After 15 long mos VIN 5120 is back on the road with a fresh DIY Stage II

[Jeffu]

It is with much pleasure that I am able to announce that VIN 5120 is officially back on the road after 15 long months! What started out as a simple head gasket leak turned into a full fledge B28F rebuild. I must say that I have learned ALOT on this journey and can look back and say I am glad I took that step and pushed myself to take the project on. Mind you I did hit a few roadblocks:

I could start out by saying how I found out that “certain” original paper cylinder shims are no longer available and they are superseded by metal ones http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?4808-Info-on-the-quot-newer-style-quot-Volvo-metal-cylinder-shims-Also-looking-for-some-advice&p=68002#post68002

Or, I could talk about how some of us feared that “resurfacing the engine heads” was a taboo practice http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?4307-Quick!-Help-Needed!-Heads-CAN-they-or-can-they-NOT-be-re-surfaced-!-!

Or, when I painfully discovered the PO of my car unbeknownst to him, previously had a mechanic re-assembled this motor (after the BAE turbo he installed back in ’83 blew a hole in a piston) with 3 high-performance forged pistons and 3 stock DMC pistons!!!! Are you serious???? http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5222-It-appears-I-have-1-2-hi-comp-forged-pistons-amp-1-2-half-stock-Is-this-an-issue

Or, that the DMC or Volvo replacement rod bearings are no longer manufactured with a oil passage way hole http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?6022-New-DMC-main-rod-bearings-don-t-have-an-oil-passage-hole

Or, if you take your time, research, accurately measure and you're careful, you CAN interchange different pistons and liners http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5248-Are-Pistons-amp-Liners-matched-specific-or-can-they-be-interchanged

Or, if you find there are no NOS parts left, like a 5 sp shifter…think outside the box and have the stuff fabricated yourself! http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?7443-Anyone-have-a-5-sp-Gear-Shift-Lever-they-want-to-sell/page2&highlight=shifter

Or, I can talk about how I contacted Valeo directly (due to a vendor shortage of clutch packs) and had a clutch kit built and shipped back to the US on a slow boat from China(literally)…which took 3 months, but for $147 I am not complaining!

Or, my favorite…losing that single, little odd ball “Bastard” of a bolt 7mm x 80mm that holds the W pipe to the intake. That is the single thing I end up losing out of all those parts! You would think you could source that locally here in Boise, ID…but hell no! I couldn’t even find threaded stock rod to cut and make I my own bolt in 7mm width. I finally gave up and had Toby @ DMC NW FedEx me one. Because come hell or high water I WAS going to start the motor for the first time that weekend! And I DID!

But, why dwell on the sweat and tears stuff of the past. There is no need. Because now I have a solid built engine and tranny with break-in miles to prove it. It ALL can be done. So….if you are just a little intimidated by these motors or trannys…don’t be! Have Faith! You can build that SPEC II on your own if you wish, like I did! There ARE still PARTS out there if you look hard enough. By no means am I saying do not support your favorite vendors because they all work hard and I support them every chance I can. However, if you can’t find that particular part or think it’s too expensive just dig in and do some research for yourself. Don’t misunderstand my enthusiasm, you WILL NEED TO pull out a manual or two, or three or FIVE and put the time in. But, that’s half the fun though. Learning about and preserving these cars!

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[Dangermouse]

Great work Jeff. Inspirational.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Great job.

By the way, that long 7 mm bolt can easily be replaced with an 8 mm bolt easy to find. There is plenty of stock on the throttle assembaly to drill and tap for 8 mm.

[OverlandMan]

These are inspirational threads. Thanks for sharing and good work on this enormous DIY project. The results clearly speak for themselves. :thumbup::driving1:

[ALEXAKOS]

Needless to repeat my enthusiasm. Hope some of us can match that work!!!!:headbang:

So what did the engine overhaul bring you in terms of power improvement?

[dmc6960]

Ah, such a familiar story. Looks like you did some great work there. Congrats!

Curious what you did about the bearings?

[Jeffu]

Great work Jeff. Inspirational.

Thanks! :smile:

[Jeffu]

Great job.

By the way, that long 7 mm bolt can easily be replaced with an 8 mm bolt easy to find. There is plenty of stock on the throttle assembaly to drill and tap for 8 mm.

Hey Dave! Yes, that is true. I made the mistake of securing the W pipe to the intake, assembling the fuel distributor and lines and I just did not want to take it all back off to chase it out to the 8mm size. It was one of those after the fact things when I realized that bolt was missing.

[Jeffu]

These are inspirational threads. Thanks for sharing and good work on this enormous DIY project. The results clearly speak for themselves. :thumbup::driving1:

Thank you! It sure did seem a bit overwhelming at times but now the payoff of actually driving it feels awesome!

[Jeffu]

Needless to repeat my enthusiasm. Hope some of us can match that work!!!!:headbang:

So what did the engine overhaul bring you in terms of power improvement?


I only have about 160 miles on it so far and I have to say it has a bit more "pep" to it at lower RPMs than previous. Mind you I pulled out an old "tired" BAE turbo system from this car. So far the difference I can tell is I don't have to get on it as hard to feel an instant pickup. This set up makes it seem that there is plenty of power that starts early on. I am probably not one that will ever test this on a dyno, nor will I be able to give hard facts on what range of the power band is a sweet spot. I consider myself technical, but I don't get all caught up in needing to know what the exact HP rating is on this engine, or the precise HP output at the wheels etc.
I can't be more pleased with Josh's DPI exhaust and the performance cams I went with.

[Jeffu]

Ah, such a familiar story. Looks like you did some great work there. Congrats!

Curious what you did about the bearings?

Thank you! I remember reading some posts on your rebuild so I know exactly what you went through too!

As far as the bearings go...I just went with it and placed the "superseded" non-oil hole ones in. I really did not know what else to do. I could have re-installed my old bearings there were really only a few that were marginal. However, after Dave @ DMC MW assisted me in contacting Ed over in Europe we were able to gather from Ed that he had used these newer bearings a few times over the previous 4 yrs and had not seen any failure issues. I guess only time will tell for me at this point. :angel: I can say that on initial start up for the cam break in I had instant oil pressure of around 80 psi. After the 25 min break in period it was idling at 42 -45 psi.

[Totally 80s]

I see on the photos of you pulling the engine out of the car that you removed the all the rear body panels. Does this have to be done or did you remove them for another reason?

[Jeffu]

I see on the photos of you pulling the engine out of the car that you removed the all the rear body panels. Does this have to be done or did you remove them for another reason?

I am sure it can be done without moving them. I chose to remove them because I had a couple of small dings I wanted to press out, as well as tint the back glass.

[Josh]

I see on the photos of you pulling the engine out of the car that you removed the all the rear body panels. Does this have to be done or did you remove them for another reason?

To pull the engine you need to remove the louvers, engine cover, and rear fascia. The rear quarters can stay on.

The engine looks awesome! So nice and clean! And it will run much better now I would assume. That is so weird with the mis-matching liners.

[DMC81]

That fresh engine sure looks sharp, very nice work!:jawdrop:

[Jeffu]

That fresh engine sure looks sharp, very nice work!:jawdrop:

Thank you!

[bunni]

Ive been on this road for a while now. Going slower than I would like, but I will get there. Thanks for the pics, congrats, ride the hell out of that thing :D

[Morpheus]

Nice work, congrats!

[Jeffu]

Ive been on this road for a while now. Going slower than I would like, but I will get there. Thanks for the pics, congrats, ride the hell out of that thing :D

Will Do! :headbang:

[Jeffu]

Nice work, congrats!

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[Jeffu]

Ive been on this road for a while now. Going slower than I would like, but I will get there. Thanks for the pics, congrats, ride the hell out of that thing :D

BTW: Keep hanging with it! Mine was slow too, you'll get there and it's very rewarding when you do! If you ever get stuck just post on the site or shoot me a PM. I'll try my best to offer what worked good or didn't work well for me.

[ArnieBrandon]

Absolutely great work Jeff. Like they say in Tennessee, "Ya done good". I think this is a great endeavor but I still like Carmen better than you or 5120. Hope to see you at some PNDC event soon.
Arnie

[Jeffu]

Absolutely great work Jeff. Like they say in Tennessee, "Ya done good". I think this is a great endeavor but I still like Carmen better than you or 5120. Hope to see you at some PNDC event soon.
Arnie

Thanks Arnie! Carmen told me to tell you Hi. We look forward to meeting up with you and the group this year.

[bunni]

BTW: Keep hanging with it! Mine was slow too, you'll get there and it's very rewarding when you do! If you ever get stuck just post on the site or shoot me a PM. I'll try my best to offer what worked good or didn't work well for me.

Thanks for the offer. I would like either a Time Turner device, a TARDIS, or a working D with time travel capabilities to help me get more time to work on it :D

[Grover]

Looks familiar!

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5097-Custom-Engine-Upgrade

I'm glad you got as much enjoyment out of it as both dmc6960 and I.

:headbang:

[Jeffu]

Looks familiar!

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5097-Custom-Engine-Upgrade

I'm glad you got as much enjoyment out of it as both dmc6960 and I.

:headbang:

Steve,

Awwww yes.... I remember combing over your well documented post months back. Nice job!