The Volvo

1.7 Turbo engine, putting out a massive 120bhp! It felt fairly quick though (well quicker than I thought it would be), and the novelty of a boost guage was cool! The cost was absolutely nothing :)

Whilst I was picking it up I also got offered a mint 1994 Rover 214SEi for £100, a 1992 405 STDT with a cracked windscreen for £100 and a mint Austin metro with leather for £250. Definately gonna have to keep in contact with the bloke!

you lucky, lucky gent! Been after a 480 for a while but they tend to go for silly prices on E-Bay if good and still silly prices if rusty or iffy...

This one has some rust round the rear arches, a couple of spots on the bottom of the drivers door and the bonnet has split from its mount on the passenger side. That's the only problems I spotted but I didnt really have a thorough look.

I'll probably stick it on ebay once the V5 comes through. Just gotta make sure I dont get tempted and keep it!

Austin Metro with LEATHER?

Do tell. Sounds interesting...

Actually, the 480 doesn't look too bad either.

Richard

I looked at one years ago. It was a Vandan Plas, limited edition, with a leather interior and a 1.3 A+ engine. The engine was cooked so I didn't buy it.

Yeah, but that would be a Vanden Plas (not a limited edition per se, just a high spec hangover from BL days), not an Austin Metro. Though I guess they're still Austins...

Mine didn't have leather, it had velour.

Richard

Didnt look that closely TBH, but looked very tidy. Leather was dark brown i think.

I'm well happy with it!

I can't remember what it was exactly, except it was some kind of limited edition of five hundred Vanden Plas with a plaque. It may have been called the Vanden Plas Leather?

I remember it very well, it was the first car I looked at with serious intention to buy. Ever. :)

Yep - that's a 400 series Volvo - rust in the rear wheel arches. Wouldn't be a 440, 460 or 480 without the rust trap and the rough, lumpy brown edges....

Ignore the bhp figure on turbo engines, it's the torque that makes it shift.

Oh, I had a 360 GLT, really solid and incredably fun car. The rest of the 300 series are absolute crap, but when you add a 2litre injection engine to Aston Martin/ Alfa Romeo style DeDion rear suspension, RWD & a rear mounted gearbox for balance in a small hatch and you get LotusSunbeam, tail-out fun on a budget. And it's really straight forward to fit the 2.3 turbo engine from the 700 series which doesn't weigh much more. Food for thought ;-)

>

Erm....

I had a 360 GL, agreed not so quick as the FI lump, but with taller gearing & much more relaxed on the Autobahn... + 100+ possible in 4th, v. useful on the Autobahn hills.

Didn't keep it long enough to fit a larger engine & in those days '86/'87, a turbo engine would have been v. expensive.

( Back in '86 a new 360 GL cost less than a 1.6 GL Escort & offered much more fun. IMVHO of course.)

DC

Well kitted out in its day too! Power steering, 4 speaker stereo, lecky windows, central locking, fog lights,headlamp wipers, 14" alloys, optional leather..and the icing on the cake...heated seats(!) you cant put a price on seats that warm your arse on an icy morning :)

Ken

Saab 900Turbo

I'm weel aware of that very tempting engine change :)

Actually, the 2.3T is a bit of a pig to fit because the turbo fouls the steering column, so you get into all sorts of messing around with extra UJs etc. The 2.3 non-turbo including the 16v version WILL go straight in :-))

Well the car is going to be used in road rallies and so I couldnt really put the turbo in as I wouldnt be eligible to compete. So the 8v or 16v n/a are a more realistic prospect. The 8v is common as muck and cheap as chips, plus it could come with a whole 240 which can be used for uprating stuff like the brakes. Not a huge power hike, but better than nothing.

Does the 8v also give you more leeway to play in other areas? (Can't remember the rules, but I thought 16v meant you had to be in a different class or something)

cheers, clive

The rules have changed loads since I've taken any real notice of them, as I've been driving standard cars. The engine swap would make it a modified car so it would have to abide by modified car rules (ie no turbo, no more than 4 cylinders, no different bodywork etc etc), but I think these days, or from next year, you're not allowed turbos in the production car class either. But rallies on a navigation permit dont have to abide some of these rules anyway, so I may even be able to get away with it since most southern events are on nav permits. Very complicated!!

I'd have to look properly into it before I thought about engine changes, but thats a long time in the future yet (by which time the MSA probably would have changed their minds again anyway!!)

No, custom downpipe from the turbo, quite simple.

Tim..

So if you cant pop a B230E or even a rare B23E into the 360, could you leave the B200E and fit a K cam to boost the horses abit?

Tim..