• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

Another LS Swap on a 1990 240

The Volvo power steering line would have bolted up but it sealed with a flange and the gm factory line sealed with an o-ring
Might be a year model thing (mine's an '04 too, though), but I pulled my pump today, and it's an identical fitting. Maybe it just works with multiple hose fitting types?
 
Fabbed up a trans mount. I did not like the look/clearance of all those spacers

Built the center section first

27363507915_d70e55a6ea_c.jpg

27363480785_8e792c01da_c.jpg

27363502675_751c558821_c.jpg
27292946411_101cdfb3e5_c.jpg


Then made these L brackets with 3 holes instead of the factory 2

26756302964_f4e13b4822_c.jpg


Bolted the center section and the side sections up, jacked up the trans and then measured, cut and welded in the cross supports.

26756046484_265678873c_c.jpg
26756066084_5c71ab9235_c.jpg
27265790592_4e21dc5838_c.jpg

27265796892_77e0513e33_c.jpg
 
Last edited:
Also got the driveshaft back from the driveline shop. They installed a new carrier bearing and that rubber donut thing that is part of the bearing assembly.

Now onto mating the GM shifter with the volvo.
 
OK. I had a work fiasco that stopped the progress for awhile. Now that I'm back to it I re-routed some cooling hoses, tidied up the wiring and spent alot of time figuring out the shifter. I do not like the lokar shifter thingy. It looks out of place and I am going for a sleeper stock look. I tried and tried to figure a way to adapt the GM envoy floor shifter to the volvo but just could not get to a point where I liked the design. I did some measuring with the factory GM shifter and cable and the volvo shift lever and I figured out that I could mate them. You have to loop the cable around but it works. I welded steel flat onto the volvo shifter lever to extend it and then drilled a series of holes to create some adjustability (shift throw length). Then I created this box to bolt to the bottom of the body of the car for adjustability(park detent position). Welded up the box and tapped the sides of the inner assembly with an M8x1.25 tap and thew in some flange bolts for a friction fit.

These pictures were the preliminary design. I did end up pie cutting the shifter lever near the pivot and putting an angle in it and then welding in the snap-in-place nipple from the gm shifter but the idea was sound. It works! The detents in the volvo shift design mate up remarkably well. I have not yet figured in any shift lockout so I do need to be a bit careful until I get around to that part.

IMG_4511 by ttownthomas, on Flickr

IMG_4514 by ttownthomas, on Flickr

IMG_4508 by ttownthomas, on Flickr

IMG_4509 by ttownthomas, on Flickr

IMG_4515 by ttownthomas, on Flickr

I forgot to take photos of the thing installed before I put the car back on the ground. Ill get a photo at the muffler shop when they put it up in the air. Then I Filled it with trans fluid and backed it out of the garage for the first time in months. It badly needed a bath

Im sure the people in my HOA will be sending a letter because it is remarkably loud! Off to the muffler shop ASAP
 
Last edited:
How are you dealing with the stock volvo shifter missing a gear in the actual shifter being that the volvo shifter has P R N D 2 3 and and gm trans has P R N [D] D 2 1 ?

I put a single 24" Magna flow on the car and its quieter then the 16vt was
 
How are you dealing with the stock volvo shifter missing a gear in the actual shifter being that the volvo shifter has P R N D 2 3 and and gm trans has P R N [D] D 2 1

Volvo has P R N D 2 1 you meant. The volvo "drops into" D and then you can shift between D and 2 without pushing the shifter button.

The GM shifter has such close shifts that D 3 2 1 all fit into the slot for volvo D and 2. But 1st gear is not locked out while driving.

P R N D all drop into the correct volvo slots if you measure it out right. the lower gears 3 2 1 are really crunched together.

Does that make sense?
 
Volvo has P R N D 2 1 you meant. The volvo "drops into" D and then you can shift between D and 2 without pushing the shifter button.

The GM shifter has such close shifts that D 3 2 1 all fit into the slot for volvo D and 2. But 1st gear is not locked out while driving.

P R N D all drop into the correct volvo slots if you measure it out right. the lower gears 3 2 1 are really crunched together.

Does that make sense?

Yes. Glad you were able to understand my words there but makes sense.

I used the straight thru muffler

Sounds awesome.
 
image by ttownthomas, on Flickr

OK. To the muffler shop and back. Twice. Had to re-route the shifter cable a tad.

Ill post undercarriage photos once I get it back up on a lift.

Got ready to drive it and the taillights started smoking. These cars apparently had an ingenious printed circuit board. After reading about all the headaches people have I decided to rewire them. I was not happy with how the thing looked putting spade connectors on the volvo sockets and I could not get solder to stick so I found these little bulb holders (ba15s) on amazon.com. $8 for 5 of them. Plus a couple of extra dual filament (bay15d) holders. I had to re-wire them with heavier gauge wire but all in all they turned out pretty good. They drop in and twist into place. Not an identical fit but it ended up working.

image by ttownthomas, on Flickr

image by ttownthomas, on Flickr
 
After the muffler was installed I was finally able to let it get up to temperature and start troubleshooting the wiring harness and PCM issues that popped up. I had to monkey with ground locations and quality ground eyelets. Got that sorted. Then had to figure out why it was throwing a MAP code. Turned out my oil pressure sender was killing 5v reference. Removed the oil pressure sender (going to replace it with a VDO gauge in one of the factory 52mm locations anyway).

I'm currently working on figuring out the following:

Bulb failure warning light (comes on if the parking lights are on). Will the license plate lights trip the bulb warning "relay"?

SRS light is on. Not sure where to start with this. the ABS controller is under the seat right? From the wiring diagram it shows to get power from the alternator and from the ignition switch. I'm guessing the ignition wire is still in place. The alternator one Im not sure about. It's a red wire so that doesn't really help me narrow it down much. Mabee I removed this wire when I took out all the engine related wiring.
 
Wired up VDO Oil pressure and Voltage Gauges. Still looking for a tach. I have found a bunch with the earlier cluster finish but none for an 89 up. 45 Lbs of pressure

Does anyone know of a place to get the gauge covers for the fatory gauge ports?



Untitled by ttownthomas, on Flickr
 
The car is unruly fast. PCM calculates 300 horsepower on the nose at full blast. The suspension is wasted. I just picked up turbo sway bars and will be installing IPD springs and all new suspension rubber.
 
Back
Top