the 15"wheel now. Took about 4mm off the outer lip, to a depth of about 32mm, then tapered into the rear area

2nd caliper went much quicker

self etching primer

silver enamel

 

[kmead]

Sweet jiminy Christmas, now for something completely different.

 

[lookforjoe]

Took a couple hours to rearrange the garage & move the drivetrain to a sturdier cart. This sucker is HEAVY. Going to be fun moving this thing around & test fitting

also purchased an LS6 intake with injectors & fuel rails. This is adding up quickly. I'll need a larger rad, and a number of other $$$ items

Mount kit arrived

 

[lookforjoe]

Collecting parts...

LS6 mainfold & rails

new gaskets (EDIT - wrong style - the tops have to be tapered)

exhaust - 2 cats

"flex" couplers - it's annoying that they expanded the outlet side - makes no sense, since inserted exhaust junctions should always be following the exhaust flow. I'll probably just cut it off since I'm going to butt-seam the welds anyway

misc exhaust sections

28" Be Cool 35223 rad - 24" Volvo efan shroud will work

Made the missing mount adaptor plate - using 3/4"x4"x6" flat stock - retapped the provided one from 3/8" & 5/16" to metric - M10x1.5, M8x1.25

Started stripping stuff off the drivetrain. Have to order the tensioners, idlers, water pump, etc.

Wiring & truck intake. I have NEVER worked on an American product , so this is all new to me

No idea what the two plugs/caps are for in the valley, have to research that

Have to remove the coils & brackets & clean all that up.

Several variants - I ordered new coil wires & plugs appropriate for the 19005218 (D585) coils.

 

[lookforjoe]

Test fitting the LS6 intake

steam tube has to be modded

I was able to tweak it for clearance off the runner & the vac pipe (was used for EVAP purge valve)

need a new coil bracket

no place to attach the left cover vent

bigger issue is all the accessory drives - I have to buy a relocation kit for the PS & Alt, and a LS1 (Camaro) water pump & spacer kit. Fortunately, the bracket kit readily available & isn't crazy money. I'm replacing the water pump anyway as a matter of course, so that is just a question of buying a different version (Gates 45002). The alternative is to replace ALL the drive components (alt, PS pump, AC comp), brackets, tensioners, with Corvette style. That would be $$$$.

revised belt routing

 

[lookforjoe]

Back & forth with a number of things. Trying to determine the best way to deal with the heater line fittings at the pump. I need them to make a 90º right off the pump. I wanted to use quick connect fittings, as those allow much vibration resistance & can rotate if needed. But... I can't find a source for 3/8" & 1/2" NPT male fittings with 5/8" & 3/4" male quick connects, to match the available Dorman heater elbows (800-416 & 800-418).

So, I'm just going to go with the readily available Male NPT-to-Male AN fittings, with AN to barb 90º fittings.

The other thing is the fuel feed at the rail, which interferes with one of the coils. No way to readily reposition the one coil, and the various coil pack brackets are not meant for the D585 coils, and/or won't necessarily move it where I need it to be, whilst still using stock coil/plug wires. So, I decided to cut the fuel feed & silver solder a new straight feed that runs parallel to the rail. This makes more sense anyway, as it keeps the fuel lines away from the exhaust manifold

removed the pressure damper for the job - just need to add a support brace to the rail for it

 

[lookforjoe]

Drilled & tapped (1/8" NPT) the back of the intake for the left valve cover breather - found the only place where there is meat, and not open to mount flange area

Used the stock 10mm nitrile line, cut & set into the elbow

Removed the exhaust manifolds - first I had to heat the block to get the dipstick tube out of the way
one broken stud on the right - going to be a PITA to get the remnants out - I snapped off an easy-out in here

two broken studs on the right - first & last, but those I got out without any damage

Stock injectors 25317628 (25lb@58psi) . For some reason the LS intake had 16lb(@43psi) 0 280 155 890 Bosch

I'm going to use 0 280 155 832 (from Volvo 960), since I have a refurbished set, and they will also run 25lb@58psi.

 

[lookforjoe]

Finally got the bolt remnants out - 3 carbine bits & 2 concrete bits later. Drilled & tapped for M8x1.25 helicoil.

block sanded the exhaust flange surface

test fitting the aftermarket manifolds - waiting for MLS gaskets & proper length bolts.

Cut the water junction off the TB - don't need it, and it's in the way of the water pump

had to grind a recess into the TB to clear the water pump flange

new t/stat already has the jiggle pin, so no need to drill a vent

removed heater hose pipes & tapped 3/8" & 1/2" for the NPT/AN fittings

Stock tensioner would actually clear the hose outlet , but I already ordered the Camaro tensioner to go with this pump (EDIT - stock tensioner offset would be all wrong - so Camaro 2002 listing is required to match water pump application - I ordered ACDelco 38195)

ICT Billet relocation kit for PS & Alt. Only problem is unless you buy an additional $100 bracket (not mentioned in the kit description) for the alternator when kit is used with a steel block, it only has two mount points....

...and the 2 provided 120mm bolts only sit about an inch into the block

have to order a new pressure pipe for the PS pump, doesn't come with new pump

 

[lookforjoe]

Figuring out more odds & ends

AC lines will need 45º fittings. 90º is too harsh an angle, I think

added a vacuum port to the TB - needed for the Volvo EVAP cannister

made a branch for the manifold vacuum - forward branch is for EVAP

going to get tigher elbows for the heater hoses

bring them in this general direction up over the motor

EDIT - only the 5/8 needs to go over the motor, the 3/4 is the return & will go to the reservoir, with a T so the 5/8 heater return can feed into it.

Figuring out trans cooler lines - I think running them close to the motor makes the most sense - with heat shield cover running behind the header

trans dipstick was a PITA to seat in the case. Used the mount ear to secure it, seems like it wants to walk upward

not sure if I should get tighter elbows or banjos - the lower one sticks out beyond the trans casing - which would mean more hammering of the tunnel to clear.

If they run behind the motor, I will do it like this

otherwise, they will have to come out & go along the frame rail, however I think like this they would be very close to the downpipe.

My block has four motor mount points -

The JTR bracket only has provision for 3 bolts - I'll have to mod it to fit

Serpentine belts (6K792, 4PK0960) & AC idler pulley Gates 36169

 

[lookforjoe]

Spent all day Friday working on a V50 for a friends' daughter - she is in school in Georgia & the car needed immediate attention

Engine breather box was clogged - caused excessive back pressure in the engine - thankfully it's a non-turbo so it didn't blow out the engine seals from overpressurizing

Worked on modding the LS/Volvo swap kit brackets today.

Cut the upper braces & heated/folded flat. This plate is approx 5/16" (!) - much thicker than any factory bracket. Not sure how much penetration I'll get welding the inner cuts.

then drilled/slotted the upper flanges. Have to reinforce them now to compensate for the cuts & the upper flange that is sparse above the slot

They are designed to have about two inches fore and aft movement, to allow for variations in drivetrain offset at the firewall

 

[lookforjoe]

Stripped the coil brackets (acid bath), cleaned & primed them, along with all the mount hardware.

Welded up the mount brackets today. I think they will be fine

filled in the extra center slot, added material to the top, welded the CNC cuts

added a U channel gusset, just to make me feel better about the lost lower support. At 5/16", these are so thick, it's likely way overkill

Power steering pump, pulley & tensioner arrived, so I pressed the pulley on (after molding the tool that was supposed to fit Saginaw Type I pumps)

Waiting for a support bracket for the alternator, so it will have proper 3-point mounting. New 335-1086 alternator arrived damaged, so another is on the way. Shame 'cos it was clearly an Amazon (mis)packaging issue. Checked fit of recommended length belt with ICT Billet relocate kit. Looks good to me.

it is pretty with the LS6 intake