1985 Volvo 244TI

[madufaku]

PART ONE:
The Volvo has come quite a ways since I got him last year. Here's how it sat when I got it.





At the time, it was essentially a factory car with a couple of neat minor mods and rare factory options.
-Mitsubishi 13c turbo and manifold from a '90's 9 series
-Greddy blow off valve
-BBS meshes in 5x108 lug pattern. Very rare
-AutoMeter gauges, replaced the original very nice VDO gauge set
-European tail lenses
-Black headliner, very rare in a sedan

There's a lot more that has happened since I got it, but I'll post about it as I have time to

[madufaku]

PART TWO:
Here's the beautifully done AutoMeter gauge setup that the previous owner thought was a cut above the clean and nice factory VDO gauges...
He was obviously a genius. He even positioned/secured the gauges for me! What a tool...



Here's some pictures I took soon after buying the car, just after the first couple of micro-mods I did. In 1981, the 240 DL came with plastic blank pieces underneath the headlights instead of reflectors. It's something difficult to find, and I think it looks a bit better. Other "mod" was the Lambda Sond emblem I put on the grille. I wanted everyone to know that I had an O2 sensor!













It was around this time that my Volvo friend and I installed an IPD T cam on the car. I also switched the blow off valve from the Greddy to the Freddy (Ebay Greddy) and cranked the MBC to 13 incredible Swedish PSI. And yes, the switch of the BOV was only for ricer reasons, it's very loud. Fun with Honda Civics and whatnot. A Volvo is the last car that most automobile enthusiasts (mostly in the ricer range of the enthusiast spectrum) ever expect to be turbocharged/modified, making it lots of fun to troll with. In fact, at a recent meet, as I left, a friend of mine overheard a couple of Honda guys remarking, "Wow! He turbocharged a Volvo!"

[Caoboy]

I want me a turbo brick.

[The Driver]

I want me a turbo brick.

Make sure that is a Volvo, as opposed to a volvo (vulva). The former are RWD...

[— kung fu jesus —]

this shitbox sounds badass rolling through Long Beach backfiring each downshift.

my ears are still ringing and the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning are finally wearing off.

only volvo owners wrench on their dashboards while waiting at a stoplight.

[94R]

I'm gonna be keeping an eye on this build.

My brother just bought a 740 wagon turbo. Those things are built solidly, I'm considering buying it off of him... If I decide to sell the current familymobile, the CX9.

[madufaku]

I want me a turbo brick.

Make sure that is a Volvo, as opposed to a volvo (vulva). The former are RWD...

The main difference being, one is a turbo BRICK, one is a turbo TRICK. These FWD things are strange. Still, that being said, the 850T has a good turbo to use and it bolts on to the later red block flange. Don't get me wrong, the FWD Volvo's can be fun, but in my opinion, a RWD turbo car is a lot more fun. It also makes for way better burnouts.

this shitbox sounds badass rolling through Long Beach backfiring each downshift.

my ears are still ringing and the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning are finally wearing off.

only volvo owners wrench on their dashboards while waiting at a stoplight.

My Volvo's brilliance as a backfire machine nearly matches it's incredible gas mileage.

I'm gonna be keeping an eye on this build.

My brother just bought a 740 wagon turbo. Those things are built solidly, I'm considering buying it off of him... If I decide to sell the current familymobile, the CX9.

They are very easy to fix as well. Be forewarned that you might need to do that fairly often though.

[madufaku]

A random photo that looks kindof cool...


One of the things that I had really wanted to find for the car from the time I had purchased it was a flathood. Volvo 2 series coupes from '79 back, sedans and wagons from '77 on back had flathoods. There were a few exceptions where the flathood was used in later years, like in the 242GT up to '81 and the '83 242 Turbo Evo homologation model.
Here's some examples of cars with flathoods. The coolest in my opinion, the GT and the Turbo Evo.

This is a European 242GT model with the E-code square lights. Very rare, very valuable, and DO WANT.


The 242 Turbo Evo.


When I finally found a flathood along with the lights and some of the grille pieces, it was in kind of rough shape. This didn't stop me from using it. For a while there, my car had a sort of patina look similar to that popular in air cooled Volkswagens today.

FrankenVolvo lives!


More or less, everything but the grille and a headlight bezel installed.


Soon thereafter, I found a '77 245 with a full front end along with cool retro mirrors, oe of course. This is when my car starts looking especially patina, and perhaps even a bit rat rod-ish. Unfortunately for you fans of this look, I like things to look a bit tidier for the long run.

[—atank—]

Man that really looks good!

[The Driver]

The main difference being, one is a turbo BRICK, one is a turbo TRICK. These FWD things are strange. Still, that being said, the 850T has a good turbo to use and it bolts on to the later red block flange. Don't get me wrong, the FWD Volvo's can be fun, but in my opinion, a RWD turbo car is a lot more fun. It also makes for way better burnouts.

.

I know, I learn that lesson all too late. I've had a 740T, an 850T and an S70 Turbo. The 740 is the only one I miss...