142 Track day car! :)

[Dylan144GT]

Hey Everybody

SO, this is quite exciting....

As most of you have probably gathered by now, I have a '68 B18 142S. A friend and I want to strip it and make a track day car out of it. The thing is is that its quite rusty and we would like some input from the forum as to the feasability of this car being a track day car. We are essentially going for a bare metal racer. I am posting some photos of the car for your inspection. The photo collection is just skin deep at the moment but we will be posting some close ups of the problem areas after the weekend.

Would love some input as far a modification go too. Any tricks and advice welcome. This is a DIY excercise(except for the obvious machining work) and based on a student budget so its not gonna be the fastest 142 ever raced but its gonna run on alot of high octane enthusiasm and Volvo passion!

Thanks Guys and hope you guys enjoy following this project as much as we are going to enjoy working on it!

Dylan

To infinity and beyond...

[Snowman]

You'd get lynched here for doing that to a 142!!!!

Last track day I did, we broke the rented Westfield and ended up using a Clio Williams instead. Worth about £2000 and fantastic fun. You could spend half that on something like an old rwd Corolla, still have a blast and would have to be cheaper than fixing up the Volvo....or have I missed something (perhaps like what cars cost in SA)?

Would make a better historic rally car (but then, I'm biased!).

[Dylan144GT]

Hopefully, our proposal hasn't offended anyone. Sorry if it did. It didn't cross my mind actually. OOPS! The last thing I'd want is to be ousted by fellow 140-ista! I love these cars and what they are. I cringe when I see these guys that have hacked half the fire wall away to put in an American V8 with an auto transmission! I read so much about how these extraordinary cars with their pushrod motors used to reach 8000 rpm and how they could sit there all day! These engines are so torquey too, love driving them!

The idea is to be original but to just strip it out, ie. no body mods like fibre glass spoilers and the rest of it. I wouldn't fuel inject it with a super charger coupled to a turbo. Just some suspension work, some light engine work. I have a set of the rare GT wheels to go on it with the instrument cluster. So its all original and if not very close to and period. Alot of guys put the Weber sidies on but I would like to experiment with the SU's and see how much I can get out of them! Maybe a D cam. 4-2-1 exhaust. I really don't think any of this is to be scorned at. Ultimately to use the FIA historic racing regulations as a guide.

Speaking of rallying the car. I am actually really keen on this. They were rally cars and I think it'd be awesome. It might just be that we go this route!

It is a little pricey to put these cars together but considering I bought this car for the equivilent of about £50... no not £500... I think its worth it! I can't imagine racing around a lifeless Corolla. Classics are my passion and I think there is no better way to hail them than reviving them to motorsport. They just beg to be plucked and driven, so why not!?

Dylan

[Sam Barker]

There are problems with a 142 as a track day car....

Overall size is the biggest issue, fancy barrelling into a fast corner and trying to outbrake your mates? It'll do it but there's an awful lot of car to waggle about!
Top speed, well, it's not good is it? Nor is acceleration, but that can be resolved easily by levering a v8 in, and there's plenty of those knocking around SA (is that a Perana Capri? If so that's a good donor!), see:

http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Volvo_200_V-8.html

for inspiration.
You won't have to worry about historic modifications unless you start competing seriously, which is one thing myself and S-man have to think of.

I had arranged to track day the 144 this month but had to cancel, which I'm gutted about or I could have told you exactly how they go.

As S-man says, there are better options for track cars, but there are better options for rally cars too*, it comes down to two things: What do you own? What do you want to spend? For me, it's "A 144" and "not much" respectively, therefore the 144 is the play car and will be rallied, tracked, sprinted, jumped over the Grand Canyon etc, and so should yours.

There's always someone else keeping their 142 or 144 mint so as long as you don't wreck a really nice one doing it you should go for it.

The usual order, Handling, Brakes then Power when it comes to souping it up, it cuts down on the crash rate!

Sam

*Yep, I know what things the 140s won, also I know I get beaten by MkI Escorts a lot, but I don't like Ezzies and I can't afford to build a trailer queen rally car to win such as an Alfa GTV or Gilbern GT. I like rallying the Volvo, it teaches me a lot about car handling and I can drive it home. If I enter the London Sydney the 144 will be ace, but the things I'm currently doing would be more competitively done in something smaller.

[Sam Barker]

Must have been typing as you were...
OK, You don't fancy a V8, just strip it out and get going with it!

Sam

[Triple-S]

I make no comments re your desires on your Volvo 142, because after all, its now your car, and over here lately, people have scrapped far rarer cars just because their scrap value has tempred them from logic

BUT

if it works, don't whatever you do dump that Wagner brake master cylinder! I also have a 1968 Volvo142S which I am restoring to pleasure use standard, and here in the UK have found it increasingly difficult to get a master cylinder overhaul kit for mine. My car has low mileage after a twenty year rest, and the cylinder bore is undamaged - its just that at least one seal is showing signs of perishing. None of our specialists over here or on mainland Europe can supply a kit - I'm currently hoping one can cobble the right bits together from other kits by comparing their stock with my seals.

Has anybody else succeeded in getting a kit for the older 140-series? As an alternative, has anybody got a decent cylinder of the right style to trade?

And to think I used to find getting bits for the ATE system on my 164 difficult....

Paul

[john h]

Go for it.

If you keep it all in character you'll not offend me, at least.

And while it won't be fast, it will be fun. Which is surely the point.

As said before, do handling first, brakes next (164E vented discs bolt on) then have fun while saving up for more power.

John

[Dylan144GT]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the words of encouragement and advice. Keep it coming as here are more photos for scrutineering! Is it really worth it. I had far worse images in my mind from the last time I saw it as far as the condition of this car goes. Lets hear what you say. I think the route we'll definatley follow, as advised, it to do Brakes, handling, POWER!!!! A quick question on power though. I've heard that it a good idea to stay away from the DGAV double barrel progressive carb from Weber. Why, whats the issue with this carb? How does it compare to decently tuned SU's?

Sam, no not a Capri Perana, a 1600GT. The guy it was purchased from had it redone like that. Nice car, in pretty good condition though!

Dylan

[pete-d]

I can't give any advice, sadly.

What I can say is that if you bring that car back to life and get some real enjoyment out of it (even if it's not strictly original) you will have done a good thing in my book.

Pete

[dodgyken]

Your first step is sorting out the rust. Any weakness will be found if you start pushing the car. Myself and a friend are now 2 of a number of people who I know who have managed to tear our trailing arms from the body/chassis of our E36 BMWs while on track - mine happened at 120mph - and cost £1500 in barrier costs!!!

You should then be looking at getting things "right" first time out.

Start with the cheap stuff - weight. Ditch as much as you can - interior, wiring loom, the lot. The less weight the faster you can go.

Get a cage put in - you may end up needing it - and if you have one and have an off you won't regret the expense.

So with the weight out, and then back in again with the cage, and the car running standard everything else - including engine. Lets go through the modifications and costs:

1) Tyres - probably the biggest difference you can make. Cup tyres should be OK without uprated suspension - but wait until you have dialed out the roll before you go for slicks.

2) Brakes - the bigger the disc, the quicker it should cool, the less fade you will have. Fit the best you can afford, and then slap some aggressive pads - DS2500 or DS3000 from Ferodo have superb bite - but you will get pad pickup.

3) Interior - do not overlook a proper seat and harness - they will hold you in place if something goes wrong - but also prevents you from being flung from side to side, and allows you to concentrate on what you are doing

4) Suspension - I have a BlackartDesigns.com setup on the BMW - it is superb - and well worth every penny. Not cheap - but the car is race competitive on it. You can spend a few hundreds to 10s thousands on a suspension. Pick how extreme you want it to be and go from there. Also look at how cheaply it can be upgraded

5) Organics - I am not talking fuel and oil here. I am talking about the driver. The biggest difference you can make to how fast you can be round a track is learning to drive properly. I have had training from a current Supercoppa driver, and also passed by Race Licence test - and the more time you can spend practicing, and getting tution the better and faster you will be.

Finally look at getting more power!!!