Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

Hi,
IN summer 2006 I am taking part in the russian roulette rally (more info can be found here:- www.slightlycliveracing.com, theres also a very tasty 240GT?? in yellow on Sams website somewhere) basically a 10-12kmile drive from Swindon to Vladivostok via 15countries, and in sub £100 cars (which will be sold at finish to make further money for charity).

And I need a car, I origanlly wanted a Landy series III, but have been told that 4x4's are not allowed, as they are too'boring'. So I looked straight to volvo's and saabs (96's + 99's or early real early 900's), in order to fulfill the 60-70's theme of the rally I really need a 240/245, and they seem to be plentiful on ebay, there was a red GLT estate for £125 BINow, but I really need a car closer to the event and with some remaining MOT, and Tax (even if its a month).

So I need to be clued up on these lumbering beasts, fairly quickly (well I have until feb to get a car sorted). It seems the 2.3(5cyl????) GLT's are the most popular, so maybe parts are easier to source for them? I really need the estate too, so me and my G/friend can get a decent nights sleep in the back (everyone else has to put up with a) desert b) rock c) snow d) gravel, beds, or sleep upright in car), and lug all the inevitable spares we will need around (like 2-4wheels inc tyres, full compliment of shocks, spare gear box+diff, massive array of tools, huge PA system and a little genny (so we can preach our songs to the more desolate parts of siberia at full blast).


Anyone help me in finding a resonable car for feb?? And fill me in on what I need to look out for (ie. what rusts and where).

Any help is much appreciated.
James

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

Really Swindon in wiltshire? That sounds like an arsum exsperience I'd love to do that. I live in Swindon are you local? 240's in genral are totally solid even ones that have not been realy looked after. This imformation is from exsperiences with cars registored 1984 onwords. They are however prown to go rusty around the rear wheel archs. water tends to get in through the tailgate hinges on estates and subsequently rots the tailgate at the bottom, bottom of the window. Under the back seat is a comon area as well, easy to check though just a case of pulling the bottom half of the back seat up pulling the carpet away an taking a gander. I personely find that sills are a bit of a trouble spot to.

I think that there are a lot of GLT on ebay being the best equipped modle have lasted the longest. all the 240 are 4 cylinder engines 260's are 6 cylinder. Volvo did a large aray of engines for the 240's all of which are easy to get parts for the hardest being the B230k which is what I have. Its not realy hard but certain parts like leads are a lot more exspensive than other 240s I think there is an early 2.0 litre injection that is quit hard to get bits for to.

Being estates the rear shocks might be worth replacing straight of as they do tend to get abused. the rear of 240's tend to give the apperence of riding pretty low any way so don't be taken in by that.

I don't have much exsperience with autos but I would amagine they are a bad idea or what you wanna do.

Hope some of this was useful for you if you are local I'd love to come see this car when you get it if you got anymore quetion I will try to awnser them. ther are loads o knowleable people on this sight so you should be cool.

Steve

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

Things most likely to let you down on the road:
fuel pump relay - carry a spare
corroded fuses
bonnet catch broken - see current thread

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

The most reliable model of 240 to do this job would be the early 76-79 model with the B21A engine and the four speed M40 gearbox
The B21A runs on s**t fuel with no problems and has a stromberg carb (Not the Sisac) which is dead easy to maintain and clean out crud if you pick up bad fuel
The B21A is also the 'safe' engine in that if the cambelt fails the valves do not hit the pistons.Its low compression too so was designed for 95 ron or worse.
Cambelts will last 50k miles but carry a replacement.
The M40 gearbox is strong and reliable but has the downside of higher revs cruising

The secret of these wacky rally challenges is to pick something simple and readily repairable, hence my advice to go carb not injection

Good luck

Richard

BTW the 15" GLT five spoke rims are very weak and buckle easily so 14" steels would be the strongest option.

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

Thanks very much for the input.

Will bear the injection/carb dilemma when I come to finding one locally (well anything north of manchester and south of glasgow is near enough).

I live in sunderland (at uni) and my friend Sam (seen here to be called 'jeopardy' http://www.slightlycliveracing.com/about.html) is the Organiser and founder of the event, this is its first year, and Sam and the other two have taken part in the Paris Dakar (in fancy 4x4's, and lada Nivas) and last year the plymouth dakar (this is the founder of sub £100 car rallies).

Ideally I would want to find a car in January that has 6months+ of MOT remaining, and tax can be sorted at a later date. A carb'd 2.34pot estate, with alu fitted (and the spare set will be new/newer tyres on steels), and by the sounds of it, spare electricals, spare shockers, and thats about it. I have had a scrat about in local scrap yard, and like what I see, have been looking at a 1984 240 DL, and the suspension componants and hubs etc all look pretty beefy, so hopefully nothing should go there. I mean the Mongol Rally guys go from here to Ulan Butaar in sub £100 sub 1000cc cars, usually fiat 126's, fiestas, pandas, micras, etc. They usually make it with only minor suspension modifications (i.e whole front sub frame fell off a mini so this mechanic in a local village just welded some box section in there instead, leaving them with a totally solid front end, i.e no suspension, they still made it as well!!!)..

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

I think I am right that all the 8- valve engines are non-interference.
Certainly the ordinary B230 and B200 are - I know because I experimented once to settle a previous argument.

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

No one got any other information??


And what is the deal with this forum?? When I post new stuff, the topic ends up on page 2-3 and not at the top?? I don't get it!

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

no your not, most B200/230FT and F's are. other stuff had higher lift cams and shorter piston to deck hieghts for higer compression.

and if the head has ever been off and re-skimmed the likely hood is more so no...

my B21 really is interferance. late 531 (small coolant passage, higher flowing intakes) skimmed 1.5mm with a 11.95mm lift K grind cam, should be running around 10.13:1 compression. the exhaust valve sticks past the head around 1.5mm maybe more...

though i've seen B200FT heads on ebay with new exhaust valves from cambelt breakage and thats with a little 9.8mm T cam. so who knows exactly what combo will give a bent valve.

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

>So I need to be clued up on these lumbering beasts, fairly
>quickly (well I have until feb to get a car sorted). It seems
>the 2.3(5cyl????) GLT's are the most popular, so maybe parts
>are easier to source for them? I really need the estate too,
>so me and my G/friend can get a decent nights sleep in the
>back (everyone else has to put up with a) desert b) rock c)
>snow d) gravel, beds, or sleep upright in car), and lug all
>the inevitable spares we will need around (like 2-4wheels inc
>tyres, full compliment of shocks, spare gear box+diff, massive
>array of tools, huge PA system and a little genny (so we can
>preach our songs to the more desolate parts of siberia at full
>blast).

chances of carring all that and still being able to sleep in are nil.
a rear axle and gearbox will take up nearly all of that space and hope you have to hard rear springs and re-enforced tyres

RE: Need some info on the legend that is the 240GLT
 

an old 240 estate is ideal. The 2.1 can survive a cambelt failiure (well mine did) and at the moment they are cheap as chips. get a manual carbed estate, and make up a big full length roofrack, you could even extend it over the bonnet, supported on the front bumper. Id give it a full service and go for it, dont bother with spare engine and box.

I cant think of a more suitable vehicle.