Just what the world needs, another V8 swapped Volvo!

[bogmire]

Well, removing the fuel sending unit only took all weekend...

The trunk has been the storage spot for all the removed parts so far, so step one was to empty the trunk. Peeled back the carpet trim panels, opened up the access hatch, and assessed the situation. Rusty, rusty, oh so incredibly rusty hose clamps. Luckily, all the clamps on the sending unit hoses came off without much drama. The first struggle came with the little hose that branches off the big filler hose, and attaches to the gas tank;

Absolutely no chance at getting a T25 on top of that clamp. Must've been installed with the tank removed from the car. Grabbed the hack saw, gently cut through the bolt, and carried on. There was one last clamp that I needed to remove, holding the filler hose to the trunk side tube. Grab a socket, some extensions, climb under the car aaaaand;

Snap the head of the clamp screw smoooove off. Great. Grab the hacksaw, realize there is no room for the whole saw, remove the blade and get to work. Slowly cutting through the screw band of the clamp, whacking my hand on the parking brake cable and panhard bar the whole time. Eventually, I liberated what was left of the clamp;

With all the hoses removed, I could finally remove the sending unit. Locking ring came off easy, gently pried the unit out of the seal, and was left with the task of twistifying the sending unit out of it's home. I was following along with a guide/video, both of which explained that the sending unit needed to be twisted counter clockwise to get the barrel up and out of the baffles. That didn't work for me, no matter what combination of angles and spins I threw at it. Eventually I stumbled upon a different write up, stating that the unit should be pulled under the floor, then spun clockwise. That was the ticket;

Looks like I'm not the first one to be oogling this thing. Makes sense, seeing as there were some witness marks on the lock ring. Got right to eyeballing a spot for my wire bulkhead, it looks like this;

Nice way to pass some 12 AWG Teflon insulated wire through. The last issue is the fuel pump itself, as it's a smaller diameter than the original;

Crappy picture, but the DW200 is a hot dog, and the basket is a hallway. Soon as I come up with a way to fill that space, or some other way to mount the pump, it'll be ready for re-install. This time, with stainless hose clamps.

 

[283SD]

Built my V8 Wagon 38 years agld school Chevy V8.Not a big fan of the "LS" motors they look ..............! Any how go with your bad self.

 

[bogmire]

Finished up the fuel pump/sending unit:

Got a universal pump install kit, it came with a sleeve to fill the space between the pump and the basket. Added a hose clamp to the whole mess for a belt and suspenders approach. Used a connector with bigger terminals for the fuel pump, and some 12 awg teflon insulated wire, all from Racetronix. Passed the wire through the bulkhead, added a new hose from the pump to the top hat, and it was ready to roll.

On my first attempt at installing the sending unit back into the tank, things were going well, until they weren't. Pulled the sending unit back out, and found the pump sock taking a swim:

Round 2, tried a different sock, the pump install kit came with a whole variety of them. Sending unit in, properly positioned in the baffles, sock still attached, winning. Heaving the sending unit into the seal took a great bit of effort and slippery stuff, but it eventually went. Since I stretched a glove over the top of the fuel tank to seal it off, the locking ring was left on the bench. When multiple guides say the ring will shrink, they really mean it. Couldn't get the ring to start square on the tank threads, but warming the ring up with a heat gun fixed that issue.

New return hose, hose clamps, and the install was finally done. Snuck the new fuel pump wires in the sleeve with the level sensor wires, those are currently hanging out while I figure out how I want to wire it up. Fiddled around with some clutch plumbing, and I think I've just about done everything I can with the engine and transmission in the car. Looking at pulling the drivetrain back out so I can finish building the transmission, clean/re-gasket/paint the engine, and do some more transmission tunnel clearance work.

 

[bogmire]

Got the engine and transmission pulled back out this weekend. Before pulling, I made sure to mark and make notes of all the spots that still need some clearance in the tunnel. I started pulling the exhaust off and realized I never put anything on the outlet of the muffler. Did a quick eyeball and chopped up an elbow, ended up with a nice little turndown at the end of the exhaust:

After that, I removed the rest of the exhaust system, pulled the transmission case, and hoisted the engine away. With the engine out, I began cleaning the engine bay/getting all the wiring loose:

That's about all the further I got this past weekend. Currently gathering the rest of the parts I need for the T56, and the gaskets I need for the engine are patiently waiting in my cart. While the rest of that "nickel and dime" stuff accumulates, I'll keep chipping away at the engine bay. It's nice to see some green paint come up from under all that grime. While I'm cleaning, I plan on removing (or hiding) the wires that I don't need. I'm also reconsidering the placement of the battery. Still haven't figured that out yet, but I've got time.

 

[DET17]

Got the green book wiring diagram for your vehicle? I've sold my diagrams for the 92- vehicles.... but might still have an electronic copy for the 92. What year is yours?

 

[rallydallas]

Sorry just stumbled across this thread. Looking great! Good pics!

I need to do something similar on my fuel tank as well. Have a loud-as-hell Bosch in the stock under-the-seat position. It is so bad. Plan is to install a new Walbro in the tank and delete the under-the-seat pump.

From my memory, you can take the coolant temp gauge sensor and connector and thread it directly into the block at the port in the 5.3 at the rear passenger side of the engine. The thread is the same. Basically just use the Volvo coolant temp sensor. I think the ECU has its own temp sensor somewhere (the non-Volvo ECU.)

 

[bogmire]

Got the green book wiring diagram for your vehicle? I've sold my diagrams for the 92- vehicles.... but might still have an electronic copy for the 92. What year is yours?

I'm one step ahead of ya. One of the first things I did after picking up my car was finding a digital copy of the green book. Lots of good info.

 

[bogmire]

Sorry just stumbled across this thread. Looking great! Good pics!

Thanks!

I need to do something similar on my fuel tank as well. Have a loud-as-hell Bosch in the stock under-the-seat position. It is so bad. Plan is to install a new Walbro in the tank and delete the under-the-seat pump.

Good luck, have fun, well ventilated area, all that stuff.

From my memory, you can take the coolant temp gauge sensor and connector and thread it directly into the block at the port in the 5.3 at the rear passenger side of the engine. The thread is the same. Basically just use the Volvo coolant temp sensor. I think the ECU has its own temp sensor somewhere (the non-Volvo ECU.)

The temp gauge sensor that I pulled out of the redblock had a larger thread than the LS M12x1.5 port. I've got a solution for that, just waiting on a thread die, should have it squared away this weekend.

 

[rallydallas]

Maybe it is a LH2.2 vs LH2.4 thing... Mine was a 2.2 and it has like 2 different water temp sensors. One for gauge and one for ECU.

Anyways, here's my notes on that gauge sensor

"Volvo engine coolant sensor-to-instrument cluster"
BOSCH 0280130026
12mmx1.50 thread (fine)
18mm hex body
2-pin output

STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS HP3980 Handypack connector

Hope that helps, something to look at or whatever

Edit: ok just re-read what you'd posted. Maybe try putting in the square connector ECU temp gauge in the block and alligator clip it to the gauge wires, see if it reads. On my 945 it does. As you can see I basically bought a new one and used it, fits w/o modification in the 5.3 block..and my gauge works fine! Might be worth a test. I think it's just resistance driven, so no need for pos/neg matching.

Edit again: ok, just checked my install. That's exactly what I did. Bought a new sensor ^^ and connector, screwed it into the block, wired it into some Volvo female plug ends, plugged it into the harness connector at the driver-side firewall. Easy. Anyways, it's an option! You have the old sensor and wire, just re-connect it to the cluster wires and see if it does the trick. To re-iterate. The 2 Volvo sensors are basically the same. Use the square-connector in the place of the rounded-plug connector, I believe it should work.

 

[Fandango]

...Looks like I'm not the first one to be oogling this thing. Makes sense, seeing as there were some witness marks on the lock ring. Got right to eyeballing a spot for my wire bulkhead, it looks like this;

Is that one of the amazon bulkhead fittings?

 

[bogmire]

Is that one of the amazon bulkhead fittings?

Yes. Upon seeing this question, over-thinking kicked in, and now I'm kinda second guessing this setup. I'm not so concerned about the material of the bulkhead, but more so with the possibility of fuel "wicking" up through the strands of wire. I've seen a lot of people just pass a wire straight through the top hat and seal it via bulkhead, epoxy, etc. without reporting any issues. But now I've also read 2 forum posts and a review on a similar bulkhead pointing towards the wicking issue. Seems like having a break in the wiring (like using a bulkhead stud) is a better option. If I go that route, I'm not quite sure how I'd seal the hole that I drilled for the current bulkhead fitting. I'll have to keep an eye on it, so far there are no smells. Cars are fun

 

[bogmire]

Edit again: ok, just checked my install. That's exactly what I did. Bought a new sensor ^^ and connector, screwed it into the block, wired it into some Volvo female plug ends, plugged it into the harness connector at the driver-side firewall. Easy. Anyways, it's an option! You have the old sensor and wire, just re-connect it to the cluster wires and see if it does the trick. To re-iterate. The 2 Volvo sensors are basically the same. Use the square-connector in the place of the rounded-plug connector, I believe it should work.

Noted, good knowledge to have. I've already modified the gauge sensor to work, but I'll keep the LH2.4 sensor and connector on hand just to have 'em.

 

[Fandango]

Yes. Upon seeing this question, over-thinking kicked in, and now I'm kinda second guessing this setup. I'm not so concerned about the material of the bulkhead, but more so with the possibility of fuel "wicking" up through the strands of wire. I've seen a lot of people just pass a wire straight through the top hat and seal it via bulkhead, epoxy, etc. without reporting any issues. But now I've also read 2 forum posts and a review on a similar bulkhead pointing towards the wicking issue. Seems like having a break in the wiring (like using a bulkhead stud) is a better option. If I go that route, I'm not quite sure how I'd seal the hole that I drilled for the current bulkhead fitting. I'll have to keep an eye on it, so far there are no smells. Cars are fun

Cars are fun for sure.

I'm in the process of using a 87 Ford f-350 low pressure pump in a 1971 K20, and need to feed the wires through the sending unit and have been looking for a decent option. There's a guy, Chris1313 in the LS world that does fuel hats and pumps an uses what looks like a clear epoxy. I reached out to ask what he uses, no response yet. I've read that Seal-all works, but who knows.

I hadn't thought about the wicking part, but that's a good point, as just about everyone uses a connector of some sort.

 

[bogmire]

Noted, good knowledge to have. I've already modified the gauge sensor to work, but I'll keep the LH2.4 sensor and connector on hand just to have 'em.

I slightly lied here. Hadn't actually modified the sensor yet, and when I did, it broke. Not a major surprise. As I was turning the sensor shank down to accommodate M12 thread, I started to wonder just how much material was left. Turns out, not much. As soon as the thread die started to cut, the temp sensor became a two piece deal. With that said, I'm going to use the LH2.4 sensor.

Been chipping away at small stuff, gathering parts to do big stuff. Figured since I have the transmission apart, might as well check bellhousing runout. Technically shouldn't be necessary with a stock bellhousing, but the transmission was a little noisy/difficult to shift for the brief period of time I had it in my S10

Safe to say, it may be a little out of alignment. This 4 point method maybe isn't the best strategy, but it gives me something to work with. Looks like the better method is to watch the indicator throughout it's rotation and find the highest/lowest points. That's going to be a bit of a challenge. With this transmission stuff on my mind, I got to thinking about how the engine and transmission are going to have to be installed as a unit into the car. Which presents the next hurdle...

The lower rad support. So far, I've had the mast on my 1 ton engine hoist fully extended, in the 1/4 ton position. That has given me just enough room to swing the engine into the car. By the time the engine is in the place, the cylinder on the hoist has a paper thin gap between it and the rad support. So now I'm left with a few different options, either;

1. Get a bigger hoist, swing the engine and transmission in as a unit. A new 2 ton runs about $300, I've seen them go for $150-$200 on marketplace
2. Use my current hoist, drop the engine in by itself, then install the transmission. The engine either needs to be lower in the car, by lowering/dropping the front subframe, or needs to tilted way down, which leaves me trying to push the transmission uphill on install.
3. Use my current hoist, shorten up the mast for higher lifting capacity, and modify the lower rad support to make it a removable piece.
4. Use my current hoist, shorten up the mast for higher lifting capacity, pick the engine up at the very front of the cylinder heads, use a combination of ratchet straps and a chain come-along to make up for the horrible picking angle. Sketchy rigging is best rigging, right?

I'm not quite sure what the best plan of attack is, but I've got a day or two or twenty to figure it out. Lastly, I noticed something on the car that may give some insight to it's history

A little San Diego Volvo sticker on the inside of the windshield. How I'm just now noticing it, I don't know. I've only owned the car 6 months, and walked by the windshield a quarter of a million times. I think it might be time to pony up a couple bucks for a history report on this car, cause it's peaked my interest. Any suggestions? Carfax? KBB?

 

[lookforjoe]

If you're using the Volvo coolant gauge temp sender, it's M16x1.5. I drilled & tapped the existing plugged port on the r/s head

M14 -M16 adaptor for the OP sender

 

[DET17]

Doesn't the coolant temp sensor shown (for the faker dash gauge) seal with a tapered tip near the end? There is no gasket from memory..... and I just had this one out of my 90 745.

Whereas, the BOSCH type square head sensor has the lovely brass annealed gasket that seals under the head once she reaches position. I believe I used Permatex Aviation sealant around the top section of threads..... that "round head" sensor body goes tight installed when the male/female tapers collide.

 

[bogmire]

Doesn't the coolant temp sensor shown (for the faker dash gauge) seal with a tapered tip near the end? There is no gasket from memory..... and I just had this one out of my 90 745.

Pretty sure that's correct. When I pulled that temp gauge sender from my engine, there was no sealant on the threads, nor a washer/gasket under the hex, so it must seal by the taper at the end.

 

[lookforjoe]

Doesn't the coolant temp sensor shown (for the faker dash gauge) seal with a tapered tip near the end? There is no gasket from memory..... and I just had this one out of my 90 745.

Whereas, the BOSCH type square head sensor has the lovely brass annealed gasket that seals under the head once she reaches position. I believe I used Permatex Aviation sealant around the top section of threads..... that "round head" sensor body goes tight installed when the male/female tapers collide.

There is no factory gasket for the gauge sender. I added one because I had to sleeve the port - I made the mistake of using an NPT tap first :O It's still M16x1.5 The ECT is smaller OD, so hard to mix that up.

 

[bogmire]

Month long hiatus thread bump/check in. Here's some primerized engine parts:

Picking up where I left off, the bellhousing that I was trying to use was junk. It's worth noting that it was the cheapest new bellhousing that could be found on Ebay when I bought it a year or two ago. Not even the highest offset dowel pins could get it aligned within spec. Grabbed a new bellhousing from ICT Billet, still needed some .007" pins, but got the runout down to .002", well within the 0-.005" spec.

Aside from that, mostly just been cleaning and painting. I've got just about all the small parts/brackets painted, the engine is the last piece of the puzzle. Should see it in color sometime soon. Got all the parts I need for the T56, so assembling that is also in the works. Once the engine/transmission are back in the car, stuff should start to fall together pretty quickly. A few wires here, some hoses there, and the "end" of the project will be within reach.

 

[brendon_ak]

looking good, its gonna be a sweet dd! electric downpipe cutout??