Anyone who'sdone a valver or 1.7 Turbo swap

[Dan91]

What are the costs like overall?

Ideally i Would like to stick the 1.7 Turbo lump from the 440 in my 340.

From what i know (Very little) Its a straight bolt in?

How much does an average 440 1.7t engine cost and how easy is the overall swap?

How much overall cost wise does the swap cost and how easy/reliable is it to run daily? Fuel costs etc.

And most importantly, whats the power like?

Apologies for the mass questions If anyone can link me to a thread with this or just give me some info i'd be grateful.

Cheers, Dan

[SteveP]

Chris is one of only a few who's doing/done this swap - it's not easy and you'll need a custom manifold. Plus the torque will push the limits of the standard drivetrain. There's a lot more info about but there's a reason why people put the 16v's in!

[Dan91]

thanks for the input, i wouldnt mind doing a 12v aswell if its better. Whats the cost/reliability on that like?

And how easy is it to do? Plus and play?

[Chris_C]

I've a feeling I'm the only person who has a valver and a turbo. Granted I've never driven the turbo... but the engine is at least in.

Cost, depends on how you do it, over what time scale you are prepared to wait to get the bits, how much power you eventually want etc etc.

Originally, my valver cost very little. However, dev time making it reliable has been whats killed my budget. It also depends if you can fabricate parts, or are willing to hunt through parts catalogues etc. I'm a bit anal with how I have done my swaps, both are "as Volvo would have done it" raiding the parts bins where ever I can. I have parts from about 6 different 400's are well as every 300 on my turbo, same with clios, R5's, R19's, 400's and 300's on the valver.

Engines are starting to be more sought after, I bought a complete car for £80 and sold the alloys for the same (no, not your ones ) Manifold fwiw cost me £300 to have made, I wouldn't do that again as I can now weld but at the time it wasn't an option. Engines now you'd be lucky to get less than £200.

Putting the valver in is a lot easier. Things like oil and water lines for the turbo arn't needed, nor housing the turbo etc. However, I really am looking forward to finishing mine, it just won't be done before I have Fake properly sorted, all the developement problems I'm having with the valver will occur in the turbo and I have no intention of fighting the same problems twice.

Plug and play? No, neither. Unless you don't drive it often or hard, or have a clue what a engine is suppose to run like.

[Dan91]

Cheers for the input chris

Im capable of doing most things myself, problem being space and time, i daily my 340 and i only have the side of the road to work on, just getting an idea of things

[SteveP]

Im capable of doing most things myself, problem being space and time, i daily my 340 and i only have the side of the road to work on, just getting an idea of things

In that case I genuinely wouldn't bother - quite often the case a project car and daily doesn't necessarily go hand in hand, as I'm sure Chris will testify to an extent. From what I remember your car is really low mileage and the 1.7 aint that bad when it's working right. I'd be tempted to enjoy it as it is for now and put the pennies towards a project 300 that you don't need to rely on

[Chris_C]

Daily 300's are awesome. Daily valvers really arn't there yet, unless you like laying in the road a lot. Daily turbo's are no where near.

I managed 25,000miles until I gave in and got the Corsa you saw the other day soley because when I need to spend a few days fixing or modding the 300 I can. I can take the engine out, find that the bit I bought on Friday afternoon wasn't the same as the bit that's broken and not have to reassemble it with the broken bit just to get to work. The corsa just works because it's standard, Fake used to do the same.

[SteveP]

I knew you'd put it better than I could've

[Chris_C]

It's awesome tbh. I still daily Fake (now the engine mount thing has been sorted, another thing I couldn't have done without corsa...) but the backup is amazing.

It also *just works*. The corsa was laid up for nearly 2 years and today failed it's first MOT in my ownership. Wheel cylinder is starting to leak.. so 5 minutes and £6. There's no rust on it. It's perfect for me, I hate it so it stays standard

[volvosneverdie]

It's awesome tbh.

It also *just works*. :

Sounds like a B14 old bean(s).

Ultimate non performance reliable-a-tron.

I find "standard" 300s to be excellent dailys. 360s lack mpgs a bit, but if you dont mind winding down your own windows, steering like an alphamale with no added cheats etc, then a standard 340 is a good old bus.

I want to get something better, mith better power and mpgs. But for a grand, im finding it hard to find anything. Thats 3x what I paid for the 340. Starting to question my own common sense now

[Chris_C]

Yeah, tbh if it wasn't for worries over welding up another sheell I'd chop it in for a B14, Kar was good to me. Thing is though, what are the odds of me having a 340 and not fiddling with it?

[volvosneverdie]

Thing is though, what are the odds of me having a 340 and not fiddling with it?

Decimal number percent.

[huskyracer]

BOO !! long time no speak (the OG's here might remember me) just to upset the apple cart, i built a 1.7 turbo 340 in a driveway, in a week, and daily drove it for two years. BUT....... i spent the best part of 6 months working out what i had to do, and collecting the bits i needed, i also have the advantage of being in the tuning/conversion industry, although i did this on a stirct budget, and entirely by my self. it can be done, but if you have to ask.....

[Chris_C]

Good to see you back here mate!

You do have an unfair advantage over the rest of us you still got yours?

[huskyracer]

Hi Chris, i sold it recently to a good mate, as i hadnt used it much and i moved house and lost the storage, its currently having a 2.0 litre stroker engine fitted (all still in the original 1.7 block) when its done, ill post the results on here. Glad to see your all still at it