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1983 Volvo 242, my first "rally car"

Try to discuss your cage plan with an ARA/NASA scruitineer, rally cages are pretty different from your standard track/road cage. I've seen people having to update their cages in service/get turned away because they didn't have the proper bars for rally rules.
 
tooTiredtooDie said:
Thank you, I haven't really started to research into this stuff because it seems like quite a ways until I could actually join a stage and learning the rules is a good start lol. Thankfully my dad used to be a rock crawler so he's built some pretty cool cages and plans to build mine. I'm hoping my local track has someone there to certify the cage, I might be able to join one those rallys in 6ish years because of college. As much as early subarus have an attractive price tag and after market from what I've heard a slow RWD platform is the best place to start. I also, besides the differential and cage plan to keep everything stock.
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There are only a few people in the USA that can certify a rally cage. The inspection is incredibly thorough, and cages done by offroad and road racing shops get cut out all the time. Every single weld is inspected, there are mirrors involved. Anything done poorly has to get redone, I am not joking about this.

Bampalo said:
Try to discuss your cage plan with an ARA/NASA scrutineer, rally cages are pretty different from your standard track/road cage. I've seen people having to update their cages in service/get turned away because they didn't have the proper bars for rally rules.
Click to expand...
This
 
Pulled the engine today, (don't mind the weird way the straps are set up the chains couldn't fit) think I'm going to get a better setup for the install. Waiting for an oil pump to get here and maybe get an engine stand so I will have a better time at it.
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Identified the engine, which is cool, B23F. Also am going to have to deal with the engine harness because it is leaking oil, How? I have no idea maybe it's out of its change interval lol. I plan on cleaning everything not to bottom to find leaks and may do the freeze plugs because they look pretty deteriorated. Hopefully together and or ready to go before thanksgiving.
 
Got the engine on a cheap amazon engine stand, it came with half the bolts to build it so got some money back, so it was basically free. Think I have a head gasket leak when looking at the side of the block and at cylinder 2? that has some washed out part of the exhaust port. I think ill just run it until it starts to smoke. Definitely want to do a full teardown before I even attempt a rally stage. Right now, the goal is to get it running as if you keep a car in the air to long it won't ever come down.
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Got all the parts to replace the oil pump, radiator, and now just need to install. Plan to also stich weld the frame while the engines out.
 
Nice.

I want to do a very similar build to this as my next project, once I get my other project car to a safely driveable state.
I have been obsessed with historic stage rallying for as long as I can remember and am excited now that I realize that the dream is achievable!

Have you done much research on a roll cage yet? The pre-bent ones from AST look pretty nice...
(link)
 
itstoobright said:
Nice.

I want to do a very similar build to this as my next project, once I get my other project car to a safely driveable state.
I have been obsessed with historic stage rallying for as long as I can remember and am excited now that I realize that the dream is achievable!

Have you done much research on a roll cage yet? The pre-bent ones from AST look pretty nice...
(link)
Click to expand...
Nothing about that linked cage will pass muster in any stage rally organization (in North America anyway.) I'd sooner race a 240 without a cage than with that one.
 
I haven't really looked for a kit or researched anything into a cage at the moment, buying a cage is out of the question as my dad has 20+ year's experience of building cages. I have finals this coming week and then I should have more updates and hopefully everything back together before the end of year. (I know I'm going to shoot myself in the foot for that one)
 
Bampalo said:
Nothing about that linked cage will pass muster in any stage rally organization (in North America anyway.) I'd sooner race a 240 without a cage than with that one.
Click to expand...
FIA bolt in cages are actually really well designed and thought out. Theres a very particular joint style and sleeve that has to be used, which is stronger than the tube itself.

For lower levels of rally racing, they would be adequate from a safety perspective.
 
Finally got some good gas and was able to stich weld the frame in the areas that I couldn't reach without having the engine pulled. I also removed the pedals again because I thought I could drill a hole through the other side, made sure the cable would line up and put that back together. Engine and trans and looking to be mated Thursday? Its either in the car within this week or 2. But who knows.
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Didn't have any white paint.
 
Finally got the trans and engine put together, felt pretty nice to see stuff come together after doing so many little things.
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I had a pretty wonky setup for putting the engine in and it took probably an hour to realize that because of how everything was setup, moving where it was being held would not help me. The engine also was sitting around 35 degrees the wrong way so what I did was use a jack and shimmy the engine and trans down, very tedious but worth it.
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(It's not on the clutch fork I promise)
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With the transmission mount and everything settled it felt nice to see the car have normal ride height and clutter out of the garage.
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I hope I look this good when I'm 43 :lol:. mismatching colors are the best-looking cars. Unfortunately, when aligning the hood my helper went and bent the hood on the driver's side, it's not that noticeable but looks like it probably won't be able to be pushed out. Wiring was pretty easy, I remembered were everything went but I also have not started it up yet. The driveshaft and exhaust is ready to go in but I would like to start it first without it being connected. I can't really do much until Thursday because the clutch cable was destroyed.

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The other side had a lot of wear on the hole the pin passes through so now I wait.
 
Moved onto the driveshaft after installing the clutch line, I had a problem with the carrrrrrier bearrring because for one reason or another the driveshaft from an m47 does not line up with that of an aw70 automatic.

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I just drilled holes in the mounting bracket and moved over the bracket. It fit nice and snug.

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I had no response from the starter when I turned the key and it left me puzzled because I thought I had just done everything I could but found out that I had mistaken the connecter for the reverse lights for the neutral safety switch, just making the reverse lights always on. I fixed this and the car started up, ill post more pictures and maybe a video of it running but it feels so nice to finally drive it after 4-5 months of sitting.

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This is the previously mentioned "Swedish fairy magic" that is my wiring harness
 
I've been catching up on this thread again, great work!
I'm not too far away (Twin Falls), feel free to say hi if you're in the area.
I try making it down there every year or so for the Garage Grill.
 
Little update, Drove it to work one day and it did fine but still learning manual so it was rough. Afterwards I saw I had lost almost half a quart and have a leak from the oil pan. I know why and its pretty silly, the first time I did the oil pan I didn't use RTV or gasket maker and it didn't drop an ounce of oil and when I put it on with a new gasket and RTV its pissing everywhere, so I have to do that. I had a pretty bad coolant leak but it was from the Nissin radiator I had bought so this but out for a week because of FCP euro taking a bit to send me it. Would not recommend the Nissin radiator as the new one I was sent was also poorly made and came with broken fins and the tabs that hold the plastic tanks on the side were mostly not down all the way and various little details like that.

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Next thing to do is fixing that leak, and fixing my driveshaft as my previous fix to center the carrrrrrrrrier bearrrring worked but now it's free and not under any clamping force. I also need to get this driveshaft balanced as there seems to be a vibration and I also wasn't the one to take it off the previous car. While I'm there, I got a new busing for the trans but didn't install it when I did the manual swap because the car was just sitting for too long. I also never checked both the output shaft angle and the diff input shaft angle and that's pretty important.
 
I think an update is due, the oil leak maybe a trans leak as I checked the oil level and it was still fine after loads of oil being spilled. I measured my output shaft angle and my diff angle, and they are almost a perfect 84 degrees so no wobble crank boom. I also hammered in the carrier bearing mount so it's actually being compressed. I bought a new set of Bilstein shocks with top hats, I am so happy to not be driving around a bouncy house anymore. I originally planned on just taking out the strut, spring and top hat with everything connected but I soon learned that was not possible so this will be my 6th? time bleeding brakes on the car.

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The drivers side strut top hat and strut boot were covered in spider eggs and webs, it was pretty nasty.
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My solution to hold the brake lines, some twine and tooth floss to hold them up.
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I then removed the windshield because its cracked and had just urethane holding it so when it was hot outside it started to leak. Put in the new windshield with a new gasket and without the chrome.
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removing the windshield was pretty fun besides the annoying chrome clips, removing the urethane was not fun.
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There were also some left-over stickers on the windshield from the previous car it was on, a parking pass to my local synagogue, a Volvo mechanic shop and some chevron one.
 
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