Volvo Owners Club Forum - View Single Post

Laird Scooby · Jun 25th, 2019, 10:33

You're spoiled for choice really Tom. The obvious answer is the B230E but considering the extra weight and errr............. "house-brick" aerodynamics of the hearse probably wouldn't give that much of an improvement. That said, it's about the closest you'll get to a straight swap.

Next, going up in size would be the B280E which is a V6 but finding one would be the problem.

Not quite so hard to find, a V8 from a Range-Rover, preferably the 3.9 for the extra torque. The ZF 4HP22 autobox was used on that originally so there should be a few around with the box already attached. Volvo also used the ZF 4HP22 so shouldn't be hard to sort that out.

If you really want something bigger, consider the 1UZ engine and A341E auto box from an early Lexus LS400, the gearbox is Toyotas version of the AW71 box you already have so minimal modification needed. The engine would be a slightly different prospect but it's been done many times, just search YouTube for "Volvo 740 1UZ" and you should find something.

One or two to whet your whistle :

https://youtu.be/uiNy7lCo4cE

https://youtu.be/2iKNN2i4ZLE

https://youtu.be/hDmtezlc98o

First two are "just for gits and shiggles", third contains some stuff that will give you an insight into what's involved, albeit in a 240 but the 740 is very similar in the engine bay so will give you a fair idea.

You'll obviously need to alter the back axle to take advantage of the extra torque/power, a 3.54:1 or even better, a 3.31:1 would be good. Consider the donor car (LS400) is about half a ton heavier than the hearse yet returns much better economy, granted the aerodynamics are better but you see where i'm going with this.

There are other options such as the smaller Lexus that use a V6 but if you're going to go to the trouble of fitting an "alien" engine then go big or don't go at all.

You'll notice i've suggested engines that are pretty torquey on the bottom end and still have plenty of power as this is most likely what will suit you best for what you need in the hearse.
Yes, there are other options with more power (16v B230 for example) but those tend to have the power further up the rev range, likewise with turbo conversions.

You could fit a supercharger to your B200 (potentially the simplest way of getting more power and torque) which would increase the power and torque at the bottom end but probably won't help your economy that much as the supercharger is a parasitic loss on the engine.

To give you an example of how parasitic the supercharger is, remember your green LPG powered beastie you had before the hearse?
The previous owner of that looked at fitting LPG to (what was then) his dads (but now his) Jaguar SuperV8 which puts out about 450bhp ish (can't remember the exact figure) but found that because of the superchargers parasitic losses, it actually needs about 600bhp worth of LPG being fired into it.

There are a lot of other things to consider as well such as insurance and how much it's going to cost once you've changed the engine (for anything) as regardless of whatever engine you fit, they will consider it a modification (unless it's a straight B200E replacement) but given that it's already a hearse, it might not be so bad.

Jun 25th, 2019, 10:33	#261
Laird Scooby Premier Member Last Online: Yesterday 20:24 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Lakenheath	You're spoiled for choice really Tom. The obvious answer is the B230E but considering the extra weight and errr............. "house-brick" aerodynamics of the hearse probably wouldn't give that much of an improvement. That said, it's about the closest you'll get to a straight swap. Next, going up in size would be the B280E which is a V6 but finding one would be the problem. Not quite so hard to find, a V8 from a Range-Rover, preferably the 3.9 for the extra torque. The ZF 4HP22 autobox was used on that originally so there should be a few around with the box already attached. Volvo also used the ZF 4HP22 so shouldn't be hard to sort that out. If you really want something bigger, consider the 1UZ engine and A341E auto box from an early Lexus LS400, the gearbox is Toyotas version of the AW71 box you already have so minimal modification needed. The engine would be a slightly different prospect but it's been done many times, just search YouTube for "Volvo 740 1UZ" and you should find something. One or two to whet your whistle : https://youtu.be/uiNy7lCo4cE https://youtu.be/2iKNN2i4ZLE https://youtu.be/hDmtezlc98o First two are "just for gits and shiggles", third contains some stuff that will give you an insight into what's involved, albeit in a 240 but the 740 is very similar in the engine bay so will give you a fair idea. You'll obviously need to alter the back axle to take advantage of the extra torque/power, a 3.54:1 or even better, a 3.31:1 would be good. Consider the donor car (LS400) is about half a ton heavier than the hearse yet returns much better economy, granted the aerodynamics are better but you see where i'm going with this. There are other options such as the smaller Lexus that use a V6 but if you're going to go to the trouble of fitting an "alien" engine then go big or don't go at all. You'll notice i've suggested engines that are pretty torquey on the bottom end and still have plenty of power as this is most likely what will suit you best for what you need in the hearse. Yes, there are other options with more power (16v B230 for example) but those tend to have the power further up the rev range, likewise with turbo conversions. You could fit a supercharger to your B200 (potentially the simplest way of getting more power and torque) which would increase the power and torque at the bottom end but probably won't help your economy that much as the supercharger is a parasitic loss on the engine. To give you an example of how parasitic the supercharger is, remember your green LPG powered beastie you had before the hearse? The previous owner of that looked at fitting LPG to (what was then) his dads (but now his) Jaguar SuperV8 which puts out about 450bhp ish (can't remember the exact figure) but found that because of the superchargers parasitic losses, it actually needs about 600bhp worth of LPG being fired into it. There are a lot of other things to consider as well such as insurance and how much it's going to cost once you've changed the engine (for anything) as regardless of whatever engine you fit, they will consider it a modification (unless it's a straight B200E replacement) but given that it's already a hearse, it might not be so bad. __________________ Cheers Dave Next Door to Top-Gun with a Honda CR-V & S Type Jag Volvo gone but not forgotten........