1989 245 b230 to D24t build

[anders]

I put 50 miles on it, all went well, yay! No leaks discovered, engine runs nice like it should, very quite too when using the D24 exhaust, it might be too restrictive though. Rear end gearing is low, I discovered that this car was originally an automatic ( ugly hole drilled in firewall for clutch cable) so it probably has 3.91 gears in it which I think are too low for the m46 OD of .82. But overall it drives decent and has decent power (it’s been awhile since I have driven a non modded out d24t).

[ngoma]

Didn't the factory M46 get 3:54 or 3:31 final drive ratio?

What kind of hose did you use for the VC breather?

[v8volvo]

The extra short M46 first gear must be even more pointless than usual with the 3.91 axle, it's barely useful even with the 3.54. Nice setup for towing though maybe.

I believe regular 240 M46 cars had a 3.31 rear axle and diesels with M46 had 3.54 (both for 200 and 700). Probably wouldn't be hard to swap a different axle in someday as the 3.31 ones I assume are plentiful.

Or the owner could keep the current axle ratio, raise the suspension, and put on a set of big AT tires -- then the short gearing might be a benefit!

Sharp looking engine bay, nice color choices.

[barkster1971]

An m90 gearbox is a massive improvement over the m46. I do miss the OD green light on the dash though!

[RedArrow]

Wire it up to the highest gear or the headlights

[anders]

Originally Posted by v8volvo

The extra short M46 first gear must be even more pointless than usual with the 3.91 axle, it's barely useful even with the 3.54. Nice setup for towing though maybe.

I believe regular 240 M46 cars had a 3.31 rear axle and diesels with M46 had 3.54 (both for 200 and 700). Probably wouldn't be hard to swap a different axle in someday as the 3.31 ones I assume are plentiful.

Or the owner could keep the current axle ratio, raise the suspension, and put on a set of big AT tires -- then the short gearing might be a benefit!

Sharp looking engine bay, nice color choices.

Well the rear end is 3.73, so not as terrible as a 3.91 gear set. So the owner and I came up with the decision to leave the current rear end in it and install larger tires.

I built some lift blocks from 2.5”x .250” square tube. Worked out well.

[v8volvo]

Nice, sounds like the right call. I ended up going the same way with my 745 which does have the 3.91 rear. It did help bring the revs and noise down (although with speedo error of course) at freeway speeds.

How does the car overall look now with the taller suspension and tires?

[anders]

I only did the blocks, I’m not sure if the owner installed larger tires yet or not. It looks much better lifted in the rear. It looks correct, if you notice on the 240 the rear wheel arches are lower then the front. So lifting it makes it look like the tires fill the fender wells the same.

This is what it looks like now with it lifted. Nice stance, I’m not sure how it would look on a sedan though.