So i've bought another volvo 340 exceptional condition [gotta have a spare] down side is its a 1.4 Boo, too slow, not that the 1.7 is warp speed but it can get you out of trouble if need be so my question is this, can I go Tim allen from 'Home Improvement' on it and introduce MORE POWER without swapping engines from my other volvo 340 1.7?

Much appreciate any advice…..bluebullit

There are a few things you can do such as a good exhaust system, and change the carb and manifold to something that will flow a bit better.

Im going to make up some 600cc bike carbs to fit my 1700.

depends how far u want to go, u could take the head off and have that skimmed to raise CR (talking of which, how much can u safely skim to raise the Cr?) get it ported and polished etc.

exhaust manifold and system as dai said. What manifolds fot that are better than the standard one?

You need to skim the block and pistons to increase CR not the head

Thanks for the advice/reply's classicswede and nick-340gl

There have been some new developments hence my slow reply….

So i was in favour of the carb and exhaust system upgrade to satisfy my torque needs whilst trying to keep bluebullit fairly standard, reliable, maintenance free & relatively economical. would like some decent alloys though!!!

I now have the option to buy a 1989 360 glt 2.0i with 107k miles in blue, why do i like the blue ones if i buy this she will be called v3. So will this be the Quicker option? being a 2.0i with 115bhp [reading that its thirsty and not a reliable engine] except the 1.4 has only done 25k miles which is nice

What do you think?

The 360 engine is great but a bit of a truck engine in some ways. In Sweden they only like the 360 as it has the Volvo engine. With only 107,00 miles it is still very low millage.

I do also like the blue ones

I was in a similar hankering 20 odd years ago, it has not yet ended, with turbo on the way. My 1980 1.4 was vastly improved with a valve grind, but that may have been due to the soft valve seats not present in later engines. I had cherry bomb and 185 BMW steels, which made is feel fast, the 1.4 has the best noise. Other than that basic mods didn't make any difference.

As for the unreliable 360, well you can't have been reading that here, it is one of the most reliable long lasting engine ever made by any company. It is a heavier large engine compared with the lighter Renault engines, but in 1983-1986 form (and 87 for carb) it has amazing torque from 10:1 CR. The later cars were a bit castrated for low octane fuel.

Sure older cars will have problems if neglected or worked on incorrectly, modified etc, but you only need to fix faults once on a 360.

Unreliable 360... Where show me

Indeed one of the most reliable engines in the world, and not even that thirsty. When trying hard I was getting 45 UK MPG with my 2.3 liter. So normally 35 to 40 UK MPG should be a walk in the park.

Joris wrote:Indeed one of the most reliable engines in the world, and not even that thirsty.

They are thirsty on LE jet, I considered 25 around town and 35-40 on a run to be running normally.

There is only 1 clear answer to which engine... have one of each

So if anyone is looking to buy a blue [the nice blue] 360GLT 2.0i its still for sale via Howes motors shefford SG17 5JB. Went and had a look today but its not for me, shame I could have one of each then Chris_c

Engine and engine bay in excellent condition the engine will definitely out live the body usual rust/welding issues!! Bit lollopy to drive like my [v2] 1988 1.4gl wonder if this is because they both have power steering not like my [v1] 1986 1.7 gle without power steering feels nice and tight and responsive…

I wish Haynes did a manual on all the differing trims & specs [which has what] GL DL GLE GLEi GLT GLS have I missed any… evolution i suppose, confused.com

Embarassed to ask this question as I should really know the answer as I have been driving volvo’s since 1994 but what is the difference between 340 & a 360 is it the engine maker?

There is a thread that covers all the year differences, the trim differences are pretty inconsistent, but if you have a specific question I'm sure someone will answer. Its not something covered by Haynes.

360 340 is basically the engine and propshaft differences.