240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I worry myself that you might be right about doing that job on Sunday morn Dave! I promised myself I'm not going to do the swap until next spring, and will use the intervening time to solve all the engineering problems first - I'm hoping I can bring myself to do that!

I hope the drive plate from the B21a will fit the torque converter and so I'll be able to use that - but as you say it will be a good opportunity to check everything.

I was going to ask you about the speedo drive unit - it is hard to envisage the requirement at the moment, but I'm hoping that will become obvious when I offer up the AW71 to the current installation?

I'm going fit the half-pallet with some caster wheels to make it easy to manoeuvre, after that I'll get everything cleaned up and serviced (I'm guessing there will be a filter inside, just like on the BW55?). A lot of parts look very similar - it will be very convenient of the cooling lines are the same, and the prop isn't too different.

Bob had a good day out and was pleased to see Luke :-)

I'm fairly certain the B21A driveplate is the same as the B230 so you shouldn't have any problems in that respect but i was under the impression you were going to change the rear crank oil seal while the driveplate is off then fit the B230 driveplate anyway?

I'm fairly sure the extension housings can be swapped from the AW55 to the 71 to give you the speedo drive, i'll try to find a diagram somewhere. If you look at the AW71 extension housing you should see where it has the casting (undrilled) for the speedo drive



That shows where the speedo drive goes and the cable.

While you're at it, i'd advise renewing the extension housing seal and bushing too :



Old seal and bush out, new ones in - the bush had either slipped or was fitted incorrectly so the hole for the oil didn't line up with the oilway resulting in premature wear - fairly common i believe.

Filters should be the same or similar between the boxes, fairly certain the extension housing bush and seal are the same as well. Mostly readily available on ebay, if not i might still have the website of a firm that i have used in the past for a few bits. Not sure i've still got them so will have to hunt and see.

Your tape measure should tell you what you need to knwo about the propshaft, i have a funny feeling you will probably be ok with one or other of the propshafts you have.

Cooling pipes for the ATF should be the same, it's not something they're likely to change. If the length isn't compatible, you can always cut and join old and new or perhaps unscrew the old ones from the box before removal and then screw them into the new box.

Maybe sunday will be a general measure up/cleaning day instead!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I'm fairly sure the extension housings can be swapped from the AW55 to the 71 to give you the speedo drive, i'll try to find a diagram somewhere. If you look at the AW71 extension housing you should see where it has the casting (undrilled) for the speedo drive

That shows where the speedo drive goes and the cable...

Maybe sunday will be a general measure up/cleaning day instead!

Ah! Now I see!

[360beast]

Good to see you again Alan and to meet Elizabeth, glad you're getting on well and enjoying the RB.

Bob looked very happy chomping on his treats!

I must say it was very strange seeing someone coming for Volvo parts in a modern car haha.

Glad you like the 760 and agree with my idea of an "oily rag" restoration.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by 360beast

Glad you like the 760 and agree with my idea of an "oily rag" restoration.

... I really liked the 760 Luke, I think it is a gem hiding under a couple of decades of neglect.

If it was my project (... and I know, it is not), I think I'd do the same as the Bloop (1976 Suzuki 2-stroke) and set myself a strict budget of (say) £500 so I couldn't get carried away. It probably just needs is that little bit of welding under the battery tray, a cam belt, fluids and a tidy up on the drive train, some fettling of the brakes, steering and suspension, a few rattle cans and a MOP. It would look really cool as an oily rag restoration - with no attempt whatsoever of making it anything like new - it has taken 34 years to start looking that good.

:-)

PS. ... and in a few years it will be an historic vehicle, how cool would that be!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Othen

I've found some products by Smartseal to renovate my drive. One which is a biological agent that claims to break down oil deposits (I have quite a few from all the times I've changed engine and gearbox oils intending to be tidy but have always spilled a little). The other product is a re-sealer that rolls on to make it all black like new again. I've just started the preparation today by brushing on a bleach solution to kill all the moss and lichen, it is a big drive though (130m^2) so it takes a while. I'll get it pressure washed off over the next couple of days then try the two Smartseal products, then report back on how effective they are.

:-)

This thread sometimes goes off on tangents - this is one of those times. I mentioned a few days ago that I intended to renovate the drive at my house - like most it was looking a bit tired and had more than its fair share of oil spots where I'd not quite been careful enough changing some fluid on another. This is a review of a couple of products I obtained from Smartseal.

First was an oil stain remover:



... this was (I thought) a bit expensive at around £30/gallon, and to be candid probably less effective than Screwfix's own brand degreaser (which costs a quarter as much). It did have an effect on oil stains, and would have probably got rid of them with a number of applications, but I could not recommend this over the Screwfix product (used neat and pressure washed off the next day).

The other product was an asphalt restorer:



This was quite expensive at about £120/20 litres (I needed 40 litres to cover 130 m^2 with 2 coats), but this time I'm pleased to report it is an absolutely superb product. This is the drive after the first coat:



... and after the second:



To say I'm delighted would be an understatement. I used a long handled paint roller (the 12" one sold by Screwfix for about a tenner is very good) to apply. It was not a quick job, about 3 hours per coat to achieve a good finish, but it was well worth the cost and effort. The total cost was about £250.

Here ends the tangent... I hope this may be useful to someone one day.

:-)

[Othen]

I've started doing some research on the engineering issues to fit the A71L auto box to the RB.

First I considered the solenoid that controls 4th gear. Previously I'd considered providing a jumper to power the solenoid constantly and so override the O/D defeat, but some research has come up with a much neater solution: this IPD overdrive solenoid bypass kit from the USA at about $30:

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/4793...1239928-110397



... pretty neat, and one less part to go wrong.

Next i found a guide to doing the whole job (written in colloquial American, but you will get the gist - in italics below as a reference):

Complete guide to swapping that old BW55 for an overdrive AW71.

Things you will need:

-AW71 from a 760 with a V6, doesn’t matter what year, they are all the same, obtainable from car-part.com or other salvage finder.
-Tailcone gasket and any additional gaskets and bushings that may be leaking.
-4 to 5 quarts (11 to 12 if you are doing a full flush) of b&m trickshift Type F (1983), or Dexron III (>1984) because that fluid is probably been sitting for a while.
-IPD Overdrive bypass plate or new OD solenoid.
-trans jack (derp!)
-large pry bar (gordon freeman is your friend )
-normal affair of metric 1/2in to 1/4in drive sockets
-one very long 1/2in drive extension
-hex bits
-14mm thin wall socket (possibly a bolt out one too )
-set of open ended wrenches up to 22mm
-10ft of 5/16 or -6AN hose of your choice
Male Thread Size AN Size* Equivalent Tube Size (Nominal OD)
3/8-24 3AN 3/16"
7/16-20 4AN 1/4"
9/16-18 6AN 3/8"

-2 1/8 NPT male to -6AN female hose fittings (if you are re-using the radiator cooler)
NPT - American Standard Pipe Thread Taper 1)
Pipe Size (inches) TPI Nominal Outside Diameter Pipe OD (inches)
1/8" 27 0.405

-1 90° and 1 45° -6AN female to 1/2-20 male hose ends
-tape measure
-2 M10X1.5 rivet nut inserts
-1/2in drill bit
-welder or 6 pack for your welding buddy
-set of driveshaft bolts (highly recommended)
-set of flywheel bolts (if you do rear main seal)

First off, the obvious, remove the exhaust pipe, both pieces of the driveshaft (mark a reference for the splines, you will need your thin wall socket for this and will most likely strip the head or find that the threads are flat), torque converter bolts, kickdown cable on the intake, speedometer cable, all cooler lines and fluids, starter is not necessary, remove transmission with jack.
now would be a good time to do that rear main, just remember to replace the bolts.

Now onto the slushboxes
you will have to swap the old tailcone to the new transmission if you want a working speedometer. pull the tail cone off, pull the gear off too, nothing special needed, and swap the spacer from the same position on the new one.

Reusing the same crossmember is best, it's also a good time to take care of the bushing. you can order the two rubber rings that go around the bushing bolt but the bushing insert itself is currently nla from Volvo. also take care of obvious seals other than the pan, much easier in the car. this is also the point to deal with the overdrive solenoid, keep it and wire it in or just attach the bypass plate to make it act like a 4-speed full time. you may also want to chase the torque converter bolt holes to save yourself the extra shoulder pain of turning out the dirt and corrosion with the bolts when its in the car.


The AW71 is about 2.25 inches longer than the older gearbox so the last set of boltholes for the crossmember don’t go far enough. you have one of two options, weld extension tabs, or the stronger method, RIVNUT! take your 1/2inch drill bit and bore a hole into your "frame rail" with the crossmember on or off after marking centre-point. Take your rivet nuts i mentioned (get the longest one available) and keep test fitting the hole and wobbling the drill around until it's just snug enough that you can tap it in with a few good thrusts of the back of your prybar. spray weld flux or something into the hole if you're paranoid and live in salt land. now take that rivet nut tool.

*IMPORTANT* use these measurements as a guideline and not an accurate account DUE TO MANY FACTORS OF CAR CONDITION, EVERYONE'S IS DIFFERENT, please always OCD check your measurements.

Measure your shifter link, i came to about 80mm needing to be cut out, it's okay if it's not entirely precise, that's why it has an adjuster nut. cut it and make sparks fly, weld flux again.
on to the all-important driveshaft. measuring for the front piece with the transmission in the car, measure from the trans flange face to your reference point. i chose the edge of where the driveshaft support left a mark on the car which just about correlates to the support flange on the shaft itself. now it gets tricky, measure the shaft itself from flange to flange while trying to keep it straight. i ended up with about 65mm needing to be gone, my support bearing looks a little like it's only slightly pushed back in the centre, but i have no extra noises or vibration, maybe closer to 67mm needed.
send the whole 2 pieces off to a driveshaft shop, i used driveshaft king in downtown Dallas. shorten, balance, and straightened for $125.

Almost there, don’t forget your speedometer seal and cable.
if you are reusing the stock radiator cooler, take your 10ft hose, make one side about a foot longer than the other and cut. attach and spin on your NPT fittings in the radiator with the top one being the longest as it goes to the rear of the transmission. run it to the desired length and cut excess. now spin your angled fittings on and put the exhaust back on and drain the pan, about 3 to 4 quarts will come out. follow the green book on refilling the transmission.

hook the kick down cable up to the throttle with about .7 to 1mm of gap between cable clamp and adjuster, you want just enough tension for it to be taught at closed throttle. GO DRIVE DAT MONSTER...

===============================

So, a few more engineering issues to solve:

a. Crossmember.
b. Prop shaft.
c. Cooling pipes.
d. Shifter linkage.
e. Kickdown cable.

Watch this space...

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I've started doing some research on the engineering issues to fit the A71L auto box to the RB.

First I considered the solenoid that controls 4th gear. Previously I'd considered providing a jumper to power the solenoid constantly and so override the O/D defeat, but some research has come up with a much neater solution: this IPD overdrive solenoid bypass kit from the USA at about $30:

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/4793...1239928-110397



... pretty neat, and one less part to go wrong.


hook the kick down cable up to the throttle with about .7 to 1mm of gap between cable clamp and adjuster, you want just enough tension for it to be taught at closed throttle. GO DRIVE DAT MONSTER...[/I]

===============================

So, a few more engineering issues to solve:

a. Crossmember.
b. Prop shaft.
c. Cooling pipes.
d. Shifter linkage.
e. Kickdown cable.

Watch this space...

That solenoid bypass plate would work Alan. Alternatively remove the existing solenoid, remove the plunger and refit.

No problem on the kickdown cable, just connect the new cable in place of the old one and adjust correctly.

I'd recommend a better fluid than they suggest though, something comparable to JWS3309 fluid rather than Dexron stuff.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

That solenoid bypass plate would work Alan. Alternatively remove the existing solenoid, remove the plunger and refit.

No problem on the kickdown cable, just connect the new cable in place of the old one and adjust correctly.

I'd recommend a better fluid than they suggest though, something comparable to JWS3309 fluid rather than Dexron stuff.

... I think the kick-down cable that came with the AW71 is a bit past its best Dave - I forgot to explain that bit. It looks like a fiddly job that would be best done off the car as well.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

... I think the kick-down cable that came with the AW71 is a bit past its best Dave - I forgot to explain that bit. It looks like a fiddly job that would be best done off the car as well.

Do you mean the wire itself is frayed or just that it looks scruffy Alan? If it's the latter i would suggest a clean up and lube the inner cable/wire with some Carlube ATF-U (use the same fluid in the box when you fit it too) but if the wire is frayed then you will need to renew it.

The Haynes Book of Fantasy (HBoF) usually has sections explaining this and how to adjust it correctly. If the original kickdown cable on the RB is in better condition (doubtful at twice the age) you may be able to use that instead of a complete new one.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361091582318

I think that's the right cable and the best price i could find - many were ~£130!

[Stephen Edwin]

My understanding re the kick doen cable is, sometimes strange symptoms reported in the forum turn out to be caused by that cable. I would suggest replacement as a precaution but I have seen Dave's info as to how high the price could be. Ouch.

Stephen

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