me again...more R5/340 stuff.

Post by **lil mike** » 21 Jun 2006 11:24 pm

hi guys just to let you all no i have decided to sell my moped to help fund a 340...i want this 340 to be R5 Turbo powered as most ahev proberly read in my other posts...has any body heard of many people doing this convertion as i would like someone who has done it to talk to properly abou...
cheers
lil mike

Post by **foggyjames** » 22 Jun 2006 12:44 am

There's another chap has been posting about doing the swap. I don't know anyone else who has done it...on the basis that it's not worth the work (poor power/weight, and poor reliability). Having said that, someone has to do it, so I'd be all in favour of lending some advice.

Anything in particular you're looking for?

I'd start with plans to build a custom exhaust manifold. The R5 one looks like a dogs dinner to fit an R5. You have the opportunity to de-crap it, as well as make it actually fit a 300. I'd also get ready to ditch the blow-through carb. Retro cool - maybe - but not very efficient / accurate / good for big power. Many of the infamous blow-ups are probably due to poor tuning.

It rather depends on how far you want to take it, but I'm willing to bet the big power guys (and probably Volvo when they made the 1.7 Turbo (no, not the 400 series engine!) version of the B14 for the rallycross cars in the early 80s) converted it to a closed deck engine by welding on a solid deck (perforated with bores and oil/coolant passages) to remove the problems with dodgy liners. This has now been done a number of times with the Volvo whiteblock engines, and in my opinion is the only safe way to go if you're going to really stretch the limits. This might well be beyond what you're aiming for though!

cheers

James

Post by **lil mike** » 22 Jun 2006 08:48 am

what about if i was to use the whole engine??? are they not practically the same engine anyway??? mounting wise that is???
cheers
lil mike

Post by **Ali** » 22 Jun 2006 11:46 am

BB tuning do a fuel injection conversion for the R5 but its probably damn expensive, i'd say start off by buying an R5 engine and the 340, get the block bolted in first then worry about how to sort the exhaust manifold problem, as Foggy says though just make a custom exhaust manifold. Just keep an eye on Frits' thread to see how he gets on basically

Oh and yes the block should bolt straight in, you'll have to use the 340 sump though

Website · Post by **antiekeradio** » 22 Jun 2006 12:52 pm

"you'll have to use the 340 sump though"

why is that? mounting angle?

anyways, I think Frits is indeed taking the approach you described. he has bought a 343DL (MY 1981) and the engine, and has started by taking the old B14 out.

I think the next step will be to sort out the clutch. that needs to take quite a bit of extra power.

there might be a problem with the flywheel/clutch shaft, as there is no provision for a flywheel bearing in the R5 flywheel. perhaps this can be turned on a lathe?

Post by **andyb** » 22 Jun 2006 01:02 pm

The BB tuning fuel injection kit is expensive at £2937 whilst it is nice its not worth that money IMO, 99% of the bad reputation the gt turbos have is born out of bad tuning, a properly set up 5 is almost bullet proof, one of my mates was pushing over 200bhp with his and it was perfectly reliable (until he decided that he could not be bothered to sort out a split oil return line and killed it through oil starvation) taking allot of abuse over a 5 year period, the only thing to remember with the 5's engine though is that a small problem will quickly turn into a major one if not sorted straight away, you just have to keep on top of it.

Post by **SteveP** » 22 Jun 2006 01:12 pm

200bhp is all very well, but it's far easier to get that kind of power out of a 1.7 400 series turbo or 2.0 or 2.3 Volvo turbo engine, the latter with faultless reliability (since that'd be pretty much a stock 940 engine).

However, it's certainly a good way to get more power and I do like the idea of using the B14 origins.

Post by **andyb** » 22 Jun 2006 01:20 pm

200bhp is all very well, but it's far easier to get that kind of power out of a 1.7 400 series turbo or 2.0 or 2.3 Volvo turbo engine

Yes very true but lil mike wants to use a 5 turbo lump and i want to see it done, everything else has been done as far as i can see and although Frits is doing this convertion I would like to see someone UK based have a go as well.

Post by **SteveP** » 22 Jun 2006 02:11 pm

Yes I totally agree!

Post by **foggyjames** » 22 Jun 2006 09:38 pm

Yes Mike, fit the complete engine, and swap any bits which are 300 specific (things like sump/oil pump, engine mounts, etc).

If a drop-in EFI system is that much, I'd either DIY an installation of something like Megasquirt, or get ready to drop a fair bit of cash on having that carb tuned nicely for more power...assuming you want more power than stock!

cheers

James

Website · Post by **antiekeradio** » 22 Jun 2006 10:36 pm

tuning stock carb = higly problematic.

the main venturi, its just too small......

Post by **foggyjames** » 22 Jun 2006 10:48 pm

Do R5GTT tuners normally swap to a different carb then? I'm completely ignorant re: GTT tuning...I've just been applying general knowledge and some hearsay.

cheers

James

Website · Post by **antiekeradio** » 22 Jun 2006 11:15 pm

don't know exactly how much power can be expected from a modified stock carb, but from what i heard an injection system is the way to go for a decent power increase.

optimizing the inlet, outlet, and mixture provisions trough remade manifolds and injection gives a large power increase even without other tuning methods like higher turbo pression etc.

Post by **lil mike** » 22 Jun 2006 11:16 pm

found a couple of options...there is/was an rally spec R5 carb/s on there...i believe that it was a set of twin 45's? iw ould what about 140-150bhp because that is nicely useable power, and yet would leave most things standing if it was needed...so far the things that need changing are...sump(R5 for 340...oil pump...engine mounts etc...
in all fairness i think that with the amount of mechanics/hanymen i now this could be done in a weekend...engine out, welding up, engine mounts, sump swap, oil pump, tune up. etc...i could get my hands on an engine that is just standingat the moment...however i dont have a car to put it in...thats why i'm selling my ped!!!! if any body hears of a half decent 340 1.4, goig at a price i woou dbe quite interested in about a months time???
as ever any help would be greatly appriciated...
i want a damn 340 already...(never thought i'd say that) had a few beers excuse the spelling!!!
cheers
lil mike

Post by **SteveP** » 22 Jun 2006 11:30 pm

Theres a very cheap 1.4 on Autotrader for £99... three door too, so it'll be pretty light!