Volvo 245 1UZ Swap: New products in development
LucaCarMods has grown significantly in the past year, and due to this growth, unfortunately had little time for the Volvo 245 1UZ V8 project and thus also the swap kit.
Of course, we are very happy with this growth, but it also means that certain projects have been on the back burner. LucaCarMods recently acquired an advanced 3D Scanner that can scan objects with an accuracy of up to 0.02mm.
What does a 3D scanner have to do with the kit? At first glance, you might think very little, but nothing could be further from the truth. The 3D scanner enables us to easily reverse engineer parts. In other words, to create a 3D-drawn copy of them on the computer using CAD (computer-aided design) software.
Below you will find a photo series of what is possible with a 3D scanner. In this example, the engine bay of the LCM 242 and an OM606 Mercedes diesel engine block were scanned with the Einscan Pro 2X 3D Scanner.
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The enormous advantage of this is that with this 3D drawing, it is possible to check if the engine fits on the computer and the alignment can be digitally optimized. All of this ensures that all exact dimensions are clear and engine mounts or other products can be developed on the computer without being near the car.
Developing an engine mount
Another option chosen for the 1UZ is to create a solid engine mount by mounting 2 plates and welding a strip between them. These solid mounts were then scanned for measurements, and based on this, the products were developed.
Below you can see the scan of such a solid mount. As you can see, it's purely for measurement (don't mind the "welds" as they were welded without visibility). The 3D scan can be made with much higher detail and better finish, but this is not necessary in this situation because we only need the dimensions. (The small holes are reference points that you need to stick on the object.)
In this scan, all bolt holes have been clearly mapped. With this scan alone, you can do very little; a clever piece of software makes the scan usable for reverse engineering.
Here, all cylindrical shapes, planes (surfaces where you later want to be able to draw in CAD), and other important features can be recognized and set. The cylinders (bolt holes) in this scan have a mutual deviation of 0.09mm in diameter, which is more than sufficient for working with.
We then export this file to an IGES file containing the various cylinders and planes; the other parts of the scan are not included in this case. They have no added value in the development of the engine mounts.
Now that all bolt holes, distances, and angles have been mapped, an engine mount can be developed that will likely require only one or no prototype. The mounts are designed in Autodesk Inventor or Fusion 360.
Below is an example of the end product (mirrored).
This engine mount can be directly mounted to the original subframe points where the original engine is also attached and to the 1UZ. After checking the entire assembly, we also overlay the 3D scan over the drawn product to see if the adopted dimensions indeed match 100%. If this is the case, a 3D printed version or directly the steel variant can be made.
The engine mounts will utilize shore 95A polyurethane rubbers, which can effectively absorb the forces of the 1UZ 4.0 V8 engine in the Volvo 245.
The 1UZ Volvo 240 gearbox mount
With the 1UZ V8 engine, the rubber of the automatic transmission is located a few centimeters further back than with the engine originally supplied in the Volvo 240. Drilling new holes unfortunately does not provide the desired result, which is why it was decided to redesign the gearbox mount.
A design based on the original part was chosen. However, the new gearbox mount is sturdier and thinner; the latter is important so that there is enough space for an exhaust system on both sides.
Volvo 240 1UZ Gearbox Mount
3D Scan Original Volvo 240 Gearbox Mount
Converting the Volvo 240 Mechanical Fan to Electric
Both the LS400 (from which the 1UZ engine comes) and the Volvo 240 have a mechanical fan attached to the engine. This comes with several disadvantages:
- Loss of power
- Takes up a lot of space
- Less efficient cooling at idle
- Looks
The main reason in this swap is simply that there isn't enough space in the engine bay to use a mechanical fan. To tackle this, it was decided to develop a fan shroud where a high-power 330mm SPAL fan can be mounted. An important aspect here was again that it should be usable with original Volvo parts. This fan shroud therefore simply fits the original Volvo 240 radiator.
Volvo 240 Fan Shroud for SPAL fan.
Here again, a 3D scan was used to check the fit of the designed product. Spaces were created in all four corners where rubber flaps will be riveted. This allows airflow to pass better through the radiator at high speeds; at low speeds, these rubber flaps are closed, and the fan does all the work.
What's still on the agenda
With the products above and the already developed products such as a throttle cable kit and the GPS speedometer modification for the original instrument cluster, the product offering is already quite extensive. LucaCarMods' goal with this swap is to make it as easy as possible for Volvo enthusiasts to equip their beloved Volvo 240 with a 1UZ 4.0 V8 engine. With this goal, several other products are planned to be largely realized within a few weeks.
- Offer a Plug and Play wiring harness for the 1UZ engine
- Develop a custom oil pan for the 1UZ Volvo 240 swap
- Develop a custom driveshaft or a driveshaft adapter
- Coolant lines
- Automatic shifter mechanism that allows the original Volvo shifter to be used with the 1UZ engine
With these items, we believe we will have a kit that will be approximately 95% plug and play, where all the research has been done by us, and the customer can easily equip his or her Volvo 240 with a beautiful 1UZ V8!
The already developed products are expected to be in stock in February and ready for worldwide shipping.
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