Major progress

Since the last post the 242 has been completely dismantled. I removed the original B21FT engine and stripped the entire exterior down to prepare it for paint. BMW Alpine White III basecoat/clearcoat was chosen (as seen in top image). The hood was changed to the "flathood" style seen on the early 240s and special '83 242 Turbos. I also removed the original tan interior and will replace it with a nice low mile (not faded) black interior.

Once the car returned from the body shop, I installed a B230Ft engine pulled from a 1991 Volvo 940 Turbo that I parted out in the fall of 2007. Then the fun began...

Fixing the leaks - air, oil, water

As with any 25 year old original vehicle, there are going to be issues. I mentioned in the introductory post that the car felt a bit too quick for stock. It turned out that the vacuum line running from the cold side intercooler pipe to the wastegate on the turbo had melted where it crosses the upper radiator hose. The factory boost gauge is not numerically labeled, but the car was definitely boosting "in the red." I suspect 12-14 psi. Upon replacing the wastegate vacuum line, boost was restored to the factory level (around 10 psi), although the car got slower. I ended up replacing quite a few vacuum lines under the hood - 25 year old rubber is just not reliable.

After switching over to Mobil 1 synthetic oil (10-30) the car developed an annoying oil leak. I pulled my hair out trying to source it, as it was dripping off the transmission bellhousing. Of course, rear main seal came to mind at first, but it turned out to be the oil pressure sensor brass fitting on the right side of the block. This fitting was literally hand tight - and seeping tons of oil. Some loctite sealant and proper torquing cured that. However, I switched the oil back to a heavier 20-50 Castrol GTX non synthetic.

Finally, the original windshield had a pretty nasty leak on the driver's side, as confirmed by a trip through the touchless car wash. The original owner had disclosed this to me, and even knocked the price down in anticipation of repair. Luckily, the owner had been acutely aware of the leak, and kept the car out of the wet weather. A new PPG unit went in, and I opted for the later style (better) windshield that was fitted to 91-93 240s.

Wheels, tires, suspension

The image above shows the 242 in stock condition beside my daily driver 1991 244 (four door sedan) now with 223K miles. As a first set of modifications, I upgraded the wheels, tires, springs, struts and swaybars. For wheels, the stock 15-inch "Virgo" alloys were replaced by 17x7-inch OEM Volvo "Polaris" rims. These wheels can be tough to find, but right around when I bought the car a set came up for sale in Massachusetts at a fair price. For tires, I went with Kumho Ecsta SPTs, size 215/45-17. Initial impressions were good, and we'll see how they perform in summer 2008.

The springs are made by Lësjöfors/B&G in Sweden and lower the car 1.6 inches all around. I'm quite satisfied with the ride height, as the fender gap up front has been minimized. For front struts, I chose the Koni Yellow adjustable units. They're sweet in that the rebound damping can be changed on the fly. The rear shocks have not been upgraded yet - but will be this spring/summer. For swaybars, 25mm units made by iPd are fitted front and rear. I also had a front alignment done, the camber set to approximately -0.5 degrees on both sides.

Here is an image with the suspension work complete:


And from a trip to my parents' house in upstate New York last fall:

This is by no means the ultimate suspension setup. Eventually, I'd like to install adjustable coilover suspension all around. For now, though, both the look and handling dynamics are adequate.

A bit of history

One of the major appeals of this particular 242 was its extensively documented history. Not only did I get nearly complete service records going back to 939 miles, but the original owner had also saved the original bill of sale, temporary registration, owners manual and window sticker. The car stickered for $15,945.80 in 1982!

Although it lived most of its life in California, the 242 was sold by Herzog Motors in Beaverton, Oregon on May 28, 1982. An early California title was saved, dated January 17, 1985. Of course, this was the title that the seller signed over to me, over 22 years later.

When I took delivery of the car it was mostly stock, save a few items. An Alpine stereo and alarm system had been installed, and the rear windows had been tinted with 3M product in 1987 (and holding up well 20 years later).

A significant upgrade was the addition of Volvo's factory turbo intercooler on September 17, 1985. Early 240 Turbos were non-intercooled, and boost was limited to just 6.5 psi. With the addition of the intercooler, boost pressure was raised to a maximum 10.5 psi. Rated horsepower rose from 127 to 162, while torque climbed from 150 foot pounds to 181 ft-lbs.

I took delivery of the car with 131,310 miles in May of 2007. For the previous 10 years, it was hardly driven; a service record from June of 1997 shows 114,154 miles. However, it continued to pass California smog tests with ease each year.

The car was the epitome of a blank slate - unmolested and ripe for tasteful modification. A true tabula rasa.

'82 242 Turbo - an introduction

This blog will chronicle the ongoing progress of my 1982 Volvo 242 Turbo build. Since I neither am nor claim to be an expert in vehicle performance modification, this project is intended to be a continuous learning process.

I purchased this car in May of 2007 from the original owner in Mountain View, California. After searching diligently for approximately six months (and casually for years!) for a clean, original 2-door Volvo 240, I came across this classified ad on the Volvo performance website turbobricks.com:

1982 2dr intercooled turbo for sale $3500

I am the original owner of this well maintained white on tan 1982 volvo turbo intercooled 2 door sedan. Over the last 5 years it has hardly been driven and parked in my carport. This car is not salvaged, has a clean title and every year has passed California smog tests. The tan interior leather is in good shape but there are some rips on the front bucket seat cushions.

Model: 1982 Turbo intercooled
Body Style: 2 Door Sedan
Engine: 4 cylinder fuel injected
Transmission: 4 speed manual with overdrive
Miles: 131k
Interior: Tan Leather
Exterior: White
Power assisted rack and pinion steering
Power assisted 4 wheel disk breaks
Front and rear stabilization bars
Front spoiler, ventilted disk breaks
5 spoke alloy wheels
Special black exterior trim
front and rear gas filled shocks
sliding steel sunroof with wind deflector
Air conditioning
GLT special edition leather upholstery
GLT grand sport package

The seller also provided several pictures of the car, which testified to its clean original condition:


After communicating with the seller extensively for about a week, I purchased a round trip ticket to San Jose, CA and back fully intending to buy the car. Luckily, I was able to stay with some family members in CA during my visit. Upon arriving to see the car I could tell right away that it was as clean as described. The test drive was equally impressive - the car felt a bit too quick for being stock - but more on that later.

I knew I had to pull the trigger on this one, so I paid the seller on the spot and he signed the title over to me, the second owner ever. The car was then shipped from Mountain View, CA to Burlington, VT, a stressful process (terrible communication!) but one that ultimately got the car to New England safely, without damage. So after paying the trucker yet another large wad of cash at 11:15pm on a Tuesday night, I took possession of the 242 Turbo and drove it home safely to my garage.