1400cc 340 drifter

[chunk]

Hi. Ive just bought a 1986 340GL 1400 3 door.

My intentions are to turn it into a drift/track car, so i'll be looking for some advice for you guys

I'd like a 1700 turbo out iof the 440/480 etc, so if anyone has one, please let me know

Here is a pic of the beasty from the eBay advert........





Hope you like.

Cheers and thanks in advance

Rich

[Duvel78]

Hope you like.

If I like the car: YES! Lovely 340, non metallic blue paint in good condition, RARE!

If I like your intention to transform it as a drift car: not at all... I don't like it at all and it has to be said for good.

From my point of view, we have far too many "drifts" projets with Volvos 300 on this website and I feel really annoyed by that... Especially with nice looking Volvo 340 or 360... V3M is not a website to encourage people to use a 'cheap' Volvo 300 as drift car, it's firstly a website for Volvo enthusiasts that LIKE the model and want to keep them on the road...

Sorry if I seem to be rude but it really had to be said... It's my personal opinion and I force nobody to follow me...

[Chris_C]

Rich did say track/drift car, so we'll see! I know what you mean about a lot of people getting them for disposable cars, and can't say I'm happy about it, but there are a few who use them for motorsport for other reasons, like those of us who rally them.

Question to Rich... how do you intend to make a track and drift car cross? I'm intrigued how you are going to do the diff, as open will be less use for drifting, and welded will be shocking for track.

[Fuse]

But it's also good to remember that not everyone who builds a drift, rally or racecar, does it because 300-series is cheap and trashes them and buys another one..

For example when I have the budget, (I wish) I'm going to build a rally-spec car, a bit like a combination of the factory's 343 rally cross turbo and 363CS. 80's rally style. Though I'm not going to build it as for competition use, but merely for my own fun, for the road and track days etc... And building cars is a half of the hobby for me, sometimes I think I like more about the tech side than the driving it self..

I don't like intentional destroying of cars in good shape either. For example to buy a 300-series which has no rust and go to banger race with it.. When there would be plenty of cars without plates in bad shape for example.

Very nice looking car btw.

[Chris_C]

Hehe, Fuse manages to say what I mean sooo much better than me... you'd almost think I was the guy who learnt English as a second language Cheers dude!

[classicswede]

I have to agree that there are a lot of 300 being used for drifting. I don't see it as such a bad thing (keeps me busy supplying parts) as it does not destroy the car. Rallying does not do a car any favours and banger racing in a one way ticket.

Drifting does seem to bring atention to volvos and this in some ways is a good thing.

I personaly like to build a car that is good to drive every day and will hold the road well.


each to their own I guess.

[chunk]

Hi guys,

Yep, im sorry

I know, I know, I genuinely said to a few friends that it will be a shame to do it to such a nice car, but, i have a limeted budget, i dont do sierra's, BMW's etc.

I wont be completely wrecking it, i basically will be doing some chassis stiffening, better brakes (not sure what yet) and GLT wheels.

The body will be staying completely stock as i love how it looks.

Engine wise, i want to keep Volvo, hence why i asked about a 1700 Turbo. I'd consider a 2000 NA also. Sorry i dont know the engine codes.

I will be welding the diff, i have driven many cars with solid diff's and its never bothered me how it drives on road etc.

I will be using the car as a daily driver through the winter aswell as i have a R32 Skyline that just owes me too much money if i bumped it, so, should be fun with welded diff and snow/cold roads.

No interior will be stripped in making this drift 340 LOL.

Dont hate me

Rich

[Fuse]

B18FT is the engine code for 1.7 turbo. It's a Renault engine btw. 1.4 and 1.7l engines in 300-series are Renault engines. B172 and B14, I don't remember all the variations as I'm more in to the Volvo made engines.

360 has 2l NA engines, which are Volvo engines. Different variations of the same basic block, B19A (carb) and B19E (injection) are the ones used in older models (pre -85) and B200K (carb) B200E (injection) and B200F (injection with closed loop lambda and cat) are the ones in newer models.

Then there's also a 2l version of the B17 (B20F) which can be found from the 400-series, like the B18FT.

[classicswede]

The forula for drifting is quite simple.

80mm lower front springs 2" lower rear blocks good dampers welded diff and some 13" rims.

A bit more can be done to stiffen things up but that is the basics.

[chunk]

Thanks both for the info.


Dai, Where can i get 80mm lower front springs from? I already have some 2" blocks for the rear.

many thanks again guys

Rich

[Fuse]

Dai can supply the springs, you can decide the amount of lowering and the stiffness. He also supplys adjustable Spax shocks for the rear.

Check out the performance parts cat. topic: http://www.volvo300mania.com/forum-uk/v ... php?t=1804

Maybe in future he can also supply front Bilstein monotube conversion, there's a topic about it in the tuning section.

Just keep in mind that with 80mm lowering, and stock struts at front, there's not much, if any, bump left. Stock damper has about 160mm of motion range, I think it's about half bumb-half rebound as stock, and it's the rebound which causes the bodyroll. If you lower too much with stock strut and damper, there's not much bump left, and all the dampering is rebound which causes bodyroll. I don't have any spesific figures though.

So it bottoms out pretty quick with too much lowering, though for a drift car that isn't such a big problem I think. Not the best solution for racing that's for sure, if the shocks start to bottom out in corners too often. Of course you can always cut the dampers and make new threads if bottoming out starts to be a big problem. And you can make springs insanely stiff so damper wont bottom out so easily.

Adding a rear ARB would also help for drifting and body roll, gives more oversteer and balances the car.

[foggyjames]

I think as long as you've got a bit of respect for the car, all is well. Take what Ali has done for example - the car looks great, he puts the effort in, and it's obviously not a disposable plaything to him.

I don't have a problem with people taking cars which are only really good for scrap and using them as 'bangers' in whatever form (banger racing, brutal drift/rally usage, even zero-maintainance on-road bangers!), but I do object to people getting lucky on a tidy car (e.g. a rust free 'rare' model) and blatently abusing it - and sadly it often seems that the nicest cars go to the people who care least for them!

Welcome chap! You'll be made very welcome here as long as your intentions are good. We're a friendly bunch, and I like to see a 300 hanging its arse out as much as the next man...but we seem to have had a couple of members of the drift crowd just being a PITA lately, hence the slightly tetchy reaction.

I have a near identical car (86 3dr 1400, but in white), which may well ultimately get a T5 lump, as a 'fitment' project.

cheers

James

[chunk]

Huge thanks for the responces guys. I'll PM Dai when im a bit more awake.


James,

I totally understand where your coming from, I used to help run a Nissan 300zx owners club, It used to wind me up so much when people stuck tacky bodykits on and such like, so no worries from me bud. You also have my word, i will treat it well, have fun in it and pop pics up of me doing so.

As said, this will be my winter daily drive aswell, so i cant be too harsh on it

I only do track sessions and if i ever get a chance a drift practice day.

The T5 project sounds entertaining, just as a question, what engine transplants are posable on the 300 series?

Cheers

Rich

[classicswede]

The most common conversion is the 1.7 turbo from the 400's.
I have put in a 2ltr lump again out of a 400. To do either of these conversions you will need parts from a 340 1.7.

[chunk]

Thanks Dai,

I'll have to see what sort of budget i have and then ask you some more Q's

Thanks again

Rich