300-series advice for Journalists

Post by **5lab** » 11 Oct 2006 10:11 am

that's actually a glt..

Carl wrote:If you would settle for a 1.4 theres a few on ebay going cheap with MoTs at the moment. The only 360 on there is already over budget!

EDIT:
Theres this one with not much MoT:
>clicky<
And there a 360GLE Saloon with the rare Hella light Grille and plnety of MoT on autotrader for £295, bit more but would make a good publicity car I reckon:
1987 D Reg VOLVO 360 GLE
4 Doors, Manual, Saloon, Petrol, 160,000 miles, Silver, MOT-07-2007. Electric windows, Power assisted steering, Radio/Cassette, Sunroof. Insurance Group:8, part ex to clear ,very good condition,drives extreamly well!

Post by **RKM** » 11 Oct 2006 01:47 pm

Soz but a 1.4 really wouldn't be man enough for the job, we would ideally like to surprise a few people!

SO we are better off with a 360GLT, are we??!

Post by **Chris_C** » 11 Oct 2006 01:54 pm

They all have pro's and cons... depending on how much work you want to do, all can have the power notched up. GLT's are already on a fairly hot cam, but old skool FI, but thats possible to change depending on how involved you want it. GLT's can surprise a 205GTi, if you are keen on drifting, look at Ali's GLT (theres a vid on here in the last 2 weeks) thats a 3dr GLT

Post by **RKM** » 11 Oct 2006 04:14 pm

To be honest, it is unlikely that we will want to embark on stripping the engine down and spending vast sums of time and cash on the mechanicals, other than maintenance. We need to invest that on the bodywork decals and getting the car taxed and tested for a year.

so with a 360, the modifications need to be on te fuelling side I presume? WHat about the 1.7? Is it more involved?

Post by **5lab** » 11 Oct 2006 05:16 pm

the simplist\cheapest way for more power on any of the cars is an engine swap - the 340 is preffered by drifters as it's weight is more balanced, but there's not much to it.. if you're not going to be doing anything for a while, get a 360 glt..

Post by **SteveP** » 11 Oct 2006 06:20 pm

5lab wrote: the 340 is preffered by drifters as it's weight is more balanced

True, the drifters prefer 340s - but they're certainly not more balanced, and Ali has proved a GLT seems to drift better than a 1.7 3 door.

Post by **Carl** » 11 Oct 2006 06:31 pm

If you can find one I'd say for for a 360, ideally a GLT. But dont totally discount the 1.7, if a cheap tidy one comes up local to you it'll definately be worth a look!

There isnt much you can do to improve the power of a 360 on the cheap unfotunately. Weight saving is your best bet for getting the most out of it.

Post by **foggyjames** » 11 Oct 2006 06:33 pm

They like 340s for the Renault engine street cred...har har!

The point with a B14 is that it's not much slower than a GLT in the grand scheme of things. If the B14 won't cut it, don't expect the B200 to be that much better. You need to take a 360 and swap a B230 (2.3) in...preferably a 16v, turbo, or both.

cheers

James

Post by **Ali** » 11 Oct 2006 07:26 pm

I've got a 360glt drift car and am in the Midlands but i'm not selling it

lol, i'd say get a glt, loads more "grunt" all through the rev range rather than the more revvy renault units, also the advantages of torque tube and thicker driveshafts. For basic drifting you'll find the standard power ok if you work it hard enough in the dry but only 2nd gear really, 3rd in the wet. If you want to keep with same engine then wild cam and megasquirt seem the way to go!

Post by **RKM** » 11 Oct 2006 09:46 pm

Foggy, a 1.4 not much slower than a GLT - come on, there must be shed loads of difference!!!

Well, seems like a 360GLT would be the number one choice, followed by a 1.7 340, but is there much difference between the two?

Post by **foggyjames** » 11 Oct 2006 09:53 pm

It depends...on a twisty course up to about 50mph, the B14 would put up a fight. Steve can vouch for me sticking to his bumper up to about 40-50. At higher speeds, it clearly doesn't stand a chance - so it depends on the type of event you have in mind. A 5 speed B14 car isn't much slower than my carbed 360 was before I started playing with it. Gear ratios play a surprisingly big role when it comes to accelleration, especially at lower speeds.

cheers

James

Post by **Carl** » 11 Oct 2006 10:03 pm

Well the GLT has the benefit of not having a fiddly carb that can cause problems, but the GLT has a fairly antiquated EFi system that doesnt respond to well to major mods. In terms of performance the GLT has approx 120bhp/120lbft and the 1.7 around 85bhp/90lbft I'd guess. But with the GLT you gain around 100kg, but you get the stronger drivetrain. Swings and roundabouts really, but at the end of the day the GLT will be the quicker, stronger car (assuming it's in good nick of course).

And dont forget the non GLT, carbed 360s too. Still more poke than a 1.7!

Post by **Chris_C** » 11 Oct 2006 10:28 pm

As they said, swings and roundabouts, 360's lazy power, renualt engines you need to rev, but they respond well. TBH, I'd go for a 1.7 over a carb 360, but you'll be happy on either GLT or a 1.7! See whats about, and put rust advoidance as your top priority

Post by **filthyjohn** » 12 Oct 2006 11:09 am

If you're not too bothered about engine life you could buy a cheap nos kit.

Post by **foggyjames** » 16 Oct 2006 10:52 pm

Or you could buy a more expensive one and not worry

cheers

James