chaparral wrote: In TX you'll want both an intercooler and E85. Since you're going to need additional injector capacity, why not try a PCI and a turbo a little smaller than you'd otherwise select?
Eh, planning on sticking with gasoline for this one. Don't feel like dealing with the variability and sporadic (by location) availability of E85. PCI would be cool, but I'd rather keep it simple. I don't even have variable valve timing.
One thing about the Amazons- the engine compartment is TINY. I've run into this problem in looking into V8 swaps as well as the B230 I plan on sticking into my 1800ES. If you'll notive, the firewall comes up from the floor and then slopes forward where you have the whole heater mess. That was a terrible design from a packaging stand-point. Your best bet may be (and what I plan to do) to remove the whole heater and re-align the firewall to give you more clearance. Then you can possibly scoot the engine rearward some more, which may solve some or all of your angled-mount issues.
If you decide you want a heater, you can always get a core out of something small from the junkyard and package it in the passenger side under-dash area. Lots of room up there, comparatively speaking.
EDIT: There's a box-section of structure there that needs to be dealt with, it can be relocated further back as needed. You'll want to move the battery to the trunk, too.
volvoclearinghouse wrote: One thing about the Amazons- the engine compartment is TINY. I've run into this problem in looking into V8 swaps as well as the B230 I plan non sticking into my 1800ES. If you'll notive, the firewall comes up from the floor and then slopes forward where you have the whole heater mess. That was a terrible design from a packaging stand-point. Your best bet may be (and what I plan to do) to remove the whole heater and re-align the firewall to give you more clearance. Then you can possibly scoot the engine rearward some more, which may solve some or all of your angled-mount issues. If you decide you want a heater, you can always get a core out of something small from the junkyard and package it in the passenger side under-dash area. Lots of room up there, comparatively speaking. EDIT: There's a box-section of structure there that needs to be dealt with, it can be relocated further back as needed. You'll want to move the battery to the trunk, too.
^ I was told the same thing as I was seduced into the P1800ES as a candidate for my project. The engine compartments in the Amazon and P1800 are uncompromising. The forward slopping firewall, upper a-arm intrusion and Rube-Goldberg steering all conspire to cause mental anguish to anyone who attempts to swap a different engine into these cars.
Luckily, the steering arms can be swapped (they bolt onto the spindle, they're not integral to it) to give rear-steer, which can then be adapted to a rack and pinion setup.
The upper A arms are...confining, though. But, if you move the engine far enough back... 
Hm, I'd ruled out eliminating the heater, but I hadn't thought about replacing it with something else in a different place. That's definitely worth considering. Thanks for the tip.
I might. I found something similar on Summit. I'll pull the fan out this weekend and see if inspiration strikes.
The heater core for a '91-96 Ford Escort is tiny and cheap.
chaparral wrote: The heater core for a '91-96 Ford Escort is tiny and cheap.
Core, or full heater unit?
Bought a MIG welder off Craigslist the other day, I'm fully committed to moving forward with the B230 plan. Hoping to snag a good T5 off Craigslist. I'd need one from a V8 for the Volvo swap, for the longer input shaft. I THINK I could swap input shafts on a T5 out of a V6 Mustang, but one out of a 4 cyl. would be too weak to bother with.
Also pricing out sheet metal to fix some of the bad spots on the body. If anyone knows of an Amazon being cut up, let me know!
If you need pieces or parts from Amazons that are small and easy to ship, I have about a dozen parts cars, and a plasma cutter.
Also, the M47 that came behind B230 from Volvo aren't terrible transmissions, and unlike the M46, actually have a real 5th gear, not an electric overdrive. They're also to be found much cheaper than T5, and bolt right up. But, I don't think they'll handle 300 HP.
unevolved wrote:chaparral wrote: The heater core for a '91-96 Ford Escort is tiny and cheap.Core, or full heater unit? Both. The EG and EK/EM Civic units are also small (remember the $2012 Civic)?
If I remember right, the sn95 mustang t5 has a longer input shaft than the 5.0
volvoclearinghouse wrote: If you need pieces or parts from Amazons that are small and easy to ship, I have about a dozen parts cars, and a plasma cutter. Also, the M47 that came behind B230 from Volvo aren't terrible transmissions, and unlike the M46, actually have a real 5th gear, not an electric overdrive. They're also to be found much cheaper than T5, and bolt right up. But, I don't think they'll handle 300 HP.
Hmm. Got any chunks that would help fix this area? This is going to be my first problem, I'll just start here and work my way towards the rear.
Dusterbd13 wrote: If I remember right, the sn95 mustang t5 has a longer input shaft than the 5.0
That sounds right. I know I need the one that's got a 9.25" input shaft for all the adapters. I bought an M46 bellhousing from a guy off Turbobricks, so I've got that box checked.
So when I started this project, we had been told we would never have kids. So a big project like this one seemed like a great way to spend some time, because why not? No kids on the horizon. Might as well.
Our daughter is now 4 months old. Funny how things work out. So I haven't spent much time on this car, but because I also don't have much money sunk into it, I don't feel like I HAVE to sell it. I still need to fix the rust, but I'm strongly considering rebuilding the B18 now because I have it, and no one wants to buy it. I don't feel like spending a few thousand on a more powerful drivetrain right now, and rebuilding the B18 doesn't keep me from doing that in the future.
I feel ya. We have a 3-1/2 year old and a 10 month old. Progress is steady, if slow, on projects.
Let me check on my parts cars and see if any have a decent area I could plazma cut out for you. Unfortunately that's a common rust point on these cars.
The square section that crosses the compartment below the heater and above the tunnel is structural.
If you remove that to set the motor back (which in my eyes is critical/necessary for a proper swap). You will need to add sufficient structure to replace it.
A dash bar and diagonals down to the bottom of the door pillar should suffice.
My swap project.
3.0L Ford + Toyota close ratio 5 speed - set back just a little. One turbo or two? I have not decided yet.
Don't you Amazon purists get your chonies in a wad. the car is a rust bucket and the RF frame rail is taco'd.
What am I missing? I don-t see any rust repair that would require more than a couple of drill bits, and angle grinder and a few scraps of 19 gauge sheet-metal.
Pluck the battery box out by drilling out the spot-welds and then snip out and butt-weld in some repair bits in the surrounding area. Fix the battery box on the bench and plop it back in.
NOHOME said:
What am I missing? I don-t see any rust repair that would require more than a couple of drill bits, and angle grinder and a few scraps of 19 gauge sheet-metal.
Pluck the battery box out by drilling out the spot-welds and then snip out and butt-weld in some repair bits in the surrounding area. Fix the battery box on the bench and plop it back in.
I had assumed it would be easier to replace the battery box, if one was available. I'm still figuring out how to do this, part of the goal for this project is to get myself out of my comfort zone. I've drilled out spot welds before, so I'll try to remove it and see how that goes. Thanks for the tip!
volvoclearinghouse said:I feel ya. We have a 3-1/2 year old and a 10 month old. Progress is steady, if slow, on projects.
Let me check on my parts cars and see if any have a decent area I could plazma cut out for you. Unfortunately that's a common rust point on these cars.
Thanks. I'm even more interested in the trunk area, if you've got anything with an intact spare tire well or rear exterior panel.
bentwrench said:The square section that crosses the compartment below the heater and above the tunnel is structural.
If you remove that to set the motor back (which in my eyes is critical/necessary for a proper swap). You will need to add sufficient structure to replace it.
A dash bar and diagonals down to the bottom of the door pillar should suffice.
My swap project.
3.0L Ford + Toyota close ratio 5 speed - set back just a little. One turbo or two? I have not decided yet.
Don't you Amazon purists get your chonies in a wad. the car is a rust bucket and the RF frame rail is taco'd.
The thought has definitely crossed my mind, but I don't want to get that deep into this project yet. I may still rebuild the B18 just for E36 M3s and giggles, repair some rust, and see if I can get it moving again. Stupid power is still in the cards, just later on.
Dropped the B18D block off at a machine shop today. It's gonna take them a while to get to it, but that's fine with me. They're going to clean up the bores, and do new freeze plugs and cam bearings.
Since they're doing new cam bearings... anyone have a D-grind cam to sell me? :D
I've been avoiding this job for a while, but I had some free time the other day and finally got around to removing the headliner. More importantly, removing the 30 years worth of dirt and mouse turds and pecan shells that accumulated over time.
Proper PPE is important!
What a mess.
I used a 3' long wooden dowel to rip it into pieces and let everything fall out. There were a few semi-comatose yellowjackets that were terminated with extreme prejudice.
I just tore the fabric from the edges, I didn't want to try and get all the trim loose yet. There was a cycle of tear a section down, and clean it up. Tear a section, clean up the debris.
Eventually, though, I got it all out! Still doesn't look great, but it's far less terrifying in there than it used to be. Now I actually feel like I can get some work done in the interior.
Such a neat little car. It always feels good to make some progress, even if it's something simple like cleanup.
One of the tires is totally flat and refuses to reinflate, so I think the next step will be to get some super-cheap tires from a local hole in the wall place so I can roll it around. It could benefit from a bath, but I'd like to push it out into the driveway first.
I enjoy seeing you make progress on this car! As far as tires go, are you familiar with Refugios down in Burleson? They sell used tires for a pretty decent price and have a nice selection. I don't recall the size on the Amazon but I bought brand new 13s for $35 each and always have luck getting a near new set of matching 14s.
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