heya,

My dad's freind just gave me a '71 volvo p1800e, and I think i'd like to turn it into my daily driver. However, the car is terribly underpowered, and given the age of the engine and drivetrain, I'd like to swap in a more reliable, higher powered engine. Now, i know that everyone is going to start yelling "SR20DET!!!", but i would rather swap in something less firebreathing, readily available and more reliable.

Ive been mulling around ideas for engines in my head, but if any of you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them.

OR, should i keep it bone stock? It's somewhat collectable, and sexy as a **** -

Here is a pic if any of you have never seen one.

Any suggestions?

 

wow, it looks rather clean for a car in 71'

 

er, thats not the car - the one i got is white, but apparently close to the same condition and same year.

 

That's a pretty cool Volvo model. Not too many running around.
Congrats !

 

I would suggest talking to the guys at Volpar ( http://www.volpar.com/ ) about what fits into those cars well.
My first thought is for a Toyota 22R engine. Small, light, cheap industructable, and tons of aftermarket parts.

 

Very nice car, you definetly don't see too many of those around! I think there was some well documented case where a p1800e had a ****load of miles on the original engine, although I can't remember the number.

My whitetrash side is thinking put a 350 in it. Simple, reliable, cheap, and fun!

 

It was 2 million, and it was a p1800e. I remember there was a big hullaballoo about it a while back, and volvo restored it for the guy or somthing.

 

Wow cool, nice car

 

http://www.motorcities.com/contents/02HCB240309654.html

-Chris

 

how much is that worth? is it a stick? can i drive it =P, lol jk, but damn im dying to find a stick car to drive! do u live insf?

 

If it's just a commuting car, put a honda or a toyota engine from either the regular honda or for a little more power a B16, or Celica engine. Save some gas while rollin' around.

 

man don't learn how to drive stick on an old car, not just for the cars sake, but modern MT cars drive way differently...trust me

 

nice car man!

I was raised working on old BMW's, I love old cars.

If the car is really clean and rust-free, keep it stock.

I don't know what the parts availability is like, but for instance BMW had made a big effort in the mid 90's to reproduce a bunch of parts for the 2002 model, then this year all of a sudden you can't get any of the transmission parts; so its a hard call to make.

If you're going to do a drivetrain swap, I'd go for a nice motor like an SR20DE/T, otherwise I don't see it being worth doing...

There are engine/tranny swap plates for using different motors in certain cars, search Grass Roots Motorsports for their info...

 

Do not get a Toyota 22R engine...it may be reliable, but it makes 96 horsepower. Go with at least more than 100hp for your Volvo or you'll regret ever putting in a new motor. Last thing you want is to be driving a beauty like that powered by a 86 Toyota pickup engine

 

yes and yes. Keep it stock, assuming the numbers match, for the love of cars, keep it stock!!!
Daily driving a car that old is OK if you need cheap transpo and the car has been beat up. If the 1800 you get is in good shape, keep it, and it may be one of the few times you have a car increase in value.

My buddies dad has three - on racing car, one parts car and a black street car which is all stock except for the radio. Really neat cars.
PM me if you are looking for a mechanic with a lot of P1800 experience, and if it's in great shape, please don't risk daily driving that beauty!