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Put the bench to work last night and finally after over a year, I have gauges!!!!!
Tach, coolant temp, fuel level, oil pressure indicator, and CEL. I need to get a dakota digital box for the speedo and need to test some things for the charging lamp, but overall I am STOKED! Here is a vid of the cluster.
The dakota digital box is going to make everything talk to eachother, correct? What was the original volvo speedo, electronic or cable driven? Just curious, I've got a 1980 Z28 I'm looking at replacing the gauges on, and have been checking out Dakota Digital for a complete set. I'll likely settle on the GPS speedo option they have so it will work now with the carbed small block or in the future if I do the LS1 swap I have planned.
army11b - it is the angle, the wheel is actually slightly smaller than the stock steering.
HTrain2432 - The Volvo originally had a cable driven speedo and no tach. I purchased a '93 cluster with an electronic speedo and a tach. Everything on the cluster works with the exception of the speedo and the battery warning light (still need to wire). The Dakota box should be able to take the signal from the ECU and magically convert it to what the speedo needs while being able to tweak it to get the speedo dialed in. With the VSS hooked into the speedo right now, the speedo will display 11mph at highway speeds and the odometer does work so I just need to get the ECU corrected for the tire size/gear ratio and then the Dakota box to make it all work correctly.
I will say, there was a huge sense of accomplishment when the cluster started working. I have seen plenty of swaps over the years and a fully functional swapped vehicle seems to be a rare bird. There was always something that didn't work after the swap or aftermarket parts used to solve an incompatibility.
To keep a 100% stock appearance in the interior, cluster, and dash was the original goal and I think I have accomplished that. The only clue that something is out of the ordinary with the car is the shifter as there was never a 6 speed available in any model 240 or 260 and I was never a fan of the factory ****. If I end up boosting this thing, I hope to be able to use a factory boost gauge to keep the theme going.
Going to make the trek to Southern Worthersee in May to see some old friends in the VW scene. Should be a fun weekend and an opportunity to get another road trip under the wagon's belt. So far our track record with road trips has not been all that great, 2 trips and 2 rear tires. I plan to ensure the tire issue will be resolved before I leave Charleston. Hopefully that is all I will need to do.
This build is blowing my mind, Rogue. You are pretty much driving my dream car.
I just picked up a minty '86 245 DL in anticipation of doing something probably a lot like this. Are there any pointers or specifications you can pass on to a swap noob following in your footsteps?
Coming soon, build 3.0! Brakes at all 4 corners, new tail lights (finally after 5 years), speedo box from Dakota Digital, and most of all HORSEPOWER. Well maybe not in all caps, but hope to see between 325whp and 350whp!
Are those the actual calipers you're getting? They look a bit different than the Brembo calipers I've seen in that size. Perhaps they're a newer casting. Either way brakes of that caliber will transform this car into a true "slayer".
Are those the actual calipers you're getting? They look a bit different than the Brembo calipers I've seen in that size. Perhaps they're a newer casting. Either way brakes of that caliber will transform this car into a true "slayer".
The calipers I am using are from an ATS. They have shorter lugs and fit great with the caliper adapters and 13" rotors. Hope to get the mustang booster on tomorrow, bleed the system and go for a test ride before tearing into the cam install Friday night.
Last edited by Rogue Status; 07-15-2015 at 12:56 PM.
'94 Ford Mustang brake master cylinder was installed last night. Had to extend the pushrod from the booster and that sounds easy enough, but that was not the case. Needed a 1/4"-28 coupling nut and neither Lowe's or HomeDepot had what I needed and I am on a deadline with the tuner for Wednesday. Decided to push forward and make the piece I needed from another coupler. Drilled it out, cut new threads, and I had what I needed. Got the lines hooked up at the booster and can hook up the rest of the plumbing done this evening and hopefully go for a test drive tomorrow night.
All that talk about slowing down is depressing . . .
This was a surprise! Got the message my parts arrived and I was able to run over on my lunch break and pick them up. If I have time tonight I am going to try and get a jump start on the valve springs.
Almost 4:00am EDT, cam installed, valve springs installed, almost back together. Ran into an issue with the balancer, it is about 1/8" from "home" and the electric impact just doesn't have the ***** to finish the job. Buddy who is a technician full time and helped me out tonight is going to bring his Snap-on 1/2 electric impact over tomorrow afternoon so we can finish it up. Still need to reassemble the front end but that is quick work. Excited to fire this thing up and see what she sounds like.
Dyno session is scheduled for Wednesday, plan on putting some easy miles on it to bed the brakes and get the oil changed out of it before she sees the dyno and 6500rpm!
A little before and after action on another late night. Finished up reassembly on the engine and front end. Still need to button up a few odds and ends but figured it was time for a proper intake setup. The previous would regularly heat soak after sitting and never seemed to cool back down even after driving at highway speeds. With the new placement there are somewhat clear paths for fresh air to make it straight to the filter and it is clear of the radiator so it should pick up mostly cool air. In addition it just plan looks better if you ask me. I think I have already decided to paint/powder coat the polished piping to match the valve covers. Light coats of spray on bed liner are an almost perfect match for the plastic intake manifold. Should be able to start it tomorrow morning/afternoon. Can't wait to hear this thing!
01-31-2015, 12:35 PM
